You Su Knows His Mistake

Gu Yao glanced at the composed You Su. He knew this youth had been unintentionally used by City Lord Liu and that he had indeed wronged him. Gu Yao felt conflicted; he didn't fear his own prestige being tarnished, but behind him stood the Xuanxiao Sect and Mount Henggao.

Alas, since it's come to this, I can only inconvenience this innocent youth. I'll find a way to compensate him later.

"Your name is You Su?"

Gu Yao finally began to look at the youth properly.

"Indeed."

"Then do you know your mistake!"

Gu Yao's curiosity lasted only for a single exchange. Suddenly, his eyes shot out with brilliance, and his voice boomed like thunder, enough to make even the onlookers' livers and gallbladders split with fear.

You Su was momentarily stunned, then a flash of inspiration struck him. He lowered his head, bowed, and clasped his fists, making a snap sound that drew everyone's attention. He replied in a clear voice:

"You Su knows his mistake!"

Gu Yao narrowed his bright eyes, placed his hands behind his back, and snorted coldly:

"Hmph! Then what is your mistake?"

You Su gritted his teeth and turned his head, his face a mask of extreme regret. The audience hadn't yet understood what was happening when You Su cried out in pain:

"My mistake was being too clever for my own good and ruining Immortal Master Gu's well-intentioned efforts!"

Gu Yao then turned around, his thick eyebrows slightly unfurling. He said coldly:

"Then tell me, what were my well-intentioned efforts? If you can't, your crime will be compounded!"

City Lord Liu listened to their exchange. He finally raised his head, revealing his gaunt face. He looked at the youth kneeling on the ground, an unreadable expression flashing in his eyes.

"The Divine Mountain protects the mortal realm, keeping the Malevolent Spirits outside the land, allowing the humans of the Five Continents to live in peace and prosperity. However, Malevolent Spirits are insidious and cunning, finding their way into everything. Immortal Master Gu traveled thousands of miles to be here, not simply to catch a stray fish, but to warn all cultivators under the Divine Mountain: no matter when or where, the evil of the Malevolent Spirits is all around us! We cannot solely rely on the Divine Mountain and relax our vigilance. Only by adhering to our original intentions and focusing on the Dao can we truly leave the Malevolent Spirits with no opportunity!"

You Su spoke passionately and logically. Gu Yao's face remained as still as water, but inwardly, he was utterly shocked by You Su's performance.

He had only intended to force the youth to admit to the crime of concealment and offense, allowing him to save face. He hadn't expected this blind boy to not only understand quickly but also elevate the value of his arrival to such a degree. It made him somewhat anticipate how You Su would continue to justify himself.

"Continue."

You Su looked up, understanding Gu Yao's unspoken words, and continued mournfully:

"Even a butcher knows not to use a cleaver to kill a chicken. Why would one need Golden Eyes to test if we've been tainted by Malevolent Spirits? Immortal Master Gu had already seen that we were all law-abiding people. His painstaking effort to cast a spell was merely to make us remain vigilant in times of peace, to experience the fear of being controlled by evil intent. Only when everyone thought the storm had passed, and then identifying the last person as an Evil Demon, would this well-intentioned effort reach its climax."

"Therefore, no matter who the last person was, Immortal Master Gu would say the words 'You are an Evil Demon' to arouse our fear and attention. Only by finally revealing the truth could we truly understand the aforementioned principles, genuinely raise our vigilance, and stay far away from Malevolent Spirits. And I not only concealed my blindness but also became smug due to Immortal Master Gu's misjudgment, even speaking out and ruining Immortal Master Gu's well-intentioned efforts!"

"I deserve death a thousand times over!"

More than half of the onlookers gasped in surprise. They hadn't expected such a reason behind it. Only after You Su explained did they realize. It made sense why someone would suddenly come to Chuyun, a remote small city that hadn't had a Malevolent Spirit in hundreds of years, to catch one.

There was also a small group of people who remained silent. It was unclear if they were feigning composure or if, like You Su, they had seen through the underlying cause.

However, one person had definitely seen through their act. City Lord Liu's lips curved upwards, as if he were about to exclaim, "What a great performance!"

"You are quite astute!"

Gu Yao said righteously, waving his large hand. He took out an ancient bronze mirror from his sleeve. Gu Yao secretly channeled his Qi into it. Under the sunlight, it projected a shifting circular scene into the air:

In the scene, a small city was prosperous, with cultivators and commoners living in harmony. Suddenly, a cultivator within the crowd transformed, becoming a giant, grotesque green monster! Resistance and escape were futile. Mortals were trampled like ants, while cultivators were devoured whole like a buffet for the Malevolent Spirits. Limbs and dismembered bodies were everywhere. The once peaceful small city instantly turned into a living hell.

After witnessing this scene, everyone gasped in unison.

Most of them were like lambs protected in a pen. To them, Malevolent Spirits were as simple as their mother sheep warning them, "There are hungry wolves outside." Only when they saw another lamb torn apart by a hungry wolf, its insides spilling out, did they truly grasp the terror of the wolves.

Gu Yao struck while the iron was hot, announcing loudly:

"This is a real event that occurred in Xijing City on the Central Yuan Continent two months ago. Xijing City is even closer to Mount Henggao than your Chuyun City. This incident of Malevolent Spirits slaughtering a city had an extremely severe impact, but it also served as a wake-up call for us: the human world has been too peaceful for too long. It seems everyone has forgotten about the Malevolent Spirits that are kept outside our shores by the Divine Radiance Stones."

"But we need to know, Malevolent Spirits are not like the demons in Eastern Ying Continent who cannot cross the Eastern Sea without human permission. They are insidious, they infiltrate everywhere, and they are constantly breeding and evolving. The Divine Radiance Stones are not perfect. Malevolent Spirits will eventually seep into every corner of the land, hiding in your shadow, waiting for the day you let your guard down. The Divine Mountain will try its best, but we cultivators ourselves must be even more steadfast and uphold the righteous path! We absolutely cannot let Malevolent Spirits contaminate the land we depend on for survival!"

"That's right! Steadfast! Uphold the righteous path! Steadfast! Uphold the righteous path!"

Someone in the crowd, moved by the emotion, raised their arm in response. Gradually, more and more people responded, their voices growing louder and more powerful, almost piercing the heavens.

It was as if, at this moment, people finally remembered that the vast sea still harbored endless Malevolent Spirits lurking, the immortal enemies of all living beings in the Five Continents.

Gu Yao watched all this with satisfaction. He hadn't even expected things to develop this way. He looked through the crowd at You Su, who had quietly stood up and blended into the throng, his gaze complex.

Gu Yao then looked at City Lord Liu in the corner. His gaze was no longer indifferent; instead, it held a slight smile, a confident smile of victory over adversity, where righteousness triumphed over evil.

City Lord Liu noticed Gu Yao's gaze and met his eyes with a smile. He smiled kindly, his withered wrinkles piling up, as if he were sharing the relief Gu Yao felt for the crowd, making it impossible to discern any abnormality.

Gu Yao remained silent, letting the crowd absorb the shock of the Malevolent Spirits on their own. He, meanwhile, was recalling everything that had just happened in his mind.

To be honest, his third objective for coming to Chuyun City was not as noble as You Su had described. His true objective was to find the Dream-Eating Ghost.

The Dream-Eating Ghost had escaped into the Central Yuan Continent. The Evil Warding Department of Mount Henggao took it very seriously. Several sects jointly dispatched many people to various parts of the Central Yuan Continent, determined to eliminate this great hidden danger.

Because the Dream-Eating Ghost was of too high a rank, the Evil Warding Token was useless against it. That's why he didn't hesitate to use Golden Eyes on these people. The reason he didn't test cultivators in the Channel Opening realm was that the Dream-Eating Ghost simply disdained the meager Mystic Qi of the Channel Opening realm and wouldn't target them.

He hadn't expected to run into a blind man and fail. For the sake of the Xuanxiao Sect's reputation, he had no choice but to force the youth to admit his mistake. Thinking back now, he had indeed bullied the youth with his status.

Yet, the youth had repaid his malice with kindness, giving him such a great gift that not only saved his face but also enhanced his prestige.

However, this action by the youth had undoubtedly offended Junior Brother Liu. How should he repay him...

You Su's majestic and elegant appearance reappeared in his mind. Gu Yao sighed inwardly:

Perhaps a truly brilliant pearl is indeed hidden in this Chuyun City.