After walking a certain distance, you will approach the inner perimeter, where the number of "Netherworld Fungi" will increase.
Someone in the crowd said, "There are more and more Netherworld Fungi here. It seems the source is getting closer."
Qi Zhiheng glanced at the person who spoke ill of him. This person was not from the Tianyuan Sect, but Qi Zhiheng guessed that it must be from a sect that was on good terms with the Tianyuan Sect.
His words, though seemingly unintentional, actually indicated that the "evidence" laid down by the Tianyuan Sect was nearing its end. When the false evidence was finally revealed, others would have the feeling that "this is indeed the place of origin."
The man also sensed Qi Zhiheng's gaze, and his facial muscles twitched for a moment; he didn't want to be targeted.
Qi Zhiheng only glanced at it casually before quickly looking away.
A group of people arrived at a crevice in the woods.
The crack is about two to three meters wide and eight or nine meters deep. The crack is covered with dense, dark fungi, which almost occupy the entire mountain wall of the crack.
Xu Yan raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop: "This is the origin of the Netherworld Fungus!"
Que Hanhai glanced around indifferently, then chuckled, "This is the place of origin? What proves it? Just because there are many Netherworld Fungi here?"
Xu Yan smiled and said, "Of course not. If there were no positive pole, how could I dare to conclude that this is the origin?" As he spoke, he raised his hands and clapped three times.
Then, some noise came from below the crack. Several people dressed in black escorted a woman whose upper body and hands were bound, and jumped up from below the crack.
These people dressed in black all covered their entire faces with masks to avoid being accidentally infected by this demonic energy.
Qi Zhiheng thought to himself when he saw these costumes, "Isn't this just the costume of a villain? In the storybook, they never survive more than one chapter."
The men in black threw the woman to the ground, then knelt down and said, "Greetings, Elder Xu!"
Xu Yan gestured for people to rise, then turned to face the crowd and said, "Fellow Daoists, this woman is the source of the Netherworld Fungus! There is a Netherworld Seed within her body, and Netherworld Fungus grows around the location of the Netherworld Seed! It is because of this woman that so many Netherworld Fungus have grown in the territory of the Slaughtering God Sect. As for this woman, it was only through a joint investigation by our Tianyuan Sect and the Divine Wood Sect that we found her here and captured her."
"May we examine it?" someone asked at this moment.
Xu Yan said, "Of course you can. You can explore it yourselves. However, it is best not to go too deep, lest you be infected by the demonic energy of the Netherworld Seed."
The man who had spoken earlier stepped forward first: "I, Chen, will investigate first." As he spoke, he probed the woman's body with his divine sense. After a while, he said solemnly, "I, Chen, can testify that there is indeed a Dark Netherworld Seed within this woman's body!"
The crowd below began to discuss this matter.
Que Hanhai watched the two of them, their expressions indifferent, as they went along with their act. Everyone knew that this person was allied with the Tianyuan Sect.
Then, one after another, people went to investigate the woman, and they all got the same result.
Xu Yan said, "Sect Leader Que, would you like to come and investigate in person?"
Que Hanhai said, "Then there's no need. I believe she does indeed have a Netherworld Seed within her."
"So, Sect Master Que admits that the Slaughtering God Sect secretly cultivated the Netherworld Fungus, putting the Southern Continent in a dangerous situation?" Xu Yan pressed on.
Que Hanhai asked, "Was this woman caught in this crack?"
Xu Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "Naturally, it was captured on the territory of your Slaughtering God Sect."
Que Hanhai laughed three times after hearing this: "What a ridiculous joke! You people from Tianyuan Sect and Shenmu Sect captured someone and brought them to the territory of Lushen Sect, and then you tell me that this is the evidence of our Lushen Sect's crimes? I would like to ask, where does your Tianyuan Sect get the right to enter and leave my Lushen Sect's territory at will? And how can you prove that this person was not brought from your Tianyuan Sect's territory?"
Xu Yan had anticipated this statement: "Of course we have evidence. Otherwise, how could we be so sure that the Netherworld Bacteria originated from the God-Slaying Sect? We interrogated this woman while she was conscious and got the whole story from her. If you all want evidence, I will wake her up now and have her recount what happened."
At the opportune moment, Chen Daoren spoke up, "Then we'll trouble Fellow Daoist Xu to see what the truth really is."
Xu Yan pointed his finger at the woman's body.
The woman, whose face was dark, slowly woke up and became very flustered when she saw so many people around her.
Xu Yan reassured her, "Don't worry, just tell the story, and the fellow Daoists here will help you get justice." As he spoke, he cut the ropes binding the woman, allowing her to move freely.
Upon seeing that Qi Zhiheng was beyond saving, the woman instinctively flinched away, pointing at him and saying, "It was him! He's the one who put those things inside me! He's the one who made me like this!"
After everyone stopped talking, their gazes, full of ambiguous meaning, all turned to Qi Zhiheng.
Qi Zhiheng was speechless! What was the meaning of such an ambiguous statement?! Shouldn't you at least come up with a legitimate reason when making a false accusation?
Qi Zhiheng had to defend himself: "Please show some respect. I have a Daoist partner. If you say that, what if others think I have an affair with you? After all, with your appearance, it would be difficult for even women to make a move, let alone men."
Everyone looked at the woman's face, which was covered in black spots, and obediently shut their mouths.
The woman's face twisted for a moment before she said, "That Netherworld Seed was indeed implanted into my body by this person! I was originally his disciple, but she later used the pretext of harming fellow disciples to abolish my cultivation and expel me from the sect! At first, I only felt wronged and had nowhere to seek justice! I never imagined that this was all her scheme!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Zhiheng subconsciously looked at the woman, his lips twitching: "You're Bai Yilian? Are you implying that I'm framing you? I still have the record stone from when you made the mistake! Don't say things without evidence."
Bai Yilian seemed completely unafraid of his threats and continued, "Later, I became a nuisance and lived in the city below the mountain gate. After a few days, someone came looking for me! Then, they planted the Netherworld Seed on my body and threw me into this place. I saw his face at that time. I have been in this place for about half a year."
As she spoke, she knelt down with a thud and kowtowed, pleading, "Please, senior, help me get justice!"
Xu Yan helped the man up, saying, "Don't worry, everyone here is a righteous person! They will definitely get justice for you!"
Xu Yan said, "I doubt that a Nascent Soul stage disciple could have accomplished this. Don't tell me that your Slaughtering God Sect wasn't behind this."
Qi Zhiheng said, "Didn't you say that women are the origin of the Netherworld Fungus? This Netherworld Fungus didn't just appear half a year ago; it appeared much earlier."
Xu Yan explained, "Yes, half a year ago was not the beginning of the origin, but the end of the origin! Let me explain. This Netherworld Seed will only spread outwards when it is unrestrained, and the speed of its spread will be slowed down when it is restrained. The Netherworld Seed originally developed freely in this place, and then you injected the Netherworld Seed into her body, which stopped the Netherworld Seed from spreading further."
"You mean? The Netherworld Fungus here appeared earlier than it did six months ago, and then its growth was stopped after it was injected into this woman's body?" Qi Zhiheng asked.
Xu Yan said confidently, "That's right. Moreover, I have already examined this female cultivator's body. Her physique is very special, making her a perfect vessel for the Black Nether Seed! I presume this was premeditated, a scheme to have her expelled from the sect for the crime of harming her fellow disciples! And then, without the knowledge of the others, the Nether Seed was injected into her body!"
Qi Zhiheng laughed and said, "You're really joking."
He took two steps forward and kicked one of the ghost fungi.
The crowd didn't quite understand what he meant, and they all looked at Qi Zhiheng and the ground beneath his feet.
Qi Zhiheng continued, "Some of the Netherworld Fungus here was planted only in the last few days, so the quantity is somewhat dense. But in reality, if you ignore the newly grown Netherworld Fungus, the number of mushrooms here is actually about the same as in other places." After examining the site, Qi Zhiheng concluded, "Therefore, saying that this is the origin of the Netherworld Fungus is simply nonsense. This place was merely a scene hastily set up in recent days by someone trying to create 'evidence' of the Slaughtering God Sect's crimes. It cannot be considered real evidence at all!"
"You say it grew in the last few days, so it grew in the last few days? What evidence do you have?" Xu Yuanzhou retorted.
Qi Zhiheng's lips curled into a sarcastic smile: "If I have a way to prove that this so-called evidence is forged, what will you do?"
"If you can prove it effectively, then I will willingly allow myself to be infected by the demonic energy within the Netherworld Fungus!" Xu Yuanzhou boasted, not believing at all that Qi Zhiheng could actually do it.
Qi Zhiheng said, "You all acted so aggressively, saying that the Netherworld Fungus was caused by our Slaughtering God Sect, and that you brought a woman here and said it was my doing. To be honest, it's not enough to just let you be tainted with demonic energy."
Xu Yuanzhou angrily said, "Don't push your luck!"
"Pushing your luck?" Qi Zhiheng seemed to be watching a joke: "You say I'm pushing my luck? I'd say you're slandering me! If I can prove that most of these Netherworld Fungi only grew in the last few days, it would prove that your claim about the Netherworld Fungi that were rampant half a year ago is false. That means you are slandering us, the God-Slaying Sect! No punishment is too much for those who slander our sect! Senior Xu Yan! If I can prove that most of these Netherworld Fungi only grew in the last few days, would you dare to swear an oath of inner demons that you will only ever be stuck at the Nascent Soul stage for the rest of your life!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
