Chapter 67

Ling Ao and Ren Wuyou were originally two of the most outstanding figures in the Taiheng Sect. Their master was very pleased with both of them, but at the same time, he was also very troubled, as he did not know who to pass the position of Taiheng Sect's leader to.

Ling Ao was good at thinking and had a somewhat sinister personality, but he always prioritized the bigger picture.

Ren Wuyou valued emotions and was seen by every fellow disciple as the best senior brother, but sometimes he acted on impulse.

However, in the end, both of them were selected to participate in the martial arts competition and came to the Landon Pavilion to compete.

During that competition, Ling Ao and Ren Wuyou shone brightly. Their performances were neck and neck, and the Taiheng Sect advanced all the way to the third round. At that time, even the Mountain Collapse Society would have been inferior to them.

As the saying goes, "The head of the bird gets shot." In the third round, the Taiheng Sect was besieged by other sects. Ling Ao and Ren Wuyou fought fiercely, but they ultimately found themselves in a desperate situation.

At that moment, the enemy's siege had surrounded the two of them. There was a blind spot in the competition area where outsiders could not see what was happening inside. Just as the enemy was about to kill Ren Wuyou, Ling Ao took out a red bead.

That was the Heavenly Evil Pearl, a relic passed down by the ancestors of the Taiheng Sect, always managed by the successive leaders. Ling Ao and Ren Wuyou's master had foreseen that other sects would attack them, so he gave the Heavenly Evil Pearl to Ling Ao.

The result was predictable. At such close range, the power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl was astonishing. After obtaining the power, Ling Ao went berserk and killed all the cultivators. These cultivators came from various sects, and there were exactly thirty of them.

Ling Ao, covered in blood, walked out of the blind spot. From that moment on, Ling Ao was no longer called Ling Ao; he became Ling Thirty.

After that, the two, who had been close friends, suddenly stopped talking to each other. Ren Wuyou also voluntarily gave up the competitive position of the sect leader, allowing Ling Ao to become the leader of the Taiheng Sect.

This was a long-buried history. Since only they two returned from the distant wet forest, and their master passed away shortly after the competition, very few people knew about this.

"Furthermore, after Ling Thirty became the leader, the Taiheng Sect suffered a major attack by the beasts of the Great Wild Forest, resulting in the deaths of many disciples. The Taiheng Sect never recovered from this, and even fewer people knew about this incident." Ling Thirty-one said, his expression growing colder.

"Brother Ren, I still don't understand. At that time, Ling Thirty should have been your savior, so why did you give him the position of leader later?"

This question clearly hinted at some hidden secrets.

Ren Wuyou sighed deeply and slowly stood up.

"If he had killed thirty cultivators and then changed his name to Ling Thirty, then I should say, his name should be Ling Thirty-Two."

"Thirty-two... What do you mean?"

"At that time, two other fellow disciples also escaped into that blind spot with us, and one of them was my lifelong love."

Finally, the truth was revealed. The first time Ling Thirty used the Heavenly Evil Pearl, he was completely controlled by evil thoughts and could not stop his killing, regardless of friend or foe. Ling Thirty only wanted to kill everything!

"I thought I wouldn't make it back, but unexpectedly, his internal energy was exhausted at the last moment, and he didn't send me to the underworld. However, the other two fellow disciples were already decapitated."

Images floated in Ren Wuyou's eyes: the blood, the severed limbs, the beautiful face drenched in blood.

"So that's how it was. That's why he immediately suspected me, who had a good relationship with you, Brother Ren, when the Heavenly Evil Pearl was lost..."

Ren Wuyou smiled bitterly at Gu Xuyao's words.

"It's not just that. The Heavenly Evil Pearl is a very precious treasure of our Taiheng Sect. Tracing its history, it goes back to the decline of the Taiheng Sect..."

It turned out that the reason the Taiheng Sect declined from its former strength to its current state was entirely because of the Heavenly Evil Pearl!

In the past, the Taiheng Sect was powerful, and even the Landon Pavilion could hardly suppress its growth. One day, after hearing some rumors, the Taiheng Sect went out in full force and did not return for half a year. When they returned, only the leader came back.

However, this trip was not in vain. The leader of the Taiheng Sect brought back the Heavenly Evil Pearl, but he could not hold on much longer after returning and passed away, leaving behind a final instruction.

"The Heavenly Evil Pearl must be held by the leader, and it cannot be revealed until the time is right."

Therefore, the Heavenly Evil Pearl was of utmost importance to the Taiheng Sect.

"Actually, Ling Thirty has already violated the ancestral instructions. The existence of the Heavenly Evil Pearl was kept secret for so long, but this time it was brought to the Landon Pavilion's competition by Yixia. I believe that from now on, more people will covet it, and our Taiheng Sect will be in great danger."

Although Ren Wuyou had unresolved grievances with Ling Thirty, he was still a member of the Taiheng Sect and had to do something for the sect in this critical moment.

"The evil power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl is too strong. Ling Thirty has a heavy killing aura, and if he keeps it with him, it will definitely trigger the evil energy within him. So he hid it, and only he and Yixia know where it is."

Ling Thirty loved his granddaughter so much that he told her where he had hidden the Heavenly Evil Pearl.

"But Brother Ren, I believe you know Yixia's character. She always acts with great prudence. She must know the significance of the Heavenly Evil Pearl. I feel that there is something suspicious about her bringing it to the competition this time."

Ren Wuyou nodded slightly.

"You're right. I also find it strange. Yixia is meticulous in her actions. Apart from Yifeng, she is the most cautious disciple in the Taiheng Sect. I can't figure this out either."

Gu Xuyao roughly understood why Ling Thirty was so anxious about the whereabouts of the Heavenly Evil Pearl. Just as they were talking, the door suddenly opened, and another elderly figure walked in.

"Brother, it's been a while." He nodded at Ren Wuyou with a smile. "I've been looking forward to the day you return to the upper echelons of the Taiheng Sect. After so many years, Ling Ao is truly moved, but the reason you came here is for this young man, which disappoints me."

Ren Wuyou was not surprised by Ling Thirty's appearance. He glanced at Gu Xuyao but did not argue.

"I came today for the Taiheng Sect, not for any individual. The loss of the Heavenly Evil Pearl is not a simple matter. I believe you know Yixia's character. She wouldn't bring the Heavenly Evil Pearl to the Landon Pavilion without a reason. Moreover, Gu Xuyao didn't know the significance of the Heavenly Evil Pearl before. Why would he steal it? If you say I ordered him to, why didn't I tell Master about your past misdeeds back then?"

Ling Thirty, who had been in the position of leader for so long, rarely had anyone dare to speak to him like this. He glared, but remembering that the person in front of him was his senior brother, he suppressed his anger, glanced at Gu Xuyao, and sighed.

"Brother, I was too anxious. You know how important the Heavenly Evil Pearl is to the Taiheng Sect."

Seeing this, Ren Wuyou's tone softened.

"I know. I know you value Gu Xuyao a lot, which is why you chose him for the competition. I see your shadow in him. Both of us have average talent and only stood out among our peers through hard work. Gu Xuyao has done the same, hasn't he?"

Ren Wuyou had heard about Gu Xuyao's achievements from others and had no complaints about his performance.

"I also know that you have made great efforts for the revival of the Taiheng Sect, even using harsh methods to train talented disciples. They might hate you, but the history of the Taiheng Sect will remember you and your contributions."

It must be said that Ling Thirty had indeed put a lot of effort into the Taiheng Sect. Over the years, Ren Wuyou had contributed nothing to his sect, and he felt very guilty about it.

"Brother..."

To quickly restore the strength of the Taiheng Sect, Ling Thirty had to send people to the mortal world to find disciples with perseverance and talent. However, it was difficult to find such people just by looking, so the Taiheng Sect suggested that various sects hold competitions to stimulate the potential of the mortals. This way, they could identify who had the necessary talent.

This strategy proved effective. Xiaohu, Zibi, and Gu Xuyao were all promising talents. Compared to Gu Xuyao, Zibi and Xiaohu received even stricter special treatment. Due to their exceptional talent, they were almost forced to train, which is why Zibi was severely punished for being distracted by Gu Xuyao's affairs earlier.

Wishing for the strength of his sect to grow and not be looked down upon by other sects is a luxury for a leader.

Ling Thirty has never been one to admit defeat, just like Gu Xuyao, so he was willing to use such means.

"Wait, speaking of Zibi..." Ling Thirty frowned and looked at the unconscious Zibi. "I remember that Yifeng always had Zibi with him, and when rescuing Yixia, Zibi was also by Yifeng's side!"

Ling Thirty's words clearly pointed the finger directly at Zibi!

"No way, Zibi knows even less about these things than I do. How could she steal the Heavenly Evil Pearl? Leader, this is absolutely impossible!"

Gu Xuyao immediately stood up to defend Zibi.

"Gu Xuyao, you can't judge a person by their appearance. You are young and have seen little of the world. There are many hidden secrets in the cultivation world, and there are many things you haven't seen. So you must never easily make judgments about something or someone!"