9: Chapter 9 Turning the tables? Perfect opportunity to extort your medical expenses!

A massive and pure Divine Sense instantly flooded into the bodies of the two!

Shen Xiao only felt a cold, blade-like force of Divine Sense stabbing down along the top of his head, ruthlessly sweeping through his limbs and bones, attempting to pry into every corner of his Meridians and Dantian.

If it were during his peak, he might have been able to rely on his control over his body to barely conceal a thing or two.

But now, having continuously achieved Breakthroughs, his Qi was unstable, and he simply could not withstand such a rough probe from a Nascent Soul Stage Elder.

Dammit, this is going to be bad!

This old thing is serious!

Once he discovers that not only is he not injured, but his condition is surprisingly good, then his passionate speech just now will become the biggest joke!

In his desperation, Shen Xiao's thoughts roared crazily in his Sea of Consciousness.

"System! Is there any way to fake an injury? Immediately!"

[Ding! Host's life-or-death crisis detected, emergency plan initiated!]

[Plan generated: Cognitive Masking. Consuming 1 point of destiny value, the millennium cold marrow Qi inside the host can be temporarily disguised as backlash-induced cold poison under the Divine Sense probe of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, lasting for a quarter of an hour.]

"Redeem!"

Without the slightest hesitation.

[Command confirmed! destiny value -1, Cognitive Masking initiated!]

Just as Elder Sun's overbearing Divine Sense was about to touch the core of Shen Xiao's Dantian, the Qi inside Shen Xiao's body suddenly changed.

That originally pure and majestic ice-blue energy seemed to have been splashed with a layer of thick ink, instantly becoming gloomy, violent, and filled with an aura of erosion and destruction.

"Pfft—!"

Shen Xiao bent over violently, as if his internal organs were being tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand.

He coughed violently, his throat tasted sweet, and a mouthful of hot blood sprayed out.

That blood landed on the cold stone bricks, but instead of spreading like ordinary blood, it hissed and instantly condensed into black ice crystals, emitting a chilling cold aura.

At the same time, the skin exposed on his body condensed a horrifying layer of white frost at a speed visible to the naked eye.

His aura withered at an alarming rate, as if his life force was being rapidly devoured by the extreme cold within his body.

The eyes that had appeared radiant due to the Breakthrough instantly dimmed, becoming like a flickering candle in the wind.

"Hmm?"

Elder Sun, who was about to probe deeper, suddenly sensed this sudden change within his Divine Sense, as if he had touched a red-hot iron, and subconsciously withdrew his Divine Sense.

His outstretched hand was still pressed on the top of Shen Xiao's head, but he could clearly feel that the life force of the young man under his palm was rapidly fading.

The "cold poison" aura surging back from Shen Xiao's body was cold and vicious; even he, a Nascent Soul Cultivator, felt a palpitation.

This... this doesn't look faked!

This kind of decay at the level of life Origin is simply not something a Foundation Establishment Stage junior could fake!

For the first time, shock appeared on Elder Sun's face, which had originally been filled with Evil Qi.

He immediately released his hand and took half a step back, his sharp gaze locked tightly onto the puddle of black ice crystals on the ground, his brows knitted into a knot.

Shen Xiao used his actions to replace all words, and in a single instant, he transformed himself from the biggest suspect of being the "murderer" into a "victim" on the verge of death.

"Elder..." He leaned against the wall, breathing with difficulty. With every word he spoke, visible white cold mist sprayed from his mouth and nose, "My words... are true... If there is half a lie... let the heavens... strike me down..."

After speaking, his head tilted to the side, as if he had exhausted even the strength to speak, and he completely "passed out."

Xia Lengbai watched this scene, completely dumbfounded.

The man who was competing with her in acting skills and trading barbs just a second ago, why was he really dying the next second?

That thick Death Qi made her instinctively feel a sense of panic.

Elder Sun's expression was uncertain. He glanced at the "unconscious" Shen Xiao, then at Xia Lengbai, who was kneeling on the ground and also looking stunned, and finally snorted coldly.

"Someone! Bring these two back to the Discipline Hall, and let the Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong, preside over the trial personally! Also, quickly invite a Disciple from the Pill Hall to keep Shen Xiao alive, don't let him die!"

He had already realized that this matter was far more complex than he had imagined.

Before the truth came to light, Shen Xiao, the most important party involved, must absolutely not die.

Discipline Hall.

The atmosphere was solemn and grave, with a faint scent of sandalwood drifting in the air, but it could not suppress the cold that seeped into the bones.

On both sides of the hall stood several law-enforcement Disciples in black robes with deep auras, their gazes like knives, devoid of any emotion.

Sitting high in the hall was none other than the Head of Discipline Hall, Zhou Tong.

He had a rigid face and rarely smiled. His Nascent Soul Late Stage pressure was restrained, yet like a silent volcano, it made the atmosphere of the entire hall oppressive to the extreme.

And on one side of the hall, a figure had long been waiting here.

It was Lin Yun.

He was dressed in white, handsome and dashing, but at this moment, there was an undisguisable irritation and resentment on that handsome face.

When he saw two law-enforcement Disciples carry in the nearly unconscious Shen Xiao and throw him onto a chair, a flash of uncontrollable pleasure flickered deep in his eyes.

Good riddance! That's how it should be!

He immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Zhou Tong on the hall.

"Head of Discipline Hall!" His voice was loud and full of righteousness, "The witness is here! This Disciple can testify that Shen Xiao has always had a crooked heart. In the North Sea Ice Abyss, he repeatedly disobeyed orders and acted without authorization! Now, he has even murdered a fellow Disciple for the sake of grabbing a treasure. His crimes are heinous! I request that the Head of Discipline Hall immediately imprison him in the heavenly dungeon to uphold the Sect rules!"

He tried to seize the initiative, using Xia Lengbai's reputation as the "Ice Soul Fairy" in the Sect and Shen Xiao's well-known status as "cannon fodder" to quickly define this matter.

As long as Shen Xiao was locked in the heavenly dungeon, whether he lived or died would be up to his word, wouldn't it?

However, Zhou Tong didn't even lift his eyelids, as if he hadn't heard his words at all.

His hawk-like sharp gaze swept over the two people below the hall.

One was the tearful and dazed Xia Lengbai, and the other was the dying Shen Xiao, who seemed like he could stop breathing at any moment.

"Pill Hall Disciple, come forward to examine the injuries." Zhou Tong's voice carried not a ripple of emotion.

A green-robed Disciple who had been waiting on the side immediately stepped forward, placed his fingers on Shen Xiao's wrist, and passed a wisp of gentle Qi into him. A moment later, he stood up with a heavy expression and reported:

"Reporting to the Head of Discipline Hall, Senior Brother Shen... his injuries are extremely severe. A strange cold poison has invaded his heart Meridians, half of his Meridians are destroyed, and his Dantian also shows signs of rupture. At this moment, he is only holding on by a single breath, he is... at the end of his rope."

As soon as these words were spoken, the pleasure on Lin Yun's face instantly froze.

So badly injured?

How is that possible?

That millennium cold marrow was clearly a supreme treasure, how could he be poisoned?

Zhou Tong nodded, only then turning his gaze to Shen Xiao, who was leaning on the chair. His voice was low like a twilight drum:

"Fairy Xia accuses you of ambushing a fellow Disciple, killing them, and seizing the treasure. What is your explanation?"

Shen Xiao slowly opened his eyes, his lips cracked, and his voice was so weak that it seemed like it could dissipate in the wind at any moment.

"Cough cough... Explanation?" He smiled self-deprecatingly, "I just want to ask... has anyone seen it?"

He did not rush to defend himself, but first aimed the spearhead at the evidence itself.

"We... in the depths of the Ice Abyss, encountered the Yao Beast guarding the millennium cold marrow—the 'Ice Soul Demon Spider'." His voice was very soft, but clear enough for everyone in the hall to hear, "Senior Brother Mo... in order to cover us, was pierced through the body by the spider's poisonous fangs... and died in battle."

"That millennium cold marrow is not some Heaven And Earth Treasure at all, but an evil object guarded by that Demon Spider! In the chaos, that evil object invaded my body... I used my last bit of strength to barely suppress it, and also... also incidentally saved Junior Sister Xia, who had been stunned by the spider venom..."

Speaking of this, he used all his strength to cast his gaze at the woman who was still kneeling on the ground, looking dazed.

"Junior Sister..." He asked, "Before you fainted... was the last scene you saw really me... ambushing you?"

"...Or, was it the Ice Soul Demon Spider's sky-blocking giant jaws?"

This question was like a great bell, fiercely striking deep into Xia Lengbai's Sea of Consciousness!

Ice Soul Demon Spider?

Her mind was a blank slate.

After her memory and destiny value were plundered, her cognition appeared to have a huge gap.

She only vaguely remembered that in that vast white Ice Cave, a dazzling blue light exploded, intense pain came, and then... then it was Shen Xiao's cold and strange face.

Who struck first?

How did Mo Feng die?

Ice Soul Demon Spider... does it really exist?

These most critical details, she couldn't remember at all.

Under Zhou Tong's scrutinizing gaze that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, she could no longer be as certain as she was before in front of Elder Sun.

In those beautiful eyes, for the first time, a genuine confusion and hesitation appeared.

Opportunity!

Shen Xiao seized this moment of her wavering.

He struggled, as if wanting to stand up from the chair, his gaze passing over Xia Lengbai and shooting precisely at the stunned Lin Yun.

"Compared to this... I want to ask Senior Brother Lin Yun even more."

His voice was not loud, but every word was clear and resonant.

"As the leader of our team, why were you nowhere to be found at the most critical moment, yet appeared here safe and sound, and were so eager to... convict me?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole hall was in an uproar!

The gazes of all the law-enforcement Disciples instantly shifted from Shen Xiao and Xia Lengbai, all together, to Lin Yun's face!

If killing to seize a treasure was a personal character issue, then deserting in the face of battle and abandoning fellow Disciples was violating a bottom line that all Sects absolutely would not tolerate!

This crime was even more serious than killing to seize a treasure!

Lin Yun's face flushed red, as if he had been stripped naked in public.

How could he explain it?

Could he say that he deliberately delayed time, wanting Shen Xiao to be the cannon fodder to scout the way, but failed to calculate the time, and by the time he arrived, the Opportunity was already gone?

If such words were spoken, would his upright and magnificent image as the "Child of Destiny" still exist?

"I... I was held up by a rare Spirit Medicine midway and was delayed for a moment!" He defended himself palely, his eyes dodging, his confidence clearly lacking.

Zhou Tong looked at his appearance, his brows locked even tighter.

He had tried countless cases, how could he not see Lin Yun's guilt?

The truth seemed to have already begun to deviate from the initial accusation.

"Enough!"

Zhou Tong slammed the gavel, the dull sound making everyone's heart tremble.

"This matter is full of doubts! Xia Lengbai is confused, her words are contradictory; Shen Xiao is seriously injured and on the verge of death. The truth is hard to distinguish!"

"This case shall be filed as a Sect misfortune for now, and will be retried after investigation!"

His gaze turned, piercing like a sharp sword towards Lin Yun.

"However, Lin Yun! As the team leader, regardless of the reason, leaving the team without cause, resulting in one death and one serious injury to fellow Disciples, this is a major offense! I punish you to publicly apologize to Shen Xiao and compensate him with three thousand Spirit Stones for medical expenses! Let this serve as a warning to others!"

"Head of Discipline Hall!" Lin Yun was shocked; three thousand Spirit Stones was a significant amount for him, and more importantly, apologizing to Shen Xiao in public was simply a supreme humiliation!

"Hmm?" Zhou Tong's eyes widened, and a terrifying pressure boomed down, "Do you have any objections?"

Lin Yun instantly felt like he had fallen into an ice cellar, cold sweat breaking out all over his body, and he dared not say another word.

He squeezed a few words out through his teeth: "...This Disciple, accepts the punishment."

Amidst the contemptuous gazes of the law-enforcement Disciples, Lin Yun humiliatingly took a heavy bag from his Storage Pouch, threw it at Shen Xiao's feet, and then walked away quickly without looking back, his retreating figure looking as miserable as could be.

That night, in the courtyard where the Outer Sect Disciples of the Qingming Sect lived.

Shen Xiao sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed, a pile of glowing Low-Grade Spirit Stones placed in front of him.

Where was there any sign of the dying state he had in the Discipline Hall?

His face was rosy, his aura steady, and his eyes were shining with divine light.

That so-called "strange cold poison" was originally the pure energy of the millennium cold marrow.

He was leisurely absorbing the compensated Spirit Stones, replenishing the energy consumed by faking his injuries, while leisurely using this "poison" to temper his Meridians.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully reversing a dead-end situation and transforming a near-death situation into an advantageous one!]

[Detected that the Child of Destiny Lin Yun's Luck is damaged, his prestige has dropped, and the host's evaluation has improved...]

[Judgment: Plunder successful! Obtained destiny value: 10 points!]

[Child of Destiny's current Luck value: 80/100.]

[Host's current destiny value: 20/100.]

[Ding! Unlock new function: Opportunity Interception Alert. When the Child of Destiny's exclusive Opportunity appears within a ten-mile radius of the host, the System will issue a warning.]

Shen Xiao slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into a cold arc.

Three thousand Spirit Stones, plus 10 points of destiny value, and a new function.

This wave, not a loss.

Lin Yun, Xia Lengbai...

Our game has just begun.