144: Chapter 144 New Clues, Another Storm Begins

Blatant favoritism, extremely overbearing.

None of the Elders in the full hall dared to speak out in rebuttal.

Even Zhang Taixu, who was at the Nascent Soul Peak and held a venerable seniority, was suppressed by a single sentence to the point that he could not lift his head; none of them dared to humiliate themselves.

Master Xuanyang hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over, smiling bitterly to ease the atmosphere: "Alright, alright, Senior Brother Zhang was also acting out of public duty, Junior Sister Yun need not be angry.

Ruoan is your Personal Disciple, his character and cultivation are naturally trustworthy, let us drop the matter of verification right here."

He certainly did not wish for two top powerhouses to conflict in the discussion hall.

Immediately afterward, Master Xuanyang pondered slightly.

Earlier, he had promised a heavy reward out of momentary joy, but pondering carefully at this moment, the Sect Master's token was indeed too glaring and extremely prone to arousing criticism.

Right at this moment, Zhao Ruoan took the initiative to step forward, bowing and saluting to the two of them respectively.

"Sect Master, Revered Master, this Disciple believes that what Elder Zhang said is not without reason."

As soon as those words fell, the entire hall was shocked.

Everyone looked at Zhao Ruoan in disbelief, and even Zhang Taixu himself wore a face of complete surprise.

Zhao Ruoan's expression was open and untroubled, and he continued to speak in a ringing voice: "This Disciple has entered the Sect for a short time and possesses shallow qualifications; abruptly holding the Sect Master's token and bearing supreme glory is indeed difficult to convince the masses and will only increase criticism in vain."

"Therefore, this Disciple dares not accept the Sect Master's token.

As for all the other rewards, this Disciple is also willing to donate them entirely to the Sect to comfort the families of the five fellow Disciples who were killed in the Black Wind Mountain Range this time."

He raised his eyes to look straight at Master Xuanyang, his gaze burning and his determination firm: "This Disciple has no other requests, and only wishes to join the operation to thoroughly investigate internal traitors and purge the Sect!"

"This Disciple shares a hatred as deep as the sea with the Blood Fiend Sect, and is irreconcilable with the Sect's borers!

I am willing to turn my body into a sword to cut down treacherous evils and clear out hidden dangers for the Qingxuan Sect!"

These impassioned and righteous words instantly won over the entire audience.

Not greedy for fame and fortune, wholeheartedly devoted to the public good—such a mindset and broad view made everyone admire him all the more.

Even Zhang Taixu, who had targeted him just moments ago, softened his gaze toward him by a few fractions, adding a hint of complexity.

Master Xuanyang was greatly overjoyed, clapping his hands and laughing loudly: "Good!

What a fine Zhao Ruoan!

With such loyal and devoted courage, why should we worry that the Qingxuan Sect will not flourish!"

"This seat grants your request!

From this day forth, in the capacity of my special envoy, you shall assume the post of the Sect's Patrolling Envoy, fully assisting the Disciplinary Hall in tracking down internal traitors and purging the Sect!

Up and down the Sect, across all civil and martial Peaks, you may command whomever you please!"

"The position of Patrolling Envoy is on par with an Elder, and one rank higher upon sight!"

This arrangement was far more brilliant than directly bestowing the Sect Master's token.

It both gave Zhao Ruoan solid authority and evaded the criticisms of being overwhelmed by an excessive reputation, striking just the right balance.

"This Disciple thanks the Sect Master!"

Zhao Ruoan bowed to accept the order, understanding clearly in his heart.

Empty fame and superficial glory were all illusions; only the real power grasped in one's hands was the fundamental basis for standing firm.

With the identity of a Patrolling Envoy, he could rightfully investigate Danding Peak, monitor Zhang Taixu, and deeply dig out that deeply hidden big fish.

A tense storm that was on the verge of breaking out quietly subsided just like that.

Yun Qinghan gave her Disciple a deep look, a trace of imperceptible amusement and approval flashing across her cold pupils.

This little fellow was becoming increasingly proficient in human psychology, political maneuvering, and knowing when to advance or retreat.

Zhang Taixu silently retreated back into the ranks, restoring his calm appearance as ancient well water without ripples.

But Zhao Ruoan captured the fleeting sense of relief in the depths of his eyes the moment he turned around.

"Interesting."

Zhao Ruoan sneered in his heart.

This old fox's targeting and questioning earlier was not a deliberate challenge at all, but a meticulously planned act.

Firstly, to clear himself of suspicion by this means, and secondly, to test the bottom line of the Sect Master and Revered Master; his thoughts were meticulous and his city-deep craftiness was profound.

This big fish hidden in Danding Peak was far more cunning and difficult to deal with than imagined.

...

As the discussion concluded, Liu Changfeng's Primordial Spirit was cast into the Sect's death prison to await the most cruel Sect punishments.

Elder Xue Tu's corpse was hung outside the mountain gate to proclaim the fate of the Demonic Path and serve as a warning to others.

The Qingxuan Sect made a public statement, officially declaring war on the Blood Fiend Sect!

A bloody storm sweeping across the entire cultivation world of Cang Prefecture had already kicked off its prologue.

Yet Zhao Ruoan, the instigator of this storm, felt light-hearted as he returned alone to Qinghan Peak.

"Young Revered Master, you are back!"

Qiuyin and Xiamo hurried forward to greet him, their eyes full of adoration and joy as they chirped around him.

"Young Revered Master, it has spread all over the Sect!

Your demeanor in the discussion hall today was unmatched by anyone!"

"Now everyone is saying that you are a once-in-ten-thousand-years youthful hero, and the future hope of our Qingxuan Sect!"

Zhao Ruoan smiled faintly and didn't say much, casually tossing two Spiritual Artifacts selected from the Sect treasury to the two women.

One was a cyan jade pendant teeming with Spiritual Qi and enduring vitality called the Longevity Pendant, which could nourish the Physical Body and render one immune to all poisons when worn; the other was a delicate and transparent small blue mirror called the Illusory Sea Mirror, which was a top-tier illusion Spiritual Artifact integrating both offense and defense.

Both were priceless high-grade Spiritual Artifacts, enough to drive Golden Core Cultivators crazy.

"Young Revered Master, this is too precious; we dare not accept it under any circumstances!"

Holding the Spiritual Artifacts, the two women were both startled and delighted, at a complete loss.

"Take them."

Zhao Ruoan said in a casual tone, carrying a hint of impatience, "Your strength is far too weak; following by my side will only drag me down.

Refine them well and advance your cultivation."

"Many thanks, Young Revered Master!"

Filled with joy, the two women solemnly stored away the treasures, adding a few more fractions of awe and affection toward Zhao Ruoan.

Sending the two away, Zhao Ruoan sat quietly alone on the courtyard rocking chair, slowly sorting out his gains from this trip and his subsequent plans.

Liu Changfeng's superficial clue had been completely cut off; although no deep secrets were dug out, it could still be considered uprooting a shallow borer of the Sect.

The greatest gains this time were only twofold: the three-location nodes of the Blood Fiend Sect's blood sacrifice grand array, and the suspicion of hidden traitors in Danding Peak.

"The blood sacrifice grand array can be ignored for the time being.

With Revered Master guarding the Main Peak, if the Blood Fiend Sect dares to come and covet the Spiritual Vein, it will be courting its own death."

"The top priority right now is to ferret out that big fish hidden in Danding Peak."

Zhao Ruoan tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, his thoughts spinning rapidly.

Zhang Taixu was old, cunning, and extremely vigilant, and had already grown wary of him.

Wanting to use the fishing method applied to Liu Changfeng again would certainly not work.

Another Breakthrough point must be found.

"Danding Peak, Alchemy, Spirit Medicine, evil pills..."

Thoughts flashed past rapidly, and a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Zhao Ruoan's mind, recalling something he had forgotten for a long time.

Back outside the Tianlei Cave Mansion, from the sumeru ring of Li Jiuyou's accomplice, the Alchemist Sun Miao, he had obtained a Jade Slip recording the secret arts of evil pills.

Inside the Jade Slip was recorded an extremely malicious method for refining a Medicinal Pill—the Blood Pill.

Refined using the essence blood and Divine Souls of Cultivators as catalysts, it was sinister and overbearing, yet it could rapidly enhance the cultivation of Demonic Path Cultivators, making it a supreme treasure for cultivation that Blood Fiend Sect Cultivators dreamed of.

At that time, he didn't care much and casually sealed the Jade Slip in a corner of his sumeru ring; recalling it carefully now, this might just be an excellent Breakthrough point to break the deadlock!

In the Cang Prefecture territory, when it came to Alchemy attainments, no one could surpass the Qingxuan Sect's Danding Peak.

The Blood Fiend Sect had a massive demand for Blood Pills yet lacked top-tier Alchemists to support it, inevitably requiring external supply.

If there was an internal mole in Danding Peak who had secretly refined Blood Pills and transported evil pills for the Blood Fiend Sect all year round...

As long as even a shred of transaction evidence was caught, even if Zhang Taixu had a silver tongue, he would have no way to defend himself!

Thinking of this, the corners of Zhao Ruoan's lips slowly curled into a profound, cold sneer.

He raised his hand to take out that dusty Jade Slip from the sumeru ring, sinking his Divine Sense into it to carefully study the secret art of refining Blood Pills.

Although he was not skilled in Alchemy, his Comprehension Ability under the System was peerless and extraordinary; mere sheets of a Pill Formula were completely mastered in a flash.

"To refine Blood Pills, aside from using Cultivators' essence blood and Divine Souls as catalysts, one still needs a core main medicinal ingredient—the Nether Ghost Grass."

"The Nether Ghost Grass is extremely Yin and extremely evil, growing only in extremely Yin places where grievances gather.

It is rare in the world and its traces are hard to find."

Zhao Ruoan's gaze grew brighter, and his whole plan was already finalized in his heart.

Since the other party's transaction traces could not be found, he would personally create a transaction for them.

This time, he was going to act as bait once more.

Only this time, what he wanted to fish for was not a Sect internal mole, but the Blood Fiend Sect merchants hiding in the dark and coming to purchase evil pill Materials!