132: Chapter 132 The Dust Settles

It was a recording stone.

Elder Qin took it and injected spiritual power, and the recording stone lit up.

Within the light, a scene emerged.

On the rocky beach, Zhao Yan, along with three men in black, surrounded Li Changsheng.

Zhao Yan sneered while saying something.

Then, the four of them lunged forward simultaneously, blades flashing and swords gleaming, filled with murderous intent.

Although the image was blurry, it was clear enough to see Zhao Yan's face and the attire of those men in black—the garments of the Blood Fiend Sect.

The hall was deathly silent.

After the recording stone finished playing, Wang Tong, who was in the hall, suddenly sat down on the ground with a thud.

Then, he quickly knelt, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Elders, spare me! I did not actually see the scene where Zhao Yan led people to surround and kill Senior Brother Li; otherwise, I would never have come to testify."

"We will discuss your matter later."

Elder Qin raised his hand and lowered it gently, and the hall fell silent once again.

Li Changsheng continued, "This Disciple has one more matter to ask Junior Martial Uncle Zhao."

He looked at Zhao Guangyuan, his gaze calm as water.

"Junior Martial Uncle Zhao said that you only recently discovered the truth."

"Then I would like to ask, one year ago, when you came to question me, I gave you that batch of evidence, including Zhao Yan's handwritten letters and the Blood Fiend Sect tokens—have you investigated those clearly?"

"At that time, many people in the Hundred Herb Garden saw it from afar."

Zhao Guangyuan's face instantly turned deathly pale.

The hall was in an uproar again.

"Evidence? What evidence?"

"Zhao Guangyuan received evidence?"

Elder Qin's gaze fell upon Zhao Guangyuan, and he said in a deep voice, "Zhao Guangyuan, is this true?"

Zhao Guangyuan opened his mouth, but could not say a word.

Li Changsheng continued, "This Disciple feared that this evidence would be destroyed, so I entrusted another piece of important evidence to Senior Brother Liu Qingchen for safekeeping."

"It is a letter, a reply from the Blood Fiend Sect to Zhao Yan, involving his collusion with the Blood Fiend Sect and the plan to surround and kill this Disciple; it explicitly mentions Zhao Yan's name."

Just then, a figure in white strode into the hall.

Liu Qingchen.

He walked to the center of the hall, bowed, and then took a letter from his robe and presented it with both hands.

Elder Qin took the letter, read it carefully, and his expression grew increasingly grave.

He passed the letter to the Elders on both sides to circulate.

After reading it, everyone's expression changed.

The hall became completely chaotic.

"Correspondence from Zhao Yan, explicitly stating he wanted to deal with Sect Disciples?!"

"He really colluded with the Blood Fiend Sect?!"

"Then this means Zhao Guangyuan is..."

Zhao Guangyuan's body swayed, and he nearly lost his footing.

His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with despair.

Elder Qin put down the letter and looked at Zhao Guangyuan, his gaze like a knife.

"Zhao Guangyuan, do you have anything else to say?"

Zhao Guangyuan opened his mouth, but could not say a single word.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from within the hall.

"Elder Qin, this Disciple has something to say."

Everyone turned around; the one speaking was Liu Qingchen, who had entered not long ago.

"A few months ago, at the request of Li Changsheng, this Disciple delivered half a stalk of three-hundred-year-old blood cloud ganoderma and a small piece of star profound stone to Zhao Guangyuan as an apology."

"At that time, this Disciple also relayed a message from Li Changsheng, wishing to resolve the grievances with Zhao Guangyuan."

"Zhao Guangyuan accepted these items but did not express his stance."

He paused and continued, "Additionally, this Disciple has one more matter to report."

"Over a month ago, Li Changsheng asked this Disciple to purchase a Talisman Treasure for self-defense because he sensed someone following him while he was out on a mission."

"At the scene, fragments of black iron essence were discovered; that is something only an Artifact Refiner would carry."

He did not continue, but the meaning was already clear.

Zhao Guangyuan was that stalker.

The hall went completely quiet.

Everyone looked at Zhao Guangyuan.

Zhao Guangyuan stood there, his face ashen.

Elder Qin remained silent for a long time, then finally spoke slowly.

"Zhao Guangyuan, you falsely accused a fellow Disciple, bribed for false testimony, and intended to take revenge."

"According to the Sect rules, how should this be handled?"

An Elder on the left said in a deep voice, "For falsely accusing a fellow Disciple, handle it according to the principle of counter-accusation."

"For bribing for false testimony, abolish his cultivation and expel him from the Sect."

"For intending to take revenge on a fellow Disciple, face the wall for thirty years and deduct one hundred years of salary."

Elder Qin nodded. "Recently, the Blood Fiend Sect has been frequently active, and I fear there may be turmoil; this is a time when people are needed. Furthermore, considering you have worked diligently as an Artifact Refiner for the Sect for many years and had no previous faults, and that your Heart-Nature became corrupted due to the death of your nephew..."

"However, while the death penalty may be avoided, you cannot escape the living punishment. I sentence you to have your Foundation Establishment cultivation abolished, you are forbidden from leaving Wanqi Peak, your salary will be deducted, and you will refine artifacts for the Sect without pay for one hundred years."

Elder Qin looked at everyone.

"Are there any objections?"

Seeing that no one in the hall spoke, he waved his hand, "Take him away."

Two Disciples from the Hall of Law Enforcement stepped forward and seized Zhao Guangyuan.

Zhao Guangyuan trembled all over, his lips quivering; he wanted to say something, but could not say a word.

As he was dragged out of the hall, he looked back at Li Changsheng.

In that glance, there was unwillingness, despair, and also... a trace of indescribable complexity.

Li Changsheng stood where he was, his expression calm.

After Zhao Guangyuan was dragged away, Elder Qin looked at Li Changsheng, his gaze carrying a trace of admiration.

"Li Changsheng, you did very well."

"Not only did you prove your innocence, but you also exposed the truth about Zhao Yan colluding with the demonic Sect."

"The Sect will record a great merit for you and reward you with ten thousand contribution points."

Li Changsheng bowed.

"Thank you, Elder Qin."

Elder Qin nodded and then looked at those false witnesses bought by Wang Tong, saying coldly, "As for you few, you will be dealt with according to the Sect rules."

"Considering this is your first offense, you will be dealt with leniently. Each person will receive thirty strokes of the rod, have ten years of salary deducted, and be confined for half a year."

"If there is a repeat offense, there will be no leniency."

Wang Tong and the others turned pale, begging for mercy repeatedly, but they were dragged away by the Disciples of the Hall of Law Enforcement.

When they walked out of the Hall of Law Enforcement, the sun was shining brightly.

Li Changsheng stood outside the hall and let out a long breath.

Behind him, Liu Qingchen walked out and stood by his side.

"It's over," he said.

Li Changsheng nodded and looked toward the distant Wanqi Peak.

There, the sound of hammering iron was still clanging away.

It was just that with that person gone, it seemed there was no difference.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to walk toward the Hundred Herb Garden.

The threat from Zhao Guangyuan had truly come to an end.

Moreover, this time, through misfortune, he had gained a blessing, obtaining ten thousand contribution points.

At this moment, the contribution points needed to use the Shelter Platform for Foundation Establishment had also been collected.

"It is time to go into seclusion."

Li Changsheng sat on the edge of his bed at his residence, calculating in his heart.

It had been over two months since the end of the Exchange Meeting between the Sects of Qinglan City.

During this time, he had spent most of his time doing missions to earn contribution points, but his Cultivate had not fallen behind.

He did missions during the day and spent every night absorbing the energy of the nine-turn azure profound bead.

At this moment, he was only a hair's breadth away from the Late Stage of Qi Refining.

"I must raise my Cultivate to the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9 as soon as possible!"

Li Changsheng took out the nine-turn azure profound bead and held it in his palm.

The bead was still emerald green and crystalline, the light inside it dimmer than before, but it still contained vast power.

Over this past year, he had already refined nearly half of its power, breaking through from Qi Refining Level 7 to the Middle Stage of Level 9.

"If I can refine a portion of the remaining power, I will be able to reach the Peak of Qi Refining Level 9; at that time, perhaps I will be able to touch the threshold of Foundation Establishment."

He closed his eyes, and his spiritual power slowly seeped into the bead.

The bead glowed slightly, and that familiar force of vitality, like a trickling stream, flowed from his palm into his body, moving slowly along his Meridians.

That power was warm and pure; wherever it passed, his Meridians seemed as if they had been washed, becoming tougher and wider.

One day, two days, three days...

He was immersed in Cultivate, forgetting the passage of time.

When hungry, he ate dry rations; when thirsty, he drank clear water; when tired, he took a nap.

Day after day, month after month.

He first came out of seclusion one month later.

He opened his eyes, and a faint green light flashed in them.

He looked down at the bead in his hand; it had dimmed a little more.

He tried moving his body, feeling the surging spiritual power within him—it was more than twice as dense as before.

He had broken through.

The Late Stage of Qi Refining Level 9.

He walked out of the tool storage room; the sunlight outside was dazzling.

At the entrance of the storage room, a food box was placed, and upon opening it, he saw fresh food.

In the spiritual field, the Spiritual Plant was growing well; clearly, someone had helped him take care of it.

He ate the meal, watered the Spirit Tea Tree, and checked on the Jade Dew Ginseng.

Everything was as it had been.

He did not stay long, turned around, returned to the storage room, and continued his seclusion.