Chapter 407: Have the Old Ancestor Say It Himself

Duan Xingyun frowned. "I only just ascended to the Integration stage. When I fought Bai Heng, I was only at the Divinity Transformation Stage and was no match for him."

"That includes my disciples. All of us only advanced after the battle due to a stroke of luck."

When Ye Zhiyao heard this, she seized on it as damning evidence. "Hah! So you’re saying your cultivation levels weren’t high, but you all just so happened to advance as a group right after killing my master? Do you think anyone would believe that?"

Everyone exchanged glances, thinking it was indeed strange. ’If it had been just one or two of them advancing later, that would be one thing, but the entire group? What was that about?’

’It’s not like Bai Heng had some treasure on him, was it? But even if he did, he would’ve used it himself long ago. It wouldn’t have fallen to them, would it?’

Seeing everyone’s suspicious gazes, Duan Xingyun felt helpless, while Luo Linlang grew anxious. "But we *did* advance afterward! What’s so impossible about that?"

Luo Linlang felt so deeply wronged and frustrated by Ye Zhiyao’s accusations that she was on the verge of blurting out the details of their advancement.

But before she could speak, Lu Sangjiu stopped her.

Lu Sangjiu looked at Ye Zhiyao and said calmly, "That day, my master and the others went to the Western Demon Realm to rescue me. Bai Heng, however, was supposed to be guarding the border, yet he slipped away to the Western Demon Realm by himself."

"You claim we went out of our way to kill him. Then let me ask you, why would he go to the Western Demon Realm, and how did he just so happen to run into us?"

Ye Zhiyao shot back without hesitation, "My master has a kind heart! He was worried something might happen to you, so he went to back you up!"

Lu Sangjiu let out an "Oh." "Well, your master certainly is kind-hearted, isn’t he."

With that, she turned to Master Qian He. "Sect Leader, you have witnessed the feud between us from the start. Why don’t you tell everyone, was Bai Heng really so kind-hearted?"

Privately, Master Qian He actually believed Lu Sangjiu. Unfortunately, Ye Zhiyao was relentlessly causing trouble using the Ancestor’s name, so he didn’t dare defy her too openly.

But given the circumstances, if he didn’t speak a word in the name of fairness, Duan Xingyun and his group would be utterly condemned by these false accusations.

He probably wouldn’t be able to live with himself, either.

So, after a moment of contemplation, Master Qian He said with a solemn expression, "Junior Brother Bai Heng was always at odds with Junior Brother Duan, and he had multiple conflicts with Nephew Lu."

"Back at the Gold and Silver Gate, Junior Brother Bai Heng even nearly forced Nephew Lu to her death."

"I wouldn’t go so far as to call them mortal enemies, but they were certainly as incompatible as fire and water. I think... it’s far more believable that he went to intercept and kill them than to say he went to help them out of concern for their safety."

Ye Zhiyao hadn’t expected Master Qian He to still side with Lu Sangjiu’s group, even when she was using the Ancestor’s name.

She raged, "Qian He! Do you have any idea what you’re saying?!"

Lately, Master Qian He had been enduring a great deal of frustration from being bossed around by Ye Zhiyao.

’But whether Ye Zhiyao was misrepresenting the Ancestor’s will or not, the Ancestor’s silence implied his tacit approval.’

So, as frustrating as it was, he had tolerated it.

But with lives on the line today, this was not something he could simply tolerate and let slide.

Coupled with how brazenly Ye Zhiyao had disrespected him in front of everyone, a fire of anger ignited in Master Qian He’s heart.

He clasped his hands in a formal gesture and declared, "I am speaking only what is fair. Even if the Ancestor himself resides within you, I side with justice, not with individuals!"

"This entire affair has been nothing but your speculation from the very beginning. You don’t have a shred of evidence. To condemn Junior Brother Duan and so many others based on that... isn’t that taking things too far?"

Ye Zhiyao was furious. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine. So you’ve decided to disregard the sect’s Ancestor now, have you? Are you trying to betray your master and destroy your own lineage?"

Master Qian He replied sternly, "I mean no disrespect to the Ancestor. If he wishes to punish me, let him appear and face me himself. I will accept it without a word of complaint!"

"You!"

Ye Zhiyao’s face paled and flushed in turns. She was furious, but she knew she had pushed Master Qian He too far today.

’And... from the sound of it, he’s also starting to doubt whether my claims about the Ancestor’s will are actually true.’

’She certainly couldn’t produce the Ancestor now. She’d already digested half of his Nascent Soul as if it were an Elixir Pill, and she was slowly absorbing even his Divine Soul to empower herself.’

’In other words, the Ancestor of the Seven Emotions Sect was now well and truly dead.’

’It was just that his physical body had been destroyed long ago, causing his Life Token to shatter then. That was why no one in the sect had been able to sense that something else had happened to him later on.’

’If she continued to act tough now,’ Ye Zhiyao felt her own heart pound with uncertainty. ’So, despite her fury, she finally had no choice but to soften her stance.’

"Fine. Let’s assume you’re right and my theory about my master’s death is just speculation on my part."

"But their collusion with the Demon Cultivators from the Western Demon Realm—that’s something I saw with my own two eyes. That can’t possibly be fake, right?!"

Ye Zhiyao then recounted how she had been captured by Lu Sangjiu and the others back in Lu City. "I saw them with my own eyes, personally escorting the Demon Cultivators back to the Western Demon Realm!"

"And later, when they were captured by the Cold Crow Sect, the Sect Master of the Divine Tomb Sect himself showed up to rescue them. Who would believe they aren’t entangled after that?"

Lu Sangjiu remained composed as she replied, "You’re right about all that. But I believe everyone here knows this war was primarily instigated by the Cold Crow Sect."

"The Divine Tomb Sect only joined the war out of self-preservation, fearing they would be next. They had no other choice."

"In fact, Fa Shan, the Sect Master of the Divine Tomb Sect, has always advocated for peace. Besides, the Immortal Demon war hadn’t broken out at that time. We couldn’t stand to see those Demon Cultivators being trafficked, so what was wrong with escorting them home?"

"We saved their people, and in return, they were willing to repay that favor by helping me. What’s wrong with that?"

"To accuse us of collusion based on that is hardly fair."

Having said her piece, Lu Sangjiu had no intention of letting Ye Zhiyao dictate the conversation and force her to keep explaining herself.

So she scanned the crowd and addressed the leaders of the various sects, "Seniors, if you truly suspect me because of this, the solution is quite simple."

"You can decide on the location for the peace talks. Before they begin, I will bring a few Demon Cultivators to inspect the venue. Only after we’ve confirmed everything is in order will we formally begin the negotiations."

"But before that, I want everyone to understand something: He Guang has always wanted to incite a war so he can be the one to profit from the ensuing conflict."

"All this infighting is unnecessary. The most important thing right now is to join forces and defeat He Guang."

"So, even if you disregard all ethics and use this as an opportunity to kill Cangming and Fa Shan, the Cultivation World will inevitably suffer catastrophic losses. If He Guang seizes that moment of weakness to strike, we will all be left waiting for death."

"I’ve made the stakes perfectly clear. If you agree with my assessment, then let’s settle this matter quickly and prevent more needless sacrifice."

Lu Sangjiu had laid everything out plainly. Her message was clear: ’It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me. I’ve presented the pros and cons, and I’m letting you take charge. That way, even if I am a problem, you won’t suffer any losses.’

Everyone looked at one another, and in their hearts, they began to waver...