Chapter 277. Unveiling The Truth (I)

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TN:- 4 chapters!!!!

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Sunlight streamed down from the bare, branch-covered dome with a gaping hole, and those who had been swallowed up and whom everyone thought would never live was now standing perfectly fine in the beams of light.

His handsome face was blurred by the golden light, only his dark eyes indifferently swept over everyone’s astonished faces, finally looking at Song Rui standing under the tree trunk, smiling, like ice and snow melting.

“I’m back.”

Song Rui smiled as well, took a step forward, and sure enough, found that the space had disappeared.

The two embraced in the golden sunlight, their eyes brimming with tenderness and joy.

“I knew you’d come back.” Song Rui whispered in the young man’s ear, his voice hoarse.

“I also brought you a gift, you must keep it safe.” Fan Jialuo gently patted his back, then placed an oval stone the size of a pigeon egg into his palm.

Song Rui didn’t openly take the stone out to look at it, instead, he held it tightly and hid it in his pocket. Just as the two were about to separate, Meng Zhong and Chief Yan surrounded them and hugged them tightly with astonishing force.

Chief Yan, who is almost fifty years old, was crying like a child at this moment, choking out, “Teacher Fan, I knew you could do it! You saved this city again! Over the past three days, no fewer than thirty thousand people have shown up wanting to become fertilizer for this tree. Right now, we’ve tied every single one of them up with ropes and locked them away in the outside camp.”

“This is not all. Many people in the city have lost their minds too. Drivers are abandoning their cars right in the middle of traffic to run this way. Surgeons mid-operation are dropping their scalpels and sprinting this way. Teachers, students, nursing home residents, even animals from the zoo are joining them. The city is completely locked down, but the barricades can’t stop them. You know those zombie hordes you see in movies? This is exactly like that!”

Chief Yan took out his phone, looked at the relevant news reports, and burst into tears of joy, “Fortunately, you solved that tree problem in time, otherwise our city would have fallen. Look, those people who lost their minds have all gone back, and everyone is fine. Teacher Fan, I’ve finally discovered a pattern, you are the most reliable person. When encountering bizarre cases, no one else can help as well as you!”

His pointed remark made the members of the Taoist alliance feel quite embarrassed.

However, Fan Jialuo did indeed fall from the treetop. He survived, but the tree died. If there is no necessary connection between the two, how can this be explained?

“Impossible!” A top cultivator refused to accept this fact and vehemently denied it, “Fan Jialuo could not possibly have done this! Severing cause and effect and ending reincarnation are divine abilities! What kind of insignificant bug is this Fan Jialuo?! How could he possibly have such power!”

Xuan Chengzi’s eyes were also filled with astonishment and doubt. He knew better than anyone just how terrifying the power would be to deal with this tree. Reversing karma and forging life out of death…… those are the methods of Immortals. Severing rebirth and destroying the Six Realms? Only Lord Buddha can wield such terrifying power.

After doing all this, not only were Fan Jialuo’s injuries healed, but he also emitted a suffocating energy field. This revealed an unmistakable fact, he was a being far more powerful and terrifying than the Bodhi tree.

“You’ve become a god.” After a long silence, Xuan Chengzi suddenly uttered a sentence that shocked everyone.

“Amituofu, benefactor Fan has attained enlightenment.” Abbot Changjing bowed deeply, his tone devout.

The members of Taoist alliance were initially stunned, then their eyes widened in disbelief as they looked over. Becoming a god was the ultimate dream of all cultivators, and only this could explain why the demon tree was no match for Fan Jialuo.

Is he a god? How powerful could a god be? Do others also have the opportunity to become gods?

Heavy breathing came from all directions, and pairs of bloodshot eyes stared at Fan Jialuo, but there was no reverence or worship for the god, instead, they were filled with fanatical greed. They wished they could swarm over like mosquitoes, eat his flesh, drink his blood, gnaw on his bones, and thus obtain the lineage of the God.

That’s becoming a god! Who in the world doesn’t want to become a god?

However, Fan Jialuo truly did not want to. He gazed at these people, his tone icy, “There are no gods in this world.”

He pointed to the withered Bodhi tree behind him, which was gradually crumbling into pieces of wood, and slowly said, “Do you want to know why it possessed sentience? Do you want to know how I killed it? Do you want to know why your ancestor disappeared or died? Do you want to know the whereabouts of the Tianshui Sect’s treasure, and everything that happened to me?”

With each question he asked, the breathing of those in the place quickened.

Xuan Chengzi’s icy eyes even ignited two flames. He desperately wanted to know the truth of what happened back then, and even more so, where Enci was and whether she was doing well. He stared intently at Fan Jialuo’s thin lips, unwilling to miss a single word he uttered.

“If you want to know, follow me to a place.” Fan Jialuo took the lead.

Xuan Chengzi hesitated for only two seconds before following closely behind, followed by Abbot Changjing, and then everyone else.

Upon arriving at the camp outside, Fan Jialuo instructed Chief Yan to prepare several military vehicles to transport these people to the Fan family’s old residence, and then to borrow something from him.

“This is not easy to borrow! But since you asked, the higher-ups should agree. Please wait a moment, I’ll make a call and ask.” Chief Yan went to a secluded corner to report the situation, and returned a few minutes later, nodding and saying, “The higher-ups have agreed, I’ll send someone to pick it up immediately.”

“Then we’ll meet at the Fan family’s old residence. By the way, where is Lin Nianci? Let’s take her there too.”

“She has been severely injured by the explosion and is on her last breath. She cannot be moved.”

“Don’t worry, she won’t die.” Fan Jialuo patted Chief Yan on the shoulder, “Just take her to my house, and I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”

“Alright, I’ll send someone to the hospital to pick her up.” Chief Yan had no objections to any of Teacher Fan’s arrangements. Only now did he truly see the situation, in this chaotic era of frequent upheavals, Teacher Fan was the only pillar of stability.

His judgment was probably in line with the higher-ups’ assessment, so even something as valuable as that could be lent out as long as Teacher Fan asked.

“Is there anything else you need?” Chief Yan asked cautiously.

“That’s all, see you later.” Fan Jialuo walked towards a military vehicle waiting by the roadside.

“What is this?” After the vehicle had driven some distance, Song Rui, sitting next to him, took out the oval-shaped hard object he had hidden in his pocket. It looked like a stone, but it was covered with wood grain patterns, felt very smooth to the touch, and had a faint sandalwood scent.

“This is the seed of that demonic Bodhi tree, keep it safe.” Fan Jialuo explained.

“If I plant it in the soil and water it every day, will it grow into a demon tree?” Song Rui joked, closing his palms together.

Fan Jialuo smiled obligingly and said lightly, “Maybe. Why don’t you try it sometime? Who knows…… it might just grow another me?”

Meng Zhong, who was driving, nearly crashed into the roadside guardrail. Damn it, these two are incredibly audacious! They didn’t even burn this evil thing, they actually brought it out!

“This thing should be completely destroyed!” He said in a trembling voice.

“No power in the world can destroy that tree, nor can I. I merely reversed its cycle, returning it to its original form.” Fan Jialuo sighed deeply.

“So, the little thing Song Rui was holding was actually that tree from earlier. It wasn’t destroyed at all?” Meng Zhong felt he really needed a cylinder of oxygen to calm his nerves.

“Don’t worry, only the most evil or the most good in the world can allow it to take root and sprout.” Fan Jialuo said casually.

Meng Zhong couldn’t understand what he was saying at all.

Song Rui explained, “Even the kindest person will have evil thoughts in their heart, even the most wicked person will occasionally have a burst of kindness. This seed cannot find fertile ground to grow because there is no absolute evil or absolute good in the world.”

“But it survived! There are places in this world where it can take root and flourish.” Meng Zhong understood, but he still felt uneasy.

“That was just a man-made accident.” Fan Jialuo closed his eyes and said no more.

Meng Zhong and Song Rui, however, were caught in a mental whirlwind. What exactly constitutes a man-made accident? So, is someone manipulating this Bodhi tree? And what kind of terrifying being could control such a powerful sacred tree?

“Damn it, my head hurts!” Meng Zhong banged his head against the steering wheel.

Song Rui remained silent, lost in thought. He recalled the feeling of being spied on.

Even though their curiosity was driving them crazy, the two of them didn’t bother Fan Jialuo and instead tacitly remained silent.

These days, Fan Jialuo was exhausted, his fair face showed signs of unusual fatigue——

More than two hours later, everyone was standing in the basement of the Fan family’s old residence.

Seeing Lin Nianci, whose body was wrapped in bandages, casually placed on the ground, Xuan Chengzi’s face, which had been slightly warm, immediately turned frosty again.

“You wicked disciple, how dare you treat her like this!” He held the dying girl in his arms and checked her breath with trembling fingertips.

“Don’t worry, she won’t die.” Fan Jialuo sat cross-legged in the center of a circular formation, with a rectangular wooden box on his lap.

The formation emitted an extremely powerful energy field, but the runes carved on it were obscured by a mysterious and unpredictable aura, making them impossible to see clearly. Even an expert like Xuan Chengzi could only vaguely sense the array’s power and ominous nature, but he didn’t know its specific function.

So everyone stood on the outermost edge of the formation, watching Fan Jialuo from afar.

“Shifu, are you familiar with this?” Fan Jialuo opened his palm and showed a pure black, half-palm-sized fish-shaped jade pendant.

Two flames of anger ignited in Xuan Chengzi’s eyes, “You wicked disciple, you really stole my sect’s sacred treasure, return it at once!” He drew his sword and pointed it at Fan Jialuo’s brow.

The members of Taoist alliance standing behind him looked at the jade pendant with curious eyes, unaware of its special characteristics.

“Shifu, you seem to have forgotten that I am Holy Child of the Tianshui Sect. It is only natural for me to wear this jade pendant. It is not stolen.” Fan Jialuo said calmly.

“True, you have the right to wear it, but stealing it from the sect and never returning is a capital offense.” Xuan Chengzi’s sword emitted a sharp metallic clang due to the surge of killing intent. Lin Nianci, lying in his arms, remained motionless, as if she were already dead.

Fan Jialuo gripped the pure black jade pendant tightly and said slowly, “Shifu, what if I told you that I didn’t defect back then, but was killed by Song Enci? This half of the jade pendant wasn’t stolen by me, but was something she threw away. Shifu, you know that she’s always been picky since she was little, she doesn’t care for things that aren’t absolutely good.”

“Do you think I’d believe your nonsense?” Xuan Chengzi said coldly, his eyes filled with even more murderous intent.

Lin Nianci, lying in his arms, moved her head, seemingly feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Fan Jialuo placed the jade pendant and wooden box on the ground, then stood up, took off his upper garment, revealing his pale and thin body.

“When we met in the forest of the demon tree, you handed down your judgment, claiming I killed this person and that person and that my sins knew no bounds.” Fan Jialuo stretched out his slender index finger and pointed at the crowd, “Now, it is my turn to hold a trial. But my judgment is not meant for you. It is meant for Lin Nianci——the woman once universally revered as Song Enci, the Holy Maiden of Zezhou.”

“Nonsense!” Xuan Chengzi’s sword tip trembled, releasing a wisp of sharp sword energy.

However, Fan Jialuo did not dodge. Instead, he stretched out his arms, removed the magnetic field that concealed the formation, and calmly said, “Shifu, please take a good look at what is carved on my body, and then look at what the runes of this formation on the ground indicate. You can’t possibly fail to recognize the Ninefold Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Formation of the Tianshui Sect, do you?”

Cultivators’ eyesight and judgment are far superior to ordinary people. In the blink of an eye, Xuan Chengzi had already seen the dark light on the formation and the black characters covering the surface of Fan Jialuo’s body. It was indeed the Ninefold Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Formation, a forbidden technique of the Tianshui Sect.

He had only taught this formation to Song Enci, and it could only be applied to souls and could not harm living people. It was used to imprison and refine thousand-year-old vengeful ghosts.

Once absorbed by this formation, the vengeful ghost will be burned by the fires of hell day and night, praying countless times in extreme agony for its soul to be scattered, yet its soul will always become more stable than the day before. Eventually, driven mad by endless despair, it will lose its memory, become a puppet, and be used at will.

Since its creation by their ancestors, this formation has been forbidden to be used because it goes against the natural order. It is only permitted to be used in the world if a wicked ghost king appears and causes a great catastrophe that devastates the world.

But now, it has actually appeared on Fan Jialuo. What does this mean?

This illustrates two points—— First, Fan Jialuo was already dead. The accusation of stealing the jade pendant and fleeing was completely fabricated. How could a dead person, whose very soul was imprisoned by an array, return? Second, who else but Song Enci could have inscribed such a forbidden technique on Fan Jialuo’s body?

But why would she do that? Could it be that she was the one who actually stole the treasure and fled all along?

Yes, she was the one who wrote to inform the sect members of the news of Fan Jialuo’s defection and failure to return, she was also the one who found Fan Jialuo alone, fought a fierce battle with him, and retrieved half of the jade pendant, but due to serious injuries and guilt towards her sect, she wandered for a hundred years before returning.

These are all her side of the story, and no one can corroborate them.

Because of Fan Jialuo’s past misdeeds of killing his Shishu, Xuan Chengzi never doubted the truth of the matter. He always thought that Fan Jialuo was rotten to the core, so it wouldn’t be surprising no matter how many evil deeds he committed.

Song Enci’s absence for a century naturally has its reasons, as long as she returns, there is no need for harsh criticism. As for Fan Jialuo’s absence for a century, it means he harbors ulterior motives, has committed murder and robbery, and is extremely wicked.

He used two sets of standards to judge these two children from the very beginning, confident that he wouldn’t misjudge them. But the facts before him suggest that he might have indeed misjudged them.

Xuan Chengzi swiftly unleashed a second sword aura, deflecting the previous one. He placed Lin Nianci on the ground, strode into the formation, and rapidly rotated it, examining it closely. To his even greater dismay, he discovered that, this was indeed the Tianshui Sect’s Ninefold Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Formation, without the slightest falsehood.

In this world, there are only two people who can inscribe this formation, one is himself, and the other is his beloved disciple, Song Enci.

“How could this be, how could this be……” Xuan Chengzi had lost the ability to think, and could only turn around frantically, look around frantically, and mutter frantically.

He had a premonition that a truth, which was very likely to tear his heart apart and cause him unbearable pain, was waiting menacingly ahead.

Lin Nianci, her head wrapped in bandages with only her nostrils showing, was struggling to turn towards Xuan Chengzi. Her fingertips twitched, and her already weak chest heaved. It was clear she was very anxious.

However, this trial has only just begun.

Fan Jialuo pointed to the leaders of the nine major sects standing on the outer perimeter and reminded him, “Shifu, you’ve forgotten one thing. This formation is called the Ninefold Blood Fiend Soul Devouring Formation because it requires the blood of nine top Taoist cultivators to be sacrificed when it is activated. You don’t necessarily think that I was the only one killed by Song Enci in such a cruel way, do you?”

Xuan Chengzi, who was hurriedly checking the formation, suddenly froze.

The nine sect leaders were stunned for a moment, then their faces contorted with shock and anger.

What a great Holy Maiden of Zezhou, Song Enci! What a great hero who saved seven dragon veins!

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