Chapter 1304
The target of public criticism
Chapter 1304 The target of public criticism
Generally speaking, the path of information dissemination always follows a top-down trajectory—from prosperous places to barren and remote areas.
But this time is different.
By the time Changtianmen heard the news, it had already spread like wildfire, almost sweeping through every inhabited corner of the Perlan world.
Through countless word-of-mouth rumors, despite the lack of any concrete evidence, the greed in people's hearts has quietly fermented into a terrifying monster in a short period of time.
Changtianmen traced back from the town, finding dozens of remote rural villages along the way, but was unable to continue due to a loss of clues.
They certainly knew that someone was harboring malicious intentions behind their backs.
But no matter what methods they used, they were unable to trace the source of the outbreak, find the origin of the virus, or discover the identity of the enemy.
On the surface, this move is aimed at Lin Fan.
But who is Lin Fan? No matter what the reason, Changtianmen will definitely protect her.
In this way, the target of the attack naturally became Changtianmen.
The waves of public opinion are growing increasingly turbulent. Beneath the seemingly calm surface, undercurrents are already surging.
The lurking evil waves seemed poised to suddenly surge forth at any moment, violently impacting the foundation of Changtianmen.
Changtianmen has been sitting firmly on the throne of the top immortal sect for far too long. So long that countless eyes have been watching from the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to seize the chance to tear off a piece of flesh and drag that sect from the clouds into the mire, never to be reborn.
But if, in order to preserve the sect's stability, Lin Fan is pushed forward as a shield...
Let's not even talk about the fact that Changtianmen would never do something so self-destructive.
Even if they were to abandon all pretense of dignity and make this disastrous move, those lurking in the shadows would undoubtedly have a series of treacherous schemes waiting for them to fall into their trap; it would simply be another way for them to be slaughtered.
Not to mention that this move would cause Changtianmen to completely lose the hearts and minds of the people it has built up over a thousand years.
Internally, the disciples were filled with anxiety. If the sect leader could so easily discard such a talented disciple, who knew that they themselves might be pushed out one day?
Externally, the reputation and goodwill accumulated over thousands of years may crumble in an instant.
It seems like the loss is minimal, only the loss of one person.
In reality, it's like burying a malignant tumor under the foundation of Changtianmen; the subsequent festering and harm will only continue endlessly.
Therefore, Changtianmen only has one path: to protect Lin Fan, and they can only protect him to the very end.
The consequences that follow are what the people behind the scenes really want to see.
The goal is to force Changtianmen into a dilemma. Even if you don't die, a piece of your flesh will be torn from your heart, severely damaging your vitality.
With Yi Feng's fiery temper, how could he tolerate such underhanded tricks that hit him in the face?
Enraged, he was determined to catch the sinister creature lurking in the shadows and cause trouble, so he immediately set off to investigate.
After hearing Antonio's words, Lin Fan's mood did not fluctuate much.
More than her own safety, she was worried about the impact this would have on Changtianmen.
If she were to consider this matter from the perspective of sect rivalry, the first person she would think of is Ling Yichen, who has already left but whose previous words and actions had been strange.
"Could it be the Taixu Palace?" Lin Fan frowned slightly and asked. "Ling Yichen hesitated to speak several times in front of my door. In the past, he always tried his best to win me over, repeatedly hinting that I should switch to the Taixu Palace. But this time, even though he was the first to regain his mobility, he didn't say anything. He left quietly without even waiting for you to come and check again."
“He must have been abandoned by the sect,” Antonio said, recounting in detail how Yue Zhengyuanqing had intimidated the people of Taixu Palace. “But if that’s the case, since they’ve already abandoned that guy surnamed Ling, they should have abandoned you too. After all, on the surface, your cultivation level is only at the Qi Refining stage. No one in the Po Lun World can advance from Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment in just one year. Even your number one Dharma cultivator couldn’t do it back then.”
The people from Taixu Palace never showed their faces again after that incident.
They treated both Ling Yichen and Lin Fan as if they didn't know them at all, adopting an attitude of complete indifference. Since they considered Lin Fan to have "lost" his value, why would they waste so much energy on a useless person?
“There are some things you mustn’t get wrong.” Le Zheng Yuanqing lowered his eyes and said to Lin Fan, “You are just one of the means to attack Changtianmen. What I said earlier may have fooled the mediocre, but it may not have fooled the cunning.”
"Even if they believe it to be true, without being able to ascertain your actual condition, to ensure absolute safety, they will inevitably nip any potential danger in the bud—whether you are crippled or not, killing you is the only way to be completely at ease. Otherwise, given their belief in your special spiritual root, who can guarantee that you won't recover completely?"
The years he mentioned back then seemed a bit too long, but in the world of cultivation, time flies by like a white horse galloping past a crack, and it's never a problem.
Le Zhengyuan guessed that it was his match with Lin Yuan that made some people feel threatened.
After personally confirming Ling Yichen's recovery, he had even less hope for Lin Fan's long recovery and finally, in desperation, he couldn't hold back any longer.
Taking advantage of Lin Fan's situation, the "useless" guy made a move to test him.
"Do you think Changtianmen has no suspicions? They just lack evidence. Besides, if Taixu Palace is a suspect, does that mean Youye Sect is innocent? The villages in the Northwest aren't as widely distributed as those in the Southeast, yet they're still the subject of much discussion, aren't they?"
"As long as Changtianmen remains firmly in the top position among the immortal sects, all the sects below it will have their own motives. But when it comes to stirring up this storm and having the ability to take over the subsequent game, there are only a handful of them."
Le Zhengyuanqing turned to look at Lin Fan, his tone calm but with an undeniable certainty.
"You are merely an opportunity, a ready-made excuse, and a convenient moment to take action. For Changtianmen, who the real culprit is is not so important. What matters is how they deal with this overwhelming attack."
Changtianmen remained steadfast in its approach, revealing nothing to Lin Fan's injured disciples.
But outside, in taverns, teahouses, markets... regardless of whether one is a mortal or an immortal, one can hear snippets of conversation about Lin Fan and Changtianmen everywhere.
The clamor of discussion spread like the whispers of demons.
"The fact that Changtianmen is holding onto Lin Fan so tightly clearly shows that they want to monopolize such a genius. They probably have long harbored the ambition to dominate the world!"
"Lin Fan must possess an unparalleled treasure. How can Changtian Sect keep it to themselves? It should be made public so that sects all over the world can share this opportunity!"
"In my opinion, Lin Fan's current abilities are entirely due to the benefits that True Person Cheng Kong received in the secret realm, which he then bestowed upon her! This is clearly an attempt to build up her momentum so that she can succeed as the sect leader in the future!"
Even worse, some people spread rumors with spittle flying: "Lin Fan must have used some evil method, who knows how many inner disciples' cultivation was destroyed and transferred to herself, to dare to make such rapid progress! Changtian Sect is still protecting her, isn't that favoritism and bending the law?"
"In the end, the reason why Changtianmen has been able to maintain its number one position for so many years is probably because it has long been accustomed to using this kind of insidious method of using people to support others!"
Each hurtful word was like a leech, inexplicably binding Changtianmen with moral shackles. Countless people clamored for them to hand over Lin Fan, forcing her to verify her so-called "innocence" before the world.
The rumors snowballed, engulfing the entire world of Perle in a torrent of public opinion. The tense atmosphere in the air seemed to have erected an invisible wall, trapping Changtianmen firmly in the center.
Changtianmen remained silent in the face of this massive outcry.
Those stakeholders remained on the sidelines, waiting to see how this drama would end; while the public, stirred up by rumors, was already indignant and on the verge of breaking through the dam of reason.
Just as tensions were rising, a piece of news suddenly exploded, like a bucket of ice water being poured into a boiling pot of oil—
"The cataclysmic disaster of the ancient world was a calamity brought about by the cultivators themselves! Now that all the sects are besieging Changtianmen, I'm afraid we'll repeat the same mistake and cause another disaster!"
These words struck like a thunderbolt, instantly drawing the attention of the crowd and abruptly halting the passionate cultivators' actions.
The shadow of the ancient catastrophe is like a bone-chilling sore, a fear etched into the bones and blood of all people in the world of Amber.
Suddenly struck by this outburst, both those who knew the truth and those who didn't inevitably became hesitant, and even the fierce aura that had been attacking Changtianmen dissipated considerably.
The heavens of the world of Perma have finally fallen into chaos.
Do you think Changtianmen knows Lin Fan's identity yet?