The man's pupils couldn't help but constrict, revealing an indescribable panic and terror.
Why?
Why would Chen Yan know?
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out how Chen Yan knew about the matters behind the scenes.
Or perhaps, there was a traitor?
No, that wasn't right. The mission to come and kill Chen Yan was personally delivered by that lord.
That lord absolutely could not be a traitor. Could it be... that he himself was the traitor?
The sheer volume of information completely threw the man into chaos, to the point where he even lost some basic logic while thinking.
Chen Yan had no intention of continuing the interrogation, because he understood very clearly that from the moment this man arrived here, he never planned to leave alive.
If Chen Yan were killed, the level of importance the sect would attach to the matter would absolutely not be the same as their treatment of Qin Yue.
It was even possible that Sect Leader Yun Yichen himself would personally step in.
"Master."
Chen Yan stood up and spoke in the direction of Lin Qifeng:
"I must trouble you to help investigate and clarify this man's specific identity. I suspect his name is most likely also on that list."
Lin Qifeng didn't speak, merely nodding in agreement.
He didn't understand the things Chen Yan was doing, but he didn't show any confusion or bewilderment.
Because from the start of the outer court competition until now, this disciple of his had already done too many things that he couldn't comprehend.
The reason Chen Yan was able to become the Chief Disciple of Kongyuan Mountain and a Dao Inquirer of Heavenly Summit Mountain was definitely not a result that could be achieved solely through the support of Lin Qifeng and Yue Chi.
It was precisely because Chen Yan had done these things that Lin Qifeng couldn't understand, that he had attained his current achievements.
And wanting to investigate this man's identity wasn't difficult either.
Because for this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent, the Kongshan Sect had only brought a total of seventy-four people. Figuring out this man's true identity would be extremely easy.
...
Three days later.
The Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry would officially commence today.
During these three days, many more things had happened.
The man with the soft, feminine voice was dead.
The cause of death was the same as Zhang Xishun's: both had been implanted with Poison Insects.
His identity had also been clarified. His name was Gu Qin, and he was a disciple of the Kongshan Sect's Yunyin Peak.
The daoist robe Gu Qin wore was indeed the standard style for the Kongshan Sect's inner sect, but it bore no peak or vein insignia.
And his name was also not among the thirteen names given by Song Mingde.
Chen Yan wasn't the slightest bit surprised by this.
Song Mingde had only lifted a corner of the shadow behind all this; the truth was still far away.
However, the matter of clarifying Gu Qin's identity wasn't as simple as Chen Yan and Lin Qifeng had previously imagined.
His name was not on the list of seventy-four people who had come to Heavenly Summit Mountain this time.
Even if Gu Qin could infiltrate Heavenly Summit Mountain by relying on his identity as a Kongshan Sect disciple, it would be almost impossible for him to infiltrate the Slaying Heaven Pavilion.
Unless he had been inside the Slaying Heaven Pavilion from the very beginning.
This also represented one possibility: Gu Qin was just like Zhang Xishun, mixing among the outer sect disciples.
Using an outer sect disciple's identity, he obtained a spot to be stationed at Heavenly Summit Mountain, and all of this had happened within the last year and a half.
After all, a year and a half ago, Gu Qin was still at the outer sect Enforcement Hall, killing Song Mingde who was in the detention center.
Of course, arranging for Gu Qin to be transferred to Heavenly Summit Mountain should also have been a simple matter.
After all, the current acting elder of the Kongshan Sect's outer court was Xue Xiu, and his name was also on the list provided by Song Mingde.
Apart from these matters, the other four of the Five Great Sects had also sent people to make inquiries to the sect.
The fact that the Kongshan Sect's Supreme Imperial Law Elder, Huo Mu, had stepped in was already known to the entire world.
The Grand Elders of the other four great sects had also communicated with Huo Mu and reached an agreement.
That was, for this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent, they would cooperate with the Kongshan Sect's leadership.
This had almost exceeded everyone's expectations, because it meant that the other four great sects needed to lower their status before the Kongshan Sect during this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent.
No one knew exactly what kind of deal Huo Mu had struck with the Grand Elders of the other four great sects to lead to such an outcome.
...
Heavenly Summit Mountain, Daoyan Arena.
Over twenty thousand cultivators were seated around the viewing stands surrounding the Daoyan Arena. Inside the arena were ten massive circular fighting platforms.
The draw ceremony for the first round of the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry had already concluded. Chen Yan drew lot number twenty-one for the seventh platform.
He was still far from his turn to take the stage.
Lin Xinyang, however, drew lot number two for the third platform, which meant he would be one of the earliest disciples from the Five Great Sects to make an appearance at the Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquiry.
"I wish Senior Brother Lin a victorious first battle."
Chen Yan cupped his hands in salute towards Lin Xinyang's direction.
Chu Xiyao, Lin Xinyang, and Chen Yan were all Kongshan Sect's Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquirers, so their seating arrangements on the viewing stand were adjacent.
Lin Xinyang merely gave a faint smile:
"I heard that three days ago, someone attacked Junior Brother Chen. I was originally quite worried. Seeing today that Junior Brother Chen is safe and sound puts my mind at ease."
"Chief Disciple Chen."
At that moment, Chu Xiyao suddenly spoke up:
"It is said that the disciple who attacked you is highly suspected to be the true culprit who, a year and a half ago, murdered the two on-duty disciples at the outer sect Enforcement Hall and the imprisoned outer sect Merit Hall Deacon, Song Mingde?"
"That is indeed the case."
Chen Yan replied.
"Outer sect steward, Song Mingde?"
Lin Xinyang beside them looked utterly confused. His expression seemed to indicate he had no knowledge of the events that had transpired at the outer sect Enforcement Hall a year and a half ago.
This was normal, because although Song Mingde managed the outer sect Merit Hall, he was still just an outer sect Martial Spring Realm cultivator.
Which normal peak direct disciple would pay even the slightest bit of attention to the outer court?
But Chen Yan remained skeptical of Lin Xinyang's reaction.
Because whether it was Zhang Xishun or Gu Qin, there was a high likelihood that the shadow of Lin Xinyang's master, Yuanhua Mountain's Dignity Elder He Furen, lay behind them.
As He Furen's personal disciple, would Lin Xinyang know nothing about the conspiracy and truth behind it all?
Chen Yan considered that possibility to be quite low.
"Senior Brother Lin, speaking of this, I have been pondering a possibility these past two days."
Therefore, Chen Yan quickly steered the conversation elsewhere:
"Junior Sister Qin has already died, and a few days ago, someone else also wanted me dead. The biggest commonality between Junior Sister Qin and myself is that we are both Kongshan Sect's Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquirers."
"That is indeed true."
Lin Xinyang nodded.
"And Gu Qin is a disciple of our Kongshan Sect's Yunyin Peak. That is to say, could there be a possibility that someone within the sect wants to harm the lives of the sect's Heavenly Summit Mountain Dao Inquirers?"
Chen Yan asked.
"No, Gu Qin could also have been used by outsiders."
Lin Xinyang shook his head.
"That is indeed a possibility. But as you and I know, Gu Qin was not on the envoy list for this Dao Inquiry Assembly of Chenping Continent. The fact that he could infiltrate the Slaying Heaven Pavilion can only mean he had been lying dormant among the outer sect disciples stationed on Heavenly Summit Mountain from the very beginning."
Chen Yan said:
"Gu Qin is a Yunyin Peak disciple. For an inner sect disciple to obtain an outer sect disciple identity is itself almost impossible. And for Gu Qin to even secure a spot to be stationed on Heavenly Summit Mountain... it's hard not to think deeply about this."
Hearing this, Lin Xinyang frowned tightly:
"You mean to say that besides Gu Qin, there must definitely be other accomplices within the sect?"
"Exactly."
Chen Yan said.