The outer sect.
Inside a cave abode.
Lin Xue sat cross-legged on her bed, but she could not settle her mind to cultivate.
Over the past few days, she had noticed that someone had their eyes on her.
Not only did people furtively trail her every time she left her cave abode,
even now, someone was still watching outside.
Lin Xue naturally understood what was going on.
Half a month ago, she had gone into the rear mountains for training and happened to encounter Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan had given her quite a few demon cores, which she had exchanged for a considerable number of spirit stones after returning. This was probably why.
However, she had been extremely careful when exchanging the spirit stones, and ordinarily, no one paid attention to an outer sect disciple like her.
Thus, after thinking it through carefully, she understood that it had to be the work of acquaintances like Xue Yong.
"What a bunch of bastards!"
Lin Xue bit her red lip with her pearly teeth and cursed under her breath, furious.
It was bad enough that those people had repaid kindness with ingratitude, but after returning, they had actually dared to follow and monitor her so brazenly.
What did they want?
Just as Lin Xue was thinking about this, faint footsteps sounded, and her expression changed slightly.
Before she could sense them carefully, a deafening bang rang out.
Then, amid exploding earth and stone, the stone door shattered, and several figures strode inside.
Leading them was Xue Yao, a prominent figure among the outer sect disciples, at the Meridian Opening Ninth Layer.
Following behind Xue Yao were none other than Xue Yong and the others who often went to the rear mountains for trials with Lin Xue.
The sight of them startled Lin Xue, and she immediately stood up.
Her pretty face paled as she demanded angrily:
"What are you trying to do? Don't you know that, under sect rules, breaking into someone else's cave abode is punishable by having your cultivation crippled?"
Xue Yao laughed disdainfully at her words. "Sect rules? Having my cultivation crippled? Ridiculous!"
His gaze was icy as he stared fixedly at Lin Xue, his face savage. "Lin Xue, you colluded with an outsider and entered our holy land's rear mountains without permission. You're the one who broke sect rules!"
Boom!
Hearing this, Lin Xue's delicate body swayed again, and she felt a thunderous roar in her mind.
Colluding with an outsider and entering the holy land's rear mountains without permission?
That was a grave crime!
Once such a grave charge was proven, she, Lin Xue, would be finished!
"Xue Yao, you-you're spitting blood and slandering me!"
Lin Xue's face turned deathly pale as she staggered backward, shrieking in protest.
Ye Xuan was not a disciple of the holy land? How was that possible?
If he was not a disciple, how had he entered the holy land, and how had he entered the rear mountains?
In any case, Lin Xue knew that she definitely had not brought him in. She did not have that kind of ability or strength.
"Spitting blood and slandering you?" Xue Yao laughed again, his eyes wild. "You'll find out whether I'm slandering you once you reach the Law Enforcement Hall!"
With that, he waved a hand at Xue Yong and the others and barked, "Take her away!"
Xue Yong and the others hesitated slightly, but their expressions soon became resolute again.
Spiritual Qi surged wildly within them as they stepped forward and attacked Lin Xue.
Lin Xue's expression changed drastically. "No, that's not what happened! You're spitting blood and slandering me! You can't treat me like this!"
She screamed in despair, her heart already sinking to the bottom of a valley.
What kind of place was the Law Enforcement Hall?
It was a place specifically for punishing disciples who violated sect rules. Once she got there, heaven only knew what fate awaited her.
Especially since she was a woman-a beautiful woman.
Outside the cave abode.
Quite a few outer sect disciples had already gathered.
Yet none dared approach.
"What happened? Why are Senior Brother Xue and the others attacking Junior Sister Lin Xue?"
"Who knows? I heard Junior Sister Lin Xue took an outsider into the rear mountains for trials without permission."
"No way. How could Junior Sister Lin Xue do something like that? Besides, she doesn't have the strength."
"Hmph, we don't even know what happened yet! Ah, anyway, whether it's true or false, once Junior Sister Lin Xue enters the Law Enforcement Hall, she'll be in for misery."
"Isn't that the truth? Still, for Xue Yao and the others to act so arrogantly, someone must be backing them."
Watching the scene, the onlooking disciples discussed it among themselves.
Some sighed, some shook their heads, some were angry, and others were full of schadenfreude.
Yet not a single one dared step forward.
As a prominent figure in the outer sect, Xue Yao was already difficult to provoke. With the Law Enforcement Hall backing him as well, who would dare get involved?
They heard a series of bangs and crashes from inside the cave abode, and then Xue Yong and the others brought Lin Xue out.
Now, Lin Xue's face was bruised and swollen, her hair disheveled, and several large footprints marked her body.
She was a complete mess!
Clearly, Xue Yong and the others had beaten her while she resisted.
At the sight, anger welled up in the onlooking disciples' hearts, but in the end, they forcibly suppressed it.
"I'm innocent! I'm innocent! You can't do this! You can't do this!"
Lin Xue was still struggling, her tearful face like pear blossoms drenched in rain, tear tracks covering her cheeks and despair filling her eyes.
Xue Yao and the others were utterly disdainful. Ignoring Lin Xue's screams and struggles, they prepared to drag her forcibly to the Law Enforcement Hall.
Over the past half month and more, they had investigated Ye Xuan, but had found nothing.
It was as though Ye Xuan did not exist at all. They had failed to uncover any information about him; there was not even such a person in the sect.
As for the Law Enforcement Hall's involvement, that was naturally because of Zhao Hong and Zhang Shan.
The two were inner sect disciples at the Origin Condensation Fifth Layer, yet someone had beaten them severely. Naturally, this could not be concealed.
When a senior brother from the Law Enforcement Hall learned of this, especially that Ye Xuan was suspected of possessing a spatial treasure, he immediately harbored wicked intentions.
Lin Xue struggled, but Xue Yao and the others ignored her and even punched and kicked her.
Her struggles proved fruitless, and Lin Xue grew even more desperate.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning seemed to streak through her mind. Seemingly thinking of something, she hurriedly shouted at the onlooking disciples:
"Senior brothers and sisters, hurry! Hurry to the Holy Son Hall and find the Holy Son! He'll help me!"
Her piercing voice shook the surroundings!
For a moment, not only the onlooking disciples but even Xue Yao and the others could not help their expressions changing slightly.
Find the Holy Son? He would help?
Although none of them had seen that Holy Son, although they did not know his name, although that Holy Son had yet to be formally invested,
during this time, legends about him had long since spread throughout the holy land and the entire Desolate Domain.
The Chaos Sacred Body, visions of heaven and earth, true dragons of purple Qi circling him, Gods and Devils kneeling in worship, soon to be invested as the Holy Son of the Ancient Desolate Holy Land...
With all these halos upon him, who in the Eastern Wasteland did not now know of such an unparalleled figure, one who shook heaven and earth and moved ghosts and gods to tears?
"Impossible! How could an outer sect disciple like her know Senior Brother Holy Son?"
"Hmph, she's like a desperately ill patient turning to any doctor. She must be trying to scare us with this!"
"Pah! That Ye Xuan, the Holy Son? Hahaha! Lin Xue, only an idiot like you would take that seriously."
After their brief shock, Xue Yao and the others returned to normal. With disdainful sneers, they continued forcibly taking Lin Xue away.
Watching this, the onlooking disciples felt raging waves surge in their hearts, unable to calm down for a long time.
After coming to their senses, they too declared it impossible, not believing that Lin Xue could know that monstrous Holy Son who shook heaven and earth and moved ghosts and gods to tears.
Even so, a few disciples who sympathized with Lin Xue or were on good terms with her hurried toward the Holy Son Hall.
Whether it was true or false, there was no harm in trying, was there?
What if Lin Xue really did know that Holy Son?