Following the frigid voice of the Fairy Zi Ling, the gazes of the other cultivators swiveled in unison toward a spot within the crowd.
Elder Zhao and another middle-aged scholar dressed in Confucian robes stood there, their expressions blank. This scholar was none other than the other Mysterious Sound Sect elder who often accompanied Zhuo Ruting.
Seeing this scene, both Madam Fan and Zhuo Ruting seemed to realize something, their faces turning extremely unpleasant.
Of them, Madam Fan looked the worst, appearing quite flustered and exasperated.
"Who is sneaking around over there?" An angry shout suddenly came from within the dark clouds. It was the eccentric Crimson Fire. Following the shout, a series of lightning bolts shot forth from the clouds, striking like agile serpents toward a nearby spot.
Where there had seemed to be empty space, the light suddenly dimmed, and a large swathe of black qi exploded outward, devouring the lightning bolts completely. A short, thin young man then materialized from the darkness.
"Wu Chou!"
Han Li, who had quietly retreated to the rear of the group, felt a jolt of surprise upon seeing the young man's appearance and silently mouthed his name.
At this moment, many other cultivators also recognized the young man and cried out in similar surprise.
The people from the Hidden Fiend Sect changed their expressions drastically, glaring fiercely at Wu Chou.
However, the leading middle-aged man's expression became peculiar. While staring at Wu Chou, a hint of hidden fear appeared on his face.
"Heh heh! As expected of the famous eccentric Crimson Fire, able to see through this Young Master's concealment technique." Wu Chou looked around at everyone present with nonchalance, his gaze finally settling on the dark clouds.
"Hmph!" A cold snort echoed from the clouds, after which no further sound came. This caused Wu Chou's face to darken.
"Was this entire affair your Extremely Yin Island's doing?" Zhuo Ruting, who had remained silent since realizing something was amiss, finally spoke up.
"That's right! This whole setup was arranged by this Young Master. The Mysterious Sound Sect's cargo was hijacked by my people, and those two elders were ordered by me to frame the Hidden Fiend Sect!"
To everyone's utter surprise, Wu Chou showed no intention of concealment. He let out a cold laugh, admitted everything outright, and then cast a lewd, covetous gaze that lingered on the purple-clad woman.
The purple-clad woman's eyes remained as cold as ever, merely staring at Wu Chou with icy detachment, without uttering a single word.
At this point, Elder Zhao, the scholar, and those cultivators who had just attacked suddenly flew soundlessly to Wu Chou's side, forming a three-way standoff with Fairy Zi Ling and the Hidden Fiend Sect cultivators.
Seeing this, although Fairy Zi Ling and Zhuo Ruting had already suspected as much, their expressions still shifted, becoming somewhat grave.
"Elders Zhao and Meng, our sect has always treated you well. How could you do such a thing?" Madam Fan's face had long since turned deathly pale, and she finally couldn't help but shout the question as Elder Zhao and the others flew to Wu Chou's side.
She had invested tremendous effort into winning over Elder Zhao, even sacrificing her chastity at times, all to counter Zhuo Ruting's influence within the Mysterious Sound Sect. Yet now, without a word of warning, he had betrayed her. The mixture of shock and rage was overwhelming.
"Left Envoy Fan, this old man also did not wish to do this. But Elder Meng and I already have our lives in another's hands. We truly have no choice in the matter!" Elder Zhao's face twitched slightly, and he said in a wooden tone.
Hearing this, Madam Fan was stunned, but before she could raise her willowy eyebrows and say anything more, she was cut off by Fairy Zi Ling's cold words.
"Sister Fan, nothing we say now matters. Since they dared to set such a trap, they surely have other contingencies in store. Let us worry about escaping today's calamity first!"
Madam Fan fell silent.
"Tsk tsk! As expected of the talented and beautiful Fairy Zi Ling. This Young Master has admired you for a long time. I wonder if the Fairy would be interested in becoming this Young Master's wife? You should know, although this young master has many concubines, the position of principal wife has always remained vacant." Wu Chou stared at the purple-clad woman's face, which was obscured by a spell, and spoke in a lewd tone.
"Alright, I agree." Fairy Zi Ling said, her face devoid of expression.
This statement startled all the other cultivators, including Han Li.
Wu Chou himself was taken aback for a moment, then asked again with a look of suspicion on his face: "Miss Wang, are you serious about these words?"
"If you execute every cultivator who killed my mother that day, I will marry you as your wife!" Fairy Zi Ling said, her voice turning frigid.
This caused the look of joy on Wu Chou's face to vanish. He frowned and shook his head.
"That condition is not acceptable. Many of the people who acted that day are trusted confidants of my grandfather. I do not have the authority to execute them. How about Miss Zi Ling proposes a different condition instead?