Tell the Truth

Liu Chengzong collapsed to the ground, his fate unknown.

The Manifestation Dao Lord, who had been scolded all night, stroked his beard, nodded in satisfaction, and then suddenly flicked his sleeve, covering Li Fan's face.

Caught off guard, Li Fan saw a blur before his eyes, and in the next instant, he found himself standing in a dungeon.

The surrounding area consisted of smooth stone walls, only a foot square, with a small, breathable window. There was absolutely no spiritual energy in the area, and it was clearly reinforced by a Dao Enlightenment-level restriction!

Li Fan's heart sank as he realized that even his Divine Sense was sealed, and there was no response from the Nascent Soul Stage Sword Pill within his Divine Court! He mustered all his strength and punched the wall, almost breaking his hand bones, but there wasn't even a sound!

Damn it! This bastard! He even offered his blood oath and still turned on me! I forced him to break a brick, probably just to stage a crime scene! I don't know what kind of ridiculous charges they'll pin on him! And that Liu Chengzong too! He acted like an idiot all night! A disgrace! So smug! He's really screwed me over! Ugh! Damn it! This manifestation is a complete jerk!

"Well said! Well said! Manifestation is truly a piece of trash!"

Suddenly, voices came from outside the small window. Li Fan was startled and rushed to the window, shouting, "Who's outside!"

The man seemed to be locked in the next room, and he also appeared to be peering out the window, shouting, "I'm not human! I'm Xiantong! Who are you?!"

Li Fan sank suddenly, and he almost screamed, "Xiantong Daojun!! You are that traitor from Penglai who colluded with the Divine Cult!"

Oh no, oh no, oh no! This place is actually used to lock up Daojun! We're really in deep trouble now. This time we really took too big a step and fell into the ditch!

The man outside, Xiantong, burst into a tirade of curses, "Pah! Who's colluding with the cult! Ruining my reputation! Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!"

Li Fan had rarely encountered such a desperate situation where he was completely crushed. He couldn't think of a way out and was in a state of utter confusion. Meanwhile, the lunatic next door was still making a racket, and Li Fan, exasperated, yelled, "Shut the hell up! You're wronging me, but I'm wronging you too! It's all your fault for colluding with the Demonic Sect and causing this mess that dragged me down! Damn it!"

Xiantong retorted, "Pah! Pah! I'm not innocent! I'm not innocent at all! I colluded with the Demonic Sect, I accept the punishment, I'm happy! I colluded with the Demonic Sect, I'm delighted! I colluded with the Demonic Sect! But I didn't collude with the Divine Sect! You're the one who colluded with the Divine Sect! Your whole family colluded with the Divine Sect! Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!"

Li Fan was furious. "Zhao! You old madman! The Demonic Sect is just the Divine Sect! The Divine Sect is just the Demonic Sect! Bah! Bah! Bah!"

Xiantong spat back, "Pah! You little idiot! You don't know anything and you're arguing with me! The Divine Cult worships the God! The Demonic Cult worships the Void Star! Hahaha! Never heard of that, have you? You're such a moron! Wahahaha! Pah! Pah! Pah!"

"Holy crap?" Li Fan was truly dumbfounded. "... Which demonic sect did you collude with? Damn! You're actually from the Luo Sect!"

"Huh? You little fool, you actually know about the Luo Sect? That's right!" Xiantong exclaimed, "New little fool, let me ask you! Do you know the whereabouts of my sworn brother? He is none other than the infamous Bei Chen traitor! Yan Xingyun!"

Have you heard of it? Geese! Flying! Clouds--! Have you heard of it?

"Hiss... Wild geese, flying, clouds!" Li Fan was startled and about to cry out when a chill ran down his spine and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He immediately became alert, his eyes darting around, and he made a quick decision. "Never heard of it!"

"Holy crap! I've never even heard of my sworn brother, Yan Xingyun! You piece of trash!" Xiantong yelled, banging his head against the wall. "Ah, I've got it! The Beichen Sword Sect! You've heard of the Beichen Sword Sect, right? Who's the current sect leader? Isn't his surname Yan?!"

"The Beichen Sword Sect ..." Li Fan glanced at the bristling hairs on the back of his hand, took a deep breath, and said, "The Beichen Sword Sect is long gone. It was wiped out five hundred years ago. All the disciples of the Sword Sect are long gone."

"Aaaaah! You're lying to me! You're lying to me! Impossible! Impossible! My sworn brother can't be dead! Manifest! Manifest, get out here! You think you can corrupt my Dao heart by just finding some random idiot?! Manifest!!!"

Sure enough, the voice of the Manifestation Dao Lord rang out the next moment.

"Hmph. Can't you tell whether he's telling the truth or not, Junior Brother? That guy surnamed Yan is long dead; he won't come to save you."

Damn, that old turtle really loves eavesdropping...

The Manifestation Dao Lord suddenly peeked out from the small window and glared at him.

Li Fan quickly focused his eyes, nose, mouth, and mind on pretending to be a clay Buddha.

"Pah! I don't believe it! It's fake! It's fake! It's fake! I know! You're jealous of our brotherhood! You're deliberately using this fool to annoy me! You want to trick me into betraying my sworn brother! Hahaha! I won't fall for it! I'll make you furious! Make you furious!"

The Manifestation Dao Lord was speechless for a moment. "... Junior brother, how many times do I have to tell you? The Luo Sect has been destroyed, and the one surnamed Yan is dead. Why are you still here guarding the Heavenly Book for them? Aren't you ashamed of the cultivation you received from the Supreme True Palace?"

Xiantong heard Shang Zhen Gong's tone soften slightly, "I know! I am ashamed! I will take responsibility for my own actions! I will return the cultivation that Penglai gave me! I will simply pass away peacefully! I will never implicate the sect!"

The Manifestation Dao Lord then earnestly advised, "Why are you doing this? Whether you believe it or not, times have changed, and the world is in chaos. Penglai is in dire need of capable people."

Alright then, I won't force you to hand over the Heavenly Book. As long as you, junior brother, swear to break ties with that Yan fellow and never set foot in the Central Plains again, I'm willing to vouch for you before the Nine Great Xuan Sects and let you go overseas to establish a new training ground for the sect.

Whether it's Daiyu or Yuanqiao, it gives my disciples from Penglai more places to cultivate and more escape routes. It's better than you sitting here doing nothing. It's a win-win situation, what do you say?"

"Hmm..." Xiantong seemed to be persuaded. "Xian Hua, since you're so open with me, I'll tell you a secret too."

The Manifestation Dao Lord leaned closer, "Oh? Tell me about it?"

"Actually... your grandfather is my father! Hahaha! Hahahaha! Hahahaha!"

Li Fan, manifested, "..."

The maniacal laughter was suddenly cut off as if silenced.

The Manifestation Dao Lord's face reappeared at the window, staring at Li Fan, "And you, do you want to come out?"

Li Fan nodded frantically.

The Manifestation Dao Lord stroked his beard. "Alright, I'll release you later. When you meet the Divine Lords of the various palaces, they'll ask you questions like, 'Who blew up the Pill Workshop? Who killed Liu Chengzong? Why did you hit him on the head with a brick?' Just tell them the truth."

"... Tell the truth?" Li Fan narrowed his eyes.

Manifestation Dao Lord nodded. "Tell the truth. You can try."

Li Fan looked at him suspiciously, "... You blew up the pill shop, you killed Liu Chengzong, and you told me to beat him up."

The Manifestation Dao Lord smiled, turned around, and left.

Damn it! That old turtle is a real piece of work!

"Hey, hey, hey! Okay, okay, okay! I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong! Sect Leader, please give me another chance! Sect Leader! Please give me another chance!"

Then the Manifestation Dao Lord's face returned to the small cubicle, staring at him with a deep, eerie gaze.

Li Fan sighed, speaking from the bottom of his heart, "Liu Chengzong blew up the alchemy workshop, and I killed the people there because he was a traitor who colluded with the Demonic Sect..."

"What! Liu Chengzong actually colluded with the evil cult!"

In the Supreme Nine Truth Sect, Li Fan stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by a group of deities whose faces were hidden in the divine light and auspicious clouds. They were listening to his confession and were whispering and discussing among themselves.

Anyway, Li Fan truthfully recounted the testimony he had exchanged with Manifestation Dao Lord. Basically, Liu Chengzong tried to recruit him, saying he was going to do something big. Although he refused, the alchemy workshop exploded shortly afterward. Later, when he saw Liu Chengzong assassinate Xia Chengming while he was seriously injured, he believed that Liu Chengzong was a traitorous insider colluding with the Demonic Sect, so he threw a brick at him. Who knew that he would knock the man down in one go? It was a case of mistaken identity.

The deity who asked the question frowned as he calculated, saying, "What this boy said is true. He is not lying."

Li Fan stared at him with a bewildered expression. "Damn, so what I said was true?"

"Wait a minute! This only shows that he believes Cheng Zong is colluding with the Demonic Sect, not that Cheng Zong really is! Tell me! Why were you, an Outer Sect, in the core of the workshop last night!"

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, "... Go put out the fire?"

"You've only been in the Outer Sect for less than a month, yet you're so proactive! And how did you manage to track Cheng Zong without being discovered!"

"Chengxue helped him refine a batch of pills; perhaps he was too concerned and confused. There was a lot of smoke and fire at the time, and the scene was chaotic; he might have gotten lost."

That sounds like the voice of Yi Si Shenjun.

"On his second visit to the alchemy workshop, how could he have gotten lost and stumbled into the workshop's forbidden area? How could he know so much about it! And how could he have witnessed the infighting among the Inner Sect?"

"What do you mean by that! This disciple was concerned about the safety of the sect and helped put out the fire, and you're questioning his motives! Or are you saying that it was a disciple of my Shenzhen Palace who blew up the alchemy workshop? Are you going to search his soul?!"

"I didn't say that! I only said that this person's background is unclear and he shouldn't be trusted!"

"This person has made great contributions to Penglai since his arrival, but his origins are unclear, so we cannot trust him easily! Are some people just jealous of Penglai's success?"

"Exactly! We can't stand it anymore! Let's just break up!"

"You Shenzhen Palace shouldn't make trouble here! Once Chengming wakes up, we'll find out!"

"Chengming has woken up! He said he was seriously injured after the explosion, but was suddenly ambushed by Chengzong with his sword! Fortunately, he was saved by Li Tang!"

"What! You actually!"

"So you see that now! You all see it! You see who the heroes are and who the undercover agents are!"

"I examined Chengming's injuries; he was indeed struck by a superior Sword Light..."

"Cheng Zong would actually poison and harm his fellow disciples!"

"Could it be... that he really is a spy for the Demonic Cult?"

"Then what about those things Chengyang sent?"

"Are they indiscriminately killing innocent people and tarnishing the reputation of Penglai...?"

"Quiet."

Seated at the head of the table, the Manifestation Dao Lord waved his hand, stopping the arguing elders of the various palaces. His face was expressionless, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

"Furnace explosions are common. The alchemy workshop may be delayed for a while, but it can be repaired. The cost of repairing the Changchun Pill delayed this month will be covered by my Zhenzhen Palace. Chengming is seriously injured and Chengzhi is not in the mountains, so Chengxue will be responsible for refining the new pills."

The matter of the Demonic Sect is of utmost importance. Let's summon Chengyang and the others to this mountain first, investigate thoroughly, and then discuss it further."

Seeing that the Manifestation Dao Lord was rarely seen 'upholding the law impartially', the elders of the various palaces did not object for a time and all bowed in agreement.

"As the sect leader commands."

As for you.

Manifestation Dao Lord and Li Fan exchanged a glance. Qu Zhi flicked his wrist, and a golden light flashed, landing in front of Li Fan. It was the Golden Brick.

"I won't ask you where you obtained this seventh-grade Divine Transformation treasure. Everyone has their own destiny. I, Penglai, will not covet your things and will return them to you."

This time you harmed Chengzong but saved Chengming. Whether to reward or punish him will be decided after other matters are settled. Go back to the Shenzhen Palace for quiet cultivation and are not allowed to leave the mountain without orders. Otherwise, you will be expelled from the sect!

"Yes... Sect Leader Xie... give it back to me..."

Is this... hush money? Even though it's stolen goods, if it really is Divine Transformation level magic weapon, then it seems like a profit, right?

Li Fan hesitated, then picked up his "magic weapon," tucked it into his robes, and left the main hall.

Before he could react, four divine lords stepped up behind him. Among them was Yi Si, whom he had seen before, and three old men, who were probably the three divine lord ancestors of the Shenzhen Palace: Ju Si, Ju Rui, and Shi Ming.

"Follow me." Yi Si Shenjun immediately wrapped his Sword Light, lifting Li Fan up, and the four of them escorted him as they landed at the gate of the Shenzhen Palace.

The radiant light descended directly into the central palace hall. Yi Si and another divine lord joined forces to set up a magic array barrier, covering the entire Shenzhen Palace.

The other two old men sat down on either side of Li Fan, and even threw him a prayer mat.

"Sit down and talk."

It seems they are the two most senior figures from the Shenzhen Palace lineage, and even the Nine Truth Sect: the two Divine Lords, Ju Si and Ju Rui.

Li Fan looked up at the statue of the Profound Maiden in the Daoist temple, swallowed hard, and obediently sat on the futon.

"Let me see that brick." The old man on the left reached out his hand.

Li Fan honestly handed over the Golden Brick.

The other person held the Golden Brick in their hand, examining it carefully and repeatedly with cross-eyed eyes.

The other deities, having completed their arrangements, also gathered around Li Fan, sitting in a circle to await the results.

The cross-eyed old man examined it for a moment, then nodded. "It looks like it was made by Fellow Daoist Hengshan. It's an old item, and the spirit of the artifact was previously scattered and demoted by one rank. It's still asleep and hasn't recovered yet, so we can't find out anything about it."

"But it really is Divine Transformation weapon for those at the Nascent Soul stage. You're quite lucky, kid."

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "I just... picked it up casually by the roadside. It's handy... and it's festive..."

"Yeah, I found it by the roadside." "It's definitely festive." "After all, it's a real Golden Brick."

The old men looked at him with knowing, "I understand, I understand, no need to explain, you bandit!" eyes.

"Grandmaster Ju Si is a master craftsman, so he wouldn't be mistaken, but..." The other three Divine Lords exchanged glances. Yi Si Shenjun, being the youngest, spoke first. "Could it be that Liu Chengzong could really be killed by such a brick?"

Ju Si Shenjun shook his head directly, "This treasure is indeed a seventh-grade Divine Transformation, enough to damage a True Person's body. But with Cheng Zong's abilities, surely he can't even escape Nascent Soul Stage cultivator? It's probably Cheng Ming who seized the opportunity to kill him, showing his protectiveness and making this fool take the blame."

So the old men shifted their gaze, and Li Fan followed them to look at the one on the right, who was probably a diviner named Ju Rui.

Ju Rui, the Divine Lord, also calculated with his fingers for a moment, then shook his head and said, "The secrets of heaven have been confused. I can't deduce it. I guess it's that bastard manifesting again to protect his disciples, and even pushing the trouble onto us. But for the sake of the opportunity we gained from Chengxue, we have to swallow this bitter pill."

Li Fan was astonished. These people really knew the sect leader's character. Although they couldn't figure it out, their guesses were pretty close... Damn, being a sect leader like this is such a failure...

"Xiao Li, don't be nervous. I'm asking you, what did Liu Chengzong say to you last night? What did you see when you went to put out the fire? Tell me the truth."

Here we go again, telling the truth?

However, judging from the fact that their four Divine Transformation cultivators could only be inferred from their character and could not actually be predicted to have manifested their abilities, Li Fan estimated that their level was still a bit lacking, and he could only tell the truth.

Anyway, judging from the situation, these old men, being true disciples of the Xuanmen sect, are certainly aware of everything Liu Chengzong mentioned, including the internal divisions within Penglai.

So Li Fan recited his previous testimony from the joint trial again.

Of course, he didn't mention the Manifestation Dao Lord at all, but since it was someone from within the Shenzhen Palace who asked this time, he also brought out the Changchun Pill given to him by Liu Chengzong.

The old men found his explanation largely accurate and were quite satisfied, as he even offered to take out some pills.

"Keep these for yourself. Although my Shenzhen Palace isn't very well-off, we're not at the point of having to take from the younger generation."

"Hmph, we've given way enough over the years. If we can't even protect those below us, it'll be a laughing stock."

"Don't worry, in my Shenzhen Palace, even if that scoundrel manifests himself, he can't do anything to you."

"What my senior uncles say is true."

Although the old men made such a solemn promise, as soon as Li Fan was released and returned to the house, before he could even touch Xiao Yushi, he saw that scoundrel of Penglai's sect leader squatting in the courtyard again.

"Holy crap, is this ever going to end...? What else do you want...? Oh, you want the brick back? Here you go..."

Manifestation shook his head. "I need you to find an opportunity to secretly leave the mountain and do three things for me."

"... No, just say you want to kill me..."

Li Fan was truly exhausted and felt utterly hopeless. He just wanted to shut up and scream for help; the manifestation was up to torment him again.

But Manifestation Dao Lord ignored him completely and said to himself, "First, that demonic cult brat they mentioned, I've already located him. Go and snatch him. Let's see what kind of person he really is."

Huh? Li Fan instinctively shut up. At the same time, he reached into his pocket and found a jade slip in his hand. Wow, they're stuffing things into my pocket again...

"Secondly, if I'm not mistaken, Xu Chengyang is likely a reincarnation of a master from the Xuanmen sect, who infiltrated our sect to steal our techniques. However, we're not entirely certain which sect sent him. Go intercept him on the way, hit him with a brick, and see his reaction. Come back and tell me."

Damn, what kind of reaction can you expect from hitting someone with a brick? Fight back, right? Wait, buddy, aren't you overestimating him? He's the number one seed from Penglai! A reincarnated traitor from the Xuanmen sect! You think hitting him once and expecting a reaction is okay? Someone's going to die!

"Third, go back to the Yulin Manor, which you visited before. There should be other more important things yet to be revealed. Search the surrounding area carefully, and if you find anything amiss, report back to me immediately. Do not enter without permission."

Li Fan felt something else appear in his arms, and reached in to pull out a bright red jade pendant...

"This is the God Lord Jade, the communication token of the Ten Absolutes God Sect. Once a member of the sect is in danger and uses a secret method to call for help, the God Lord Jade will sense it and guide the surrounding protectors to come to the rescue. Take this and see if you can find that traitor lurking in the sect."

The Manifestation Dao Lord gave Li Fan a long, quiet look. "You just want a chance to make a name for yourself, right? I'll give you that chance. If you accomplish all three things, I'll give you a great reward and take you on as my personal disciple."

But if you mess things up and get caught... just tell the truth, you understand?

Li Fan glanced at the God Lord Jade in his hand, his face expressionless. "Understood. If I'm caught, I'll be the traitor."