Chapter 397: Slinging Mud

Xie Ningyuan had reacted quickly, but Qin Miao was ruthless and had even used an Evil Technique.

By the time Xie Ningyuan caught Wudao, he was already a corpse. Even his Divine Soul had dissipated, leaving no chance of survival.

Meanwhile, after a long battle, Gu Jue finally found an opening and killed the last Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator with a single strike before joining Xie Ningyuan.

Lu Sangjiu walked over as well. The two of them watched Xie Ningyuan cradling Wudao’s body, and no one spoke.

After a long while, Xie Ningyuan gently laid Wudao’s body down and turned to Lu Sangjiu. "...Where is the Abbot?"

Lu Sangjiu pursed her lips, not daring to meet his eyes. In silence, she retrieved the Abbot’s body from her Storage Bracelet.

Although he had already suspected it, the sight still sent a pang of pain through Xie Ningyuan’s heart, and his eyes reddened.

He looked up behind him. The steps leading up to the mountain gate were piled high with the bodies of Ten Thousand Buddha Sect disciples.

His voice choked as he finally managed to say, "...I’m sorry. I was too late."

In the end, he hadn’t been able to save anyone.

Gu Jue said in a low voice, "...We did our best."

Xie Ningyuan knew, of course. They had all done everything they could. No one could be blamed for this outcome.

But... a wave of self-blame still washed over him.

He gently laid down the man in his arms, then shot to his feet, his eyes glinting with hatred as he stared at the mountain range behind them.

Startled, Lu Sangjiu quickly grabbed his arm. "Don’t go!"

Xie Ningyuan looked down at her and said, word by word, "I’m going to kill him."

Lu Sangjiu stared into his eyes. "I understand how you feel, but... he’s at the Transcendance Tribulation Stage. Do you really think you can kill him?"

"He can’t beat me without using his full power, and if he uses his full power, he’ll trigger his Ascension Thunder Tribulation. Either way, I can kill him!"

"But is he just going to stand there and wait for you to fight him?"

Lu Sangjiu held him back tightly. "Snap out of it! By the time you get there, he’ll either be long gone or have laid a trap for you. He’s a Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator. You think he’ll be that easy to kill?!"

"But..." Xie Ningyuan knew Lu Sangjiu was right. A Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator might not be completely invincible, but as long as he could run and hide, basically no one could kill him unless he died during his Heavenly Tribulation.

The only other way was to kill him in a single, surprise attack.

But killing a Tribulation Crossing cultivator in one blow was nothing but a fool’s dream.

Xie Ningyuan’s face was filled with indignation. "But so many people died! Are we supposed to just walk away?!"

Lu Sangjiu wanted to say that leaving was their best option right now.

But seeing Xie Ningyuan in so much pain, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Then I’ll go with you."

Gu Jue was about to speak when a spatial ripple suddenly appeared nearby. They saw Hua Jianzhi of the Joyful Union Sect materialize, followed by cultivators at the Body Integration Realm from the Gold and Silver Gate and the Lingjian Sect.

They were all shocked by the scene before them, and upon seeing Xie Ningyuan and the others, they were about to ask what had happened.

But just then, the voice of the Tribulation Crossing Ancestor rang out first. "Fellow Daoists, you’ve finally arrived! The traitor Jichen colluded with these two and several Evil Cultivators to slaughter my Ten Thousand Buddha Sect!"

"To my regret, I cannot easily strike them down myself for fear of my Ascension Tribulation. I ask you, my fellow Daoists, to help me eliminate these traitors!"

Lu Sangjiu’s heart sank. ’I can’t believe this old bastard is so shameless, just slinging mud at us like that!’

Only then did she realize. ’No wonder that old bastard killed everyone. He must have planned to use us as scapegoats from the very beginning.’

’And knowing he couldn’t act himself, he called for help from the other sects. The Body Integration Realm experts from the remaining sects will probably be here soon!’

’On one side, you have the Tribulation Crossing Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. On the other, a heretical former Buddha Son. No matter how you look at it, they’re going to trust that old bastard, aren’t they?’

Xie Ningyuan and Gu Jue clearly understood the old man’s intentions as well. Gu Jue immediately explained, "We didn’t kill them. It was the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s own Ancestor! He colluded with Evil Cultivators to wipe out the disciples stationed here."

As soon as he said this, just as Lu Sangjiu had predicted, strange expressions appeared on the faces of the newcomers.

’Wait, a Tribulation Crossing Ancestor destroyed his own sect? What could he possibly gain from that?!’

The Body Integration Realm cultivator from the Lingjian Sect frowned deeply and stared at Gu Jue. "Do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

"Why are you mixed up with these two? Get over here and come back to the sect with me to receive your punishment!"

He said it was for punishment, but he was clearly trying to protect Gu Jue.

But Gu Jue stood his ground. "Everything I said is true. Mr. Xie, Ms. Lu, and I were just trying to protect the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s disciples. Why should we be slandered by that villain?"

Hua Jianzhi had received some information from Yan Zui, so she was inclined to believe Gu Jue, but only a little.

Moreover, she knew full well that in this situation, regardless of whether Lu Sangjiu and the others were guilty or innocent, once people from the other sects arrived, they would inevitably be captured first and questioned later.

Once caught, it would be extremely difficult for them to get away.

So, she suddenly attacked them. "Let’s capture them first!"

She said that, but for someone of her cultivation, her attack was noticeably slow, clearly indicating she was holding back.

The remaining elder from the Gold and Silver Gate had dealt with Xie Ningyuan and Lu Sangjiu before and didn’t believe they were that kind of people. She also intended to help.

So, when Hua Jianzhi made her move, she immediately understood her intention and also attacked, saying, "That’s right! Guilty or not, we’ll capture them and interrogate them at our leisure!"

The one from the Lingjian Sect, however, was completely bewildered. Possessing the characteristic straightforwardness of the Lingjian Sect, he naturally failed to grasp their plan.

So he just said to Gu Jue again, "Gu Jue, hurry up and get over here!"

Gu Jue also failed to see Hua Jianzhi and the others’ real intention. He frowned, and without hesitating between obeying his elder and protecting his friends, he chose the latter.

"I’m sorry, Elder, but everything I said is true. I can’t go with you!"

With that, he drew his sword and engaged Hua Jianzhi and the others in battle.

Since both Hua Jianzhi and the other woman were intentionally holding back, and the man from the Lingjian Sect didn’t attack right away, Xie Ningyuan and his group weren’t under much pressure.

Thus, he too quickly understood Hua Jianzhi’s intention.

She didn’t want them to waste any more time here. She was forcing them to leave.

Xie Ningyuan took one last, deep look at the mountain range behind the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect. Then, grabbing Lu Sangjiu with one hand and Gu Jue with the other, he quickly fled into the distance.

Hua Jianzhi, playing her part to the end, feigned shock. "Damn it, they got away! I’ll go after them!"

The man from the Lingjian Sect hadn’t expected them to escape either and instinctively started to follow. "I’ll help you!"

But after just two steps, the elder from the Gold and Silver Gate grabbed him firmly. "I’ll go. With the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect in this state, we need to leave someone behind. You wait here for us!"