Chapter 158 - 157: Escalates
He was an elder of the Pure Cloud Sect.
More importantly, he was a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator, having just recently broken through past the middle stage.
The elder took a single step forward and looked directly at Lin Yuan.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, stop!"
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly through the entire hall.
Lin Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The pressure filling the Grand Concourse gradually settled, but it did not disappear completely.
Lord Zhao Shenming walked forward, his expression growing increasingly cold as he surveyed the situation.
"What happened here?"
No one answered immediately.
Mu Tianyang was still frozen beneath Lin Yuan’s pressure. Bai Chen stood nearby, his face pale as he stared at the hairpin on the floor. Han Zilie, meanwhile, had gone completely silent.
The old Pure Cloud elder looked at the scene for several breaths before his gaze finally settled on Mu Tianyang.
"Tianyang," he said coldly. "Lower your hand."
Mu Tianyang’s expression changed.
"But Elder..."
"I said lower it."
The command left no room for argument.
Mu Tianyang slowly lowered his hand.
Only then did the elder turn toward Lin Yuan.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, I understand your concern. But this matter involves the reputation of our Saintess and the Pure Cloud Sect. It cannot be settled through violence."
Lin Yuan stared at him for a moment before glancing toward the hairpin.
"Then perhaps," Lin Yuan said calmly, "it should be settled through the truth."
He turned to face Mu Tianyang, his expression remaining completely composed. There was no anger in his voice, yet every word carried an unmistakable warning.
"He clearly sought to break my family’s Dao Heart over a fabricated lie," Lin Yuan said. "You played the game of politics. But I do not play politics, Mu Tianyang. Make any more plays and you will be courting death."
What words!
Mu Tianyang’s expression instantly changed. The humiliation and fury he had been suppressing finally erupted, and his cultivation surged without restraint. The dense Qi of a Middle Nascent Soul cultivator burst from his body, causing the surrounding tables to tremble.
But beneath that fury was something else.
Shock.
Until this moment, Mu Tianyang had never truly regarded Lin Yuan as someone he needed to fear.
After all, since the banquet, Lin Yuan had deliberately concealed his cultivation with the Great Tortoise Breath Technique. To Mu Tianyang and most of the people present, Lin Yuan appeared to be nothing more than another Nascent Soul cultivator. Perhaps a powerful one, perhaps someone with an extraordinary background, but still a Nascent Soul cultivator.
That was why Mu Tianyang had been willing to confront Bai Chen.
That was why he had dared to push the matter this far.
He had been wary of Lin Yuan, but his wariness came largely from Lord Zhao Shenming’s backing. As long as Lin Yuan remained beneath the same realm as him, Mu Tianyang believed there was still room to maneuver. Even if Lin Yuan became involved, the Pure Cloud Sect had enough influence to ensure that the situation would not immediately spiral out of control.
But if he had known from the beginning that Lin Yuan was a Spirit Severing cultivator, even an Early Stage Spirit Severing cultivator, would he have dared to act against Bai Chen?
No.
Absolutely not.
In the cultivation world, realms were not separated by simple numbers. A Spirit Severing expert stood on an entirely different level from a Nascent Soul cultivator. The difference between the two was enough to make countless Nascent Soul cultivators think twice before provoking one.
Even if Bai Chen were merely Lin Yuan’s servant.
Even if Bai Chen had actually committed the crime.
Mu Tianyang would have thought ten times before laying a hand on him.
And if Lin Yuan actually had a pet beside him, he probably would not even dare touch that pet without first confirming the situation.
The Peak Nascent Soul elder then stepped forward, as his face was no longer calm.
Although Lin Yuan had not actually attacked Mu Tianyang, the elder could clearly see that the situation had already gone beyond what could be dismissed as a dispute between younger cultivators.
A member of the Pure Cloud Sect had been publicly humiliated.
Their Saintess’s personal possession had somehow appeared on the body of a member of Lin Yuan’s family.
And now their Senior Disciple had been threatened with death.
The elder’s gaze hardened.
"Fellow Daoist Lin."
His voice carried a trace of authority.
"You have already made your position clear. There is no need to escalate this matter further."
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.
"Escalate?"
He glanced at Bai Chen. The young man’s face was still pale, his eyes fixed upon the Frost-Moon Jade Hairpin lying on the floor.
Lin Yuan’s gaze then returned to the elder.
"Your disciple accused my family of theft in front of this entire hall. He attempted to cripple Bai Chen’s cultivation before the matter was even investigated."
His voice remained calm.
"And now you are telling me that I am the one escalating the situation?"
The elder’s expression darkened.
"Tianyang acted out of concern for the reputation of our Saintess."
"Concern?"
Lin Yuan gave a faint smile.
"Then perhaps your Pure Cloud Sect should teach its disciples the difference between concern and recklessness."
A low murmur immediately spread through the surrounding guests.
The elder’s eyes narrowed.
He had not expected Lin Yuan to be so unyielding.
But he was a Peak Nascent Soul cultivator and an elder of the Pure Cloud Sect. Naturally, he would not allow himself to be intimidated by the words of another Nascent Soul cultivator.
His spiritual pressure gradually spread outward.
"Fellow Daoist Lin, the Pure Cloud Sect has stood in Zhao Province for thousands of years. We have never wronged an innocent person, nor have we ever allowed an insult against our Saintess to go unanswered."
His gaze swept toward Bai Chen.
"Regardless of how this hairpin came into his possession, it was found on his person. That fact cannot simply be dismissed."
"Then investigate it."
Lin Yuan answered immediately, as he pointed toward the hairpin with his chin.
"If the Pure Cloud Sect is so confident in its evidence, then investigate how it got there."
A strange silence descended.
Several cultivators exchanged glances.
The possibility had already crossed many people’s minds.
After all, the circumstances were simply too convenient.
But thinking something privately and saying it openly were two entirely different matters.
Han Zilie’s face remained expressionless. Only the slight tightening of his fingers beneath his sleeves betrayed the turmoil within him.
He felt the saying that a lie supported by another lie would eventually collapse under its own weight, coming true.
Lord Zhao Shenming stood silently, his eyes moving between everyone present.
"Search the palace."
Lord Zhao finally spoke, his voice was cold and authoritative.
"And also seal the eastern guest pavilion."
The expressions of several Pure Cloud Sect cultivators changed.
Lord Zhao continued.
"Question every palace servant assigned to that area. Check everything, inspect the ward records, and investigate everyone who entered or left the Saintess’s residence."
His gaze became sharper.
"If Bai Chen is guilty, I will personally give the Pure Cloud Sect an explanation."
Then his eyes swept toward Mu Tianyang.
"But if he is innocent..."
He paused.
The entire hall seemed to tighten around those words.
"...then someone will answer for attempting to frame a member of Lin Yuan’ s household."
Han Zilie’s heart sank.
The young master of the Han clan immediately lowered his gaze. For the first time since the incident began, genuine fear appeared within his eyes.
He had expected the situation to end with Bai Chen being disgraced and dragged out.
He had expected the Pure Cloud Sect to stand more firmly behind Mu Tianyang.
He had expected Lin Yuan to be forced into silence by the combined pressure of the sect and the accusation.
He had never expected Lord Zhao Shenming to order an investigation in front of everyone.
And if the investigation reached the palace servants...
His breathing became slightly heavier.
Beside him, a young servant standing among the palace attendants quietly lowered his head.
His face had already begun to turn pale.
Lin Yuan’s eyes swept across the crowd.
For a brief moment, his gaze stopped on that servant.
The servant’s body stiffened.
Lin Yuan smiled faintly.
There you are.
He did not say anything.
There was no need.
The truth had already begun revealing itself.
But before anyone could move, an immense pressure suddenly descended from outside the Grand Concourse.
Boom!
The entire palace trembled, as the spiritual Qi in the hall violently surged.
Every cultivator present turned toward the entrance, as a terrifying aura swept across the palace like an ancient storm.
The expressions of the Pure Cloud Sect disciples changed instantly.
Even the Peak Nascent Soul elder’s pupils contracted.
Then, from beyond the towering gates of the Grand Concourse, a mighty voice exploded through the heavens.
"WHO DARES TEST THE HONOR OF THE PURE CLOUD SECT?!"