At this moment, a Loose Cultivator from the Moon Rhinoceros Lake District chimed in:
"Yes, I have also seen him at the Herb Pavilion in Moon Rhinoceros Lake. At that time, he was staying at the Herb Pavilion with two of his disciples. That little girl with black hair once helped me pick herbs. I was dumbfounded then, for I had never seen such a beautiful little girl... cough cough."
Seeing others looking at him strangely, the Loose Cultivator realized he had misspoken and coughed to cover it up.
Although he could hide his expression, he couldn’t conceal the envy in his heart.
Why this Spirit Plant Cultivator? Both his disciples are top-notch beauties with extraordinary talents, and the younger one even earned the favor of Xu Henshan...
He couldn’t imagine how delighted Chen Ye would be once his two disciples grew up and achieved great cultivation!
"Alas..." The Loose Cultivator sighed softly, suddenly gaining more respect for Chen Ye. If it were a normal person, they would have found a way to... Yet Chen Ye treats them as his daughters.
These Loose Cultivators knew they were powerless to affect the situation and could only watch the excitement.
On the other hand, all major factions nervously observed Xu Henshan’s reaction, knowing that his attitude could influence the situation here.
Xu Henshan sighed wearily, and his overwhelming presence suddenly surged like a tide.
The factions knew then that Xu Henshan was about to take action.
How could a Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer be hindered by a little girl?
The Myriad Puppets Sect Cultivator rejoiced: "Haha! Bai Susu, let’s see how you’ll protect him now! He killed my junior brother, and I will capture his soul to torment him day and night!"
A Medicine King Valley Cultivator sneered: "Do you think I don’t know your plan? You just want to steal his opportunity! Who knows who truly killed your junior brother!"
As they quarreled, Xu Henshan smiled:
"Little girl, when did I say I would take action against your master? Xu Liu’s words do not represent my Xu Family! The Xu Family is under the Lingyin Sect, and I, Xu Henshan, must protect True Inheritor Bai and others!"
Saying this, his expression turned cold, and with a casual spell, he publicly slapped Xu Buhui’s confidant to death, speaking sternly:
"The Lingyin Sect is an Upper Sect, and as a member of the Xu Family, you betray us, deserving of death!"
Xu Henshan suddenly acted to clean house, publicly killing that Xu Family member.
This unexpected turn of events temporarily halted the tense atmosphere on the scene.
Some understood that Xu Henshan originally intended to act against Bai Susu, but changed his mind because of the little girl, letting that Xu Family member take the blame.
Nonetheless, once this Xu Family ancestor of the Foundation Establishment peak took sides, his deterrence was enough to alter the balance of power.
In the brief silence that followed,
Bai Susu smiled, and with Xu Henshan’s support, she could continue to lead the situation:
"What benefit is there in all this infighting and dispute? It only lets the real culprit escape while we waste our vitality!"
She scanned the group of Cultivators, her gaze sharp as lightning, as if stating a fact:
"You all know, that I, Bai Susu, tracked the Emotion Crossing Sect demon here to the Ninth Layer Heaven months ago, intending to eliminate the demon and uphold the Dao. Yet, that demon was cunning and deceitful, using this place’s restrictions to trap me until now. Meanwhile, rather than going after the demon responsible for this trap, you suspect me, a fellow victim who was also trapped, and our... Lingyin Sect Steward Chen Ye?"
"That Demon Cultivator is among you! As for the so-called opportunity, it’s laughable. She already had a way to set up in Ninth Layer Heaven and would never leave such opportunity for me and Chen Ye!"
Chen Ye was startled, as he had always wondered why Bai Susu had not publicly revealed her means of escape, and why she had chosen this moment to seize control of the narrative.
Only now did he fully understand Bai Susu’s intention.
She was using her strongest stance to clear him of all potential suspicion connected to him!
If he simply left, the outside world would undoubtedly believe that Chen Ye had taken the opportunity from the Ninth Layer Heaven!
They could do nothing against Bai Susu, but they could target him.
Yet Bai Susu’s words laid all the blame on the Emotion Crossing Sect!
Thus, the factions would believe that the Emotion Crossing Sect had taken the opportunity, making complete sense.
Only Chen Ye and others knew that the Emotion Crossing Sect’s Demon Cultivator had never entered Ninth Layer Heaven!
"Demon Cultivator? That’s it..."
"Yes, it was that Demon Cultivator who brought True Inheritor Bai here!"
"She must have set this up! Seizing the treasure, destroying this place, and trying to kill us all!"
"We’ve been tricked by that Demon Cultivator!"
Suddenly, many cultivators realized the truth.
Even the Myriad Puppets Sect Cultivators were stunned and lost interest in Chen Ye. It appeared that there was definitely no opportunity on Chen Ye.
Bai Susu, seeing the crowd’s emotions stirred, seized the moment and tilted her head slightly, feigning a thoughtful demeanor:
"That Demon Cultivator entered Ninth Layer Heaven with me, yet after she stepped in, I was trapped here, and she vanished without a trace... Isn’t that suspicious?"
Her words were logically sound and hit the mark.
Pin the greatest suspicion and interest firmly on the Emotion Crossing Sect.
The suspicious glances from the crowd almost entirely shifted away from Chen Ye.
They had long known that Bai Susu had been fighting with the Demon Cultivators for some time.
However, seeing Chen Ye with an item from the Ninth Layer Heaven inevitably aroused suspicion.
In the crowd, the face of a nondescript middle-aged cultivator changed several times.
What a ruthless scheme!
The collapse of the Ninth Layer Heaven had nothing to do with the Emotion Crossing Sect!
Would the Emotion Crossing Sect be so fed up as to offend the entire Cultivation Realm of the Yan Kingdom?
This Bai Susu is truly unfathomable; even in a dead end, she calmly seized the opportunity to win over the Cultivation Realm of the Yan Kingdom, targeting the Emotion Crossing Sect...
Seeing the situation about to be controlled by Bai Susu, he could no longer hold back, and with stiff resolve, he said lowly while mingling in the crowd:
"Ha, True Inheritor Bai has a sharp tongue! Even if the Emotion Crossing Sect is the Demon Sect, does that mean you can place the blame entirely on them, and walk away with clean hands, with your subordinates? Besides, what virtue or ability does this person have to gain an item to enter the Ninth Layer Heaven? In my opinion, there is definitely something fishy about this!"
Bai Susu’s expression remained unchanged: "The item, I gave it to him. Half a year ago, I said that Chen Ye is my person..."
The man’s anxiety caused him to inadvertently expose his aura, no longer needing Chen Ye for guidance.
The fingers of the golden-haired girl were already closing around the hilt of her sword.
"Swoosh——!"
A dazzling and fierce golden sword light, capable of tearing through the sea of clouds, burst forth as if born from the bright noon!
Its speed was so fast, its power so immense, far surpassing any previous sword strike!
The man only felt an exterminating chill locking onto her, but fortunately, Bai Susu seemed still weak, and the sword light suddenly slowed for a moment, giving him a chance to breathe.
His face panicked, no longer caring about exposing himself.
In an instant, his form shattered into fragments, fleeing in all directions.
This was precisely the famous technique of the Emotion Crossing Sect, the Feathering Technique!
Focusing the essence, energy, and spirit on one part of the body, then using the power of self-detonation to escape in separate directions.
Yet unexpectedly, as he executed the Feathering Technique, the previously slow sword light immediately surged in speed, splitting into myriad sword lights, coming to annihilate!
"Uh!"
All the man’s fragmented bodies were shredded into a blood mist, leaving only a wisp of Divine Soul pinned on the flying sword by Bai Susu.
The cultivators held their breath, shocked that among them were so many demon cultivators from the Emotion Crossing Sect?
But where was that Foundation Establishment Middle Period female demon cultivator from the Emotion Crossing Sect? Could it be...still mingling among them?
Bai Susu beckoned the flying sword, her slender white finger pointing at the wisp of Divine Soul, making a soul-searching gesture, and sighed:
"As you can see, this person is not Mei Suxin, yet the opportunity has been taken by her. But fortunately, this person knows the escape route."
After she spoke, her sword light swept, slicing the Divine Soul into green smoke.
Chen Ye’s eyes moved, realizing that the escape route Bai Susu spoke of was actually the space passage he discovered.
He felt a sense of gratitude in his heart.
With Xu Henshan present, he could not silently take Qing Jun away.
Therefore, he could only make the space passage public.
But this way, it would be difficult to explain how he found the space passage.
Even if explained, given his reputation and methods, it would be hard to convince everyone.
"Master..."
As Chen Ye concentrated on the back of the golden-haired girl,
likewise, a young girl with black hair was steadily watching her master.
Her soft white little hand clenched into a fist.
Bai Susu was heavily injured, yet she racked her brains for her master’s sake.
Master...must be very moved, right?
She suddenly felt a hint of jealousy towards Bai Susu, because she couldn’t protect her master like Bai Susu did.
At the same time, a nameless fear grew within her.
Master, please do not...fall for her.