You, Old Six, have betrayed us too?!

The Elders' Hall.

Seventh Elder Xue Lie paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Around the stone platform, seven or eight figures, some sitting and some standing, were gathered; they were all members of the elders' council.

The Third Elder sat on the stone stool at the very edge, closing his eyes to rest, as if everything before him was irrelevant.

The Ninth Elder held a jade slip, seemingly studying it, but his eyes kept drifting towards the doorway.

The other elders also looked solemn, and a sense of suppressed anxiety filled the air.

"Why aren't they back yet?"

Xue Lie stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowed.

"Why did it take so long for Lao Liu to go and sound out the situation?"

"Perhaps the cult leader kept him here for questioning."

The Fifth Elder said slowly:

"Wang Lang is, after all, the storeroom steward, and the accounts are from a hundred years ago, so it takes time for him to look at them."

"look?"

Xue Lie sneered:

"I think that brat Chu Yuan is just using this as an excuse to target Wang Lang and give us a warning!"

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that it was true:

"Think about it, after he left the pass, he first established the Three Departments, cutting off our power! Now he's suddenly inspecting the treasury; it's obvious he's about to take action and purge us! Wang Lang is just a prelude; next, it'll be our turn!"

The elders' expressions shifted slightly, clearly indicating that these words had struck a chord with them.

The Ninth Elder put down the jade slip and sighed:

"Seventh Brother, you can't say that. If the leader really wanted to settle scores, why go through all this trouble? Given his past temperament, wouldn't it have been more straightforward to just come knocking on their door?"

"In the past? That was when he still possessed cultivation!"

Xue Lie whirled around, his eyes gleaming:

"And now? He doesn't even fly, he walks up! He has to rely on the Immortal-Slaying Blade and the Spirit-Imprisoning Array to kill three Golden Core cultivators! Is this something a peak Tribulation Transcending cultivator would do?"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, and finally spread his hands, addressing the crowd:

"If you ask me, it's perfect that Lao Liu is going! I know that kid Wang Lang; he'll definitely keep the accounts perfect, and Chu Yuan won't be able to find any fault. When Lao Liu stands there, if Chu Yuan knows what's good for him, he should back down gracefully, and everyone will save face. If he doesn't know what's good for him and insists on pursuing the matter..."

Xue Lie paused, a cold smile playing on his lips:

"Then let's see just how much of a threat this 'Demon Lord' really has left!"

Xue Lie always believed that Chu Yuan had gone mad with evil cultivation.

However, he did not know if Chu Yuan had any backup plans, so he dared not confront him directly.

Silence fell over the hall for a moment.

Only the sound of the iron guillotine spinning in the Fifth Elder's hand could be heard, clicking and rattling.

The Third Elder finally opened his eyes, glanced at Xue Lie, and said indifferently:

"Seventh Brother, you've schemed against the leader like this. If he really has a backup plan, have you thought about your escape route?"

Xue Lie choked, then groaned:

"Third brother, stop pouring cold water on me! We're all in this together now. If something happens to me, who among you will escape unscathed?"

"I didn't promise you anything."

The Third Elder closed his eyes again:

"I'm only here to listen. How you want to cause trouble is your business."

"you--!"

Blood stagnation and qi stagnation.

Just then, a faint whooshing sound came from the direction of the door.

A slightly hunched figure in a gray robe, leaning on a black wooden cane, walked step by step into the hall.

It was none other than the Sixth Elder, Gu Chen.

"Sixth Brother!"

Xue Lie's eyes lit up, and he immediately went to meet her, his tone urgent:

"How is it? What was Chu Yuan's reaction? What about Wang Lang? Did he look at the accounts? Did he cause any trouble?"

The other elders all focused their gazes on Gu Chen's face.

Gu Chen stopped and looked up:

"Blood Fierce".

Xue Lie's heart skipped a beat.

Something's not right with that tone...

"Those questions you just asked,"

Gu Chen narrowed his eyes and said slowly:

"Is this a questioning of the cult leader's decision, or an attempt to probe the cult leader's true intentions?"

Xue Lie was taken aback, then frowned:

"Sixth Brother, what are you saying? This isn't the time to talk about this! Tell me quickly, what exactly is Chu Yuan—"

"shut up!"

Gu Chen suddenly let out a sharp shout!

Everyone was stunned.

Xue Lie stared wide-eyed at Gu Chen in disbelief, as if he didn't recognize this old friend with whom he had worked for thousands of years.

Gu Chen's grip on his cane tightened slightly, but his face remained solemn, even carrying a hint of righteous indignation.

"Blood Fierce! Stop talking nonsense!"

"Our leader possesses keen insight and understands the past and present! Today's inspection of the treasury is precisely for the purpose of rectifying sect affairs and eliminating long-standing malpractices! This is a grand plan to revitalize our Xuantian Sect!"

His voice grew louder and louder, each word resounding:

"What are your intentions in making unfounded speculations and slandering the cult leader?!"

The hall was deathly silent.

Xue Lie's mouth was agape, and he couldn't close it for a long time.

He didn't quite catch on for a moment.

no……

What's going on?

Before Lao Liu went, wasn't he on the same page as me, saying he wanted to test Chu Yuan's strength and weakness?

Why did your attitude change so drastically after you came back?

"Ancient Dust!"

Xue Lie's face flushed crimson, a mixture of shock and rage on his face.

"Are you crazy?! What are you trying to pull?! Didn't we agree on something before—"

"What did we agree on?"

Gu Chen coldly interrupted him:

"Blood Fierce, I advise you to be careful with your words and actions. The Lord's divine might is unpredictable; how dare you or I speak of it so casually?"

"you--!"

Xue Lie was so angry that his finger trembled as he pointed at Gu Chen:

"Fine, fine! I think you've been scared out of your wits by Chu Yuan! What kind of bewitching potion did he give you? You can't even speak properly anymore?!"

He suddenly took a step forward, almost touching Gu Chen's face:

"If Chu Yuan truly possessed extraordinary cultivation, why would he bother with all this roundabout methods? He could just slap Wang Lang to death and eliminate us all in the process, wouldn't that be cleaner and more efficient? The effort he puts in, checking accounts and establishing rules, is that something a peak Tribulation Transcending cultivator would do?!"

These words were harsh and touched on the doubts of many people present.

Several elders glanced at Gu Chen with flickering eyes.

Gu Chen naturally couldn't understand why Chu Yuan would do this.

There are clearly easier ways.

But that doesn't stop him from confronting Xue Lie.

The leader has definitely undergone a major change!

Previous leaders could not see through their own cultivation level.

"Blood Fierce, Oh Blood Fierce!"

Gu Chen shook his head, his tone full of regret:

"You still don't understand."

Even if the leader hasn't stepped out of the fairy realm, he has definitely taken half a step!

You're just an elder in the early stages of the Tribulation Transcending Realm, why bother vying for that position?

The elders exchanged glances, each seeing a wavering in the other's eyes.

Gu Chen's change in attitude was too sudden and too thorough.

He would never have acted this way unless he had truly witnessed something and been completely terrified.

Is it...

Has the cult leader truly reached that legendary realm?

Were all their previous guesses just wishful thinking?

Xue Lie's face was ashen, and his chest heaved violently.

This was not the outcome he had anticipated.

Gu Chen shouldn't be like this!

"Ancient Dust,"

Xue Lie gritted his teeth and said, word by word:

I've taken your words to heart. I hope you won't regret them in the future.

Gu Chen merely glanced at him indifferently:

"Take care of yourself."

After uttering those four words, Gu Chen turned around, leaning on his cane, and walked step by step toward the door.

"What... what's going on?!"

The Fifth Elder looked completely bewildered.

"Could it be that Gu Chen... has he really been subdued by the sect leader?"

The Ninth Elder murmured.

"fart!"

Xue Lie whirled around and roared:

"Chu Yuan must have used some means to bewitch him!"

"But Gu Chen is only in the early stages of the Tribulation Transcending Realm."

An elder who had remained silent until now slowly spoke, his tone heavy:

"To be able to change his stance so quickly... the cult leader's methods are probably even more terrifying than we thought."

Yes, Gu Chen is in the early stage of the Tribulation Transcending Realm.

For him to make such a 180-degree change in attitude in such a short time...

What exactly did Chu Yuan do?

The Grand Elder calmly said:

"Since no one has anything else to say, the meeting is adjourned!"

At this moment, Gu Chen had already flown away from the Elder Hall, transforming into a streak of gray light and speeding towards his cave.

His expression remained calm, but his palms, which were gripping his cane, were slightly damp with sweat.

Back in the cave, activate the protective barrier to isolate the inside from the outside.

Gu Chen let out a long breath, a trace of lingering fear still lingering in his eyes.

That was too dangerous.

If I hadn't acted decisively and personally killed Wang Lang to show my stance, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape unscathed today.

"but……"

Gu Chen suddenly sat up straight, his brows furrowed.

He suddenly remembered something.

Wang Lang once gave him a sum of spirit stones, asking him to help remove a restriction.

Inside is a thousand-year-old spirit wood heart.

Gu Chen remembered that Wang Lang seemed to have sold this piece of spirit wood to the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect...

Could it be that the cult leader is looking for this Spirit Wood Heart?

If that's the case, the cult leader will definitely hold a grudge against me!

No, we have to get it back!