Seeing the remnants of the cups and dishes, Hua Jingchun realized her scheme had been exposed. Wu Huai was indeed a beast, but based on this alone, her actions could not be considered righteous - no matter how benevolent the Red Hook Sect claimed to be, at its core it was still an evil sect. To attack solely on the grounds of the "young sect leader's" moral corruption, wouldn't that be a huge joke?

It would have been fine if Wu Huai hadn't drunk the drugged tea, but even the usually law-abiding Taiheng members were unaffected. The courtyard was filled with Red Hook disciples, and the other eight Protectors and Elders were all clear-headed. The situation couldn't be worse. This operation was a huge gamble to begin with, and Hua Jingchun calmly faced the impending failure.

If Shi Jingzhi had taken the opportunity to make excessive demands, she would have had reason to suspect he had tampered with the drugging process. But to her surprise, he asked for a painting, leaving her not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Love at first sight? Don't joke around." The Red Hook Sect was known for its boldness, so she didn't consider it an offense. "See those people? Just one spit from each of them is enough to drown us. And the eight on the stage are all ruthless characters who have tasted blood. I see you're young, so it's best to stay out of this mess."

Shi Jingzhi still had a smile on his face, and his address became more intimate: "Sister, don't worry, just tell me if you're willing or not."

"If you want to be my underling, why would I be unwilling?"

Wu Huai was in no hurry, watching them whisper below with an inscrutable gaze.

The eight Protectors and Elders in the upper seats saw their young sect leader remain still, each looking at one another - just now, Hua Jingchun had called the twenty-something-year-old sect leader "brother" as soon as she opened her mouth. It was unclear if this was true or if she was intentionally slandering him. However, despite their hesitation, they all placed their hands on their weapons. The entire courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

Shi Jingzhi remained at ease and continued in a low voice, "Good sister, let me ask two more questions. Do you recognize Su Zhi's face? If you saw him again, could you identify him?"

This question sent chills down one's spine. Hua Jingchun replied with uncertainty, "Only the sect leaders throughout the generations can see the portrait, but Su Zhi had an extraordinary bearing. Even if he wore a mask or blindfold, we would not mistake him."

Wu Huai was in no hurry, but Qu Duanyun was too lazy to watch this farce. He tapped his finger on the table, his words still cheerful and reasonable, "The Taiheng has no intention of interfering in the Red Hook's affairs. However, betraying the sect for personal desires is the most despicable behavior in the martial world. If Sect Leader Wu needs help, just ask directly."

Hua Jingchun spat and sneered, "It seems the Taiheng are also cowardly, turning a blind eye and deaf ear. Sect Leader Qu, haven't you seen what this person has done along the way? Claiming to uphold the righteous path, you've all become fence-sitters."

Qu Duanyun looked at her sincerely, his words genuine, "For a hundred years, the Red Hook has dug up graves and stolen relics. At the same time, they have kept assassins and traded lives. I don't know, in this evil sect, what righteous path does Protector Hua want me to uphold? When you do evil, you don't want us to interfere. Now that dogs are biting dogs, you hope for us to 'uphold the righteous path'?"

Xu Jingming, sitting not far from him, nodded deeply in agreement. Seeing this stimulating turn of events, his curiosity and excitement were obviously greater than his nervousness.

Hua Jingchun choked for a moment, her tone becoming sharp, "Since Sect Leader Qu hates evil so much, why bother having ties with our Red Hook? Why not directly fight to the death and be done with it?"

"Whether in the Northwest or the martial world, it is necessary for the Red Hook to continue." There was a hint of faint pity in Qu Duanyun's gaze as he looked at her. "Protector Hua, there's no need to speak nonsense. It's best to give up early."

What a guidance, Yin Ci observed Qu Duanyun from the corner of his eye.

This person was either a master of disguise or truly believed in his own thoughts. Just now, Qu Duanyun's words made a lot of sense, but they were mixed with quite a bit of leading conclusions - after a few exchanges, in his mouth, Protector Hua had become a madwoman who "betrayed the sect for personal desires" and was full of "nonsense".

Yin Ci stroked his Hanging Shadow Sword, feeling deeply that he had been influenced by his own sect leader. For a moment, he also wanted to take Qu Duanyun away for interrogation.

Seeing that the conversation was coming to an end, Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi. Just as he was about to say something, Shi Jingzhi reached out his paw and lightly scratched Yin Ci's palm.

"Ah Ci, let's play something interesting." He said gleefully, "I know your thoughts, but instead of abducting Qu Duanyun, I have a more fun idea."

Shi Jingzhi pointed from afar at the mask Wu Huai had placed beside the ancient cauldron. Removing the mask was a fixed procedure for the young sect leader, and the mask was also modeled after Su Zhi's mask, identical to the one in the painting.

"Ah Ci, do you want to try 'rising from the dead'?"

At the same time, Wu Huai's calm before the storm had come to an end. Seeing that Hua Jingchun showed no signs of yielding, he pinched the bridge of his nose and held out the Sweeping Bone sword, "Kill them all, no need for interrogation."

"Remove the mask to reveal the true face, pray to Su Zhi for peace. Respect the onlookers, proclaim to the world, a cup of wine to throw the underworld into chaos."

Shi Jingzhi had somehow jumped onto the eaves on one side of the courtyard, right above the portrait of Su Zhi. His Nuo mask was tilted to one side of his head, revealing that eerily beautiful face. After many days, the Cure All With Medicine flag fluttered in the wind, the sect leader's jade pendant swaying with the flag. Shi Jingzhi's long hair fluttered in the wind, and with the dead man's smoke drifting all around, his demonic aura intensified.

"Wu Huai, you haven't drunk the 'wine that throws the underworld into chaos' yet, so you can't be considered the Red Hook Sect leader. Isn't it a bit excessive to directly issue a death order like this?"

Seeing Shi Jingzhi's face, Wu Huai was only stunned for a moment, showing no great shock. He clearly recognized Shi Jingzhi. Qu Duanyun stood up from his seat and immediately drew his sword. He frowned slightly, and the serenity on his face was slightly disturbed.

Xu Jingming couldn't keep his composure and exclaimed, "It's you--"

Shi Jingzhi half-squatted on the eaves, ignoring his half-brother's clamor. His eyes swept over the entire scene from above, looking at the upturned faces one by one.

Wu Huai pointed the Sweeping Bone sword, "Come down, I don't like talking with my head raised. The affairs of my Red Hook have nothing to do with your Ku Mountain sect."

Shi Jingzhi did not conceal the evil aura on his body. His gaze locked on Wu Huai as he laughed, "Of course it's unrelated, but so what? This sect leader has come this time for two reasons: one is to take your Red Hook's treasure, and the other is to test the magic weapon I obtained at Mount Zongwu."

He took out the jade eyeball and tossed it casually in his hand.

When he appeared earlier, based on the reactions of the people in the courtyard, he had already filtered out a batch of people. Now with the jade eye's appearance, he could filter out another batch - those as dull as Xu Jingming only showed surprise, wariness, and confusion on their faces. Most people had reactions similar to his, at most with a bit of greed added.

These people could all be ruled out as suspects for being spies from the Immortal Gathering.

The jade eyeball rolled around as Shi Jingzhi played with it. Finally, he grasped it in his palm, "This is indeed a valuable item. As long as the conditions are right, it can bring the dead back to the living world."

His voice was mixed with inner strength, making it quite loud and clear.

"I've thought about it for a long time. Yan Budu is too dangerous and unpredictable, and that monk Kongshi probably won't let me off as easily as his unruly disciple. When it comes to summoning spirits, it's most suitable to use Su Zhi. Coupled with this occasion, just thinking about it is quite interesting."

In an instant, the courtyard fell into chaos. The guests were still fine, but the Red Hook Sect disciples immediately fell into disarray. The still water became boiling, and the buzzing discussions even drowned out the incessant ringing of the bone chimes.

"Sect Leader Su can be resurrected?!"

"They say the Ku Mountain Sect obtained a treasure in Zongwu Mountain, it seems to be true..."

"The Ghost Tomb is full of strange items everywhere. If that really is an evil object left by Yan Budu, it's indeed possible--"

"What evil object! Back then, Yan Budu obtained the Shi Rou and definitely took other immortal items along with it!"

Even Hua Jingchun who personally brought them here was stunned, his eyes fixed on that jade eyeball. The people from Yueshui Bureau almost went crazy, the sound of scribbling was endless, and the sound of tearing paper rose and fell.

The earlier small commotion finally turned into a big chaos, as the Red Hook Sect disciples forgot about the corpses on the ground and kept squeezing towards Shi Jingzhi's direction.

Only Wu Huai and Qu Duanyun's reactions were different from the others. Wu Huai had an indifferent expression, while a flash of "what nonsense are you talking about" appeared on Qu Duanyun's face. He hid it well, but it didn't escape Shi Jingzhi's eyes.

These two must have some understanding of this jade eyeball.

Shi Jingzhi smiled slightly, not exposing them. He summoned the Yang fire and pretended to cover the jade eye with blood. This bit of "material" was naturally not enough to drive the techniques on the jade eye, but it was enough to put on a show.

As the momentum of the activated technique swept by, Shi Jingzhi scattered the Yang fire, which was carried by the mighty wind. The sparks of Yang fire were much more intense than ordinary flames, and the incense immediately gave off a large amount of smoke.

The bone chimes in the sky shook in unison, buzzing. The smoke was dispersed by the wind, and there was indeed one more person in front of the scroll.

That person had long hair, wearing Red Hook ceremonial robes, with a mask covering his face. He didn't say a word, only his imposing aura scattered around. That aura was as heavy as a thousand pounds, instantly pressing down on the crowd so they couldn't raise their heads.

Although his face couldn't be seen, just looking at that demeanor and aura--

"Sect, Sect Leader Su!" Protector Hua stammered, a rare occurrence. She widened her eyes, not even bothering to investigate Shi Jingzhi's identity anymore.

She stared blankly at the person in front of the scroll, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. After a hundred years, the Red Hook Sect disciples' worship of Su Zhi hadn't reached the point of fanaticism. But now that the legend appeared before their eyes, that feeling of intimacy and excitement was uncontrollable. Some bold young disciples even reached out their hands, hoping to touch that legend from a hundred years ago.

At this moment, Yin Ci didn't really want to speak. He stood quietly in place, being pierced like a sieve by the gazes filling the courtyard.

He had imagined countless scenarios of returning to the Red Hook Sect, but this was definitely not one of them. Heaven knows what Shi Jingzhi's brain structure was like, to be able to instantly come up with such a sinister trick. The advantages of this method were very obvious - with Shi Jingzhi and the jade eye descending from the sky, if there were people from the Immortal Gathering in the courtyard, it would be very difficult for them to fake their reactions.

There were also disadvantages. As a "resurrected" spirit, Yin Ci could neither draw blood nor be touched by others.

...It would be difficult to achieve, Yin Ci thought. But just as Shi Jingzhi said, it was indeed interesting.

"Trickery!" Wu Huai took the lead and directly thrust out his Sweeping Bone Sword.

Summoning back the dead was absurd. Shi Jingzhi and Hua Jingchun were in cahoots, this was probably arranged in advance.

The person was indeed well-chosen. He had studied Su Zhi's demeanor and aura for a long time, but couldn't compare to this person's imitation. Unfortunately, trickery was just trickery. As long as he made a move, this farce would crumble on its own.

Wu Huai's sword was extremely fast, the sword technique filled with killing intent. But that "Su Zhi" put two fingers together, spun around, and actually steadily caught the blade between his fingers.

"I see, imitating the Sweeping Bone Sword." Yin Ci sighed. He maintained the habit of when he was "Su Zhi", slightly lowering his voice. "The imitation is not bad, but unfortunately, I don't like it very much."

With the real or fake sect leader confronting the new sect leader, the Red Hook Sect's manpower was equivalent to none. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing whether to intervene or not.

Wu Huai was indeed a master. Although his sword didn't hit, he also glimpsed Yin Ci's foundation. Wu Huai frowned, a hint of hesitation in his voice, "You... have no inner strength?"

He used all his strength to pull back his sword, assuming a completely defensive posture. Having no inner strength wasn't unusual, young experts weren't too rare either. But a "young expert with no inner strength" was extremely rare.

Yin Ci snorted coldly and casually pulled out a sword from a corpse at the edge of the stage, not answering.

He had no intention of chatting with Wu Huai. He directly raised his sword and attacked. As soon as the sword technique appeared, it immediately caused another round of exclamations from the crowd.

"Sweeping Bone Sword Technique! That's the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique!"

"It really is Sect Leader Su!"

This time, even those who were half-believing started getting hot-headed. The Dayun had been established for a long time. In this vast world, they had never heard of any sect leader being resurrected.

Hua Jingchun recovered her wits. She was quick-minded and immediately shouted to the remaining protectors and elders, "Sect Leader Su has already manifested, do you still want to protect that fake scoundrel?"

No one knew how Shi Jingzhi summoned back the dead, but whether it was that bearing or the extremely complex Sweeping Bone Sword Technique, it was not something that could be faked to fool people. The eight people on the seats were stunned in various postures like wooden chickens, no one dared to go down and help Wu Huai.

Protector Hua took the opportunity to turn around and raise her arm to the frenzied disciples, "Wu Huai harmed the villagers, forged the bloodline, and the evidence is also fake! Today I came according to the rules, only for the eternal prosperity of our Red Hook Divine Sect!"

"Sect Leader Su manifesting today is the blessing of our Red Hook Sect!"

On Wu Huai's side, he was completely no match for Yin Ci. His sword techniques originated from the Sweeping Bone Sword Technique to begin with, how could he have imagined that one day he would encounter the ancestor of the sword moves. His every move was seen through by Yin Ci, and he could be said to have no power to fight back.

Wu Huai was quite aware of the situation. He also raised his voice, "It's all the tricks of that woman! Sect Leader Qu, the Taiheng Sect aims to uphold the righteous path, how long are you going to watch?"

This was clearly a cry for help.

The voices fell one after another. Wu Huai and Hua Jingchun's gazes briefly intersected, then hurriedly moved away.

Qu Duanyun acted without hesitation. Following the principle of capturing the ringleader first to catch the thieves, he charged straight at Shi Jingzhi. Shi Jingzhi pretended to hold the jade eyeball and chant something, unhurried. As soon as Qu Duanyun's long sword arrived, it was simultaneously blocked by a stone sword and short blade.

"He can be considered our sect leader for now." Su Si, also wearing a Nuo mask, said with a grin. "If he gets bumped or bruised, my monthly salary will be reduced."

Yan Qing turned his head in shock, "Ah Si, you don't have a monthly salary."

"...Are you a blockhead? It's just a figure of speech!" Su Si said through gritted teeth.

Even for a young hero like Qu Duanyun, it was impossible to deal with two powerful enemies at once. The two men's weapons were different, one short and one long, one light and one heavy. The flesh-cutting knife was truly insidious and vicious, while the Compassion Stone Sword was upright and heavy. The two completely different styles mixed together, making Qu Duanyun's head ache.

Xu Jingming let out a shout and went to help his childhood friend. His martial arts could not be considered first-class, but relying on the fact that his life was more precious than the grass and weeds of the jianghu, just standing there made him look particularly obstructive.

"No wonder you're the scourge of the country, you really bring chaos wherever you go. The soul-summoning magical tools are already in your hands, I think you're going to turn the world upside down!" Xu Jingming said fiercely as he closed his fan.

The sect leader at the time didn't stop his nonsensical "incantation", but still managed to roll his eyes. He continued to ignore Xu Jingming and nimbly dodged Qu Duanyun's attacks.

Finally, a cry of pain was heard underfoot.

Wu Huai's originally divine appearance instantly turned ferocious as Yin Ci's sword sliced the flesh from his left arm. He gave orders in a hoarse voice, but no one followed them—

Seeing the signature sword technique of Su Zhi, the Red Hook crowd no longer had any doubts about him. The disciples chose the safest way, directly kneeling on the ground and paying respects to the enthronement platform. The chaotic enthronement ceremony finally had the appearance of a "grand ceremony" for the first time.

Wu Huai claimed to be of Su Zhi's bloodline, and the sword was also Su Zhi's. Now that Su Zhi was right in front of them, and Su Zhi did not approve of this successor, the authenticity of the bloodline and the Sweeping Bone Sword became less important.

The shouts of "Greetings, Sect Leader Su" rose and fell, gradually converging into one, shaking the tiles under Shi Jingzhi's feet.

But your Sect Leader Su is mine, he thought, not without a hint of pride.

Only Taiheng and his group were still trying their best to approach Yin Ci, but to no avail. They were facing off against the team brought by Protector Hua, unable to advance even half a step.

Yin Ci pinned Wu Huai to the ancient cauldron with one sword, and only then did he speak again. He turned to the eight still dumbfounded Protectors and Elders, "Couldn't you see that the Sweeping Bone Sword is fake?"

Then he added casually, "This sword was designed by me and personally forged by Hua Yi. Back then, seeing the sword was like seeing the person. Now I only see a bunch of fools who can't tell fish eyes from pearls."

"Se- Sect Leader..."

Shi Jingzhi finally stopped his muttering after hearing the commotion under his feet for a while. He let Yan Qing and Su Si stand in front of him, and said to Qu Duanyun with a smile, "Sect Leader Qu, this is our second meeting. This younger brother of mine has been in your care all the way, I'm much obliged. When you return to Yi City..."

His smile was a little distorted.

"...Please give my regards to the National Teacher."