Zhou Qi rolled up his sleeves and picked up the bodies of the three principals. Spiritual Power wrapped the bodies and followed closely beside him, then jumped into the air and galloped towards the east of the mining area.
In just half a stick of incense, the crumbling mess of Ten Kill Formation in the east came into view.
Five or six Heavenly Sword Peak disciples had already heard the news and came over, surrounding them on the ground.
The sound of the thunder just now was so loud that even the disciples in other areas could hear it clearly and rushed over.
At this time, everyone looked solemn, looking at Liu Ying, which was charred and broken on the ground and had long since lost its breath. Their faces were pale and they didn't dare to breathe.
Who is Liu Ying?
Chen Kun Elder's closed disciple! Myriad Dao Peak Master's son!
How respected is the status?
Now his body is found lying in the wilderness in a miserable state of death. When this news is sent back to Heavenly Sword Peak, I am afraid it will cause an uproar.
In the center of the crowd, Qi Shan was sitting cross-legged with his back against a huge charred black stone, his eyes closed tightly. The wound on his shoulder had been hastily bandaged, and there was still blood oozing out. His whole body was feeling weak, but he remained silent.
All the disciples knew that he was the only one alive at the scene and must know the inside story. They were afraid that he would run away, so they tacitly formed a half circle to trap him.
However, due to his Nascent Soul Sixth Layer cultivation, no one dared to step forward to question him, and the situation was at a stalemate for a while.
At this moment, the sound of Air-Breaking Slash came from the sky, from far to near.
Everyone looked up subconsciously and saw a pale golden stream of light speeding towards them and falling into the field in an instant.
Zhou Qi's clothes were fluttering lightly, and his whole body was not stained by dust. He flicked it casually, and the three bloody corpses hit the bluestone ground with a "bang bang bang" sound, causing dust to fly.
It was the three missing mining leaders.
Qi Shan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes, looking at Zhou Qi who was walking slowly, with a trace of complicated and indistinguishable emotions flashing through his eyes.
"Junior Brother Zhou!"
A young man in the crowd, wearing a black robe, stepped forward with a sharp look on his face. He was none other than Lin Mo, another direct disciple of Chen Kun.
He glanced at the three corpses of the principals on the ground, then raised his eyes to Zhou Qi, and asked in a questioning tone, "What happened at the scene? Why did Senior Brother Liu die? How could you kill the three principals?"
The other disciples also looked sideways, all their eyes falling on Zhou Qi.
The scene was so magical that everyone couldn't hold back their desire to explore.
But Zhou Qi was too lazy to talk to them. He raised his chin, pursed his lips in the direction of Qi Shan, and said in a calm tone, "Qi Shan, tell me about the trouble you have caused."
In one sentence, he kicked the ball back.
Qi Shan's figure froze, and the fingers hanging on his knees tightened slightly.
He raised his eyes and glanced at the probing or wary gazes of the disciples around him, then looked at the charred corpse of Liu Ying on the ground, and let out a long sigh in his heart.
At this point, there is no need to hide anything anymore. Besides, Zhou Qi spared his life because he wanted him to be the witness.
He stood up slowly while holding on to the boulder. The wound on his shoulder was pulled by the movement, causing him to frown in pain. His voice was a bit weak, but the words were clear:
"Junior brothers, this matter... from beginning to end, was a trap set up by Liu Ying and these three principals."
As soon as the words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.
Qi Shan ignored everyone's exclamations and told the story in a deep voice.
"Liu Ying and the three principals wanted to use the power of the formation to strangle all Junior Brother Zhou, and then put the blame on Blood Hand bandits."
"But it's unimaginable that Junior Brother Zhou is so powerful that it will be difficult to succeed for a while."
"When the three principals saw this, they directly used the formation's covering strike. The lightning was raging in the formation. Senior Brother Liu was unable to dodge. He was hit by Full-Domain Lightning Punishment and died on the spot."
"I tried my best to carry Lightning Tribulation, but I was seriously injured. If Junior Brother Zhou hadn't broken out of the formation, I would have to answer here today."
This statement is half true and half false.
He hid the part that he was lured into participating in the attack and killed, and poured all the dirty water on the three principals and the dead Liu Ying. He only said that he was a victim who was lured into the battle.
Not only did he protect himself, but he also confirmed the identity of Zhou Qi, the innocent victim.
As for why the three principals died?
Naturally, when the formation was broken, he stubbornly resisted and was killed by Zhou Qi on the spot. It was natural.
"This... how is this possible?"
All the disciples looked at each other in disbelief.
Liu Ying teamed up with outsiders to murder his fellow disciples? If this charge is proven, not only would his own reputation be ruined, but even the elder Chen Kun would be implicated.
But you can lower your head and look at the scene again.
The scorched traces of lightning strikes all over the ground, the broken formation fragments, and the criss-crossing marks of swords and lights all proved that Ten Kill Formation had once erupted with a devastating Full-Domain Lightning Punishment.
The tragic death of Liu Ying is completely consistent with the characteristics of death caused by lightning strikes, and is exactly the same as Qi Shan's words.
What's more important is that all the disciples have been following Liu Ying for a long time. They know full well that this person is narrow-minded and will retaliate for his hatred, and they have previously targeted Zhou Qi everywhere.
To say that he holds a grudge and joins forces with outsiders to set up a trap to silence him...
It really makes sense.
For a time, there was a lot of discussion in the venue, but no one dared to question it easily.
Zhou Qi stood quietly on one side with a calm expression and remained silent the whole time.
He was the victim of a conspiracy. No matter who judged him, the matter had nothing to do with him.
Not only is he blameless, he can even ask for compensation from Elder Chen Kun based on this experience!
The traces at the scene were consistent, and the witnesses also said so. The matter was already concluded.
But the only troublesome thing is that all three principals were killed, and the clues to the Blood Hand bandits were completely broken. The truth about the serial tragedies in the mining area was reduced to a confused account, and there was no way to trace it.
After Qi Shan finished speaking, he lowered his eyes again and said no more.
After this incident, although the evidence of his conspiracy with Liu Ying was temporarily suppressed, everyone present knew that he could never be completely innocent.
The previous promise made by Elder Chen Kun to accept him as a disciple naturally turned into nothing.
The disciples looked at him with a bit more alienation and wariness, and no one was willing to listen to his orders.
Lin Mo frowned, scanning the mess in the whole place, and then looked at the silent Qi Shan and the indifferent Zhou Qi, weighing for a moment in his heart.
He is the disciple of Chen Kun, so he should be investigated to the end, but Liu Ying was wrong first, and the evidence is conclusive. If the quarrel continues, it will only make the master lose face.
Besides, Zhou Qi is relying on Fu Linyuan, so he is really in trouble, and he can't get any benefits.
After pondering for a long time, Lin Mo took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "Since the three principals are dead and the clues are cut off, there is no need to investigate here anymore. The top priority is to return to the sect with Senior Brother Liu's body and report the matter truthfully, and the senior sect will make a decision."
He is now the most senior disciple of Chen Kun present, so he naturally takes over the power and responsibility of the temporary captain.
Upon hearing this, all the disciples nodded in agreement.
No one wants to stay in the land of right and wrong, and no one wants to get involved in this mess of fighting against each other.
"Pack up and start your journey back immediately."
Lin Mo gave the order and everyone immediately took action.
Some people stepped forward to collect Liu Ying's body, some simply cleaned up traces of the scene, and some counted the accompanying supplies.
Zhou Qi stood aside, watching with cold eyes, and said nothing during the whole process.
Qi Shan stood silently in the corner, alone and incompatible with the surroundings.