Zhao Xidong froze, momentarily stunned by the revelation.
Was luck on his side?
Undoubtedly, these were two spies who were trying to double-cross each other!
They each possessed a precious artifact that held the Tianxuan Gate together. What else could they be, if not spies?
He put his palm out again. If he found something questionable in their rings, it would confirm his suspicions and their crimes.
“Give me your rings!”
Luo Leilei gave Xu Xiaoshou a dirty look. She was undaunted as she marched up to Zhao Xidong and her fearlessness stunned Xu Xiaoshou somewhat.
The Sealing Stone that he had taken was the third artifact holding the Tianxuan Gate together. The Gate had collapsed soon afterward. It meant that Luo Leilei had the fourth artifact.
But here she was, revealing the egg to everyone. Did it mean that there was nothing hidden inside her ring at all?
Did she play him out?
“Search his ring first. Look at him dragging his feet. He must have something to hide,” Luo Leilei said as she glanced at Xu Xiaoshou.
“Hurry!” Zhao Xidong urged him hurriedly.
Exasperated and left with no choice, Xu Xiaoshou stepped forward. He hesitated when he held out his hand with the ring on one of his fingers.
“You are intruding on my privacy,” he protested as a last resort.
“Hah!”
Zhao Xidong cared nothing for his privacy. He yanked the ring off with a furious tug.
A look of pain swept across Xu Xiaoshou’s face.
With a Space Ring, a person could only access it after its owner died. Also, the owner would need to grant access to the said person.
Naturally, it did not apply to everyone. A person with supreme power like Ye Xiaotian was such an exception.
Zhao Xidong injected his spiritual senses into the ring after being granted access. A strange look flickered across his face soon after.
What had he seen inside?
A few heaps of clothes, of which some were wearable while others seemed stained with blood.
There were mountains of Spirit Crystals, a few jars of honey, and an incredible number of pills.
He did not bother with the number of Spiritual Cultivation Pills in the ring. But how did the guy get his hands on so many Origin Court Pills? The quantity he had amassed did not seem like something a disciple who had just joined the Inner Yard should possess!
Zhao Xidong did not spend too much time wondering about the pills, though. Instead, he focused on looking for the artifact. His initial search came up with nothing.
He searched repeatedly and still found nothing.
The corners of Zhao Xidong’s lips twitched. It was not what he had expected. There were two spies, which meant that they should each have two artifacts on them. Why had he not found anything?
If Xu Xiaoshou only had the Black Scabbard on him, then the other three artifacts must be with Luo Leilei.
How could she have amassed them all within two days?
It seemed highly implausible!
Was Xu Xiaoshou telling the truth, after all? Perhaps he had been lucky enough to stumble across the Black Scabbard. Maybe there was another spy present who had not yet revealed himself or herself.
Zhao Xidong glanced at Mo Mo discreetly. She appeared composed and unfazed by what was going on.
The rest observed the change in Zhao Xidong’s facial expression and silently concluded that Xu Xiaoshou was innocent.
“What about the rest of your rings?” asked Zhao Xidong after giving it some thought.
Xu Xiaoshou grimaced and replied, “Are you kidding me? Do I look rich? You think I have more Space Rings?”
“Why do you not ask me if I have the more expensive stuff like a Space Bracelet or a Space Necklace?”
A Space Necklace?
It was something not even Zhao Xidong had!
Zhao Xidong smiled mirthlessly at Xu Xiaoshou as he shoved his ring back into his hand. “Honestly, you are quite rich,” Zhao Xidong quipped.
“Do not spout nonsense!” exclaimed Xu Xiaoshou as he waved his hands frantically. “There is a crowd watching us. Do you not know you might get me killed by saying stuff like that?”
“I am merely an Outer Yard disciple,” he said, putting on as innocent a face as he could muster.
His remark left Zhao Xidong speechless.
Everyone else there was equally at a loss for words.
It was then that everyone remembered Xu Xiaoshou was just an Outer Yard disciple. If he had not mentioned it, they would have continued treating him like a core disciple.
: Suspected, Passive Points +144.
: Impressed, Passive Points +66.
: Begrudged, Passive Points +89.
Hmm…
“Hehe, hehe…” Xu Xiaoshou chuckled to himself, overjoyed at the unexpected Passive Points he had gained. He kept his ring and quietly stepped aside.
“You are not totally off the hook. Do not go running around. We will need to run another check on you using the Spiritual Law Division system.”
“Sure, I understand.”
Xu Xiaoshou nodded obediently. Then, under Zhao Xidong’s reproachful stare, he dusted off his clothes, loosened his neck collar, and calmly sat down.
“Your ring,” asked Zhao Xidong as he turned to Luo Leilei.
Disbelief and suspicion flickered across Luo Leilei’s eyes as she pulled her eyes away from Xu Xiaoshou.
She remembered asking Xu Xiaoshou at the entrance to the Tianxuan Gate, and the latter had told her he had the other artifacts on him.
How did he slip past Zhao Xidong’s inspection?
“Your ring,” Zhao Xidong demanded again.
Luo Leilei’s eyes fell on the Space Ring on her finger. Upon closer examination, one could distinguish the slight difference in the carving around the ring.
It was of a naked woman, her arms wrapped around and her face buried in her knees. With her limbs shackled, she looked like a slave, weeping silently to herself.
Luo Leilei pulled her ring off her finger, placed the Ice Dragon Egg back into the ring, and handed it to Zhao Xidong.
“Here.”
Zhao Xidong raised an eyebrow at the gesture of utter sincerity. When did everyone become so honest?
He reached out for the ring and froze as soon as his fingertips touched it. He could not move at all, not even his eyeballs.
It surprised everyone who stood near him.
“What is going on?”
Zhao Xidong did not move for a long while. Someone finally realized something was wrong when they caught the faint smell of burning flesh in the air.
BUZZ!
Purple electrical discharge appeared on Zhao Xidong’s body. It was then that he shook with violent convulsions.
“Ahh… Ahh… Ahh… Ahh…”
His teeth chattered, his muscles spasmed, and his hair stood on ends. The law enforcer’s skin turned a charred black that matched his black clothes after Luo Leilei gave a boost to the electric shock she had unleashed.
An icy shiver ran down Xu Xiaoshou’s spine. One should not trifle with this young woman. Look at Zhao Xidong. He looked as if lightning had struck him.
“A spy!”
“She is a spy!”
Angry roars echoed around the place as everyone finally realized what had happened. Men in black robes flooded the pavilion.
CRACK!
Suddenly, a dark purple lightning bolt struck the pavilion and pierced right through its roof.
The electrical discharge surged outward when it hit the pavilion, electrocuting and paralyzing everyone.
Luo Leilei pulled her ring away and gave Zhao Xidong a slight push. The man fell to the ground stiffly with a loud thud.
“I am sorry. Honestly, I only have the Ice Dragon Egg. But I cannot let you see what is inside my Space Ring.”
She whispered and then swept her eyes across Xu Xiaoshou. She could tell that he was putting on an act to look paralyzed.
She turned to look at Ye Xiaotian. Her cherry red lips parted slightly.
“Sovereign Stage cultivators may not challenge lower-level Spiritual cultivators. Am I not right?”
The look in Ye Xiaotian’s eyes hardened. “But you are different.”
Luo Leilei laughed softly and asked, “How am I different? Besides, you have Hallmaster Jiang, do you not?”
Jiang Bianyan frowned.
She was right. The Holy Divine Palace had a rule that governed powerful cultivators on the continent.
Powerful cultivators who had knowledge of the Great Path could destroy everything in their path if they engaged in battle. Thus, they could not engage in fights with cultivators of lower cultivation levels.
Before Jiang Bianyan could say anything, a few law enforcers, who had regained their mobility, charged at Luo Leilei with their blades.
“Prepare to die, witch!”
“Your cultivation level is too low! You are not qualified to fight our Dean!”
Electrical discharge flashed in Luo Leilei’s eyes. The fierce light revealed the anxiety churning inside her.
Even though a majority of the Spiritual Law Division’s law enforcers were only at the Innate stage, quite a few had reached the Master stage as well. They were all worthy opponents in their own right.
That she had neutralized everyone temporarily was only because she had the element of surprise on her side.
Otherwise, Zhao Xidong alone would have given her a tough time!
Fortunately, her greatest threat was now lying unconscious at her feet from the earlier electrical shock. She should be able to handle the others.
But only if the three Sovereign stage cultivators stayed out of the fight!
She bit her finger. A spot of crimson red appeared on her fingertip. Luo Leilei pointed her finger downward and swiped it across her chest.
“As decreed!”
With a sudden flare of purple electricity, she shot up into the sky. Thick, fuming spiritual energy flooded into her energy reserve.
A faint Master-stage presence gradually billowed out and filled the air at the pavilion.