Chapter 335 - Inverting the Truth

Chapter 335 Inverting the TruthLing Fei became more impassioned as he spoke, as were the crowd under the platform. Many began yelling their “Eliminate the Devil’s Practice!” catchphrase at Xiao Chen. Of course, these people were planted there.

Seeing that the initial results that he wanted had been achieved, Ling Fei suddenly laughed out loud. With a sorrowful expression, he said indignantly, “Xiao Chen! I know I won’t be able to escape your wrath after what I revealed today, but I’m an upright young man with a clear conscience! What do I have to fear death for? Even if it means dying here today, I swear I’ll expose your true identity to the world!”

His increasingly rousing words finally made Ziyun’er lose her patience. “Shut up! How dare the likes of you slander my Master!” She unsheathed her Bloodied Violet Blade and pointed it at Ling Fei’s neck.

Ling Fei feigned panic and hastily retreated. Just as he was close to the edge of the platform, a white radiance came whizzing and sent the Bloodied Violet Blade flying back to Ziyun’er with a crisp clanging sound. It left quite a severe countercharge injury on her and she couldn’t help staggering backward. Xiao Chen held on her shoulders and shook his head at her.

The finger force came from Situ Bei on the other platform. He scoffed and said, “Continue, Hero Ling. I’d like to see who would dare to hurt you with me around!”

Several elderly cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm followed up with, “Speak your mind, Hero Ling! With so many of us Orthodox cultivators here today, we will never allow any follower of the Devil’s Practice to harm even a strand of your hair!” It was evident from their words that they were convinced that Xiao Chen was a spy from the Devils’ sects.

The shouting from all sides grew louder and louder. Right then, Su Yue from the other platform said coldly, “Hero Ling, you have the right to recount everything. However, I’m sure you know how the Immortals’ League punishes a liar.”

With her purple dress and fine black hair on her temples fluttering in the breeze, she still looked every bit the youthful and unrivaled beauty that she had been. As the Fourth Young Lady of the Su family, her words carried substantial weight. Many hecklers in the crowd fell quiet after seeing her stern and frosty expression.

“I can verify that every word that Brother Ling said is true!” Wan Yanyan stepped forward and said loudly, “If Brother Ling and I hadn’t endured it patiently until now, we would’ve long been assassinated by him!” He pointed to Xiao Chen with an indignant look.

Ling Fei sneered. He turned to look at Xiao Chen. “There’s something I don’t understand. Can you clarify it for me, Brother Xiao?”

“Speak,” Xiao Chen said coldly.

Ling Fei sneered at him before turning around to address the crowd again. “The Devil Qi in the Abyss of Devil’s Aura is so dense that anyone who goes near it will be invaded by the Devil’s Carnage. The rest of us warded the Qi off with Senior Situ’s Carnage Destruction Pill…” He then saluted Situ Bei, who was smoothing out his beard and nodding.

“But!” He abruptly shifted his tone and turned around to point at Xiao Chen. “You never took the Carnage Destruction Pill from the beginning until the end! Why weren’t you affected by the Devil’s Carnage?”

The crowd began discussing among themselves. What ordinary cultivator wouldn’t fear the Devil’s Carnage? This was simply unjustifiable.

Xiao Chen said coldly, “I told you that my constitution is unlike an ordinary person’s and regular Devil’s Carnage is incapable of invading me. What are you trying to imply?”

The senior cultivators from distinguished families and sects looked solemn. Naturally, they wouldn’t blindly trust Ling Fei’s words. However, it was unimaginable that a cultivator wouldn’t fear the Devil’s Carnage. Perfected Immortal Qing Chen, Perfected Immortal Fengxi, and the rest were frowning deeply. The rim of Murong Xian’er’s eyes reddened as she cried, “Don’t you all slander Brother Xiao Chen…”

Ling Fei put on a taunting smile. “Constitution? Do you think you’d fool everyone with that flimsy explanation? Heh! Last month, you trespassed on the restricted area of the Violet Illusory Land and then suddenly reappeared! Heh! The Devil’s Carnage there is so strong that not even the Elders of the League can get close to it and yet you’re safe and sound! Heh! Your constitution is indeed unlike an ordinary person’s!”

The Elders of the Immortals’ League began to frown. It was true that not even they were brave enough to get close to the opening of the mystic domain, never mind entering it. Perhaps Xiao Chen was truly a man of many secrets.

Xiao Chen’s expression couldn’t get any darker than if he had tried. He said frostily, “What is it that you want to say? You can be frank…”

Ling Fei sneered. “Very well, I’ll say it then! You’re from the Devil Clan! What treachery are you up to in trying so desperately to infiltrate us Orthodox folks?”

Xiao Chen’s fists were clenched so tightly that his bones creaked out in protest. It was his greatest taboo to be accused of being a member of the Devil Clan after a similar incident thousands of years ago. Suddenly, a black Qi flashed in the space between his eyebrows.

Under the platform, a dozen or so shifty-eyed men exchanged glances and began chanting in unison, “Eliminate the member of the Devil Clan! Eliminate the member of the Devil Clan!” Others began shouting as well and soon, the crowd ignorant of right and wrong was also following suit. Quite a few were so emotional that they tried to climb the platform to capture Xiao Chen.

On the other platform, Situ Bei smiled in contempt. “To think the winner of the Immortal’s Sword Assembly is a member of the Devil Clan! Heh! How interesting!”

Beside him, Su Yue said coldly, “There’s no proof that he’s a member of the Devil Clan as of yet. I ask that you refrain from making such swift judgment, Senior Situ.” She then looked at Ling Fei. “Child of the Ling family, don’t be so certain. If you don’t have evidence to prove your claim, the crime of sowing dissension and stirring up public sentiments isn’t something your little family can bear.”

Su Yue’s words prompted quite a few hecklers in the crowd to quiet down. Ling Fei sneered. “Is that so?” He looked at Perfected Immortal Qing Chen. “Perfected Immortal Qingchen, forgive me for daring to ask this question. I’ve never heard of such a person in the Jade Qing Sect. Did he really enter your sect?”

Perfected Immortal Qing Chen frowned. How could he not tell that Ling Fei was pressuring him and threatening him about the consequences so he couldn’t protect Xiao Chen? Beside him, Perfected Immortal Fengxi let out a contemptuous laugh. “Ha! Is every child from the Ling family like you? For all your capability, you sure poke your nose into a lot of affairs! What is it to you when a disciple enters someone else’s sect?”

Ling Fei put on a mocking smile. “You jest, Perfected Immortal Fengxi. How would I dare interfere with the affairs of your Jade Qing Sect and Xianyong Sect?” It was evident that he had dragged Xianyong Sect into the matter as well. “This person’s identity is greatly suspect. We won’t know where he came from. If we don’t clarify his origin, how can we answer those who have died? How can we answer everyone in the world?”

“That’s right! Give the dead an answer!” No one knew who spoke but it stirred up the crowd again.

Senior Xingxiu of the White Mist Academy stepped forward and said coldly, “I don’t care about the grudge between you two, but I won’t let my disciple die in vain. Xiao Chen, if you don’t explain yourself today, don’t even think of leaving!”

Some turned their attention to Perfected Immortal Qing Chen. He sighed and said, “Forget it. This child was acceptable as a disciple when my Junior Brother Qingfeng and Junior Brother Xiaoyao were roaming the Human World…”

“What?!” The crowd cried in surprise before he could finish. “From the Human World? Impossible! Someone like him would never appear in the Human World!”

Whether they considered Xiao Chen a demon or devil, they subconsciously saw him as a powerhouse. Meanwhile, a minority of the hecklers was paid handsomely to do so by the Ling family and the Order of the Divine Fire. No matter what Xiao Chen says, they would stir up the crowd to push the blame on Xiao Chen. The majority was either lashing out due to envy or being yesmen without an opinion of their own.

Most of them would rather believe that Xiao Chen came from some Ancient Immortal Clan in a mystic domain than accept the ridiculous story of him coming from the Human World. That was out of their subconscious view of the dwellers of the Human World as people beneath them, people who had no right to enter the Violet Manor and cultivate. It was the same logic behind the perception of those from the Heaven Realm about the Violet Manor in the Human World.

Discussions erupted among the crowd. Over at Yang family’s corner in the distance, Chu Hanyan’s clenched fist hid a palm full of sweat. She never once stopped worrying about her husband, Yang Shaochen, in the past few days, unable to even sleep well. Now, she feared that Xiao Chen’s identity would be revealed and that her own identity as a citizen of the Human World would be as well.

Perfected Immortal Qing Chen sighed. “Violet Manor has a rule of not questioning the origin of a dweller of the Human World. Therefore, I’m uncertain of Xiao Chen’s exact origin.”

Many remained unconvinced by his words. Ling Fei sneered. “From the Human World? Did you think that’s enough to fool everyone?”

Xiao Chen’s expression was so dark that it was as if dark clouds had gathered on his face. He said solemnly, “What else do you want…”

Ling Fei jeered. “Then, my final question to you: What’s your relationship to the demonic woman Yu Linglong? Many in Canglan City witnessed you saving her that day! And what’s your relationship to followers of the Devil’s Practice like None-flower Dust? The two twelve ladies with you as well! Do you dare to swear to the heavens that you have nothing to do with Senior Zhu Danfeng of the Order of the Divine Fire last month? Do you dare to swear on it?”

Ziyun’er stepped forward and yelled, “I was the one who killed that wretched Zhu Danfeng! It has nothing to do with my Master! You may punish me as you please, be it killing or skinning me!”

Ling Fei raised his head and guffawed. He then turned around to address everyone. “Did you hear that? It’s his subordinate who killed a senior of our Orthodox sects! That’s Xiao Chen’s doing! He conspired to bring about the ruin of the Immortal’s Sword Assembly! What is he if not a follower of the Devil’s Practice? Us Orthodox folks must not allow him to exist!”

He was so convincing that the crowd became sure that Xiao Chen won the Sword Assembly due to his dirty tricks. After all, many of them weren’t there to witness the battle. In particular, the hecklers immediately spurred the rest to shout, “Eliminate the follower of the Devil’s Practice! Demonstrate the might of the Orthodox Path!”

“Kill him! Kill this Devil Clan’s follower!”

“Us Orthodox folks must not allow a Devil’s Practice follower to do as he pleases! Kill him!”

The mob became so impassioned that their voices were enough to shatter the peace of heaven. Xiao Chen felt a wave of vertigo hit him. In his state of confusion, he felt as if he could hear someone saying, “To think your Mystic Cyan Sect would produce such this scum of humanity! Ling Yin! What do you have to say for yourself? If you don’t personally kill this Devil’s Practice follower today, I fear you won’t be able to answer the world satisfactorily! Kill him!”

“Argh…”

Suddenly, Xiao Chen let out of a drawn-out scream. A fierce power erupted from within him and scattered the clouds within five kilometers. Many in the crowd below were nearly sent flying by that power.

Black Qi whirled up all around him. He stared at Ling Fei with a cold gaze akin to that of a God of Death. “Since you call me a demon, let me show what a real demon is! Go to hell…”

“Xiao Chen, calm down!” Yu Yifeng immediately set into motion, wanting to stop him. But when he was about two meters away from Xiao Chen, the latter shoved him aside with a palm attack.

Murderous aura instantly enveloped the public square. Sensing the vivid call of death, Ling Fei didn’t think twice before summoning his True Energy to fly toward Situ Bei.

“Not even a God can save you!” Xiao Chen howled. He reached out and Ling Fei flew toward him as if an invisible force was grabbing him.

“Senior Situ, save me!”