Evidence

"Die!" Fang Lu's eyes were filled with ruthless ferocity, and even a wanton exhilaration at being the one to personally end a peerless prodigy! She stared fixatedly at Yaoguang, eager to catch the panic and terror in his eyes at being ambushed and about to die on the spot. Yet... There was none. She saw not the slightest hint of panic or fear on Yaoguang's face. All there was was calm composure, as if everything had been anticipated. That look in his eyes... It was as though he had been waiting for this all along. "This is impossible!" Fang Lu could not fathom how Yaoguang knew she would suddenly make a move. After all, though she had targeted him with her words earlier, everything had seemed reasoned and justified; she had shown no sign whatsoever of erupting into murder right in front of President Ji Pingtian. Yaoguang would not explain. Nor was there time to explain. In the spark of a flint, under Fang Lu's uncomprehending, incredulous gaze, Yaoguang blocked Ji Pingtian's pummeling Dragon-Elephant World Suppression with one hand, while his other hand flicked with miraculous speed toward Fang Lu as she lunged in attack. A glint of cold light bloomed. Nurtured by the Formless secret technique, Chengying appeared ghostlike in his hand and thrust out like lightning. With Zong Yan watching, Fang Lu had not had the time to draw a formal combat weapon to assassinate Yaoguang; all she held was an easily concealed dagger. It was this very dagger, paired with Yaoguang waiting with accumulated momentum, that drew the line between life and death for this Martial Saint. An inch longer was an inch stronger! Yaoguang did not dodge in the slightest. He let the dagger of the lunging Fang Lu draw closer and closer to his throat... This approach... Ground to an abrupt halt a mere ten centimeters from Yaoguang's vital throat. In his hand, the longer, larger, and faster Chengying sword had already penetrated her chest like an invisible specter, piercing clean through her heart. The kinetic force contained within forcefully negated the momentum of her downward lunge. The sudden turn of events left everyone in the courtyard stunned into silence. "Director Fang?!" In the next instant, Ji Pingtian's mind churned violently. The fist force clashing head-on with Yaoguang trembled. Enduring the risk of Yaoguang pressing the advantage, he forcefully disengaged from the deadlock and retreated explosively. After steadying his balance several paces back, he was about to step forward to save Fang Lu when a sudden realization struck him. In that flash of flint and steel... Fang Lu had tried to launch a sneak attack on Yaoguang to put him to death?! His figure halted on the spot. He keenly realized that he seemed to have been drawn into a vortex he should never have touched, made into a borrowed knife for someone else's murder. *Chhh!* Yaoguang withdrew his sword. A spurt of crimson blood sprayed out. Fang Lu's body swayed. Yaoguang's strike had pierced directly through her heart. At this moment, an unprecedented weakness battered her nerves, leaving her staggering until she could no longer stand and collapsed straight to the ground. The chill of blood loss mingled with unspeakable dread flooded Fang Lu's mind. Panicking, she opened her mouth and gasped, "Save me... Save me..." Though he sensed something was amiss, Ji Pingtian suppressed his suspicions for the moment and swiftly ordered, "Save her!" "Who dares!" Yaoguang barked in a low voice. His shout instantly halted several Jishi Society experts trained in emergency aid. "Yaoguang, although between us just now... there may have been some misunderstanding, regardless, save her first," Ji Pingtian said quickly. "Sword." Yaoguang reached out his hand. Su Yizhou, who had previously taken the Shenying Sword away for maintenance, instantly tossed the blade over. "Save her?" Yaoguang caught the sword and pointed it straight at Ji Pingtian. "Ask it if it agrees." "Su Yaoguang! What do you think you're doing?!" Ji Pingtian grew somewhat exasperated. Yet... The outcome of their clash just now made him wary of acting rashly. He merely shot a look at Zong Yan. Zong Yan hesitated for a moment before stepping forward. "Yaoguang, let's save her first... Fang Lu may have acted rashly in the heat of the moment, but she is, after all, a director of our Jishi Society and a core force in countering Chixing." "Remember what I told you yesterday when leaving Xie Family Manor? That when the time came, you would have to make a choice." Yaoguang said, "I can't speak for others, but the Dayu royal family has already colluded with the Rebirth Society, acting hand in glove. Her attacking me is simply the Dayu royal family trying to curry favor with the Rebirth Society, offering my life as an explanation for the deaths of Zhao Sheng and the others." Saying this, he looked at Zong Yan and Ji Pingtian. "Now, how will the Jishi Society choose? Turn a blind eye and insist on saving Fang Lu to secure the Dayu royal family's support? Or... stand with me and make the Dayu royal family pay for colluding with the Rebirth Society and tacitly permitting demons to run rampant?" "You're... spouting slander..." Fang Lu cried out weakly, her Martial Saint vitality—far exceeding that of ordinary people—allowing her to still cling to breath. "I... did not... collude with the Rebirth Society..." She looked at Ji Pingtian. "President... save me..." Although Ji Pingtian felt Fang Lu's behavior earlier was fraught with suspicion and inclined somewhat toward Yaoguang's claim, still... It was all merely Yaoguang's speculation. A director. A Martial Saint director representing the Dayu royal family could never be allowed to die here without evidence. He said in a deep voice, "I cannot sit by and watch Fang Lu die on your one-sided word alone. In any case, save her first." Hearing this, a flicker of longing for life flashed in Fang Lu's eyes. "One-sided word? You want evidence?" "That's right!" Ji Pingtian said solemnly. He made a gesture, and numerous Grandmasters and Martial Masters of the Jishi Society instantly closed in. "President... I'm... innocent..." Fang Lu gasped with all her strength. "Simple." Yaoguang carried his sword and walked up to Fang Lu. "President... save me..." Uncontrollable terror welled up in Fang Lu's eyes, and she pleaded desperately. "Su Yaoguang!" Ji Pingtian took large strides forward. "Stop!" Yaoguang swept out a hand, and the Shenying Sword stirred up a flurry of afterimages to intercept the president of the Jishi Society. Meanwhile, Chengying in his other hand flew out like a flying sword, hurtling through the air with a shriek. *Thwack!* Before Ji Pingtian could possibly rush to her aid, it pierced straight through Fang Lu's skull. The begging stopped abruptly... "Su Yaoguang!" Ji Pingtian roared in fury. "Do you recognize this?" Yaoguang suddenly produced the Soul-Capturing Orb and stepped beside Fang Lu. Mid-fury, Ji Pingtian's expression stiffened. He recognized the object's origin. The Soul-Capturing Orb could extract a portion of the residual memories of the newly deceased; the shorter the time and the deeper the memory, the more completely it could be extracted. This was... A treasure possessed by only a tiny handful of figures in the entire Rebirth Society. How could Su Yaoguang have one?! Yaoguang drew Fang Lu's residual soul into the Soul-Capturing Orb and tossed it directly to Ji Pingtian. "See for yourself." Yaoguang didn't even need to guess to know that Fang Lu's memories would certainly contain scenes of the Dayu royal family ordering her to borrow a knife to kill. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so aggressively pressing. Ji Pingtian caught the orb and focused his attention to examine it. After merely a moment, his face shifted. Yaoguang paid him no heed. After swallowing an elixir pill, he adjusted his physical condition through his exquisitely precise mastery over his body. Though he had reached Martial Saint with the aid of the Heavenly Demon Disintegration secret technique, his foundational depth was noticeably inferior to Ji Pingtian's. Furthermore, breaking through via the Heavenly Demon Disintegration secret technique inflicted tremendous damage on the body; even though he had consumed a large number of pills, recovering completely within a single day was impossible. It was only thanks to the Divine Descent secret technique that outsiders could not detect it. Several minutes later, Ji Pingtian returned the treasure to Yaoguang, his expression now exceedingly grim. "Understood?" Yaoguang said. The gazes of Zong Yan and the other Jishi Society members also fell upon Ji Pingtian. The president of the Jishi Society opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end... A trace of dejection colored his tone. "This is a dereliction of duty on the part of our Jishi Society." At these words, Zong Yan's heart jolted. He couldn't help asking, "The Dayu royal family... really colluded with the Rebirth Society?" Ji Pingtian nodded. "Bastards! They... they are so utterly spineless... Is Dayu really just going to watch helplessly and let Chixing usurp their recommendation quota, throwing away every shred of hope?" Zong Yan was both shocked and outraged. The others were likewise filled with righteous fury, united in shared indignation. Ji Pingtian let out a sigh. Things like this were not unprecedented. Chixing... Was simply too powerful. And the membership of the Jishi Society was far too complicated. Dozens of nations meant dozens of conflicting agendas; heaven only knew which country would buckle under Chixing's pressure on any given day and betray the Jishi Society. "Su Yaoguang, through my oversight and gullible trust in Fang Lu, I went so far as to attack you... Please forgive me," Ji Pingtian said solemnly. "If you truly want to apologize, transfer those three hundred billion Chixing coins as soon as possible," Yaoguang said. Ji Pingtian was slightly taken aback. Then he breathed a soft sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "I will notify the finance department immediately." With that, he urgently gave instructions to a middle-aged man behind him. He was terrified that Yaoguang would harbor resentment toward the Jishi Society over what had just happened and sever ties with them. Their battle moments ago had unfolded in a flash of flint and steel, leaving no time for careful reflection. Now that he had cooled down and looked back upon his clash with Yaoguang, he was astonished to realize... Yaoguang's strength was not in the least inferior to his own. Although he himself had not worn a combat suit or used equipment, Yaoguang had likewise not wielded a handy divine weapon like the Shenying Sword. Yet in the end... Yaoguang had fought him to a standstill. This kind of combat talent... Was simply unprecedented! Most crucial of all, Yaoguang was only nineteen years old! He had been cultivating for merely a year! Cultivating for just one year, and he could already battle toe-to-toe with a Divine Realm Martial Saint like him! After another year, to what heights would he grow?! Surpassing him, a Divine Realm Martial Saint? Or perhaps... A Hunyuan Martial Saint?! And once he went to the Artifact Sect? For a moment, Ji Pingtian's mind surged with turbulent waves. It was unimaginable. Utterly unimaginable! The only certainty was... If Yaoguang was truly willing to continue representing the Jishi Society against Chixing's Martial Saints and enter the Artifact Sect, then in the future... The nations of the Eastern Central Continent might truly have hope of leveraging his influence to completely throw off Chixing's tyranny, achieving independence and autonomy to become sovereign states in the truest sense. With that thought, Ji Pingtian reflected on his actions just now and was immediately overcome with regret. *Damn it!* He had truly lost his mind. Suspected demon? If Yaoguang were truly a demon, how could he act in such an open and upright manner? If Yaoguang were truly a demon, why would he fight the Rebirth Society to such a bitter end?! If Yaoguang were truly a demon... He was already this strong in his ordinary state; once he transformed... Every single one of them present, down to the last person, could forget about leaving Yuyuan alive. Ji Pingtian stole a glance at Yaoguang. No! He had to make amends! He had to remedy this as quickly as possible and find a way to repair the relationship between the Jishi Society and Su Yaoguang. Otherwise, this once-in-a-century opportunity to cast off Chixing's tyranny might very well slip entirely through the fingers of the Jishi Society and the nations behind them. He wondered what this Yaoguang liked. Beautiful women? Cultivation methods? Secret techniques? Divine weapons?