Wasn't the Soul - Swaying Bell in Yong Shanling's hand the very artifact that Yun Shan used to carry around?
He had noticed that Yong Shanling didn't seem to recognize Yun Shan. Although he had suspected something before, he had never delved too deeply into it.
The lecture on the stage continued. It mainly focused on how Yun Shan had practiced and accumulated merits over the past thousand - plus years.
Upon hearing about his long cultivation period, those around him suddenly had an epiphany. After all, anyone who had done good deeds for over a thousand years might just reach the Tribulation - Transcending Stage.
However, most cultivators didn't have such long lifespans. Many couldn't even break through to the Fusion Stage, let alone live for over a thousand years. Most could only live for five or six hundred years at most, and that was only if they didn't perish prematurely and died of old age.
"No wonder! I didn't expect that after doing good deeds for so many years, if Yun Shan doesn't break through, who else can?"
"Yeah, yeah. We should learn from Old Ancestor Yun Shan. Maybe if we do more good deeds, we can also break through!"
"That's right. Old Ancestor Yun Shan is truly an exemplary figure for us."
...
After that, those below began to shower Yun Shan with excessive praise. Although behind his back, people might say unkind things about the number - one figure in the cultivation world, when face - to - face, they all tried to curry favor with him, hoping to receive a word or two of guidance and find the opportunity to ascend.
After answering a few people's questions, Yun Shan brought the lecture to an end.
As his gaze swept across the front - row audience, his pupils constricted. The moment Yong Shanling looked up, he quickly averted his eyes.
Yong Shanling remained silent throughout, with her head down the whole time, completely losing the initial excitement.
"Little Ling'er, what's wrong with you? Weren't you so excited just now? You said you wanted to ask questions. Why are you sitting there motionless?" Hou Hua asked Yong Shanling curiously, with a hint of concern in her eyes.
Yong Shanling forced a smile. Seeing Ye Lin also turn to look at her, she panicked and said, "I'm fine. I just think he's a bit too old. Well, he's not the same as the idol I imagined."
She came up with an excuse on the spot.
What else could she say?
Tell them that the person on the stage was her master?
Admit that she was shocked and angry because her master had been hiding his identity from her?
She was indeed angry. Did he think she would try to leech off his merits if she knew his identity? Why did he have to hide it from her?
The feeling of being kept in the dark was unpleasant. But at the same time, she felt proud. This was her master, the one who had raised her like a family member.
The number - one figure in the cultivation world and the one most likely to ascend.
Maybe her master was just afraid that if she knew his identity, she wouldn't be able to focus on her cultivation, or perhaps he had some enemies and was worried about her safety.
Thinking of this, she regained her spirits.
"Old Ancestor Yun Shan is so amazing. There must be others who have lived for a thousand years, but he's the only one who managed to break through. I'll be like him in the future." After regaining her energy, Yong Shanling excitedly said to Hou Hua.
"Yes, yes, Yun Shan is the most amazing. You should also work hard. Maybe you'll be the next Yun Shan." Hou Hua looked at her with a loving smile.
She's just a kid. After a broken - hearted episode, seeing her idol has cheered her up.
It's okay to dream once in a while.
"Humph, you'd better not learn from him. His cultivation was achieved at the cost of countless lives," Ye Sen suddenly said, his voice tinged with sarcasm.
Hearing someone slandering her master, Yong Shanling immediately got angry. She put her hands on her hips and angrily questioned him, "Lives? Didn't he say that his cultivation was achieved by eliminating demons and evil? In the cultivation world, everyone is duty - bound to kill demonic monsters. You probably have blood on your hands too. According to you, isn't your cultivation also achieved at the cost of lives?"
Yong Shanling bombarded Ye Sen like a machine gun.
Hearing her words, he didn't get angry. Instead, he just gave a strange smile and said, "What do you know? Just last night, all the people in the dungeons we were monitoring died. After that, we found over forty dungeons across the globe. All the people in them died within a single day. And the little demons guarding there said their god - creating plan was about to succeed. Do you know what this means?"
Hearing Ye Sen's words, Mu Yijie suddenly raised his head. "It means Yun Shan might be the mastermind behind the dungeons."
Mu Yijie's eyes were filled with suspicion. He suddenly remembered the moment when Zhou Chengzi saved him. With a gentle movement of his hand, the demon core of the monster was sucked into his palm. The movement was so smooth and natural, as if he had done it thousands of times.
Moreover, the hand that Zhou Chengzi showed at that time seemed completely black.
Thinking about it now, it was extremely strange. That black hand was probably the result of condensed Yin - evil Qi.
At that time, he was completely distracted by the fact that Zhou Chengzi was Yong Shanling. He trusted her completely and didn't think much about it. Besides, he was also distracted by Zhou Chengzi's painting.
And the appearance of the Immortal Herb on Beishan was too sudden. After it appeared, everyone in the cultivation world knew about it, and a large number of people flocked there. A 500 - year - old Immortal Herb, even if it wasn't fully mature, couldn't have remained unknown for 500 years. Thinking about the people who disappeared that night, if Zhou Chengzi was Yun Shan, then everything made sense.
Now that he thought about it, their escape that night wasn't a coincidence. After all, Yong Shanling was his disciple. As for the few other people who escaped, they were probably just a cover.
The more he thought about it, the more solemn his expression became. He actually hoped that today's Ascension Conference would fail.
Otherwise, the cultivation world might face a great catastrophe.
Hearing his words, Yong Shanling immediately got excited. Her face flushed red, and she looked at him coldly. "Old Ancestor Yun Shan has always been the number - one figure in the cultivation world. Why would he do such a thing? Even if he can't ascend, so what?"
"The stakes are huge. As the number - one figure in the cultivation world, there have been rumors for years that he will ascend. Even his friends have said that he is bound to ascend. If he fails in the end, he will become a laughingstock in the entire cultivation world. Everyone values their reputation, especially cultivators. Cultivators are still human," Mu Yijie said coldly, his eyes sharp as he stared at the figure on the high platform.
"His hands are far from clean!"