Meanwhile, in Jiang Zhenhe’s quarters, Jiang Zhenhe sat cross-legged on a futon, his heart trembling violently.
The events of moments ago still left lingering fear in his chest. The Divine Son's kick had almost knocked him down a cultivation realm—such a heavy price to pay!
Just moments ago, he had been at the pinnacle of joy, only to experience in an instant what it meant to fall from heaven straight to the depths of hell. He and the Divine Son had both nearly been completely ruined!
In his wildest dreams, Jiang Zhenhe could never have imagined that the investigation into Ye Qingtao's alleged transmission of cultivation would yield nothing. He had been certain those fiends must have passed their cultivation to Ye Qingtao, especially given the ironclad evidence. Yet he never dreamed he could be so blind to such a simple truth!
Come to think of it, every generation of Demon Suppressors in the sect was bound to be tainted by some degree of demonic Qi. He had simply never seen a Demon Suppressor with such dense demonic Qi, and thus assumed Ye Qingtao had colluded with them! Mostly, he had never actually seen what someone tainted with demonic Qi for a hundred years was supposed to look like.
"Sima Zhao, you've ruined me!" Jiang Zhenhe cursed aloud.
If not for Sima Zhao, how could he have taken that kick for nothing? What if the Divine Son had killed him outright?
Then again, Sima Zhao had fallen from heaven to hell even harder than he had; the boy's fall was far more miserable!
At this thought, Jiang Zhenhe finally found a shred of solace, and his mind balanced out.
He then took out a jade pendant. Known as a Sound Transmission Jade Pendant, it could be used to reach a designated person anytime, anywhere.
Jiang Zhenhe spoke into it: "Sima Zhao, come to my quarters."
***
At the same time, Sima Zhao was walking along a mountain path, feeling utterly aggrieved.
He felt a stifling knot in his chest that would neither go down nor come up—like swallowing a dead fly.
Everything had been going well, and the evidence had seemed absolute, yet in the end, there was nothing!
This was something he never, in his wildest dreams, could have expected! Ye Qingtao hadn't done a thing, yet the tables had been turned entirely on him!
The more Sima Zhao thought about it, the more wronged he felt, but with nowhere to vent his frustration, he had to swallow his broken teeth along with his pride.
"Why didn't I investigate properly back then instead of jumping to conclusions? Look at the mess I'm in now!"
He felt intensely agitated.
Right at that moment, the Sound Transmission Jade Pendant at his waist chimed. He took it out, read the message, and quickly flew toward Jiang Zhenhe’s quarters.
A short while later, Sima Zhao stood before Jiang Zhenhe and cupped his fists. "Master."
"This time, you almost ruined me!" Jiang Zhenhe said with a bitter expression.
How could Sima Zhao feel any differently? He could only stand in place, not knowing what to say. His face burned bright red, searing with humiliation.
Jiang Zhenhe coughed. He had already taken a Pill for the injuries inflicted by the Divine Son's kick, but his bones were still throbbing with intense pain. "Disciple, you must redeem yourself through meritorious service! If you fail this time as well, I truly won't know what to do. Things will become catastrophic! Do you understand?"
Sima Zhao hurriedly cupped his fists. "Understood! This disciple will certainly handle it properly!"
"Good!" Jiang Zhenhe nodded, then shared his suspicions. "I thought about it carefully just now. If Ye Qingtao didn't collude with the Demonic Path, how could he still be completely unscathed to this day? You must remember, those assigned to guard the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda in the past were eroded in mind and spirit by the demonic Qi within seventy years at most, going mad and descending into deviation. From this, it's clear he must have cooperated with the Demonic Path!"
In truth, Sima Zhao held the exact same thought. He said, "Master, it all comes down to whether we can find evidence against him now. Since he is currently confined to the Cliff of Reflection, it will be very easy for us to search!"
"Correct! I intend to send you to search his quarters. We are bound to find some clues!" Jiang Zhenhe instructed. Then, a vicious look crossing his face, he added, "I refuse to believe there is nothing fishy about his dwelling!"
***
While Jiang Zhenhe and Sima Zhao were plotting here, someone was returning to the sect from the outside world.
Numerous disciples watched as an old man with white hair and beard came riding on a flying sword through the void. A thick wave of spiritual energy covered a radius of a hundred miles, causing countless disciples to lift their heads in awe.
"Elder Feng has returned!"
"Wait, I remember he went out on a journey many years ago. Why is he back today?"
"Hold on, could it be that he heard about Ye Qingtao being locked up in the Cliff of Reflection?"
Disciples below whispered amongst themselves.
To put it simply, this old man was named Feng Huairen. Originally an elder, he usually disliked administrative duties and preferred a carefree life, so he had resigned and gone to travel the Great Wilderness Realm. Today, he had suddenly received a sound transmission from Jin Dajian while outside.
Jin Dajian had told him: "Hurry back! Something major has happened in the sect! Ye Qingtao's control of the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda has been revoked, and he is currently confined to the Cliff of Reflection. You must hurry back and persuade the Divine Son; he simply cannot suppress the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. Nobody can manage it except Ye Qingtao!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Huairen had nearly fainted from anger.
Many years ago, he had witnessed numerous demonic uprisings with his own eyes. Every single time, the sect had almost turned into a bloody purgatory; the terrifying scenes made his head ring just thinking about them.
Yet later, Ye Qingtao had gone to suppress them, and instantly, everything had grown calm and tranquil.
Now, replacing him abruptly struck his heart like a thunderbolt!
Just as Jin Dajian had said, when it came to the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, no one else would do—only Ye Qingtao!
Regardless of the Divine Son possessing the Blazing Fire Physique and high talent, it wasn't as if he hadn't taken over temporarily in the past; he simply couldn't do a thing with the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda!
If the demons revolted once more and the sect became a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses, who could take the responsibility?
By then, anything they said would be too late!
Anxious and furious, feeling a stabbing pain in his liver and not daring to delay for even a moment, Feng Huairen had rushed back without stopping to rest!
Landing within the sect, Feng Huairen had no time to acknowledge the many disciples who recognized him, heading straight for the Divine Son's quarters.
He was deeply worried that the fiends inside the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda would break through, and he had to make the Divine Son return the pagoda to its rightful owner!
***
Jiang Zhenhe and Sima Zhao were still scheming.
"Master, I actually have a bit of worry. What if we still can't find anything? Even if he really accepted gifts from those fiends, couldn't he have hidden them somewhere else, like outside the sect? What should we do then?" Sima Zhao said.
He was terrified now. The previous punishment had almost frightened him into pieces, and if he failed to redeem himself this time, he feared he would not survive the Divine Son's wrath!
In short, he was scared out of his wits.