Chapter 115: 50: Disputes, Doubt, and Betrayal

“This is impossible!”

Hearing the name uttered by the disciple from Red Sun Peak opposite her, An Zhisu immediately widened her eyes in disbelief and blurted out without thinking:

“This is impossible!”

Her expression was one of shocked horror, and she swept her gaze over everyone present once more, as if to reinforce her persuasiveness, she emphasized again:

“It simply can’t be! Before Junior Brother and I entered the tower, our master… our master was still in seclusion!”

No one responded.

The faces of all the Shushan disciples present bore an expression that was a mix of skepticism and hostility.

“I dare to ask for enlightenment from True Person Jinghua.” Ling Yunpo said loudly, “Did anyone witness our master committing murder?”

The usually silent True Person Jinghua spoke after a long moment:

“I have not seen it.”

“Then why is this fellow disciple so certain that it was our master who did it?” Ling Yunpo turned around, his gaze suddenly sharp, and he asked sternly:

“The disciple from Red Sun Peak died from Water System Sword Qi, a sword stroke to the back,” that disciple said through clenched teeth. “Moreover, words were left at the scene saying ‘The schemer shall suffer a stab in the back,’ with Su Jian’s signature below!”

“I see.” Ling Yunpo turned to face True Person Jinghua and said somberly, “The matter is clear now; this is an extremely clumsy attempt to sow discord.”

“If our master truly sought revenge, why would he target a disciple of the Foundation Establishment rank? Wouldn’t it be more direct to challenge the Peak Master of Red Sun Peak to a sword duel? That way none of you would have anything to say!”

True Person Jinghua was silent for a moment before speaking again:

“Indeed.”

“I implore True Person Jinghua to see clearly!” the previously speaking Red Sun Peak disciple hastily called out, “Even if it was not the work of Qingluo Peak’s Peak Master, it could still be a Qingluo Peak disciple acting in their master’s name! Because… because my Senior Brother, he had an old grudge with that An Zhisu!”

“Since you’re accusing me and Senior Sister, then present your evidence!” Ling Yunpo immediately threatened, “If you are slandering Qingluo Peak based solely on a message of unknown origin, be prepared for my merciless response!”

The Red Sun Peak disciple gnashed his teeth but dared not provoke further, choosing instead to fall into sullen silence.

After all, Po Yun Sword Immortal was the second-place victor of the grand competition of Shushan, having defeated Lin Duanshan and Duan Fenhai.

If he were to engage in a sword duel with him, he certainly wouldn’t stand a chance, so it would be better to seek justice from his Peak Master after leaving the Demon Locking Tower.

“I would like to add a word.” Lin Duanshan, who had just returned to the hall and understood the situation from his junior brothers, spoke up, “If it was indeed Junior Brother Ling or Senior Sister An who stealthily killed him, why leave such a message and expose one’s identity?”

“Perhaps it was to make a display of power.” Duan Fenhai said idly from the side.

“Such talk is absurd.” Lin Duanshan said coldly, “Display of power? To kill and deliberately leave a clue pointing to oneself, and now vehemently deny the accusations, what kind of display of power is that?”

“This can only lead to distrust among Shushan disciples, leaving everyone to fend for themselves!”

“Correct.” True Person Jinghua nodded, “No matter who the real culprit is, the purpose of leaving behind those words is to confuse and take advantage of the chaos.”

“From now on, during the trials, disciples from the same peak must stay together, advance and retreat as one, and must not separate! If attacked by anyone, do not seek immediate revenge; instead, make sure to report back to me first!”

After saying this, he intended to lead the group to the second level but then heard Guan Shanyue suddenly say:

“True Person Jinghua, might I ask for a moment of your time?”

“What is it?” True Person Jinghua stopped in his tracks.

“You said the murderer intends to sow discord among us Shushan brethren, and I agree with this.” Guan Shanyue spoke leisurely, “But among those who entered the Demon Locking Tower this time, isn’t there one who is not a Shushan disciple?”

“Where is that Chief Disciple of Kunlun named ‘Qiu Changtian’ at this moment?”

Once these words were spoken, they were like an Earthshaking Strike, immediately stirring up discussions among the disciples of Shushan.

Even though everyone was still wary of the disciples from other peaks, in the presence of True Person Jinghua, they definitely couldn’t outright express suspicion towards their fellow sect members.

However, it was different for a cultivator from Kunlun. Accusing Qiu Changtian of grave suspicion, demanding that he be captured for detailed interrogation, and kept under strict surveillance – that couldn’t possibly be wrong, right?

Ling Yunpo, who was listening from behind, almost spat blood.

Damn it, you all think Qiu Changtian is a cultivator from Kunlun, but do you not know he has another identity called “Ling Yunpo”? How could I possibly scheme against myself?

Hey, wait a minute! Could it be… could this really have been done by a future version of myself?

Considering the last visit to the Pavilion, during the final challenge between the two realms in the mortal world, myself as Qiu Changtian, I was outmaneuvered by a future Luo Yan, literally going through a tough battle in an Asura-like situation…

To say that I wouldn’t scheme against myself, that would be far too naive.

But one thing is for certain, my future self would definitely not truly harm me.

After all, any harm that I suffer will carry forward with the normal passage of time to the future.

As Ling Yunpo was carefully contemplating, he heard True Person Jinghua assert unequivocally:

“This is impossible!”

“Why is it impossible?” Before Guan Shanyue could speak, a hot-tempered Shushan disciple hurriedly asked.

“When I say it’s impossible, it means it’s impossible!” True Person Jinghua retorted angrily.

This Golden Core True Person spoke with such domineering authority that, although people still harbored doubts, they couldn’t question any further.

Everyone remained silent, following True Person Jinghua through the opened door, and then descended to the second floor of the Demon Locking Tower.

As previously stated by True Person Jinghua, this time the participants were not allowed to choose any door at will; the disciples from the same peak were required to enter the same trial.

The reason was simple: similar to the transportation mechanism of the Pavilion, inside the Demon Locking Tower, regardless of which door one chose, if there was a sequence in entering, one would be transported to different demon locking spaces.

Under these circumstances, the chance of trialists being separated was very high, which provided opportunities for the murderer to strike.

Requiring the Shushan disciples of the same peak to enter the trial environment together was to prevent anyone from being isolated.

Under these circumstances, should the murderer dare to strike again, the victim would most likely be a Shushan disciple from the same peak as the murderer.

Such a design was indeed an appropriate response.

Still, Ling Yunpo subconsciously felt that the murderer would not stop because of this…

“Junior Brother, which door would you like to choose this time?” An Zhisu asked indifferently.

Even though she tried her best to suppress the fluctuations in her voice, Ling Yunpo still keenly detected that Senior Sister An’s heart was in disarray.

It wasn’t because she had been framed by someone, but because the murderer had left a message in the name of Su Jian, causing Senior Sister An to also become somewhat suspicious.

After all, even Ling Yunpo himself didn’t have enough confidence to convince himself that his frugal master Su Jian was truly in seclusion within the belly of Qingluo Peak…

“Senior Sister,” Ling Yunpo said in a deep voice, “let’s not go through the trial this time, how about we take a rest in the Rest Door?”

“Mm.” Senior Sister An was utterly unprepared and upon hearing this, she agreed without much thought.

Seeing these two enter the Rest Door, the remaining Shushan disciples in the hall secretly breathed a sigh of relief.