Rumors Everywhere

"What does it have to do with me that someone from the Sword Dao Imperial Court has come?"

If it weren't for the orders from the Sentinel, Li Weiyi would have been very reluctant to move.

Over the past six months, he has been cultivating in the Heavenly Fire World, and his mental power has advanced by leaps and bounds. He is also about to break the third Longevity Lock and is eager to make the most of it.

The two flew out of the fiery abyss.

The formations in all areas of the Dongxu Camp mountains are activated, with clouds billowing and mist shrouding the snow-covered forests.

From summer to winter.

Walking briskly down the path of Yan Jue Mountain, Taishi Yu's expression was interesting and his interest was high. "Is it Bu Lianshi has come?"

"Beauty?"

Seeing his excitement, Li Weiyi naturally guessed in that direction.

"No!"

Taishi Yu revealed a disdainful expression and quickly waved his hand. "You don't even know Bu Lianshi? I've heard many legends about him in Lingxiao Shengjing. He's my idol, practically a god-like existence."

Li Weiyi understood. "Just like you, you have a nickname related to love affairs?"

"How can I compare to them? Their confidante is Ancient Sect True Disciple. Their training partners are Son of Heaven's Disciple. Their romantic companions at night are the most beautiful women in the world. Moreover, their reputations are excellent. Isn't that infuriating?" Taishi Yu's tone was a mixture of envy and jealousy.

Li Weiyi sensed something amiss. "Not one of us born in the Jiazi era?"

Taishi Yu said, "He is the Eighth Generation Longevity Person, born into the royal family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court, the Bu family. The Sword Son of Heaven has long decreed that all members of my royal family shall not participate in the selection of the Son of Heaven's Disciple, reserving the spots for the most talented people in the world."

"Otherwise, in the previous sixty years, he would certainly have been one of the three Son of Heaven's Disciples of the Emperor in the Sword Dao Imperial Court."

"Later, he became a disciple of the Bai family patriarch and cultivated the Emperor Technique, the Heavenly Sword. He is the only Dao Law Successor that the Bai family patriarch has taken in over the past thousand years."

"You should know about the Bai family patriarch, right? He was known as the Nine Thousand Years Old Three thousand years ago, and he's now eight thousand years old. He's a god-like being. Ordinary people are like children in front of him, all juniors."

If someone is merely a member of the royal family, they don't necessarily carry much weight.

After all, the Bu family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court, from the Sword Son of Heaven down, has countless generations and descendants.

However, the fact that the Bai family patriarch is the only successor of the Dao Law Successor in a thousand years is quite extraordinary.

This is the second most important figure in the Sword Dao Imperial Court!

It can be said that the Stored Son of Heaven's "Dao Law Successor" and the Son of Heaven's Disciple of the Martial Path Son of Heaven hold the same status among the younger generation. The difference is that Dao Law Successor arts are rare, while there are three disciples of the Son of Heaven's Disciple every sixty years.

Li Weiyi said, "The world is full of talented people, like fish crossing a river; every era is a constellation of shining stars."

"Aren't you also a successor of the Great Palace Master's Dao Law Successor? In the future, you will definitely surpass him. Didn't the Great Palace Master pass on to you the Emperor-level techniques like the Mist Sea Suppressing Star River and the Eight Slashes of the Underworld River?"

"Hmm... They passed it on, of course I learned it all!" Li Weiyi said.

Taishi Yu was extremely envious. "It is said that cultivating the <Kongming Jue> can condense two Other Shore Heavenly Pills, and can also nourish one's mental power and physical body. This is the fundamental reason why the Great Palace Master was able to overpower those heaven-defying old monsters and rank among the top three Stored Son of Heaven Princes. Did you pass it on to you as well?"

"It's definitely been spread, but only the two of us brothers know about it," Li Weiyi said in a low voice, deep in thought.

Taishi Yu was heartbroken. Back in Lingxiao City, his status was far higher than Li Weiyi's, but now the difference was like heaven and earth. Li Weiyi was now the "Crown Prince" of the Lingxiao Palace.

"By the way, what exactly is the situation with Qing Ziqin?"

This time, Taishi Yu asked the question via telepathy.

Li Weiyi's expression was solemn; he didn't want to reveal the secret to him, lest he put him in danger.

He was about to make an excuse.

Taishi Yu added, "Some people are spreading rumors that the so-called self-immolation due to love was an attempt to cover up the true cause of her death."

"Oh! How did it spread? Who spread it?" Li Weiyi asked.

Taishi Yu said, "I've already heard about it. You should know how widely it's been spread in private, right? It's said that the Sentinel Lord suspected her of being a spy for the Taiyin Sect and executed her without verifying the facts."

"But her identity is special; she is Immortal Mist Sect Orphan and the only descendant of the previous Dongxu Camp Sentinel Master, with many Sentinel Elders standing behind her."

"To cover up the ugliness and quell public anger, we forced you to take the blame. If you don't, the Dongxu Camp might secretly sabotage the battle between the Great Palace Master and the Departed Spirit Army on the Sacred Hall Life Realm battlefield."

"There are also rumors that the Sentinel Master is a hypocrite, and that there are other terrifying secrets behind the destruction of the Immortal Mist Sect."

Li Weiyi's expression was grave. The mere statement of "execution without verification" revealed that the person behind the rumors must be Qing Ci's trusted subordinate.

This wave is aimed at Zhuang Shiyan.

Often, bottom-up forces are more challenging than top-down forces.

Seeing Li Weiyi remain silent, Taishi Yu patted him on the shoulder. "You've locked yourself in the Heavenly Fire World for half a year without coming out. The entire Dongxu Camp knows you're suffering and can't get over it, right? Your beloved was killed, yet you're forced to take the blame for the Sentinel Lord. What kind of nonsense is this? If it really doesn't work, we'll wait until the war in the Sacred Hall Life Realm is over, then we'll run away. This damn Dongxu Camp is no longer for us!"

Taishi Yu firmly believed the rumors because he was on Li Weiyi's side.

This also shows how powerful a rumor that is half true and half false can be.

Moreover, Zhuang Shiyan had no choice but to produce Qing Ziqin's remains as proof, and he dared not mention the tragedy from a hundred years ago. This move could both test whether Qing Ziqin had truly been exposed and died, and also undermine Zhuang Shiyan's prestige.

"Don't meddle in this matter," Li Weiyi said.

Taishi Yu said, "Understood! I know I can't afford to offend those powerful figures, but in the future, the Great Palace Master will definitely uphold justice for you."

The Camp Hall is located at the foot of Mount Ling.

Four enormous Iron-backed Winged Dragon stood out prominently, exuding a powerful aura, stirring up clouds and mist, their necks bound with runic chains, and their backs adorned with magnificent canopies and jade Jade Palace.

The river, flowing from deep within the mountains, is over ten zhang wide.

The water's surface is shrouded in mist, while the banks are covered with lush vegetation.

Three distinguished figures in white stood on the stone bridge, blocking the only way to the Camp Hall Lingshan.

One of them, who bore a striking resemblance to Bai Chuan, was gazing intently at Li Weiyi from afar.

Li Weiyi had not yet approached the stone bridge.

The other party had already come forward, clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, "I am Bai Wu of the Bai family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court. I presume you are the Li Weiyi who killed the Hai Envoy Jingzhen and captured the Envoy Qingzao Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin?"

Li Weiyi responded with a smile, "I've heard that the Bai family of the Sword Dao Imperial Court has four outstanding talents in this generation, known as the 'Stars Rushing Through Rivers.' Brother Bai must be the 'Duck' among the four, right?"

Bai Wu possessed the same noble air as Bai Chuan, and was elegant and graceful. "Indeed, Bai Chuan is third in age, and I am fourth. He is my older brother. But in terms of martial arts talent, he was the best among the four of us, invincible throughout the Imperial Court. Unfortunately, his head was severed by the Yellow Dragon Sword, and his body was separated from his head."

With just this one sentence, Li Weiyi's smile vanished, sensing that the visitor harbored ill intentions.

Mo Duanfeng brought Bai Chuan's body back to the Bai family.

Bai Wu quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it, Brother Li, please don't misunderstand. Mo Duanfeng has already explained everything that happened in the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin! It's said that it was caused by a traitor in the Dongxu Camp, and it definitely has nothing to do with you, Brother Li."

In the distance, Bai Xingyue, the eldest of the four "Stars Rushing Through Rivers" with straight eyebrows and a tall, slender figure, stood amidst a cloud of white magical energy. She said coldly, "Why bother with pretense when someone would even steal the treasure of their fallen comrade? Li Weiyi, we're here to take Brother Chuan's Eight Formation Flags. Hand it over!"

"It's still unclear how Brother Chuan died. The Bai family will not let this go until the Dongxu Camp gives a satisfactory explanation." Bai Benlei was a robust man with a full head of fine braids and long, thick arms, which he carried on his back.

At the top of Mount Ling, Camp Hall.

Tang Wanzhou stared at the Bu Lianshi opposite him. "So you came to Dongxu Camp to investigate this matter. Why didn't you ask me earlier on the way? I could have given you the answer. That's right, Bai Chuan's death is closely related to the spies exposing our whereabouts."

"But it was he and Mo Duanfeng who devised the strategy of luring the enemy through spies."

"They devised the plan, even keeping it from us. They used us as bait, putting us in danger without our knowledge."

"It's not the Dongxu Camp that should be held responsible to him, but rather he should be held responsible to his fallen comrades in the Lesser Yang Division."

The Bu Lianshi sat opposite Tang Wanzhou, calm and natural. He looked to be in his early twenties, with a handsome appearance. His clothes were simple yet of high quality. His features were beautiful but not seductive, handsome but not delicate, possessing a masculine charm. It would be difficult for either men or women to resist such a face.

His expression was composed, neither humble nor aggressive. "I was also ordered to investigate Bai Chuan's death. He was Son of Heaven's Disciple, and the Sword Dao Imperial Court is in an uproar right now, with all sorts of rumors circulating."

"What puzzles the elders of the Bai family the most is, since Li Weiyi could easily kill Jingzhen, why didn't he capture her alive? Capturing her alive would have greater value; is he covering up some truth? I'm just relaying this message."

"I can still answer that question. There's no such thing as an easy kill. Jingzhen is extremely dangerous, and capturing him alive would be even more dangerous," Tang Wanzhou said.

Bu Lianshi said, "We are all martial arts practitioners, so of course we understand this principle. I am not here to interrogate you, but you cannot answer this question, Xiao Tang, because you were not a witness. Answering rashly will only arouse suspicion among the elders of the Bai family. I will pretend I did not hear what you just said."

Zhuang Shiyan's illusory clone sat at the head of the table, indistinct and unclear.

So they came to demand an explanation.

Li Weiyi glanced over and saw that these three, even if they were not as talented as Bai Chuan, would not be much worse off.

Bai Xingyue and Bai Benlei, with their age advantage and powerful aura, caused the earth's energy to surge upwards with their sword intent, making them unstoppable.

Li Weiyi's consistent attitude is: if you speak politely, I'll be even more polite than you.

If you act arrogantly, then I also have my pride.

"First of all, I'm not familiar with Bai Chuan; we've only exchanged a few words. Secondly, he and Mo Duanfeng secretly plotted to use us as bait to hand us over to Chu Yutian, completely disregarding our wishes and lives. I don't consider someone like that to be my teammate," Li Weiyi said calmly.