Chapter 492: A Dire Situation (First Update)

Hum—

Hum!!!

A shrill alarm sounded through every corner of the Sword Casting Pavilion, causing everyone to freeze.

"What is this sound?"

"An alarm?"

"The Sword Casting Pavilion has been invaded? You've got to be kidding me!?"

"Who on earth would dare break into the Sword Casting Pavilion at a time like this? Isn't that clearly showing them no respect?"

This is the most critical moment of the Immortal Sect Grand Competition, and the Sword Casting Pavilion has never once relaxed its guard; it would be no exaggeration to say the entire sect is locked down like an iron barrel.

But now, someone has actually chosen to stir up trouble at this very moment, and it seems they have actually succeeded!?

Where did such an expert come from?

Regarding the Sword Casting Pavilion's plight, apart from themselves, most others held a mentality of watching the show.

They were not panicked in the slightest; in fact, they were somewhat excited.

Look!

This is the leader of the righteous path in the Beiming Divine Continent, a super sect famous throughout the world!

To be slapped in the face so hard at a time like this, isn't that the biggest joke in the world?

Hahaha!

Truly interesting.

Numerous contestants from various sects and those who came to observe the ceremony looked with a tacit understanding at the livid disciples of the Sword Casting Pavilion.

Their eyes were full of mockery, and some even laughed out loud arrogantly, drawing angry glares from the Sword Casting Pavilion disciples.

But no matter how angry these disciples were, they could not take action against these people, because even they felt it was unbelievable.

What exactly happened?

Why was there not a single sign of this before!?

And just as the entire Sword Casting Pavilion was in a state of agitation, Gongye Dachang, as Sect Leader, spoke up.

"Quiet."

Gongye Dachang did not move; he remained standing where he was, his expression unchanged in the slightest, his calm voice reaching everyone's ears.

"It is merely a rat trying to take advantage of the situation to stir up trouble and steal this sect's treasures. You need not pay it any mind; this sect has its own people to handle it."

After explaining to the outsiders, he instructed the many uneasy disciples:

"All of you, continue as you were."

"With this old man and the various Elders here, it is not yet your turn as disciples to worry."

"Yes!!!" the disciples responded with cupped fists, their hearts feeling a sense of relief.

Come to think of it, there really was nothing to worry about.

With the Sect Leader here, where is the need for us to worry so much?

Seeing the scene calm down, the observers felt some regret, having not truly seen the Sword Casting Pavilion in chaos.

A pity.

But if they were to let things just pass like this, some people were not willing.

Among the observers, someone asked a question that was ostensibly out of concern but in reality did not hide their malice:

"Sect Leader Gongye, do you know who is responsible? To be able to pull off such an astonishing feat, I imagine it wouldn't be some Wuming nobody, right?"

Not everyone is on good terms with the Sword Casting Pavilion; having been established for so many years, they have far too many enemies, and there are plenty of people who want to see the Sword Casting Pavilion lose face.

Gongye Dachang glanced at him indifferently and said silently: "This matter does not require Sect Leader Xie's concern; this sect has its own arrangements."

Since that Sect Leader Xie had jumped out, he would not give up easily, and he laughed in a pestering manner.

"What is there to be inconvenient about? Could it be someone we all know? Hahaha! It wouldn't be some ancestor from someone's family acting foolishly for a moment, would it?"

"Sect Leader Gongye, please don't take offense! Tell me about the situation; please don't be afraid of hurting our harmony."

"That's right, hahaha, perhaps some of us really do know a clue."

As one person spoke, others followed suit, echoing each other, gradually pushing the situation in a direction unfavorable to the Sword Casting Pavilion.

You want to just brush this off so lightly?

Not a chance!

The more you want to handle it coldly, the more they want to expose the matter; the more explosive, the better!

"If the situation is truly critical, then Sect Leader Gongye should go and handle it quickly. If you let the thief escape, then the joke will be a big one."

"Not only will your Sword Casting Pavilion be mocked, but I fear even we will be ridiculed by people from other Divine Continents!"

They spoke as if it were a reasonable point, but everyone knew this was just farting—the kind that makes a sound but has no substance.

Leave?

Gongye Dachang sneered in his heart as he looked at their faces.

Heh.

He would like to leave, but can he really walk away now?

Impossible.

Gongye Dachang must hold the line here to force some petty people to suppress the thoughts in their hearts.

These old fellows observing the ceremony are all big shots from various sects and factions, and their strength is not insignificant; there are nearly twenty Heaven Realm experts in total.

If someone were to pull something big while he was distracted by the chaos, Gongye Dachang would truly go mad.

Furthermore, what is happening now is very strange.

With so many important places in the mountain gate, why did the thief have to go to the Cangbaoge?

Furthermore, he had triggered the mechanism upon leaving; since he had the strength to break in without a sound, why would he be careless at the final moment?

Was it an accidental lapse in vigilance? Or was it done on purpose?

These various signs made Gongye Dachang instinctively feel that there must be a greater conspiracy behind this.

Perhaps the person behind it was even intentionally luring him there.

If that were truly the case, then the situation would be far more critical than it was now.

However, as an Asking Dao powerhouse, Gongye Dachang had his own composure and would not be easily swayed.

Although his mind was filled with countless thoughts, the image he projected was always one of steadiness.

"Everyone, do not be anxious. It is not that this old man is hiding anything; the thief possesses a treasure that counters Heaven's secrets, making it impossible to ascertain their identity."

His completely unaffected attitude left the crowd, who were harboring their own ulterior motives, feeling uneasy; they began to feel uncertain about what had actually happened to the Sword Casting Hut, and whether it was truly just a minor matter as he claimed.

Gongye Dachang took in everyone's expressions at a glance, but without lashing out, he shook his head and said, "However, even so, this old man still managed to capture some of the thief's lingering aura."

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and a blurry phantom with an indistinct face appeared before him.

It was possible to tell that it was a woman wearing black robes, and she had a head of extremely conspicuous blood-red long hair.

Blood-red hair???

Ren Yidao, on the competition stage, narrowed his eyes the moment he saw the phantom, a flash of shock and suspicion passing through them.

"Red hair, black robes, holy crap! Wait a second..."

Feeling uneasy, he looked toward the area below the stage and discovered that the familiar figure was no longer beside Duan Hong.

Oh no!

"It couldn't really be Senior Sister, could it?"

This thought flashed through his mind for an instant, but Ren Yidao immediately dismissed it.

"No... it shouldn't be."

"It cannot be Senior Sister; she promised me she would not easily commit acts of slaughter."

Ren Yidao trusted Jing Yueqin and did not believe she would do something so irrational.

As her only private attending physician for so many years, Ren Yidao understood Jing Yueqin's physical condition better than anyone else, even better than she understood it herself.

He knew all too well how much Sin Karma and Demon nature remained in her body that had not yet been neutralized.

It wasn't seventy percent, not sixty percent, and not even half that Ren Yidao had told her; it was less than one-tenth of the original amount!

Less than one-tenth, approaching one-twentieth!

This was the result of Ren Yidao's efforts over so many years.

The result of neutralizing it with his own auspicious power and Merit Power.

It could be said that with just a little more effort, Jing Yueqin could completely return to normal.

After so many years of treatment, although she was still affected by her Demon nature, she would no longer enter a state of madness again.

However, Sin Karma was not the main cause of Jing Yueqin falling into Demon.

The true knot in her heart was that irresponsible master of hers who had gone missing!!!

As long as Jing Yueqin did not let go of this damn knot in her heart, and as long as she had not completely forgiven her past self, even if she were clean and had not a shred of Sin Karma, she would be unable to completely walk out of the state of a Demon cultivator.

The greatest possibility was that she might be normal at first, but one day fall back into that stubborn, narrow-minded state, and might even go off to slaughter someone's entire family...

To prevent further accidents, Ren Yidao had not cleared away the final bit of Sin Karma, all to maintain the current balance.

His main approach was micro-management, precisely controlling the variables.

Ren Yidao had left behind that bit of slaughter-related karma; it was not enough to affect Jing Yueqin's mind, but it did divert a portion of her energy.

This was to keep her in a carefree, lazy state where she did nothing but sleep all day, preventing her from letting her mind wander.

It could be said that in Ren Yidao's hands, that Sin Karma was basically equivalent to a special inhibitory drug...

The one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it.

There were only two ways to save her.

Either she forgave her own powerless past self and achieved a great awakening.

Or... she saw that old thing who had been missing for hundreds of years.

For this, Ren Yidao did not know how much effort he had expended.

He had even kidnapped Yaoyue, who was suspected to be his master's reincarnation, back from the Eastern Wasteland!

No, Ren Yidao had even chased from the Eastern Wasteland to overseas, risked entering the Demon Emperor City, and during that time, he did not know how much effort he had put in, only managing to trick her back with great difficulty.

Damn it, has it been easy for me, Huhu!?

And now, he was just about to see hope, only to be suddenly told that the patient had gone crazy and gone off to kill people again...

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible!

Furthermore, Ren Yidao had set many Restrictions on Jing Yueqin; if she had fallen into Demon again, it would be impossible for him not to have noticed.

After quickly removing Jing Yueqin from the danger list, Ren Yidao had no time to breathe a sigh of relief before he became tense again.

"However, even if it isn't her, the current situation is very unfavorable for her... truly very unfavorable!"

The current situation was terrible, simply as bad as it could possibly be.

Although Ren Yidao was certain that the thief was not Jing Yueqin, others did not know Senior Sister as well as he did.

From the reactions of the people below the stage, he could guess what they were thinking.

Jian Xinxin wore a suspicious look, Mei Buduan was blinking, Duan Hong's eyes were wide, and Li Long's brows were furrowed...

At most, these people only had thirty percent suspicion, thinking it might just be a resemblance.

But Mo Yushuang's suspicion was likely already over seventy percent!

The Gold Blade Blade Catcher was standing right below the stage, and he already knew Jing Yueqin's whereabouts, having even spoken to Ren Yidao about it beforehand.

Under these circumstances, would she want to eliminate the Demon and defend the Dao? Would she prove that decisiveness of hers that never shows mercy?

The situation is truly very dire...