Chapter 67: The Emerald Smoke Bone Part 2

Sang Chencao watched her for a long moment before slowly curling her tapping fingers into a fist. She sneered, “Have you all seen clearly now? Besides, someone with the Emerald Smoke Bone couldn’t possibly master such formidable skills. Surely you all know that.”

A thousand gazes fell upon Feng Yun’ai. The crowd remained silent.

Sang Chencao continued, “You all harbor a deep-seated hatred for those Borderlands devils, but don’t let your anger cloud your judgment and start confusing black and white. Even if she were from the Borderlands, not everyone there is a heinous criminal. Purging the land is all well and good, but involving the innocent is taking it too far.”

Feng Yun’ai gripped her veiled hat, her eyes downcast. A sharp, overwhelming ache pressed against her eye sockets, accompanied by a stinging sensation like needles. She turned to Zhou Gui and asked softly, “Well?”

Zhou Gui froze, her voice raspy. “How can this be!”

“You guessed wrong.” Feng Yun’ai’s expression remained unchanged.

Zhou Gui’s eyes looked as if they were about to bulge out of her head.

People in the distance craned their necks to see. An old man in the front row shook his head. “Yin Wulu had brown hair and gray eyes; this young lady looks nothing like him. As for Qiu Xianpei… I never saw her, but I heard she had a high nose, large eyes, and hair like golden silk. She doesn’t look like her either.”

Feng Yun’ai simply tossed the veiled hat aside, her sword hand remaining perfectly still.

“You all enjoy the peace of the Central Plains martial arts world, yet you don’t want to acknowledge even a shred of Feng Rong’s great contributions,” Sang Chencao said meaningfully, narrowing her eyes. “The Moonlight Sect declined and collapsed on its own years ago. Feng Rong might have severed ties with Wen Lanxin long ago, yet here you are, acting as if you’re settling the score for the two of them.”

The Central Plains of the past had indeed been a quagmire. Now that peace reigned across the four seas, everyone had witnessed it; no one could slander Feng Rong’s sacrifices.

The Borderlands demonic cults were incredibly insidious. Had it not been for Feng Rong’s peerless martial arts, even the combined strength of several major sects might not have been enough to repel Qiu Xianpei and Yin Wulu.

Sang Chencao wasn’t finished. She spoke with pointed implication. “However, since Wen Lanxin didn’t kill Feng Rong, it’s impossible that it was out of envy or hatred. Wen Lanxin has lived in seclusion at Yellow Sand Cliff for years, ignoring the affairs of the world. The one who truly wants to harm the martial arts world—and who truly envied and hated Feng Rong—is clearly someone else.”

Zhou Gui’s expression shifted unreadably.

Sang Chencao laughed mockingly. “The Moonlight Sect has long since vanished, yet it seems the Borderlands demonic cults are seeing a resurgence. This is quite different from what the Dieshan Alliance told the public. Acting Alliance Leader Zhou, are you the one secretly colluding with the Borderlands?”

The finger of blame was now pointed directly at Zhou Gui. They had caught her red-handed, especially with the black-robed Lin Yaoyao standing right there. The venomous insects Lin Yaoyao had used earlier were indeed unique to the Borderlands.

“The Borderlands cults have returned… could it really be the Sun Chasing Cult?” a voice called out from the crowd.

Feng Yun’ai’s heart tightened. She wanted nothing to do with the Sun Chasing Cult, nor did she wish to see it revived.

Someone responded, “Back then, Feng Rong personally burned Qiu Xianpei’s corpse and brought back Yin Wulu’s head. The Sun Chasing Cult collapsed. Without those two, how could they ever rise again? It’s impossible!”

“Have you all forgotten? Even in the Central Plains, the followers of the Sun Chasing Cult were everywhere back then. If the followers have the will, this cult could be reborn even from the mud of a sewer.”

The more she heard, the further Feng Yun’ai’s heart sank. If the cult members from back then were still around, they would surely come looking for her through Feng Rong’s trail. When that time came… she would have to personally drive those Borderlands devils out of the Central Plains.

Sang Chencao gave her a thoughtful glance before saying unhurriedly, “The Sun Chasing Cult was indeed extraordinary back then. There are many demonic cults in the Borderlands, but few could compare to it. However, after so many years, who can say for sure that a new force hasn’t emerged beyond the borders?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Yaoyao, whose acupoints were supposedly sealed, suddenly burst into delighted laughter. Though she was kneeling, her eyes were full of disdain. She sneered, “The mere Sun Chasing Cult is nothing but rotten wood and buried bones. You dare compare it to my Guiyuan Sect?”

The Guiyuan Sect?

Feng Yun’ai turned in shock. She hadn’t expected Lin Yaoyao to break her seals so quickly. Just as she was about to lung forward, she saw Lin Yaoyao lower her head to catch the bird whistle hanging around her neck. She blew a sharp, piercing note.