Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 415
"Brother—"
Sitting next to Yan Xibei, Yan Chihuo was gloomy. Veins were bulging from his right hand as he clenched his saber hard. He gnashed his teeth and said with suspicion, "Brother, you said that you heard Sand Scorpion admitting that he was a space resident yourself, right?"
Even more cold sweat appeared on Yan Chifeng's face. He felt as if somebody had poured a bucket of cold water on his head. Looking at Li Yao and then at his brother and uncle, he roared like an animal, "Are you insane? You choose to believe an outsider instead of me?
"I—I—I know it now!
"You have all been fooled by him. Even I was fooled by him. Back in the tank, he pretended that he had not discovered me and said that lie on purpose to mislead me!
"Besides, even if he is not a space resident, he can still work as a spy for the space residents! Anyway, a lot of fully-armed Cultivators are indeed hiding inside the valley. You must trust me!
"Sand Scorpion! You were not speaking the whole truth, because it was only part of the story. If you are confident, I'll raise questions for you, and you will answer 'yes' or 'no'. That's the only precise way to determine the validity of your story!"
Upon hearing his words, the qi-trainers from the other five tribes all started booing him. Even his many companions in the Burning Sun Tribe were showing despise.
Credibility was highly valued on Iron Plateau. Sand Scorpion had proved his identity through the Truth Cabinet many times. Yet, Yan Chifeng was still harassing him. He had clearly crossed the line.
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe's eyes shined coldly. She was about to speak when Li Yao interjected in advance and said while coughing, "Yan Chifeng, everything I said is true, and I am not scared of your questions. You can run tests however you want!
"However, I've passed the test many times in the Truth Cabinet. It's only reasonable that you have your turn now!
"You say that I'm a spy from space, but I say that you are an agent of the Temple of Immortals. I have done two rounds of tests now. Do you dare come here and have a go?
"As long as you can pass the test of the Truth Cabinet, I'll do one more round of tests for you!"
"Well—"
Yan Chifeng's face was pale, his sweat pouring down. He was shaking his eyes erratically.
The qi-trainers of the other five tribes, seeing his hesitation, all squinted and whispered to each other more and more loudly.
"Ah Feng!"
Gazing at Yan Chifeng, Yan Xibei sighed and said, "With everything coming this far, for the honor of the Burning Sun Tribe, to find out the truth of Zhengdong's murder, and for the future of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, just go to the Truth Cabinet and prove your innocence!"
"Uncle—"
Yan Chifeng's face twisted. He was about to argue, when he found that, not only were the experts of the other five tribes pointing their blades at him, even many people of the Burning Sun Tribe, including his own brother, Yan Chihuo, were more vigilant than before and seemed to consider him an enemy!
Yan Chifeng bit his lips hard, regretting that he couldn't mince the wretched Sand Scorpion into pieces. He calmed himself down and said loudly, "Alright. I've done nothing wrong. What harm is there to go to the Truth Cabinet?
"I am definitely not a member of the Temple of Immortals. The Truth Cabinet can test me however it wants about that!
"When the Truth Cabinet proves that I am speaking the truth, Sand Scorpion, I will ask you several questions that are going to rip apart your mask!"
Yan Chifeng sniffed and walked toward the Truth Cabinet with his head held high.
"Wait!"
Li Yao suddenly rose up. Wiping the blood on the corner of his lips, he said, "Chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe, and everybody else, I know a lot more about the scheme than you do. Chief Xiong has also informed me of his suspicions, too. To ensure the accuracy of the test, can I propose a question and ask Yan Chifeng to answer it?"
The four chiefs, Yan Xibei, and the elder from the Furious Bears Tribe discussed for a while, before the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe replied, "Why don't you tell us what your question is first?"
Yan Chifeng shrieked, "He is definitely going to set up a trap in his question!"
Li Yao sneered, "Rest assured. The question that I propose will be heard by everybody. They will be able to tell whether or not there are traps in it!
"Yan Chifeng, you said that you are not a member of the Temple of Immortals. I definitely believe that!
"Since you knew about the existence of such a tool as marvelous as the 'Truth Cabinet' from the beginning, you must've made thorough plans to cope with it.
"It's possible that you indeed did not join the Temple of Immortals. You merely contacted each other and made clandestine deals. For example, you would provide cannon fodder for the Temple of Immortals, and the Temple of Immortals would make you king of Iron Plateau, or give you certain Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could help you break into a higher level.
"It's also possible that you'd never heard the name of the Temple of Immortals before and you address each other using pseudonyms. For example, 'Organization A' or 'Temple of the Undying'. If you are in fact a member of the Temple of the Undying, it is of course true that you are not a member of the Temple of Immortals!
"Let's say the Truth Cabinet detects that you've heard of the Temple of Immortals before. You can always argue that certain spies from the Temple of Immortals that infiltrated the Burning Sun Tribe mentioned it to you before. You'd completely forgotten it, but the memory had been etched to your soul. It's perfectly reasonable!"
Yan Chifeng couldn't help but sneer, "You are indeed considerate. It appears that, even if the Truth Cabinet proves that I don't belong to the Temple of Immortals, it won't help anything?"
"No, it won't," Li Yao admitted. "To prove your innocence, we must get to the bottom of everything, which is the death of your father, Yan Zhengdong!"
Yan Chifeng burst into fury. "What? Are you insinuating that I murdered my own father? That's unreasonable! Too unreasonable! Come on. Let's go to the Truth Cabinet and find out!"
"Why are you so excited?" Li Yao replied coldly. "At first, I suspected Yan Xibei and Yan Chihuo. But on second thought, one of them is old and disabled, and the other is too young and lacks the capability. It wouldn't have been safe to entrust the murder to them.
"However, you would be different. You were both strong and Yan Zhengdong's trusted son. You were most suitable for the assassination.
"However, there are many ways to kill someone. For example, you could've beaten Yan Zhengdong until he was heavily wounded and then asked someone else to finish him off. It wouldn't have been false if you claimed that you did not kill anybody."
Yan Chifeng was so outraged that he was laughing. Tears were flowing out, as he bellowed, "Then I will prove through the Truth Cabinet that I did not fight against my father that night!"
"Wait!"
Li Yao coughed slightly. He rubbed his temples slowly, as if he hadn't recovered from the suffering of his soul being torn apart, before he continued calmly. "Such questions are too broad and fuzzy. Maybe there were other experts from the Temple of Immortals, and you did not do it in person. That's also possible."
Yan Chifeng was angry. "This won't do, and that won't do. What exactly do you want?"
Seeing that Yan Chifeng was so firm, many people in the Burning Sun Tribe were somewhat convinced. They whispered to each other, "Yan Chifeng does not seem to be lying. He is not a member of the Temple of Immortals, nor did he kill Chief Yan!"
Li Yao continued unhurriedly. "That day in Furious Bears City, I heard the whole case. It was said that you were training in a quiet place by yourself at dawn and did not know your father was dead until your brother Yan Chihuo asked somebody to inform you when he found your father's body. Isn't that right?"
Yan Chifeng laughed aloud. "Everybody in the six tribes know that I am a training maniac. I practice in seclusion every night. You are accusing me just based on that?"
"No. You're wrong." Li Yao shook his head and said softly, "The point is, if you were speaking the truth, your brother Yan Chihuo learned of your father's death earlier than you did, right?"
Yan Chifeng's eyes shook as he suddenly shuddered, and yet, he failed to come up with any response.
Li Yao smiled and gestured toward him. "Yan Chifeng, please go to the Truth Cabinet and state: 'Five days ago, in Furious Bears City, I did not know that Yan Zhengdong was dead until Yan Chihuo's envoy found me.' That will be enough.
"If you were not lying, this should be a positive statement, shouldn't it?
"But if a 'False' pops up on the Truth Cabinet after you make the statement, then it will be kind of weird. If you were training in seclusion all night, how come you knew of your father's death before your brother told you?
"This is the question I want to ask. You can analyze carefully if there's any trap in it.
"Is there a possible scenario where Yan Chifeng is innocent and he could learn of his father's death earlier than his brother Yan Chihuo?"
Murmurs broke out among the qi-trainers, too. Everybody frowned, deep in thought.
Five minutes later, Yan Xibei gradually floated out on his jet wheelchair. In misery, he shook his head slowly. "There are no traps. If Yan Chifeng had nothing to do with the incident, it is simply impossible for him to have found out that Yan Zhengdong was dead before Yan Chihuo!"
His declaration was like a death sentence for Yan Chihuo, whose face had turned from red to purple and from purple to black and eventually ended up pure white!
"Brother!"
After a clang, Yan Chihuo unsheathed his saber and roared, hot tears running out, "Brother, are you related to our father's death?"
Yan Chifeng held his heart and replied resolutely, "Of course not!"
Yan Chihuo waved his saber—a scorching aura darted out—while he said, "If not, go to the Truth Cabinet and say the words!"
Yan Chifeng rolled his eyes and glared at Li Yao in hatred. He gnashed his teeth, "Alright. If you don't believe me, I might as well prove my innocence through the Truth Cabinet!"
He spat and strode toward the Truth Cabinet, while he announced, "Sand Scorpion, after I prove my innocence, I'll ask you one last question, and your true face will—"
Half way through his speech, Yan Chifeng suddenly stomped on the ground. His spiritual gas surged out and raised a sandstorm that blocked everybody's vision.
Then, he leapt up like a viper and charged back at Yan Xibei, who was still floating in midair!
Yan Chihuo was caught unprepared. He roared and lunged at his brother, only to be kicked right in the chest by Yan Chifeng's unpredictable and almost invisible attack. Under the bombardment of the spiritual gas, he was blown away immediately while he was vomiting blood.
When the dust settled, Yan Xibei had fallen under Yan Chifeng's control. A dagger was pierced deeply into the old man's neck. With a tiny bit of spiritual gas, his veins and spines would be cut in half!
Yan Chifeng's hair was messy because of the wind, and his eyes seemed to be bleeding. His face was so hideous that he barely looked like a human. He yelled to all the qi-trainers, "Don't come here! I'll kill him if anyone comes close!"
Chapter 617: Yan Chifeng's Ambition! |
Yan Chihuo was at a loss. It was more like his brother had stabbed him instead of kicking him. He shouted, "Brother, you are mad!"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe and the chief of the Giant Axe Tribe were dumbfounded, too. They both bellowed, "Yan Chifeng, put down Master Yan now!"
The qi-trainers of the other five tribes all crowded close, their weapons shining coldly.
The qi-trainers of the Burning Sun Tribe, on the other hand, were too stunned to believe what was happening.
Although Yan Xibei had been the best warrior of the six tribes when he was young, the lower half of his body from his pelvis had been amputated due to the heavy wounds he suffered. He had to move about on his wheelchair every day. There was still spiritual gas flowing inside his body, but it was absolutely no match for the young and strong Yan Chifeng, who was an expert above the 80th level of the Refinement Stage.
Yan Chifeng had stabbed the dagger into his neck. Held captive by his nephew, the old man was blushing due to shortness of breath and could barely talk.
However, he was a tough man, and there was not the slightest hint of fear on his face, only sorrow and desperation. He shouted, "Warriors of the Burning Sun Tribe, don't care about me. Slay the insane insurgent immediately!"
Yan Chifeng smiled hideously. He span his dagger and locked Yan Xibei's throat with spiritual gas, making him unable to even scream.
The old man looked both angry and pitiful. He seemed to be willing to perish together with Yan Chifeng.
Yan Chifeng crouched in Yan Xibei's shadow and glared at Li Yao with the utmost resentment. "Sand Scorpion, you've suspected me since the beginning?"
Li Yao answered coldly, "Make no mistake. This is not personal. I was doubting many of you, or more exactly, everyone except me.
"The development of the situation has deviated from the Temple of Immortals' plan. To rectify the situation, I knew they would have to make a move promptly.
"So, the first to come to me was most likely with the Temple of Immortals, isn't that so?"
Yan Chifeng was rendered speechless. He was dazed for a long time before he burst into laughter. "Good! Good! I did not expect that such a thorough plan had been sabotaged by you! But just you wait. We have many other arrangements on Iron Plateau. The game is not over yet!"
"Brother!"
Tears in eyes, Yan Chihuo shouted desperately, "Is Father's death really related to you? Why did you do it? How could you do it?"
"Yan Chifeng!"
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe and the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe also declared sharply, "Thousands of people have surrounded you. There's no way that you can escape. What benefits has the Temple of Immortals offered you, and what else has been arranged on Iron Plateau? Speak now!"
"Hehe. Hehehehe!"
Yan Chifeng's hair was spluttering in the wind, and his face was full of resolution. He smiled coldly. "Do you think that I cooperated with the Temple of Immortals for my own benefit? Then you are very wrong!
"Just wake up already, frogs in the well!
"Iron Plateau natives have been separated from space residents for five thousand years, and they were much luckier than us! Other than the strike of apocalypse five thousand years ago, they have enjoyed a peaceful development all this time. Today, their civilization level and war potential far exceed ours!
"Space residents boast powerful warships, advanced crystal suits, a territory of dozens of space zones, and countless asteroids with abundant resources!
"In the meantime, we can only lay low on Iron Plateau and fight desperately against the apocalyptic beasts in the harsh environment!
"As the situation continues, the gap in capability between the two parties will only get larger. Are we even qualified to compete against space residents?
"It's true that the space residents' invasion is fake news this time, but who can guarantee that space residents will not invade Iron Plateau and annihilate every one of us someday in the future when they are far stronger than us?
"Speak. Who is confident to say that? Anyone?
"You attack, or your get attacked. Now is our best opportunity!
"While the gap between the two parties is not too huge, with the Temple of Immortals as a strong ally, we will march out into space, plunder their techniques, conquer their towns, enslave all the space residents, and become the real dominator of the Flying Star Sector again!
"This is my only purpose. I have really been considering the future of Iron Plateau!
"Wake up, compatriots of Iron Plateau! We cannot wait on Iron Plateau to be slaughtered! Let's work together with the Temple of Immortals and slay those damn space residents so that we can be the real kings of the world!"
"Brother, you are really mad!" Yan Chihuo roared. "If you've been considering Iron Plateau, why didn't you propose your plan openly instead of killing Father just like that?"
Yan Chifeng sneered, "You think I didn't hint to him? Too bad that his cowardice grew with his age. He always spouted bullsh*t like 'We are all human beings anyway' and 'We should not fight each other unless it is absolutely necessary!'
"He didn't understand the cruelty of the universe at all. The strong prey on the weak, and only the fittest survive! If you don't kill them now, what can you do when they come to kill you after they grow strong enough?
"If space residents invade Iron Plateau on a large scale in the future, millions or even tens of millions of people might die!
"I chose to trade my father's life for the most brilliant future for the Iron Plateau natives. What's wrong with that?
"Little Brother, warriors of the Burning Sun Tribe, the Giant Axe Tribe, and the Feathered Snakes Tribe, do you not hate space residents as much as I do? Now is our best shot. If we miss out the opportunity, we will only be butchered when thousands of warships of the space residents gather on Iron Plateau!"
"Shut up!"
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe finally couldn't hold himself back any longer. He pointed at Yan Chifeng and shouted, "The grudge between us and the space residents is none of the Temple of Immortals' business! Even if we have to wage a war against the space residents, we will never cooperate with such an evil, surreptitious organization!
"For their so-called cooperation, they've even fooled you into killing your own father!"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe shrieked, too, "Are we hoping to get ourselves killed by working with such an organization?"
"Brother, turn back now!" Yan Chihuo begged, crying. "The Temple of Immortals must be fooling you. How can they cooperate with you so easily? You have nowhere to go now. Just reveal all their arrangements on Iron Plateau as atonement!"
