CHAPTER 27: 27. XU YUANZHEN WENT TO EXTREMES WITH HIS EVIL DEEDS.

Elder Hu’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and the displeasure on his face was completely undisguised.

Li Xuan, having recovered his strength, naturally wanted to fight for his brother once more. "I believe it was these Heat Crystal Sands that caused the peculiar changes in the Lower Immortal Pond!"

In the end, the third direct disciple of the Celestial Master, Zhang Jingzhen, spoke up, "There are many factors that could have caused the changes in the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, and it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. We’ll conduct a detailed examination later, but for now, let’s send Fang and the others out."

Lei Jun was sent out of the Small Cave Heaven along with the others.

But they couldn’t simply return to their homes just yet.

In light of the unprecedented commotion in the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, and the particularly serious incident involving the death of Li Ming, all present would have to undergo questioning by the sect elders.

However, everyone present could be considered to have their own backing.

Yuan Mobai and others quickly came to retrieve their respective disciples.

In fact, although there were no direct eyewitnesses when the incident occurred, the general course of events was not complex. The Lower Immortal Pond underwent a special change, hiding a powerful undercurrent. It seemed calm on the surface, but it was on the verge of erupting at any moment, with an extreme ferocity. A cultivator with the cultivation of the Third Heavenly Layer, unknowing of this, would certainly die upon diving in, swept away by the whirlpool without any chance of escape.

Li Ming had the Spirit Talisman bestowed by his father, Elder Ziyang, for protection. But just like the Golden Barrier Talisman that Yuan Mobai gave to Lei Jun, its effectiveness also depended on the younger disciple’s own cultivation level. Besides, neither father nor son from the Li Family had expected that Li Ming, while within the Celestial Master Mansion’s gates, would encounter such great peril.

"So you see, one must act cautiously. If Master Ziyang had given Junior Li a few more Talisman Scriptures for contingency, perhaps he could have saved his life," said Wang Guiyuan, who had come to visit Lei Jun, sighing repeatedly. "Life is unpredictable; you fear not the ten thousand possibilities, only the one unexpected event!"

Lei Jun asked, "Why has the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond suddenly become so dangerous?"

Master Yuan Mobai slowly said, "We can’t be certain yet, but some of the Spiritual Energy paths are influenced by external forces, originating from Dragon Tiger Mountain... It might be somewhat related to the long seclusion of my Eldest Senior Brother. More subtle changes have occurred in the Spirit Vein within the mountain."

The expressions on the faces of both Lei Jun and Wang Guiyuan, his martial brother, turned a little odd.

Yuan Mobai’s Eldest Senior Brother was naturally the Current Celestial Master. He was not only Li Ming’s Eldest Master but also his paternal uncle.

In the end, was Li Ming drowned in the Lower Immortal Pond, with the source of danger being his own elder paternal uncle?

"The news is still under lockdown, mainly concerning Junior Li’s posthumous reputation," said Wang Guiyuan. "My Eldest Senior Brother and Li Xuan want to conclude that he died heroically while trying to save others, a brave sacrifice in protecting his fellow sect members."

Although many signs indicated that Li Ming had acted out of greed for treasures, thereby diving into the Lower Immortal Pond and even causing a huge change in the Small Cave Heaven—endangering himself and nearly harming other martial brothers in the process—he had passed away. Generally speaking, they would want to save face for Elder Ziyang, who was mourning a member of a younger generation.

Yuan Mobai said, "Though there have been some ripples, if nothing unexpected happens, the storm will eventually settle down."

But some things cannot withstand being mentioned, and the unexpected truly did arrive.

Eldest Senior Sister Xu Yuanzhen, who had left the mountain again to wander after the Transmission Ceremony at the beginning of the year, returned.

"I happened to catch a few small fish," Xu Yuanzhen said, clad in a purple Taoist robe with a black ceremonial coat over it, her complexion still as pale as snow. Her speech was crisp and fast as she continued, "The small fish themselves aren’t anything new. What’s interesting is the new type of Spirit Talisman they’ve devised, named ’Banishing Gold’. It does have some ingenious features that can indeed break the Golden Barrier Talismans of most of our sect members."

Yuan Mobai said, "Hmm, in recent days, disciples traveling outside have reported similar incidents. There have been deaths and injuries due to this, and the Mansion has made arrangements to improve the Golden Barrier Talisman as soon as possible to counter it."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "I made some modifications on the way back, and it’s almost ready. I’ll go over them with you and the other Martial Uncles now that I’m back."

Yuan Mobai was not at all surprised by her efficiency and smiled. "If you say so, Yuan Zhen, then I believe it must be ready. Relay this to the entire Mansion, and let’s promote its adoption as soon as possible."

Wang Guiyuan, on the side, remarked emotionally, "Eldest Senior Sister, your great contribution this time is secondary. The key thing is that you’ve saved many fellow sect members, and we don’t have to be constantly anxious anymore."

Shifting the topic casually, Xu Yuanzhen said, "I just came back and heard something happened at the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond?"

As someone who personally experienced it, Lei Jun narrated what he saw and heard without exaggeration or understatement.

Xu Yuanzhen, her eyes clearly demarcated between black and white, her gaze bright and piercing, asked very abruptly, seemingly shifting direction again, "When I first entered the mountain gate, I came across Xiaotang. She told me about the trap set by the Li Family disciples. Lei Jun, were you also aware of this?"

Lei Jun briefly commented on the issue before concluding, "Although there is no evidence, based on what happened at the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond, I suspect it was Li Ming’s doing. His direct targets were probably still Chen Yi and Shangguan Hong. The incidents involving our junior sister and my Eldest Senior Brother are more likely coincidences."

Xu Yuanzhen said, "Yes, it was him."

With that, she stood up.

Yuan Mobai watched her quietly.

Xu Yuanzhen continued, "If someone were to challenge Xiaotang in person and beat her into the mud, I would stand by and applaud cheerfully.

"But as foolish as she may be, she’s someone I brought back to the mountain. If someone wants to use her to put on a farce, they better be prepared to have their scheme exposed.

"When the play is exposed, there should be someone to boo; that is what they rightly deserve."

Her tone was calm. After speaking, she turned and walked away unhurriedly.

Lei Jun watched her retreating figure, raising an eyebrow.

「That day, nothing happened.」

Everyone in the Mansion was more concerned with celebrating the Eldest Senior Sister’s improvement of the Golden Barrier Talisman. The threat of the Banishing Gold Talisman, which had concerned everyone for a few days, had just wilted away. The Eldest Senior Sister was truly worthy of her title.

「The next day, again, nothing happened.」

Within the upper echelons of the Mansion, a consensus about the Cloud Sea Immortal Pond incident was slowly forming.

「But on the third day.」

Xu Yuanzhen suddenly released a lot of information.

Li Ming, along with some of the Li Clan disciples in charge of the Hall of Steward, Talisman Hall, Pyrotechnics Hall, and External Affairs Hall, had been greedily embezzling and lining their own pockets.

Li Clan disciples, while teaching at the Tao Boy Court, were neglecting their duties, shirking their teaching responsibilities, and even intentionally suppressing Tao Boys from other families.

Going back further, Li Ming had caused injuries to disciples from other families while they traveled, damaging their Root Bones and affecting their future paths in cultivation.

More recently, the incident of Shangguan Hong, a new disciple undergoing the Transcension Ritual this year, trespassing into forbidden grounds was also due to Li Ming’s misleading guidance.

In the recent Cloud Sea Immortal Pond incident, Li Ming had also attempted to secretly harm disciples from other families.

Each incident was substantiated with facts, not fabrications. Xu Yuanzhen provided various key pieces of evidence, causing a stir among everyone.

Most were shocked by Li Ming’s reckless boldness. A few were astounded by where Xu Yuanzhen had obtained such convincing evidence.

"Senior Sister Xu, what exactly are you trying to do?!" Li Xuan, Li Ming’s elder brother, went pale, his eyes blazing. "Do you want to bring destruction upon both sides?"

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "You should ask your brother what he was trying to do. If you can’t bring yourself to, I can help you."

The Yong Celestial Master, Li Zhengxuan, raised his hand, signaling Li Xuan to step back. He looked at Xu Yuanzhen and spoke slowly, "Senior Sister, Li Ming indeed did many wrong things, and I was remiss in my duty to guide him. I am willing to accept punishment.

"However, since Junior Li is no longer with us, having paid with his life, and as they say, death is a solemn matter, let’s leave him some dignity."

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "I don’t need Li Ming’s life. He used Xiaotang to bolster your reputations, so I will simply take your reputations instead.

"Li Ming died because of his own greed and stupidity, not because he was taking responsibility for his actions.

"Death is too simple; it’s not solemn at all."

"Senior Sister, why must you take things to such an extreme?" The Yong Celestial Master took a deep breath. "Must we really descend into utter chaos?"

For once, Xu Yuanzhen’s lips curved into an upward arch. She said, "I don’t enjoy watching the world in chaos. I enjoy seeing certain people in desperate frustration."