242: chance encounter

Ye Hao said in a heavy voice, "I see!"

Zhao Xu was completely bewildered, unable to fathom what the two Seniors beside him were up to. One moment they were asking about the truth behind the Chusheng Sect, and the next they were heading straight for the Demon Suppressing Tower. The sudden shifts in topic left him in a daze, but he didn't dare ask more and could only follow silently behind them.

The three of them soon arrived at the location of the third Demon Suppressing Tower by riding the wind.

From a distance, the Demon Suppressing Tower stood tall and majestic. Its entire structure was forged from pitch-black Profound Iron mixed with unknown Ores. What should have been a seamless building now appeared dilapidated: several massive holes had been forcibly blasted through the walls of the middle floors, exposing broken beams and pillars, with fragments of Profound Iron scattered all around.

Most importantly, the protective Formation surrounding the Demon Suppressing Tower had long since failed, and not even a trace of spiritual energy fluctuations could be felt.

From the looks of it, the Yao Race's attack on the Demon Suppressing Tower that day was truly tragic.

A good number of Cultivators had gathered in the open space outside the tower, standing in small groups. They were either whispering to one another or looking up at the ruined Demon Suppressing Tower. Most of them had the expressions of spectators looking for excitement, clearly having come specifically after hearing about the incident at the tower.

In front of the main entrance of the Demon Suppressing Tower, two Cultivators dressed in uniform stood guard solemnly. Their steady auras revealed they were at the Golden Core Stage cultivation base.

"People from the Chusheng Sect." Li Pingan's gaze swept over them, and he recognized the uniforms they wore.

Zhao Xu hurried forward to explain, "Seniors might not know, but this third Demon Suppressing Tower is actually the territory of my Chusheng Sect."

"A few days ago, this place was attacked by the Yao Race, and tens of thousands of them escaped. To prevent the situation from worsening, the Sect dispatched an Elder to take over. These two are Disciples under that Elder's command, responsible for guarding the gate."

Hearing this, Ye Hao's gaze fell upon the tightly closed tower doors, and he asked in a heavy voice, "Is there a way for us to get in?"

Zhao Xu was stunned. He pondered for a moment and then asked with a troubled expression, "Getting in isn't difficult, but this Junior takes the liberty to ask: what exactly is the purpose of the two Seniors' visit to the Demon Suppressing Tower?"

He had his own considerations: repaying the two Seniors' kindness was a personal matter and had nothing to do with the Sect.

If the Seniors' goal would be detrimental to the Sect, he could not agree rashly and had to think twice.

Hearing this, Ye Hao slowly turned his head to look at him: "To show you the real truth of the Chusheng Sect."

Zhao Xu's heart sank, and his brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that, Senior?"

"Do you remember the Half-human, Half-demon being that almost took your life last time?"

Zhao Xu's whole body shook, and a trace of lingering fear flashed in his eyes. "How could this Junior ever forget such a perilous encounter?"

"Then do you know why she was so determined to kill you?" Ye Hao continued to press.

Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, then blurted out, "The Yao Race are inherently bloodthirsty and violent by nature. Perhaps she just didn't like the look of me and attacked. What's so strange about that?"

In his understanding, the Yao Race and humans were as incompatible as fire and water; being bloodthirsty was simply their nature.

In fact, that was mostly true!

Ye Hao nodded slightly, not directly denying his words. Instead, he changed the subject, his gaze suddenly becoming sharp:

"The Yao Race is like that, but what about the human heart?"

Zhao Xu was taken aback, his face full of confusion, increasingly unable to grasp the Senior's intent.

"Senior, why don't you just speak plainly!"

"What if it was your Chusheng Sect that persecuted her into that state—neither human nor Yao? Then wouldn't it be much more reasonable for her to want to kill all the Disciples of your Chusheng Sect?"

"What?"

Zhao Xu took a sudden step back, his face filled with disbelief.

"Senior, you... you can't just say things like that! My Chusheng Sect is a prestigious orthodox Sect that has always taken slaying demons and protecting all living beings as its duty. How could it do something so inhumane?"

Ye Hao's expression remained unchanged as he continued, "The reason we came to the Demon Suppressing Tower this time is that we've found concrete clues."

"Your Chusheng Sect has been secretly abducting innocent villagers everywhere, not for anything else, but to develop some kind of Evil Pill. After those villagers were taken, they were forced to test the medicine with their own bodies, eventually being tortured into Half-human, Half-demon monsters, living a life worse than death."

"That's absolutely impossible!"

Zhao Xu retorted subconsciously, but a trace of unease inexplicably rose in his heart.

Although he trusted the Sect, Ye Hao's tone was too certain for him not to think more about it.

Seeing this, Ye Hao's eyes darkened, and he continued to speak slowly:

"This is not just a groundless rumor; it's what the two of us saw with our own eyes in Pingquan Village. At that time, we happened to come across people from the Chusheng Sect abducting villagers. When we stepped in to stop them, we also killed two Elders of your Sect."

"What did the two Seniors say?!"

Zhao Xu's pupils suddenly constricted, his blood surged, and his voice trembled slightly.

Ye Hao glanced at him and still said indifferently, "In Pingquan Village, we killed your Sect's Elder Xue, and another who seemed to be surnamed Han."

However, that wasn't what Zhao Xu was focused on!

"Pingquan Village... Pingquan Village..." He murmured the name of the place repeatedly, then suddenly looked up, his eyes full of complexity. "You're saying my Chusheng Sect wanted to abduct the villagers of Pingquan Village?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the image of a farmwoman in simple hemp clothes involuntarily surfaced in Zhao Xu's mind.

Since joining the Sect, years had passed in a flash, and he had never once returned home.

A chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and Zhao Xu's breathing became hurried.

He didn't want to believe the words of the two people before him. The Chusheng Sect was his root, the prestigious orthodox Sect he had admired since childhood. How could it have degenerated into an Evil Path that abducted villagers and refined Evil Pills?

But Ye Hao and the other were so certain, even able to name the Elder, that he couldn't help but believe them.

"Did you meet an... an old lady in Pingquan Village? She lives in the second house as you enter the village, with a jujube tree planted in front of the courtyard."

Li Pingan was slightly startled, understanding immediately.

After recounting the matter of the old woman and informing him that she was still safe, Zhao Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, he fell silent for a long time, his brow furrowed into a knot as an internal struggle raged within him.

Finally, as if he had made some sort of decision, he took a deep breath and looked up at Ye Hao and the other. "Fine, I will take the two of you inside."

He paused and added, "It's not that this Junior easily believes your words, but this matter is of great importance. It involves the lives of innocent villagers and the reputation of my Chusheng Sect."

"This Junior must see it and investigate it with my own eyes."

"If what the two of you say is true and the Sect has committed such a monstrous crime, I absolutely cannot stand by and do nothing. If it's just a misunderstanding, I can also clear the Sect's name."

Just as the three of them were stepping toward the entrance of the Demon Suppressing Tower, a series of urgent shouts suddenly came from behind:

"Young Master Ye, Young Master Li, please wait!"

Ye Hao and Li Pingan exchanged a look, both seeing a bit of surprise in each other's eyes.

Two figures walked quickly forward and bowed to Ye Hao and the other. Their gazes swept over Zhao Xu nearby, and they then said with a bitter smile, "We didn't expect to run into the two of you here. What a coincidence."

"Since Fellow Daoist Zhao is also here, I assume your purpose is the same as ours?" Ye Hao said, getting straight to the point.

"Exactly!"

After saying that, he gave a light sigh. "However, this Demon Suppressing Tower is, after all, the territory of the Chusheng Sect. It's heavily guarded now, so getting inside won't be an easy task."