Li Bashan was immensely arrogant and could never tolerate anyone looking down on him. What made it even more hateful was that the other person was merely a low-ranking messenger disciple!
"A puny messenger disciple should consider it the utmost fortune just to lay eyes on me, the Divine Son, yet you dare to babble on in my presence—you are simply courting death!"
***
Almost the exact moment the messenger disciple was sent flying by the slap, Jin Dajian sensed it.
A wave of anger rolled in from the back peak—it was the aura of the Divine Son. Immediately after, that disciple was sent flying backward like a cannonball. Without needing to guess, something had gone wrong.
How could Jin Dajian fail to understand? The Divine Son must have been unwilling to return the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda to Ye Qingtao, but the disciple kept trying to persuade him, which enraged the Divine Son and earned him a slap across the face.
Jin Dajian’s expression darkened. How dare he slap his disciple away? This showed him not an ounce of respect!
He was an elder, after all!
"I'll go myself!"
Jin Dajian muttered in a low voice and vanished in a flash of light.
He had originally stayed behind to delegate some other matters, otherwise he would have gone himself in the first place.
***
Within the span of two breaths, a flash of light flickered before Li Bashan, and Jin Dajian materialized.
Li Bashan immediately understood why he was here and said indifferently, "So it's Elder Jin. That disciple under your command just now was too annoying, so I gave him a slap. He probably isn't dead."
Jin Dajian flicked out a sound transmission talisman, and immediately a disciple rushed off in that direction to conduct a rescue.
Looking at him, Jin Dajian said in a low voice, "Divine Son, that disciple was merely speaking a few words—was it really necessary to fly into such a rage? The sect is not yet in chaos, yet we are already falling into chaos ourselves!"
The Divine Son sneered. "So you think the sect is going to fall into chaos as well? Let me tell you, with me here guarding the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, nothing will go wrong! Absolutely nothing! I will guard it even better than that fellow surnamed Ye. Elder Jin can rest assured!"
How could Jin Dajian possibly rest assured? If he could rest assured, he wouldn't have come here!
Three hundred years ago, the Divine Son had temporarily guarded the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda once. At that time, his cultivation realm was a few minor stages lower than it was now. The moment he touched the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, the pagoda suddenly went on a rampage, and he couldn't even keep a steady grip on it with both hands.
Back then, the ground split open and thick smoke billowed everywhere. The Divine Son instantly panicked and actually hurled the pagoda away!
Fortunately, the seals were still relatively intact back then, and the disaster wasn't too large.
But now, if an incident were to happen again, the consequences would be unimaginable! The current seals were much weaker than the previous ones, frail and collapsing at a single blow. Should anything happen, the destruction of the sect would mean countless lives lost!
Jin Dajian did not believe that because the Divine Son couldn't guard the pagoda back then, he could do it now. He said in a deep voice, "Divine Son, I urge you to prioritize the greater good of the sect. Although I don't know why, after you took over, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda didn't experience the same rampage as last time, it might just be due to some fluke. I strongly advise you to return the pagoda to Ye Qingtao; otherwise, if the demons riot and the celestial fiends dance in chaos, the consequences will be unthinkable!"
Li Bashan let out a cold laugh. "Hahaha! Elder Jin, you truly disappoint me! With courage as small as yours, you might as well step down from your position as an elder. Having lived to such a ripe old age, do you lack even my boldness?"
Jin Dajian’s expression turned ugly as he said in a stern voice, "Divine Son, this is not a matter of boldness. The sect cannot afford to gamble. Regardless of what faults Ye Qingtao has committed, as long as he can coexist peacefully with those demons, it is an extremely favorable outcome for us! The sect can take this time to recuperate and build up its strength, so that even if the demons break through the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda in the future, we will still retain a shred of self-preservation capability!"
Li Bashan showed utter disdain, sneering coldly, "I advise you to save your breath. Do you even know what that fellow surnamed Ye has done? As a member of the righteous path, he actually colluded with the Demonic Path, accepted demonic cultivation empowerment, and may have even taken bribes from those fiendish overlords. Why do you think the Sect Master confiscated his pagoda? It's precisely because of this! Ye Qingtao has defected to the Demonic Path!"
What?!
Jin Dajian’s heart jolted.
He genuinely knew nothing about this, and his face instantly turned pale, leaving him speechless for a long time.
If Ye Qingtao had truly defected to the Demonic Path, things would indeed be tricky. However, he simply didn't believe it! Whenever he had free time, he would seek out Ye Qingtao to play a game of chess; the other man's speech and demeanor bore not the slightest trace of the Demonic Path, and his eyes were clear—how could he possibly have practiced demonic cultivation?
Jin Dajian wouldn't believe it even if told ten thousand times. He lowered his voice and asked, "Pardon me, Divine Son, but do you have any evidence?"
"Ridiculous! Do you think this Divine Son is entirely helpless against the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda? Let me tell you, I can guard it ten thousand times better than that fellow surnamed Ye! If you don't believe it, just wait and see!" The Divine Son held his head high, brimming with confidence.
Seeing that he wouldn't give a direct answer, Jin Dajian grew somewhat impatient and said, "Your Highness, everything must be based on evidence. Removing Ye Qingtao from his post without proof—if something goes wrong, won't we have made a catastrophic mistake? Please reconsider, Divine Son!"
Li Bashan grew even more impatient than him, waving his hand coldly. "If you don't believe it, go investigate it yourself! In any case, I've said all I have to say. If you have nothing else, hurry up and leave!"
Jin Dajian was filled with extreme anxiety. By the time he actually finished an investigation, who knew how long that would take? What if a demon riot broke out before the investigation results even came out? Wouldn't it be too late to say anything then?
Moreover, according to sect regulations, only the Law Enforcement Hall was qualified to investigate disciples; other elders were merely administrators and had no right to interfere in disciplinary punishments.
Sensing things were going south, a flash of ingenuity suddenly struck Jin Dajian, and he asked a piercing question, "Your Highness, you keep claiming he has defected to the Demonic Path—why don't we go inside the pagoda and take a look? If we genuinely find any trace of evidence, I will say no more."
Since he couldn't investigate the disciple, he would investigate the inside of the pagoda instead.
Li Bashan laughed boldly and said, "That's simple! Let's go in and take a look right now! But we must make it clear beforehand: if it turns out he truly has colluded with the Demonic Path, what do you say?"
Without wasting words, Jin Dajian immediately produced a runic greatsword and declared, "This item is the most formidable magical treasure I own, named the Ancient Azure Dragon Sword. It was forged from millennium-old meteoric iron over forty-nine days, and a single strike can pierce a ten-thousand-foot mountain. It possesses extraordinary power. If I lose, this sword goes to the Divine Son."
Delighted in his heart, thinking that acquiring a fine sword wasn't a bad deal, Li Bashan also produced a treasure and said, "Very well! This item is called the Dazzling Gold Pendant. It can continuously absorb the spiritual Qi of the sun and moon, filling up in three days. Absorbing its energy enhances one's cultivation—it's equivalent to increasing one's cultivation progress simply by lying down. If I lose, this item is yours!"
The two quickly settled the wager, then shrank their bodies and, with a flash of light, entered the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda together.
Normally, entering this pagoda offered two options: first, shrink oneself and enter; second, enlarge the pagoda and walk in. However, the sect customarily chose the first method.
In truth, seeing the Divine Son's absolute certainty, Jin Dajian harbored a lingering worry that Ye Qingtao might actually have defected to the Demonic Path. Deep down, however, he hoped not; he held Ye Qingtao in very high regard.
After all, he was the man who had brought a century of peace to the sect.
***
Meanwhile.
At the Cliff of Reflection.
Ye Qingtao’s wooden cabin had already been built, and he was sitting comfortably inside.