Star River Hall.
Everyone chose to remain silent, allowing the two of them to defend themselves and pass the blame back and forth.
"Granted, the pit was dug by our Beast Taming Peak, but the person who fell in was from your Sword Heaven Peak," argued Qin Shou.
"The person is indeed from Sword Heaven Peak, but there's no guarantee they weren't controlled by someone from your Beast Taming Peak. Who doesn't know that your Beast Taming Peak excels at control?" countered Chen Changqing.
"Chen Changqing, it was you who wanted to target Xiaoyao Peak and instructed your Sword Heaven Peak disciples to spread rumors that Xiaoyao Peak was colluding with the Demon Cult. What does it have to do with our Beast Taming Peak?" Qin Shou directly exposed Chen Changqing's scheme.
Upon hearing this, Ye Kong widened his eyes.
You scoundrel! So it was you who set a trap for Xiaoyao Peak!
I thought it was the Demon Cult trying to harm us, but it was you!
But why would you want to harm Xiaoyao Peak for no reason?
Hiss!
Could it be that you were rejected in your love proposal at Wanhua Peak and harbored resentment, seeking revenge behind the scenes?
That must be it.
Uncle Chen, your mind is too narrow.
No wonder my Tianyao doesn't fancy you.
Chen Changqing felt somewhat angered by Qin Shou's words.
This was exposing his past deeds in front of everyone.
"It was your idea, and you can't escape blame!" Chen Changqing revealed.
Suddenly, the spotlight was shifted back to Qin Shou.
Upon learning it was Qin Shou, Ye Kong wasn't too surprised.
Qin Shou didn't know how to respond and frantically said, "It was you who took action, not me!"
The two started arguing inside the hall.
The boat of friendship hadn't even started sailing when it capsized.
Listening to their argument, Ye Kong pondered carefully.
Neither of them had issues, so where did the problem lie?
Qin Shou, the cunning advisor, gave Chen Changqing advice, which was fine. Chen Changqing mobilized his disciples to take action, which was also fine.
It was Sword Heaven Peak that executed it, and the cunning advisor who devised it.
Could someone be secretly pushing things forward in the middle?
Yes, definitely!
And it must be someone either from Beast Taming Peak or Sword Heaven Peak.
"Enough!" Luo Yangtian lightly reprimanded, interrupting Qin Shou and Chen Changqing's argument.
From their words, Luo Yangtian understood that they both intentionally wanted to trap Xiaoyao Peak but hadn't colluded with the Demon Cult.
But where did the problem lie...
Luo Yangtian pondered deeply but had no clue.
Ye Kong looked at Qin Wuyi and Chen Chunyang thoughtfully.
The hidden guards hadn't been investigated yet. He was manipulating everything behind the scenes without leaving a trace.
Qin Shou came up with a bad idea to enter Xiaoyao Peak and capture spirit beasts; Chen Changqing was already arrogant and had suffered consecutive setbacks, so he would definitely seek revenge.
Both of them had reasons, which is why they were manipulated secretly.
But the question was, who had such abilities to accomplish this silently without being detected?
He had some clues now, but there was no proof or sufficient persuasion.
They could only wait for the traitor to show their true colors to confirm his suspicions.
"As for the traitor, Senior Elder, you should go and investigate thoroughly. Don't cause any more trouble," instructed Luo Yangtian.
He had no clues now and could only wait for the traitor to reveal themselves.
"Yes!" The Senior Elder responded.
"Qin Shou, Chen Changqing, you two have impure motives. You are punished to reflect on your mistakes at Fault Cliff for a month and have your salaries deducted for a year. The deducted salaries will be fully compensated to Xiaoyao Peak. Do you have any objections?"
"No," they replied in unison.
"Alright, this matter is settled here. Senior Elder, you should investigate Beast Taming Peak after leaving," waved Luo Yangtian.
Everyone bowed and then exited Star River Hall.
After Ye Kong left, Qin Wuyi and Chen Chunyang followed suit.
"Junior Brother Ye Kong, prepare well for the Nine Peaks Conference. If you lose, Xiaoyao Peak will be disbanded," said Chen Chunyang indifferently.
"Yes, by then I'll bring my disciples up to graze spirit beasts," said Qin Wuyi.
Ye Kong smiled and said, "It hasn't started yet, so I might not necessarily lose."
When he turned to look at his two disciples, his smile froze.
Of course, it wasn't certain.
Lin Tianyao was stunned. What did her master mean by freezing his smile?
Why don't you trust us?
You can not trust Xiao Bai, but you must trust me, the Emperor!
I won't disappoint you!
Xiao Bai lowered his head, feeling somewhat upset.
It's all your fault.
If you hadn't taken away my cultivation, would I need to cultivate anew?
It's all your fault!
Ye Kong looked at Chen Chunyang's departing figure with a smile.
"I hope I'm wrong."
"Let's go back to Xiaoyao Peak," said Ye Kong, stepping onto a crane.
Xiao Bai and Lin Tianyao followed and mounted the crane, which soared back to Xiaoyao Peak.
Chen Chunyang stood on his sword, watching Ye Kong and the others leave, thinking to himself, "Hmph, after the Nine Peaks Competition, Xiaoyao Peak will definitely be disbanded!"
Inside Star River Hall.
Luo Yangtian had his hands behind his back and stepped on the star river, ready to leave. However, he heard the voice of the Demon Music Palace Patriarch beneath the star river.
"Luo Yangtian, give up. My Demon Music Palace is omnipresent. Release me, and I'll spare your Xinghe Sect," said the Demon Music Palace Patriarch.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yangtian coldly said, "Don't even think about it. You're just a mere traitor."
"Oh, by the way, let me tell you something that might shock you. A great demon has entered your Xinghe Sect. It probably won't take long before the great demon devours everyone in your Xinghe Sect!" laughed the Demon Music Palace Patriarch coldly.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yangtian's face darkened.
The Demon Music Palace Patriarch wouldn't speak without reason. He must have a basis for his words.
"With me here, even a great demon can be suppressed!"
"Haha, really? Then let's see if you have the ability!" laughed loudly the Demon Music Palace Patriarch.
Luo Yangtian waved his hand to sever the connection and strengthened the seal on the star river.
...
Back at Xiaoyao Peak.
Lin Tianyao returned to Peach Mountain to cultivate, while Xiao Bai rode on Er Ha, wandering around to familiarize himself with the terrain.
"How can I get close to the Star River?"
"With my current strength, it's difficult to even suppress my master. If I get too close to the Star River, I might be discovered," whispered Xiao Bai.
Who is the traitor planted by the Demon Music Palace...
Xiao Bai pondered for a long time. If the traitor didn't expose themselves, it would be difficult for him to discover them.
Forget it, he would wait for an opportunity to get closer in the future.
Ye Kong watched Xiao Bai wandering around and sensed that his cultivation had reached the eighth layer of Qi Condensation.
It wouldn't take long before he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
He needed to find a Foundation Establishment item for his disciple.
The little white tiger in the Ancient Forbidden Land should have grown up. Taking a piece of its flesh and bone shouldn't be too much, right?
"I wonder how white tiger meat tastes."
"I'll try it tomorrow."
Thinking this, Ye Kong tugged on the fishing line and planned to go to the Ancient Forbidden Land to look for the little white tiger at night.
The Ancient Forbidden Land was the largest forbidden land in the world.
Even Emperor-level experts didn't dare to enter casually.
The demonic beasts inside were powerful, and there were countless traps.
Even Emperors faced the risk of death if they entered.
But for Ye Kong, the Ancient Forbidden Land was like his own backyard.
By late afternoon, a prompt sounded in Ye Kong's mind.
"Qi Condensation +1..."
Upon hearing the system's voice, Ye Kong put down his fishing pole and stretched his arms.
"It's time to go to the Ancient Forbidden Land."
After saying that, Ye Kong disappeared from the spot.