In the Taoist temple, the Heaven and Earth Platform, which was originally used to worship heaven and earth, was now turned into a place of mourning. The mountain wind blew and made mournful sounds, causing the paper money to scatter all over the sky. It looked like the fluttering snow on Kunlun Mountain.
A simple mourning hall was built on the Heaven and Earth Platform. In the middle of the mourning hall was a pile of firewood, and a pine coffin was placed on top of it.
Lying in the coffin was a legend, a legend that had passed away.
Today was the seventh day of Wei Wushuang's death, and also the deadline for his cremation. Soon, his two disciples would personally light the firewood and let the fire burn him to ashes.
At this moment, it was the final farewell for him.
His two disciples, Ji Fengming and Zuo Feiying, stood on both sides of the coffin. Zuo Feiying still did not cry. She must have had a hard time holding back her tears. She knelt in front of the coffin and used her trembling hands to put the paper money into the brazier.
Ji Fengming constantly welcomed guests, bowed, and sent them off. Every action was so precise that there was no fault to be found. However, everyone who approached her couldn't help but shiver. That was because Ji Fengming's body emitted a bone-piercing chill. It was a chill that couldn't be suppressed, as if it came from the netherworld.
In front of the mourning hall, in a semicircle, were the sects that had come to watch the ceremony. At this moment, all of them looked sad. The Six Dao had not been destroyed, but the pillar had already been broken, which made everyone more pessimistic about the future.
At this moment, a sudden announcement was heard. "The Spring and Autumn Sword Tower Master, 'Sword Emperor' Yue Cangqiong has arrived!"
The crowd parted to form a path, and a yellow-robed old man walked steadily toward them. He was tall and strong, and his appearance was extraordinary. Every movement he made was filled with an imposing aura. It was Yue Cang Qiong.
Some sects that were affiliated with Yue Cangqiong immediately followed behind him and wanted to flatter him, but they were stopped by the Righteous Sky Alliance members who were maintaining order. Yue Cangqiong ignored their politeness and took three incense sticks from a Wanxiang Heavenly Palace disciple, then walked straight to the mourning hall with a solemn expression.
"Sima Chengzhen, Gu Jiansheng, and now Sect Master Wei. In just a few short years, the stars of the Dao Sect have fallen, and the pillars of the sect have been broken. It really makes one sigh, the Dao is gone, and the demons are growing …"
Just as Yue Cang Qiong was about to offer the incense, a hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder. "Sword Emperor, wait!"
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, not many people saw clearly that a figure had appeared behind Yue Cang Qiong, blocking him from entering the temple.
Yue Cang Qiong did not turn around but he seemed to know who was behind him. He frowned slightly as if he was displeased by the rude behavior of the person behind him. He said, "Alliance Leader Mu, the dead should be respected. What is it that you have to say, can't you wait until I'm done with the incense?"
The person behind him was wearing a silver crown and purple robe. She was handsome and valiant. She was the Righteous Sky Alliance Master, Mu Zixuan.
However, Mu Zixuan sneered and suddenly made an even more rude move. She said, "It's precisely because the dead should be respected that some incense can't be offered, in case the dead are desecrated and die unwillingly!" As she spoke, her body did not move, but her Qi flowed on its own. An invisible Gang Qi spread out and the incense in Sword Emperor's hand actually broke in half.
As soon as these words were spoken, it instantly caused a lot of discussion. Early on when Yue Cang Qiong joined the Righteous Sky Alliance, most people could already see that there was discord between them. After all, how could the Sword Emperor of the present age submit to a young man? And anyone who had a subordinate like Sword Emperor would definitely feel like there was a thorn in their back. At that time, they did not expect that the conflict that had never been resolved would actually break out in front of Wei Wushuang's coffin today.
Yue Cang Qiong casually threw half of the incense on the ground. His face was still expressionless. He said, "Alliance Master Mu stopped me from offering incense. Is the person who caused the dead to be desecrated referring to me?" However, he had already changed the way he addressed himself from "me" to "this seat". He could already feel Sword Emperor's anger.
However, Mu Zixuan said something shocking. "I'm talking about the person who colluded with the Six Paths of Evil Destruction and killed Sect Leader Wei Wushuang. As for whether it's Sword Emperor or not, we'll know in a moment!"
Hearing this, Yue Cang Qiong squinted his eyes and said, "Oh, you're saying that Sect Leader Wei did not die due to treatment, but was murdered?"
Mu Zixuan did not give in and said tit for tat, "That's right! That's what I mean! "
The two of them spoke one after another. Every word was like a thunderclap exploding in the audience. If it was just a whisper just now, it was already a huge uproar now.
"Someone colluded with the Six Paths of Evil Destruction and murdered Sect Leader Wei? How is that possible? "
"Why is it not possible? Like I said, how can a dignified Dao Fan die so easily? So, he … he was really murdered! "
"But who killed Sect Leader Wei? From what Alliance Master Mu said, could it be …"
"Shh, stop talking, he's looking!"
Yue Cang Qiong's sharp eyes looked around. Wherever his gaze landed, it was as if there was a sword. The noisy crowd instantly became silent. Only Yue Cang Qiong sneered and said disdainfully, "You think you're right? Do you think you're qualified? "
"Then what if I'm right? Do you think I'm qualified?" Just as the crowd retreated, another voice was heard. A short and fat elder walked out from the back of the mourning hall.
"It's Divine Doctor Chu!"
"Divine Doctor Chu also said so. Could it be true?"
The person who appeared was naturally Chu Bainiu. As soon as he appeared, the voices that had been suppressed by Yue Cangqiong began to surge again. If there was anyone present who was most qualified to say the cause of Wei Wushuang's death, it would be Chu Bainiu.
Chu Bainiu saved the dying and healed the injured. He had a high reputation, so he had the absolute right to speak on this matter. Yue Cang Qiong had to respect him. His face revealed some confusion, as if he was starting to take this matter seriously. He said, "Divine Doctor Chu is qualified. But if it's true, who killed Sect Leader Wei?"
"It's me! I purposely made a mistake and intentionally let Sect Leader Wei's poison take effect! "Chu Bainiu said aloud.
Everyone felt their heads buzzing. They could no longer keep up. Before they could react, they heard Chu Bainiu say, "But I was forced by someone. Someone used my daughter as a threat, forcing me to kill Wei Wushuang. That person is the true mastermind behind all of this!"
"Everyone, don't be so noisy!" Mu Zixuan stepped forward and suppressed the voices that were about to explode. She cooperated and said, "Divine Doctor Chu, this is your chance to make up for your mistake. Tell us everything in front of everyone."
Chu Bainiu let out a long sigh. He took out Chu Song's jewelry and showed it to the crowd. Then he said, "I'm sure everyone has heard that there's a traitor in the Wan Xiang Heavenly Palace. Two elders, Sun Wuwei and Qian Wuguo, rushed into the Celestial Master Cave and tried to assassinate Sect Leader Wei and me. But they were ambushed and killed on the spot. But I found my daughter's jewelry and a letter from them asking me to meet privately."
Yue Cang Qiong raised his eyelids and said, "If I remember correctly, I killed those two people. Divine Doctor Chu, I protected you at that time."
But Mu Zixuan disagreed, "It could also be a surveillance to ensure that the jewelry and the letter were passed to Divine Doctor Chu."
Yue Cang Qiong's eyes turned cold. He looked at Mu Zixuan with his sharp eyes. But Mu Zixuan ignored his threatening eyes and said to Chu Bainiu, "Divine Doctor Chu, continue to tell everyone what happened next."
Chu Bainiu nodded and continued, "Later, I came to the peak of the Celestial Master Cave as promised. I saw that there was indeed someone waiting there. I was shocked at that time. You should know that all the sects had retreated back to Qing City after the battle of the Tomes of Arcane. And the Celestial Master Cave where I was at was already heavily guarded. To be able to appear at the peak of the Celestial Master Cave without being discovered by anyone when all the sects' experts were gathered in Qing City, that person was either extremely familiar with the defenses of Qing City Mountain, or he had extremely high cultivation. Of course, it's most likely that he had both! And it was at that time that person claimed that my daughter's life was in his hands, so he forced me to kill Sect Leader Wei! "
Yue Cang Qiong looked impatient and said, "Although there are not many people who are familiar with the defenses of Qing City and have high cultivation, there are still quite a few of them. The most important question is, Chu Bainiu, did you see that person's face?"
"No, that person deliberately hid his figure and face, so it's hard to distinguish him from his appearance." Chu Bainiu shook his head and said firmly, "But I will not forget that he was wearing a golden lion mask!"
As soon as he said this, Yue Cang Qiong's face showed surprise for the first time! Although it was only for a short moment!
"You guessed it right!" Mu Zixuan shouted in her heart. Then, she pretended to be puzzled and said loudly to the audience, "What a coincidence. It's said that more than half a year ago, there was also a group of masked people at the Coast of the East Sea who wanted to provoke a war between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Crystal Palace where 'Mermaid Tears of the East Sea' was located. And the leader was wearing a golden lion mask! Sword Emperor, I remember that you were in a life-or-death seclusion at that time, right? Doesn't this mean that no one can prove your real intention at that time? "
Mu Zixuan's words implied that the incident in the East Sea six months ago was led by Yue Cang Qiong. He knew that the so-called lie, in fact, needed the truth to support it. There was truth in falsehood, and the mixture of truth and falsehood was the most confusing.
Most of the dirty water that he poured on Yue Cang Qiong was his doing, except for the incident in the East Sea six months ago.
Half a year ago, there was an unforeseen event in the East Sea. A group of people wearing beast-shaped masks, together with the leader of the Crystal Palace's resistance force — the commander of the Black Scale Army in the Mirage City, conspired to attack the Crystal Palace, intending to provoke a war between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Crystal Palace. However, due to the unexpected intervention of Ying Feiyang and Ling Xin, the plan was forced to stop. However, the whereabouts of the group of people wearing beast-shaped masks were unknown, and their identity was still a mystery.
The most suspicious one was Mr. Dodge, the temporary leader of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. In the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, there were six people who had the right to make decisions, and were eligible to be elected as the leader. Three of the six people were killed in that incident. In the end, among the six people, Mr. Dodge, who had joined the Alliance for the shortest time and had a mysterious past, became the biggest beneficiary and became the acting leader of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals. Therefore, some insiders still suspected that those masked people were summoned by Mr. Dodge.
And his' good Junior Brother 'Ying Feiyang suspected him. After all, if there was a war in the East Sea at that time, a large number of members of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals would leave the East Sea and pour into the Central Plains. And the Righteous Sky Alliance could take this opportunity to absorb all of them and further expand its own power. Even in the distant future, it could use this group of people to swallow the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, making the Righteous Sky Alliance the number one alliance in the world.
This very reasonable inference almost made Mu Zixuan think that he was really the one who caused the incident in the East Sea. If he was not sure that he was busy preparing for the Battle of Heavenly Book with Su Miaoyin at that time and had not been to the East Sea at all.
In that case, apart from himself, who else could possibly benefit from the war between the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals and the Water Crystal Palace?
And this person was the target of his suspicion — Sword Emperor Yue Cangqiong.
Not long after the incident in the East Sea, Yue Cangqiong joined the Righteous Sky Alliance. If the plan of those masked people went well, a large number of members of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals left the East Sea because of the war and were absorbed into the Righteous Sky Alliance, then who would they serve?
Although Mu Zixuan was the leader of the Righteous Sky Alliance and had the support of the huge resources of the Great Tang Imperial Court, Yue Cangqiong's reputation and qualifications were far higher than his. Moreover, like those people, he was also a new member of the alliance, so it was easier for him to form a group. If Yue Cangqiong recruited more new members, then his position as the leader of the Righteous Sky Alliance would be even more precarious.
Of course, the above were all suspicions, and the possibility of guessing correctly was only fifty percent at most, and there was no evidence at all.
But because of these suspicions, when he met Chu Bainiu, he deliberately wore a fake golden lion mask, the purpose of which was to remind people of the change in the East Sea.
If his suspicion was wrong, it would not cause any loss to Mu Zixuan.
If his suspicion was right, he could confuse the two incidents of the upheaval in the East Sea and the murder of Wei Wushuang into one, which would make it more difficult for Yue Cangqiong to clear his name.
And it seemed that Mu Zixuan was right again.
Although Yue Cangqiong's surprise only flashed for a moment, many people had already noticed it. Suddenly, suspicions arose everywhere, and many people's judgment was already inclined to Mu Zixuan's side.
While Mu Zixuan took advantage of the situation and said, "Even if Sword Emperor can't prove his whereabouts, what about the other people in the Spring and Autumn Sword Tower? Can they expose their whereabouts to prove that the group of masked people in the East Sea had nothing to do with them? "
"Have you said enough?" Yue Cangqiong flicked his sleeve and finally shouted coldly and angrily, "You want to force the Spring and Autumn Sword Tower to prove itself just because of your baseless suspicions? Do you think the Spring and Autumn Sword Tower is a place that you can do whatever you want?"
Seeing that Yue Cangqiong was furious, Mu Zixuan became even more calm. Because he knew that Sword Emperor would not prove himself, and could not prove himself. Sword Emperor could not say that he only planned the incident in the East Sea and had nothing to do with Wei Wushuang's murder. But how could it be easy to deny that the incident in the East Sea was very likely to be caused by him?
In the eyes of the crowd, this showed that Sword Emperor was anxious and had a guilty conscience.
Sometimes, the key to winning the support of the onlookers in a confrontation was not how credible one's evidence was, but how suspicious the other party's behavior was.
Mu Zixuan's framing did not need to be flawless. As long as Yue Cangqiong's actions aroused enough suspicion from the onlookers, the crowd would naturally lean towards Mu Zixuan's side. Then, they would imagine the details, motive, and inside story of Yue Cangqiong's collusion with the Six Dao … until they weaved everything as if they had seen it with their own eyes.
This was the so-called "suspecting one's neighbor and stealing one's axe".
So, Mu Zixuan smiled softly and replied with needles, "I dare not. It's just that a group of shady experts appeared in the East Sea more than half a year ago. And after Sect Master Yue joined the Righteous Sky Alliance, those experts seemed to have followed. Does Sword Emperor know that not long ago, when he escorted Goddess Ling Xin to Jinxiu Villa for treatment, they were attacked? They were probably afraid that the Holy Lady and her entourage would affect the plan of using Chu Song to threaten Divine Doctor Chu. So, they sent a group of hidden experts to stop and kill them on their way. Master Shi Xingchu can prove this. "
"It's true." Shi Kaixin, who was dressed in a white monk robe, walked out from the back of the mourning hall. He was holding a frozen broken arm in his hand, "I can testify that there was a group of unknown people who wanted to kill Goddess Ling Xin. They were all experts, and they deliberately hid their martial arts. Luckily, we were already prepared, and managed to defeat them. We even cut off the arm of one of the machetemen."
As he spoke, Shi Kaixin passed the broken arm to a few well-respected elders among the crowd. Although Shi Kaixin said that the scoundrel was a machetemen, after the elders read it, they all said, "This is an arm that only uses a sword!"
"Amitabha, I think so too." Putting his palms together, he said, "But what I don't understand is why they attacked the next day as soon as they decided to send Holy Daughter Ling Xin to Jinping Villa. If the Six Paths of Evil Annihilation wanted to kill the Holy Daughter, their news came too quickly. Besides, there was no need for the Six Paths of Evil Annihilation to hide their weapons and cultivation techniques. I'm slow-witted, and I only hope to solve this mystery today. "
After Shi Kaixin finished speaking, he lightly bowed to the crowd and retreated to the back, leaving the crowd to whisper to each other and quietly look at Yue Cangqiong with vigilance.
"Hahaha!" Yue Cangqiong's grey hair fluttered in the air, and he laughed out of extreme anger, "I'm really tired of your slanderous words. I just want to remind you that I'm the one who collected the medicinal herbs for Wei Wushuang's recovery. If you really want to harm him, why go through so much trouble? You can just tamper with the medicinal herbs!"
"Clap clap clap!" Mu Zixuan clapped her hands and praised, "Sword Emperor, you're right. You're thinking the same thing as Divine Doctor Chu."
Everyone was puzzled. While they were confused, Chu Bainiu explained again, "Although I was forced, I didn't sit still and wait for death. I've also guessed the identity of the mastermind, and tried to sound him out. I asked him 'Do you want me to tamper with Wei Wushuang's medicinal herbs', and he said 'Don't bother, as long as you let the Five Decrepit Aura spread, then you can take Wei Wushuang'."
Mu Zixuan turned around and looked straight into Yue Cangqiong's eyes as he said, "Sword Sovereign, why do you think the mastermind wants Sect Leader Wei to die, but doesn't want him to die because of a problem with the medicine?"
"I only know that you've been implying that I'm trying to kill Wei Wushuang all along. But to frame me, you need stronger evidence." Yue Cangqiong did not answer. He seemed to know that he had fallen into a trap and was in an absolutely disadvantageous position. He gave up on arguing with Mu Zixuan, and only lowered his right hand, forming a sword with his fingers. He said coldly, "If you can't, even if you're the leader of the Righteous Alliance, I'll still seek justice for myself!"
"There's naturally stronger evidence, and it's seen by everyone!" Mu Zixuan said, turned around and faced the crowd. She cupped her hands and said, "Everyone, seven days ago, the three lower paths joined forces and attacked the Green City. Did you see the direction of the attack?"
Everyone responded. "Of course, we saw it clearly. It was the Golden Whip Crag!"
"Everyone, think about it. The place where Sect Leader Wei was being treated was extremely secretive. Only a few people knew about it. Even Divine Doctor Chu was brought to the place by Brother Ji at the last moment. If there was no accurate information, how could the Six Realms of Evil Annihilation be so sure that Sect Leader Wei was at the Golden Whip Crag and launch a surprise attack on the last day? Then who was the one who leaked the information about Sect Leader Wei being at the Golden Whip Crag to the Six Realms of Evil Annihilation? " Although Mu Zixuan was asking, she already had an answer. She shifted her gaze to Yue Cangqiong and said coldly,
"Actually, Brother Ji and I were already on guard against you, and made some preparations about Sect Leader Wei's hiding place. But we didn't expect that apart from revealing Sect Leader Wei's hiding place to lure the Six Realms of Evil Annihilation to attack, you also manipulated Divine Doctor Chu to make Sect Leader Wei suffer from the poison. You attacked from both inside and outside to kill Sect Leader Wei … We've lost this round. "
Speaking till here, Mu Zixuan paused for a while, and then looked at Yue Cangqiong bitterly, "But you didn't win either! Brother Ji told the traitor Fan Wujiang that Sect Leader Wei was at the Morning Sun Peak, and gave Fan Wujiang the opportunity to spread the news. Then, he asked you to get rid of Fan Wujiang, the traitor, and told you without leaving any trace that Sect Leader Wei was not at the Morning Sun Peak, but at the Golden Whip Crag. But the truth is that Sect Leader Wei was not at the Morning Sun Peak, nor at the Golden Whip Crag, but somewhere else! What you know is that we deliberately spread the wrong information to guard against you. But the Six Realms of Evil Annihilation really appeared at the Golden Whip Crag, which only proves one thing! "
Speaking till here, Mu Zixuan turned to the side, and let Ji Fengming, who had been silently guarding in front of the mourning hall, see. His responsibility had been fulfilled. Only Ji Fengming, the victim, was qualified to say the final sentence and the final conclusion.
Everyone looked around and saw Ji Fengming, who had been silent for a long time, stand up in front of the mourning hall. As he stood up, a gust of cold air rose to the sky, causing the white banners on the mourning hall to fly up.
Amidst the fluttering of the white banners and paper money, Ji Fengming walked towards Yue Cangqiong step by step. With a voice filled with killing intent that sent chills down one's spine, she put an end to this shocking confrontation, "It proves that someone who is in a high position in the righteous path is playing tricks, colluding with the evil spirits of the six paths to eliminate the dissidents, and plotting to kill my master. And that person is you …"
Ji Fengming turned around and pointed at the evil culprit in his heart.
"Alliance Master Zhengtian, Mu Zixuan!!!"
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It's been a long time since I asked for a subscription. Today is a rare good day. Is there anyone who wants to make a subscription to celebrate my beloved Senior Brother's failure?
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