Fantasy: I, the Great Celestial Venerable of the Dao

"Junior Brother Zeng, take them down. We can investigate more thoroughly later."

Dao Xuan Zhenren's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable majesty, echoing throughout the spacious Yuqing Hall.

His gaze swept over the restrained Biyao and Youji, showing no emotion whatsoever.

"yes!"

Zeng Shuchang accepted the order without hesitation.

He waved his hand, and the Qingyun disciples behind him immediately stepped forward.

They escorted the dejected demons, along with that stubborn green figure and Youji.

At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on that figure, Dao Xuan Zhenren.

The air seemed to freeze, and the heavy pressure made it almost impossible for some disciples with lower cultivation levels to breathe.

They knew that the demonic chaos had been temporarily quelled, but the turmoil within the Qingyun Sect had only just begun.

"Cangsong, Zhang Xiaofan!"

Dao Xuan spoke, his voice not loud, yet it resounded like thunder in everyone's ears.

These five simple words instantly made the atmosphere in the Jade Purity Hall extremely heavy.

An invisible string has been quietly tightened.

Two figures trembled slightly in the crowd, then stepped forward.

One of the men was tall and straight. He was once the powerful leader of the Dragon Head Peak in Qingyun, but now his face was ashen and his eyes were filled with complex emotions.

The other person was a young man with an ordinary face. At this moment, he pursed his lips tightly, and his brows were filled with an inescapable gloom and confusion.

It was Daoist Cangsong and Zhang Xiaofan, a disciple of Dazhu Peak.

The two walked into the hall, stood before Dao Xuan Zhenren, and remained silent with their heads bowed.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Dao Xuan's gaze was like lightning, first glancing almost imperceptibly at the compassionate-looking monk Pu Hong beside him.

The sound then landed on Cangsong and Zhang Xiaofan, the tone of which was neither joyful nor angry.

"Amitabha!"

Before Cangsong and Zhang Xiaofan could respond, a long Buddhist chant rang out.

It broke the suffocating silence.

Abbot Puhong of Tianyin Temple stepped forward from the crowd, his face bearing an indescribable heaviness and guilt, with a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Today, it is time to tell the world the whole story of that case.

Pu Hong's voice was calm, yet it carried a tremendous power, sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.

"Master!"

The expression on the face of the Dharma Master behind him changed drastically, and he couldn't help but whisper a warning.

Pu Hong slowly shook his head, his expression as firm as a rock:

"If you're wrong, you're wrong."

Concealing and hiding will only deepen the sins and make the consequences heavier.

He turned to Dao Xuan Zhenren, under the astonished gazes of countless others.

He clasped his hands together and bowed deeply in a gesture of respect.

"Master Daoxuan, on behalf of Tianyin Temple, I would like to apologize to you and Qingyun Sect."

Dao Xuan knew perfectly well what was going on; he already knew the truth.

But a look of surprise and confusion appeared on his face at just the right moment, and he quickly offered a helping hand:

"Master, what brings you to this? Such a great gesture is too much for Daoxuan to accept! Please rise!"

Pu Hong straightened up and looked at Zhang Xiaofan, who was stunned to the side, with a complicated expression.

His eyes were filled with pity and guilt, and he took a deep breath.

Facing the assembled righteous comrades in the hall, he spoke in a deep voice, his words carrying clearly to every corner:

"Fellow practitioners, regarding the matter of Zhang Xiaofan possessing the 'Great Brahma Prajna' of our Tianyin Temple, all the blame lies with our Tianyin Temple. Please do not blame him any further."

"What?!"

"Is it Tianyin Temple's fault?"

"What... what exactly is going on?"

One stone caused a thousand waves!

The hall erupted in an instant, with discussions surging like a tidal wave.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Even Zhang Xiaofan, the person involved, suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared blankly at Puhong.

Dao Xuan stared intently at Pu Hong, his mind racing as he considered how to resolve the situation that had occurred that day.

Only in this way can we protect Qingyun's interests to the greatest extent and appease all parties.

In Pu Hong's deep yet clear narration, a bloody past that had been buried for five years finally saw the light of day again.

How Puzhi, one of the four great monks of Tianyin Temple, met Zhang Xiaofan and Lin Jingyu by chance.

How could someone, driven by an obsession with the unity of Buddhism and Taoism, commit the heinous crime of slaughtering the entire Grass Temple Village while suffering from deadly poison and having their mind corrupted by the evil power of the Blood-Devouring Bead?

One by one, the incidents were laid bare before everyone.

The truth is often more brutal than any fictional story.

boom!

The entire Yuqing Hall seemed about to explode!

Everyone was stunned by this shocking truth.

The members of Qingyun Sect, including Tian Buyi, Su Ru, Master Shuiyue, and other senior elders.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Cangsong, whose face was ashen, Zhang Xiaofan, who looked bewildered, and Puhong, whose face was full of sorrow.

A storm raged within me.

The truth behind the tragic case of Caomiao Village that has plagued Qingyun for many years is actually quite surprising!

The murderer was not some demonic cult member, but a renowned monk from Tianyin Temple!

This is even more unbelievable and shocks their bottom line of understanding than Daoist Cangsong's betrayal of Qingyun and collusion with the Demonic Sect!

A renowned and highly respected monk, in private, actually... committed such cruel and bloody acts?

"Ah—! Give me back my parents' lives!"

"Bald monk! Prepare to die!"

"I'm going to kill you all! To avenge Grass Temple Village!"

Several blood-soaked roars suddenly erupted from the crowd of Qingyun disciples.

Led by Lin Jingyu, several orphans from Caomiao Village charged out like mad tigers, their eyes bloodshot.

Lin Jingyu, in particular, was filled with grief and indignation. His magical power surged wildly, and a clear dragon roar resounded throughout the hall. The Dragon-Slaying Sword was already unsheathed.

The emerald green sword light, carrying a resolute killing intent, pointed directly at Pu Hong!

"No!"

"Jing Yu, stop!"

The chief elders, including Tian Buyi and Shang Zhengliang, were startled and quickly stepped forward.

They used various methods to hold back these teenagers who were almost consumed by hatred.

Even the most hot-tempered and upright monk in Tianyin Temple, Pufang, looked ashen-faced at this moment.

With his eyes tightly closed and head bowed, he resembled a defeated rooster.

His former arrogance has vanished, and he can't even utter a word of explanation.

"Hahaha...hahahaha..."

Just then, a low, mournful laugh broke the chaos.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Zhang Xiaofan tilting his head back, his body trembling slightly.

The laughter was filled with endless sorrow and absurdity.

When everyone saw his eyes clearly, they all gasped in shock!

Those once clear and simple eyes had now turned blood red!

A strong aura of malevolence and demonic power emanated from it.

His aura also began to become unstable, with faint black mist swirling around him!

"Then...what about these past five years...?"

Zhang Xiaofan's voice was hoarse, filled with heartbreaking despair.

"My persistence... my pain... my parents' lives... haha... it turns out, I've been mistaking a thief for a master all along... I've been protecting... hahaha..."

He was affected by the Soul-Devouring Staff for many years.

At this moment, he was completely detonated by the enormous mental shock, and his demonic nature backfired, and he was about to fall into the demonic path!

Dao Xuan Zhenren frowned, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.

This child is pure of heart and has extraordinary talent; it would be a real pity to ruin him.

Moreover, he was a disciple of Qingyun Sect and one of the key figures in that matter.

In the blink of an eye, Dao Xuan's figure flashed like a ghost.

Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes, and he had already appeared beside Zhang Xiaofan.

His left hand rested casually on Zhang Xiaofan's shoulder.

A surge of pure, boundless, and ocean-like Tai Chi Transformation Scripture power instantly flowed in.

Like a gentle shackle, it instantly sealed Zhang Xiaofan's nearly rampaging meridians.

He forcibly suppressed the demonic energy churning within him.

Zhang Xiaofan's body went limp, and the bloodshot in his eyes quickly faded.

Consciousness plunged into darkness, and I fell backward.

Dao Xuan gently waved his sleeve, and a gentle force supported him.