Chapter 2291 - Changing Their Tune Faster Than They Flip the Pages of a Book

The hall’s doors were tightly shut, but bronze lamps hung from the walls, so the room was thoroughly illuminated.

“Seniors, Xiao Jian has arrived.” Liang Lingxu stepped forth and bowed in greeting.

One of the five old-timers, a white-haired old man, nodded. His name was Fu Yuncheng, and he was an Eight-Tribulation Master God!

His position was comparable to Second High Elder Bai Liyin. It was just that he’d ceased taking on responsibilities within the sect a long, long time ago.

He had the highest cultivation among the five old-timers seated here.

“Aren’t you going to greet your seniors, Xiao Jian?” Liang Lingxu asked with imposing majesty.

Su Yi looked around the room before responding. “I’m uncertain of what’s going on, and I don’t know if what happens next will be good or bad. Forgive me, but I cannot bow in greeting.”

The crowd was stunned. Their expressions shifted.

“It doesn’t matter whether you bow or not,” Fu Yuncheng said with a smile. “Xiao Jian, you just achieved an act of enormous merit. This should be cause for celebration, and we ought to reward you. However... there’s something we need to ask you first!”

Fu Yuncheng’s smile vanished, and his gaze was suddenly cold and intense. “Who... exactly are you?”

Su Yi laughed. “Just as I thought. You called all these people here to interrogate me.”

The crowd’s gazes shifted slightly.

Liang Lingxu said directly, “I see that you’re a clever sort. So, you’re saying you refuse to incriminate yourself?”

Su Yi glanced at him. “What do you mean, Sect Leader? Have you taken me for a villain?”

Liang Lingxu was just about to respond when Su Yi continued, “When the Severed Heavens Demon Court challenged us, I stepped forth to turn the tide and protect the sect’s reputation. Today, I even defeated Yan Shuiming in an enormous act of merit.

“I’d actually like to ask all of you something. Have I done anything to hurt Qingwu Divine Court since joining the sect?”

The old-timers exchanged glances.

Liang Lingxu said darkly, “You’re just fearless because you think I don’t have any proof of your misdeeds, but let me tell you: I didn’t call you here for a fair trial. Nor do I need any sort of proof of wrongdoing!”

He was being blatantly unreasonable and incomparably tyrannical. There was no talk of due process whatsoever

But none of the old-timers objected. The way they saw it, if they wanted to question a disciple, there was no need for “proof” or “rules.”

Su Yi wasn’t angry. He’d said all that simply to probe them and confirm some things. Liang Lingxu’s attitude told him everything he wanted to know.

He thought for a moment, then said, “I’m curious, then. What exactly is your problem with me?”

Liang Lingxu said icily, “In my eyes, you’re nothing but problems! There’s no need for guessing. I’ll just suppress, torture, and interrogate you. I’m sure I can make you reveal your true colors that way!”

The atmosphere was instantly incomparably stifled.

Su Yi couldn’t help but snicker. “If you want to accuse someone of something, you can always find a pretext, but you can’t even be bothered to do that. You’re just going to jump straight into torture.”

He made no attempt to disguise the mockery in his voice.

Liang Lingxu’s brow furrowed in anger, but just as he was about to say something, Fu Yuncheng raised his hand to silence him.

“There’s no point in arguing any further,” said Fu Yuncheng. “In this hall, there’s no need for you to concern yourself with a few jabs and jeers, either.”

He looked at Su Yi. “You won’t be leaving here today, and the grand elder cannot help you. With us old-timers here, no matter how heaven-defying you might be, you’ll amount to no more than a mantis trying to block a chariot.”

He continued calmly, “I can give you an opportunity to confess. Tell us who you are, and we’ll decide what to do with you based on your behavior.”

He raised a finger into the air. “I’ll give you the time it takes to brew a cup of tea. Once your time is up, it’ll be too late to confess.”

His words swept through the grand hall like a frigid gale. All eyes were on Su Yi, everyone’s gazes icy, as if watching a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Anyone else would have been scared out of their wits.

Unfortunately for them, threats like that weren’t enough to scare Su Yi. He just rubbed his forehead and sighed. “I truly don’t understand. Why... must you force my hand like this?”

Qingwu Divine Court had never been his enemy. His enemy was Hua Hongzhen!

He’d been ambushed at Qingwu Divine Court, but Hua Hongzhen was the only Qingwu Divine Court expert who’d participated.

Su Yi had come to Qingwu Divine Court with two clear goals: to lie low and to kill Hua Hongzhen to avenge Yu Xinyao.

He had no grudge against anyone else in the sect. After all, Yi Daoxuan’s Dao Partner, Lu Xinyao, had been a member of Qingwu Divine Court too!

Back then, Lu Xinyao died in battle outside Qingwu Divine Court to create a path to life for Yi Daoxuan.

Why was Hua Hongzhen the only member of Qingwu Divine Court to participate in that operation? Simple! To ensure that Yu Xinyao didn’t discover his trap, Hua Hongzhen tricked everyone in Qingwu Divine Court!

That was how he successfully lured Yi Daoxuan and Yu Xinyao back to QIngwu Divine Court.

When it came time to fight, it was Yi Daoxuan’s old enemies, like Gu Huaxian and the old hunchback, who attacked him. Thus, Su Yi had never really seen Qingwu Divine Court as his enemy.

But now, Su Yi suddenly discovered that they saw him as an enemy, whether he liked it or not.

“‘Forcing your hand?’” Fu Yuncheng said expressionlessly. “How could we force you to reveal your true nature without a little pressure?”

Su Yi wasted no more time on chatter. “Just attack already, then.”

The crowd was stunned. None of them had anticipated that a Mid-Rank God like Xiao Jian would be so domineering even in the face of such grave peril!

“You insisted on doing this the hard way!”

A big-boned, curly-bearded man rose. His murderous intent locked firmly onto Su Yi.

Ran Bao! He was a Four-Tribulation Master God and another of Qingwu Divine Court’s high elders.

He walked right up to Su Yi and reached for him. “Kneel for me!”

Undying Laws interwove around his hand, shining with searing, resplendent light and bursting with terrifying power.

He was using force right off the bat!

The others watched coldly from the sidelines.

After seeing Xiao Jian defeat Yan Shuiming in a single blow, these old-timers knew how heaven-defying this young Mid-Rank God was.

Even though Ran Bao was attacking, he hadn’t gotten complacent. He was using his full strength in a bid to take Xiao Jian down in a single strike.

This attack was, in a sense, a way of probing him. The way he and the others saw it, Xiao Jian had hidden himself far too deeply. They couldn’t force him to reveal his true strength unless they went all out.

Now, they were convinced that all would soon become clear!

Boom!

A deafening impact rang out.

Immediately afterward, Ran Bao’s tall, stalwart figure flew back like an arrow and slammed into the walls, shaking the entire building with such force that its defensive formations surged.

Splurt!

Ran Bao coughed up blood and collapsed limply to the ground, groaning in agony.

Everyone was horrified. Their minds practically went blank.

They could see that Su Yi was still just standing there. All he’d done was swing one of his sleeves, but that had been enough to send Ran Bao flying.

He’d badly injured him in a single strike!

This terrifying power was far beyond what any of them had anticipated. Practically on instinct, all of them rose from their seats. All of them looked stricken.

Especially Sect Leader Liang Lingxu, who felt a chill course down his spine.

He suddenly recalled his last meeting with Xiao Jian in Clear Sky Divine Palace. He’d had Xiao Jian stay behind for a private chat, and he’d almost given in to the urge to attack him.

Looking back on it now, had he attacked, he would unquestionably have been the one to die!

“You really aren’t who you say you are, you wicked creature!” Fu Yuncheng roared in fury, his gaze terrifying to behold. The full extent of his Eight-Tribulation Undying Realm cultivation base rumbled and boomed.

The other Master Gods seethed with murderous intent.

How could a Mid-Rank God possibly have injured a Four-Tribulation Master God with a swoosh of his sleeves?

There was no need to even question it. It was just Sect Leader Liang Lingxu had guessed. There was something seriously off about Xiao Jian!

Su Yi said calmly, “You have only yourselves to blame for pushing me too far.”

“I’ll capture him!” A gaunt middle-aged man was just about to strike when Fu Yuncheng held him back.

“Allow me,” Fu Yuncheng said gravely.

Xiao Jian had just defeated a Four-Tribulation Master God with ease. That was more than sufficient proof of how dangerous he was.

Thus, Fu Yuncheng had no intention of giving him any further chance to fight back. He was going to attack personally and take him down!

Boom!

His long white hair fluttered around him, and a waterfall of black power of the Laws came crashing down around him.

The entire hall shook violently, and its formation rumbled and boomed without end.

The power of an Eight-Tribulation Master God was unbelievably terrifying.

At the very least, with Su Yi’s current strength, he had no hope of victory whatsoever.

However, he still just stood there, as calm as ever. It was as if he didn’t even notice the fast-approaching peril.

But just as Fu Yuncheng was about to strike, Sect Leader Liang Lingxu cried out, “Martial Uncle, wait!”

The crowd was stunned.

When they looked over, they saw Liang Lingxu holding a crimson talisman. His face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat had appeared on his forehead.

He looked terrified out of his wits.

“What happened, Sect Leader?” Fu Yuncheng frowned.

Liang Lingxu’s chest heaved. He took a deep breath, then hurried up to Fu Yuncheng and handed him the crimson talisman.

When Fu Yuncheng read its contents, his eyes bulged, and he gasped. He instinctively glanced at Su Yi, his aged face full of astonishment.

When the others saw this, their hearts pounded in their chests. All of them realized that this didn’t bode well.

Fu Yuncheng let each of them take a turn reading through the talisman’s contents. All of them were stunned too; there was no disguising their shock. It was as if they’d been struck by lightning.

Only Ran Bao, who still lay sprawled out against the wall, seemed baffled. He urged the others on. “What happened? Why aren’t you attacking? There’s definitely something wrong with that guy!”

But no one paid him any heed.

Both Liang Lingxu and the elders seemed completely flustered.

Su Yi took all of this in. He could roughly guess what was going on, and his brow furrowed slightly.

“Why not attack?” he asked calmly, trying to probe further. “That’s just a talisman. Why did it scare you so badly?”

Fu Yuncheng’s expression shifted erratically. “What happened earlier was a misunderstanding. We misjudged the situation.. Yes, this was all just one big misunderstanding!”