A trace of disdain flashed through Hao Yan's phoenix eyes as she said:
"Does Huaxian Sect really think everyone is a fool? Knowing Evil Cultivators were going to cause trouble, they still brought out the Scroll of Mountains and Rivers—which was bound to have problems—at such a critical moment. Wasn't that clearly meant to make the Evil Cultivators take the blame?
"Huaxian Sect originally only wanted to use Huabai as a smokescreen, but they never expected the Evil Cultivators to go with the flow and use Huabai's hand to make the entire plan nearly perfect. If not for those juniors' sacrifices, and Ranxi giving up her protective Immortal Artifact, I'd like to see how Huaxian Sect would have cleaned up this mess!"
Haoqing, seated beside her, took a sip of Spirit Tea and said gravely:
"Senior Sister, Yuling, have you considered why Huaxian Sect chose Huabai as their excuse?"
Yuling's gaze turned cold as he said:
"Perhaps Huaxian Sect had targeted Ranxi from the very beginning, intending to kill two birds with one stone."
Haoqing glanced at Yuling and said:
"That was my thought as well. Ranxi is simply too outstanding, while Huabai's junior died indirectly at Ranxi's hands, giving him a perfectly reasonable excuse to strike at her.
"Using the Scroll of Mountains and Rivers to trap Ranxi and her companions inside, leaving them to fend for themselves—that was Huabai's method of revenge.
"Perhaps Huaxian Sect had intended from the start to use these Nascent Soul Cultivators to test whether the Evil Cultivator Sealed Land within the Scroll of Mountains and Rivers remained intact. If an Evil Soul had truly escaped the Sealed Land, then as long as the Scroll of Mountains and Rivers remained under Huaxian Sect's control, they could use exterminating the Evil Soul as an excuse