Pointing at a Deer and Calling It a Horse (Part 1), Second Update

"Nie Yuanqing, if I remember correctly, you should be at the peak of the Fifth Level Qi Sea, the Body Egress Realm. You were injured even at that level—could Nie Yu's strength have already surpassed yours?"

After a moment, the First Elder seated at the highest position suddenly spoke. Sharp light flashed in his eyes, as though he were probing to see whether Nie Yuanqing was lying.

As one of the older generation of elders, he still held some affection for the Nie Tian Branch. Back then, Nie Xiaotian's talent had been unmatched; he had been the unquestionable choice as the family's first heir. If not for that incident of cultivation deviation, the position of family chief could never have fallen into Nie Haotian's hands.

"I..." Nie Yuanqing's voice caught at the First Elder's questioning.

Though he did not wish to admit that Nie Yun was stronger than him, the way he had been knocked down and injured remained vivid in his mind, making him tremble from the depths of his heart.

"Reporting to the First Elder, his current strength is only at the Mid Fourth Level Qi Sea. The reason he was able to injure the captain was because he used some kind of demonic art. He must have defected to the Demon Race and become their running dog! Otherwise, it would be impossible for someone at the Mid Fourth Level True Qi Realm to beat a captain at the peak of the Body Egress Realm into such a state!"

Nie Hen, lying on another stretcher, suddenly struggled as he roared.

They could not understand why Nie Yun possessed such combat power, so they attributed it to demonic arts.

The Demon Race possessed countless secret techniques. Those who defected to them and were possessed by demon spirits could indeed see their combat strength soar and challenge opponents above their level.

"Defected to the Demon Race? Become the Demon Race's running dog?"

"Yes! All of you elders are cultivators, so you know that the True Qi Realm and the Body Egress Realm are separated by a gulf as vast as heaven and earth. They cannot be mentioned in the same breath at all. For someone at the middle stage of the True Qi Realm to defeat someone at the peak of the Body Egress Realm is simply a dream! Yet the facts are right before us. It can only mean one thing: Nie Yun has already defected to the Demon Race and been possessed by a demon spirit!"

Nie Qiang, standing in the middle of the hall, chimed in.

"Demonfolk have all manner of methods. We must be careful. Whether this boy has defected to the Demon Race or not, he must be executed. Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip through!" an elder said in a strange, mocking tone.

This elder was clearly in league with Nie Qiang's group. His words were vicious and utterly merciless.

"Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let one slip through? Elder Nie Yingxin, what kind of words are those? If our Nie Family truly acted that way, how would we be any different from those beasts of the Demon Race?"

The First Elder barked out a rebuke, his fury shooting into the sky.

"The Demon Race commits every conceivable evil, and their methods are too horrifying to contemplate. First Elder, have you forgotten the history of the Demon Race's invasion a hundred years ago, when even our Nie Family chief was subjected to Seize Body by a demonfolk?"

Another elder rose to his feet as well.

The war between the Demon Race and the human race had never ceased. The most recent invasion of the Demon Race had occurred roughly a hundred years ago. At that time, Nie Chen, the Nie Family chief, had been subjected to Seize Body by a low-grade royal demonfolk. He subsequently made many decisions that betrayed the enemy, nearly bringing the entire Nie Family to ruin.

Had an unparalleled figure not suddenly intervened, the Nie Family would have long vanished from the Four Great Families.

When that elder brought up the events of a century ago, the hall fell silent for a moment. It seemed everyone was imagining the brutal scenes recorded in history.

"As far as I know, this Nie Yun only recently opened his dantian. He possesses a Noble Grade Bloodline. On top of that, Xiaotian was once hailed as Luoshui City's greatest genius, with countless methods at his disposal. It should not be too difficult for him to grant Nie Yun the ability to fight above his level. Is it not too hasty to conclude that he defected to the Demon Race merely because he defeated Nie Yuanqing?"

One of the people supporting the First Elder hesitated before speaking slowly.

Just a few exchanges made it clear that the elders were divided into two factions: one led by the First Elder, who bore no prejudice against the Nie Tian Branch, and the other led by family chief Nie Haotian, who spared no effort in suppressing the Nie Tian Branch!

In truth, it was only thanks to the First Elder's faction that the Nie Tian Branch had not already been wiped from Luoshui City's rolls before Nie Yun's rebirth.

"Hasty? Hehe. Bring in Nie Liu of the Nie Long Branch!"

As though he had expected this outcome all along, Nie Qiang smiled faintly and clapped his hands again.

"Nie Liu, young master of the Nie Long Branch, pays respects to the family chief and all elders!" As soon as the words fell, a figure slowly walked in. It was none other than Nie Liu, who had once framed Nie Xiaofeng, been exposed by Nie Yun, and then forced to consume the Thousand Desire Flower, leaving chrysanthemums in ruins.

"The Nie Long Branch? That fallen branch which has already been expelled from the family core? Weren't you very close to the Nie Tian Branch?"

The elder who had previously supported the First Elder's decision thought for a moment before speaking slowly.

"Yes, our Nie Long Branch was indeed on very good terms with the Nie Tian Branch in the past. But now, that is no longer the case..." Hatred rose onto Nie Liu's face. With a thud, he dropped to his knees. "I beg the family chief, young master, and all elders to uphold justice for me!"

"Whatever matter you have, speak freely. No matter what, you are descendants of the Nie Family. We will not stand by and watch you suffer humiliation while shielding the evildoer!"

With a flick of his hand, family chief Nie Haotian sent out a gentle force that helped Nie Liu to his feet. He swept his gaze around the room and spoke calmly.

"Thank you, Family Chief!" Nie Liu clasped his fists again and took a deep breath, as though he had made some immense decision. "This is what happened. Last time, Nie Yun invited me to drink with him, intending to borrow ten thousand taels of silver from me. I did not know what he wanted it for, but after thinking that we were both members of the Nie Family and should help one another, I agreed! Who would have thought that not only would that fellow fail to repay kindness with gratitude, he would even slip a powerful aphrodisiac into the wine..."

At this point, Nie Liu's eyes reddened. As though recalling something, his entire body began to shake.

"An aphrodisiac?" All the elders' expressions changed.

"Yes! This aphrodisiac was especially potent. Once consumed, it could even make a person lose all reason. I trusted him completely and had no suspicions, so I drank it. The result..." Nie Liu could no longer hold back. Tears streamed down his face.

For a grown man, the dignified young master of the Nie Long Branch, to cry like this showed just how terrifying that incident must have been when recalled!

"What happened?" Seeing him in this state, even the First Elder seemed to believe him somewhat. His brows shot up, and a heavy majesty radiated from him.

Feeling that majesty, Nie Liu seemed to recover somewhat. He sobbed twice more before continuing, "He locked me together with the old steward Nie Lin. Tormented by the aphrodisiac, I could not control myself..."

"What? You and a man?"

"This is too absurd! How could anyone do such a thing?"

"Utterly insane! This must be the work of demonfolk..."

Seeing Nie Liu so pitiful, everyone immediately redirected their rage toward the youth named Nie Yun. Even the First Elder trembled with anger.

"That alone would have been bad enough, but he used a memory crystal to record that scene and used it as leverage to threaten me. That very day, he swindled fifteen thousand taels of silver from me..." Nie Liu said through sobs.

"Damn it, damn it! How could our family have such scum!"

An elder roared in fury and smashed the table before him into splinters with one palm.

"Whether or not he has been possessed by the Demon Race, this person must be dealt with! Otherwise, how can our Nie Family continue to stand in Luoshui City?" Another elder let out a long roar.

"Reporting to the Family Chief and all elders, members of the Nie Zhang Branch are outside requesting an audience!" Just as the elders were boiling with rage, a voice suddenly sounded from outside the hall. Two figures then walked in.

P.S. Judging by the recommendation votes, there will definitely be a third update today. Do you want a fourth? If you do, send those recommendation votes flooding in! 9 votes for the third update, 379 for the fourth, 479 for the fifth. I also saw friends leaving rewards today—if there are enough rewards, there will be more updates as well! Let the updates grow even more explosive—charge, young men!