Chapter 1125: Indistinguishable Truth And Falsehood (I)
The black-robed cultivators had already fetched the items. As soon as Kong Guxi gave the word, the guest cultivators carried in a stand lined with two neat rows of soul lamps. The base was crafted from a dark-colored wood, and the faint blue flames danced gently.
The bottom row held only life jades; they clearly belonged to disciple-level guest cultivators and were therefore not very important. A tier higher were the lamps of Kong Qiuyan and the others; most had already gone out. Above that were those of Kong Guxi’s generation; the lamps were larger, with more intricate patterns, and only three of the ten remained lit.
The next tier was almost completely extinguished, with only a single lamp still burning, which Li Ximing could tell belonged to Kong Tingyun. One level higher stood another single lamp on a gilded base, which should correspond to Kong Haiying.
At the very top rested an extinguished soul lamp with gold-and-silver patterns and a jade base; it was Changxi’s lamp. That single piece alone made the stand incredibly heavy, though the guest cultivators, being Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, held it steady with ease.
Kong Guxi was being obsequious now. The ancestral soul lamps were normally placed in the ancestral hall where no one dared to even touch them, yet they were being carried up as if serving dishes. The few from Profound Peak Gate all felt humiliated and lowered their heads in shame.
But no one paid them any attention. Everyone stared curiously and in awe at the lamps. Only a young man in crimson robes stood behind Li Zhouwei with his hands clasped, his golden eyes fixed on the Profound Peak Gate cultivators.
Sun Bai tugged gently at Kong Guli’s sleeve to calm him. Kong Qiuyan lowered her head and closed her eyes, while Profound Peak Gate’s gate master Kong Guxi stood at the front, bowing respectfully. When he sensed the young man’s gaze, he lowered his head even more.
Li Jiangqian withdrew his gaze and gestured to Li Quewan, who was dressed in a cloud-silk gown. She too looked at Kong Guxi and spoke through secret techniques, “That man is the Profound Peak Gate gate master? The Daoist Master wishes to investigate thoroughly. He had better cooperate.”
Li Jiangqian replied, “If not for Kong Guxi, the Profound Peak Gate Dao lineage would have fallen long ago. I’ve long heard Granduncle Chenghui speak of him. Let’s see how he handles this.”
The crowd remained outwardly silent, though many were already whispering their private thoughts.