At those words, Fairy Lingyue's gaze abruptly chilled, and she transmitted her voice into Xu Taiping's mind:
"Taiping, Su Chan must have put considerable effort into getting your name onto this final Sword Inquiry."
"This Sword Inquiry is clearly a death trap Su Chan laid for you."
"I even suspect that murdering Elder Chu of the Nine Prefectures was itself part of this scheme."
"The aim was to divert your attention and give him time to replace every cultivator in your group."
Without betraying anything, Xu Taiping replied inwardly:
"If that really is the case."
Xu Taiping looked at Su Chan and continued inwardly:
"What kind of hatred, or reason, could make a mighty Demon Emperor pay such an enormous price to lay this death trap for me?"
Ever since the trial in the Jade Gourd Secret Realm, Xu Taiping and Su Chan had clashed many times, both openly and in secret.
Even so, Xu Taiping still did not quite understand why Su Chan harbored such intense hatred toward him.
This very moment was one example.
Merely to watch him die on the Sword Inquiry platform, Su Chan had spared no expense in replacing every other cultivator in that Sword Inquiry with Demon Cultivators.
Xu Taiping met Su Chan's eyes with a searching gaze.
Facing Xu Taiping's gaze, Su Chan's eyes remained calm, as though what he had just said was not "kill you" but "cherish you."
"May I ask you a few questions?"
After a few breaths of silence, Xu Taiping finally spoke.
Su Chan nodded with perfect composure.
"You may."
So Xu Taiping asked:
"Demon Cultivators never need a reason to kill, but that clearly isn't the case with this Sword Inquiry you prepared for me."
Su Chan raised his head and studied Xu Taiping closely before speaking.