Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 468 - 468 0329 The Destined Nemesis

Chapter 468: Chapter 0329: The Destined Nemesis Chapter 468: Chapter 0329: The Destined Nemesis Chapter 0329 – A Preordained Nemesis

After buying the books, Qi Tian visited other stalls. By the time he was almost finished, Jiang Fan and Lu Kui, somewhat disgruntled and accompanied by Lin Youbi and Wan Xiaolan, left the campsite.

The results of their search left them dissatisfied. They obtained nothing despite scouring two campsites. To Wan Xiaolan, they claimed that their disciples were killed hundreds of miles away, but the truth, known only to them, was far grimmer. Over a hundred Half-step Golden Core cultivators were brutally slain. They had visited the native cultivators’ village and discovered it completely destroyed. Though no bodies of cultivators were found, signs of struggle were clear. Although they did not know the secret passage to the spiritual stone veins, their search yielded some clues. Discovering the supposed location of the secretive passage obliterated, they realised their betrayers had most likely been murdered by the Wanjie Commerce.

Thus, their visit was to find the killer. Every member of the Ghost God Temple possessed a secretive method to mark the killer right before their death. With over a hundred deaths, surely they could find at least some culprits? Yet, they could not locate a single person, which was highly abnormal.

Were all Wanjie Commerce members harmless? Or could the murderer of their Ghost God Temple disciples not be in the camp, but still in the mine?

“Brother Wan, may I visit the mine?” Jiang Fan asked Wan Xiaolan directly, not caring if the request was unreasonable. If he didn’t investigate thoroughly, he would shoulder a tremendous responsibility. With the death of over a hundred Half-step Golden Cores, execution or confinement for tens or hundreds of years was quite likely. Considering his own safety, what was an unreasonable request?

Wan Xiaolan frowned and said, “Jiang Fan, is this enough? You think our Wanjie Commerce can be pushed around, right? You claimed your disciples died hundreds of miles from here and desired to find the murderer. I agreed out of sympathy for your desire for vengeance. But have you considered the illogic of suspecting us of a murder so far away? Can you provide evidence? Why don’t you suspect the native cultivators? Wouldn’t they have more reason to kill your Ghost God Temple members?”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fan felt a lump in his throat. He realized he had neglected the possibility of the native cultivators targeting the Ghost God Temple. The suggestion to join forces against Wanjie Commerce had come from the indigenous cultivators. Though they verified from various sources that the coalition was sincere, who could promise that the villagers would not renege halfway, and shift their target from Wanjie Commerce to the Ghost God Temple? In the eyes of the indigenous cultivators, the Ghost God Temple cultivators might not be any better than those from Wanjie Commerce.

At that moment, Lu Kui coughed and said, “Sir Wan, don’t try to confuse the issue. Your first responsibility as the Wanjie Commerce is not to shift blame but to prove your innocence.”

Lin Youbi stepped forward and said, “That’s not quite right. You are the ones suspecting us, so it’s on you to provide evidence. We’ve let you search two campsites, which is quite generous. If you continue to suspect us without producing any proof, it won’t be acceptable. Or do you genuinely think we’re easy to bully? That Sir Wan and I are willing to bear humiliation?”

Both Wan Xiaolan and Lin Youbi were reaching the limits of their patience. Constant pressure from Jiang Fan and Lu Kui was triggering their pride as Gold Core cultivators, making them wish to engage in a fierce confrontation. They didn’t intend to provoke an unnecessary conflict with the Ghost God Temple, but if it came to it, they were ready.

Jiang Fan and Lu Kui exchanged glances, assessing the cost of falling out with Wan Xiaolan. Being in Wanjie Commerce’s territory was disadvantageous, yet that might be overcome considering the punishment they could face upon returning. They knew Wan Xiaolan and Lin Youbi were not particularly skilled fighters – comparatively speaking – and the Wanjie Commerce would be cautious about the Ghost God Temple’s influence. If a conflict occurred, they would try their best to limit the fight to the four of them and exclude Half-step Golden Cores and Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators. If it came down to a fight between just the four of them, they were confident in defeating Wan Xiaolan and Lin Youbi. Then, they would have free rein to explore the Wanjie Commerce campsite and mine.