Jiang Chen's gaze was open and forthright, carrying an innate air of trustworthiness. The other man, meanwhile, had beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his eyes darting about with a unmistakable hint of evasion.
Jiang Chen didn't even spare him a glance. Instead, he cupped his fists toward the countless rogue cultivators below. "Fellow rogue cultivator friends — you came to attend this Dragon-Tiger Gathering for all manner of reasons. I, Zhen, have wholeheartedly wished to deliver a perfect rogue cultivator assembly for all of you. Yet there are always a few scoundrels who insist on stirring up trouble!"
"I, Zhen, can face the heavens with a clear conscience. This Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi — I, Zhen, have maintained from start to finish that it is a thousand-year specimen. I have never once uttered a single word of threat or engaged in any forced transaction. If I speak even one word of falsehood, may the heavens strike me dead!"
"This man keeps claiming that I suppressed him and tried to force a purchase of his Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi. All I ask is that he swear a heavenly oath to that effect. If he dares to do so, I, Zhen, will immediately give away every last bit of my wealth and apologize to everyone present."
Such forthright words, from a forthright heart.
The rogue cultivators below fell into deep thought, one after another.
Indeed — when it came down to it, everything so far had been nothing more than this man's one-sided account. Young Lord Zhen, by all appearances, really didn't seem like the sort of person who would engage in forced transactions.
Could it be that this fellow really was here to cause trouble?
"Emperor Jingzhong, this man claims to be a rogue cultivator. I request that three of our prominent figures in the rogue cultivator world make some inquiries — is there anyone by this name among us? We can't have some unscrupulous scoundrel impersonating one of our own and swindling people here! I, Zhen, don't go looking for trouble, but I'm not afraid of it either."
Emperor Jingzhong nodded and turned to the man. "Friend, state your name. Today rogue cultivators from every corner have gathered. If you truly are one of us, someone here will surely recognize you."
The man panicked. He was no rogue cultivator at all.
Steel-jawed, he sneered, "Emperor Jingzhong, who doesn't know that all you rogue cultivator emperors have taken favors from Young Lord Zhen? You're all on his side! As leading figures of the rogue cultivator world, you grovel before the Myriad Glass Kingdom like servile dogs — a true disgrace to rogue cultivators everywhere!"
Emperor Jingzhong was advanced in years and had seen every manner of scheme. How could such a crude provocation possibly move him? He let out a cold laugh. "Your attempts at sowing discord are useless. I've already made my position clear. If you are a friend of the rogue cultivator world, even if you're in the wrong, I will guarantee your survival today. However, if you are not one of us and are merely appropriating the name of rogue cultivators, then I'm afraid I'll have no choice but to purge you — this fraudulent stain — on behalf of our community."
"Exactly. In our rogue cultivator world, facts are facts and nothing more. We will never tolerate imposters," Emperor Huoyan glared at the man. "Remove your disguise and reveal your true face!"
Empress Ruoyi smiled lightly. "It seems he really is an imposter, isn't he?"
The man was panicking now. He screamed, "Is there truly no justice under heaven? Does the Myriad Glass Kingdom truly rule with an iron hand? Fellow rogue cultivators — the three great leaders of our community, every one of them has thrown their lot in with the Myriad Glass Kingdom! Are they still fit to be the pillars of our world?"
"Grandmaster Dongye! Emperor Baxiang! Are you going to simply stand by and watch this man called Zhen cover the sky with one hand?"
Grandmaster Dongye turned to Jiang Chen. "Young Lord Zhen, in the end, everything — before and after — is still nothing more than your own word. Unless you can produce a six-thousand-year Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi to prove your claim, this poor monk remains unconvinced."
Jiang Chen was so furious that he laughed. "Grandmaster Dongye, whether you're convinced or not couldn't matter less to me. From the moment I learned that you and this man are in cahoots, your conviction or lack thereof has become entirely meaningless. You are a guest from afar, and I won't drive you away. However, I do hope that your actions today do not represent the Temple of Heavenly Sound. Otherwise, the Temple will surely regret the choice it made today."
Grandmaster Dongye's voice turned icy. "Young Lord Zhen, are you threatening this poor monk?"
"Threatening?" Jiang Chen sneered. "You think too highly of yourself. You're not even worthy of my threats."
With that, Jiang Chen smiled contemptuously, stepped forward, and fixed his gaze on the rogue cultivator. "You want evidence? Very well. You think your counterfeiting methods are clever. In truth, they're nothing but a small trick. Such methods may appear flawless, but they're actually quite crude. Watch as I, Zhen, return your so-called six-thousand-year specimen to its original form."
The practice of falsifying the apparent age of spiritual materials was actually quite common across the myriad worlds. In his previous life, Jiang Chen had been thoroughly versed in the ways of pills and elixirs, and this sort of thing was hardly foreign to him.
Moreover, the method used to counterfeit this particular Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi was, when compared to the great techniques of the myriad worlds, remarkably crude.
It was nothing more than a relatively cleverly concealed formation placed upon the surface, packaging the appearance of the Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi to look the part.
For anyone who had never seen such a thing before, it would indeed be impossible to detect. But in Jiang Chen's eyes, it was nothing but a back-alley trick — barely worth his attention. If this man had simply been trying to fool him, Jiang Chen might have let it slide.
But the man had used this scheme to stir up trouble, harboring ill intent. Naturally, Jiang Chen would not let that go.
"Young Lord Zhen, don't be reckless!" Grandmaster Dongye stepped forward, attempting to block Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen sneered. "Dongye — are you afraid that once this little trick is exposed, your own hypocritical face will no longer be able to hide behind it?"
Grandmaster Dongye said coldly, "Young Lord Zhen, I merely fear that you might use some underhanded technique and destroy this Heaven and Earth Lingyun Lingzhi."
Jiang Chen threw back his head and laughed. "Is there truly any technique under heaven that can reduce a six-thousand-year spiritual medicine to one thousand years? Grandmaster Dongye, you're lying through your teeth with your eyes wide open."
Emperor Jingzhong spoke up. "Grandmaster Dongye, the truth only comes out through open debate. With so many people watching, if Young Lord Zhen tried to pull any tricks right under everyone's noses, we would all see it."
"Precisely. Grandmaster Dongye, if you have no personal stake in this, then there's no need to interfere."
"Grandmaster, you wouldn't happen to have some hidden agenda of your own, would you?" Empress Ruoyi asked with a playful giggle.
Grandmaster Dongye was caught in an awkward position — unable to move forward or retreat.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. His finger flicked outward in a snap, sending a thread of spiritual energy striking directly at the hidden formation. The formation had been cleverly concealed, something ordinary people would never have noticed.
But Jiang Chen saw it with perfect clarity. The moment his finger-force arrived, the formation shattered instantly. It had been nothing more than an illusionary array to deceive the eye — not some formidable barrier that couldn't be broken.