Chapter 129: Clearing of Suspicions

Those cultivators who realized the unusual nature of the situation began to whisper among themselves, speculating about the identities of the two culprits daring enough to kill disciples of the Van-Star Sect.

At this moment, Hou Ying stood on the bustling street, observing the crowd. Everyone was watching him with curiosity, waiting to see his next move.

After a moment, Hou Ying used a spell to amplify his voice so that everyone in the city could hear him clearly: "Fellow practitioners of Zhutai City, I am Hou Ying of the Van-Star Sect. We have come to Zhutai City in pursuit of those who murdered our disciples. We ask for everyone's cooperation; please, all practitioners at the Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji realms, step forward for a brief interview. Once we have inspected your storage artifacts and verified your identities, you will be free to go. I trust you will cooperate, unless, of course, someone here has something to hide?"

The entire city fell silent for a heartbeat before erupting into chaos. The Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji realm cultivators, in particular, were filled with trepidation.

Everyone felt that the Van-Star Sect was being excessively overbearing. To round up these lower-level cultivators for a forced search—did they not consider these people human beings? Did low-level cultivators have no rights? Could their privacy and personal assets be probed at the whim of others?

It was common knowledge that forcibly inspecting another's storage artifact was a major taboo in the cultivation world and a guaranteed way to incite public outrage. If such an act were committed, not only would your assets be exposed, but if you were wealthy, you might be marked for murder and robbery. Furthermore, being subjected to a forced body search was an extremely humiliating experience; no one wanted such a disgrace to befall them.

However, this world was governed by the law of the jungle. Low-level cultivators had no rights; in the eyes of high-level masters and great powers, they were merely ants, beneath notice.

Thus, although the Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji practitioners were filled with anger and resentment, they dared not speak out. They could only silently endure the humiliation, scattering and being herded into the city square by the Van-Star Sect members.

Since the incident did not personally affect them, the cultivators at the Yuan-Ying realm and above watched as if they were merely spectators at a show. However, some did find the Van-Star Sect’s conduct distasteful. Inspecting storage artifacts was an insult, and many harbored quiet grievances against their actions.

The Yuan-Ying disciples of the Van-Star Sect began screening the Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji practitioners one by one. Soon, two disciples approached the teahouse.

After filtering out the suspicious individuals within, they quickly noticed Chen Mu and Xue Tian, the man and the demon who had disguised their appearances.

Frowning, they realized they could not discern the cultivation levels of the pair. They stepped forward and asked, "The technique you two use to conceal your cultivation is truly exquisite, but hiding one's aura at a time like this is not a wise choice. Please cooperate, and do not make things difficult for us."

Although the disciples spoke with forced politeness, it was merely for the benefit of the onlookers; appearances had to be maintained to preserve the sect's reputation. In reality, they already suspected that Chen Mu and Xue Tian were the culprits, but because their appearances did not match the descriptions, they did not dare to act rashly.

Chen Mu frowned, surprised they had been targeted so quickly.

Just as Chen Mu grew tense, Xue Tian sent a telepathic message: "Your soul strength has already reached the Yuan-Ying level, has it not? Tell them your cultivation technique is unique and prevents your aura from leaking, then release your soul pressure. That should be enough to get you through."

Following Xue Tian's advice, Chen Mu said, "Fellow practitioners, my cultivation technique is somewhat unique. My aura is internalized and cannot be leaked, so please forgive me."

As the two disciples were about to force the issue, Chen Mu released his soul aura. Both disciples were shocked: "This youth is actually at the Yuan-Ying realm?"

The crowd began to look at Chen Mu with curiosity. A fifteen or sixteen-year-old at the Yuan-Ying realm was not just a genius—he was a monster. Of course, Chen Mu was not truly at the Yuan-Ying realm, so the title of "monster" did not strictly apply to him.

Generally, people began cultivating around the age of fourteen. Rare, gifted individuals like Chen Mu could start as early as twelve. Thus, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old at the Yuan-Ying realm was an incredible anomaly; to reach such a level in just a year or two, he must be a disciple of some hidden, powerful sect.

Everyone looked at Chen Mu with newfound awe; such a prodigious figure, if he rose to power, would surely become a titan. Chen Mu, however, felt a sense of trepidation. After all, he was a fraud; only the quality of his soul had reached the Yuan-Ying level.

Seeing that Chen Mu’s soul aura was indeed at the Yuan-Ying level, the two disciples cupped their hands in salute and set aside their hostility. They then turned their attention to Xue Tian.

They could see that Xue Tian and Chen Mu were traveling together, so they did not doubt his identity, but they still had to go through the motions. It would be unfair to others if he were the only one not to show his cultivation.

When he saw the two disciples looking at him, Xue Tian let out a cackling laugh that made the surrounding people shiver.

Suddenly, a surge of soul aura at the Da-Cheng realm leaked out and vanished in an instant. The crowd stumbled back several steps, stopping in terror.

That momentary burst of aura left everyone in the teahouse in a state of inexplicable panic. They only knew that the pressure was so immense they could not even comprehend its level—after all, none of these people had ever encountered a Da-Cheng realm master before.

The aura was contained within the teahouse and did not spread across the city. Had it been known that he possessed Da-Cheng realm energy, it would have attracted the attention of major powers, leading to unnecessary trouble. The appearance of a Da-Cheng master in a small to medium-sized city would be a world-shaking event. Moreover, only Xue Tian’s primordial spirit was at the Da-Cheng level; his current cultivation had not yet recovered to its peak. If he were to attract other Da-Cheng powerhouses, he would be in real trouble.

Chen Mu was also shocked by the terrifying soul aura. It seemed Xue Tian's remnant soul had recovered significantly; it had actually reached the quality of the Da-Cheng realm. Dealing with Xue Tian in the future would likely be impossible.

The two Van-Star Sect disciples turned pale. They immediately knelt and cupped their hands, begging, "This junior was blind and did not recognize the senior here. Please, Senior, spare us... please, Senior, have mercy..."

The entire teahouse followed suit, everyone kneeling and shivering, not daring to make a sound.

Xue Tian glanced at the two disciples and spoke: "Rise. I did not intend to reveal my cultivation. But your Van-Star Sect is so overbearing, forcing others to reveal their cultivation level—such actions are sometimes just courting death."

At these words, everyone broke into a cold sweat, knowing that this had surely angered the senior. If he harbored any intent to kill, the entire city could be wiped out.

Seeing them tremble, Xue Tian continued: "However, I am a kind-hearted person. I do not wish to commit wanton slaughter, so I will spare you."

Hearing this, the crowd felt as if they had been granted a reprieve from death, trembling with relief. They had truly walked through the gates of hell.

Xue Tian’s voice sounded again: "But you must agree to one thing. I am traveling with a younger member of my clan and do not wish to be known. Therefore, you must not spread word of what you have seen and heard today, do you understand? Especially you two—do not report this to your sect."

The crowd nodded frantically. They would not be foolish enough to risk their lives again; would they really leak information about a Da-Cheng master and hope to live?

The two disciples also promised, "Senior, please rest assured. We two juniors will never reveal the information about you and this young master. When we report back, we will only say that the low-level cultivators have been screened."

"Very good, very good. You are teachable. You may leave now," Xue Tian said, maintaining an air of profound mystery.

The two disciples were overjoyed. They bowed respectfully before leading the Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji cultivators toward the square to report the results to Hou Ying.

Chen Mu and Xue Tian signaled for the others not to be nervous, then sat back down to continue sipping their tea.

Chen Mu was speechless, his mind filled with frustration. Xue Tian’s portrayal of a high-level master was so convincing that, had he not known the demon's true nature as a peerless monster, he would have truly believed he was a virtuous and noble senior.

He hadn't expected that Xue Tian—who killed without batting an eye and viewed humanity as ants—could play the role of an esteemed elder so perfectly. His acting skills were truly at the level of a film star.

After all, Xue Tian had lived for so long that he had seen through the vanity of the world. For an ancient monster who had survived for countless ages, adopting the demeanor of others was effortless.

Now that Chen Mu and Xue Tian were cleared of suspicion, they were in no rush to leave. Since the city gates were locked, they might as well watch how the Van-Star Sect handled the search of the Yuan-Dan and Yuan-Ji cultivators.

Soon, the Van-Star Sect disciples gathered all suspicious cultivators in the city square. Following Hou Ying's order, they began the search and verification process one by one.

These individuals had their storage rings forcibly broken open and their contents inspected. Those being checked were filled with grief and indignation; being humiliated in public like this left them unable to hold their heads high. Some of the more arrogant ones were left with deep psychological scars, destined to develop inner demons because of this incident.

But the Van-Star Sect did not care. They did not value these "ants"; they only cared about finding the killer of their disciples.

The culprit had to be found. It concerned the sect's honor. To have someone killed within their own territory and fail to catch the perpetrator—if other sects found out, they would become a laughingstock.

Furthermore, Hou Ying wanted to understand why Chen Mu and Xue Tian had infiltrated the forbidden area. He knew something about that place; it was a teleportation array for a spatial passage, though it had long been broken.

If the two of them were after the spatial passage or the array, then they were simply overestimating their own abilities. After all, since the array was destroyed, the Van-Star Sect had been tinkering with it for over a hundred years without any results. Did they think they could succeed where the sect had failed?