A flaming red figure immediately shot out from the crowd, arriving at Zheng Ren's side.
"Master! A misunderstanding!"
"Great Elder, I did not go to the Hall of Cultivation alone last night. It was Si Yan sister who came looking for me. We chatted idly and before we knew it, we ended up there."
Sun Zhuo had sweat dripping from his forehead, looking worried.
"Moreover, Great Elder, have you not seen Si Yan sister?"
Zheng Ren remained silent.
Under the veil, his expression was unclear.
"Si Yan, I have already instructed the Elder Seven to inquire thoroughly. Since our little sibling went down the mountain, he has never strayed from the sight of his peers. For half of the time, he has been at the Elder Seven's side, deriving and practicing Daoist scriptures. Until that day before our little sibling climbed up the mountain, he simply left for the village of Four Rules."
"As for you, Sun Zhuo, the real person has been absent from the mountain gates for some time now. Due to my position, I couldn't very well ask you anything. Before our little junior brother climbed the mountain, there were accusations against you. Out of all of Four Rules Mountain, you have the greatest suspicion!"
"Third Brother, Sun Zhuo, you must inquire carefully. Whether he has any problems is related to all of the disciples of Four Rules Mountain. If he is innocent, then the elders must check their disciples one by one. This matter cannot be taken lightly!"
Huoyou Tian's words directly placed all the blame on Sun Zhuo.
The reason is simple: if Sun Zhuo had not appeared last night, this matter would likely have been dropped. Since he did appear, of course, he would be suspected of being guilty and feeling nervous.
This is because of him that all the disciples are being investigated.
Then he would be seen as a thorn in everyone's eye!
Even the other elders would feel frustrated.
"I..." Sun Zhuo's face turned pale.
"Wishing to accuse, one can always find a reason."
"Enough!"
Zheng Ren's tone carried a hint of anger, and he slapped the ground with his hand heavily.
In the sound of splintering, the cloth fragments shattered, and a head, its features charred, rolled to the ground.
"If there are no accidents, it should be the head of a senior elder at Tianxia Daoist Temple. I had to put in some effort to kill her."
"Sun Zhuo, follow me back to the Ling Guan Hall. Elder Seven, Elder Three, Elder Eight, and Elder Eleven, you all bring your disciples."
"Great Elder, you've been standing for a long time. It's about time you rested."
"Appearance Junior Brother, since you've been injured, don't stand for too long. You should rest quietly."
"I am indebted to the Master for his concern. Big Brother treated me, and I feel much better than before."
Zheng Ren stopped speaking. He walked past me and Huoyou Tian, with some elders following him. Sun Zhuo looked dejected, trailing behind at the end.
After the disciples bowed and greeted each other, they gradually dispersed.
One elder picked up the severed head from the ground and looked at Huoyou Tian with a questioning expression.
"Take it to the Punishment Hall to see if there is any soul residue." Huoyou Tian ordered.
"It should be gone. The Master's hand is heavy, this person should have taken a long time to heal. The degree of newness and oldness of the wounds are different, and there is a strong residual thunder law, as well as the mark of the Four Rules Mirror." The elder answered.
"It is of no use." Huoyou Tian waved his hand.
The elders dispersed one by one, leaving only Huoyou Tian and myself.
"Have you been to the Thunder God Cliff?" Huoyou Tian asked me.
I nodded.
"There is one more thing that needs to be completed before the succession ceremony. I will be going down the mountain with you," Huoyou Tian said again.
"Master Brother, feel free to speak." I bowed my hands and clasped my fists.
"Master's body should be brought back to the mountain. I don't understand why Zheng Ren hasn't mentioned this, but it cannot be delayed any longer. In three months, it will be the succession ceremony. Once the successor is determined, Four Rules Mountain will exert all its resources to cultivate."
"The Master's spirit tablet should be present for the ceremony." Huoyou Tian spoke rapidly.
I sweated cold on my back.
"I overlooked this matter, please Master Brother for your punishment…"
"Oh well, when you return to the mountain, which one of these things is small? The one to reflect on is not you. Alright, Sun Zhuo is enough to give Zheng Ren a headache. Tomorrow, I'll see him again. By the way, let's go to the Thunder God Cliff." Huoyou Tian didn't seem to think there was anything wrong and gestured for me to proceed forward.
I suppressed the unease in my heart and asked, "Why do you want to go to the Thunder God Cliff again? The Yinyu Jade Slip has already been retrieved."
Huoyou Tian laughed and said, "Of course, I will go to the Thunder God Cliff to guide you in Daoist techniques. If you were alone on the cliff, you might not be able to control yourself in meditation. With me there watching over you, there's no risk of that."
I nodded and said, "Alright."
After going to the Thunder God Cliff, Huoyou Tian had me demonstrate the spells for him to see.
I didn't have an inkstone or brush with me, so he took out his own and handed it to me.
From the first copy of the spirit-binding talisman, I was drawing one talisman after another for him to see, and he would interrupt me in the middle, telling me where I had gone wrong and what details were incorrect.
In the past, I would get tired after drawing a few spells, but this time, I drew over twenty spells without feeling any burden.
Huoyou Tian's demeanor became increasingly satisfied as he finished reviewing all the talismans. It was already late at night.
"You go to the top of the cliff and meditate, take good care of your breath. Tomorrow, I'll watch you use thunder law," Huoyou Tian pointed to the path ahead.
I then went to the top of Thunder God Cliff, sat cross-legged, and faced away from Huoyou Tian.
The mask had already been removed, and I was sweating from my forehead.
For a while, I couldn't enter a meditative state or concentrate my mind.
The feeling of agitation and disorder in my mind surged up, accompanied by a vague sense of fear.
It was still because…… Huoyou Tian had mentioned the corpse of the Four Rules Real One…
The voice of that Taihuang Daoist Temple elder kept echoing in my ears.
"Have you ever seen the corpse of Four Rules Real One with your own eyes?"
"When Four Rules Mountain wanted to retrieve his body, what do you think Elder Mao said?"
Four Rules Real One was probably hunted by Elder Mao Sanwu...
Elder Mao Sanwu used me to obtain Sun Zhuo's corpse as one of his methods...
The unknown objective is its second.
Four Rules Real One... his body... would he hand it over?
I urgently need to communicate with Elder Mao Sanwu. I haven't told anything to Huoyou Tian about it. First, I need to know his bottom line, even with his guidance, I will know how to deal with Huoyou Tian.
The situation in front of me... Huoyou Tian will not leave until I ask Zheng Ren, and he will not stop pointing things out to me...
"Little junior brother, why are you restless and unable to enter meditation for so long?" The voice of Huoyou Tian, slightly worried, echoed from behind.
"No... no..." I instinctively denied it.
"Little junior brother, what is it?"
Huoyou Tian's voice seemed to come from a distance again.
The first one seemed to be behind me, while the second one was from the cave inside!
My face turned paler, and more sweat was trickling down my forehead.
The first voice was not Huoyou Tian?
Is it the Yinyu Ancestor?
Again, ask the heart?
My breathing became labored, and I abruptly stood up, taking a step forward.
I saw the corpse of the Taoist on the vines open his eyes, staring at me with a faint expression, seemingly deep in thought.
The sound of footsteps came from behind, and I glanced back with my peripheral vision to see Huoyou Tian standing on the path above, his expression puzzled.
Unconsciously, I took out the Yinyu Jade Slip. As soon as I held it in my hand, the restlessness in my heart gradually calmed down. When I opened my hand and looked at it again, there was a reflection of me inside, and to my surprise, there was a slight movement of my lips.
