Lin Dong wasn't famous in the cultivation world, but his contributions to the Soul Mountain Sect were undeniable.
Over the years, Lin Dong had forged countless holy artifacts for the Soul Mountain Sect, and nurtured countless master armorers. All the armorers of the Soul Mountain Sect's Jing Province had to respectfully address Lin Dong as their ancestor when they mentioned his name. Countless exquisite armor-refining techniques had come from Lin Dong's hands.
Furthermore, Lin Dong was a low-key person. He didn't strive for fame, nor did he seek money. His only hobby was armor-refining. Even though he was already advanced in age, he often forged artifacts himself. He even liked to research new types of artifacts and upgrade old ones. Some of the armor-refining techniques Lin Dong had improved had even spread to other great cultivation realms and were highly respected.
People like Lin Dong were the true sages of the cultivation world. They were heroes who could single-handedly promote the development of the entire cultivation civilization.
Even Phoenix Dawn didn't dare show the slightest disrespect to Lin Dong.
"Phoenix Dawn greets Elder Lin."
Lin Dong nodded with a smile. If one ignored his strength as a Divine King, he would only look like a frail old man. His temples were white, and there were obvious wrinkles on his face. His aura was not strong either.
However, no one dared to underestimate an old man like him. The words' Divine King 'represented everything.
"That wretched disciple Honglian colluded with the demons in an attempt to obtain our Soul Mountain Sect's secrets. I've already reported this to Lady Providence, and received her permission to imprison her at Spirit Law Peak."
When he said this, Phoenix Dawn and Xue Honglian were both stunned.
He'd already reported this to Lady Providence?
And received her permission?
If that was really the case, then things weren't as simple as they seemed. Could it be that Xue Honglian had really colluded with the demons? Or perhaps she'd been deceived and used by them without her knowledge?
Phoenix Dawn glanced at Xue Honglian and saw that she was just as shocked and incredulous.
Either Xue Honglian really didn't know, or she was just pretending.
Either way, it was definitely not a good thing.
Phoenix Dawn hesitated for a moment and said, "Elder Lin, could you please tell me the details? Xue Honglian is the most outstanding disciple of the younger generation of the Spiritual Mountain Sect. As the youngest Heaven's Equal in the entire Spiritual Mountain, her every move affects the image of the Spiritual Mountain Sect. As the Sacred Lady of the Spiritual Mountain Sect, I am in charge of the discipline of the disciples. If this is true, I will use this as an example to warn all the disciples of the Spiritual Mountain Sect."
Lin Dong waved his hand, and a transparent jade plate fell into Phoenix Dawn's hand.
Phoenix Dawn hesitated for a moment before injecting her spiritual power into the jade plate. Immediately, an image was projected from the jade plate.
The person on the screen was Xue Honglian.
When she saw the other person on the screen, Phoenix Dawn was shocked. It was a black-clothed swordsman with a silver mask.
It was the demon assassin who had tried to assassinate Su Chen in the Tong Tian Tower!
Xue Honglian had already come into contact with that demon assassin!
So, Xue Honglian's appearance in Skysplit Tower wasn't a coincidence?
Phoenix Dawn looked at Xue Honglian, her gaze gradually turning cold. "How do you explain this?"
Xue Honglian's expression turned bitter. "I do know this person, but the last time we met was many years ago. At that time, Elder Su had yet to join the Spiritual Mountain Sect. I definitely have no intention of harming Elder Su."
"Even if Elder Su's assassination had nothing to do with you, your collusion with the demons is proof. Xue Honglian, you've disappointed me. The Spiritual Mountain Sect protects the world, sacrificing so many people and putting in so much effort to defend against the demons' invasion. As a direct disciple of the Spiritual Mountain Sect, you've actually colluded with the demons. This is absolutely intolerable."
Phoenix Dawn was truly disappointed. No matter what reasons or difficulties Xue Honglian had, in the Spiritual Mountain Sect, colluding with the demons was absolutely forbidden. Xue Honglian had committed a grave sin. If she wasn't a direct disciple, and if she wasn't the youngest Heaven's Equal cultivator in the Spiritual Mountain Sect, it wouldn't be a problem for her to be killed on the spot. Now, she was only imprisoned, which was already a mercy.
Xue Honglian opened her mouth, as if she had something to say, but in the end, she couldn't speak.
As if she had accepted her fate, she sat on the ground dejectedly.
But at that moment, Lin Dong spoke.
"That wretched disciple colluded with the demons. Her crime is indeed unforgivable, but I feel that there's something fishy about this matter."
"Oh?
Elder Lin, are you trying to shield your disciple? "Phoenix Dawn furrowed her brows.
Lin Dong smiled slightly. "If I say yes, what will the Holy Maiden do?"
Phoenix Dawn's heart trembled. She suddenly didn't understand the situation.
Wasn't it Lin Dong himself who'd ordered Xue Honglian to be imprisoned on the third floor of Spirit Law Peak? He'd even reported it to Lady Providence. All of this was to make a big deal out of the matter. But now, he was openly saying that he wanted to shield his disciple. If he wanted to shield her, why didn't he suppress the matter from the start? Now even the Lady Providence knew about it. Even if he was one of the seven elders, shielding a disciple who colluded with the demons would incur the wrath of the masses.
Strange.
It really was strange.
Phoenix Dawn felt like her IQ wasn't high enough. She couldn't understand Lin Dong's intentions at all.
Phoenix Dawn didn't understand, but Su Chen had a rough idea of what was going on.
If his guess was correct, someone wanted to borrow Lin Dong's hand to do something. Lin Dong had sent Xue Honglian to prison ahead of time, then reported it to Lady Providence. It seemed like he was cleaning up the sect, but in reality, he was protecting Xue Honglian. At the same time, he'd unraveled the enemy's scheme, preventing outsiders from using it as a pretext to make a fuss.
But Lin Dong loved his disciple very much. He wouldn't really let Xue Honglian suffer. That's why he'd rushed over as soon as Phoenix Dawn arrived.
If he really wanted to abandon Xue Honglian, he wouldn't have appeared here in the first place.
Although Su Chen couldn't figure out Lin Dong's true intentions, he couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
As expected, the older the ginger, the spicier it was.
How could a Divine King expert be so easy to deal with? He definitely wouldn't be used so easily.
From this, Su Chen could see that the seven elders of the Soul Mountain Sect weren't actually on the same side.
Things were becoming more and more complicated, and more and more interesting.
Su Chen was suddenly filled with anticipation. He didn't know how long this show would last.
"Elder Lin, aren't you afraid I'll tell Lady Providence what you just said?"
"Holy Maiden, please do as you please," said Lin Dong with a smile. His expression was kind and benevolent, like a warm-hearted neighbor.
Phoenix Dawn was even more stunned. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond, so she flung her sleeves and flew away.
It wasn't until she'd left Spirit Law Peak that Phoenix Dawn contacted Su Chen.
"He's too sinister. Lin Dong, that old bastard, is really strange. I'm now very suspicious that the person connected to the demons isn't Xue Honglian, but Lin Dong himself. He was the one who arranged the assassination at the Skysplit Tower."
Su Chen blushed with shame. "Miss, your deductive skills are still lacking."
"What?
Is there a problem? "
"From what I can see, of the seven elders, Lin Dong is the only one who can be eliminated as a suspect."