Chapter 3508: Defamation

As Shi Lin spoke, he secretly attacked with his consciousness, and the attack caused Qi Gong's mind to slow. Even his determination to resist started to drop. Given the various setbacks that he had faced recently, the man’s body went limp. "I won't go! I won't! I don't want to go to the Ascendant Hall! I won't go..."

This reaction caused all of the members of the Qi family to grow despondent. If Qi Gong had not stolen the White Willow, then why would he be afraid to go to the Ascendant Hall?

There, the Lord High Seraph would personally investigate the matter, and the Phantom Reach would be required to reveal all of their information related to the matter for which Qi Gong had been accused. If he was not guilty, there would be no need for such fear.

There was clearly a problem with their patriarch’s reaction.

Shi Lin had already been certain that Qi Gong had stolen the White Willow, but he could not understand the motive behind the theft at all.

Qi Gong trembled. The gazes locked onto him felt like sharp blades cutting into him. He felt suffocated. His power suddenly surged, crashing through his energy channels, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood as his face grew pale.

"Father!"

"Uncle!"

Several younger members of the Qi family rushed forward to support their patriarch, all the while staring at him in a daze.

Qi Gong barked a bitter laugh. This was the end. Everything was over.

He had stolen the White Willow, and as soon as he went to the Ascendant Hall, the Lord High Seraph would undoubtedly learn of the truth. Since the Phantom Reach already knew the truth, how could there be no evidence?

Qi Gong had stolen the White Willow because of Wu Wei. It was one of the Consciousness Megaverse’s Thirteen Luminaries, the one which had surrendered to the Spirit Nidus and served as the Consciousness Domain’s protector. From his childhood, Qi Gong’s talent for cultivating consciousness had been low, and without Wu Wei's guidance, he would have never been able to rise up and become the Qi family’s patriarch. Wu Wei had continuously guided Qi Gong, and after countless years, he had grown accustomed to such guidance.

Wu Wei had sent the man to steal the White Willow, frame Qi Shangjun, and incite conflict between the Qi family and the Revolt Alliance.

After that, for years, the Qi family had experienced more and more disagreements with independent cultivators, but all of those conflicts had been orchestrated by Wu Wei. The conscient was the reason why the Revolt Alliance had been established.

As for Sage Qian, he had merely been coerced and used by Qi Gong.

Wu Wei was the mastermind, while Qi Gong had merely been its agent. But how was he supposed to explain all of that? With the matter already exposed, there was no way for him to explain things.

The man lifted his head and looked over at Shi Lin. Blood clouded the patriarch’s vision.

Why had Shi Lin said that Sage Qian was the mastermind? This confused Qi Gong. Sage Qian had done nothing more than hide the White Willow—that was all. The man had almost nothing to do anything concerning the Consciousness Domain, so how could he be the mastermind?

Seeing that Qi Gong was about to collapse, Shi Lin's expression fell. "It seems that the Phantom Reach’s investigation was quite accurate. You were the one who stole the White Willow, and Sage Qian used you. That led to the dispute between your Qi family and my Revolt Alliance. Later, he deliberately drew the attention of the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss and revealed that the White Willow was in the Vast Qian Domain so that your Qi family would take action and cause trouble for the Grandverse Manor. This was all to send a powerful enemy to the Consciousness Domain.

"Everything was done to deal with the incarcerated conscients.

"Qi Gong, you've been used."

Qi Gong stared blankly at Shi Lin.

What is he talking about?

The patriarch could not make any sense of what he was hearing. Exposing the White Willow? Luring the Third Boss over to the Consciousness Domain? What did any of this have to do with what he had done?

Daoist Fengzhi sighed. "One thing leads to another. There has to be someone else behind Sage Qian. He alone could not have come up with such an elaborate scheme.

"If I’m not wrong, perhaps..."

Shi Lin raised a hand to stop Daoist Fengzhi from continuing. The leader’s eyes were locked onto Qi Gong. "At this point, there should be nothing more for you to explain. As the patriarch of the Qi family, Qi Gong, you're truly pathetic."

Qi Gong opened his mouth to say something, but he found that he could not utter a single word.

It was true that he had stolen the White Willow, but the rest of what Shi Lin had said, or rather, what the Phantom Reach had found, had nothing to do with the incident. What of the supposed mastermind behind everything, Sage Qian? What was his purpose in all of this?

Wu Wei had ordered Qi Gong to steal the White Willow in order to incite internal conflict within the Consciousness Domain. Qi Gong had always known the reason for that, as it was quite simple: revenge. Everything had been done for revenge.

Wu Wei had already betrayed the Consciousness Megaverse and could never return. The conscient’s only way to survive was in the Spirit Nidus.

Wu Wei had set everything that had happened in motion, but nothing had been excessive. All that the conscient had done had been to get revenge on Qi Zun.

However, if things blew up, Qi Gong would not be able to justify his actions to the High Seraph. He would end up in deep trouble.

Everything had been minor issues, and no one should have ever learned that Qi Gong had been the one to steal the White Willow.

Who could have predicted the sudden appearance of a lawless individual like the Grandverse Manor’s Third Boss? He had attacked the Vast Qian Domain itself, which had accidentally exposed the White Willow.

It had been nothing more than a coincidence, but Shi Lin and others had taken the various events and tied them together in a grand conspiracy.

But there had never been any conspiracy.

Unfortunately, it did not matter what Qi Gong said, as no one would believe him.

This was the end for him, as well as for his Qi family.

"A conspiracy involving conscients, ultimately leading to the destruction of the Qi family. I really can't understand, Qi Gong. What was all of this for?" Daoist Fengzhi sighed.

Qi Gong's eyes lost focus, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood before completely losing consciousness.

Looking around at the deathly pale faces of the members of the Qi family, Shi Lin ordered their territory to be sealed off. No one was allowed to leave.

"Alliance Leader." Daoist Fengzhi seemed to want to say something.

Shi Lin replied in a low voice, "I know what you want to say. I've already made arrangements with the Third Boss. Now is the time to meet with Wu Wei."

In a corner of the Consciousness Domain, Shi Lin felt an overwhelmingly powerful consciousness. His expression remained solemn as he spoke. "Wu Wei."

"What is it?"

"Does Qi Gong's theft of the White Willow have any connection to you?"

Wu Wei instantly denied the possibility, "I had nothing to do with it."

Shi Lin frowned. "Are you sure that there’s no connection? He will be taken to the Ascendant Hall. If you were behind this, you won't be able to justify yourself to the Lord High Seraph."

Wu Wei's consciousness swept out with a blast of wind as it rushed towards Shi Lin.

The man quickly retreated, even while bracing himself against Wu Wei's consciousness. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

"I said that I had nothing to do with it. Remember that I am now a part of the Spirit Nidus and not your prisoner, child."

Shi Lin took a deep breath and then turned to leave.

Once the man was gone, an intense ripple ran through Wu Wei's consciousness.

The conscient had witnessed everything that had happened to the Qi family, and it was just as confused as Qi Gong. There had not been any grand conspiracy behind the theft of the WHite WIllow; Wu Wei had simply wanted revenge against Qi Zun and had stirred up a bit of conflict within the Consciousness Domain. As for the imprisoned conscients that were kept underground, what did they have to do with Wu Wei? While all of them were conscients, there was no concept of a kindred spirit.

In the Consciousness Megaverse, conscients also killed each other.

Why would Wu Wei have gone to so much trouble for imprisoned conscients?

What should they do next? Qi Gong would definitely expose Wu Wei’s influence, and that would be troublesome.

Also, there’s still that Third Boss. That human is an even bigger problem

.

...

The sedan was traveling through outer space, once again on its way towards the Wisdom Domain. Lu Yin was lounging on the seat, holding Qing Yun's hand with his left hand and resting his right hand on Ru Mu's head. He looked very relaxed.

In front of him, Old Tao respectfully led the way.

Qing Xiao chased after the sled, his eyes blazing brightly.

The biggest change to the group since Lu Yin had left the Grandverse Manor was the addition of two more maids.

He looked at Ru Mu. "Did the High Seraph arrange for you to become my maid?"

Ru Mu looked up, and her movement caused Lu Yin's hand to touch her forehead. Her skin was smooth and pleasant to the touch. "I already told you no. Don't you trust me, Boss?"

"I trust you," Lu Yin casually replied.

Ru Mu smiled gently, her eyes soft.

"Come on, let me hear you curse the High Seraph!" Lu Yin suddenly said.

Ru Mu's expression changed rather drastically.

Next to her, a smile appeared on Palace Master Yao's face.

Cai Keqing, Qing Yun, and even Qing Xiao, whose eyes still blazed with anger, all turned to look at Ru Mu.

This would be interesting. Cursing a person did not inflict any pain or cause any harm, but it did represent a person’s opinion on something, especially when it concerned someone with a status like the High Seraph.

If Ru Mu cursed the man, she would never be able to return to Heavenspire.

Even if the High Seraph did not care about her words, those under him would never be willing to allow anyone who had cursed him to live, let alone rejoin Heavenspire.

The biggest mystery in the Spirit Nidus at this moment was why the High Seraph had not yet done anything to the Third Boss, despite the repeated provocations and offenses.

Lu Yin had just thrown Ru Mu into a difficult position.

Old Tao turned around and immediately offered new flattery. "Third Boss, your wisdom is truly divine! You can overturn the clouds with a flip of your hand. A mere human like me can't even dream of comprehending your methods when seeing them from afar. All I know is that I should pursue what is best for me and avoid what will harm me. If I could learn even just one tenth of your wisdom while I live, my life won’t have been in vain."

Lu Yin placed his hand back on Ru Mu's head while his eyes narrowed and he silently waited for her answer.

She looked up and smiled at Lu Yin. "I don't want to curse."

"Oh?" Lu Yin cocked an eyebrow.

Old Tao instantly shot a cold glare at the young woman.

Palace Master Yao and the others were all focused on Ru Mu as well. If she refused to curse the High Seraph, she would not be able to pass Lu Yin’s test.

Ru Mu met Lu Yin's gaze with bright eyes. "The High Seraph isn't worthy to be compared to you, Master. If I curse him, I will no longer be pure, and then how could I continue to serve as boss’s maid?"

Lu Yin was momentarily stunned, but then he burst into laughter.

Old Tao was impressed. While the woman had not made any direct insults, her words had been even harsher than simply cursing the High Seraph. She was absolutely vicious.

Palace Master Yao stared at Ru Mu for a long moment. A mere Spirit Warrior had dared to defame the High Seraph. That was something that not even Ru Mu’s own father would be willing to do.

Two thumbs-up were awarded to Ru Mu, coming from the Pridebeast and the Megalith.

Even Astral Anura could not resist wanting to give the young woman a thumbs-up. She was vicious. It was like seeing an ant bold enough to slander the universe.

Amidst the laughter and cheers, there was an overwhelming aura of greatness.

Lu Yin was fascinated by both of his new maids. One was internally inverting karmic cause and effect, while the other was bold enough to slander the High Seraph despite only being a Spirit Warrior.

Ru Mu was particularly interesting. What gave her such courage?

What she had said was far more excessive than when Lu Yin had angrily disparaged the Daynight clan in the Astral Combat Academy.

Ru Mu's words would eventually reach the High Seraph's ears, and Lu Yin was eager to discover just what the source of the woman’s courage was.

She was clearly as weak as an ant, yet somehow, even Lu Yin was unable to see through her. On top of that, he could not help but feel that Ru Mu was somehow different from the person that he had met in Ninerings City, despite there being no doubt that she was the same woman.

Soon, a woman blocked Lu Yin’s path. This time, the person obstructing the way offered Lu Yin a respectful bow. "Third Boss, Wu Tong greets you."

Lu Yin smiled. "Little Wu Tong? What brings you back again? What business do you have with me?"

All of Lu Yin’s observers were stunned. Could this woman have also come to serve as a maid?

There was a smile to Wu Tong’s tone as she replied, "Third Boss, I wonder if you might still remember Sage Qian?"

Lu Yin nodded. "I do. I used his battle technique to deal with some little boat while capturing a new maid."

Wu Tong smiled brightly. "I didn't expect you to remember such a minor incident, given your impressive abilities, Third Boss."

"Haha, a strong sequence powerhouse isn’t a minor character."

"They are when compared to you, Third Boss."

"Little Wu Tong, you really know how to flatter a person," Lu Yin happily commented.

Wu Tong’s smile grew. "Third Boss, your strength is without equal. You shattered the Consciousness Domain and destroyed the Qi family, leaving even my Revolt Alliance afraid to say a word. With the matters in the Consciousness Domain finally resolved, I was hoping to ask you to sell Sage Qian to us, Third Boss."

Lu Yin grew confused. "What do you want with Sage Qian?"

Wu Tong opened her mouth to explain, only to be cut short by a wave of Lu Yin’s hand. "Forget it, I’m too lazy to listen. The Consciousness Domain is one of the seven major powers, but there’s nothing too special about it. Sage Qian is not someone I can give to you."

Wu Tong bowed again. While her expression remained gentle, a hint of frustration could be made out. "My Revolt Alliance is willing to pay any price for this favor, Third Boss."