Chapter 257 I am the Taiyi Saint chosen by the power of the Earth's core
Upon seeing the dead Zhang Xiangyun, Kuang Chu laughed and said, "Ou Rushuang, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Let him say a few words; he might even be able to defend you."
Ignoring the arrogance of Kuang Chu, Ou Rushuang continued to stare intently at Zou Qian, wondering just how much this guy knew.
If Yin Ziwu was doing his job for money, and the information he knew was all voluntarily revealed by others, then Zou Qian remained silent, coldly observing everyone's private actions without saying or doing anything, making her completely unpredictable.
Since he didn't do anything before, why is he interfering now?
"So what if Zhang Xiangyun has a Golden Butterfly?" Ou Rushuang said indifferently, "It's common knowledge that my Azure Blood Golden Butterfly is playful."
“Ou Rushuang, let me give you a useful idea to exonerate yourself.” Kuang Chu slowly sheathed his sword. “You can say that all the Xuan Kui members on the island were brought here by your Jade Blood Golden Butterfly out of curiosity. How about it? Try and see who among us you can fool.”
He would engrave the word "fool" on the tombstone of the person who could be fooled.
Ou Rushuang did not give up trying to defend himself. He looked around and said, "The Misty Sea is not a forbidden area. Anyone can come in. What's so strange about Xuan Kui's people being able to enter the Mirage?"
"I came here today only because I sensed that the sea fish were showing signs of awakening; I know nothing about Xuan Kui's matter!"
Kuang Chu burst into laughter after hearing this, looking at Ou Rushuang as if she were a clown, while clapping his hands.
Wu Huaiwei sneered, "Ou Rushuang, if you were to be honest now, I might actually look at you with new respect."
Liang Zhen looked around, his gaze sweeping over the doors and windows shattered by the sword wind: "When we swept through the outer city to eliminate the Orchid Poison before, it was Dean Leng, Dean Ou, and Elder Chang who worked together. Now, there are so many Orchid Corpses hidden in the Mirage, as well as innocent people who have been captured to test the poison. The only ones who could do this are Elder Chang on the Mechanized Island, and Dean Leng and Dean Ou who are here."
"Why don't you two try to explain yourselves again?"
Leng Rouyin lowered her brows and looked coldly at Liang Zhen: "What else is there to say? Did I lock these people up here? The Misty Sea is a dream of sea fish, a technique of the farmers. It is obvious who colluded with Xuan Kui."
As she finished speaking, she turned to look at Ou Rushuang, a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Leng Rouyin looked down on people like Xuan Kui and never expected it to be Ou Rushuang.
Of the three agricultural sages of Taiyi Academy, Pei Daiqing and Shen Tianxue didn't care about anything and only cared about enjoying themselves, leaving the agricultural community entirely to Ou Rushuang's management.
This incident made Leng Rouyin have a very good impression of Ou Rushuang, and she often helped her out. Now, thinking about how she might have unintentionally helped Xuan Kui over the years, she couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted when she looked at Ou Rushuang.
After listening to Leng Rouyin's words, Liang Zhen sighed and said, "Dean Ou, with the evidence of the mirage and Dean Leng's testimony, it seems you have no way to defend yourself. You might as well just give up."
Ou Rushuang's temples bulged again: "Liang Zhen, were you involved in tonight's events as well?"
This guy is just like Zou Qian!
Liang Zhen kept his hands tucked into his sleeves. The hurricane on Red Island whipped his Taoist robe wildly. Despite being in the eye of the storm, he remained calm and composed.
"I just took a boat trip to the Fog Sea," he laughed.
At this moment, Jiang Shulan and Wei Xizhen came out from underground. Jiang Shulan looked at Ou Rushuang with a complicated expression. She shook her head and said to Ou Rushuang, "This matter cannot be forgiven."
Ou Rushuang knew what they had seen underground—the materials used to make Orchid Poison. If Jiang Shulan were to investigate further, she would definitely discover new third-generation Orchids.
"So what if you discovered Xuan Kui's stronghold for producing Orchid Poison in the mirage? I am a Taiyi Saint chosen by the power of the Earth's core. What can you do to me?"
Ou Rushuang sneered, "I merely allowed Xuan Kui's people to produce Orchid Poison in the Mirage."
"Do you know how many people in Taiyi will be harmed by this orchid poison?" Jiang Shulan's tone turned cold for the first time. "You condoned the circulation of orchid poison in the outer city of Taiyi, and even attacked the disciples of Taiyi Academy. Ou Rushuang, you are utterly unworthy of being a teacher!"
"Unworthy of being a teacher?" Ou Rushuang looked back coldly. "I gave those disciples who were stuck at a bottleneck in their cultivation and might have been stuck there for life a new opportunity to become stronger and go further. What wrong have I done?"
Wei Xizhen said, "Relying on the Orchid Poison to improve one's Light Core realm will eventually lead to the Orchid Poison devouring everything, turning one into a cripple. Is that what you call going further?"
"Everyone is limited by their talent, which determines their upper limit. No matter how hard they try later, they can only go so far!" Ou Rushuang suddenly shouted. "Orchid Poison can bridge the gap in talent between people and make this world more fair!"
Wei Xizhen's light-colored eyes remained calm, quietly reflecting Ou Rushuang's excited face.
He said coldly, "Is this the only excuse you can come up with to absolve yourself?"
Kuang Chu asked again, "So, did you break through your cultivation realm back then because you used Orchid Poison? Did you break through to become a Saint by using Orchid Poison, breaking through the limits of your talent, and then feel that the world was fair again?"
He laughed and said, "Ou Rushuang, Ou Rushuang, where is the fairness in this world? You say you use the Orchid Poison to catch up with those who have high talent, but do you think it's fair to those who are outdone by the Orchid Poison?"
Wu Huaiwei shook the star bell on her wrist, saying with little interest, "Dean Ou, stop acting. You insist on portraying yourself as a benevolent person who cares deeply about the future of others. Don't you even know if you deserve the title?"
Those bewitching eyes swept over Ou Rushuang, who stood amidst the ruins, and judged her, "You're just paving the way for your future self, who will be abandoned by the power of the Earth's core. Over the years, you must have accumulated a lot of wealth and power in Xuan Kui. Dean Ou, it seems you're not content with just being the dean of a mere academy."
In the end, Wu Huaiwei's gaze toward Ou Rushuang became intriguing.
Ou Rushuang's expression changed slightly. The feeling of having one's thoughts read was unpleasant and infuriating.
He suppressed his emotions and tried to calm himself down, keeping a close eye on the movements of the other saints.
Ou Rushuang was unwilling to argue any further, and the arrogance she had previously restrained was now fully unleashed.
Anger ignited in his eyes. Ou Rushuang stared directly at Wei Xizhen and Jiang Shulan, and said provocatively with a smile, "I'll say it again: with the power of the Earth's core, what can you do to me?"
The flames soared upwards with the wind, illuminating the man's arrogant face.
Amidst the silence of the crowd, Ou Rushuang regained her composure and said, "I can hand over everything and everyone in the mirage for you to do as you please, and you can also pretend you know nothing and continue to be the mute and blind as before. The Farmer's Clan only has three Saints, and that couple has always acted as they pleased, completely disregarding the lives of the academy's disciples. I have been in charge of the Farmer's Clan for many years, and they cannot do without me."
This means he wants to make a deal with Wei Xizhen and the others. If he hands over Xuan Kui's orchid poison and orchid corpse, Wei Xizhen and the others will no longer be able to attack him.
As soon as Ou Rushuang finished speaking, Wu Huaiwei was the first to burst out laughing.
Zou Qian scratched his neck and said, "I never said I had to kill you."
Kuang Chu snorted, "You know you've committed a capital offense, and you're feeling guilty about it?"
Yin Ziwu remained smiling, silently waiting for the group to reach a conclusion.
“Dean Ou, I must remind you that the immortality effect of the Earth's core power only works within the Taiyi range,” Liang Zhen said with a smile. “If you are outside the Taiyi range, you will not be protected by the Earth's core power.”
Ou Rushuang's expression changed instantly. In the blink of an eye, two military strategists were already in front of him. The blades gleamed brightly, blinding Ou Rushuang and instantly breaking through his protective aura. At the same time, huge golden butterfly wings bloomed in front of him, flapping to protect Ou Rushuang behind them.
The magic arrays appeared simultaneously in the sky and on the ground. Three thousand stars and the black and white Bagua enveloped Ou Rushuang, and a pillar of light rose from the ground, trapping Ou Rushuang firmly within it.
The wings of the Azure Blood Golden Butterfly were severed by two military strategists. Ou Rushuang's eyes turned bloodshot, but he couldn't care less about his anger and regret. He had to escape before these people succeeded!
Ou Rushuang made a hand seal, and suddenly a golden eye opened between his brows. Golden energy flowed from his mouth and nose, instantly transforming into a golden shell that enveloped his body.
The cicada that protects the farmers.
The cicada's wings, as thin as golden silk, trembled incessantly, blocking Leng Rouyin and Kuang Chu's sword energy from advancing another step, proving indestructible.
Under the cover of these two, Wei Xizhen easily approached Ou Rushuang's position, about three steps away, and made a hand seal.
Legalism's approach to power dynamics.
The cicada's trembling wings, which had been making a constant rustling sound, stopped. To Ou Rushuang's disbelief, its chest suddenly exploded, and a white flower burst from its chest, instantly turning into a bright red blood lotus after being drenched in blood.
“No…” Ou Ru’s eyes reflected Jiang Shulan standing behind her.
His divine soul core suddenly stopped operating, and a wisp of golden five elements energy disappeared from the depths of the core. In the deep sea, a wisp of golden energy shone brightly on the cold and dark seabed.
The power of the Earth's core transformed into countless withered lotus-colored vines that wrapped around Ou Rushuang's hands, feet, and neck. Thick vines, as thick as an adult's wrist, emerged from the black sand and gravel underground, binding Ou Rushuang tightly and preventing any harm.
Through the gaps in the vines, one could vaguely glimpse Ou Rushuang's bloodshot eyes, which remained fixed on the moment when he was pierced through the heart by the blood lotus.
"Oh?" Kuang Chu, who had just regained his footing after being knocked back by the shockwave from the broken golden butterfly wing, was attracted by the scene before him and raised an eyebrow, saying, "This is the first time I've seen the power of the earth's core take the initiative to attack."
Wu Huaiwei also instantly stepped forward to observe closely: "Is this its method of protecting the saints?"
Even Yin Ziwu and Old Zhu, who had been watching the spectacle, stepped forward.
Zou Qian didn't seem to care much. He was still scratching his neck, and said weakly, "Not dead?"
“He’s not dead,” Wei Xizhen replied. “He’s still breathing.”
Jiang Shulan stepped forward and placed her hand on the withered lotus-colored vine. After sensing it, she pondered and said, "It is repairing this body."
"Huh?" Kuang Chu turned to look at her. "Wasn't it you who just reached out to treat me?"
Jiang Shulan: "..."
Kuang Chu: "So all our fighting was for nothing? The power of the Earth's core brought Ou Rushuang back to life and even helped heal his injuries. Okay, this guy is right, there's really no way to deal with him in Taiyi."
Zou Qian lightly kicked the vines on the ground: "Can you move them?"
Kuang Chu slashed at it with his sword: "No."
Zou Qian turned and scolded Liang Zhen: "Why did you have to call him out at this time! Now look what's happened!"
Liang Zhen was speechless after being scolded by him, and felt somewhat innocent.
Wei Xizhen looked at Ou Rushuang, who was protected by the power of the earth's core, and seemed to be deep in thought.
“Since Ou Rushuang won’t die anytime soon, let’s leave two people here to guard him and wait for him to recover.” Leng Rouyin turned to look at the others and frowned. “Xuan Kui’s people haven’t been dealt with yet, and there are still Lan Shi’s problems in the outer city that haven’t been resolved.”
Liang Zhen said good-naturedly, "No problem, no problem, I'll stay and keep watch over Dean Ou."
Zou Qian said, "I will also stay and watch over Ou Rushuang."
Wu Huaiwei glanced at him sideways: "You're no good. Go find all the Lan corpses in the outer city first."
Zou Qian frowned.
Now it was Zhu Lao's turn to fish in troubled waters and use Xuan Kui's matter to suppress the fragments of the Floating Pagoda, so he said, "Why don't we interrogate the orchid corpse in the Mirage first? Perhaps we can find out who their accomplices are more quickly."
Zou Qian turned around and said, "I'll go ask."
Jiang Shulan then busied herself with rescuing people, and she sighed repeatedly as she looked at those who had been captured to test the poison.
Wei Xizhen looked calmly at Ou Rushuang, who was wrapped in a huge circle by withered lotus-colored vines.
Wu Huaiwei stood behind him for a while, then suddenly said, "You came back this time determined to try and kill a Saint, didn't you?"
Wei Xizhen moved her eyes and glanced at Wu Huaiwei behind her.
He did not answer.
Liang Zhen and Yin Ziwu stood with their backs to the two men at a distance, but secretly pricked up their ears.
Soon Wu Huaiwei asked again, "Did you kill Ou Rushuang to test the power of the Earth's core in order to obtain the Strange Fire?"
Wei Xizhen turned around to look at her and said calmly, "Yes."
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