Chapter 398: Memory Stone

The Supreme Elder from the Lingjian Sect had been completely played. Before he could even react, Master Wuliang of the Gold and Silver Gate was gone in a flash.

He opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, could only stay behind with a sense of resignation. Cupping his hands toward the distant mountain range, he said, "Well... Senior, I’ll help collect the bodies for now!"

The Tribulation Crossing Ancestor of the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect: "..."

With his level of cultivation, he could naturally tell how much of a show Hua Jianzhi and Master Wuliang were putting on.

But even though he knew, there was nothing he could say.

However, their attitude also made him realize that the slander he had heaped upon Jichen and Lu Sangjiu likely wouldn’t stick for long.

’I’ll have to make other plans.’

’I’ve waited for centuries. I absolutely cannot let this plan fall apart at the last minute!’

Xie Ningyuan led Lu Sangjiu and Gu Jue a great distance before finally stopping.

After waiting in place for a moment, Hua Jianzhi and Master Wuliang caught up one after the other.

Seeing them waiting there, both of them relaxed a little.

The fact that they hadn’t taken the opportunity to flee out of guilt was, at the very least, proof that their trust had likely not been misplaced.

Lu Sangjiu endured the pain in her body and took two steps forward. She bowed to them and said, "Thank you, Seniors, for holding back."

Hua Jianzhi snorted. "Don’t be so quick to thank me. I was just repaying the favor for your help last time."

"But if you really are responsible for what happened at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect... then I won’t hold back again."

Master Wuliang, standing beside her, said amicably, "I trust Lu and the Buddha Son’s character. If you were truly vicious people, you wouldn’t have risked your lives to save so many of my sect members back at the Gold and Silver Gate."

"However, what exactly is going on with the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect? Please, enlighten us."

Gu Jue’s earlier explanation had been brief and not entirely clear. Now that there were no interruptions, it was naturally time to get to the bottom of it.

Gu Jue saw that Lu Sangjiu was heavily injured and lacked the strength to speak. Having Xie Ningyuan tell the story would be like rubbing salt in his wounds, so he stepped forward.

"I’ll explain."

He recounted the entire sequence of events, with Lu Sangjiu adding details here and there. Soon, Hua Jianzhi and the others understood the situation.

But... both of their faces were filled with shock and disbelief.

After all, the matter was simply too incredible. Even with Gu Jue explaining it so earnestly, they found it hard to believe.

At the same time, they both knew in their hearts that if it were all true, then this was a catastrophe in the making.

Especially the reason Lu Sangjiu gave for the enemy wanting to incite war... The Ten Thousand Buddha Sect’s Ancestor wasn’t the only one in the Cultivation World stuck in the Late Stage of Tribulation Crossing, afraid to face Ascension.

If this news were to spread, regardless of whether it was true or false, there was no guarantee that someone else wouldn’t get the same idea. When that time came, it would truly be a bloodbath!

Hua Jianzhi’s expression was grave as she stared at Lu Sangjiu without blinking. "Is everything you’ve said true?"

Lu Sangjiu was utterly sincere. "If a single word is false, may lightning strike me dead!"

"Senior, the Immortal Demon war must not be allowed to continue!"

Taking a deep breath, Hua Jianzhi and Master Wuliang exchanged a look before she said, "I understand the situation. However, our two sects are ultimately beneath the Four Great Sects. We don’t have much say in this matter."

"To stop this completely, you either need evidence to prove that what you’re saying is true, or we’ll have to go back and figure out a long-term plan."

’Evidence? How could they prove it? Everyone at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect who knew the truth was dead, and the three of them had been framed together. They had no credibility.’

The three of them fell silent for a moment. Then, Lu Sangjiu suddenly thought of something!

"Right! The Abbot gave me a storage ring before he died. Maybe there’s a clue inside?"

Hearing this, everyone’s spirits lifted. "Quick, take it out and let’s have a look!"

Lu Sangjiu hastily took out the storage ring. Thinking that since it belonged to the Abbot, it was best to let Xie Ningyuan inspect it, she turned and handed it over.

Xie Ningyuan gazed at the ring, once the Abbot’s personal possession, his heart heavy with complex emotions.

He took a deep breath and accepted it solemnly.

The Abbot’s Divine Sense on it had long since dissipated. He opened the storage ring with ease and sent his own Divine Sense inside.

A moment later, Xie Ningyuan reached out, and a smooth, round stone appeared in his palm.

Hua Jianzhi exclaimed in delight, "A Memory Stone? Quick, open it and see!"

As Xie Ningyuan activated it with his Mana, the image preserved within the Memory Stone reappeared before them.

The scene opened facing Ting Chan. It was likely recorded from the Abbot’s perspective, so the Abbot himself didn’t appear; only his voice was heard.

"Jichen could not have killed his master. Where is Ming Jue’s body? I will see for myself!"

As his voice fell, the image shook and moved straight toward the room’s door.

However, just as he reached it, the door was slammed shut with a BANG.

The view whipped around to face Ting Chan. "Supreme Elder, what is the meaning of this?"

Ting Chan’s face was cold. "I already told you, Jichen was the one who killed him. Sect Leader, do you not even trust me?"

"I only trust my own eyes!"

Ting Chan sighed. "The Sect Leader is always so stubborn. Fine. In that case, I’ll let the Ancestor speak with you personally."

As his voice fell, he raised his hand and activated a talisman.

The next moment, he bowed respectfully toward the talisman. "Ancestor, please explain the situation to the Sect Leader, lest he ruin our grand plan."

Then, the Ancestor’s voice rang out in the room. He said flatly, "Indeed, Jichen did not kill Ming Jue. Ting Chan did."

"What?!"

"Don’t get excited," the Ancestor continued. "He was killed because he was obstructing our grand plan."

"Do you know why no one has successfully achieved Ascension in the last thousand years?"

"It is because this world’s origin has been stolen, and it can no longer continuously generate Spiritual Energy."

"In other words, the Spiritual Energy in the Spirit Void Realm is all there is. If there are too many Cultivators dividing it up, the Spiritual Energy will become thinner and thinner, unable to support a Cultivator’s Ascension."

"Therefore, if one wishes to ascend to the Upper Realm, a portion of the Cultivators must be culled to allow their Spiritual Energy to return to the world. Only when the Spiritual Energy reaches a certain concentration can one possibly succeed in their Ascension Tribulation."

The Ancestor finished explaining all this in an unhurried tone. "Now, do you understand?"

"To cull a large number of Cultivators without shouldering too much karma, one must incite a war and have them kill each other."

"Jichen and the others were obstructing my grand undertaking. I originally sent Ting Chan to kill him; killing Ming Jue was merely a convenience. But alas, Ting Chan was too useless and still let them escape."

"So, to prevent him from interfering with us any further, we had no choice but to pin a crime on him."

"Though you are the Sect Leader of the Ten thousand Buddha Sect, you have also entered the Body Integration Realm. You are not far from Ascension yourself. Don’t you want to pave the way for your own future?"