Just like that, little tyrant spent three whole days meditating.

Three days later, the spiritual energy that was endlessly pouring into his body finally began to calm down. His wounds were also beginning to close on their own, and faintly, the pressure of an Azoth Core could be felt.

The core was formed!

A certain master who had been silently watching this entire process while standing by his disciple's side all this while, suddenly took a step forward. With a wave of his hand, he placed down a barrier surrounding his stupid disciple.

"Eh?" Zhu Yao curiously turned her head around. What was this about?

Yu Yan silently glanced at him. "His core has been formed."

"I know." I can see that myself though?

"Yu… Yao!" He sighed, as he gave her a 'Why is my disciple so stupid?' expression. "After the formation of an Azoth Core, lightning tribulation will definitely descend."

"Uh…" Zhu Yao instantly understood. h.e.l.l, she had actually forgotten about this. Most likely, the one being zapped would still be her!

The corner of her lips twitched a few moments, and then she silently placed down countless formations for herself, including another defensive barrier. "Hoho… Master. Let me handle something like this on my own!" It felt like whenever her master's about to be zapped by lightning, he's exceptionally unreliable, and something like that had already happened several times as well.

Yu Yan frowned. As though he had recalled some very bad memories, he silently acknowledged her actions.

After pondering for a moment, he still felt a little dissatisfied. He reached out his hand pulled his stupid disciple into his embrace. Mn, he felt better now.

"Gran… Granny, this is?" Ye Qingcang however was confused. Was something big about to happen? Or was an enemy about to attack? To the extent that such powerful defenses were necessary?

"Hoho… You will understand in a moment." Zhu Yao bitterly smiled. She raised her head and glanced at the sky, her face turned stern. "It's here."

Ye Qingcang raised his head to take a look, only to see the sky which was still clear for thousands of kilometers a second earlier, had begun to darken. Large amount of lightning clouds gathered. This was the lightning tribulation directed at the formation of Azoth Core! So she was actually worried that Brother Bai wasn't able to beat the lightning tribulation?

"Granny, don't worry. Brother Bai has a firm heart, he will definitely beat this lightning tribulation safe and sound."

Zhu Yao replied with two words: "Ho ho!" Raising her head, she glanced at the sky. "I say, student Ye, are you sure you're not going to stand a little further away from me?"

"Eh!?"

Boom!

A snow-white flash of light tore through the skies as a tribulation lightning bolt descended. It struck towards… Zhu Yao.

Student Ye who was zapped charred black: "…"

Countless unidentifiable animals galloped through the depths of his heart.

Wasn't it Brother Zhiyuan who formed his Azoth Core? Why were the tribulation lightning bolts striking at granny instead? Furthermore, it seemed like granny was very certain that this situation would occur too, as she had placed down barriers beforehand, which lead to the lightning bolt striking straight at him, leaving her completely unscathed!

"Gran… Granny…" This did not make sense!

"Haah! I already told you to stand further away from me!" Zhu Yao reached out her hand and pulled him into the formation.

The lightning bolts in the sky grew even more excited, as they crackled and struck down relentlessly. Furthermore, all of them were striking in their direction, with not a single one landing on Bai Zhiyuan.

Student Ye Qingcang felt incredibly confused. Just who was forming his or her Azoth Core here, hey?

His heart was filled with doubts, yet a chilling intent suddenly shot out from the side. His heart trembled from the chill. When he turned to look, he saw a man was currently glaring at him coldly next to granny. In an instant, he felt like two ice daggers were stabbing right at his chest.

Ehh?

Earlier, granny seemed to have called him her master. Why was he looking at him this way? What did he do wrong?

So cold, so scary. He suddenly felt like heading out to get struck by lightning instead, what to do?

Yu Yan: Someone familiar with my disciple, is hateful as I have expected!

"Seven, eight, nine, ten…" Zhu Yao very patiently counted the lightning bolts. Don't you dare troll me. A total of eighty-one lightning bolts, and not a single one more. Otherwise, it's a loss for me.

"Granny…" Ye Qingcang meekly wiped off the dust off his arms, which were soon to be frozen stiff due to a certain someone's gaze. Trying to divert his own attention, he spoke up. "You… knew that the lightning would fall on you right from the beginning, right?"

"Ah? Fifteen… Sixteen… Seventeen…" Zhu Yao was focused on counting, so she did not hear him well.

He had no choice but to repeat his words. "I said, granny, you're intentionally blocking Brother Zhiyuan's tribulation lightning bolts, right?"

"Intentionally?" Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at him. "Who the h.e.l.l would intentionally do such a thing? How about you try to intentionally do it in front of my eyes!?"

"Then the formations that you placed down earlier were…"

Zhu Yao glanced at him. With a heart filled with sour emotions, she sighed. "Habits become second nature, dear youth!"

"…" What did that mean? Were the lightning bolts actually striking her on their own accord? He was stunned for a moment. After pondering for a little, he felt that it was impossible. Lightning tribulation was the manifestation of the laws of the Heavenly Dao itself, how could it possibly strike the wrong person? In order to bend the laws of the Heavenly Dao, incredible power was required. Granny must be worried about Zhiyuan, and thus was willing to endure the pain of the lightning tribulation on her own accord. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. He turned to glance at the figure at the back, whose Azoth Core was growing firmer by the minute. In his eyes, a hint of envy could be seen floating about.

Within the heart demon earlier, he had actually heard Bai Zhiyuan's answer as well. Speaking of which, both of them were pitiful people, as they both had the poorest apt.i.tude. Though he had the fortune of being taken into the Inner Sect, the number of rolling and scornful eyes he received were still no less than being an Outer Sect disciple, while Bai Zhiyuan was once a genius with duo spirit veins, who had fallen to the very bottom of the valley. Their fates were similar, and they had both encountered a grandmother who treated them both with sincerity. Before this, he had thought that Bai Zhiyuan was even more pitiful than he was. After all, he climbed up from the very bottom, so he had nothing to lose. However, Bai Zhiyuan once had everything he wanted, but in the end had everything s.n.a.t.c.hed away. A reality even crueler than his. However, right now, he was a little jealous of Bai Zhiyuan. Because, no matter what were to happen to him, granny would always stand by his side.

"Twenty… three, or was it four? The h.e.l.l, I think I might have missed one. Just how many have I counted?"

Ye Qingcang smiled, the envy in his eyes grew brighter. "Granny sure treats Brother Zhiyuan really well." It's a pity that no one has ever treated me with wholehearted sincerity.

Zhu Yao was startled. She turned to look at him. "What's wrong with you?"

"What is it?" He had a confused look.

Zhu Yao frowned. For a moment, the word 'bug' on his face grew a little darker. Earlier, it was so light to the point only a mark was present, but now, a greyish colour could be faintly seen. Oh young one, just what kind of thoughts did you have just now? Don't go back to your former path!

"What did you just say?"

"I said, granny sure treats Brother Zhiyuan really well."

"Don't I treat you well too?" Zhu Yao asked back.

"…" Ye Qingcang blanked for a moment, only to shake his head slowly right after. "That is indeed true."

Zhu Yao sighed, and then said as she patted on his shoulder. "Little Cang, do you have something you want to tell me?"

He stiffened. The expression on his face changed a couple of times, yet he did not speak up for a long while.

"If you have something to say, then say it! Don't be wishy-washy like a girl!"

Ye Qingcang clenched his fists, and then took a deep breath. He turned to look towards her and said. "Granny… Actually, I have always wanted to ask you this. Back then, when you brought Brother Zhiyuan out of Ness Cesary Sect, you did it because you were afraid that he would be bullied for possessing the penta spirit veins, and hence you were willing to hand over Skybond Peak. Furthermore, you even took him in as your disciple and brought him away. I'm… a penta spirit veins holder as well! Why didn't you inform me…" He did not continue after that. Zhu Yao however, understood his intentions.

"You wish to ask why I chose to take in little tyrant as my disciple, and not you, right?"

He nodded, and then immediately explained in anxious manner. "I… It's not like I want to have a dispute with Brother Zhiyuan, it's just… I just want to know the reason." He wanted to know just why she had always thought Bai Zhiyuan was more talented than he was.

"I know!" If he truly was jealous of Little Bai, he wouldn't have risked his life along with them. Zhu Yao sighed. Then, he looked at him sternly and said. "Little Cang, tell me this. If back then, if we have truly gone to look for you, and told you about us being ousted from the sect, what would you have done? Would you have left with us?"

Ye Qing was dumbfounded, and then his expression paled.

"You wouldn't! Zhu Yao replied on his behalf. "Because if you had gone with us, it would be akin to betraying the sect. Most likely, you would even be chased after by the sect."

"I…"

"I'm not trying to lecture you!" Zhu Yao continued. "It's understandable that you would choose not to leave. After all, even if you had come along with us, it would just be an additional baggage for me. Then, let me ask you this as well. If you were little tyrant, and I wasn't a DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioner trying to conceal my own cultivation level, but a mere Azoth Core pract.i.tioner, would you have left the sect?"

No! Ye Qingcang lowered his head. Because, with his personality, even if he were to find out that he possessed the penta spirit veins, he wouldn't accept being ousted out of Ness Cesary Sect so easily. Even if he were to be thrown into the Outer Sect, he would still think of ways on his own, and seek opportunities for himself to make a stand.

"See, this is your difference from little tyrant." Zhu Yao patted on his shoulder and sternly said. "The reason why little tyrant followed me out of Ness Cesary Sect, was because he trusted me enough. He believed that his grandma wouldn't hurt him. Even if he were ousted from the sect, even if were labeled as a wandering pract.i.tioner, even if he had to cultivation from the start once more, he believed in me. Not to mention, when he left, he once resented the sect, resented his past master, and had even resented everyone, except me, whom he felt indebted to. The first thing he thought of, was not what he should do for his own future, but how he could repay his grandma for enduring all these grievances. With all his heart, he believed in a senior, a friend, or even an elder sister like me. How can I possibly not pamper him a little bit more?"

Ye Qingcang was stunned. His face was filled with astonishment and confusion, as though he understood her words, but felt that things had turned even more blurry as well.

"Little Cang, you asked why I didn't choose you? Both of you possess penta spirit veins, and both your cultivation levels were similar as well. However, have you ever thought that you yourself are different from little tyrant in the first place? The two of you have never stood at the same spot. Have you ever place your trust on someone from the depths of your heart, like little tyrant has?"

"Little Cang, we are cultivating to become deities. However, the premise is that we have not become deities. We are all humans, and all humans have feelings. No one in this world will treat you well for no reason. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Little tyrant ventured. He believed in his grandma with all his heart. Even when he understood that he would become a wandering pract.i.tioner living a harsh life from then on, he did not turn his back, and followed me without any hesitation. But Little Cang, what have you ventured on? Have you ever believed in someone with all your heart? If not, why should I have chosen you?"

Ye Qingcang was dumbfounded, and he did not regain his senses for a long while. The echoes in the depths of his heart grew louder, and a single word filled his heart – trust!

He was alone ever since he was young. Because of his stubborn personality, he had always relied on his own to grow stronger a single step at a time. He felt that as long as he worked hard, even if he did not have a good apt.i.tude or talent, he would still be able walk on this path. He had never requested help from others, so naturally he would not have comprehended the meaning of trust. Even way back then, when he had a miraculous encounter, the first thing he thought of was to conceal that fact. He only told granny when he had no other choice.

However, the stronger he became, the larger the hole in his heart was. Especially when he saw granny and Bai Zhiyuan together, the feeling that he was missing something grew even more intense than ever, and a sense of inferiority faintly grew. All this while, he could not understand why this was happening. However, he now understood that the thing that he was lacking in the depths of his heart, was trust. The true goal behind that heart demon, was to have him clearly see this fact.

At that moment, he felt that the things he chased after and tried to conceal with all his might, were a little laughable. Joy suddenly filled the depths of his heart, as if the sun had appeared behind the drifting clouds.

Zhu Yao however widened her eyes in utter disbelief.

"Young man, let me look at your face!"

The bug… disappeared!

Zhu Yao could not help but want to raise Ye Qingcang's face for a clearer look. Before she could even reach out her hand however, she suddenly felt an icy intent next to her, and something cracked resoundingly next to her ears. The formation she placed down to resist the heavenly lightning bolts had instantly shattered apart.

The bright heavenly lightning bolts roared out, zapping all three of them.

Zhu Yao who reached out her hand: "…"

Before she could even react, she felt her waist tightening, and then, she was pulled into the embrace of someone who similarly had a charred smell. With a stern look, Yu Yan cast a Dirt Removal Art on him and his stupid disciple, then he calmly placed down a new formation. His face was calm and collected, as though the person who broke the formation earlier was not him.

Looking at a certain disciple who was still half-stretching out her hand and glancing at Ye Qingcang, he frowned. He reached out to hold her chin, and then forcefully turned her face towards him, and was only satisfied when he was the only figure in her eyes.

Then he turned his head and looked at that unknown substance at the side with narrowed eyes. His cold aura flowed in all directions.

Unknown substance Little Cang simply trembled, and cold sweat constantly dripped from his forehead. Though he did not know what he had done wrong, he faintly sensed that he should take a few steps back.

However, in the next second, he was no longer able to continue pondering for the reason, as the next heavenly lightning bolt was already striking down. Not to mention, he was not in the range of the newly placed formation!

In a single day, two of the righteous deity sects were lost. Practically all of Office Sh.e.l.l Sect's disciples were ma.s.sacred, and when the reinforcements of the various sects had arrived, the entire Office Sh.e.l.l Sect had already turned into a sea of blood. Most of the survivors were in a daze, as though they had suffered from some immense shock. Even after questioning them back and forth, the reinforcements still could not piece everything together, let alone finding clues about that so-called DemiG.o.d heretic pract.i.tioner. Furthermore, this was not the end. When the crowd had rushed back to Ness Cesary Sect, the sight in front of them had dumbfounded every single one of them. Ness Cesary Sect, who had been pa.s.sed down for over thousands of hundreds of years, was destroyed in a single day, levelled to flat ground. Fortunately, there were no grave casualties among the disciples. However, the laughable thing was that the people who saved them from this crisis, were the two people that Ness Cesary Sect had ousted a few years ago. For a moment, the crowd from Ness Cesary Sect felt exceptionally conflicted in their hearts.

When Zhu Yao rushed back to meet up with the sects, she was shocked to see that other than Qu Jiang, Qu Ying had come forward to welcome her back as well. Though, his face was an exceptional sight to watch, as it continued to switch between being green and pale, as though he did not know how he should face this former little martial aunt. The colour of his face continued to change again and again. Even Zhu Yao could not stand giving him a few more glances.

"Thank you, little martial aunt, for your saving grace." Qu Jiang bowed in front of Zhu Yao.

"It's best that you call me Zhu Yao." She said without a mind. "I'm no longer your little martial aunt. You're making it sound so strange right now."

Qu Jiang was startled, and even Qu Jiang at the side had stiffened. A moment later, he changed his way of addressing her. "Sovereign… Thank you, Sovereign, for your help. If not for Sovereign's protection, not just Ness Cesary Sect, I'm afraid the entire world of deity sects would have encountered an inescapable huge tribulation."

"It's just a small matter, there's no need to be polite." Zhu Yao replied with a smile.

Qu Jiang did not keep up with the courteous talk either, as he lead Zhu Yao into the inner hall. His intention of burying the hatchet was part of the reason he came out to welcome her as well, as he wanted her and Bai Zhiyuan to return to Ness Cesary Sect. In this present state where their nest had been destroyed, Ness Cesary Sect was indeed in a dire need of a protector like her. However, her earlier words evidently meant that she no longer had the intentions to return, so naturally he had no choice but to lay these thoughts to rest.

When Zhu Yao entered the inner hall, the various clans and sects were already in a great uproar, arguing with each other. When they saw that she had appeared, they quietened down for a moment as they bowed towards her. Zhu Yao nodded in return, before she walked towards the highest row of seats while following Qu Jiang's lead. This time however, she no longer had to stand.

Hua Lin enthusiastically waved his hands at her. "Old… friend. Over here, over here." He called out as he looked at his own surroundings. Realizing that there were no longer any empty seats, he unceremoniously nudged an early-stage DemiG.o.d Sovereign on his right. "Hey, move over."

That DemiG.o.d Sovereign was startled, as if he had never thought that a DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioner like him would be given such a disgusted look in the open. His face had turned green from fury. He turned to look at the other DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioners, and they had all turned their heads away, acting as if they hadn't seen anything. He could not help but let out a cold snort, and then unwillingly moved to an empty seat near the edge.

"There's an empty seat here, quick, come over." Hua Lin shamelessly pointed at the seat that was given up just earlier, as he called out to Zhu Yao. The pract.i.tioner who just left earlier tripped and almost fell. Even if you're a wandering pract.i.tioner, you shouldn't be this shameless, hey!

The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched. Ignoring that pract.i.tioner's resentful glare, she sat next to Hua Lin. Why did she feel as if she had inadvertently garnered a bundle of hatred?

"The heretic pract.i.tioners sure have gone mad. On this day alone, they dared to openly launch attacks on Office Sh.e.l.l Sect and Ness Cesary Sect. They will most certainly attack the other deity sects in the coming days. If this danger is not eliminated, I'm afraid the deity sects would be uneasy day and night." A Nascent Soul pract.i.tioner said indignantly.

"Though that is the case…" Someone however had an opposing opinion. "The heretic pract.i.tioners have always been scattered, blending among the wandering pract.i.tioners. It is extremely difficult to locate them. Furthermore, the various sects have sustained damage from this incident. We should instead focus on recovering our forces and build up our strength."

When one of the pract.i.tioners heard this, he immediately flared up. "Wait a minute! How long are we supposed to wait? The disciples of our Office Sh.e.l.l Sect had all died in the hands of those heretic pract.i.tioners, when should be the right time to avenge them? Not to mention the heretic pract.i.tioners must have sustained some degree of damage from this incident, we should be taking this opportunity to push for victory."

"Right not, the situation surrounding the enemies are unclear, it would be extremely unwise to make a move on them now!" Another person stood up to object. "It should be clear from seeing Office Sh.e.l.l Sect's situation. Our enemies were actually capable of retreating all their forces even before our prompt arrival. This indicates that the capabilities of the heretic pract.i.tioners shouldn't be underestimated."

"That is sound." Another person spoke. "Earlier, the disciple that came to report this incident mentioned that there was a DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioner among them. Furthermore, when we arrived, we were unable to catch a glimpse of even a single heretic pract.i.tioner. Who knows just how many DemiG.o.d heretic pract.i.tioners are there?"

"However, if we don't make a move on them now, I'm afraid that they would pose a greater threat in the future."

The hall was once again filled with intense debate, and Zhu Yao frowned at the sight of this. She finally understood why these people had been here for several days. Clearly, they were split into two factions – one which wanted to let go of this incident, and one which wanted to fight. The faction which wanted to fight believed that they should take this opportunity to deal with the heretic pract.i.tioners in order for them to cultivate peacefully in the future. The other faction however felt that the damage they had received this time was too huge, no good outcome would result from further fighting, and that it wouldn't be too late to fight after recouping their losses.

In general, the faction which was keen of fighting was comprised of sects which had more losses, like Office Sh.e.l.l and Ness Cesary. The faction that wanted to let things go was made up of the rest which did not have any losses to speak of.

The more Zhu Yao listened in, the more frustrated she became. If this argument was to carry on, there wouldn't be an end.

"Umm…" She could not help but voice out. The hall was instantly silent, as the crowd turned their eyes towards her. As the new Sovereign who had saved the disciples of the various clans and sects, the crowd trusted her to some degree. "Uh, I just wish to ask… Just who are the heretic pract.i.tioners who had a.s.saulted Office Sh.e.l.l Sect?"

The crowd was stunned for a moment, and they began to exchange glances.

"So no one know?" Then the fart are you guys fighting about!?

The faces of the crowd paled, as though they had truly never thought of this problem till now.

The hall was silent for a short while, before a Nascent Soul pract.i.tioner finally stepped out and spoke. "Putting aside who did it, all heretic pract.i.tioners in this world simply do not have any good in them. They should be exterminated as soon as possible."

The corner of Zhu Yao's lips twitched. This logic was simply too incredible. "Then how are you planning to find these heretic pract.i.tioners?"

He instantly went mute.

In a broad sense, the term 'heretic pract.i.tioner' was just a label. It referred to opportunistic pract.i.tioners who did not cultivate in ways acknowledged by the public. They were pract.i.tioners who were even more lawless and disorganized than wandering pract.i.tioners. Without a clear goal, how were they going to find them just by this single label? Heretic pract.i.tioners wouldn't write the word 'heretic' on their faces after all.

"Junior-martial sister Zhu's words are logical…" Sovereign Wu Fu who had been sitting at the top suddenly spoke as he looked at her with a smile. "We should indeed clearly locate our enemies before taking action. However… presently, our Ness Cesary Sect's Skybond Peak is already in the enemies' hands. Countless treasures can be found within, and I'm afraid heretic pract.i.tioners will make use of the items inside to strengthen themselves. Presently, they already possess the guts to openly launch a.s.saults on deity sects, once they strengthen themselves…"

Before he even finished, the faces of the people below paled one after another. Oh, right! Our enemies already possess such huge amount of resources. If they were to strengthen themselves even further, it will spell trouble. At that moment, the pract.i.tioners belonging in the faction of letting go, were clearly shaken.

"Oh, you're talking about Skybond Peak?" Zhu Yao said without a mind. "Don't worry, it's not in the hands of those heretic pract.i.tioners."

"It's not?" The crowd was stunned. Clearly, they did not believe her words.

Zhu Yao chuckled at Qu Jiang. "I'm sorry, Sect Master Qu. I accidently burnt that mountain away. Completely."

"What?" Wu Fu immediately stood up. Even the crowd below was giving her faces that looked as if they were looking at an idiot. "You… Y-You… You burnt away Skybond Peak?"

"Uh… It was an operational mistake!" When speaking of this, she really felt a sense of guilt from burning down someone's house. "Umm… I saw those heretic pract.i.tioners move Skybond Peak away, so I chased after them at the heat of the moment. But I can't possibly move it back on my own, right? You guys should understand that I'm a frail woman… So I… Hoho, I think you guys understand by now!"

Crowd: …

They didn't want to understand her words in the least, alright? That was Skybond Peak, left behind by an ascended ancestor. There were countless treasures within! How could she possibly burn it away just like that!?

Everyone could not regain their senses for a while from this shock. Every single one of them felt like scratching the walls right now!

"Haah, so be it!" Unexpectedly, Qu Jiang was the first to collect his calm, as he let out a long sigh. Though his heart was bleeding, he still spoke in a consoling manner. "At the very least, it's much better than being left in the hands of the heretic pract.i.tioners."

The crowd all looked as if they wanted to cry as well. In the first place, they partic.i.p.ated in the tournament for the sole reason of attempting to take a slice of the pie. Who would have known that the pie would be stolen in an instant, and that it would be burnt into a crisp the next moment? Not a single one of them managed to get even a bite into it. These fluctuating emotions were simply too much to handle.

"Junior-martial sister, have you truly burnt Skybond Peak away? Or did it disappear because of other reasons?" Wu Fu suddenly asked in a meaningful manner.

Zhu Yao frowned. "Other reasons?" What did he mean?

Wu Fu chuckled. "This lowly one is simply curious at the fact that such a huge mountain could actually be burnt into ashes."

"What are you trying to get?" Little tyrant instantly flared up. "Are you saying that grandma has taken Skybond Peak as her own?"

"I didn't say that." Wu Fu continued to speak with a smile. "I just pointed out a suspicion, that's all. Back then, the ones who chased after the heretic pract.i.tioners consisted of junior-martial sister and two disciples, and these two disciples…" He glanced at little tyrant and Ye Qingcang. "Their relations.h.i.+ps with junior-martial sister are more than just superficial. When it comes to what actually happened back then, no one else knows for sure."

When he put it that way, the crowd began to reveal doubtful expressions as well. Indeed. Skybond Peak possessed countless treasures, how could any sane person be willing to burn them all away?

"Sovereign, your words are too degrading." Ye Qingcang could not help but speak up as well, his tone was filled with anger. "If granny had coveted the treasures within Skybond Peak, when she was the only person who could enter Skybond Peak back then, she could have taken all she had wanted. Why would she wait till now? Furthermore, granny has long attained the cultivation level of a DemiG.o.d, what use to her could the items in Skybond Peak possibly have?"

"They are of no use to her, but that might not be true to others." Wu Fu intentionally swept his eyes across little tyrant and Ye Qingcang, and then continued. "Furthermore, other than medicinal pellets and talismans, Skybond Peak contains countless mystic artifacts, and some at the tenth rank as well. How could anyone not be moved?"

"Like we would even want the items inside!" Ye Qingcang immediately refuted.

Wu Fu however simply let out a cold snort, and did not reply. The crowd could not help but look at Zhu Yao with suspicious gazes after listening to his words.

Just as little tyrant and Ye Qingcang was about to speak up, Zhu Yao immediately pulled them back.

She turned to look at Wu Fu, and with seemingly good mood, she said. "Sovereign Wu Fu, what you're meaning to say is, I have hidden Skybond Peak, and then intentionally told you all that I have burnt it, so that I can keep it all to myself?"

"Junior-martial sister, naturally, I believe you. I simply wish that you can explain to us in more depth about this matter, so that everyone here can better understand the situation." Wu Fu gave an even more harmonious smile, and his expression looked as though it was saying he was doing this for her own good.

"I don't have anything else to explain!" Zhu Yao swept her eyes across the crowd, instantly feeling a little fatigued. It seemed like seeking justice and thwarting the heretic pract.i.tioners were all but empty talk. In the end, everything fell behind the word 'benefits'. "Skybond Peak has been burnt away. End of story."

The suspicion in the eyes of the crowd grew heavier.

Zhu Yao continued. "However, I indeed did not take a single item from within, nor did I hide the mountain itself. If you guys truly want an explanation…" She sized up the crowd. "Then let me a.n.a.lyze the situation for you!"

"The items within Skybond Peak are categorized to nothing more than a few – medicinal pellets, talismans, cultivation arts and mystic artifacts. Now that I have already become a DemiG.o.d, unless it's a medicinal pellet that can allow me to ascend instantly… am I supposed to keep the rest of the pellets and eat them like they're candies?"

"As for talismans, you guys should be aware that I have the penta-spirit veins, right? Activating the talismans can't possibly be faster than casting the arts myself. Unless I'm bored with my longevity and sacrifice speed during battles, I will simply be seeking death if I use talismans to engage my enemies."

"Of course, there's cultivation arts inside as well! Just how r.e.t.a.r.ded must I be to cripple my present cultivation level and choose to pick up a new cultivation art? What, I got bored to the point of cultivating it for fun?"

"Then what about mystic artifacts?" Wu Fu asked in a sullen voice, his smile grew deeper. "I believe junior-martial sister is extremely aware that there's even tenth rank mystic artifacts among the mystic artifacts in Skybond Peak. Presently, there's not many tenth rank mystic artifacts in the cultivation world."

"As a matter of a fact, I really don't covet them." Zhu Yao rolled her eyes at him, as she continued to drop disdainful remarks on Skybond Peak. "I am a tenth rank artificer myself. The products refined by w.a.n.g Shang are neither stylish nor equipped with good functionalities. Do you think this old lady would even want them?"

"…" The hall was instantly enveloped in silence.

"You… You're a tenth rank artificer…?" Wu Fu was stunned as well. "That's… That's impossible." The flying sword she was using was even at the second rank. Just what kind of artificer would be so frugal like her?"

"Daoist Yu is right." Hua Lin stood up and pulled out the spiritual s.h.i.+p. "This spiritual s.h.i.+p I have in my hands is something she refined and bestowed to me. It is a tenth rank mystic artifact at the extreme grade."

When his words fell, everyone in the hall collectively held their breaths.

Zhu Yao: "…" Uh… That wasn't something she refined!

Student Hua Lin, it is not good to lie. The original creator himself is listening over here!

With Hua Lin as a witness, the suspicions of the crowd instantly disappeared.

Wu Fu's expression however sank. Gathering his earlier smile, he stepped forward and looked at the mystic artifact in Hua Lin's hand. Then, he said. "What can one mystic artifact prove? Is there a mark on it that can possibly prove her words?"

This time, even Hua Lin could not help but frown. "When I say this mystic artifact is something she refined, naturally, it is refined by her."

Wu Fu still did believe it. "I simply feel that it doesn't look too realistic for a tenth rank extreme grade mystic artifact to appear. Furthermore, since she's a tenth rank artificer, she can't possibly have only made a single mystic artifact, right?"

"You wish to look at my other products?" Zhu Yao glanced at him.

"I hope that junior-martial sister can give me some pointers."

"Are you certain?" Zhu Yao asked once more.

Wu Fu frowned, and still nodded his head.

"Fine then!" Zhu Yao sighed. "Actually, back then when I was still in Skybond Peak, I had refined several mystic artifacts, but I did not bring them along with me."

Wu Fu's expression turned joyous, evidently not believing her words as he said in a mocking manner. "Now that sure is unfortunate."

"But…" Zhu Yao's tone changed. "That doesn't mean they're not being held onto by someone else!"

"What do you mean?" Wu Fu's expression changed. At that moment, he had a bad feeling.

"I'm saying, I did not bring out even a single one of the items that I have refined, and left them all in Skybond Peak." Zhu Yao looked at the crowd. "After so many years, I believe there should be one or two disciples in the sect who have fancied my mystic artifacts, and have tried to keep and use them."

"Hmph, you're saying that some of the mystic artifacts in Skybond Peak are refined by you?"

"You don't believe me?" Zhu Yao chuckled. "It's fine if you don't believe me, but back then, I learnt of an interesting formation, and had thus inscribed it into the mystic artifacts. If one wish to use one of these artifacts, he or she needs to first chant an incantation. We will be certain one I chant out this incantation."

After saying that, Zhu Yao did not care about his changing expression, and immediately shouted out loud within the hall. "Cheng Qingdiao, you sick-a.s.s pervert!"

When her words fell, flashes of light appeared one after another. Dozens of mystic artifacts instantly flew up and floated in the air, emitting a white radiance that looked as if they were responding to her call. Even a bell-like eighth rank defensive mystic artifact had flown out of Wu Fu's storage pouch.

Zhu Yao turned to glance at him, and chuckled. "It seems senior-martial brother Wu Fu likes the mystic artifacts I refined as well. Oh right, do you want me to repeat the basic functionalities of these mystic artifacts, and their respective construction methods? After all, you even carried one with you for so long, but this is the first time you have heard of it's activation incantation, so it being inconvenient at times is inevitable."

Wu Fu's expression was instantly dyed in green, looking especially fascinating. He no longer let out a single croak.

The various clans and sects were now looking at the people of Ness Cesary Sect differently. They were clearly using the artifacts that she had refined, yet they were instead biting her back and accusing her of theft. This course of action by Ness Cesary Sect was truly shameless.

Zhu Yao did not intend to shame Ness Cesary Sect at first either, after all, this sect was once her former home. However, Wu Fu continued to bite on her without letting go, which infuriated her a little. Furthermore, that Skybond Peak had almost killed the demons in Tranquil Valley. Little Eighth had even expended all of the G.o.dly energy he managed to gathered so far because of this matter, and had yet to wake up even now.

As for those mystic artifacts, they were indeed refined by her. Back then, when she came out of the dimensional s.p.a.ce, though Little Eighth had resurrected, at the bottom of her heart, she still hated that pervert Cheng Qingdiao. Thus, out of boredom, she secretly learnt from w.a.n.g Shang and refined a bunch of mystic artifacts, while inscribing this incantation, which taught by her master, within them. However, who would have expected that the mystic artifacts she refined would actually be more popular that the original products in Skybond Peak. These Nascent Soul and DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioners of Ness Cesary Sect actually hauled them in.

As someone who was so cooperative in digging his own grave, Wu Fu could be considered the best in this aspect in the cultivation world.

"Sovereign, how do you think we should deal with this matter concerning the heretic pract.i.tioners?" The crowd finally circled back to the matter at hand. Probably because they found out that she was tenth rank artificer, there were now faint hints of them seeing her as a leader figure, as they began to ask for her opinion.

Zhu Yao had thought about this. "I feel that no matter the decision to fight or rest, there is a need to first find out who are the culprits behind the destruction of Office Sh.e.l.l Sect."

The crowd nodded. Indeed, finding the true culprits were indeed the most important task.

"However… Countless Office Sh.e.l.l Sect disciples have already lost their lives, and those who were fortunate to survive had all turned insane… With our chain of clues broken, I'm afraid that no one else had seen the looks of the culprits…"

"That might not be the case!" Office Sh.e.l.l Sect Master Gu suddenly stood up, as though he had just thought of something. With an excited look, he said. "I recall that there's a piece of Visual Recording Stone at the core of the Great Mountain Barrier Formation. It's usually above the formation core, and because it's required to supply the formation with spiritual energy, it has never been activated. However, the a.s.sault of the heretic pract.i.tioners had coincidentally destroyed the Great Mountain Barrier Formation. With the destruction of the formation, the spiritual energy from the Visual Recording Stone which could no longer supply the formation…"

"You're meaning to say that this Visual Recording Stone might have recorded everything that happened back then?" The crowd instantly revealed excited faces.

"If the Visual Recording Stone isn't destroyed!" Sect Master Gu nodded.

"Bring us to the formation core!" Zhu Yao immediately pulled onto Sect Master Gu and left. The crowd exchanged glances and then immediately followed after them. Even the DemiG.o.d pract.i.tioners at the back were keeping up as well. Wu Fu's eyes sank, and had no choice but to go along with the crowd.

As Zhu Yao flew over, she could already see the so-called Visual Recording Stone mentioned by Sect Master Gu, from afar. How could that possibly be a stone? It was clearly a stone wall! It was no wonder Office Sh.e.l.l Sect would use such a common material as a formation core. It was a shattered mountaintop, and the rock on the broken wall of the mountain was a piece of Visual Recording Stone. Furthermore, it was pointing right at Office Sh.e.l.l Sect.

Sect Master Gu inspected it carefully for a moment. Other than a few traces of blood on it, it did not sustain much damage. Thus, he quickly cast an art and inserted it into the stone wall. A bright light flashed, and there was a blurry image appearing faintly behind it. The image grew clearer with each second. It was the exact recording on the day of the sect ma.s.sacre.

The crowd could not help but watch carefully with widened eyes, afraid that they would miss some sort of detail.

When they managed to clearly see the situation behind the screen, the crowd was dumbfounded. They were simply unable to believe their own eyes. Some were even beginning to rub their own eyes, wondering if they had been mistaken.

Behind the screen, corpses filled the land and blood flowed like rivers, just like what they had seen when they arrived before. The only strange thing about this was… there wasn't a single heretic pract.i.tioner!

Forget about heretic pract.i.tioners, not a single villain-like figure could be seen. The place was filled with just Office Sh.e.l.l Sect disciples. They were actually… killing one another!

Furthermore, there were even occasional glows of self-destruction, and every single one of them had crazed looks on their faces, shouting something at the top of their lungs. Unfortunately, the Visual Recording Stone was unable to record sounds.

The person who was the most shocked was no doubt Sect Master Gu. He had turned numb from astonishment!

"What is this? An internal conflict?" Someone expressed his doubts.

"Absolutely impossible!" Sect Master Gu quickly shook his head. "My sect has always been harmonious, how could an internal conflict possibly occur? Furthermore, look at these two over there. One of them is Elder Yu, and his opponent is his son who had just formed his Azoth Core…" It was indeed strange that an old man and his son was locked in a battle to the death.

Zhu Yao watched carefully. These people looked a little like…

She could not help but look at the sky within the displayed image, and her eyes sank. "What is that?"