The Divine Son remembered clearly that the previous Divine Son possessed an even greater natural talent than his own, yet what became of him? Because he fabricated a miscarriage of justice that caused the Sect Master to execute the wrong person, the Sect Master flew into a rage and instantly erased him with a single thought, wiping out even his family dwelling far away in the mortal realm down to the very last person.
This, in truth, was the reason Su Yanran had not immediately killed Ye Qingtao. Ever since that incident, she felt it best to set matters aside first and deal with them only after she had calmed down.
Sima Zhao's legs had turned to jelly. It was impossible! He had clearly seen Ye Qingtao's entire body wreathed in dense demonic energy, shrouded in layer upon layer of terrifying black flames. The man had undoubtedly been practicing some kind of Demonic Cultivation Technique, so why on earth was things like this now?
He wrung his brains trying to figure it out, concluding that these demons must be lying. But why would they lie?
He could not make sense of it, nor did time allow Sima Zhao to think any further. He hastily looked toward the Sect Master, only to see that she was already growing somewhat impatient.
Su Yanran turned her head, swept a glance across Jiang Zhenhe, and said, "Are these the disciples you brought up?"
Jiang Zhenhe felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. His hands began to tremble, and he blurted out, "Sect Master, please do not be hasty! These demons are certainly lying. Having colluded with Ye Qingtao, they would never tell the truth—otherwise, wouldn't their partner in crime be killed? In my opinion, we should use the Lie Detection Artifact to test them!"
The Divine Son panicked and grew frantic. Everyone knew Jiang Zhenhe was his man, and Sima Zhao was Jiang Zhenhe's subordinate; the others would surely assume this whole affair had been instigated by him. He had to step forward and speak at once!
The Divine Son hurriedly said, "Sect Master, Elder Jiang makes a valid point. In my view, these demons are undoubtedly lying. I happen to carry the Lie Detection Artifact with me; if we use it, we are bound to find the truth!"
Upon hearing mention of the Lie Detection Artifact, Jin Dajian and the three elders on this side began to worry once more.
They had to admit that Sima Zhao actually made a certain amount of sense. Just imagine: if Ye Qingtao had truly colluded with the demons, would the demons betray him? Wasn't that blatantly obvious!
Therefore, it was indeed necessary to use the Lie Detection Artifact.
However, what would happen if it truly turned out that he had colluded with the demonic path and the artifact detected it?
For a moment, all three of them had palms slick with sweat.
Su Yanran said, "Very well, take out the Lie Detection Artifact."
The Divine Son immediately produced a Bronze Mirror. It was roughly the size of an adult's palm, with reflective surfaces on both sides. Its usage was quite simple: once shone directly upon the demons, anything they said thereafter could not possibly be false.
Overjoyed, Sima Zhao proactively volunteered, "Your Highness the Divine Son, such a minor task does not warrant your personal attention. Allow me to conduct the interrogation on your behalf."
This was an act of flattery to draw closer to the Divine Son. Should anything go wrong, he and the Divine Son would be like grasshoppers tied to the same rope, and even if the Sect Master wished to punish them, she would have to think twice.
Li Bashan naturally understood this, but since they were already all in the same boat, he had no choice and handed the mirror to Sima Zhao.
Holding the Bronze Mirror, Sima Zhao selected a Xiaoyao and shone it over the creature's head, then demanded, "Did you or did you not transmit your cultivation to Ye Qingtao?"
Under the influence of the Lie Detection Artifact, the Xiaoyao felt his mind clear instantly. An ineffable power took hold of him, compelling him to speak the truth; if he were to utter a falsehood, a crack would instantly shatter across the mirror's surface.
He spoke up, "No, we truly never transmitted any cultivation to Ye Qingtao."
*Hiss~~~*
A complex intake of breath rippled through the scene.
It was Jiang Zhenhe, who hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
Terror gripped his heart. Even the lie detector was showing it to be true—what was he to do now? Could it be that Ye Qingtao really hadn't colluded with the demonic path?
If so, wouldn't he himself be...
Jiang Zhenhe hastily glanced at the Divine Son, only to find the latter's gaze fixed upon him with growing fury.
"*Hiss~~*" He drew in another sharp breath, shaking violently.
The others wore varied expressions, all of them grim.
Unable to believe this turn of events, Sima Zhao hurriedly demanded again, "You truly didn't transmit it? You had better tell the truth, do you hear me—the truth!"
"I am speaking the truth! If I weren't, a crack would appear on the mirror! Have you forgotten that last time Ye Qingtao also brought a Lie Detection Mirror inside and questioned us about certain things? You were present then as well. I lied, and the mirror shattered!"
The Xiaoyao's words plunged everyone present into silence.
Sima Zhao fell even quieter. He remembered that incident well: on that occasion, Ye Qingtao's Storage Bag had been stolen, so he brought the mirror inside and questioned them one by one. When he reached this Xiaoyao, it was discovered that he was the thief, and the creature had been beaten within an inch of its life.
For some unknown reason at the time, Ye Qingtao had merely flicked a finger lightly at him, and the Xiaoyao had let out a miserable scream before instantly fainting dead away.
Realizing he would get nowhere with this line of questioning, Sima Zhao flew into a rage from embarrassment. "I understand! You didn't transmit it, so it must have been someone else! Watch me question them one by one!"
Not waiting for the Sect Master or the others behind him to reply, Sima Zhao immediately began interrogating the prisoners one by one. He had no desire to be told "Enough!" by anyone else; if they stopped him from questioning them, he would be unjustly wronged!
He flatly refused to believe that Ye Qingtao had not colluded with the demonic path. He trusted his own eyes—there had clearly been so much demonic flame on Ye Qingtao's body. Could it be that the blame was being wrongfully shifted back onto him?
Seeing that Sima Zhao was growing somewhat desperate, the others said nothing. The fact that this particular Xiaoyao had tested negative merely proved he hadn't done it, but what about the other demons?
While they were deep in thought, Sima Zhao had already approached another demon and begun the test.
"Speak! Did you transmit your cultivation to Ye Qingtao?"
"No! I did not!"
With a gloomy expression, Sima Zhao rapidly moved to yet another demon, shone the Lie Detection Mirror upon him, and asked in a deep voice, "And you? Did you transmit it?"
"No! I swear with both hands raised, truly I did not!"
Sima Zhao's expression grew even gloomier, while profound panic welled up in his heart. He hastily resumed the tests.
......
The time it took to brew a cup of tea passed.
Then the time of an incense stick.
Half an hour... Before long, three hours had elapsed. Sima Zhao had lost count of how many demons he had tested, yet every single one of them answered "No," with scarcely a single one admitting to having transmitted cultivation to Ye Qingtao.
Moreover, they had long since finished testing that cell; right now, everyone was standing inside a different cell—already the fourth one they had cleared.
Every face was dark, especially that of Sect Master Su Yanran, who stood perpetually on the verge of explosive fury. If a single spark were thrown her way right now, she could shatter Sima Zhao into smithereens with a single palm strike, while dealing with Jiang Zhenhe into the bargain.
Sima Zhao was drenched in sweat—not only cold sweat, but the hot perspiration of exhaustion. With so many demons present, and all these people watching him test them in utter silence without uttering a single word, his terror deepened by the moment.
He glanced back at his master, Jiang Zhenhe, and the Divine Son, only to see their faces both dark and deathly pale. Oh heavens, today he had jumped into the Yellow River and could never wash himself clean! He had clearly and distinctly witnessed Ye Qingtao covered in demonic energy—what on earth was going on here?!
Sima Zhao was losing his mind.
At last, the Sect Master commanded, "Stop! No need to test any further!"