Everyone turned toward the sound, and they saw that the speaker was none other than Zhang Cunning of the Qingcheng Sect.

Zheng Yuan, who had initially intended to cause trouble, paused for a moment, then resettled himself firmly, eager to hear what Zhang Cunning had to say.

Zhang Cunning rose to his full height, bowed slightly toward Li Yundong, and stated, "True Man Li, there is something I do not understand, and I wish to seek your guidance!"

Li Yundong smiled faintly. "True Man Zhang, please speak your mind."

Zhang Cunning projected his voice loudly. "I wish to ask True Man Li, do you consider the Immortal Brush to be an artifact and magical treasure of our Daoist lineage?"

Li Yundong blinked, unsure of Zhang Cunning's meaning. He replied, "True Man Zhang, the Immortal Brush is the personal artifact of Zuo Ci, the founder of our Daoist Pill Cauldron Sect. It is, of course, an extraordinary and miraculous treasure!"

Zhang Cunning nodded and then inquired further, "Then surely such an artifact possesses world-shattering power?"

Li Yundong grew increasingly perplexed. "This artifact can write talismans out of thin air; naturally, it possesses world-shattering power. True Man Zhang, what is the implication of your questions?"

Zhang Cunning paid no heed to Li Yundong's query and pressed on. "Then, True Man Li, I must ask you: what should be done if such an artifact were to fall into the hands of a villain or a wicked person?"

Li Yundong’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he stated, "Then we righteous cultivators must naturally carry out Heaven's will and reclaim our Daoist artifact! Such an artifact absolutely cannot remain in the hands of villains!"

Zhang Cunning asked again, "But what if this person is too strong, and we cannot defeat him?"

Although Li Yundong found the line of questioning bizarre, he knew his conscience was clear in all his dealings. He declared loudly, "What sort of talk is that? Should we bow down because the evil forces are too powerful? If one person cannot win, two should step forward; if two cannot win, everyone should join in. Surely we cannot allow this world to descend into a place where villains run rampant and good people are oppressed!"

Zhang Cunning let out a loud laugh, pointed directly at Li Yundong, and boomed, "True Man Li, I advise you not to take possession of that Immortal Brush!"

Li Yundong was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Cunning sneered, "Otherwise, you will become the great villain who is attacked by the masses!"

Although Li Yundong had spent many years in the Lesser Thousand World, tempering his temper until almost all fiery spirit had vanished, hearing such a baseless accusation, he could not suppress his anger. His eyes flashed, and he retorted fiercely, "True Man Zhang, do not spout slander!"

"Slander?" Zhang Cunning let out a cold snort. He turned to the assembled cultivators from every sect and faction, addressing them loudly, "Everyone here shall bear witness, let us clearly see the true face of this villain and wicked man!"

At this moment, everyone present was stunned. They had not anticipated that Zhang Cunning's sudden attack would be such a direct accusation of Li Yundong being a great villain!

Their interest immediately piqued; eyes widened as they stared, ears perked up to listen.

Some cultivators, who feared no chaos, called out loudly, "True Man Zhang, speak quickly, we are listening!"

"Yes, what is the matter exactly!"

Zhang Cunning snorted, then questioned Li Yundong loudly, "True Man Li, did you open a teahouse on Tiannan City's Pedestrian Street?"

Li Yundong found the question strange, but he nodded. "That is correct. Should not the entire cultivation world know of this? Why must you ask me?"

Zhang Cunning sneered, "Indeed, the cultivation world knows that True Man Li opened a teahouse on Tiannan City's Pedestrian Street. But how many in the cultivation world know that your teahouse is a den of thieves that uses fraud and oppression as its means of livelihood?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in an uproar, and astonished glances turned toward Li Yundong.

Su Chan's mind exploded in a burst of noise. She couldn't help but gasp, her head filled with a chaotic scream: It’s ruined! That matter really brought disaster upon Yundong! What should I do? What should I do!

The little foxes were equally stunned into immobility, exchanging fearful, wide-eyed glances, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Hearing the accusation, Li Yundong was first startled, then enraged. He roared, "Zhang Cunning, clarify your words, or you will not leave here unharmed today!"

Zhang Cunning sneered, "True Man Li, are you afraid to admit what you have done?"

Saying this, he turned around and loudly recounted to the cultivators of all sects how his maternal uncle had been brutally robbed at the Di San Xian Teahouse. Baring his teeth, his face contorted with righteous fury, he declared, "Fellow Daoists, all True Men! Surely you all remember the grand opening of True Man Li's Di San Xian Teahouse a month ago? It was so magnificent, so bustling! So many high officials attended, so many prominent figures! I, Zhang Cunning, still recall it clearly. Back when our Qingyang Palace Master held his succession ceremony, not this many dignitaries attended! Yet, Li Yundong’s small teahouse opening drew such a crowd—what sheer prestige, what an incredible event!"

He spoke his words in reverse irony, causing the crowd to murmur and exchange whispers. "Indeed, even the Provincial Party Secretary attended that day; that’s an astonishing matter!"

"Yes, true, this Li Yundong holds considerable influence!"

Zhang Cunning’s tone shifted, and he sneered, "But True Man Li does not use his power for righteous pursuits, choosing instead crooked paths and dubious methods! True Man Li, are you perhaps relying on your powerful background and formidable influence to act so recklessly and oppress the common people?"

At this point, everyone looked at Li Yundong with ill will. They had already been wary of Li Yundong’s excessive dominance, and now they finally had an excuse and an outlet for their frustration. The emotions lurking beneath the surface suddenly burst forth.

The crowd roared, "This disgrace is truly the shame of our cultivation world!"

"Kill him! Carry out Heaven's justice!"

"Hmph, can you kill him?"

"If one of us can't, surely so many of us gathered here can manage it?"

"Forget it, better a fellow Daoist dies than myself. If you want to be cannon fodder, I’m not joining in!"

Some older, more level-headed cultivators spoke to Li Yundong loudly, "True Man Li, is this true?"

"True Man Li, say something!"

Wan Zhenyuan watched the situation on the field change drastically, spiraling downward. The situation had flipped from being one-sided to entirely against Li Yundong!

This was not what Wan Zhenyuan wished to see. He was compelled to step forward and declare loudly, "Everyone, please stop arguing! I believe True Man Li will give us an explanation!"

He then turned to Li Yundong and said, "True Man Li, regardless of whether this is true or not, I think you should say a few words."

Li Yundong’s face showed no trace of emotion, but inside, he was a mixture of shock and fury. He never expected to encounter such a situation in this setting. Moreover, the details Zhang Cunning provided were clear and matched the timeline, and based on his understanding of Su Chan, this young girl was indeed capable of such actions. Li Yundong already believed half of it.

Li Yundong turned to look at his own table and saw Su Chan indeed looking at him with a face full of panic and unease. Li Yundong’s heart sank; he knew the matter must be true!

Not far away, Zheng Yuan observed the shifting expressions. He chuckled softly and whispered to Ding Nan, "Heh, this Zhang Cunning seems coarse in nature, but he’s actually cunning; he and I have come to the same conclusion! I thought I was the only one who had gathered this information!"

Ding Nan suppressed her anxiety and asked, "But in matters like this, words are baseless. Without evidence, how can this count for anything?"

Zheng Yuan chuckled, "No evidence? I have plenty of evidence! For Zhang Cunning to dare to make such a sudden accusation in this setting, he must have concrete proof! Otherwise, he would never dare attack so boldly! No wonder he spoke such arrogant words before, claiming he could take first place—he had prepared such a powerful follow-up!"

Ding Nan cast a scornful glance at Zhang Cunning and sneered, "Even if he gets what he wants, will that guarantee him first place?"

Zheng Yuan smirked, "Zhang Cunning holds the Three Sovereigns Sword, and Yue Sheng has been eliminated. His chances of winning are now extremely high. Heh heh, I should give him another push and stir this fire up further."

Saying this, he stood up himself, smiling thinly, and called out to Zhang Cunning, "True Man Zhang, everything you’ve said so far is just hearsay, without any supporting evidence. You mustn't wrong a good person! I don't think True Man Li seems like the sort of villain you describe."

Su Chan, Zi Yuan, and the others were utterly astonished to see Zheng Yuan stand up to defend Li Yundong. They gaped at each other. Ruan Hongling stammered softly, "What trick is this fellow playing?"

Only Zhou Qin, after a moment of thought, instantly became furious, grinding her teeth as she said, "This man deserves death; he is fanning the flames!"

As expected, Zhang Cunning glanced at Zheng Yuan, let out a cold laugh, and pulled out a folded paper from his robe. With a snap of his wrist, he unfolded it and proclaimed loudly, "I have recorded the testimony of all the victims here. They are all currently in Dongwu City. Do you wish for me to summon them here for a face-to-face confrontation?"

The crowd was immediately thrown into an uproar. Everyone now believed what Zhang Cunning said. Especially when they looked toward Li Yundong’s table, seeing Su Chan and the other little foxes trembling, appearing utterly terrified, looking like guilty thieves, all doubt vanished. They glared angrily at Li Yundong and shouted, "True Man Li, tell us yourself what you intend to do!"

"Li Yundong, I never expected you to be such a shameless wretch!"

Zheng Yuan also cried out to Li Yundong with feigned distress, "True Man Li, I never imagined you would behave so improperly, committing acts that anger both gods and men! While this may seem like a minor evil, if minor evils are left unpunished, what will become of it when it brews into a great evil?"

His words immediately drew loud echoes from the crowd: "Exactly! Exactly!"

Seeing the furious mood of the crowd, Zhang Cunning felt a surge of secret satisfaction and pressed his advantage. "True Man Li, you, who oppress the common people like a great villain—do you possess the qualifications to hold our Daoist supreme treasure? Are you worthy of using such an artifact as the Immortal Brush?"

At this point, Su Chan finally could bear it no longer. She shot up, trembling violently, tears welling up in her eyes. In her agitation, she cried out, "This has nothing to do with Yundong; it was my idea, all my decision! Don't pressure him! I will take responsibility for my actions; I will bear whatever comes!"

Ling Yue, the original instigator sitting nearby, could also not hold back. She too stood up abruptly and shouted, "I suggested the idea to Su Chan; blame me if you must!"

The little foxes also stood up one after another, shouting, "It was our fault! It has nothing to do with the Sect Leader! Don't force him!"

Seeing so many beautiful fox spirits rise up to protect Li Yundong, some felt astonishment mixed with envy, and jealousy mixed with hatred. Some spoke sarcastically, "Oh, such unity! True Man Li, you have disciplined your disciples well!"

"Hmph, nothing good has ever come from these fox spirits entering the mortal world. Does Li Yundong not care about his subordinates?"

Zhang Cunning laughed heartily, "True Man Li, you have such loyal disciples, willing to sacrifice themselves to protect you!"

Su Chan shook violently with emotion and said loudly, "When this happened, Yundong was in Dongwu City; he didn't know about it. He was afraid I would cause trouble and warned me repeatedly! But... but I still brought disaster upon him!" As she spoke, the little girl could no longer hold back her tears, and large, fat drops splashed down.

Seeing such a beautiful young girl weeping like falling rain, the crowd fell silent. The sight of a beauty in tears naturally evokes pity, and anyone with a shred of compassion could not bring themselves to harshly condemn or pressure her further.

But Zhang Cunning sneered, "What difference does it make if you caused the trouble or he caused it? Even if what you say is true, if Li Yundong didn't condone you in the first place, would you have dared to do such a thing? Haven't you heard the saying: when the master errs, the disciple bears the consequences, but when the disciple errs, the master must also take responsibility? Moreover, Li Yundong is the Sect Leader of your Fox Charm Sect. If this matter doesn't fall on his head, whose will it fall on? Hmph, do you think crying can make us soften and drop the issue? Su Daji wept bitterly before her end when she caused chaos in the Shang Dynasty, but Jiang Shang did not relent! Why? Because he was carrying out Heaven's will!"

Zheng Yuan listened on the side, secretly marveling, "Incredible, those words are devastating! Li Yundong is in deep trouble now!"

As expected, the crowd's gaze once again became unified in their outrage. They roared in unison, "Li Yundong, you must give us an explanation!"

Su Chan also cried out, "Don't push him! I will give you an explanation!"

Li Yundong had been standing quietly in the middle of the assembly. Initially furious, his fists clenched tightly, but now he had calmed down instead. His tightly held fists relaxed. He turned his head, glared at Su Chan, and commanded sharply, "Shut up and sit down!"

Startled by Li Yundong’s glare, Su Chan instinctively sat back down.

Only then did Li Yundong turn his head back, staring coldly at the incensed crowd. He said to Zhang Cunning, "Then, True Man Zhang, what do you propose I should do?"

==============================================C