Chapter 58
The agreed-upon October 10th has officially arrived.
At that time, below the Sun and Moon Platform, representatives from all the major sects had arrived, forming a vast, bustling crowd. Everyone chattered amongst themselves, occasionally glancing at Shen Lizhi, who was imprisoned in a cage above the Sun and Moon Platform.
She slumped to the ground, seemingly expressionless and devoid of emotion.
Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Of the four great immortal leaders, only Huangqi Palace, Kunlun Ruins, and Tianyan Sword Sect made an appearance. Wuxiang Temple was nowhere to be seen.
Although Wuxiang Temple is one of the four great immortal sects, it is shrouded in mystery and solitude, and people have almost forgotten about this major sect. Over time, it has become like a mysterious legend existing outside of the celestial realm and the mortal world. However, people seem to have forgotten one thing: no one has ever seen anyone from Wuxiang Temple, and no one knows its whereabouts.
In other words, the people of Wuxiang Temple can appear anywhere, anytime. And no one knows that they are from Wuxiang Temple.
They can have multiple identities, blending into the crowd without anyone knowing.
You never know if anyone around you is a member of the Wuxiang Temple.
Perhaps they are now standing below the Sun and Moon Terrace of Huangqi Palace, silently watching all of this.
At noon, the sun was high in the sky, directly facing the towering Sun and Moon Platform.
Below the Sun and Moon Platform, prominent figures from various immortal sects and dynasties had gathered, all eyeing the platform with predatory intent, each harboring their own thoughts.
Xie Wenhe and Yun Yan stood beside Chu Xianyue.
The three of them stared fixedly upwards.
"Xie Wen" asked, "Ah Wen, will she be alright?"
Yun Yan said, "You'd better keep your voice down. If you really don't want to hurt her, then you'd better watch your words and actions and not give yourself away. That would be really hurting your senior sister. Don't let her use forbidden magic to transform into your appearance and take the test for you go to waste."
Just last night, Xie Wen used teleportation to switch places with Shen Lizhi. The person in the cage now is Xie Wen.
She then used forbidden magic to transform into the appearance of Shen Lizhi. But Chu Xianyue waved his hand, and Shen Lizhi transformed into the appearance of Xie Wen.
Watching Chu Xianyue's fluid movements, Yun Yan saw that Chu Xianyue seemed to be following Xie Wen's instructions perfectly without any doubt. Yun Yan trusted his master's steady and reliable approach, but still couldn't help but ask, "Master, is this really necessary?"
Chu Xianyue glanced at Xie Wen in the cage again. Xie Wen gave Chu Xianyue a look, and Chu Xianyue said, "Since it's already decided, let's do it this way."
There's no other way now. Regardless of whether Shen Lizhi is truly a member of the Feather Clan, we absolutely cannot allow her to go up there and have her identity verified.
However, they couldn't just take Shen Lizhi away like that. Shen Lizhi was now the target of everyone's attention, with countless eyes watching. If she were abducted so easily, everyone would suspect the Sword Sect, and wouldn't the Sword Sect's actions be tantamount to acknowledging Shen Lizhi's identity?
Not only will it fail to save Shen Lizhi, it will also drag the Sword Sect down with it.
At that time, there will be no need to verify Shen Li's identity; she will naturally be attacked by the masses.
The Sword Sect will once again become a place of suffering and hardship.
The best solution is this: Xie Wen will impersonate Shen Lizhi and pass the Blood Nether Cauldron's test. All that's needed is to prove Shen Lizhi isn't a member of the Feather Clan. Everything will then fall into place.
So even at such a great risk, Xie Wen was determined to give it a try.
At worst, it could be that the people of the dynasty tampered with the Blood Nether Cauldron. If they really did something wrong, we'll expose them on the spot.
"Yun Yan!" Chu Xianyue's rebuke brought Yun Yan back to her senses.
Yun Yan automatically shut her mouth and quietly waited for the person on the stage to verify her identity.
The Blood Nether Cauldron is a magical artifact created in ancient times along with the Feathered People. Originally belonging to the Feathered People, it was handed over to the Dynasty for safekeeping after the Feathered People were imprisoned in the Boundless Sea.
Later, it was used to distinguish the winged people.
If you drip blood onto the Blood Nether Cauldron, and the person is indeed a member of the Feather Clan, the artifact will emit a beam of light that shoots into the sky; otherwise, there will be no reaction.
"Xie Wen," someone in the crowd called out.
The three immediately turned around and saw a young man standing with his sword in his hand, his head slightly raised, accompanied by several followers.
He is Li Jingyuan, the young city lord of Jianshui City.
Xie Wen had only met him once, yet he called her by name the moment he arrived. It was quite strange. Besides, the person standing in front of him wasn't Xie Wen; how could Shen Lizhi possibly recognize him?
Although he was extremely nervous and afraid that the boy would discover his secret, Xie Wen simply turned his head slowly and glanced at Li Jingyuan indifferently.
Fortunately, Yun Yan and Chu Xianyue were right next to her, so she didn't need to say anything. With them there, they would cover for her.
Yun Yan stepped forward and blocked "Xie Wen," saying, "Heh, who is this? My master is still here. Why are you calling me 'senior sister' right away? That's a bit against the rules."
Chu Xianyue turned around and glanced at Li Jingyuan indifferently. Although Li Jingyuan was very unhappy with Yun Yan's words, for some reason, he felt a sense of pressure when Chu Xianyue glanced at him like that. This pressure came from the natural oppression of an elder, making Li Jingyuan momentarily hallucinate his father.
Only then did he reluctantly call out, "Immortal Venerable Qingheng."
Chu Xianyue did not respond, and Shen Lizhi, adhering to the principle that the more she said, the more mistakes she would make, was too lazy to pay attention to Li Jingyuan. She didn't even give him a second glance.
Li Jingyuan originally wanted to call Xie Wen again, but gave up because Chu Xianyue was there.
At this moment, the time had come. Everyone on the Sun and Moon Platform looked up at the Blood Nether Cauldron, and the cultivators on it forced the person in the cage out.
The cultivator activated the Blood Nether Cauldron. Under the dazzling sunlight, the Blood Nether Cauldron emitted a faint green light, like a cluster of will-o'-the-wisps in the daytime. "Chen Lizhi" was being held down, and a cut was made in her palm by the sword. Blood beads flowed out along the cut and finally dripped onto the crystal-clear Blood Nether Cauldron, which was as smooth as jade, under the expectant gazes of everyone.
"Chen Lizhi" stared intently at the Blood Nether Cauldron, while countless eyes below the stage seemed to strain to see sparks fly from the magical artifact. The air on the Sun and Moon Platform seemed to freeze, stagnating for a few seconds.
One second, two seconds, no response.
Yun Yan and Xie Wen below the stage breathed a slight sigh of relief. Then, the crimson spiritual light that shot into the sky from the Sun and Moon Platform made everyone's pupils tremble and their breath catch in their throats.
This soaring ray of light shone into everyone's eyes. But it was like a needle, piercing deeply into Chu Xianyue's heart. His fingers curled slightly, and he looked up at her on the Sun and Moon Platform again.
However, the next moment, what appeared in Chu Xianyue's pupils was Xie Wen's face.
Chu Xianyue's pupils suddenly shrank! The crimson light dissipated, and what appeared behind it was Xie Wen's face!
Even though Chu Xianyue flew up at a great speed, it couldn't match the gazes of everyone who looked over.
The crowd erupted in commotion. "It's her! What's going on? There's a different person on stage!"
"That's... Xie Wen!"
"She's Qingheng Immortal Venerable's eldest disciple! And she's also a member of the Feather Clan?"
"No matter who they are, if they are a member of the Feather Clan, kill them without exception!"
"What exactly is going on?"
"A transformation spell? Xie Wen transforms into Shen Lizhi's appearance and then takes the test in Shen Lizhi's place? Is this how the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect, the leader of the Immortal Capital, behaves?"
"Is this the point? The point is that the Blood Nether Cauldron has lit up, she's a Feather Clan member! Xie Wen is a Feather Clan member!" This voice resounded through the sky, reaching everyone's ears. Everyone seemed to be instantly awakened by these words, and they all began to draw their swords at Xie Wen.
"The Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect is harboring a scourge!"
"Don't let that winged race person get away!"
Rumors and gossip swirled below the stage, creating a restless atmosphere. Yun Yan and Shen Lizhi immediately pushed through the crowd and rushed onto the Sun and Moon Platform. Li Jingyuan, seeing this scene, froze for a few seconds, muttering, "What, what, is going on?"
Chu Xianyue had already flown to the Sun and Moon Platform, blocking Xie Wen's view and shielding her from the frightening gazes from the platform. Xie Wen quickly realized something was wrong. However, if the Blood Nether Cauldron were reacting, the people below the platform wouldn't be so agitated and frantic.
Xie Wen looked at Chu Xianyue, who nodded and comforted him, "It's alright, I'm here."
Sure enough, she saw her own reflection in his eyes. She saw Xie Wen's face, no longer that of Shen Lizhi.
They never imagined that the Blood Nether Cauldron could not only verify whether someone was a member of the Feathered Clan, but also reveal their true appearance. They had miscalculated.
However, Xie Wen didn't believe it. They couldn't possibly have tampered with the Blood Nether Cauldron to that extent.
Xie Wen gave Chu Xianyue a look, then broke free from the restraints of the cultivators beside her and grabbed someone at random. Xie Wen stood on the high Sun and Moon Platform, her figure backlit, her hair floating and sinking in the light.
Xie Wen loudly proclaimed to everyone below the stage, "The Blood Cauldron of the Sun and Moon Platform has been tampered with. No matter whose blood it is, a beam of light will shoot into the sky whenever it is dripped on it."
As he spoke, Xie Wen slashed the cultivator's arm with his longsword, blood splattering onto the Blood Nether Cauldron. The cultivator let out a cry of terror, and then, a few seconds passed.
The Blood Nether Cauldron did not react at all.
Yun Yan and Shen Lizhi were about to climb onto the Sun and Moon Platform when they saw this scene and couldn't help but stop and watch, waiting. They were even more nervous than Xie Wen, their hearts pounding more and more violently with each passing second, as if they were about to jump out of their chests. But they still didn't see the Blood Nether Cauldron's sky-piercing crimson light illuminate the scene.
How could this be? How could this be!
Xie Wen wanted to grab another person to test, but Chu Xianyue pulled her away, saying, "Don't try it."
Xie Wen looked at Chu Xianyue, whose expression now showed a slight crack, a crack that slowly spread to his chest and meandered deep into his heart. He was more desperate than Xie Wen.
In his shattered gaze, she slowly realized that she had been pushed onto a dead end. A path with no chance of survival.
The crowd below the stage shouted, "Execute the Feather Clan demoness immediately!"
"There is no time to lose; she must be executed immediately! Otherwise, humanity will face annihilation because of her!"
"Oh no! They look like they're trying to escape!"
"Chu Xianyue is guilty of favoritism and corruption! Arrest them!"
As the crowd chanted their vow to "execute the demoness," they surged onto the Sun and Moon Platform, swearing to capture and execute Xie Wen, rid the people of this scourge, and safeguard peace in the world!
Li Jingyuan, still reeling from the shock, could only watch as countless people swept past him like a flood, while he stood rooted to the spot, like a stone.
The attendant called Li Jingyuan a few times before he came to his senses. He stared blankly at the high platform where Xie Wen was being taken away by the man in blue.
Yun Yan and Shen Lizhi stood rooted to the spot, swept up by the torrent, watching helplessly as Chu Xianyue led Xie Wen away and disappeared from sight. All the anger was now directed at Xie Wen and Chu Xianyue; no one cared about Shen Lizhi anymore.
No one cared about Shen Lizhi anymore. Everyone had a reason to vent their anger on the Tianyan Sword Sect, and this reason was even more convincing than Shen Lizhi.
Now, Chu Xianyue, in full view of everyone, abused his power and took Xie Wen away.
This time, it's not just a simple matter of taking out one's anger on the entire Tianyan Sword Sect. Chu Xianyue is also inextricably linked to all of this.
From the moment he took that step with Xie Wen, he should have known that he could never go back.
Chu Xianyue knew he wouldn't regret it.
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