The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 755 - 420: The Long-Awaited Opportunity (Extra for Hehe Lila and He Shi Bi)
At this moment, the content of the rumor suddenly shifted and dredged up Jiu Mo’s dark past. To speak frankly, which demon living in the Hidden Stream didn’t have a sketchy history? Yet the rumor meticulously dissected Jiu Mo’s past, emphasizing the disgraceful, shady deeds she had committed within the Ba Snake Mountain Range. The spreader was clever, as most demons in the Ba Snake Mountain Range were quite open in nature; issues like Lord Jiu Mo frequently sharing her nights with multiple men were barely mentioned, while the focus was on how she had killed the previous Sect Leader, embezzled public funds for her personal gain, and made secret deals with certain Sects outside, all of which related to the Northern conflicts in the Southern Continent... One could guess what was traded - it certainly involved the Ba Snake Mountain Range’s renowned Spirit Grass and elixirs.
In any era, corruption scandals involving high-ranking leaders are the public’s favorite news, without exception; and if the charges against Jiu Mo were true, the most serious would be "abuse of power for personal gain."
In other Sects, regardless of how engrossed Sect Leaders or Sect Masters were in their hedonistic lifestyles, people below them wouldn’t care. But such behavior wouldn’t fly in the Hidden Stream, where those familiar with its internal affairs knew that the true leader of this Demon Sect was the Divine Beast Lord Ba Snake, and the two Sect Leaders merely acted on behalf of the leader. Although the Divine Monarch had been missing for tens of thousands of years, granting more power to successive Sect Leaders, overreach would be improper as certain matters are meant to be handled in the shadows, not brought into the light for public discussion.
Moreover, the Demon Sect in the North had been clashing with the Southern side for hundreds of years, accumulating hatred filled with countless lives. If Jiu Mo truly had close ties with the Northern Sects, even the reclusive Hidden Stream Demons would secretly despise her. This is especially true given that Hidden Stream lies in a secluded area in the western part of the Southern Continent; had these explosive revelations occurred in the Eastern or Southern Sects, even the most esteemed Sect Leader would have to consider the fury of the disciples, necessitating a thorough investigation.
One of the main reasons why these rumors spread faster than Qi Zai could fly was Jiu Mo’s unpopularity. If the Hidden Stream Demons were to describe Jiu Mo in four words, the most likely phrase would be "harsh and ungracious." Since taking control of Hidden Stream, her nature was perverse and ruthless, and she rarely showed kindness to anyone. Recently, a Pill Master from the Immortal Plant Garden came to drink at Ning Xiaoxian’s place, and after getting drunk, he lightly cursed Jiu Mo a few times, including the phrase "harsh and ungracious," lucky for him that she was protected by a Barrier which prevented others from hearing. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
These rumors acted as a catalyst, bringing out the underlying dissatisfaction of the masses.
As the rumors spread, Jiu Mo could no longer sit idly by. Yet, despite Thorny Hall arresting a large number of demons, the source of the rumors could not be found. What’s worse, due to a ceasefire, Thorny Hall had interrogated an elder from Tianya Sea Pavilion, with findings even more damning for Jiu Mo!
This elder was not at all steadfast. Quite the opposite - after suffering only two tortures by Thorny Hall, he confessed everything, weaker than the previous two envoys.
It turned out that several months ago, an intermediary from the Hidden Stream had approached him, offering a million Spirit Stones as payment and threatening the lives of his disciples and grandchildren, forcing him to find someone to plant an explosive poison in the Immortal Plant Garden of the Hidden Stream. The elder initially refused, but the intermediary exposed his direct descendants who were secretly settled among commoners, providing a detailed list of names and addresses, then warning that if he didn’t comply, they would annihilate his entire lineage, cutting off his family’s future. Coincidentally, the elder’s descendants were thriving, forming a large family of two to three thousand people. The lives of these thousands of descendants were a formidable weakness, bending his spine immediately. After pondering for many days, he still sent out his trusted confidant to carry out the task as instructed.
Indeed, the explosion at the Immortal Plant Garden was an inside job! With no leads for many days, the spirited Thorny Hall immediately asked him to identify the suspect. Despite how vast Hidden Stream was, the number of people with the means to pull off the deed would not hold low positions. After the elder, weakened from his injuries, painstakingly identified high-ranking members within Hidden Stream over three to four days, he still shook his head. Just as Thorny Hall was losing patience, ready to torture him again, the unlucky fellow finally saw a woman within his field of view and, on the verge of tears, mustered all his strength and bellowed: "It’s her!"
