Was it you that night?
Chapter 200 - 198: Qinghe is Under Siege!

Chapter 200: Chapter 198: Qinghe is Under Siege!

At this time, Shen Qinghe and Nan Sheng were unaware that Elder Qiu had already perished, and furthermore, during the time of their contest.

For this competition, Elder Qiu led the team from Thousand Mechanisms Sect, and his disciples received a Sound Transmission Talisman from the sect immediately upon Elder Qiu’s death.

Each sect has a Soul Lamp for its disciples; the extinguishing of a Soul Lamp signifies the demise of that disciple.

By the time all the Golden Core cultivators descended the mountain after the competition, the news of Elder Qiu’s death had spread throughout Yuheng Mountain. Coupled with Nan Sheng’s earlier allegation that Shen Qinghe had gravely injured Elder Qiu, Shen Qinghe was quickly surrounded by the disciples of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect as soon as she appeared.

Shen Zhiyao, seeing this scene, became furious and shouted loudly, "You claim that Elder Qiu’s death was caused by Qinghe, do you have any evidence?!"

As soon as she spoke, the scene fell silent for a moment.

At that moment, a female cultivator from the Thousand Mechanisms Sect surnamed He stepped forward and said, "The Golden Core cultivators had just finished the second round of the contest when Nan Sheng accused Shen Qinghe of gravely injuring Elder Qiu. At that time, no one knew of Elder Qiu’s demise. How can there be such a coincidence? If Shen Qinghe wasn’t responsible for harming Elder Qiu, why would Nan Sheng accuse Shen Qinghe?"

"When did Elder Qiu’s Soul Lamp go out? When was the last time anyone saw Elder Qiu alive?" Shen Qinghe asked in an indifferent voice.

At this, quite a few cultivators stepped forward, saying they saw Elder Qiu two shichen ago, looking vigorous without any signs of injury.

As for when Elder Qiu’s Soul Lamp went out, it was two quarters of an hour ago.

Indeed, at that point in time, Shen Qinghe was still competing in the contest; logically, Shen Qinghe wouldn’t have had the time to kill Elder Qiu.

"Two quarters of an hour ago, I was still in the contest. I won the match one-quarter of an hour ago. You claim I harmed Elder Qiu, which is to say during the contest I also had to kill a cultivator in the Divinity Transformation Stage, higher than my own by three major realms. Who here could take first place in the contest and at the same time kill a powerful being of a higher cultivation base than themselves?" Shen Qinghe analyzed methodically.

All present fell silent.

As Shen Qinghe said, even accomplishing one of these tasks would be quite impressive, not to mention both simultaneously—that would be absolutely impossible.

Nan Sheng, seeing everyone persuaded by Shen Qinghe’s few words, unwilling to let Shen Qinghe escape this predicament, quickly said, "Is it possible that Qinghe gravely injured Elder Qiu two days ago when she disappeared, but Elder Qiu only collapsed before this?"

As soon as she spoke, the disciples of the Thousand Mechanisms Sect ignored any flaws in her argument and agreed one after another.

Shen Qinghe, looking at the excited manner of the numerous Thousand Mechanisms Sect disciples and Nan Sheng’s smug expressions, couldn’t help but shake her head with a wry smile. "Just earlier, many cultivators saw Elder Qiu in good spirits. If he had been gravely injured, how could his complexion be rosy?"

Nan Sheng, not wanting to miss this chance to pin the blame on Shen Qinghe, followed up with more questions, "Where were you on the night you disappeared? Who were you with? If you cannot answer, it suggests you might have harmed Elder Qiu that very night."

Lord Meng Yun had searched everywhere and found no trace of Mr. Wuya. He could not stand by and watch his benefactor be falsely accused by Nan Sheng without doing anything, so he stepped forward and said, "That night, Shen Qinghe was with me!"

"Does Lord Meng Yun have any proof?" Nan Sheng looked particularly displeased at Lord Meng Yun at the moment.

Meng Yun had to laugh angrily at this remark, "I have never met Shen Qinghe before, not even glimpsed her true face. Why would I lie for her sake?"

Upon hearing this, everyone thought it made sense.

If Dongfang Wuya had stepped forward to say that Shen Qinghe was with him, the matter would be up for debate.

In fact, this was also the reason why Dongfang Wuya had not shown up in time to clarify things; he wanted to see Shen Qinghe’s adaptability, so he observed in secret.

"Elder Qiu could not have died without reason; he must have been killed by someone with a higher cultivation base!" Female Cultivator He also felt that Shen Qinghe did not seem like the main culprit behind Elder Qiu’s death, but Elder Qiu’s death could not remain a mystery.

At this moment, Nan Sheng, harboring malicious intentions, raised her voice, "Mr. Wuya has yet to show up; could it be that Mr. Wuya was the killer..."

"Nan Sheng, how much hatred do you have for Sky Pole Sect?! Are those words you can just casually say?!" Wu Ke, who was usually frivolous, instantly lost his smile and reprimanded sternly.

Nan Sheng didn’t think she was wrong, "I, I just think it’s a possibility. Elder Qiu’s death is unclear, and he was a formidable cultivator; it’s unlikely he would die so easily. Only a cultivator with a cultivation base higher than his could have easily killed Elder Qiu."

Finally, Dongfang Wuya made his appearance. He stood before Nan Sheng, his crimson lips parting lightly, "Do you think it was I who killed Elder Qiu?"

Nan Sheng’s feet gradually left the ground, her neck seemingly firmly grasped by a large hand; her breathing became more and more difficult, and her tongue slowly protruded.

This scene was all too familiar to the disciples of Sky Pole Sect. Hadn’t Sword Master Tian Yan been humiliated by Mr. Wuya in the same way not long ago?

As for Mr. Wuya, he seemed to have little compassion for women, as he was able to lay hands even on a stunning beauty like Nan Sheng.

The male cultivators who admired Nan Sheng could hardly bear to watch this scene reminiscent of a hanging ghost; their idol’s image was shattered.

Seeing this, Wu Ke stepped forward to persuade, "Mr. Wuya, the domestic affairs of Sky Pole Sect should be settled behind closed doors; doing this here damages the reputation of Sky Pole Sect."

It must be said that Wu Ke understood Dongfang Wuya well. Had he directly pleaded for Nan Sheng, Dongfang Wuya definitely wouldn’t have listened, but when pleading for the sect, it was another matter.

Dongfang Wuya did not kill Nan Sheng but let her continue to hang in midair with her tongue out, creating an eerie scene.

Female Cultivator He, however, was not intimidated by Dongfang Wuya, and asked directly, "May I ask where Mr. Wuya was before? Was it Mr. Wuya who killed Elder Qiu?"

Dongfang Wuya’s lips curved elegantly, "What benefit would I get from killing that old man?"

Female Cultivator He was momentarily speechless, but of all the people present, Dongfang Wuya was the most suspicious. Firstly, Mr. Wuya’s cultivation base was powerful; secondly, he was unpredictable and would kill anyone he disliked without asking why.

Then a male cultivator from Tianji Sect stood up and said, "If Mr. Wuya cannot give an explanation, he must accompany us to Tianji Sect..."

"Who do you think you are? What right do you have to command me?" Dongfang Wuya asked indifferently.

The male cultivator, angered and embarrassed by the response, retorted, "You are the prime suspect. If Elder Qiu died by your hand, you must give an explanation to Thousand Mechanisms Sect!"

Shen Qinghe, upon hearing this, suddenly said with a smile, "When I participated in the competition, I suddenly entered a formation. Later, Nan Sheng let something slip; she mentioned how I could have walked out of that person’s Immortal Slaying Formation. I want to ask, how many cultivators from Thousand Mechanisms Sect can set up the Immortal Slaying Formation?"

As soon as she uttered these words, the scene fell silent, and everyone turned to look at the people from Thousand Mechanisms Sect.