Chapter 721 343: The Corpse of the Celestial Arts; The Change of Lotus Peak (Part 2)

Chief Hua Jing was furious, her voice shook the restriction in front of her, ripples faintly spreading in the transparent air.

"He was the only one who survived the acid rain calamity! In the Exorcism Bureau, he was the only one advocating the use of resources to enslave demons in return! Countless heinous spirits were taken from the celestial prison by him to become his followers! Have you never seen his final move, 'The Infinite Void'?! When have you ever seen a circle of dark tendrils around it?!"

Chief Henglian's barrage of questions was like mortar shells exploding in the confines of the cell, echoing loudly and deafeningly:

"Only demons! Only demons have such disgusting tentacles! Even his bones were completely dyed black!"

The obliterative black sun was circled by a ring of tentacles, a moment witnessed by many. Some even recorded the scene with a precious Memory Stone, serving as the biggest evidence used to question the Celestial Technique Venerable's sacrificial motives before the appearance of the bones.

Under Chief Hua Jing's broad purple robe, her chest heaved, and after a long silence, she finally spoke:

"You fear Them."

Chief Henglian was somewhat at a loss from this out-of-the-blue remark, stunned for a moment.

"You are in charge of the celestial prison, enjoying the torment and abuse of demons. No matter how fearsome the demon, under your hand, they would willingly plead for death. Others laud you as 'the one who even the demons fear.' But I can see, it is not because you are fearless, but because you are retaliating. I don't know what shadows you carry from the past, but I see you are just venting your fear of Them onto these weaker demons, so you can hardly bear such a title."

Chief Hua Jing mercilessly spoke of her judgment of Chief Henglian, her white eyes able to see things others could not.

"Are you deliberately provoking me?"

Chief Henglian turned around, hands behind his back, for the first time fully facing her since Chief Hua Jing appeared.

Chief Hua Jing slightly shook her delicate head, "I just want to say, if you're looking for the one person in this world who fears Them the least, it's him. You can indulge in tormenting these demons in the safest place, only because their claws have been blunted by him. So, you have no right to question him, and no one across the Five Continents has such a right."

Within the Exorcism Bureau, she was responsible for internal affairs, with her main duty being the searching of demons and their traces; the Celestial Technique Chief was responsible for external affairs, capturing and executing demons; and Chief Henglian oversaw the celestial prison, responsible for controlling and researching demons.

From a division of labor standpoint, the Celestial Technique Chief's position indeed bore the greatest and most dangerous burden.

"Absurd! Why shouldn't a matter of principle be questioned? I've long told him he should not attempt to control demons! How is this different from an Evil Cultivator?!"

"A matter of principle?" Chief Hua Jing coldly retorted, "Evil Cultivators control demons out of reverence for power, essentially seeking power from stronger beings; whereas he controls demons by seeing them as livestock, to make people see demons no worse than household dogs and pigs, thus discarding fear. You've worked with him for years, have you not figured this out?!"

Chief Henglian's expression finally wavered, his lips twitched slightly, no longer confronting Chief Hua Jing's aggressive gaze, instead turning to the black bones inside the Crystal Palace. Suddenly, he clenched his fist, sighing mournfully:

"How could I not see? But he was wrong, wrong in that he was the only one in this world who could see demons as livestock... expecting people to see tigers and leopards as cats and dogs is neither supposed nor possible..."

The man pressed his hand against the transparent surface of the Crystal Palace, as if to touch his old comrade through the barrier, "He should have had a legacy honored for eternity, yet he had to meddle with such filth..."

His words were filled with regret for this old friend, as if the Celestial Technique Venerable's rapid posthumous downfall was due to his failure to dissuade the other.

But at their level, each has their own aspirations, steadfast as gold, and changing the mind of a Void Realm Venerable is as difficult as climbing the heavens.

Chief Hua Jing watched the emotions displayed by Chief Henglian, remaining silent.

She and Chief Henglian seemed equal in rank with the Celestial Technique Chief, but no one in the Exorcism Bureau dared say they had not received help and guidance from the Celestial Technique Venerable, nor could anyone claim they felt no attachment to that steadfast old man who stood as a stabilizing force.

"Do you think I don't want to believe in him? It's because I can no longer believe in him!!"

Chief Henglian's voice carried immense grief, and Chief Hua Jing found the statement puzzling.

What does 'cannot believe' mean? Could it be that the Celestial Technique Chief truly did something he should not have...?

She suddenly sensed something, hesitating as she stepped into the cell's entrance, where the restriction unexpectedly unraveled for her.

Her steps were light as she quickly arrived before the Crystal Palace.

She bent slightly, trying to carefully observe the pile of black bones.

Suddenly!

A thick, black liquid shot toward her eyes!

She reacted instantly!

Tilting her delicate head slightly, she narrowly avoided the incoming liquid.

Its speed was astonishing, yet upon stopping, she realized this liquid could never reach her eyes, having been blocked by a sheet of special crystal material.

The liquid splattered onto the Crystal Palace's inner wall, then dripped down like candle tears. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't liquid at all, but rather countless tiny black aphids, swarming together with no gap in-between.

The culprit who expelled them was none other than the bones left by the elder.

Chief Henglian silently watched everything from the side, his face dark and grieved as he said:

"The person who found his bones died miserably right after spreading the news. I had exhausted all efforts to erase traces before bringing his bones here. It's not that I don't want you to take him out to clear his name, but he has no innocence left to claim. His skeletal remains possess such an evil nature beyond anything I've witnessed in my lifetime. Once exposed, death is inevitable! Are you counting on this thing to restore his reputation?!"

Chief Hua Jing was at a loss for words, "This must be the work of demons after death, trying to tarnish him by even defiling his bones."

"Once white paper is stained with ink, it cannot be cleaned..." Chief Henglian sighed deeply, looking upwards.

Upon hearing his words, Chief Hua Jing remained silent, while Chief Henglian waved a hand:

"Let's go... we're the only ones who can preserve his final dignity..."

Chief Hua Jing furrowed her brows slightly beyond the mist.

The more one argues, the darker it becomes; it's that simple. Instead, leaving the veil untouched might better protect the Celestial Technique Venerable.

She no longer persisted in restoring the deceased's name, instead silently departing.

Outside the celestial prison, Tiao Yaoyao's face was filled with worry, a noticeable absence of her usual cheerfulness between her brows:

"My lord, is You Su really a bad person..."

Chief Hua Jing did not answer, merely walking into the sea of clouds on her own.

The Celestial Technique Venerable's death temporarily safeguarded the coast, yet also directly led to major upheavals among the largest factions on Zhongyuan Continent.

With no one to fill the Celestial Technique Chief's position in the Exorcism Bureau, duties had to be divided between the two chiefs, yet the most stable form in the world is a triangle, while the binary state is most prone to conflict. The overt and covert struggles between the two chiefs, and the factional strife between the radical and conservative factions had quietly begun.

Few questioned the elder, given he was a hero who saved the Five Continents, and many sects, including the Profound Sky Sect, still supported him. Yet, it was irrefutable that You Su was viewed as a ruthless demon, and the Profound Sky Sect Leader cut ties with Lotus Peak to protect himself, turning the blame toward the insufficiently guiding Lotus Sword Venerable and even implicating the always mysterious fairy Wangshu, who concealed herself behind a mask.

As thousands demanded answers outside the Profound Sky Sect's gates, its grand reputation seemed all but collapsed. But when the enraged people rushed to Lotus Peak, they found it deserted.

In the eternal ice and snow of Beiao Continent, a young boy opened his eyes.