So it turned out that the matter of Lin Mo’s Golden Core being dug out and his bone marrow extracted—suspected to be the work of Master Yuehua and Shen Ke’er—was also somehow tied to Ye Kai’s recent statement. Now, with Ye Kai missing, the pressing issue in front of them had to be dealt with first.

Lin Mo looked at Shen Ke’er and asked coldly, “Are you sure that person was me?” He didn’t believe that Shen Ke’er, who had grown up with the original Lin Mo, wouldn’t be able to recognize an imposter.

Shen Ke’er hesitated. She also felt that the Lin Mo from last night was acting strange. After returning to her room and thinking it over, she realized that the person just didn’t feel like her Senior Brother. But now, her mind was clouded by hatred. After a moment, she responded firmly, “I raised you from childhood. How could I mistake someone else for you?”

Lin Mo exhaled heavily, his eyes icy as he said, “Lin Mo, look closely. This is the Junior Sister you raised from childhood.” The tone of his voice made the surrounding onlookers feel confused. For some reason, Shen Ke’er felt an odd discomfort in her heart. She couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, but something definitely felt off.

The crowd’s mood immediately surged.

“So the truth’s finally out! Let’s see how Lin Mo tries to defend himself now.”

“Well done, Junior Sister Shen! Your act of righteousness—turning in your own—is admirable.”

“That’s right! We must not let this demonic cultivator run rampant any longer. We have to avenge our fallen fellow disciples!”

Even many of the disciples from Qingzhu Peak began to waver. After all, even Shen Ke’er had stepped forward—and she was the one Lin Mo had personally raised. If she pointed the finger at him, could it really be that their Senior Brother had become a demonic cultivator who preyed on his fellow disciples?

Just then, Duan Susu rushed onto the dueling platform and fiercely slapped Shen Ke’er across the face. “Junior Sister Shen, stop spouting nonsense! Senior Brother Lin grew up with us—how could he possibly harm our own? You know better than anyone what kind of person he is. Don’t you realize what consequences your wild accusations might bring upon him?”

Duan Susu was truly enraged. She refused to believe Lin Mo would ever harm his fellow disciples. The Lin Mo she had known since childhood could never be that kind of person. Even Shen Ke’er should have kept silent. She had gone through so much growing up, and if Lin Mo hadn’t taken her back to the sect, she likely would’ve died long ago out in the wild.

“Senior Sister Duan,” Shen Ke’er replied righteously, “I cannot turn a blind eye and watch Senior Brother Lin continue to harm others. That would only deepen his sins and lead to more innocent deaths!” With this, she looked utterly self-righteous.

Duan Susu now saw Shen Ke’er for what she truly was—a thankless traitor. Her Senior Brother had been far too good to her.

Just then, Lin Mo sent a secret voice transmission: “Junior Sister Shen, don’t say any more. If I really do fall out with Qingling Sect, I hope you’ll take the Gu Zi and leave Qingzhu Peak. Find somewhere else to settle. If there’s no other place, go to the Lin family in Tianxing City.”

From his perspective, Ye Kai had already fallen into demonic ways—or at least allied himself with them. Duan Susu would be in danger if she stayed in Qingling Sect.

Duan Susu frowned and replied, “Senior Brother, don’t say such things. Don’t you know what kind of person you are? I believe the truth will come to light. And if I leave, what happens to our master?”

Lin Mo had no response to that.

Just then, a figure came flying at Lin Mo from the sky.

“Look! Senior Brother Feng is making his move!”

“If Senior Brother Feng strikes, that demonic scum will be subdued easily!”

The disciples of Qingling Sect buzzed with excitement. The peak masters present didn’t intervene—they were curious to see Lin Mo’s true strength.

“Demonic cultivator, die!”

Feng Huaiqing roared, slashing his sword, sending out a blade of sword qi directly at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo gently pushed Duan Susu behind him, flicked his sword hand, and effortlessly sliced through Feng Huaiqing’s attack. Feng Huaiqing looked utterly shocked—he hadn’t held back at all.

He had not held back at all—how did Lin Mo dissolve his sword aura so easily?

He wanted to strike again, but was held back.

Master Qi Yao stepped forward and said, “Come back. You are not a match for Lin Mo.”

Master Fengzhen also spoke up, “Even now, this boy Lin Mo still hasn’t fully drawn his sword. But no one can be sure whether he’s truly holding back, or if he’s just too skilled at concealing it.”

Master Tianchen stayed silent.

“And I heard Lin Mo only broke through to Golden Core a few months ago, and now he’s already in the late stage. If he didn’t absorb others’ spiritual energy, how could he improve so fast?”

“We already have both evidence and witness. Watch me reveal his true form!”

Master Qi Yao attacked.

At that moment, Qu Ruyan leapt from Gu Qingxue’s hands and suddenly transformed into her larger form, blocking the attack. “Master, are you okay?” Qu Ruyan stood protectively in front of Lin Mo, watching the crowd warily.

Gu Qingxue stood on the sidelines, anxious, but unable to help. She didn’t want to be a burden to Brother Lin Mo, so she stayed back and prayed silently for his safety.

Master Qi Yao looked at Qu Ruyan and couldn’t help but exclaim, “A Nascent Soul-stage spirit beast…”

Gasps spread through the Qingling Sect crowd. Even the other peak masters looked stunned. For a Golden Core cultivator to possess a Golden Core-stage spirit pet was already impressive. But a Nascent Soul-stage spirit pet? That was jaw-dropping.

Realizing even Master Qi Yao might not be a match, the other peak masters began to surround Lin Mo.

Just as the battle was about to erupt, a tremendous sword qi split the space between Lin Mo and the peak masters.

A clear voice rang out: “Fellow Daoist Lin Mo, your sect’s grand competition isn’t even over, and yet they’re already sentencing you?”

Everyone looked up. It was a stunning young woman in blue, with a graceful figure.

Feng Huaiqing’s eyes narrowed instantly. “Why is that demoness here?” “And she seems to know Lin Mo??”

The peak masters recognized her: Zhu Shiyao—one of the top geniuses in the cultivation world. They immediately wondered: why was she protecting Lin Mo?

Zhu Shiyao hovered beside Lin Mo and saluted him. “Fellow Daoist Lin Mo, your sect is being far too unreasonable—trying to pin such baseless accusations on you. How about coming back with me to the Spirit Sword Sect? We’ll be fellow disciples.”

She seemed genuinely excited. If Lin Mo joined, she could challenge him in duels regularly. That would be awesome.

Lin Mo gave a couple of awkward coughs—he could tell exactly what Zhu Shiyao was thinking. “I’m in a bit of trouble here,” he replied. “It’s not the best time to leave.”

The Qingling Sect peak masters were dumbfounded. Did they hear that right? Zhu Shiyao wanted to bring Lin Mo into Spirit Sword Sect?

Master Qi Yao quickly spoke up: “Disciple niece Zhu, don’t be fooled. Lin Mo is already a demonic cultivator. If he joins your sect, it would be like inviting a wolf into the house!” He had watched Zhu Shiyao grow up, so calling her “Niece” was no problem.

Zhu Shiyao’s expression turned cold. “Did you see demonic qi on him?” “Did you witness him harming others?”

She was growing furious. She refused to believe Lin Mo was capable of such things. His sword was so pure. When she sparred with him, she could sense that his sword intent was clean and righteous—nothing about it felt evil.

Master Qi Yao insisted, “Then how do you explain his rapid advancement from early to late Golden Core stage in just a few months, if not by absorbing others’ spiritual energy?”

Uh…

Lin Mo didn’t quite know how to explain that. He couldn’t very well say: “Oh, I just drank tea for a few days and found a golden ring.”

Luckily, Zhu Shiyao spoke up for him again. “About that, Fellow Daoist Lin Mo and I both entered a secret realm recently. We obtained a legacy from a powerful demon beast. I only absorbed a small portion, yet my own cultivation went from mid-stage Golden Core to late-stage. So why is it strange that Lin Mo also improved?”

Her words shut down all further arguments. And no one dared to provoke her. Zhu Shiyao was the Spirit Sword Sect’s top disciple and personal protégé of Master Xuan Yi. Antagonizing her could bring real consequences to Qingling Sect.

Moreover, Zhu Shiyao wouldn’t lie just to cover for Lin Mo. Doing so would tarnish her sect’s reputation.

Then Lin Mo turned to ask, “I have a question for Master Rongyao.”

“Speak,” Master Rongyao replied, still unfriendly.

“How many disciples from Qingling Sect have gone missing or been harmed?”

“Nine in total, including my Junior Sister Li Hua.”

“And what level were these nine disciples?”

“None of them had reached Foundation Establishment.”

“Do you believe the spiritual energy from nine non-Foundation disciples would be enough to raise me from early to late Golden Core?” Lin Mo asked coldly.

This caused many in the crowd to wake up from their assumptions. The spiritual energy from nine Qi Condensation disciples could, at most, help someone reach mid-Foundation Establishment—not push a cultivator all the way to late Golden Core. Using these nine as evidence that Lin Mo advanced through demonic means simply didn’t hold up.

Master Rongyao still insisted, “Then who knows whether Lin Mo has taken the lives of other cultivators outside?”

Zhu Shiyao frowned. “Why are you being so stubborn?”

“You want evidence, don’t you? Then I’ll help Daoist Lin prove it to you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Shiyao launched an attack on Master Rongyao.

In just over a dozen moves, Master Rongyao was instead suppressed by Zhu Shiyao.

This scene left everyone present speechless, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

A single thought flashed through their minds:
Zhu Shiyao suppressing a Nascent Soul cultivator with Golden Core-level strength—Is this the true power of a heaven’s chosen?