Chapter 845: Reversing Black and White

When the slender elder emerged from the void, countless people across the land once again bowed in reverence.

"Greetings, Elder Xuankun."

Sect Master Xuankun waved his hand, and his abyss-like eyes immediately turned to Xiguang, his brow furrowed slightly. "Xiguang," he said, "since when have you become so ignorant of the rules?"

Prefect Xiguang lowered his head and replied, "Sect Master, I..."

Sect Master Xuankun continued, "My Sky Spirit Sect is one of the overseers of the Tianyuan Region. If we, as overseers, disregard the rules, how can we possibly govern such a vast region?"

Zhou Yuan lowered his head, a glint flickering in his eyes unseen by others. This Sect Master Xuankun was truly no simple character. He appeared to be reprimanding Prefect Xiguang, but his words subtly highlighted the Sky Spirit Sect's position. Was he also implying to Senior Sister Xi Jing that the Sky Spirit Sect was an overseer of the Tianyuan Region, and thus she could not impose punishment unilaterally?

Sect Master Xuankun looked at Xi Jing, smiling faintly. "Elder Xi Jing," he said, "Xiguang was indeed reckless today. He deserves a lesson."

Xi Jing said indifferently, "Sect Master Xuankun, today's incident cannot simply be brushed aside as mere recklessness, can it? For a dignified Nascent Source stage expert to attempt to assassinate a pavilion master in broad daylight — this is a heinous crime."

Zhou Yuan had nearly been killed by Xiguang earlier. Could Sect Master Xuankun's light reprimand truly dismiss the matter?

Sect Master Xuankun glanced at the silent Zhou Yuan. "I have already learned the cause of this incident," he said. "The root of the matter, I believe, lies with this Wind Pavilion master, who harmed Xiguang's disciple, correct?"

"Truth be told, if we're talking about rules," he continued, "harming a fellow colleague results in the abolition of one's cultivation and expulsion from the Tianyuan Utopia."

"So, Xiguang's recklessness should be punished, but this Wind Pavilion master, with such vicious methods, should be even less forgiven."

Zhou Yuan saw the old man directly slandering him and cursed inwardly. Outwardly, however, he respectfully stated, "Reporting to Elder Xuankun, I did not intend to kill Fang Ao. He ambushed me while I was on a mission, and in the end, for self-preservation, I had no other choice."

Sect Master Xuankun smiled noncommittally. "But that is just your side of the story," he said.

Zhou Yuan calmly stated, "The mission I undertook was to go to Yuzhou and hunt a heavily injured Sky Annihilation Beast, which was officially registered in the Mission Pavilion. So why is it that as soon as I arrived in Yuzhou, Fang Ao also brought people to the exact same location? If that isn't a deliberate plot, then it's hard to explain, isn't it?"

Sect Master Xuankun chuckled. "I had people investigate this earlier," he said. "Fang Ao and his group also took on the mission to hunt that Sky Annihilation Beast. This can also be found in the Mission Pavilion's records."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan was somewhat surprised. He didn't believe Fang Ao's group had actually taken on that mission, but given Sect Master Xuankun's status and the Sky Spirit Sect's power, making such alterations would clearly not be difficult; an investigation would also not reveal any issues.

However, this was ultimately just suspicion, and he couldn't openly accuse Sect Master Xuankun of secretly playing tricks.

"So, it's very possible that this matter isn't as you've described," Sect Master Xuankun said slowly. "Perhaps you had a dispute over the Sky Annihilation Beast and then you suddenly attacked?"

Clearly, he intended to pin Fang Ao's death entirely on Zhou Yuan. Only by making Zhou Yuan the sole culprit would Xiguang's furious attack have a justification, and any resulting punishment would be quite light.

On the other hand, Zhou Yuan would face severe punishment for a grave crime.

Xi Jing's delicate brows furrowed as she stared at Sect Master Xuankun. "What Sect Master Xuankun says is also just one side of the story," she stated.

Sect Master Xuankun was somewhat surprised by Xi Jing's rebuttal. After all, at their level, there was always give and take in their maneuvers; even if they sacrificed a Wind Pavilion master this time, it wouldn't necessarily mean there wouldn't be other gains. Yet, Xi Jing showed no signs of backing down.

Sect Master Xuankun smiled faintly. "It's not entirely one-sided," he said. "Fang Ao and his group weren't completely wiped out this time; Zhu Lian managed to escape and return."

He waved his sleeve, and as space distorted, a figure instantly appeared—it was Zhu Lian.

"Zhu Lian, tell us what happened earlier," Sect Master Xuankun said indifferently.

Zhu Lian nodded hurriedly, then pointed at Zhou Yuan, unleashing a string of angry accusations. His words were identical to what Xuankun had said, claiming they had taken on a mission to Yuzhou to hunt the Sky Annihilation Beast, and were then ambushed by Zhou Yuan and his party, leading to the deaths of Fang Ao and the others.

This was clearly an attempt to twist the facts.

Zhou Yuan said in a deep voice, "Others from the Wind Pavilion accompanied me this time."

Sect Master Xuankun replied, "They are also suspects; how can their words be trusted?"

Xi Jing shook her head and said, "If Fang Ao and his group went to ambush Zhou Yuan, then Zhu Lian should also be considered a suspect. His words are equally unreliable."

Zhou Yuan also frowned tightly. This Sect Master Xuankun was indeed cunning and deeply scheming. In the current situation, if not for Xi Jing's strong support, he might truly be burdened by this false accusation, unable to refute it.

"So, this matter becomes quite troublesome," Sect Master Xuankun chuckled. "After all, dead men tell no tales."

Xi Jing and Zhou Yuan both understood that this old man was deliberately muddling the waters. This way, no one could blow Xiguang's incident out of proportion, and severe punishment would be unlikely.

This made Zhou Yuan somewhat displeased. After all, he had just nearly been killed by Xiguang. If Xiguang were to get off with just a couple of reprimands today, that would be truly unsatisfying. Zhou Yuan was not someone who let grudges go unreturned.

Moreover, the other party's method of twisting the facts made him extremely uncomfortable.

He paused in silence, then suddenly asked, "What if I can find evidence?"

Xuankun was slightly startled, then narrowed his eyes and stared at Zhou Yuan. "What evidence?" he asked impassively.

Zhou Yuan smiled faintly. "Actually, Fang Ao and his group were not entirely wiped out," he said. "I captured a survivor. But to be safe, I didn't bring him back to the Tianyuan Utopia; I left him outside."

Hearing this, Zhu Lian's expression instantly changed.

Prefect Xiguang's heart also jolted. He then shot an annoyed glance at Zhu Lian. Didn't this fellow say everyone was dead?

Zhou Yuan looked at Zhu Lian and smiled. "Since it's difficult for everyone to distinguish truth from falsehood," he began, "I suggest we directly perform a soul-search on the survivor I captured and on Deputy Pavilion Master Zhu Lian. I believe that with the methods of both Elders, you should be able to do this without significantly harming them and still find the information you seek."

Zhu Lian's face turned pale with shock.

Prefect Xiguang's expression also shifted.

Sect Master Xuankun paused slightly. "If you had such evidence, why didn't you speak up until now?" he asked.

Zhou Yuan said indifferently, "Because I prefer to be amicable. But if I'm pushed too hard, even a cornered dog will jump over the wall. I just hope no unexpected information comes to light then."

He looked at Xi Jing and Sect Master Xuankun. "Do both Elders wish to perform a soul-search on them?" he asked. "If so, I'll go and bring the person here now."

"You may," Xi Jing said without hesitation.

Sect Master Xuankun stared deeply at Zhou Yuan, because even he was somewhat uncertain whether Zhou Yuan's words were true or false. But if Zhou Yuan truly produced the person and allowed Xi Jing to conduct a soul-search, then everything he had said would be indefensible.

Moreover, at that point, it would also implicate Lu Xiao, who had not yet appeared. Lu Xiao was the Fire Pavilion master, a contender for the position of Chief Pavilion Master of the Four Pavilions, and Xuankun certainly didn't intend for him to fall here.

So, should he gamble on whether Zhou Yuan truly had someone?

Facing Sect Master Xuankun's daunting gaze, Zhou Yuan remained quite calm, while inwardly cursing, "If we're talking about status, I'm your equal; why act so superior!"

Sect Master Xuankun remained silent for a long time. Finally, he withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless, and a faint voice sounded.

"This matter was Fang Ao's doing alone, and has no relation to anyone else."