Zhao Wuji spoke with righteous fury.
Yun Jin cast him a half-smile, not quite amused, not quite mocking. Then she began to clap. "As expected of a Sect Master. What a performance," Yun Jin said lightly.
Zhao Wuji's expression shifted. His gaze turned wary. "What are you implying?" he asked.
No matter how fast Yun Jin was, she had only just returned to the Tianxing Sect. How could she possibly know what had happened while she was gone? It shouldn't be possible.
Yun Jin spoke calmly. "Shengyang Minglu. Am I right?"
She stated the name plainly, without hesitation.
Zhao Wuji's face changed in an instant.
How did Yun Jin find out? He had gone to such lengths to keep it hidden!
"Xiao Jin, what's going on?" Lin Ya couldn't help but ask.
Zhao Wuji had drunk the wine himself. There shouldn't be anything wrong with it.
"What could she possibly know? She's probably just making things up." Zhao Wuji sneered. "Shengyang Minglu? Never even heard of it."
Yun Jin spoke slowly, almost lazily. "Shengyang Minglu dissolves spiritual energy temporarily upon entering the body. Depending on one's cultivation level, the duration varies. For cultivators like the Grand Elders, their spiritual energy would be suppressed for about half an hour. For others, the effect lasts even longer. Long enough for the demons to carry out a massacre."
The expressions of everyone present turned grim.
A massacre by the demons?
What did that mean?
They'd all been fine earlier. The only recent event…
Everyone turned toward Zhao Wuji, still struggling to accept the implication.
Zhao Wuji was a righteous cultivator—surely he wouldn't collude with the demons?
Zhao Wuji raised a brow. "Yun Jin, your imagination is impressive."
"Seeds of tingli, huangdu…" Yun Jin began to list medicinal ingredients, her voice still unhurried.
Zhao Wuji's face darkened again.
That was a poison formula. How did she know?
"Sect Master Zhao, you must be familiar with these herbs, right? I'm sure you've purchased quite a bit of them lately," Yun Jin said.
Zhao Wuji opened his mouth to retort.
But Yun Jin continued, unfazed. "Why bother denying it? All it takes is a quick check of your purchase records. Some of these herbs aren't even stocked in our sect. You had to buy them from Baicao Pavilion. As it happens, I'm quite friendly with Pavilion Master Chen. Shall I go ask him if you've bought any of these herbs recently?"
Zhao Wuji's expression grew uncertain.
Still, he kept his composure. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Even if I did poison everyone, I drank the same wine. Wouldn't that be suicide?"
"But the poison wasn't in the wine." Yun Jin enunciated three words clearly: "Shuang Guo Tree."
Zhao Wuji's face twisted again.
She even knew that?
He had applied the poison to the frostfruit tree. As the tree released its fragrance, the toxin slowly seeped into everyone's body. But he himself had taken the antidote in advance.
Yun Jin's voice remained expressionless. "You coated the tree with poison. As its scent spread, the toxin entered the body. And you? You took the antidote beforehand."
All eyes turned to Zhao Wuji.
"Zhao Wuji! What is going on here?" Several of the Grand Elders looked furious.
"What else needs explaining?" Lin Ya said coldly. "The disciples from Qingxiao Pavilion had demonic qi on them. That place is suspect, and Zhao Wuji's father was one of them. Who knows what shady dealings he and his father were involved in?"
No matter what Zhao Wuji said, Lin Ya trusted Yun Jin.
Everything Xiao Jin said had always proven true.
So then—
Zhao Wuji really had colluded with the demons. With everyone's spiritual power suppressed, the demons could storm in unchallenged.
Soon, the Tianxing Sect would be drowned in blood.
That was what Zhao Wuji wanted.
Faces darkened all around as the crowd slowly surrounded Zhao Wuji.
Zhao Wuji glanced around at the encircling figures, then suddenly burst out laughing.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes, her expression calm.
Zhao Wuji looked directly at her and sneered. "Yun Jin… I don't know how you figured all this out. But since you know what Shengyang Minglu does, why would you be so stupid as to say it out loud? Now, all of you are poisoned. None of you can fight. But me…"
As he spoke, a powerful surge of energy burst from his body—he revealed his Unity-stage cultivation without restraint.
He smiled slightly. "Under normal circumstances, this level of power wouldn't be enough. But right now? You're all no different from mortals. What can you possibly do to stop me?"
Zhao Wuji chuckled darkly. "You're actually lucky. I'm busy today and don't have time to waste. So I'll let you all die quickly. Don't worry, I still care about the Tianxing Sect. I won't destroy it. The obedient disciples—I'll let them live. And I will continue to lead them forward. Without you all, the sect will only flourish."
"Zhao Wuji! Are you insane?" one of the Grand Elders roared. "This is treason! You've colluded with the demon race. When the truth comes out, what do you think will happen to you?"
"Then I just won't let the truth come out," Zhao Wuji said with a smile. "As long as all of you are dead, no one will ever know."
His gaze turned immediately to Yun Jin. He had originally planned to play a little longer, draw things out. But Yun Jin had ruined it all by revealing the truth too early.
So dull.
Now, she would have to pay for it.
"Old grudges and new," Zhao Wuji said coldly. "Let's settle them all today. I'll send you on your way first."
He raised his hand, face blank.
But Yun Jin didn't panic.
Instead, she smiled. "Sect Master, do you really think I'm that foolish? That I'd expose you here without any backup?"
Zhao Wuji's heart wavered.
If it had been anyone else, he would've dismissed it as bluffing.
But this was Yun Jin.
The one who'd bested him time and again.
Yun Jin really was unfazed.
Not to mention—Lao Huo was hidden nearby, ready to strike at any moment.
And as for Shengyang Minglu, she had already developed a countermeasure long ago.
She raised her hand. A small flame ignited on her fingertip.
Zhao Wuji's expression shifted. "You… how are you still able to use spiritual power?"
That was impossible.
The poison from Shengyang Minglu was potent. That was why he had coated the Shuang Guo tree with it—to let it seep into everyone slowly and imperceptibly.
If it had been added to the wine, someone might have refused to drink it, or grown suspicious.
Airborne exposure was fool-proof.
Yun Jin had been present at the banquet the entire time. She should be poisoned as well.
She cast Zhao Wuji a look of disdain.
Zhao Wuji's face darkened further. "Even if you can still use spiritual power, your cultivation is only at the Divine Transformation stage. Do you really think you can fight me across such a gap? Let me tell you…"