HSSB668: The truth is out, reputation blown
Yan Zhaoge’s motto was that in doing great things, he had to have an audience. If there wasn’t an audience, he would have to create one himself.
As that Copper Men Island Elder had said, with the situation back then urgent and chaotic, how would he have had the leisure to look for witnesses?
Yue Baoqi had been in charge of baiting Kang Jinyuan out. Out of safety considerations, she could leave after having completed that task. There was no need for her to remain there with that done.
Meanwhile, as Yan Zhaoge possessed the Heaven Spying Orb, he would naturally secretly record the entire process of him breaking of the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation.
When he flashed the Heaven Spying Orb, those of the Radiant Light Sect vaguely felt that something was wrong as some of them tried to move to obstruct him.
Dim Darkness Sect martial practitioners went forward to obstruct them.
The Copper Men Island martial practitioners frowned, wanting to move closer as well, but Elder Qi and the others of the North Sea Sword Pavilion moved over to block them in a mock casual manner.
The two sides momentarily entered a stalemate. Meanwhile, the Heaven Spying Orb had already emitted light, images thus manifesting.
Looking at the scenes of light, even as they were shocked by Yan Zhaoge’s shocking, extraordinary methods, they all unconsciously looked towards Nong Yuxuan simultaneously.
Everyone present could be considered knowledgeable figures.
While the Heaven Spying Orb was extremely rare, they all recognised it.
They all knew of its use and its characteristics as well.
This treasure was much better than physical eyewitnesses. Humans could be in collusion, after all.
That Dim Darkness Sect Elder laughed loudly, “What a Bright Starlight King Nong Yuxuan, what a rare supreme genius only seen once every hundred years who has hopes of walking the path of the past Emperor!”
“In these old man’s memories, the Emperor was never as shameless as you are back then!”
As those of the North Sea Sword Pavilion looked at the Radiant Light Sect martial practitioners now, while they did not speak, the expressions on their faces were clearly unfriendly.
While they were all in the Grinding Hut Region standing against the Grand Xuan Dynasty together, having broken the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation, it was definitely still they as the hosts who had benefited the most from it.
Therefore, the North Sea Sword Pavilion had been extremely grateful to Nong Yuxuan who had spread word that it was he who had broken the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation.
Now that the truth was made known, Elder Qi and the others all felt like they had been ridiculed.
Nong Yuxuan’s face was expressionless as he focused his gaze intensely on Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge laughed lightly, “Actually, it is not precise enough to say that the recordings of the Heaven Spying Orb definitely cannot be falsified or altered.”
“Strictly speaking, experts who are above the Martial Saint realm would be able to achieve it.”
Yan Zhaoge smiled, spreading his hands apart.
Hearing his words, everyone shot him a rather exasperated look.
This was equivalent to saying that either the proof he had given was real or there stood some crazy superpower behind him who could change the entire heavens and earth of the Royal Reed Sea with but a single breath on their part.
Which possibility would you choose to believe?
The expressions on the faces of those of the Radiant Light Sect were ugly as they wanted to say something yet were somewhat at a loss for words for a time.
Only know did they understand Yan Zhaoge’s previous words, “Doing things secretly is a double-edged sword. Even as you hoodwink your enemies, you could be hoodwinking your own allies as well.”
These words actually did not refer to their Radiant Light Sect. Instead, they referred to the past Huang Jie.
They indeed didn’t know that a Heaven Spying Orb had appeared in the Eight Extremities World, also being unaware that this Heaven Spying Orb had fallen into Huang Jie’s hands.
Deng Sen and the other experts whom the Radiant Light Sect had dispatched to the Eight Extremities World had all met an untimely end there, not a single one able to return.
The Purple Sun Martial Saint Zhang Chao as well as Meng Wan and Tang Yonghao who had ascended from the Eight Extremities World also did not know that Huang Jie possessed a Heaven Spying Orb.
Thinking about this, all the Radiant Light Sect martial practitioners could not help but feel pained.
This youth whom the longtime Elders of the Radiant Light Sect had once viewed with great importance had been used as a blade after his death to stab the Radiant Light Sect a good one.
That Copper Men Island Elder appeared rather awkward as he descended into silence, his gaze shifting between Yan Zhaoge and Nong Yuxuan.
With such substantial evidence, there was no real way for him to support the Radiant Light Sect.
Of course, truthfully speaking, he too felt admiration towards the talented, capable Yan Zhaoge.
However, this Heaven’s favoured son was currently still far incomparable to the Radiant Light Sect in terms of importance.
One was a youth with an unprecedented future ahead of him yet still had much room for growth. The other was the Radiant Light Sect who possessed a high-grade Sacred Artifact as well as many Seeing Divinity Martial Saints.
Between the Radiant Light Sect and Yan Zhaoge, Copper Men Island would undoubtedly still choose the former.
With such a gap in strength and cultivation base, brute force could crush justice, something coming to be justifiable and right even whilst unfounded. It was merely a matter of silencing another party and destroying the evidence.
However, the Dim Darkness Sect and the North Sea Sword Pavilion might not think this way, with it being especially so for the former who definitely would not let things go so easily.
With these two sects present, he would not be able to support the Radiant Light Sect even if he had the intention of doing so.
The North Sea Sword Pavilion’s Elder Qi now said slowly, “Young Master Yan broke the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation and saved our sect’s Grinding Sword Region from harm. This old man is extremely grateful for this.”
His words were equivalent to stamping things down in stone.
The person who had broken the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation was Yan Zhaoge, not Nong Yuxuan.
Everyone was sighing, “The North Sea Sword Pavilion is still so unflinching in its style…”
Nong Yuxuan was the most outstanding figure of the Radiant Light Sect’s senior generation, already having been a Heaven’s favoured son whose fame had shaken the Royal Reed Sea in the times of his youth. Currently, he was gradually growing to be an important pillar of the Radiant Light Sect.
He was one of the figures who represented the Radiant Light Sect. Even the Grand Xuan Dynasty had noted his significance there. The Radiant Light Sect was definitely providing him with much support.
On the contrary, through the Radiant Light Sect’s intentional efforts, while Yan Zhaoge’s background still remained unclear, it had gradually been exposed.
The Radiant Light Sect said that Yan Zhaoge came from the lower worlds, not having any major backers of note.
Of course, not everyone believed what the Radiant Light Sect said. It was just that they all had their own doubts somewhat.
Under such circumstances, the North Sea Sword Pavilion’s decision was virtually equivalent to not being fearful of offending the Radiant Light Sect as they supported and upheld justice for Yan Zhaoge who had no one behind him, exposing Nong Yuxuan’s action of having unethically stolen his credit.
Unlike the Dim Darkness Sect, the North Sea Sword Pavilion had possessed a normal relationship with the Radiant Light Sect before this.
There were virtually no benefits to be seen here, or any evident ones at the very least. The two sides had also not interacted much and formed ties before this.
It was completely due to their debt of gratitude to Yan Zhaoge in his breaking of the Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation.
Looking at those of the Radiant Light Sect, Elder Qi continued, “This old man will report this matter to our Pavilion Lord as well as your clan’s Chief Luo as it happened, leaving the decision on how to handle it for them to decide.”
Hearing his words, the Copper Men Island martial practitioners exchanged glances.
Elder Qi clearly intended to segregate the Radiant Light Sect’s and Nong Yuxuan’s actions here.
They would not target the Radiant Light Sect, just targeting Nong Yuxuan alone. This would at least leave the Radiant Light Sect with a pedestal to step down from in all its entirety, just destroying the reputation of Nong Yuxuan alone.
While however much he spoke of the two as separate entities, Nong Yuxuan was still a prominent figure of the Radiant Light Sect, Elder Qi was still being rather flexible in his verdict as compared to the usual tough, unflinching style of the North Sea Sword Pavilion.
Those of Copper Men Island exchanged looks, no longer speaking.
The Dim Darkness Sect martial practitioners slowly nodded as well.
The anti-Xuan rebellion held the utmost priority. They would be very happy to wreck the Radiant Light Sect’s reputation. However, falling out completely with the Radiant Light Sect with the Grand Xuan Dynasty still yet to be brought down was not something that they would be willing to see.
Yan Zhaoge’s expression did not change much, showing no anger or happiness as he just nodded slightly towards Elder Qi, “The tyrannical Heavenly Fire Tribulation Thunder Formation could have wrought massive destruction upon all the lifeforms of the North Sea. The Grand Xuan is brutal and despotic. This Yan acted against it in a fit of righteous fury. Elder Qi is polite.”
He did not speak much, instead looking towards Nong Yuxuan and the others as if he was smiling whilst also not.
Indeed, Nong Yuxuan remained staring at him all this time, not even glancing towards Elder Qi and the others as he seemed not to have heard Elder Qi’s words at all.