CHAPTER 843: THE TRUE VILLAIN

Chou Lai, with an extremely respectful demeanor, shot a fierce glance at Ye Guichen, and then quickly followed Zhang Chonglou into the room.

Outside, the other disciples had great respect for Zhang Chonglou and naturally believed in him.

However, once inside, Zhang Chonglou brought the disciple named Chou Lai before Liu Xuanji.

Gongsun Fengying's eyes were red from crying.

Liu Xuanji's face was pale, filled with deathly air, and Chou Lai merely glanced and confirmed that Liu Xuanji was already dead.

"Chou Lai, come over and pay your respects to your Master Liu!" Zhang Chonglou said leisurely.

Chou Lai didn't understand but immediately knelt to the ground and kowtowed three times to Liu Xuanji.

"Fifth Master, I failed you by not capturing the murderer on time, by not freeing you from the killer's clutches. It was my mistake, my fault."

Chou Lai kept confessing, as if he was the real murderer of Liu Xuanji.

Seeing it was almost enough, Zhang Chonglou spoke again: "Chou Lai, since you personally witnessed Ye Guichen killing your Master Liu, this Nephew Luo here also claims he was with Ye Guichen the entire time. How do you explain that?"

Luo Huasheng stood silently on the side.

Upon hearing this, he nodded and said, "That's right, Brother Ye was with me all last night and never left."

Chou Lai retorted, "How do you know he didn't leave? You were so drunk last night that you were out of it. Even if Ye Guichen left, you wouldn't have known."

"Is that so?" Ye Guichen, unwilling to waste words like Zhang Chonglou, stepped forward and grabbed Chou Lai by the collar, lifting him up: "Are you certain it was me who killed him?"

Chou Lai's face was filled with fear: "Master, save me! Ye Guichen is trying to kill me to keep me quiet."

Zhang Chonglou remained silent.

Everyone was silent, ignoring Chou Lai.

Ye Guichen's lips curled into a mocking smile: "No need to act. If I wanted to kill you, there wouldn't be this much fuss. Now, tell me, who sent you?"

"What do you mean? I don't understand," Chou Lai said in panic.

Ye Guichen shook his head: "It seems that after Master Huang's subordinate Wu Yan died, there are others who know the art of disguise."

As he spoke, Ye Guichen grabbed behind Chou Lai's ear and forcefully pulled.

Peeled off a face as thin as cicada's wings.

Chou Lai's face transformed into a stranger's face.

Chou Lai was shocked: "You, how did you..."

Zhang Chonglou sighed: "It now seems that Chou Lai must already be dead, right?"

The imposter posing as Chou Lai was terrified: "Chou Lai died three years ago, I never expected, never expected you would uncover me. Haha, the entire Heavenly Master Tao, there are many of us among you. You won't get anything useful from me, and since you've discovered me today, you won't succeed either! Ye Guichen killed Liu Xuanji. If Ye Guichen doesn't die, the hearts of the Taoists in Heavenly Master Tao will fall apart. Haha, Zhang Chonglou, Zhang Chonglou, let's see what you'll do!"

Suddenly, he bit his own tongue, severing it completely.

And then, his head tilted to the side, and he died on the spot.

Zhang Chonglou and the others didn't expect that the opponent would rather die than reveal his backers.

Gongsun Fengying, not understanding, was dumbfounded: "What, what are you doing?"

"Alright, all of you go out first, I need to talk to Ye Guichen alone." Zhang Chonglou furrowed his brows and waved his hand.

Gongsun Fengying, full of confusion, wanted to ask more but was pulled out by Gongsun Zhi.

Luo Huasheng put his hands together, bowed, and quickly exited.

Soon only Zhang Chonglou and Ye Guichen remained in the room.

"So, what's your plan?" Zhang Chonglou gazed at Ye Guichen.

Ye Guichen frowned and pondered: "Now it seems, the opponents had been plotting long ago, even infiltrating the Heavenly Master Tao. If I'm not mistaken, their penetration might be deep. Also, if I'm not dealt with now, it might cause the Heavenly Master Tao and all Taoist sects to feel you're handling unfairly, leading to public outrage."

Zhang Chonglou smiled at Ye Guichen: "Are you willing to bear this false charge? From my understanding of you, you're not someone to surrender easily."

"Hehe, Old Man Zhang, of course, I won't surrender easily. However, we can turn the situation to our advantage. Since Liu Xuanji is already dead, let him remain that way." Ye Guichen smiled.

Zhang Chonglou questioned, "Oh? What do you want to do?"

Ye Guichen didn't hide: "I'll now heal Liu Xuanji, have him quietly leave the Heavenly Master Tao. Since the opponent has already infiltrated here, they might have their eyes on the others, especially your seven disciples. None will bother with Liu Xuanji the so-called dead anymore, giving us an opportunity to exploit."

Zhang Chonglou: "You still suspect the Medicine King Valley?"

Ye Guichen: "Why not suspect them? I even guess Gong Cheng is behind this, but now there's no evidence. Our urgent task is to eliminate the undercover agents in Heavenly Master Tao; otherwise, we'll always be on the back foot."

Zhang Chonglou patted Ye Guichen's shoulder: "So what do you plan to do?"

Ye Guichen brushed off Zhang Chonglou's hand: "Old Man Zhang, naturally I'd be the bad guy."

"Haha, you aren't a saint in the first place." Zhang Chonglou laughed: "But this matter is vast. You pride yourself on superior skills, but you mustn't be careless. If something happens to you on Qingcheng Mountain, your master might tear me apart."

"Don't worry, Old Man Zhang." Ye Guichen looked up at Zhang Chonglou: "Old man, I once thought the Heavenly Master Tao was safe, but now it seems it's not. Among those from other sects, who knows if there are people from the Eternal Life Hall. Take care of yourself, don't trust anyone."

Zhang Chonglou scoffed and laughed: "Oh, I've lived so many years, do I need you to teach me? It's you, kid, who are too showy. Now they say you've become the Sect Leader of the Shennong Sect. How's it feel, being leader?"

"Bah, what's so good? It's like being a lonesome commander." Ye Guichen half-joked, recalling the Spiritual Spring controlled by Medicine King Valley, couldn't help but ask: "So what's the deal with the Spiritual Spring?"

Zhang Chonglou stroked his beard: "I don't know how the Spiritual Spring formed, but as I understand it, the water contains strong Spiritual Energy, beneficial to ordinary people's bodies and especially capable of expanding the meridians for martial artists, and is related to our pursuit of higher realms in Taoist teachings."

In the Taoist sects, it's long believed in the possibility of immortals on earth.

Taoist techniques reaching a certain level make one a cultivator, capable of shattering mountains and earth effortlessly.

However, even Zhang Chonglou hasn't seen anyone who has truly ascended to become an immortal.

Thus, it's merely deemed a legend.

"Ye Guichen, one last reminder, if you truly wish to be the bad guy, you might be scorned by many in the Taoist sects. Think carefully." Zhang Chonglou cautioned, staring into Ye Guichen's eyes.

Ye Guichen dismissively said: "Old Man Zhang, stop nagging! Ha, I not only want to be the bad guy but also seize the Spiritual Spring. Whoever dares to contest me, I'll kill! I want to show them what a real villain is!"

All beings are pawns.

This time, Ye Guichen was determined to be the one controlling the board.