Slander

Slander

The vehicle sped along the highway, quickly leaving the sealed-off Danger Zone and returning safely to Tianchang City.

Only when he saw the familiar city did the bloodstained Li Yi finally relax all over inside the vehicle.

Now, his entire body felt sore and painful. Many parts had been injured from exerting too much force or running for too long. His back was especially bad. When he had first evaded that vicious Biao, it had left several bloody gashes across him. Although the bleeding had stopped, the wounds still burned fiercely.

"Li Yi, once we return to An Ding District, I'll have the supervisor arrange for a doctor to examine you and give you a checkup. Judging from your current condition, your injuries seem rather serious." In the vehicle, Zheng Fei noticed Li Yi's pain and spoke up.

"Alright, thanks. I'll have to trouble you then." Li Yi nodded without refusing.

Zheng Fei smiled instead. "It's only what we should do. There's no need to thank me. After all, you were injured during this mission, so the company won't just ignore it. Still, your injuries count as minor. A Spirit Medium Realm cultivator named He Jun was hurt much worse."

"He Jun?" Li Yi's expression shifted. "He's still alive?"

He had run into He Jun earlier while the latter was fleeing. He Jun had tried to use him to lure away that vicious Biao, but he was no pushover either. Li Yi had used He Jun to lure away the group of spider-like humanoid monsters.

"He's still alive. He should survive, but one of his arms was severed, and he suffered several other serious injuries. If he hadn't gotten lucky and encountered Yang Yilong, who was also evacuating and pulled him out, he probably wouldn't have made it back." Zheng Fei continued, "He Jun was especially unlucky. I heard he didn't encounter a single Fierce Beast, but a whole group of monsters."

"Among all those who escaped alive, he was in the most perilous situation."

Li Yi's expression immediately turned strange.

That group of monsters had originally been chasing him.

"Alright, enough about that. We're here. Let's get out." Zheng Fei spoke.

Just then, the vehicle came to a stop.

Li Yi had returned to An Ding District, Area One, Number 89.

It was still that same familiar building.

Li Yi got out of the vehicle, and Supervisor Xu Ming immediately approached with two nurses.

"Li Yi, go get your wounds treated first. I'll have your prey stored away for you, and someone will contact you later. If you're worried, I can have the prey packed up and delivered to your room." Zheng Fei spoke.

"No need. Just handle it for me. I trust you." Li Yi replied.

He wasn't worried about anything going missing. There were so many people watching, cameras everywhere, and Yang Yilong couldn't possibly turn hostile over the corpse of a single piece of prey.

Zheng Fei nodded. "Alright, go get some rest first."

"Li Yi, can you walk? Do you need a wheelchair? Are you feeling dizzy?" Xu Ming examined Li Yi, covered in bloodstains, and kept asking about his condition.

"I'm fine. I can walk. I don't need a wheelchair." Li Yi waved his hand.

Supervisor Xu Ming said, "That's good. Your condition isn't bad, but to be cautious, you should come with me for an examination first. Some internal injuries can't be seen. Only a thorough checkup can determine whether you have any."

"Alright, sorry for the trouble." Li Yi said.

"I knew your life was tough enough to keep you from dying. How could a promising cultivator like you possibly fall in the Danger Zone?" Xu Ming added.

Li Yi sighed. "I was just lucky enough to snatch my life back. I almost didn't make it out."

"It's fine as long as you're alright now. Come with me. I'll take you to the Medical Room."

Xu Ming nodded, then immediately led Li Yi and the two accompanying nurses toward the building.

Soon.

The group took an elevator to the Medical Room on the ninth floor.

There were several patients in the Medical Room. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and occasional cries of agony rang out.

Li Yi glanced around and immediately spotted several injured cultivators.

"Li Yi, you little bastard."

A cultivator lay on a hospital bed with bandages wrapped around him. His face was pale from excessive blood loss, but when he saw Li Yi, he still struggled to curse at him.

"He Jun?"

Li Yi recognized him at once. "You really are still alive. I didn't expect you to lose an arm and still have so much energy. A cultivator's vitality really is tenacious."

"Li Yi, if you hadn't harmed me, how would I have ended up being chased by that group of monsters?" He Jun immediately grew agitated and began cursing loudly. "I'm telling you, this isn't over. I'll let everyone know what a sinister bastard you are. You'll do anything to survive, and you caused me to suffer such serious injuries."

As soon as he said this, many cultivators in the Medical Room turned their eyes toward Li Yi in unison, their gazes filled with hostility.

He Jun had ended up in such a miserable state because of Li Yi?

The other cultivators were injured as well, and their moods were already foul, their bellies full of rage. Seeing someone like Li Yi, who had supposedly betrayed his teammates, made them want to rush over and beat him to a pulp.

However, no one acted rashly.

They wanted to see how Li Yi would defend himself and what the truth of the matter was.

Li Yi had no intention of carrying this undeserved black pot. He said coldly, "He Jun, you were being chased by a Biao and deliberately led it toward me, nearly getting me killed. If I hadn't exploded with power in that desperate situation, evolved physically, entered the Spirit Medium Realm, and fought that Biao to the death, I would already be food in its belly."

"As for you being chased by another group of monsters, that was your own bad luck. You brought it on yourself, so don't blame me."

After speaking, Li Yi immediately removed his shirt, revealing the claw marks across his back.

Many people took one look and immediately recognized that these were indeed wounds left by a Fierce Beast's claws while fleeing.

"So that's what happened."

Seeing that Li Yi's account was well-reasoned and backed by his wounds, their expressions changed at once. They looked at He Jun with complicated expressions. After all, He Jun had nothing but empty words and no evidence proving that Li Yi had caused him to be chased by the monsters.

Li Yi continued, "He Jun, you were born evil. When fleeing through the Danger Zone, you didn't just harm me. Earlier, you also got the two assistants beside you killed. You used Gaze Strike against them, then relied on their corpses to hold back the Fierce Beast's attack. Otherwise, how could you possibly have escaped safely? Fortunately, another cultivator exposed your sinister intentions before dying and warned me. Otherwise, I would have been killed by you too."

"You—you're talking nonsense! Li Yi, when did I ever use Gaze Strike against my companions? You're slandering me and making false accusations! Everyone, don't believe him. If I had really done what he said, I would have escaped safely long ago. Why would I have suffered such serious injuries?"

He Jun's pale face instantly flushed red. Although he had indeed intended to have the others hold back the Fierce Beast for him, he had never used Gaze Strike to attack anyone else.

He had never expected Li Yi, who looked honest and straightforward, to be just as rotten inside. Lies rolled off his tongue as easily as water.

Li Yi gave him no chance to counterattack. He felt that people like this didn't deserve any moral consideration. It was merely throwing mud—did He Jun think he was the only one who could do it? He continued, "I'm slandering you? Everything requires evidence. If you believe I was the one who harmed you, then produce evidence. Don't sit here playing the victim and fishing for everyone's sympathy."

"I—I can't produce evidence, but Li Yi, where's your evidence? You said I got my two assistants killed and led that Biao to attack you. Then you need to produce evidence and convince everyone too. If you can provide evidence, I'll admit to it. But if you can't, then you're slandering me. I'll never let this go for as long as I live."

He Jun roared from the hospital bed, utterly furious. His wounds split open again, and blood seeped out.

But deep down, he simply didn't believe Li Yi could produce any evidence.

The people had already died in the Danger Zone, and their corpses had probably vanished by now. Where could Li Yi find evidence?

Thus, with no surviving witnesses, He Jun was righteous and fearless.

Li Yi stared fixedly at him. "You want evidence? I'll give you evidence. But we need someone to serve as a witness. Xu Ming, I want Yang Yilong to come forward and witness this matter. Can you notify him?"

He then looked toward Supervisor Xu Ming.

Xu Ming immediately nodded. "This concerns the deaths of two cultivators. If you can produce evidence, I can ask Yang Yilong to come and serve as a witness."

"The evidence is in the belly of that vicious Biao. If everything happened as I said, He Jun's two assistants were definitely eaten by it. As luck would have it, I brought that vicious Biao's corpse back. We only need to cut open its stomach and take out the flesh inside for testing. Then everything will be clear." Li Yi spoke.

"That makes sense. The truth can't be faked. If that's really what happened, we'll find the evidence by opening its stomach. Even if it's only a single undigested bone, a DNA test will reveal the result. This Medical Room happens to have the necessary equipment. Wait here. Go wash yourself and treat your wounds first; I'll arrange everything." Xu Ming immediately promised to handle the matter properly.

"Alright. I'll wait here for the result." Li Yi said.

Xu Ming didn't delay and immediately jogged away.

This matter was extremely serious. It involved a death case as well as a cultivator's reputation. At this critical juncture, mishandling it could lead to grave consequences.

"What? You brought that Biao's corpse back?" At that moment, He Jun began to panic.

But how was that possible?

How could Li Yi possibly have really killed that Biao?

He was a cultivator who hadn't even awakened his Spirit Medium—

Wait, no. That wasn't right. He seemed to have already awakened his Spirit Medium.

Suddenly.

Only then did He Jun notice that Li Yi's eyes were exceptionally bright, shimmering with light. That was a sign of having entered the Spirit Medium Realm.

At this thought, a chill flooded He Jun's heart.

"No, that can't be. Even if he really awakened his Spirit Medium, there's no way he could have defeated that Biao." He Jun's expression shifted constantly as he sat on the hospital bed, cold sweat unknowingly beading across his forehead.

If the matter of murdering his teammates were confirmed, he would never be able to turn his life around.

That was precisely why he had tried to kill Li Yi as well.

That way, no one would know what he had done in the Danger Zone.