“Lin Mo, how dare you cultivate demonic techniques?” This single line from Immortal Tianchen sent shockwaves through all the disciples of Qingling Sect.

“What? Is Immortal Tianchen saying that Lin Mo is practicing demonic cultivation?” “Demonic cultivation? All the peak masters of Qingling Sect are here—how could it be false?” “Lately, many of our sect’s disciples have gone missing or returned injured during their training trips outside. They were reportedly drained of their spiritual energy by evil cultivators—could it have been Lin Mo?”

So in just a short time, aside from the disciples of Qingzhu Peak, all other peaks in Qingling Sect now suspect Lin Mo of being a demonic cultivator who preys on his fellow disciples.

The disciples of Qingzhu Peak, however, didn’t believe any of it.

“How could Senior Brother possibly be practicing demonic arts? There must be some kind of misunderstanding.” “We’ve already been ordered to submit our records of external missions. This time, we have to ensure the truth comes to light. We don’t believe or spread rumors.”

If anyone knows Lin Mo best aside from Shen Ke’er and Yuehua, it’s Duan Susu. With a firm stance and eyes full of trust, she declared, “There’s no way Senior Brother could be cultivating demonic techniques.”

Even Qu Ruyan, in her cat form, remained uncharacteristically silent. She knew Lin Mo’s condition well. Though nestled in Gu Qingzhu’s arms, she was always monitoring the situation at Qingling Sect. If anyone tried to harm Lin Mo, she would act instantly.

Gu Qingxue, meanwhile, had no real understanding of what separated immortal cultivation from demonic cultivation. To her, Brother Lin Mo was always right, always the best. Even if he was a demon, the kindness he had shown her was real.

Lin Mo had sharp hearing and clearly heard the discussions among the Qingzhu Peak disciples. He felt quite comforted. After all his guidance, the younger disciples of Qingzhu Peak were now developing proper values. But he still had a lingering question—how had news of his demonic cultivation been exposed?

Facing Immortal Tianchen, Lin Mo remained calm. “Immortal Tianchen, was there any issue during the last demonic energy test?”

Immortal Tianchen frowned slightly. Lin Mo had used the demonic energy detector right in front of him, and nothing had seemed out of place. “All the results were submitted—and this person is still…”

Before he could finish speaking, a rotund middle-aged man stepped forward in anger and shouted, “You wretched thing, stop pretending!”

Lin Mo naturally recognized him. He was Immortal Rongyao, the Peak Master of Taiyun Peak.

From the crowd, a young girl was brought forward by Immortal Tianxuan. That girl now looked pale and on the verge of collapse, her body retaining only a sliver of spiritual energy.

“The witness is right here. What more do you have to say for yourself?”

Everyone turned to look at the girl, though most didn’t recognize her. Only the disciples of Qingzhu Peak widened their eyes in shock.

“Isn’t that Li Hua? What happened to her?”

Someone voiced what the rest were thinking.

Immortal Rongyao reassured her, “Speak freely. All twelve peak masters are here—this wretch won’t dare harm you.”

Looking terrified, Li Hua recounted the events of the previous night in front of everyone. “Last night, when I returned to Qingzhu Peak from an external trip, I ran into Senior Brother Lin.” “He called me over and led me to a remote part of the peak.” “When he confirmed no one was around, his whole body started emitting black energy. His eyes turned red. He pinned me down and began absorbing my spiritual energy.”

By the end, her voice was trembling, and the fear and resentment in her eyes as she looked at Lin Mo were even more intense.

This completely enraged the rest of Qingling Sect. They had thought Lin Mo was merely cold and ruthless—but now he was exposed as someone who dared to cultivate demonic arts. Those who had close relationships with the disciples that had gone missing or been harmed were especially furious.

One after another, they stood up and roared:

“Lin Mo, you beast! How could you do something so despicable?” “We thought you were just heartless—but now it’s clear you’re a full-blown demon!” “People like you deserve to die horribly!”

With people stirring up the mood, the jeers grew louder and more vicious. The twelve peak masters had all gathered, and just as before, their single words could turn into crushing accusations. Despite the rising tension, the disciples of Qingzhu Peak still chose to believe in Lin Mo. But the atmosphere was becoming unbearably strained.

“Lin Mo, do you have anything to say for yourself?” Immortal Tianchen’s tone was icy, clearly having already accepted this version of the truth. After all, there was no reason for Li Hua to falsely accuse Lin Mo.

“Lin Mo may have a method to evade demonic energy detection,” someone added.

“An explanation is certainly necessary,” Lin Mo replied, taking a deep breath. He then looked seriously at Li Hua and asked, “Are you certain it was me who harmed you?” “I’m a fellow disciple of Qingzhu Peak. Could you really have mistaken someone else for me, your own Senior Brother?”

Li Hua’s expression twisted with hatred. “Stop pretending. I once believed you were a good person, Lin Mo, but I never imagined you were hiding such a monstrous identity!”

Lin Mo looked at her, noting the genuine pain and despair in her emotions. This wasn’t an act. Which meant—someone had taken her to harm last night and deliberately framed him.

As for who it was, who was suspicious, and why—Lin Mo couldn’t say for certain. After all, he had been in this world for quite a while and had offended quite a few people: Nangong Xu, Jiang Yanran, and the Chen family’s patriarch, Chen Sheng, to name a few. Even Ye Kai—Lin Mo hadn’t done anything to offend him, yet he had been targeted again and again. It wasn’t impossible that Ye Kai was behind this setup.

“I ask you Peak Masters—are you all now convinced that I’m the demonic cultivator who harmed his fellow disciples?” Lin Mo deliberately emphasized the words “harmed his fellow disciples.” As for whether he practiced demonic cultivation—that was hard to refute, because truthfully, half of his cultivation did come from demonic arts.

Immortal Rongyao sneered, “At this point, you’re still trying to defend yourself?”

Most of the other Peak Masters also wore indifferent expressions, clearly not opposing that notion. Only Immortal Fengqing, standing beside Immortal Zhangwang, seemed to be deep in thought. Immortal Tianchen was also frowning. He sensed something was off, but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. In his eyes, Lin Mo didn’t seem like the type to harm his peers.

Seeing everyone’s attitude, Lin Mo’s previously calm face suddenly broke into a smile. This threw everyone off for a moment.

Immortal Tianchen asked, “What are you laughing at?”

Still smiling, Lin Mo replied, “I’m laughing at all you Peak Masters—such senior figures, yet you’re willing to hand over your ability to judge right from wrong to someone else.”

His words instantly enraged several people.

“You little beast, are you courting death?!” Immortal Rongyao flared up, unleashing the oppressive force of a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator like a fierce beast lunging at Lin Mo.

But Lin Mo remained calm and composed, unmoved.

The other Peak Masters couldn’t help but take note: for Lin Mo to stay so calm under Rongyao’s pressure—perhaps there was more to this situation. There was a flicker of hesitation in their eyes, though it was quickly suppressed.

Just as Immortal Rongyao was about to strike, he was stopped by Immortal Tianchen.

“Tianchen, what do you mean by this? Are you actually trying to protect this little beast?” Rongyao snapped.

“I just think we should at least hear what Lin Mo has to say. Our Qingling Sect punishes the guilty, yes—but shouldn’t we be fair in our judgment first?” “He’s not going to escape under my watch,” Tianchen added.

The other Peak Masters nodded in agreement.

Rongyao snorted coldly. “Fine. Let’s see what this beast has to say for himself.”

Lin Mo said with a cold smile, “I’m sure all of you Peak Masters understand the concept of ‘silencing witnesses,’ right?” “If I really were the demonic cultivator who harmed fellow disciples, would I have let Li Hua live?” “Would I have let her go to your side afterward? What would I possibly gain from that?”

“This is clearly a setup. Those shallow-minded disciples can’t be expected to think critically, but you Peak Masters? You really can’t see what’s going on here?”

That hit like a wake-up call.

Indeed, many of the Peak Masters had rushed out impulsively because their own disciples had been harmed. Now, hearing Lin Mo’s words, they realized there might be more to the situation.

The disciples who had earlier accused Lin Mo so adamantly now blushed with embarrassment. They had just been verbally slapped down by Lin Mo’s questions.

At that moment, some disciples from Qingzhu Peak spoke up in support:

“That’s right! Li Hua—Senior Brother is such a meticulous person. If he really were the one who hurt those disciples, why would he spare you?” “We’ve followed Senior Brother for so long—he would never harm you.” “You were misled. You should hurry up and apologize to Senior Brother.”

Li Hua, unable to respond clearly, began to waver. Had she really misunderstood Senior Brother?

Immortal Rongyao, proud as ever, redirected his attack: “Then explain this—if someone really was setting people up, why is it that only you were targeted?”

Knowing he would eventually need to leave the sect anyway, Lin Mo didn’t bother sparing face for someone like that.

“You’re clearly full of crap—your brain’s made of it too. If I knew who did it, how would I have gotten framed in the first place?”

“Even if you’re not the one who harmed those disciples, just for showing such blatant disrespect to your elders, I should teach you a lesson on behalf of your Master!”

Rongyao’s face turned bright red with anger, and he was about to attack again—but once again, Immortal Tianchen stopped him.

“Tianchen, why are you stopping me again?”

“I just think Lin Mo’s words make sense. Your question was pretty unreasonable,” Tianchen replied bluntly.

The other Peak Masters also nodded quietly.

Rongyao was left speechless, huffed, and threw his sleeves with a cold snort, saying nothing more—for now. But his eyes remained fixed on Lin Mo with an intense glare.

Hidden among the crowd, Ye Kai shifted in discomfort. He hadn’t expected Lin Mo to be so sharp-tongued—able to flip the entire situation around in his favor.

Seeing that the situation was turning against him instead of Lin Mo, Ye Kai could only smile bitterly in his heart. “Wanwan, what do we do now???”

“Am I you? Can’t you think for yourself? Do you have to ask me everything?” Wanwan replied in exasperation.

“This…” After being scolded a few times in a row, Ye Kai’s mind actually cleared up a bit.

He looked at Shen Ke’er, whose expression was uncertain, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. A faint breeze stirred, lifting her veil slightly.

At that moment, the disciple sitting next to Shen Ke’er caught sight of her face—now covered in swollen lines of poison—and couldn’t help but cry out in shock.

Shen Ke’er, hearing the sudden exclamation, turned her gaze toward the disciple.

“Ah! Junior Sister Ke’er’s face… This is terrifying!” “Stop talking, I’m getting goosebumps just looking at it.” “Sigh, such a beautiful girl turned so hideous—it’s truly heartless.”

These comments echoed endlessly in Shen Ke’er’s ears, each one sharper and more cutting than the last. Those who once looked at her with admiration and affection now showed only disgust and fear.

These sharp emotions stirred the hatred already growing in her heart, letting that seed of resentment blossom into a towering tree. The thick branches of that tree blocked out even the last bits of light within her.

It was as if she had made some major decision. Her eyes were now void of emotion. Then, under the confused gazes of the crowd, she retied her veil and walked toward the dueling platform.

Immortal Tianchen, who hadn’t recognized her, asked in confusion, “What are you doing up here?”

Shen Ke’er pointed at Lin Mo and said word by word, “Senior Brother, even though I’ve been your Junior Sister since childhood, I truly can’t stand what you’ve done.” “Harming fellow disciples is something that cannot be forgiven.” “Last night, I saw with my own eyes—you were shrouded in black energy, your eyes were blood-red when you attacked Sister Li Hua, and then you returned to your residence.”

Lin Mo frowned. At this moment, many things became clear to him. Someone had been secretly plotting against him for a while now—deliberately setting up Shen Ke’er’s veil situation, planting resentment in her heart. It was all in preparation for this very moment.

Among all his enemies, only Ye Kai knew his and Shen Ke’er’s relationship this well. Lin Mo was now certain—without a doubt, Ye Kai was behind this.

The only problem was, the man’s methods were too clever. He had found a way to hide behind the formation, leaving no clear trace.