Chapter 448 - 406: Inspection

Chapter 448: Chapter 406: Inspection

Yinn Hongbo, who was still within the formation, heard these words clearly.

He was initially taken aback, and then an uncontrollable fury surged within him, prompting him to rush out, standing shoulder to shoulder with Zhuang Qing, and shouted angrily.

"Does the Upper Sect truly believe that our Spirit Talisman Sect deserves only two or three Spirit Seeds each year?"

"Just because there are six this year, we’re suspected of stealing Spirit Seeds, how ridiculous! At the peak of our Sect, six a year was considered few!"

Remembering the carefree life of the past and comparing it to the current repressed and restricted situation, not only Yinn Hongbo, but even the disciples of the Spirit Talisman Sect on Kongming Mountain were filled with indignation.

Yinn Hongbo’s face turned red: "Our Sect has fought life and death for the Upper Sect, never backing down during battles in the County Mansion, which is why we’ve weakened to this extent. The Upper Sect shows no compassion, yet still seeks to blame us, truly intending to—"

"Enough!" Zhuang Qing interrupted Yinn Hongbo with a stern face, "Sect Leader, do not let anger confuse your words."

Yet, in his heart, he was also shocked and angry. On one hand, his feelings were similar to Yinn Hongbo’s, a long-accumulated resentment, and on the other hand, it was because the Xuanguang Sect clearly knew the exact number of new Spirit Seeds in their own home, indicating that spies and informants had already infiltrated the Spirit Talisman Sect!

The situation of the Spirit Talisman Sect was already quite dire!

Listening to Yinn Hongbo’s outburst, it made Wangg Hao of the Xuanguang Sect very displeased, thinking disdainfully that a mere Foundation Establishment Sect dared to behave so recklessly. He snorted coldly: "Sect Leader Yinn, you should understand how the Golden Dawn Peak was lost! All because of your own greed, wanting to seize Fucang Mountain, allowing the Shahe Gang to take advantage and seize the Mountain Gate. We have already granted you Spirit Veins and territory, showing great tolerance."

With these words, Yinn Hongbo became even more enraged, with his Spiritual Power surging, causing the Spiritual Pressure to ripple: "We indeed lost Golden Dawn Peak! But if it weren’t for the subsequent County Mansion battles, following the Upper Sect into battle, we could have reclaimed it! We threw ourselves fully into supporting the Upper Sect’s campaign against Fucang Mountain, losing half our disciples, and in the end, we also lost Fucang Mountain, which is why we retreated to Kongming Mountain!"

"Now the Upper Sect claims that we brought this upon ourselves? If we had known, it would have been better to surrender to Sanshan County at the time—"

"Sect Leader!" Zhuang Qing shouted, stepping in front of Yinn Hongbo. His expression was equally grim, but he firmly interrupted Yinn Hongbo’s words. In his heart, he still felt something was amiss and wanted to clarify the matter.

Xu Chengyun also stopped Wangg Hao, advising him not to further provoke the nerves of the Spirit Talisman Sect: "The Spirit Talisman Sect has made significant contributions, and the Zhenren is naturally aware. We have no intention to mock; it is merely a coincidence that requires investigation. We hope both of you will prioritize the bigger picture and cooperate with the investigation."

Zhuang Qing took a deep breath: "Did the Upper Sect really lose Spirit Seeds?"

Xu Chengyun replied candidly: "Indeed, we are here solely because of the theft of Spirit Seeds, with no other intentions."

"Very well." Zhuang Qing, pulling Yinn Hongbo, led him back into the formation, "We’ll bring out the Spirit Seeds now, requesting the Upper Sect to wait a moment."

Returning to the formation and descending to the ground, Yinn Hongbo fumed: "Do we really have to let them identify the Spirit Seeds?"

Zhuang Qing sighed deeply: "What else can we do? The situation is stronger than ourselves. Besides, there might be something strange about this matter. Our Sect is already quite embarrassed due to the Yunshan Sect’s letter incident, how come right at this juncture, the Xuanguang Sect lost Spirit Seeds, and our Sect’s count of Spirit Seeds doubled?"

Yinn Hongbo was stunned for a moment, then shocked: "You mean, someone framed us?"

"Whether we are being framed, or the Xuanguang Sect is orchestrating this themselves is still uncertain. Let’s hope it is all just a coincidence, otherwise, this will be a big problem." Zhuang Qing turned to a disciple and said, "Bring the steward responsible for this selection of Spirit Seeds here."

The steward, who was already nearby observing the events, immediately came over when summoned.

"I ask you, do you know the family backgrounds of these six Spirit Seeds clearly? Are they truly born locally? Is there anything peculiar about their origins?"

The steward replied promptly: "Absolutely no irregularities, these Spirit Seeds were all screened within my jurisdiction, all personally brought from their parents, there are no unidentified individuals. How can this be false? Today, the Xuanguang Sect’s accusations are excessive."

Hearing this, Yinn Hongbo snorted angrily, while Zhuang Qing felt slightly relieved and ordered the Spirit Seeds to be brought out for inspection.

"Even if we prove our innocence this time, so what?" Yinn Hongbo said coldly, "Look at the state of the disciples, the relationship between us and the Xuanguang Sect can never return to what it was."

Zhuang Qing glanced around, indeed. The Xuanguang Sect, like dealing with an enemy, had surrounded the mountain with heavy troops, forcing their hand to hand over the Spirit Seeds, leaving disciples either filled with righteous indignation or panic-stricken, huddled together discussing. ℯℯ𝑙.

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it is hard to eradicate. Even proving this incident unfounded would not eliminate the negative impact.

It shows that the Xuanguang Sect no longer trusts the Spirit Talisman Sect, else they wouldn’t have inserted spies within our ranks, and now their army is here, to prevent our escape or resistance.

"If that’s the case, following the Xuanguang Sect offers no future." Yinn Hongbo suddenly lowered his voice, "Why not... go for broke..."

A certain desire suddenly arose in his heart.

Look at how well the Yunshan Sect is doing under the Mingyu Sword Sect. Listening to orders but not under tight control, almost no different from independence, and protected by the Golden Core cultivators. If our Sect could reach that status, it would be a thousand times better than our current predicament.

If our Sect could achieve this, it would prove my worth as a Sect Leader.

Zhuang Qing hesitated for a moment but shook his head: "It’s not the right time yet, let’s get through this situation first."

Watching anxiously, they finally saw Zhuang Qing and Yinn Hongbo returning from the formation, using Spiritual Power to carry six wailing infants. Xu Chengyun felt relieved.

"How does the Upper Sect intend to verify?" Zhuang Qing asked.

Xu Chengyun first took the infants and scanned them with the Ascension Mirror, confirming that these six infants indeed possess Spiritual Roots, and were indeed born this year, proving that the Spirit Talisman Sect had not acted deceitfully, and had indeed brought out the six Spirit Seeds they had gathered.

Zhuang Qing and Yinn Hongbo watched his actions with dark expressions.

Then Xu Chengyun clapped his hands, and an elderly couple walked out supporting each other: "These are the parents of one of the stolen infants, they know the child’s appearance and features, if the child is present, they can naturally recognize them."

"Wait." Yinn Hongbo suddenly said, "Let them describe the child’s features first for comparison. Otherwise, what if they start speaking nonsense and randomly identify the child?"

Wangg Hao squinted his eyes, about to rebuke, but Xu Chengyun stopped him and said solemnly: "Sect Leader Yinn has a point, you two, please go ahead. Does your child have any distinctive features?"

Under the watchful eyes of so many Immortals, the old couple knelt down on the deck in a panic, almost fainting from anxiety, but anxious for their child, they bravely said: "Our child has three black moles on the buttocks, in a straight line."

Hearing this, Xu Chengyun activated his Spiritual Power, swiftly pulling back, revealing all six infants naked for everyone to see.

In that moment, everyone held their breath.

Yinn Hongbo let out a cry, Zhuang Qing’s eyes widened, a cold sweat instantly breaking out along his back.

Among the infants, indeed, one had three moles in a line on its buttocks, confirming that it was indeed one of the stolen Spirit Seeds from the Xuanguang Sect!