287: impersonation

The Mountain Protecting Elder's body suddenly stiffened, and he immediately halted his attack, his eyes filled with suspicion and wariness.

The other Elders also looked at each other, their expressions instantly becoming complicated.

In recent days, specifically because of the civilians who were refined by the remains of the demon transformation pill and turned into Half-Demons, the Tianque Sect and the Five Elders Gate had given the Chusheng Sect no small amount of trouble. Since their own Old Ancestor was indeed in the wrong, the Chusheng Sect had long been at a loss for words and could not hold their heads high before the major Sects.

If he truly stopped the Tianque Sect from eliminating evil today, and the Tianque Sect used it as an excuse in the future, his life would certainly be forfeit!

Seeing that the Mountain Protecting Elder and the others were hesitating to act, the Daoist Nun's face darkened, and she scolded sharply, "What are you still standing there for?! Quickly move to capture them! The demon transformation pill within this Secret Realm concerns the Old Ancestor's Great Dao. If the grand matter of Alchemy is delayed because of your hesitation, can you bear the consequences when the Old Ancestor returns?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the Mountain Protecting Elder and the others shifted.

If they disobeyed the Old Ancestor's orders and let these Half-Demons who had trespassed into the Secret Realm go, once the Old Ancestor successfully finished his Alchemy and returned, given his temperament, these Elders would surely not escape punishment—ranging from having their cultivation stripped to losing their lives.

On one side was the Tianque Sect Cultivators' mission to eliminate evil, and on the other was the ruthless Sect Old Ancestor who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

The Mountain Protecting Elder and the others suddenly felt caught in a dilemma, their hearts locked in a fierce internal struggle. After weighing the options repeatedly, they temporarily didn't know how to choose.

The Daoist Nun seemed to see through their internal conflict, and her anger flared even more as she sneered, "The Tianque Sect is currently at Yaoshi City putting all their effort into resisting the Yao Race army and is spread too thin; how could they possibly send Disciples here specifically? Furthermore, the Tianque Sect has always prided itself on slaying demons; how could they be entangled with Half-Demons?"

"They casually claim to be Tianque Sect Cultivators, and you actually believe them?"

The Mountain Protecting Elder was slightly taken aback, and his heart skipped a beat—those words did make sense.

By all logic, the Tianque Sect should be at Yaoshi City holding back the Yao Race right now. If these people were impersonating Tianque Sect Cultivators, then he wouldn't have those previous concerns.

Yun Xuanxuan and the others' faces darkened instantly as they stared directly at the Soul Emergence Stage Chusheng Sect Elders above the cavern, a hint of despair emerging deep in their eyes.

Although they had known from the start that this trip was likely a futile effort, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, the highest Realm among the ten-plus Half-Demons was only the Nascent Soul Fifth Layer. Wanting to sabotage the Old Ancestor's grand Alchemy plan was no different from moths flying into a flame.

But now that many of the Chusheng Sect's experts were out resisting the Yao Race, they had finally managed to sneak into the Secret Realm and reach this place. Although they carried Space-Shattering God-Moving Talismans to escape at any time, being only one step away from success made this outcome of falling short even harder to accept.

If possible, Yun Xuanxuan would rather sacrifice her life to destroy the refinement of that demon transformation pill.

While secretly circulating the spiritual energy in his body, the Mountain Protecting Elder put on a pleasant expression and asked Ye Hao, "Since Fellow Daoist claims to be a Tianque Sect Cultivator, could you demonstrate one or two of the Tianque Sect's Cultivation Techniques to prove your identity?"

"We are also worried about villains impersonating your Sect's Disciples to confuse us. I hope Fellow Daoist can understand!"

These words were spoken very politely, but several Elders had already quietly shifted their positions, secretly blocking all possible escape routes within the cavern.

Seeing this, Ye Hao suddenly rose into the air, flipped his right hand, and took out a Black Iron Token.

The front of the token was engraved with a powerful 'Tian' character, while the back featured intricate cloud patterns.

"This object can prove my identity!"

As he finished speaking, he flicked his finger, and the token flew toward the Mountain Protecting Elder.

The Mountain Protecting Elder's gaze swept over it, and with just one look, he instantly recognized the origin of this Black Iron Token. His expression changed drastically, and he cried out in shock, "You... you are someone under the command of that Peak Master Chu of the Tianque Sect?"

"How is that possible?"

"Are they truly people from the Tianque Sect?"

The other Elders were also in an uproar of shock.

The Daoist Nun stared fixedly at Ye Hao, her pupils shrinking in total disbelief.

This token was precisely the item gifted by Peak Master Chu Haotian of the Tianque Sect after Li Pingan saved Zhao Jingchen in Pingquan Village.

Ye Hao himself hadn't expected this token to serve such a critical purpose at this moment. As for the matter of impersonating a Tianque Sect Disciple, he could only go to the Tianque Sect to apologize in person later.

"Fellow Daoist,"

Ye Hao's gaze was solemn as he spoke slowly, "We are only here to eliminate the culprit who harmed the people and refined the demon transformation pill; we have no grievance with the Chusheng Sect. If Your Excellency insists on interfering, feel free to act."

"However, regarding today's matter, the experts of my Tianque Sect will certainly come to the Chusheng Sect in the future to demand an explanation!"

Before the Mountain Protecting Elder could speak, an Elder beside him could no longer restrain himself and questioned sharply, "If you are from the Tianque Sect, why are you colluding with these Half-Demons?"

"Half-Demons?"

Ye Hao suddenly turned his head, his eyes staring straight at the speaker, his tone icy:

"What did you call them?"

"My Tianque Sect already proclaimed their identities several days ago!"

"These people are all innocent civilians harmed by your Chusheng Sect's Old Ancestor using the demon transformation pill; they are merely afflicted by demon poison, not demons! Now your Chusheng Sect still dares to call them demons?"

The Mountain Protecting Elder panicked and hastily glared at the colleague who had spoken out of turn, fearing he had offended Ye Hao.

The smile on his face grew even wider as he held the token in both hands to return it, his tone becoming increasingly respectful. "So it was all a misunderstanding! Since you are Fellow Daoists from the Tianque Sect acting on orders, we shall not disturb you further."

Seeing this, the Daoist Nun shook with rage and scolded sharply again, "So what if it's the Tianque Sect?!"

"If the Old Ancestor's grand Alchemy matter is delayed today, when the Old Ancestor returns, he will certainly not forgive you sycophants!"

The Mountain Protecting Elder acted as if he hadn't heard those words, feigning a look around before loudly addressing the other Elders: "There is nothing unusual in the rear mountain's Secret Realm; it was just a minor misunderstanding! What are you all still standing here for?"

"Return to the Sect at once and attend to your duties!"

Since the Mountain Protecting Elder had chosen to turn a blind eye and protect himself, the other Elders didn't dare say more. They all nodded in agreement and turned to return to the Sect.

As one of the Elders was leaving, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the black iron seal floating in the air nearby. The seal pulsed with purple light, faintly exuding a majestic pressure that made him unconsciously swallow hard.

Presumably, this must be a heaven-rank magic treasure granted by the Tianque Sect to this Disciple for the purpose of punishing evil and eliminating villains.

As soon as the Mountain Protecting Elder stepped out of the rear mountain's Secret Realm, he immediately instructed the Disciples beside him:

"Seal the entrance to the Secret Realm immediately. No matter what kind of noise comes from inside, ignore it, and do not allow anyone to approach without authorization!"

He had already calculated everything clearly in his mind.

If the Old Ancestor returned after successfully refining the pills and questioned him about this, he would simply claim to have known nothing and treat it as if the Secret Realm had changed on its own.

But if he had been foolish enough just now to actually kill that youth holding the Tianque Sect token, with that Peak Master Chu's vengeful nature, his small life would certainly be forfeit.

Choosing the lesser of two evils, it was better to stand by and watch like this to preserve himself.

Sigh, it seemed the position of Mountain Protecting Elder was not so easy to hold.

The group walked quickly toward the Sect. Just as they reached the halfway point, one Elder frowned slightly and did a head count: "Wait, eight of us came on this trip; why is there one person missing now?"