Translator: Cinder Translations
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"So be it, so be it."
Guo Tao finally relaxed his tense heart a bit, but he was still worried that Song Wen might change his mind at the last moment. He said to Song Wen,
"Junior Brother, rest assured, I will make sure to reimburse you with the rest of the spirit stones afterwards."
"You say so, but can I really trust Senior Brother Guo? In the future, I'll need Senior Brother Guo to take care of me more. After all, as a junior entering the sect with low strength and no background, the path of cultivation is exceptionally difficult. It's exactly when Senior Brother Guo's broad experience and guidance are needed."
"Junior Brother, rest assured, from now on you are my own younger brother. Whenever you encounter any difficulties, you can come to me."
"Then I'll thank Senior Brother Guo first."
"Why still 'Senior Brother'? If Junior Brother doesn't mind, just call me 'Big Brother'. From the moment I first saw Junior Brother, I had a feeling of meeting a long-lost kin."
"Big Brother Guo!"
"Younger Brother!"
The two harboring sinister motives, mutually suspicious of each other, seemed like long-lost brothers reunited, almost bringing tears to their eyes.
"Guo Tao, Ji Yin, after completing the sect's mission, why didn't you report back to my small courtyard but instead came to the Dan Hall?"
Elder Shen's voice suddenly echoed in the Dan Hall.
Elder Shen, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, although suppressed by the prohibitions in the Dan Hall, was still more imposing than Song Wen and Guo Tao. He exuded the aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Seeing Elder Shen finally appear, before Guo Tao could speak, Song Wen immediately bowed and said,
"Disciple Ji Yin pays respects to Elder Shen."
"Reporting to Elder Shen, the Yan Family betrayed the sect, colluded with the Nine Palaces Sect, and stole the Rainbow Grass. Guo Tao colluded with the Yan Family, providing cover for them and attempting to deceive me and deceive the sect."
"Ji Yin, you..." Guo Tao was shocked and incredulous.
He pointed at Song Wen's hand, trembling and unable to speak.
Was this the same Ji Yin who had just called him brother and almost sworn a blood oath with him?
This Ji Yin was young and hadn't even matured yet, but his thoughts were unexpectedly deep. He had just taken advantage of his trust, and in an instant, he had betrayed him.
He, Guo Tao, was also skilled in social interactions, adept at adapting to situations, and had smoothly integrated into these circles of the Corpse Demon Sect. He had thought he could maneuver easily.
Unexpectedly, he was played in circles by a young man who hadn't even matured yet.
However, the root of all this lay with the handle Yan Family held over him. The other party was free to come and go, but he had no way out and could only trust the other party.
With no way out, Guo Tao could only choose to gamble, gambling on the extremely slim chance that Song Wen was a greedy person.
However, Song Wen's willingness to abandon the eight thousand spirit stones without hesitation was still unexpected to Guo Tao. This amount was enough to tempt a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Ji Yin, are your words true?"
Elder Shen's momentum suddenly changed, becoming sharp and murderous.
The pressure from Elder Shen made Song Wen somewhat uncomfortable, as if there were millions of invisible eyes staring at him, ready to tear him apart at any moment.
"Disciple's words are absolutely true. Elder can personally verify it. The Yan Family embezzled and colluded with the Nine Palaces Sect, stole the Rainbow Grass. Guo Tao colluded with the Yan Family, helping them cover up the truth."
"After discovering the betrayal of the Yan Family, they sent cultivators to chase me down. After experiencing great dangers, I was fortunate to escape and finally return to the sect."
Elder Shen's gaze sharpened, corpse energy surged around him, and his robes fluttered without wind, rustling.
"Guo Tao, what do you have to say about this?"
Even under the prohibitive pressure of the Dan Hall, his aura was still something a Foundation Establishment cultivator couldn't withstand.
The chilling aura pressed down on Guo Tao, making him feel like a mountain was bearing down on him. Breathing became difficult, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
Facing Elder Shen's terrifying presence, Guo Tao trembled in fear, stuttering in his speech.
"Elder Shen, please do not easily believe the accusations of Ji Yin alone. He speaks without evidence, falsely accusing me and the Yan Family."
Elder Shen said coldly, "Ji Yin, are you slandering?"
Song Wen replied, "What disciple said is entirely true. Once Elder investigates, you will know. However, since the Yan Family has learned of their betrayal being exposed, they might attempt to flee secretly. Please hurry, Elder Shen."
With a cold grunt, Elder Shen said, "Hmph! I don't need you to tell me how to do my job."
In truth, Elder Shen already believed Song Wen's words almost completely.
Song Wen was just a low-ranking outer disciple, falsely accusing a Foundation Establishment family and inner sect senior brother without any benefit.
Moreover, throughout the ordeal, Song Wen had displayed unwavering confidence. In contrast, Guo Tao was panicked and fearful.
Comparing the two, it was clear who was lying.
"Guards, take Guo Tao to the Prison Hall."
The Prison Hall was located underground at the foot of the Corpse Demon Mountain, a place where the sect detained traitors, enemies, and serious offenders.
Once inside the Prison Hall, there was no possibility of leaving alive again. Endless inhuman torture awaited him. If lucky after enduring countless tortures, one might beg for reincarnation. If unlucky, one would have their soul extracted and never transcend life.
As soon as Elder Shen's words fell, several guards stepped forward, forcibly broke Guo Tao's dantian, and took him away.
"No! Elder Shen, I beg you not to send me to the Prison Hall."
"Ji Yin, your words are untrustworthy. You are not to leave until this matter is cleared."
Guo Tao's voice grew fainter and finally disappeared.
After Guo Tao was taken away, Elder Shen said,
"Take Ji Yin back to his cave dwelling. He is not to take a single step out until the investigation is complete."
Having said that, Elder Shen quickly left the Dan Hall and headed for the main hall of the sect.
Recently, the Yan Family was the only family bold enough to betray the Corpse Demon Sect. Elder Shen felt it necessary to make an example and give a warning to the families subordinate to the Corpse Demon Sect.
Song Wen was taken back to his cave dwelling by someone. He did not feel averse to being confined; on the contrary, he felt it was not bad at all. After all, the Yan Family had not yet been destroyed, and there was still danger. What if there were spies from the Yan Family lurking within the Corpse Demon Sect? It was like someone was providing him with free bodyguard services.
Back in his cave dwelling, Song Wen took stock of his gains and losses this time.
Most of his talismans were depleted, but he had received 2000 spirit stones from Guo Tao. He would soon be able to replenish his talismans with these spirit stones.
The Corpse Puppets, which were not easy to refine, did not fare well in their first battle and were severely damaged. However, with some expenditure of spirit stones to buy materials, he would soon be able to repair them.
The flying boat was an unexpected surprise that needed to be refined quickly for convenient travel in the future.
In the storage bags of Yan Feng and others, there were over 2000 spirit stones in total, nearly a hundred commonly used talismans such as haste talismans, flying talismans, and fireball talismans, although the majority were cheap fireball talismans.
(End of the Chapter)