Chapter 31: The Truth Behind the Beast Tide
Chapter 31: The Truth Behind the Beast Tide
As Su Ming pointed the finger at Hai Wuliang, Elder Zhao immediately turned his gaze toward him.
Though he didn’t understand why Su Ming would directly pin the blame on the other party, Elder Zhao was remarkably foresighted when it came to choosing sides.
In this situation, he would unquestionably stand with Su Ming—even if the young man was wrong.
Faced with Su Ming’s accusation, Hai Wuliang swiftly launched a counterattack.
Not understanding why Su Ming was targeting him was one thing, but failing to defend himself was another matter entirely.
Judging by how this elder was currying favor with Su Ming, if he didn’t say something now, the other party would definitely take action.
“Saint, you must be joking. Why would I orchestrate a beast tide? Moreover, as you’ve seen, even our Canghai Sword Sect’s territory has been devastated by these beasts. Why would I do something that harms both myself and others?”
Hai Wuliang’s defense seemed perfectly reasonable—after all, what normal person would deliberately provoke a beast tide for no reason?
“You sent distress letters under the pretense of a beast tide to lure other sects here, then planned to kill them and seize their treasures. This way, your Canghai Sword Sect wouldn’t have to worry about resources anymore…”
Su Ming leisurely revealed Hai Wuliang’s scheme.
Hai Wuliang’s face instantly darkened with rage as he exclaimed vehemently, “Saint, don’t slander people recklessly! Even if our Canghai Sword Sect is remote and lacks abundant resources, I, Hai Wuliang, would never stoop to such underhanded tactics! How is this any different from demonic cultivators?”
“I acknowledge that your Three Saints Sect is the world’s foremost sect, but that doesn’t give you the right to falsely accuse others!”
Faced with Hai Wuliang’s righteous rebuttal, Elder Zhao’s gaze shifted back to Su Ming.
If word got out that their Saint was making baseless accusations, it would deal a significant blow to the Three Saints Sect’s reputation.
“Then how do you explain these?” Su Ming tossed several burnt-out Beast Attracting Incense sticks onto the ground. “I found these along the beast tide’s trail…”
At the sight of the incense sticks, Hai Wuliang’s expression changed dramatically.
“You probably thought you’d cleaned up thoroughly… but alas, even the tightest net has holes. You know exactly how much Beast Attracting Incense would be needed to summon a beast tide of this scale—some were bound to slip through.”
Seizing the moment, Su Ming shouted, “Elder Zhao, arrest this man immediately! Or must I take action myself?!”
Seeing both the incense sticks and Hai Wuliang’s reaction, Elder Zhao sprang into action immediately.
Hai Wuliang, at the sixth level of the Nirvana Realm, stood no chance against Elder Zhao of the Star Realm.
His sword had barely left its scabbard before it was shattered, and he was swiftly restrained with his cultivation sealed, pressed face-down onto the ground.
With his scheme exposed, Hai Wuliang dropped all pretense and glared at Su Ming. “I made sure to collect every last stick of Beast Attracting Incense! Where did you find these?”
But Su Ming ignored him completely, simply boarding the flying vessel on his own. “Elder Zhao, I’ll leave him to you. Do whatever you see fit—I only have one demand: we must depart for the Three Saints Sect by sunset.”
“Rest assured, Saint. I know how to handle this.”
Elder Zhao began dragging Hai Wuliang toward the Canghai Sword Sect’s compound, while the latter continued shouting questions about where the incense had been discovered.
The truth was, Su Ming hadn’t actually found any of Hai Wuliang’s Beast Attracting Incense.
From start to finish, he’d never come across a single stick the man had left behind—Hai Wuliang had indeed cleaned up thoroughly.
The incense Su Ming had produced was actually obtained during the Sect Grand Competition from within the secret realm.
He’d originally planned to use it as evidence against Li Jianping, but instead found an opportunity to deploy it against Hai Wuliang.
Regardless, upon their return, Li Jianping would have no choice but to open the Three Saints Secret Realm—no matter what excuses he might offer.
Of course, Li Jianping could refuse… which would conveniently give Su Ming justification to cause an uproar within the Three Saints Sect.
Back aboard the flying vessel, Shi Qiang approached Su Ming the moment he returned. “Saint, you’re back! Did you find anything?”
Su Ming smiled mysteriously. “Of course I discovered something—I’ve already instructed Elder Zhao to handle it. I feel my bottleneck loosening, so I’ll be cultivating in my quarters. If Elder Zhao returns looking for me, tell him I’m in seclusion.”
Watching Su Ming’s retreating figure, Shi Qiang found it unbelievable.
The Saint had only broken through to the third level of the Longevity Realm this morning—how could he already feel another bottleneck loosening?
He’d always considered himself a genius, but compared to Su Ming, he was nothing.
This realization filled Shi Qiang with an inexplicable melancholy.
Was it fortune or misfortune to share an era with such a monstrous talent?
Yet soon, a relieved smile spread across his face. Being able to stand beside such a prodigy was his good fortune—for it gave him a goal to strive toward.
With this thought, Shi Qiang also turned to return to cultivation, completely forgetting Su Ming’s earlier instructions.
But just as he was about to enter the vessel for seclusion, he overheard fellow disciples debating:
They were arguing whether the current Saint Su Ming was more talented than the previous Saint, Qin Kaiwu.
“Obviously Saint Su! If Qin Kaiwu was really that strong, why would he have been replaced as Saint?”
“But I heard Saint Qin left for training and never returned. No one knows what realm he’s reached now, so they had to revoke his Sainthood.”
“What’s the point comparing someone who can’t come back? I stand with Saint Su no matter what!”
As the debate grew heated, Elder Zhao returned at that very moment.
“Has anyone seen the Saint?”
Only then did Shi Qiang remember Su Ming’s instructions and stepped forward. “Elder, the Saint told me to inform you he’s in seclusion if you came looking for him.”
Hearing this, Elder Zhao abandoned his plan to seek out Su Ming.
He’d originally intended to report his handling of Hai Wuliang and the Canghai Sword Sect.
“Elder, the Saint mentioned he’d uncovered the source of the beast tide. Could you tell us what really happened?” Shi Qiang asked curiously.
Other disciples immediately crowded around, eager to hear the truth.
Seeing no reason to hide it now, Elder Zhao recounted everything—including his subsequent discoveries at the Canghai Sword Sect.
In their storage, he’d found storage rings bearing the emblems of other sects.
Clearly, Hai Wuliang had already used this method to ambush and kill cultivators from other sects.
After confirming the facts, Elder Zhao showed no mercy—executing Hai Wuliang on the spot.
He then investigated the Canghai Sword Sect’s other elders, sparing them only after confirming they were uninvolved in the scheme.
“Thanks to the Saint’s keen insight in spotting the irregularities, some of you might have fallen victim to Hai Wuliang’s treachery otherwise!”
This time, Elder Zhao’s praise came from genuine admiration.
Previously, he’d feared Su Ming due to his background—now, he respected the young man himself.
Hearing this, the other disciples grew even more grateful toward Su Ming.
After all, without realizing it, they’d all been saved by him.
[Host has gained recognition from Three Saints Sect’s Elder Zhao through personal actions. Obtained 6000 Destiny Points.]