NOVEL NEXT Chapter 438 - 438: Shooting oneself in the foot
Chapter 438: Chapter 438: Shooting oneself in the foot
Elder Jin’s face was pale. Facing Han Yinyue’s question, he still maintained his composure, “I don’t believe that Gu Daofeng and Hidden Kill Hall are connected – this is absolutely impossible.”
He didn’t say whether he was aware of it. Instead, he said he didn’t believe they had any connection. In this way, even if Gu Daofeng was indeed connected with Hidden Kill Hall, he could wash his hands of it, feigning ignorance.
Han Yinyue stared at Elder Jin, mentally noting that he was indeed a cunning fox, not showing a shred of vulnerability.
“The collusion between Gu Daofeng and Hidden Kill Hall is indeed true, with conclusive evidence. As for his death, it is related to him collaborating with Hidden Kill Hall. In the end, he brought it upon himself, playing with fire,” Han Yinyue said.
At her words, Elder Jin felt an ominous chill. Was this an attitude of wanting to let the matter slide? How could that work? He had gone to great lengths to frame Fang Lin, even severely injuring Zhao Dengming. How could all of this be glossed over so easily?
“If Miss truly has evidence, why not present it for all to see? We cannot tarnish Gu Daofeng’s innocence based solely on Miss’s words. Even though he has passed, I, as his master, am still here,” Elder Jin said with righteous indignation.
Han Yinyue looked at Elder Jin and asked, “Does Elder Jin really want to see the evidence?”
Elder Jin noticed Han Yinyue’s expression and felt an inexplicable panic in his heart. However, having reached this point, he could only adamantly reply, “Yes, only then can it be proven that Gu Daofeng was indeed associated with Hidden Kill Hall.”
Han Yinyue nodded and with a pat on the Nine Palace Bag, a Message Transmitting Jade Slip appeared in her hand.
“This is a Message Transmitting Jade Slip found on Gu Daofeng, which contains his imprint and another unknown imprint. We are not sure whose it belongs to, but we’ll likely know everything once we make contact,” Han Yinyue said as she lifted the Jade Slip for everyone to see.
Elder Jin felt chills running down his body, as though he was falling into an ice cellar. He had never expected the Message Transmitting Jade Slip, a proof of Gu Daofeng’s communication with Hidden Kill Hall, to fall into the hands of the Han family. This was damning evidence that could not be refuted.
“Elder Jin, would you like to try and see who Gu Daofeng was communicating with using this Jade Slip?” Han Yinyue asked, her tone mocking.
This left Elder Jin in a difficult position. He had just declared with certainty that Gu Daofeng had nothing to do with Hidden Kill Hall, yet now Han Yinyue had presented conclusive evidence. He was left with no way to save face.
Moreover, now that Han Yinyue had produced evidence of Gu Daofeng’s association with Hidden Kill Hall, his plan to frame Fang Lin became completely meaningless. No one would pursue the death of a person who had conspired with Hidden Kill Hall.
“Why is Elder Jin not saying anything? Could it be that you still have doubts?” asked Han Yinyue.
At this moment, Elder Jin’s face was so unsightly it seemed as if he had swallowed a dead rat. He was so flustered that he couldn’t speak a word.
In the end, all Elder Jin could say was, “If Gu Daofeng was truly associated with Hidden Kill Hall, then he did indeed bring all this upon himself. I will not vouch for him anymore.”
After speaking, Elder Jin sat down, his face sullen, not uttering another word.
Han Yinyue slightly smiled and put the Jade Slip back into the bag.
The others also cast side glances at Elder Jin. His face flushed red, and he wished he could hide in embarrassment. This was utterly humiliating.
“Haha, someone’s attempt at scheming has backfired. Such a pity,” Elder Hu teased, almost making Elder Jin choke on his own anger.
A conspiracy initiated by Elder Jin against Fang Lin was completely dispelled with Han Yinyue’s evidence. They didn’t even need Lin Fang’s intervention to peacefully resolve the issue.
When Fang Lin learnt about the incident that had happened at the Purple Mist Great Hall, he was momentarily stunned. But soon he brushed it off. Elder Jin was merely a clown, not capable of stirring up any significant trouble over a dead Gu Daofeng.
Upon returning to the Pill Sect, Fang Lin was greeted by numerous familiar faces. Xu Shangao and Wu Mengsheng had made names for themselves among the disciples, no longer as obscure as before.
Lu Xiaoqing, Fang Lin’s only friend during his Pill Apprentice days, had also officially become a disciple. Even though she was still a lower-ranked disciple, her talent in the Alchemy Tao was not weak, so she held a promising future.
As for the former Four Elites of the Pill Sect, Ding Xuanji had fallen out of favor. Although he was still one of the Four Elites on paper, in reality, he was already disqualified.
Meng Chaoyang had undoubtedly become the most outstanding among the Four Elites. Yu Qiufan was also not content with the status quo and kept competing with Meng Chaoyang.
On the other hand, Ouyang Jing had almost completely separated from the Pill Sect and was focusing on his development in the Pill Alliance.
After Yan Zhengfeng temporarily assumed the position of the Sect Leader, he also sent people to talk to Ouyang Jing. He informed him of Gu Daofeng’s death and hoped that Ouyang Jing could return to the Pill Sect.
Ouyang Jing did not immediately express his stance. He had gone through too much in the Pill Sect and needed to observe for a while to see if it had really changed.
Indeed, under Yan Zhengfeng’s reforms, the Pill Sect could be described as renewed. Any matter was handled methodically, and all the misdeeds Gu Daofeng had committed were exposed.
Once these misdeeds were revealed, Gu Daofeng’s reputation was irrevocably tarnished. Only then did people learn about all the terrible things he had done.
Initially, Elder Jin had wanted to use Gu Daofeng’s death to draught some plans, but seeing Gu Daofeng’s death bring about applause and relief from everyone, he gave up on these ideas.
At this moment, with the spotlight on him, if he, as Gu Daofeng’s master, were to cause any trouble, he would probably become a target of public criticism.
···
For Fang Lin, the most important thing now was to enhance his strength. After all, the tri-nation competition was drawing near. Even as a substitute, Fang Lin had to be prepared to participate.
What’s more, Fang Lin was now attempting to reach the realm of the Earth Element’s tenth level, which required constant cultivation and improvement.
The only way for him to improve his strength now was to continue cultivating the Nine Cauldron Skypassing Spell.
At the moment, Fang Lin had ample time. He intended to consume a Pill Furnace to improve the level of the Nine Cauldron Skypassing Spell.
Fang Lin possessed numerous Pill Furnaces. However, he didn’t plan to consume the 81 Pill Furnaces he acquired from Pill Pole Tower just yet. These 81 Pill Furnaces allowed him to exhibit a formidable divine power, so he could not touch them.
As for the other Pill Furnaces, the Fire Burning Furnace held the body of the Demon Saint. Both the Extreme Sea Tripod and the Shenlong Cauldron were options.
As for the Nine Treasure Luminous Cauldron, Fang Lin would not consume it. It would be a huge waste to do so as it was an excellent Pill Furnace.
After some thought, Fang Lin decided to consume the Extreme Sea Tripod and keep the Shenlong Cauldron.
PS: Recommending a novel “Heavenly Bead God Emperor.”