Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

After Yao Songtao left, Chen Yuan put away the jade bottle. Everyone in the hall fell silent, waiting for the master to arrive.

Lay Buddhist Qingliu looked at Elder Gu and said coldly, "Junior Brother Gu, you said just now that if Daoist Chen can prove that you have any connection with Kun Tong, you will pay with your life. Do you really mean that?"

Elder Gu had a gloomy look on his face and winked at Yang Liqian.

Yang Liqian understood and interjected, "Elder Qingliu, you are too serious. The matter has not yet been concluded. Senior Brother Gu was slandered and was angry for a while. His words were a bit harsh, which is understandable..."

"Elder Yang, are you saying that Fellow Daoist Chen slandered Junior Brother Gu?" Elder Qingliu interrupted him and looked around. "All the elders know that Fellow Daoist Chen borrowed our sect's spiritual vein to form a fetus, and I was the guarantor. He went to kill the Frost Jade Lion to make up for the damage to our sect's spiritual vein mountain gate. So I am also responsible."

"If he is not strong enough and dies at the hands of that Frost Jade Lion, I will naturally have nothing to say."

“But if someone secretly colludes with the transformed demon king on our sect’s wanted list to murder Fellow Daoist Chen, I will never agree to it!”

"Of course, if Fellow Daoist Chen slanders Junior Brother Gu, I will not tolerate it and ruin the reputation of our sect, but we cannot let outsiders think that our Haoran Sect is bullying. Elder Yang, do you think so?"

His gaze finally returned to Yang Liqian, and two sharp rays of light shot out from his slightly cloudy pupils.

Yang Liqian was speechless for a moment. If only Chen Yuan came forward to testify against Elder Gu today, no matter what the facts were, it would be a slander against the elder of Haoran Sect by an outsider cultivator, and it could be easily resolved.

But with Qingliu Jushi standing behind Chen Yuan, this became an internal struggle within the Haoran Sect, and Elder Gu was unable to use his power to suppress others.

He also said something like "in exchange for my life", leaving no room for maneuver. If the soul-searching results were really not in his favor, it would be difficult to end the situation.

Elder Gu said with a gloomy face: "Brother Qingliu, rest assured, I will keep my word and will never break it."

Lay Buddhist Qingliu stroked his beard and nodded slightly, "Okay, Junior Brother Gu, please rest assured. If the headmaster searches the soul and confirms that it was Daoist Chen who made the slander, I will personally execute him on the spot, and I will go out to guard the spiritual stone mine in Luohu Mountain for a hundred years!"

……

After everyone waited for about a quarter of an hour, Yao Songtao finally returned to the hall.

Next to him was a middle-aged Confucian scholar, who looked to be around forty years old, with a beard that reached down to his belly, a square face, and an ethereal aura, whose cultivation level could not be seen.

But when they saw him, they all saluted him with fists.

"Yan has met the headmaster."

"Meet the head brother..."

This middle-aged Confucian scholar is the head of the Haoran Sect, the great monk Yue Chong.

If the cultivators of Jiuxianzhou were asked to select the ten most powerful cultivators, probably 90% of them would choose the leaders of the ten major sects.

Without exception, they all have reached the late Nascent Soul stage, wielding top-level magical weapons in their hands and possessing astonishing magical powers. Each of them has made a great name for themselves in the world of immortal cultivation and is a powerful figure.

The Sect Leader Yue Chongyue was extremely talented. He formed his Nascent Soul in just two hundred and forty years, making him the first true disciple of his generation.

But after he was born, he studied hard in Chongde Academy for a hundred years without leaving.

But after he left Chongde Academy, he traveled all over Jiuxianzhou with such great righteousness that he rarely met any rivals.

Once in Xizhou in the far west, he fought against three people alone and killed three Nascent Soul demon cultivators in a row.

At the border between Lizhou and Nanzhou, he successively killed five transformed demon kings and became famous throughout the world.

Within a hundred years, Sect Leader Yue broke through the mid-term bottleneck and was trained with all the strength of the Haoran Sect.

Another hundred years later, he broke through the bottleneck of the later period and took over the position of the head. More than three hundred years have passed since then, and his prestige has been growing.

Sect Leader Yue came in front of everyone and nodded to them, "Elders, there is no need to be polite."

He looked at Chen Yuan and said in a deep voice: "Is this Fellow Daoist Chen Yuan?"

Chen Yuan clasped his fists and bowed: "Chen greets Master Yue."

Sect Leader Yue said calmly, "I have already learned the whole story from Elder Yao. Please ask Fellow Daoist Chen to take out Kun Tong's soul. I will use the soul-searching technique now."

"If it is true that Elder Gu colluded with Kun Tong and the Cold Jade Lion to plot against you, I will give you justice."

"But if what you said is untrue, I will not allow outsiders to slander our sect's elders out of thin air. Do you have any objections?"

"Master Yue is highly respected and fair in his dealings. I have no objection." Chen Yuan shook his head.

Sect Master Yue looked at Elder Gu again. Elder Gu bowed and said solemnly, "Everything is up to the Sect Master to decide."

Chen Yuan then took out the jade bottle from the mustard seed ring, took Kun Tong's soul into his hands, and handed it over to Sect Leader Yue.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Kuntong's soul. Lay Buddhist Qingliu suddenly said, "Master, can you show us the memories in this demon's soul so that we can see them together?"

“No matter what the result is, Elder Gu and Fellow Daoist Chen should not have any objections, and this will also demonstrate our sect’s magnanimity and broad-mindedness in handling matters impartially.”

Xinzhai Sanren echoed, "I agree with Senior Brother Qingliu's proposal!"

Mr. Chengli also nodded: "Only in this way can we clear Elder Gu's name."

The elders also showed signs of being interested, but no one said anything.

This is a fight between Elder Gu and Mr. Qingliu, and they will not get involved.

Sect Leader Yue looked at Elder Gu and said, "Elder Gu, what do you think?"

Elder Gu said solemnly, "Please ask the head master to show this Kuntong's soul memory so that the elders can bear witness."

Chen Yuan suddenly clasped his fists and bowed: "The battle between Chen, Kun Tong and Han Yu Lion involves my magical power. Can Master Yue please hide?"

Sect Leader Yue nodded, raised his hand and made a gesture. The energy in his body surged, and a majestic aura slowly emanated from him, gradually filling the entire hall.

Suddenly, Sect Leader Yue pointed his fingers together, and a milky white light flew out from his fingertips, enveloping Kun Tong's soul.

The phantom of the Kun fish let out a mournful cry, and the remaining intelligence in its eyes disappeared without a trace, and its pupils became dilated.

Slightly unreal scenes emerged one after another. Kun Tong came to Chongde City and secretly inquired about Chen Yuan. Yan Tongchun came to visit him. Kun Tong used the alias Peng Zhenren and secretly discussed with Yan Tongchun how to deal with Chen Yuan...

Yan Tongchun learned that Kun Tong knew the Lion Barbarians, and took the initiative to ask Elder Gu to force Chen Yuan to go to Hanzhou to deal with the Lion Barbarians. Kun Tong gave Yan Tongchun a Cangming Stone, and Yan Tongchun gave Kun Tong a forbidden sky formation...

Kun Tong came to Hanzhou and joined forces with Shi Man. He set up a formation in his cave and ambushed him. He waited for five years but got nothing...

After some discussion, Kun Tong and Shi Man decided to return to Renzhou to find out the whereabouts of Chen Yuan. However, just as he left Shi Man's cave, Chen Yuan suddenly appeared and stopped him... At this moment, the magic formula in Master Yue's hand changed, and the phantom of Kun fish let out another mournful cry and disintegrated, and the picture presented in his memory also disappeared.

Sect Leader Yue restrained his righteous spirit and said calmly, "This demon's soul is on the verge of collapse. I specifically checked his memory after he came to Chongde City. It is not easy for him to hold on until now. There is no need to watch the scene of his fight with Fellow Daoist Chen."

Lay Buddhist Qingliu said coldly: "This memory is enough. Kun Tong went around to find out the whereabouts of Daoist Chen. It is obvious that he has a grudge against Daoist Chen. However, Junior Brother Yan, under the instruction of Junior Brother Gu, conspired with him to deal with Daoist Chen."

"If it weren't for Fellow Daoist Chen's caution and waiting outside the Lion Cave for five years, he would have become a pile of dry bones by now. Master, please quickly capture Junior Brother Gu and punish him severely."

“Although Fellow Daoist Chen is not a cultivator of our sect, he went to Hanzhou in the north to kill the Lion Barbarians, and he also served our sect.”

"If we allow the elders of our sect to plot against us secretly and we sit back and do nothing, and the news gets out, what will happen to our reputation and dignity? How can we convince the Nascent Soul cultivators of the affiliated sects and families?"

Mr. Chengli said sternly, "The Lion Barbarian is a demon king on our sect's wanted list. He is extremely cruel. During the beast tide, he slaughtered two of our sect's Jindan disciples who were traveling to Hanzhou in front of all the cultivators in Hanzhou."

"Elder Gu knew that Kun Tong was acquainted with Shi Man, and he conspired with him to deal with Fellow Daoist Chen. Where did he put those two disciples who died tragically?"

The words of both men were powerful and irrefutable, and with Kun Tong's spiritual memory as evidence, they seemed even more righteous and awe-inspiring.

Elder Gu's expression was as gloomy as water, and Yang Liqian's face was even uglier than his.

The evidence is conclusive and Elder Gu is doomed. However, he has been cheering for Elder Gu and has deeply offended Mr. Qingliu and Chen Yuan. How should he deal with this?
Everyone was silent. At this point, Elder Gu was powerless to save the situation.

Several elders looked reluctant. After all, Elder Gu was an elder of the Haoran Sect and had some friendship with them. It was hard for them to accept that a casual cultivator had met with an unexpected accident.

But when they saw the stern expression of Mr. Qingliu, they swallowed back the words of pleas they had prepared, shook their heads slightly, and ignored him.

Mr. Qingliu is also an elder of the Haoran Sect. Although Mr. Chengli and Mr. Xinzhai, who are on good terms with him, are not very strong, they have many disciples and excellent reputations, so it is not easy to offend them.

Suddenly, Elder Gu sighed, his face full of regret: "Gu, I really didn't know that my disciple would be so rampant, and would secretly collude with the transformed demon king, deceive Gu, and murder Fellow Daoist Chen. This crime is unforgivable!"

He clasped his fists and bowed to Master Yue, saying solemnly: "Gu's failure to discipline his disciples has resulted in such a scum among his disciples. Master, please allow me to clean up the sect!"

Everyone was stunned. The evidence was irrefutable, yet Elder Gu was still thinking of turning the tables?

Qingliu Lay Buddhist sneered, "So, Junior Brother Gu is completely unaware of what Junior Brother Yan did?"

Elder Gu sighed, "That's right. I neglected to discipline him, and was deceived by the evil disciple's slander. I accidentally became an accomplice in the murder of Daoist Fellow Chen."

"Senior Brother Qingliu also saw Kun Tong's memories. I have never met that Kun Tong."

"In the past six years, Gu has never left the mountain gate. If he really colluded with him secretly, how could he have never seen him once?"

Lay Buddhist Qingliu said, "Without Junior Brother Gu's approval, how could Junior Brother Yan take out the forbidden sky formation from the treasure pavilion? Just based on Junior Brother Yan's slander, Junior Brother Gu asked the head of the sect for permission to let Fellow Daoist Chen go to Hanzhou to deal with the Lion Barbarians?"

Elder Gu remained calm and said, "I gave that evil disciple a token to let him get a spiritual item for forming an infant from the treasure pavilion. Who knew he would actually take away a forbidden sky formation and give it to Kun Tong."

"As for Gu's request to the Sect Master to allow Fellow Daoist Chen to repair the damage to our sect's spiritual vein mountain gate, it was also for the sake of the sect. He also believed the sweet words of that evil disciple and was a little angry for a while. He handled the matter improperly and had absolutely no selfish motives."

Qing Liu frowned and bowed to Master Yue: "Please allow me to invite Junior Brother Yan to come and interrogate him in person. Whether the truth is as Junior Brother Gu said, we will know immediately."

Elder Gu followed suit and saluted: "Master, I am ashamed for not being strict with my disciples and producing such a scum."

"But no matter how big a mistake he made, he is still Gu's disciple. I beg the master to allow me to clean up the mess myself."

Lay Buddhist Qingliu said, "Master, Junior Brother Yan is a true disciple of our sect. It would be inappropriate to convict him without questioning him."

"I think we should give Junior Brother Yan a chance to defend himself before dealing with him, and not just listen to Junior Brother Gu's one-sided words."

Sect Leader Yue pondered for a moment and said, "Elder Qingliu's words make sense. How about this, Elder Song, you go to Heyu Peak and invite Junior Brother Yan to come."

A middle-aged monk stepped out from the crowd, clasped his fists and bowed: "Song will be back soon."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the hall.

Everyone's faces changed when they heard this. Sect Leader Yue was actually going to take action against Elder Gu?
Yang Liqian was startled, and sent a message to Master Yue: "Master, there is something else behind this matter, please let me handle it later..."

"Elder Yang, please be patient." Sect Leader Yue replied calmly and ignored him.

Elder Gu calmed down instead, and bowed to Sect Master Yue: "I will follow the Sect Master's orders."

Mr. Qingliu showed a smile on his face. This Elder Song was Master Yue's confidant. Master Yue asked him to capture Yan Tongchun without any favoritism.

But Chen Yuan frowned. Sect Leader Yue seemed to be very fair, but would he really abandon a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator?
Everyone waited silently. About two quarters of an hour later, Elder Song returned to the hall, but there was no one around him.

Qingliu Lay Buddhist's expression changed: "Elder Song, where is Junior Brother Yan?"

Elder Song stopped in front of everyone and sighed, "After I arrived at Heyu Peak, I told you the whole story. I asked Junior Brother Yan to come to Haoran Peak and defend himself in front of the elders."

"But he knew that he had committed a grave sin and felt ashamed of his sect master, so he committed suicide while I was not prepared!"

As he spoke, he raised his sleeve and a corpse appeared out of thin air on the ground, with eyes wide open and a face full of regret. It was Yan Tongchun.

Elder Song took out another mustard seed ring and presented it to Master Yue: "This is Master Yan's mustard seed ring. Master, please take a look."

When Mr. Qingliu saw this, his face turned much uglier. At this point, how could he not see that Master Yue was favoring Elder Gu.

When he asked Elder Song to go to Heyu Peak to capture Yan Tongchun, he must have secretly told him to "commit suicide and apologize."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They should have thought that Master Yue would never let Yan Tongchun and Elder Gu confront each other face to face.

Some things cannot be weighed, and they weigh less than 100 grams. But if they are weighed, they weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

If Yan Tongchun testified in person that Elder Gu and Kun Tong were secretly colluding to murder Chen Yuan, there would be no way out of this.

Sect Leader Yue raised his hand and took the mustard ring away, then shook his head, "The dead are the greatest. Junior Brother Yan has already died to pay for his crime, so it is not appropriate to pursue his guilt any further. Fellow Daoist Chen, what do you think?"

Chen Yuan's eyes flashed with brilliance, and he smiled and said, "Master Yue is right, but I still have a question. I wonder if the Cangming Stone is still in Daoist Fellow Yan's mustard seed ring?"

Everyone shook their heads secretly. They guessed what Chen Yuan was thinking and wanted to use the Cangming Stone to incriminate Elder Gu.

The Cangming Stone is a top-grade spiritual material and it is very likely that it has been taken away by Elder Gu.

But there is no evidence, he can find other reasons to explain, and with the bias of Master Yue, Chen Yuan's testimony is doomed to fail. (End of this chapter)