Ma Tianyu hadn't expected the topic to shift to him. Facing the gazes of countless people, he pondered for a moment and said, "It's been too long, so I don't remember very clearly, but I vaguely recall that Brother Pang seemed a bit unhappy around that time... Oh! I remember now, it was because of Guan..."
He paused halfway through his sentence, then changed the subject, saying, "Well... it was Brother Pang who saw everyone going to the Sword Dao Tournament and felt sad about the difference between immortals and mortals, so I took him to the Misty Rain Pavilion!"
The real reason was that he was kicked out of Shuangfeng Courtyard by Nie Qingshuang and was far away from Guan Yingying, which made him feel melancholy... But Ma Tianyu didn't dare to tell anyone about this reason.
Upon receiving confirmation, Shen Yunhao smiled slightly, "In that case, the day he received the jade talisman should be the day when most cultivators in the city left for the Cangmang Mountains, which is... the day the second phase of the Cangxuan Secret Realm opened!"
Before, they might not have understood, but as soon as Shen Yunhao said this, everyone immediately realized.
That night, all participants had entered the Cangxuan Secret Realm... naturally including Shen Yunhao, who was disguised as a superhuman.
How could someone who is in a secret realm, isolated by the rules, appear on the streets of Wanren City and hand over the jade talisman to Pang Shun'an?
The timing doesn't match at all!
The smile of Daoist Qianhe froze for a moment, and a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.
This paradox of timing was not something they had anticipated.
The reason is quite simple...
At the time, they did not know Shen Yunhao's exact whereabouts. They could only speculate that when the second stage of the Sword Dao Tournament began, Shen Yunhao was most likely in the Cangmang Mountains. It just so happened that Pang Shunan came down the mountain at this time, so they directly led Huang Wenlong and Pang Shunan to clash, and took the opportunity to let "Zhu Dachang" show his face, laying the groundwork for the Soul Searching Technique in the future.
Unexpectedly, Shen Yunhao was able to deduce this subtle time difference so quickly, which was equivalent to directly finding an alibi.
Even so, Daoist Qianhe did not show any anger; instead, he gave a cold laugh.
So what if you have a little bit of cleverness?
Framing someone is just the prelude, but how can you deny what actually happened?
Sure enough, Huang Shunan, who was not far away, was furious when she heard this explanation.
"Even if the events within the city don't match up in time, wasn't it you who injured my sect's elder and severely wounded my son Wenlong outside Tanghuo City?"
Shen Yunhao nodded upon hearing this, "That's right, it's me!"
"Good! You admitted it yourself, the evidence is irrefutable! The power of the Demonic Vine ultimately came from you." Seeing Shen Yunhao admit it, Huang Shunan immediately escalated the situation, "Pavilion Master Ouyang, esteemed seniors! This boy possesses such evil power, he is definitely not a good person! Even if the disaster in Wanren City today was not his doing, he must be involved! I request that this fiend be arrested immediately and interrogated thoroughly, we will surely find out the truth about the Demonic Vine!"
Now, everyone's attention was once again focused on Shen Yunhao.
However, Ouyang Jingfeng did not rush to give the order, but stood still as if waiting for his explanation.
Instead, Nie Qingshuang's heart, which had just settled down, became anxious again. She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "You brat! Is that demonic vine really on you? How many things are you still hiding?"
Facing the scrutinizing gazes of the powerful figures in the air, Shen Yunhao remained calm and composed, and asked Huang Shunan in return, "Sect Leader Huang, I only admitted that I used vine techniques to protect myself outside Tanghuo City, but I have never personally admitted that I used... Dark Abyss Demon Vine?"
"Huh?" Huang Shunan was taken aback, then sneered repeatedly, "Hahaha! This is utterly ridiculous! Do you think the seniors here haven't seen this evil thing before? What, you want to say that it is..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Yunhao flipped his wrist, and a small, jet-black ball, about the size of a fist, appeared in his palm.
It was the very item that Mo Chengxuan had just delivered to Shen Yunhao.
Shen Yunhao gently raised his hand and injected a wisp of spiritual energy into the black sphere. Instantly, countless fine purple lines lit up on the surface of the sphere. The next moment—
Sizzle!
Dozens of lifelike, incredibly agile deep purple vines suddenly surged out of the small sphere, winding and dancing in the air, radiating intense energy fluctuations.
"The Demonic Vine! He's going to use the Demonic Vine!"
This sudden turn of events caused Huang Shunan's expression to change drastically. He thought that Shen Yunhao was desperate and trying to drag him down with him. He subconsciously took several steps back, his spiritual energy surging around him.
But after a pause, he realized that the bloodthirsty scene he had imagined did not occur.
Upon closer inspection, the purple vines in Shen Yunhao's hands, though lifelike in form and possessing considerable energy fluctuations, exuded an aura completely different from the demonic vines that had previously caused bloodshed!
The fragments of the demonic vine on the ground exuded a chilling, deathly, bloodthirsty, and eerie aura, as if they were about to devour everything; they were clearly Dark Abyss Demonic Vines.
Although the vine in Shen Yunhao's hand was also purple, its energy attribute was neutral and peaceful, and it even carried a fresh and spiritual feeling like a plant spirit!
"What... what is this?"
Shen Yunhao manipulated the small black sphere and said with a slow, deliberate smile, "Sect Leader Huang, are you looking closely? This is the wisteria I used to resist your sect's elders outside Tanghuo City. It was merely a magical artifact I obtained by chance. Although it is peculiar, it is a genuine righteous magical treasure. How could it be related to that bloodthirsty and evil Dark Abyss Demonic Vine? Could it be... that in Sect Leader Huang's eyes, all vine-like spells and magical artifacts in the world have become demonic vines?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, speechless as they stared at the graceful wisteria in Shen Yunhao's hand.
"That's pure sophistry!"
Daoist Qianhe's face darkened, and he could no longer maintain his sanctimonious demeanor. He shouted angrily, "What kind of coincidence is this! Just when the demonic vines were wreaking havoc, you possessed such a similar vine artifact? You're clearly just playing tricks!"
Faced with this, Nie Qingshuang didn't hold back at all and immediately retorted, "Old Daoist Qianhe! Getting desperate after your false accusations failed? Want to arrest someone? Produce solid evidence instead of making baseless guesses and engaging in sophistry!"
Daoist Qianhe snorted coldly, ignoring Nie Qingshuang, and turned his sinister gaze to Huang Shunan: "Sect Leader Huang! Was this the one that fought with your sect elder outside Tanghuo City? Why don't you have your sect elders come out and identify it!"
Nie Qingshuang pressed on, "Ha! You're clearly framing him here. You want his elders to testify? Wouldn't that mean whatever you say is true? You could turn white into black! What credibility can such testimony have?"
Tensions rose again between the two sides, and a quarrel was imminent.
Ouyang Jingfeng frowned. The matter seemed to have reached a stalemate again, lacking an authoritative and neutral eyewitness.
Just then, a clear and steady voice rang out from the crowd below, breaking the stalemate.
"Disciple Huo Qingfeng has something to report to the Pavilion Master!"
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