「In the afternoon, at the Law Enforcement Hall.」

Many Elders had gathered here. Some were from Cyan Profound Peak, others from the Outer Peaks. Most of them were Elders on good terms with Anx Shijie, and the implication was obvious.

As soon as they arrived in the hall, their gazes fell upon the dais. Anx Shijie sat there with a grim expression, his eyes briefly flicking toward a Star Robed Elder beside him.

This elder appeared quite ordinary, dressed in a purple star robe dotted with a few stars, which gave him a profound and mysterious air. When the other Elders looked his way, they saw his eyes were half-closed, as if nothing in the outside world concerned him.

Of course, not a single one of them dared to utter a word.

"Elder Anx, you summoned us all here in such a hurry. If you have something to say, please speak freely." After a long moment, an elder with thick brows and large eyes broke the silence.

"Elders, please hear me out!"

Hearing someone speak, a glint flashed in Anx Shijie’s eyes. He stood up and declared in a loud voice, "All of you Elders here know that since the founding of the Ancient Spirit Sect, every one of us—be it Disciple or Elder—has abided by the Sect’s rules, cultivated diligently, and pursued the Great Dao together. This is why our Sect has prospered and produced generation after generation of geniuses. Am I not correct?"

"Elder Anx speaks the truth!"

Hearing Anx Shijie’s words, all the Elders nodded in agreement.

But then, Anx Shijie’s tone suddenly shifted, turning icy. "And yet, within this atmosphere of strict rules, I have unexpectedly discovered an Evil Demon bringing disaster to our Sect! Tell me, should such a person be killed or not?"

"An Evil Demon, of course, cannot be spared! He must be killed!"

As soon as Anx Shijie finished speaking, the gazes of many turned cold, and they voiced their agreement.

"Elder Anx, do you know who this person is?" a gray-robed elder on the side asked with a frown. This was Elder Yunn of the Outer Sect.

Hearing the question, Anx Shijie gave a cold smile and turned his gaze to the center of the hall.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

All the Elders followed his gaze, their eyes landing on the center of the hall. There, a figure in white stood ramrod straight, his handsome face utterly calm and composed.

It was him, Ye Wushuang!

One after another, terrifying waves of Divine Sense swept over Ye Wushuang, probing him. Yet, he remained as unperturbed as ever, causing the Elders to frown and feel a stir of shock in their hearts.

’What incredible mental fortitude!’

The Elders couldn’t help but marvel. If it were an ordinary person facing such a display, they would have long since fallen to their knees in terror. But Ye Wushuang was poised and self-possessed, neither servile nor overbearing.

As for Elder Yunn, his brow furrowed. The moment Ye Wushuang had arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall, his gaze had fallen upon him. When he heard Anx Shijie mention a so-called "Evil Demon," a guess began to form in his mind.

Beside Elder Yunn, an elder with a stern face asked, "Who is this boy? Such powerful mental fortitude is exceedingly rare. It seems the Sect has produced another exceptional genius."

"Elder Wuu, don’t be fooled by his appearance! The Evil Demon the Law Enforcement Elder spoke of is him, Ye Wushuang!" Chen Kun, who had been silent until now, suddenly glared coldly at Ye Wushuang and blurted out the warning.

"Ye Wushuang? He’s the Evil Demon!"

The Elders’ Divine Senses locked onto Ye Wushuang even more tightly. Some were astonished, while many others radiated killing intent, making Ye Wushuang’s heart turn ice-cold.

"That’s right. This boy is the Evil Demon. I was originally going to execute him on the spot, but to my surprise, someone interfered and refused to listen to my counsel. That is why I have troubled you all to come here today to bear witness."

Anx Shijie declared loudly. When he finished, his eyes turned to another part of the hall.

In that direction stood Yangg Qing’er, her face filled with indignation.

And next to Yangg Qing’er was another person: Dii Qingxue. She was like a holy ice lotus, untainted by the mortal world, standing aloof and alone. Her eyes were as cold as ever, devoid of any other emotion.

When she saw the Elders looking at her, she paid them no mind. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the Star Robed Elder on the dais, whose eyes were half-closed.

The Elders all witnessed this disrespectful gesture, but they merely shook their heads, not daring to show the slightest dissatisfaction. They could only smile wryly with a sense of helplessness, because Dii Qingxue’s status gave her the right to ignore them.

At that moment, they understood why Anx Shijie had summoned them. Judging a minor figure in the Body Tempering Realm should have been a simple matter. But since it involved Dii Qingxue, everything became complicated.

"I will not favor anyone. If you can prove he is an Evil Demon, then killing him has nothing to do with me." Seeing everyone staring, Dii Qingxue’s brow twitched slightly as she spoke in a frosty tone.

Hearing this, Yangg Qing’er grew anxious. She quickly tugged on the corner of Dii Qingxue’s sleeve and was about to say something, but Dii Qingxue stopped her.

"Elder Anx, could you be mistaken? I have some understanding of this boy, and he doesn’t seem like an Evil Demon," Elder Yunn said with a frown, seeing that everyone was intent on killing Ye Wushuang.

"Elder Yunn, you can know a person’s face, but not their heart!" Anx Shijie’s gaze was dark as he seized the opportunity to say, "This boy is not what he seems on the surface. He is not only arrogant and untamable, but also vicious and cruel! He has insulted Elders, cultivated an Evil Skill, slaughtered fellow sect members, and entrapped other Disciples to their deaths! With such a list of wicked deeds, even a true Evil Demon might not compare to him."

"Such things have happened?!" The expressions of all the Elders darkened.

Among them, Elder Wuu turned to Ye Wushuang and said, "Ye Wushuang, do you have any explanation for what Elder Anx has said?"

"When someone is determined to harm me, any explanation I offer will likely be useless," Ye Wushuang replied faintly, showing no sign of panic.

"Insolence!" The moment Ye Wushuang’s words fell, Chen Kun barked out a harsh reprimand. "Are you suggesting that Elder Anx is framing you? In the Fierce Demon Cave, you brutally murdered Ba Hu and Anx Jun, and even boasted that you would slaughter all the Disciples there! Everyone heard and saw it clearly. Are you still claiming you were wronged?"

"That’s not what happened at all!" Yangg Qing’er couldn’t help but step forward. "Elders, it was Ba Hu and Anx Jun who tried to kill Brother Ye first! That’s why Brother Ye killed them."

"They wanted to kill Ye Wushuang, so he killed them? That’s just an excuse!" Chen Kun said coldly, completely intent on seeing Ye Wushuang dead.

Hearing this, Ye Wushuang suddenly let out a cold laugh. "From what Steward Chen is saying, it seems my life isn’t worth anything. When someone tries to kill me, am I supposed to just let them? Besides, I was only acting in self-defense. Killing them was an accident in the heat of the moment. Is that a crime?"

"Nonsense!" At the mention of Anx Jun, Anx Shijie’s killing intent flared. He said coldly, "My grandson was at the Qi Vortex Realm. How could you possibly have killed him? You must have used an Evil Technique to brutally murder him."

"The Law Enforcement Elder keeps insisting that I cultivate an Evil Technique. I wonder, do you have any proof?" Ye Wushuang sneered.

"Proof?" Anx Shijie gave a cold smile. "Let me ask you. For three years, you made no breakthroughs. Just over a month ago, you were still an Outer Disciple at the Body Tempering Second Layer. So how, in just over a month, did you break through to the Body Tempering Eighth Layer? If you didn’t cultivate an Evil Skill, how could you have possibly progressed so quickly?"

"What?! Broke through to the Body Tempering Eighth Layer in just over a month!"

The moment Anx Shijie’s words fell, the breaths of the Elders in the Law Enforcement Hall hitched. Then, one Elder made an even more shocking announcement, "No, this boy isn’t at the Body Tempering Eighth Layer. He’s at the Body Tempering Ninth Layer!"

What!

At this, all the Elders cried out in shock. It was utterly astounding. If this wasn’t the result of cultivating an Evil Skill, then his cultivation speed was simply terrifying. He was an absolute Demon Fiend.

But, could a true Demon Fiend really appear in the Ancient Spirit Sect?

"This boy must have cultivated an Evil Skill!" Instantly, those Elders came to agree with Anx Shijie’s explanation. Otherwise, they could find no other way to account for such a heaven-defying cultivation speed.

"Ye Wushuang, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve done. I inspected some of the Fierce Beasts you hunted and found that their blood essence had been drained dry. This is an extremely evil and vicious method. If this wasn’t caused by cultivating an Evil Technique, then how do you explain it?"

"Furthermore, I suspect you are also connected to the recent tragic deaths of many Disciples outside the Fierce Demon Cave. You probably murdered them as well to cultivate your Evil Skill! All of your cultivation was achieved through trickery."

Anx Shijie continued, every word a killing blow, filled with a dense killing intent. He wished he could execute Ye Wushuang on the spot.

"There’s more?" The gazes of all the Elders grew even darker, and they became more convinced in their hearts that Ye Wushuang had cultivated an Evil Skill and Evil Techniques.

"Ye Wushuang, if you have some hidden difficulties, just speak up. We will ensure justice is done for you." Watching the Elders who were adamant that Ye Wushuang was an Evil Demon, Elder Yunn sighed inwardly. He knew Ye Wushuang was likely in grave danger.

Hearing this, a warmth spread through Ye Wushuang’s heart. He hadn’t expected Elder Yunn to still be trying to help him at a time like this.

However, he fell silent and said nothing.

He hadn’t expected Anx Shijie to have discovered the matter of the Blood of Fierce Beasts. If he couldn’t provide a satisfactory answer today, the crime of being an Evil Demon would be sealed. But, if he revealed everything, heaven-defying secrets like the Chaos Dragon Tomb and the Heaven-Devouring Dragon Technique would also be exposed.

Ye Wushuang had every reason to believe that once he exposed these heaven-defying secrets, no one would be able to protect him. He wouldn’t be leaving the Cyan Profound Hall alive today either.

At this thought, Ye Wushuang’s brow furrowed even deeper. ’If I can’t handle these issues properly, then I’m truly finished today.’

"What’s the matter, Ye Wushuang? Have you got nothing to say?" Anx Shijie said indifferently upon seeing Ye Wushuang’s silence.

"Let’s kill this Evil Demon and rid the Sect of this scourge!"

"Execute him on the spot and eliminate this threat for good!"

"Death by a thousand cuts would be best!"

Seeing that Ye Wushuang wasn’t speaking, the Elders took his silence as a tacit admission of guilt. They immediately began to shout cold, righteous condemnations, calling for his punishment.

"He is not an Evil Demon!"

However, at that moment, Yangg Qing’er’s voice rang out once again.