"Our sect leader was the most upright and honorable of men. How could he possibly have been plagued by inner demons!"
While the two sides confronted each other, something unusual suddenly stirred somewhere within the formation, then vanished in an instant, escaping both sides' notice.
Only Wu Fei, standing quietly to one side, stirred his brows slightly. After a brief glance in a certain direction, he closed his eyes and slowly turned his prayer beads, looking as though he had no intention of getting involved, while secretly releasing his divine sense.
Yin Fan, who had been watching him all along, had not sensed that disturbance. But upon seeing Wu Fei's movements, he continued negotiating with the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples without betraying anything, silently gathering a mass of Demonic Qi in the hand concealed beneath his robes.
Yin Fan said expressionlessly, "Back then, the Seven Luminaries Sect leader watched as numerous devil cultivators slaughtered the people of my Heavenly Clear City, yet did nothing to save them. This damaged his Dao heart, leaving him guilt-ridden for a hundred years, until he finally succumbed to his inner demons and died."
"I went to see him only out of respect for what little righteousness he still possessed. Since he wished to repent, I merely offered him forgiveness on behalf of Heavenly Clear City's people."
Every word of the Devil Venerable's struck the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples' hearts, leaving them visibly stunned.
Their sect leader... had also been involved in that incident?!
At the mention of Heavenly Clear City, Yin Fan's expression turned cold. He took something from his storage ring. "If you have doubts, you may look at this recording stone. Once you have seen it, you will understand."
With that, he tossed the recording stone to the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples and paid them no further attention.
With matters here settled, Wu Fei suddenly opened his eyes, a faint golden light flashing through them. The next moment, golden lotuses burst into bloom beneath his feet. In an instant, a white afterimage swept across myriad golden lotuses and appeared a thousand paces away.
The Silent Dust Pearl flew from his palm and struck toward a certain spot. Unexpectedly, there was no one there, yet the Silent Dust Pearl seemed to hit something.
A scream rang out alongside the thud of something heavy falling. A figure suddenly materialized, lying on the ground, Demonic Qi swirling over his body as he lay unconscious.
It was none other than a devil cultivator!
Only a few breaths had passed between Wu Fei opening his eyes and the devil cultivator appearing. The Seven Luminaries Sect disciples had not even had time to react.
He had obtained this Phantom Step Golden Lotus in the great inheritance tomb, but this was Wu Fei's first time using it. As for why, Wu Fei sighed softly. Though this martial technique was useful, it was also... far too flashy.
He was examining the devil cultivator on the ground when he suddenly felt a familiar, burning gaze fall upon him. Turning around, he found that, sure enough, it was Yin Fan.
Yin Fan looked slightly dazed, as though the image of the white-robed Buddhist disciple stepping upon golden lotuses still lingered before his eyes. His heart began pounding rapidly in his chest. Demonic Qi surged beneath his feet as he moved to Wu Fei's side, his eyes shining slightly.
That look was...
Wu Fei's gaze darkened slightly, and his hands suddenly itched. The red silk from last night flashed through his mind.
He put on a puzzled expression. "Junior Brother Jing?"
As though that address had flipped some switch, Yin Fan restrained himself a little and donned a smile as gentle as a spring breeze. "Senior Brother Wu Fei, was that the first time I've seen you use that martial technique?"
"Indeed." Wu Fei nodded slightly. "I obtained it in the great inheritance tomb earlier and had never used it."
"Just now, with golden lotuses beneath your feet, you were radiant as a jade tree, Senior Brother, unlike any mortal." Yin Fan's eyes flickered slightly. "An unforgettable sight, enough to set one's heart racing beyond endurance."
Author's note:
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard-
Chapter 20: Upheaval in the Outside World
The sincere confession left Wu Fei briefly stunned. He lowered his gaze slightly to conceal the emotions in his eyes, his hand tightening around the ink-black flute on his string of prayer beads. With a faint smile, he said, "You too are refined and handsome, Junior Brother Jing, with the bearing of a dragon or phoenix."
As for the confession in the latter half, he could only pretend not to understand... Wu Fei sighed inwardly.
The white-robed Buddhist disciple wore a calm expression as he spoke with the supposedly brutal Devil Venerable. The atmosphere was remarkably peaceful, and the Devil Venerable actually had a smile as gentle as a spring breeze on his face.
Looking at Yin Fan now, it was impossible to connect him with the Devil Venerable of rumor. So this was how the Devil Venerable and the Buddha Spirit Sect's Buddhist disciple interacted...
At this sight, the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples felt something inexplicable, something they could neither describe nor explain.
They had finished viewing the recording stone Yin Fan had given them and finally understood that, though their sect leader's death was connected to Yin Fan, he truly had not killed him.
Their sect leader's attitude in the recording stone was already clear. As his disciples, they naturally had to act according to his wishes.
Xiao Yi and the others came to thank Yin Fan, for they had discovered that their sect leader had also left an inheritance at the end of the recording stone.
Yin Fan was indifferent to their thanks. From the moment the Seven Luminaries Sect leader repented before his death, the Seven Luminaries Sect had had nothing more to do with him.
Wu Fei, however, asked, "Fellow Daoist Xiao, how did you know the two of us would pass this way?"
From the formation, it was clear that the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples had known he and the protagonist would definitely pass this hill, and had therefore made thorough preparations.
"It was..." Xiao Yi hesitated and glanced at Yin Fan before saying, "Fellow Daoist Liu Yuexuan of the Heavenly Sword Sect told us."
Liu Yuexuan... again?
After the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples left, Wu Fei and Yin Fan looked at the unconscious devil cultivator on the ground. Buddhist cultivators' spiritual power naturally suppressed Demonic Qi, all the more so for Wu Fei, who possessed an Exquisite Heart.
The devil cultivator had been severely wounded by the spiritual power burning him and was barely clinging to life.
Wu Fei asked, "Devil Venerable, do you recognize this man?"
While Yin Fan had been speaking with the Seven Luminaries Sect disciples earlier, Wu Fei had sensed another presence here besides themselves and the sect's disciples. He had not expected it to be a devil cultivator. Three Tribulation Transcendence mighty figures from the cultivation world stood guard outside the Flame Spirit Realm, so how had a devil cultivator gotten in?
At his question, Yin Fan spared some attention for the devil cultivator on the ground. After looking him over briefly, his gaze returned to Wu Fei. "He's a devil cultivator under Devil Venerable Mingyu."
Devil Venerable Mingyu... wasn't he the protagonist's sworn enemy?
Wu Fei grew thoughtful, instinctively feeling that something must have happened outside the Flame Spirit Realm.
The devil cultivator was already at death's door. The best way to find out why he had appeared within the Flame Spirit Realm was to search his soul.
Wu Fei and Yin Fan both paused at the same time.
Yin Fan was wondering whether Wu Fei would think him too cruel if he used the Soul-Searching Technique now.