I now only believe one person's words.

Formation Spirit?

Looking at the Formation Spirit that had appeared out of thin air before him, Shen Wuji's expression instantly stiffened.

He really hadn't expected that a tiny place like Falling Cloud Valley would actually be hiding a Soul Transformation level Formation Spirit... This feeling was like happily bullying noobs in a Novice Village, only for a massive Boss to suddenly pop out...

This was getting a bit awkward...

Dog slave, how dare you lie to me!

Shen Wuji's face turned dark as he looked at Yin Qingyuan with a gaze full of ill intent.

At this moment, Yin Qingyuan also felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat. He truly couldn't understand why this Formation Spirit, which had been lying flat and slacking off for over a thousand years, would suddenly show up at a time like this.

One should know that over these thousand-plus years, Falling Cloud Valley had faced several crises of total destruction, every one of which was far more serious than the current situation.

Yet the Formation Spirit had always watched coldly from the sidelines. Sometimes, it would even proactively lower the strength of the Sect's grand Formation to let enemies rush in, as if it had a personal grudge against the people of Falling Cloud Valley.

This matter had troubled Falling Cloud Valley for a millennium. During that time, almost every Sect Master had tried to communicate with the Formation Spirit, but every attempt was in vain, only serving to make the Formation Spirit more annoyed.

Precisely because of this, he hadn't even considered the existence of the Formation Spirit when he was formulating his rebellion plan.

And yet today, before Falling Cloud Valley had even suffered much, this Formation Spirit appeared immediately, which he found utterly inconceivable!

After a moment of silence, Bai Xirou was the first to snap out of it, her expression full of joy.

"Thank you, Senior Formation Spirit, for your assistance. This Junior is eternally grateful!"

She then specifically gave the Formation Spirit a deep bow, her tone extremely respectful.

To her, if the Formation Spirit hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

The gratitude for saving her father could never be too much!

"It's no big deal," the Formation Spirit waved its hand dismissively. "If I hadn't confirmed that that matter wasn't done by someone from your Falling Cloud Valley, I wouldn't have bothered to care if you lived or died."

It's been cleared up?

The others were confused, but only Bai Xirou seemed to realize something as she asked in surprise:

"Senior, have you already found the true culprit of that case?"

"It wasn't me." The Formation Spirit shook its head and then said huffily, "It was that Qi kid who helped me ferret out that Thief Grass. Unfortunately, that brat still managed to escape. Sigh!"

"Junior Brother Qi?"

Bai Xirou's mouth hung slightly open, her heart very astonished.

She had put in so much effort to investigate that case but had come up empty-handed, unable to find even a decent clue. She hadn't expected that someone had completed it so quietly.

Could it be... Junior Brother Qi went to investigate that case for my sake?

At this thought, a strange sense of sweetness welled up in her heart.

While Bai Xirou's mind was racing, the Formation Spirit glanced at Shen Wuji, whose expression was shifting between light and dark, and asked in a deep voice:

"And who are you?"

Hearing this, Shen Wuji's face remained unchanged as he said calmly:

"I am the Celestial Pole Dao Son, Pu Genshuo. I was passing by this place while traveling and discovered that your Falling Cloud Valley's Sect Head, Bai Qingwu, has colluded with the Demonic Path—a crime beyond forgiveness. As the Formation Spirit of this place, surely you don't intend to shield him?"

In truth, while a Soul Transformation Realm Formation Spirit made him wary, it wasn't enough to make him feel afraid.

Because Formation Spirits were usually restricted by the rules of the grand Formation. Their primary role was to mobilize the Sect's Formation to defend against enemies; unless someone attacked the Formation, they rarely acted to harm people.

Furthermore, his current identity was the Celestial Pole Dao Son. Even if the Formation Spirit itself wanted to act crazy and court death, it still had to think about the entire Falling Cloud Valley.

Hearing him reveal his identity, the Formation Spirit immediately frowned and muttered:

"Celestial Pole Dao Son? This fellow has quite the background!"

Seeing this, Bai Xirou grew anxious and quickly explained:

"Senior Formation Spirit, my father must have fallen victim to this person's poisonous schemes, which caused his Heart-Nature to change drastically. He is definitely not practicing a Demonic Technique."

Shen Wuji gave a cold laugh:

"You are his daughter, so of course you'd speak for him. Now that the evidence is conclusive, what else is there to argue?"

Then, he looked at Bai Xirou with a playful gaze. "Junior Sister Bai, didn't you just say you'd let me handle you as I please? Why are you going back on your word now?"

"If you obey and serve me well, I might consider showing some mercy and giving your father a way out."

"You..."

Bai Xirou trembled with rage, gritting her teeth as she shouted, "You despicable villain! I would rather die than submit to you!"

Meanwhile, the people in the hall had varying expressions, looking at each other in silence for a moment.

"Enough!"

At this point, the Formation Spirit released its hand from Bai Qingwu's forehead and said after a moment of contemplation:

"There is indeed a trace of Netherworld Devilish Qi lurking within the Sect Head's Sea of Consciousness, but I haven't detected any signs of him practicing Demonic Techniques."

"Since you both have your own stories, I can't easily draw a conclusion. However, I only believe one person's words now. If he comes here, perhaps everything will be cleared up quickly."

"Who?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned.

Just what kind of sacred figure could make this eccentric Formation Spirit trust them so much?

The Formation Spirit sighed softly and uttered a name with a serious expression:

"Qi Da!"

...

At the same time.

After leaving Puzhou City, Qi Yuan did not waste any more time. He traveled all the way to the outskirts of Falling Cloud Valley. Just as he was about to enter the mountain gate, he saw a figure as fast as lightning streak through the air, heading straight toward him.

As it drew near, the figure retracted its Escape light and landed not far in front of Qi Yuan.

Why is he here?

After seeing the newcomer clearly, Qi Yuan's eyelids couldn't help but twitch, and he grew secretly alert.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask, is this Falling Cloud Valley?"

The speaker was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a deep green robe. His facial features were very distinctive: a flat nose and small eyes. At first glance, he looked like a hairless monkey.

Upon closer inspection, he looked even worse than at first glance...

However, Qi Yuan knew that this person's background was extraordinary.

This person was the Dao Son of one of the Seven Great Holy Lands, the Tianji Holy Land—Pu Genshuo!