Free Web NovelChapter 347: Chapter 347: The Culprit Surfaces
The first thing Crazy Battle did upon arriving in Wukong Ridge was investigate the news about Elder Gale.
To his shock, however, there was no trace of Elder Gale ever having been in Wukong Ridge.
The experts from the Profound Mystery Sect were instantly dumbfounded. According to the results from the Nether Seed Stone, the aura of Elder Gale’s Nether Heart Seed had indeed appeared in Wukong Ridge recently. Yet, the information gathered from the investigation suggested Elder Gale hadn’t appeared in any of Wukong Ridge’s cities at all. What was going on?
’Could it be that after returning from the Thirteen Nations Alliance, Elder Gale was killed before he could even enter a city?’
One thought after another swirled in the minds of the experts from the Profound Mystery Sect’s manhunt team.
The manhunt team used the Nether Seed Stone to test for the Nether Heart Seed’s aura once more.
The result this time was even more astonishing: the Nether Seed Stone could no longer detect the Nether Heart Seed’s aura.
’This is impossible.’
The Profound Mystery Sect experts were all dumbfounded. The Nether Heart Seed had been developed by one of their sect’s ancestors. What few knew was that this ancestor was one of the only Seventh Grade, Lord Level Soul Refiners in the entire Dream Realm Plain. His status in the Profound Mystery Sect was so high that it was second to none.
He had once said that removing a Nether Heart Seed was incredibly difficult. Aside from a few special materials, only a Tier Eight Martial Emperor or an Eighth Grade Soul Emperor could erase its aura.
Those special materials were extremely rare in the Dream Realm Plain and were all controlled by the major sects. As for any that might exist elsewhere, the Profound Mystery Sect had long been monitoring them in secret.
’Now the Nether Heart Seed’s aura has vanished. Could this person be a Tier Eight Martial Emperor?’
’But according to the image sent back by the Nether Seed Stone, he’s in his early twenties at most. There’s no way he could be a Martial Emperor.’
’He must have used some method to conceal the Nether Heart Seed’s aura.’
The most furious among them was, naturally, Crazy Battle. However, he quickly calmed himself after his initial rage.
"Investigate this thoroughly. My son, Gale, may not have appeared in any city in Wukong Ridge, but it is a fact that his Nether Heart Seed’s aura was here. First, I want you to find the exact location in Wukong Ridge where the aura was detected. Then, investigate that area for any information on a killer matching the portrait."
Crazy Battle said in a cold voice, his eyes narrowing.
Since there was no news of Elder Gale, Crazy Battle immediately chose to shift the investigation to focus on the killer.
Soon, report after report landed on the desk before Crazy Battle.
His gaze hardened when he came across a report from Black Stone City.
The report indicated that around the time of Elder Gale’s death, two young men had appeared near Black Stone City, the area where the aura was detected.
One of them had gold hair and gold eyes, while the other, a young man with black hair and black eyes, bore a resemblance to the portrait. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
’Could it be those two?’ The thought flashed through Crazy Battle’s mind, and his gaze turned cold. "Let’s go. To Black Stone City."
「One day later.」
The Profound Mystery Sect’s party arrived in Black Stone City.
Without hesitation, Crazy Battle and his men summoned people from the Treasure Pavilions, the three great families, and the Celestial One Inn.
Although the Profound Mystery Sect couldn’t directly command the great families, as one of the three top powers in the Dream Realm Plain, no one dared to refuse their summons.
A large crowd from Black Stone City soon gathered in the hall Crazy Battle had temporarily commandeered.
"May I ask for what reason the esteemed members of the Profound Mystery Sect have summoned us?" Mo Chengtian asked, seeing the large crowd. He directed his question to Crazy Battle, who sat at the head of the hall.
He was inwardly furious at Crazy Battle’s arrogance. Black Stone City was the territory of the three great families, yet this outsider had completely disregarded their authority, summoning the city’s major powers as if he were the host.
If not for the Profound Mystery Sect’s overwhelming power, Mo Chengtian and the others would have never bothered to comply.
The figure seated at the head finally opened his eyes, a cold light glinting within them. His gaze swept slowly over everyone present before he spoke. "I imagine you all have some idea why I’ve summoned you. Not long ago, my Profound Mystery Sect’s Elder Gale fell in Wukong Ridge. My investigation indicates the killer very likely stopped near Black Stone City. Does anyone have information to report?"
Crazy Battle’s tone was condescending, and his use of the word "report"—as if they were his subordinates—left all the major powers in the hall deeply displeased. Still, they dared not show it and answered cautiously, one by one.
Their answers were all variations of "we don’t know" or "we are completely unaware."
Crazy Battle’s expression darkened instantly. "My son Gale’s aura was detected right near your Black Stone City, and you claim to know nothing? I’ve heard that two young men came to your city around that time. Do you know their origins?"
The hearts of Mo Chengtian and the other two clan leaders skipped a beat. How could they not realize that Crazy Battle was talking about Ye Xuan and Jin Lin?
Back when the Profound Mystery Sect had issued the wanted notice with the portrait, the three of them had suspected that Ye Xuan might have been the one who killed Elder Gale. But now, with Crazy Battle asking directly, they didn’t dare say so.
Mo Chengtian nodded. "Ah, so you are referring to those two, Sir. I do remember them. They arrived in Black Stone City a little over a week ago. They even purchased a piece of Seven-Colored Chaos Soil from the Treasure Pavilion. However, they left a few days after that. As for their origins, we don’t know much."
"You lie!"
Crazy Battle snorted, and a terrifying pressure instantly bore down on Mo Chengtian. Mo Chengtian felt his Profound Power stagnate, his body crushed by the force, and he felt an overwhelming urge to drop to his knees.
He hastily circulated the Cultivation Technique that Ye Xuan had modified for him. A warm sensation immediately flowed through his body, and the pressure from Crazy Battle lessened by more than half.
Mo Chengtian was secretly astonished at his master’s power, but he put on an indignant expression. ’Master is truly powerful.’ "Sir, every word I’ve spoken is the truth. I don’t know how I could have lied. Those two were in Black Stone City for no more than two or three days. They stayed at the Celestial One Inn and had never appeared in our city before. Therefore, I truly do not know their origins."
Crazy Battle was surprised that Mo Chengtian was largely unaffected by his oppressive aura. "From what I know," he said coldly, "while those two may have only stayed in Black Stone City for a few days, you frequently visited them at the Celestial One Inn. You even had your family members stand guard outside. How do you explain that?"
Mo Chengtian’s heart sank, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. ’This Crazy Battle has investigated so thoroughly. He’s clearly taking this very seriously.’
But as the head of a family, Mo Chengtian was cunning and knew he couldn’t lie about this. His mind raced, and he quickly said, "To answer your question, Sir, that is true. At the time, those two had captured my son, Mo Cong. I led my family’s elders to demand his return. To my surprise, they returned my son without any hesitation. They then promised that if the Mo family would stand guard for them for a while, they would give me some Extremely Bright Pills."
"Seeing that they had captured my son and had also purchased the Seven-Colored Chaos Soil, I admit I had malicious intentions. I wanted to capture them and seize their treasures. It was only after hearing the offer of Extremely Bright Pills that I held back and agreed to their request."
"So you’re saying you were tempted by the Extremely Bright Pills, so you didn’t attack them, and instead agreed to be their guard for a time?" Crazy Battle sneered.
Mo Chengtian nodded. "That is correct."
"Mo Chengtian, who do you think you’re fooling!" A terrifying surge of Profound Power erupted from Crazy Battle. It slammed into Mo Chengtian, sending him flying. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he landed.
As Crazy Battle’s rage flared, his terrifying aura pressed down on everyone in the hall, making it hard to breathe and causing their faces to pale.
Crazy Battle narrowed his eyes, radiating a bone-chilling killing intent. "Mo Chengtian, if you don’t start being honest, don’t blame me for getting rough."
Blood trickled from the corner of Mo Chengtian’s mouth from the attack. He fell to the ground, a wretched sight, but he pushed himself back up. He showed no fear or intention of backing down. Wiping the blood from his lips, he said angrily, "Elder Crazy Battle, while my Mo family may be small, we are still one of the established powers in Wukong Ridge. You are a senior from the Profound Mystery Sect, and when you came to Black Stone City to investigate, we complied with your summons and answered truthfully. So what is the meaning of this attack?"
"Furthermore, according to the rules of the Dream Realm Plain, while the Profound Mystery Sect may be a top power, it is not your place to lord over Wukong Ridge."
Mo Chengtian said coldly.
"Rules? HAHAHA." Crazy Battle laughed coldly. "Do you think mentioning the rules means I wouldn’t dare kill you?"
The terrifying aura of a Martial King slammed down, forcing Mo Chengtian back to his knees, unable to move an inch.
It was true that the major powers once had such an agreement. But Crazy Battle was a Supreme Elder of the Profound Mystery Sect. If he were to kill Mo Chengtian today, no one would dare seek justice from the Sect on Mo Chengtian’s behalf. At most, it would only tarnish the Profound Mystery Sect’s reputation slightly. freewebnσvel.cѳm
This was the way of the world. So-called rules only existed to restrain the weak. They were meaningless to the strong.
Forced to one knee, his bones creaking under the pressure, Mo Chengtian gritted his teeth, unyielding. "You are a magnificent Martial King, Sir. If you truly wish to kill me, there is nothing I can do to stop you. I know I am no match for you. But you should at least tell me why you’ve chosen to move against my Mo family!"
Crazy Battle narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Then I’ll tell you why. It’s because you dared to lie to my face. Do you think I don’t know what kind of scum the families of Wukong Ridge are? Forsake Seven-Colored Chaos Soil and other treasures for a few Extremely Bright Pills? Ordinarily, the Mo family would have killed them and plundered everything they had. That would be the normal course of action. But instead, you turned around and guarded them. Do you take me for an idiot? Or do you think everyone in the Profound Mystery Sect is an idiot?"
