Li Heng's eyes were glazed, unfocused. He numbly pulled out a black alms bowl and muttered, "This is a demonic artifact I got from someone of the evil path. I used a secret method to extract its demonic aura and sealed it temporarily into Lin Ya's body. That way, it looked like he was practicing demonic cultivation."
Under Liu Li Zhēnzūn's spiritual control, Li Heng spoke without resistance, revealing everything.
He actually admitted it.
Zhao Wuji's face twisted in disbelief. He struggled to break free, then realized he could move again. He immediately shouted, "Uncle Li! Wake up!"
Liu Li had already lifted her spell. At Zhao Wuji's call, Li Heng stirred in confusion. The next second, clarity returned—and so did the memory of what he'd just said.
Li Heng's expression collapsed. Cold sweat streamed down his temples.
"Li Heng, do you have anything left to say?" Shen Yanye asked, casting a smug glance at Qing Yun.
See that?
His master had effortlessly handled it. No need for Qing Yun to show off. When it came to cunning techniques, who could compare to Beastmasters?
Surely, Yun Jin was already looking at them with awe and admiration.
Qing Yun's face darkened, but he only gave a cold snort. Just wait. When the time comes, she would understand that pill refinement was the true path.
"I..." Li Heng wiped his sweat and gritted his teeth. "I was framed! Just now I was being controlled. I didn't know what I was saying!"
He looked at Liu Li with a face full of grief. "Senior, why are you framing me like this?"
Liu Li remained indifferent, not even bothering to respond.
Shen Yanye spoke up for his master. "Li Heng! The Heart-Seeking Beast already confirmed the truth. What else do you think you can deny?"
Li Heng snapped back, "That beast is your spiritual pet! Of course it listens to you! You must've ordered it to frame me!"
Still unrepentant.
Shen Yanye narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Then how do you explain that demonic artifact in your hand?"
Li Heng answered without hesitation, "As the branch leader of the Demon-Slaying Alliance, I confiscate demonic items all the time. What's the issue?"
Shen Yanye sneered, "Then how about we run another test on Lin Ya? See if there's still any trace of that demonic aura you supposedly detected."
Li Heng had used a secret method that only created a temporary demonic aura during the test. It had long since dissipated.
His eyes flicked. "Another test is fine. There might have been a mistake earlier. If he's proven innocent, then I'll let him go."
He spoke casually, as if falsely accusing someone and nearly killing them was a minor mistake. As if saying, "Let him go" could undo it all.
Zhao Wuji, seeing things unraveling, quickly added, "Right, just a small oversight. No need to blow it out of proportion."
Cang Li turned his gaze on Zhao Wuji. His eyes were cold.
He didn't move. No fluctuation of spiritual energy. Just one glance.
Zhao Wuji cried out in pain and dropped to his knees.
The way he knelt happened to be facing Lin Ya.
"You're doing a great job as sect master," Cang Li said blandly.
There was no mistaking the sarcasm.
Zhao Wuji tried to speak in protest, but searing pain coursed through him. His back arched more and more, until he was bowing flat on the ground.
Li Heng's expression shifted. "Cang Li, Zhao Wuji's father is my senior brother—Zhao Ling of Qingxiao Pavilion. If you're attacking him like this, is this your personal stance, or that of the Kunlun Sword Sect? Or... are you declaring war on Qingxiao Pavilion?"
He was trying to escalate the matter.
Cang Li replied coolly, "You abused your authority to frame others. He colluded with you to betray his sect. You're two of a kind. Tianxing Sect can handle its own matters. As for you... Li Heng, I'm taking you back to the Demon-Slaying Alliance for investigation."
Li Heng's face stiffened.
Go back to the Alliance? That place was crawling with powerhouses. If they started digging, his entire history would be exposed.
"Cang Li!" he shouted. "You claim this is for justice, but isn't this just about saving Lin Ya? I see it clearly now. You know him. And just because you know him, you're going to put me to death?"
He wore a look of righteous indignation. "I'm no match for you. If you want to take me, I can't stop you. But humiliating a member of Qingxiao Pavilion like this? Better to die right now!"
He summoned a small sword and pressed it against his dantian. "When I die, Qingxiao Pavilion will avenge me!"
Cang Li's expression darkened.
Shameless.
This was clearly an attempt to avoid investigation.
But if Li Heng really died, then all evidence would vanish with him.
Tension filled the air.
Then, in the blink of an eye, a beam of sword light fell from the heavens.
It poured down like a silver waterfall from the Ninth Heaven.
What now?
Li Heng's eyes flickered. He opened his mouth to speak—
Too late. The sword light struck him directly.
In an instant, his body was obliterated.
His Nascent Soul emerged from the mist of scattered flesh, dazed.
It tried to flee.
But the sword light transformed into a net, wrapping around it tightly.
"You want to die? Then I'll help you with that." A voice echoed from the horizon, drawing closer with each word.
Qing Yun's face changed dramatically.
No!
It was Ji Wusi!
That damn bastard actually showed up in person!
And he waited till the last second just to make a flashy entrance!
He did it on purpose. No doubt about it!
Liu Li's face also changed.
Ji Wusi!
The same Ji Wusi who cared about nothing but hunting demons had come here himself.
Was he also after Yun Jin?
Yun Jin looked curiously to the sky, wondering who this new player was.
Before she could get her answer, both Qing Yun and Liu Li, taking advantage of Ji Wusi's dramatic posturing, rushed to her side.
"???" Yun Jin blinked in confusion.
Before she could react, a spirit beast swept her up.
She barely found her balance when Qing Yun shouted, "Liu Li! Don't even think about it!"
A strand of white silk shot from his hand, pulling Yun Jin back toward him.
"Qing Yun! Yun Jin is my disciple now. You can't take her!" Liu Li snapped, her eyes flashing.
Spiritual arts, activated.