Pingyang Mountain.
"Deputy Alliance Leader, the Luo family has gone too far… You must stand up for me!"
Yao Hong, the master of Mount Jiaomei a chubby middle-aged man with a scruffy beard was now tearfully appealing to Xie Yushu, full of grief and indignation.
"That boy Xu Cheng merely spoke a few words criticizing the Luo clan's rampant behavior, and they claimed he was connected to the fugitive, then ambushed and killed him in the wilderness!"
"If not for someone nearby, hiding in the bushes relieving himself and seeing everything without being noticed, I'd still be in the dark, thinking he was eaten by a wild beast!"
Mount Jiaomei was one of the lower Thirty-Six Mountains, supported only by a small segment of a first-grade spiritual vein barely better than the non-ranked ones.
Yao Hong himself was merely at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, and his mountain only had a few scattered disciples. Losing someone like Xu Cheng was a real blow to them.
Under normal circumstances, Yao Hong wouldn't dare challenge the Luo family. But he was well aware of the growing friction between the alliance and several prominent family-backed sects. Over the past few days, he had seen with his own eyes just how overbearing the Luo family had become.
So he had come here not only to seek justice for Xu Cheng but also to hand a metaphorical dagger to Xie Yushu.
With a proper excuse, the alliance could justifiably suppress the Luo family.
And if this succeeded, Pingyang Mountain might even reward him afterward!
"Have a seat first," Xie Yushu said with a grim expression.
He helped Yao Hong sit and poured him a cup of tea.
Once the man had calmed down slightly, Xie Yushu asked,
"Is there any evidence?"
"He only witnessed it there's no hard proof…" Yao Hong shook his head, then added anxiously, "But the time and circumstances he described perfectly match Xu Cheng's disappearance!"
Xie Yushu lightly tapped the table with his slender fingers, frowning slightly.
"No proof means it's just his word… Where is this witness now?"
"He's a rogue cultivator. After selling me the information, he tried to leave, but I persuaded him to stay on the mountain for now," Yao Hong quickly replied.
"So long as he's still around, that will do. Today, I'll send someone with you to bring him here to Pingyang Mountain," Xie Yushu said with a nod.
"With no physical evidence, if you truly want justice, we'll have to use truth-seeking techniques to verify his story in public..."
"If his words prove true, then the Luo family will have broken the alliance's taboo against attacking fellow members. We will ensure those responsible pay the price."
"Thank you, Deputy Alliance Leader! I'm deeply grateful!" Yao Hong bowed again.
...
"Li Lang, the alliance has sent you a message."
Lan Xinyi handed over the command token with a gentle expression.
Now that the Lan family had little standing left, they were no longer taken seriously by the alliance. Outwardly, they still held a nominal position of honor, but everyone knew.
The true master of Changcui Mountain was Li Ye. Any official matters would be directed to him.
Li Ye accepted the token and infused it with spiritual energy, causing a stream of glowing text to appear in the air.
"Hmm, they want me to attend as a witness..."
His eyes scanned the message, and he recalled the recent rumors about a patrol killing a disciple from Mount Jiaomei.
"So that mountain lord went straight to Pingyang Mountain to file a complaint without holding back, huh?"
"Smart guy… He knows how things stand in the alliance right now and isn't afraid to hand Pingyang Mountain a blade to wield. He's confident they won't brush it off..."
Li Ye nodded thoughtfully. "Since that's the case, I might as well go and take a look myself."
....
The Next Day
As Li Ye's flying boat approached the boundaries of Pingyang Mountain, a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Brother Li!"
Turning his head, Li Ye saw the caller was none other than Qin Yao.
As the master of Anmu Mountain, it was only natural he had been invited to witness the proceedings.
"Brother Qin!" Li Ye slowed down and cupped his hands in greeting.
Qin Yao, upon seeing him, showed a hint of surprise in his eyes. He couldn't help but remark,
"It's only been a short while, but Brother Li, you're looking more impressive than ever!"
"Hahaha! I've just been keeping to the mountain and paying a bit more attention to health and cultivation, that's all..." Li Ye replied with a chuckle.
After a few casual words of small talk, Qin Yao suddenly shifted the topic.
"Brother Li, are you aware that today's matter may not be just about seeking justice for Mount Jiaomei?"
"Oh? What do you mean?" Li Ye responded with a curious "oh" and a raised eyebrow.
Qin Yao's expression turned serious. "Today's affair may very well be a battle of will between our two factions. If we succeed, it will deal a heavy blow to the Luo clan's arrogance and give our side a strong boost in morale."
"That's why we must be ready to step in and show our support at the right moment to build momentum and pressure."
"I see..." Li Ye nodded. "In that case, I'll play it by ear when the time comes."
His response pleased Qin Yao, whose tone became noticeably warmer and more familiar.
As they continued chatting along the way, they passed by several other cultivators from various mountains. Some met them with cold gazes, others with warm greetings making the factional divide perfectly obvious.
Before long, they arrived at Pingyang Mountain, where cultivators were already waiting to receive them and guide them along.
The mountain's summit was where Xu Pingyang cultivated in seclusion. The audience hall, however, was built halfway up the mountain.
By the time Li Ye and his companions arrived, the hall was already packed nearly seventy-two people were present.
Li Ye glanced around at the divided left and right sides of the hall. Expressionless, he followed Qin Yao to the side with fewer people and took a seat.
Almost instantly, he could feel several cold and hostile gazes falling upon him.
Looking back, he saw the Luo family's patriarch and a few others who had once tried to win him over with offers of alliance now staring at him with frosty contempt.
Li Ye paid them no mind and continued his lively conversation with Qin Yao and the others on their side.
Not long after, three figures emerged slowly from the rear hall, and the room fell into immediate silence.
At the front was Xu Pingyang himself. His Foundation Establishment cultivation aura was on full display nothing restrained. Though his appearance was that of an ordinary middle-aged man, the weight of his presence was overwhelming. No one dared meet his eyes.
Following behind him were Xie Yushu and Yao Hong, walking with respectful and careful steps.
Li Ye gave the man a single glance before slightly lowering his head, further calming and suppressing his internal energy and blood flow. He also cast a brief look at the Luo family patriarch, who now wore a face like someone whose mother had just died.
That man hadn't expected this "minor incident" between low-ranked disciples would draw the personal attention of Xu Pingyang himself.
Of course, Li Ye hadn't expected it either…
But the moment Xu Pingyang appeared, he realized: that Pingyang Mountain was truly planning to hit the Luo family hard this time.
Xu Pingyang walked straight to the front and took his seat, his gaze sweeping across the room and all the emotions written on the crowd's faces. Then he said calmly,
"This matter today will be overseen personally by me. Bring the witness forward."
Immediately, Luo Feibai and another late-stage cultivator unknown to Li Ye led a visibly nervous mid-stage rogue cultivator into the hall.
Xu Pingyang looked at the man and said,
"I will use a secret art to determine whether your words are true or false. Do not resist. Just speak clearly and truthfully about what you saw that day."
"With me here, no one will be able to harm you."
For Xu Pingyang to personally carry out the truth-seeking spell it was no trivial matter. This secret art either required the subject to completely open their mind and offer no resistance or for the caster to vastly overpower their will with a crushing mental force.
Under such conditions, the chance of deceit slipping through was virtually nil.
At that moment, the family heads whose people had been part of the patrol squad looked like they'd just been slapped in the face. Their expressions were hideously grim, yet they didn't dare say a word.
Honestly, just looking at their faces, Li Ye felt like asking the witness anything at all might already be redundant...
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