CHAPTER 542: CHAPTER 504: COUNTERKILL

The transmission array from outside to the secret realm has never been able to directly reach the sect.

Just like when Tian Lin and others flew to the Southern State to go to the Goddess Sect. Even though there is a transmission array in the main sect of the Goddess Sect, it is rarely used.

The purpose of this is naturally to prevent outside enemies from directly using the transmission array to enter the sect.

Therefore, the transmission array set up outside the Wenda Sect does not directly connect to each peak. Instead, it is an Absolute Kill Array, intended to easily kill enemies that intrude.

Tian Lin didn’t know why the young man wielding the soul banner in front of him was hostile towards him, but what the other party said seemed reasonable.

So Tian Lin didn’t refute and said, "Alright, then please verify my identity."

After speaking, Tian Lin raised his hand and tossed the waist card on his waist to the soul banner youth on the other side.

The soul banner youth raised his hand to catch the identity token, but without looking at it, he threw it on the ground to the side: "An identity token doesn’t mean anything, who knows if some Evil Spirit picked up Brother Tian’s identity token?"

On the other side, Mei Xiangu was already furious and pointed at the youth, saying, "If you don’t believe the identity token, then how do you plan to verify the identity?"

The soul banner youth smiled, looking at Mei Xiangu’s curvaceous figure, he said, "Naturally, I have to conduct a body search."

He made no attempt to hide the lewd expression on his face, but the more he behaved like this, the more Tian Lin realized the youth had something to rely on.

Tian Lin stopped Mei Xiangu, who was about to rush forward, and transmitted a message to her, saying, "This person is not a fool, he must not fear we are stronger than him."

After transmitting the message, Tian Lin said to the soul banner youth, "Fine, I’ll let you verify."

"You let him verify, but I won’t! Let’s see what he can do to me!"

Mei Xiangu spoke and then took two steps to the side.

The soul banner youth flew close to Tian Lin and raised his hand to really touch Tian Lin’s clothes.

But as he stretched out his hand, Tian Lin caught his wrist with a backhand move.

The youth’s expression changed, and he reached for the token on his waist again.

He acted quickly, but so did Tian Lin. Tian Lin took the token with a backhand move.

The anxious youth shouted to Qing Xue on the side, "Junior Brother, the one named Tian stole my Array Plate, quickly save me."

Tian Lin held the Array Plate and threw it towards Mei Xiangu, then smiled at the soul banner youth and said, "So you do know my surname is Tian, and you know I’m not an Evil Spirit impostor? Then why are you targeting me for no reason?"

The youth remained silent, so Tian Lin continued, "Now that you’ve verified my identity, do you know who I am?"

Now that he was at Tian Lin’s mercy, the soul banner youth knew he couldn’t threaten Tian Lin anymore, so he nodded and said, "I recognize that Brother Tian and Sister Mei are not turned by Evil Spirits."

Tian Lin said, "Now that you’ve verified our identities, we haven’t verified yours yet."

The youth was stunned and couldn’t help but say, "What do you mean by that?"

"As you said yourself, this is a secret realm, where Evil Spirits can easily disguise themselves and infiltrate the sect.

Now, in the secret realm, how do I know you aren’t an Evil Spirit disguised to deceive me and Sister Mei?"

The youth’s face flushed immediately, but he couldn’t say Tian Lin was deliberately making it difficult for him. After all, Tian Lin was using the youth’s own logic against him.

"Fine, then let me let you verify my identity."

Tian Lin asked for his name and background, only to learn that his surname was Tang, a branch disciple of the Tang Family.

When Tian Lin asked him why he targeted him, the youth refused to answer.

Even though the Tang Family and he didn’t get along, that was between him and the direct line!

A side branch disciple, moreover a peripheral figure, offending him without reason—why go through all this trouble?

Tian Lin thought for a moment, then suddenly asked him, "Do you recognize Tang Chuchu?"

The youth was stunned and immediately shook his head, "I don’t know who Tang Chuchu is."

Hearing this, Tian Lin laughed.

On the other side, Mei Xiangu angrily said, "You’re a disciple of the Tang Family, how could you not know Tang Chuchu? You can’t even lie well!"

The youth, realizing he was exposed, defiantly sneered, "So what? The worst you can do is take me to the sect to be locked up for a few years—"

Tian Lin laughed and said, "You are an Evil Spirit impersonating a Tang Family disciple. Why would we bring you back to the sect?"

Seeing the killing intent in Tian Lin’s eyes, the youth’s expression changed dramatically, and he said, "I truly am a Tang Family disciple, not an Evil Spirit. Otherwise, how could I possess the Array Plate and appear here?"

"Just like having a waist card doesn’t necessarily mean you are Tian Lin—you possessing the Array Plate doesn’t necessarily mean you are a sect disciple guarding this place."

As he spoke, Tian Lin applied force, and the youth’s neck began to compress.

The youth knew Tian Lin genuinely intended to kill him and dared not remain as arrogant as before, hurriedly shouting, "It was Tang Chuchu who instructed me to kill you; if you want to settle accounts, find her. I can testify for you."

These words were naturally a stalling tactic; how could Tian Lin believe them?

Though he initially intended to kill the youth, he hesitated to act directly.

However, after hearing the youth say this, Tian Lin acted decisively.

With one palm strike, he killed the youth before his soul could escape. Tian Lin casually beckoned the soul banner from the ground, the Magical Treasure still associated with the youth, and absorbed the youth’s soul into it.

He scanned the interior of the soul banner with his Divine Sense and discovered that even though the youth was a Golden Core cultivator, the soul banner contained as many souls as the population of a county.

These souls, a small portion from the secret realm, seemed to largely belong to ordinary people from the North Wilderness.

Tian Lin tossed the soul banner to Yu’er, then looked at Qing Xue, who was pale-faced, on the other side, and said:

"Junior Brother Qing Xue just witnessed how an Evil Spirit killed Brother Tang and impersonated him to frame Miss Tang Chuchu. Fortunately, I saw through his deception, preserving Miss Tang Chuchu’s reputation and preventing our sect from being infiltrated by an Evil Spirit."

Qing Xue opened his mouth, unsure how to respond.

And at that moment, a distant light approached, and its aura was evidently from someone in the Nascent Soul Realm.

The Nascent Soul elder soon appeared before Tian Lin and the others, asking them, "I noticed the Gatekeeper’s soul lamp extinguished, so I came over. What’s going on? Did an Evil Spirit intrude?"

Tian Lin repeated what he had said earlier, and the elder, turning pale, said, "Your nonsense, who would believe it? If the Gatekeeper was killed by an Evil Spirit, how could I just find out now?"

Tian Lin calmly replied, "But if he’s not transformed by an Evil Spirit, does that mean what he said is true? Would Miss Tang Chuchu really dare to act against a True Disciple, violating sect rules? If indeed so, according to sect rules, that would mean extermination of the clan."

The Nascent Soul elder was speechless, aware that Tian Lin was pretending to be confused knowingly.

Real or feigned confusion aside, this Nascent Soul elder didn’t want to be caught up in this mess: "There’s no need to show off your cleverness with me! Whether the Tang Family boy was transformed by an Evil Spirit, bring his body back, and naturally, there will be a judgment within the sect."

After speaking, he ordered Qing Xue to continue guarding the place and then led Tian Lin, Mei Xiangu, Cui’er, and others towards the distant town.

On the way, Mei Xiangu couldn’t help but transmit a message to Tian Lin: "This Tang Chuchu acts so swiftly. We just clashed with her no more than an hour ago, and she’s already set up a hitman?"

Tian Lin laughed and said, "She’s someone who takes revenge before dawn—but in her haste, she revealed a flaw. I think after this incident, she won’t dare to cause trouble so blatantly."

Immediately after, Tian Lin furrowed his brows and said, "But because of this, I’m afraid she’ll vent all her rage onto Brother Ju Yunhai."