Xu Taiping and Lin Buyu exchanged a glance.
Then they smiled at each other.
A hint of slyness touched Lin Buyu's lovely, refined smile as she said:
"Nine Abysses has finally shown its fox's tail."
Xu Taiping was somewhat curious.
"Junior Sister Buyu, why are you so certain Nine Abysses is behind this?"
Lin Buyu smiled.
"I'd actually begun suspecting long ago that Liu Qingxiang might be one of the Nine Abysses Demon Seeds."
Xu Taiping was even more puzzled.
"What first made you suspicious, Junior Sister?"
He had learned in advance through Lotus Eye Divination that Nine Abysses would find a way to force him to act, which was why he had come to suspect Liu Qingxiang.
Lin Buyu hesitated, then suddenly looked at Xu Taiping with a solemn expression.
"Senior Brother, do you remember? Elder Duan Tianya once said that my ties to the demonic beasts of Nine Abysses ran deep."
Xu Taiping's heart tightened.
Elder Duan Tianya had indeed said something similar back then.
Lin Buyu continued:
"After coming to the Upper Realm, not only did my cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but through a chance convergence of circumstances, I also learned every strand of karma from my nine previous lives."
"And in every one of those strands of karma, I ultimately died at Nine Abysses' hands, whether through overt or covert murder."
"What's more, they seem extremely unwilling to see me claim a half-immortal seat."
Lin Buyu's words sent a tremendous shock through Xu Taiping's heart.
Then Lin Buyu continued solemnly:
"Even now, I'm still not entirely sure why Nine Abysses targets me like this."
"But ever since I learned the karma of my nine previous lives, my perception of the demonic beasts of Nine Abysses has become as keen as an instinct."
"And the