Chapter 1690

The moment these words were spoken, everyone on Golden Summit was startled, and even Zu An's heart sank. How had Yun Jianyue's identity been exposed?

Qiu Honglei's expression shifted slightly as she quickly looked towards her master.

Yun Jianyue, following everyone's gaze, turned towards the main road leading up the mountain.

A group of people was rapidly approaching. Leading them was a dishevelled, fierce-looking middle-aged woman.

Normally, such an appearance wouldn't be remarkable, but she happened to bear an uncanny resemblance to Elder Peng of Kongming Island.

Beside her stood a young woman, whose distinct ugliness was equally striking.

Wan Guiyi of Biluo Palace's eyes instantly widened. How could he forget that he had once considered this appearance to possess a beauty of strength?

He quickly stared at Qiu Honglei with wide eyes.

As others in the arena witnessed this bizarre sight, the previously bustling Golden Summit instantly fell silent.

Guan Chouhai and others glanced between Yun Jianyue and her disciple, then at the other pair of Elder Peng and her disciple, instinctively putting some distance between themselves and both parties.

"What's going on?" Zu An secretly transmitted his question via vital energy.

"I don't know," Yun Jianyue replied, her expression grave. "There must have been a slip-up at the place where I was holding them. Hmph, I should have silenced them when I had the chance."

By this time, the group had approached. Guan Chouhai was momentarily stunned. "Elder Lian?"

Another white-haired elder from the group cupped his hands in greeting towards him. "Sect Master Guan!"

Many from the Nine Daoist Sects recognized this elder from Kongming Island and exchanged pleasantries with him.

However, everyone quickly realized the crux of the problem: there were now two Elder Pengs and two Peng Wuyans. What was going on?

Wan Tongtian asked in a deep voice, "Elder Lian, what exactly is happening here?"

Elder Lian looked at the middle-aged woman beside him. "Junior Sister Peng, you explain."

That Elder Peng then spoke: "This time, I was ordered to bring Wuyan to Mount Zi to participate in the decennial Grand Daoist Competition. However, at an inn not far from Mount Zi, we were ambushed by demon cult fiends and imprisoned. For the next few days, they applied strange medicinal mud to our faces. Only later did we realize they intended to create masks to impersonate us."

The moment she said this, all eyes fell upon Yun Jianyue and her disciple, filled with suspicion.

Yan Xuehen also looked at her in surprise. Could this truly be Yun Jianyue?

What a fateful encounter.

Zu An felt a massive headache coming on. Manman's situation was still unresolved, and now Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei were in trouble again. He couldn't possibly abandon them in this situation; he could only wait and see how things unfolded.

Yun Jianyue, however, remained calm. "Nonsense! Elder Lian, how dare you collude with demon cult fiends to slander us? This is truly a disgrace to Kongming Island!"

Elder Lian bristled with anger, his eyes wide. "Demoness! That's utter nonsense!"

"Oh, really? Weren't you discovered colluding with the demon cult before, then fled in fear of punishment, betraying Kongming Island? Yet now, when we're fighting to bring Kongming Island its greatest honor in history, you suddenly appear to cause trouble. Just how much do you hate Kongming Island?" Yun Jianyue's barrage of questions left Elder Lian dumbfounded.

Zu An secretly admired her quick thinking. Since so many people recognized Elder Lian as someone from Kongming Island, Yun Jianyue wisely didn't deny it. Instead, she immediately claimed that he had betrayed Kongming Island.

Kongming Island had long been isolated overseas, with limited interaction with other sects, which was why many people had never met Elder Peng before.

Therefore, if Elder Lian truly had betrayed Kongming Island, these people would have no way to verify it quickly.

Sure enough, upon hearing her words, the others instinctively distanced themselves from Elder Lian and his group, fearing they might be demon cult fiends in disguise.

"Demoness, stop spouting such vicious lies!" Elder Lian was clearly not articulate; Yun Jianyue's sharp retorts left him flustered, repeating only a few phrases without offering any strong evidence.

"If I were truly Yun Jianyue in disguise, I would have killed you to silence you the moment I caught you. Why would I give you the chance to ruin my plans?" Yun Jianyue scoffed, though a hint of worry flickered in her heart. The fact that these people had escaped clearly meant something had gone wrong on the Holy Cult's side, and she had no idea what the situation was.

The moment she said this, many in the crowd secretly nodded. Indeed, rumors claimed Yun Jianyue was a bloodthirsty killer; why would she leave any survivors?

Consequently, their gazes towards Elder Lian and his group became filled with caution.

Sensing the shift in everyone's attitude, Elder Lian and his companions grew anxious. Elder Peng even cursed, "Who knows what sinister plot you had by not killing us? Demon cult fiends are always full of tricks; we can't possibly guess your intentions."

At this moment, Li Changsheng cleared his throat. "You probably don't know, but they've fought their way into the finals and are the strongest contenders for the championship."

At this, that Elder Peng burst out laughing. "Are you not aware of Kongming Island's capabilities? Can disciples taught by us truly defeat established sects like Zhengyang Sect, Baiyu Jing, Biluo Palace, Kunlun Void, or Lihentian?"

Her words gave everyone pause. They had already thought Qiu Honglei's continuous victories were too much of an underdog story; now, reflecting on it, it did seem truly strange and inconsistent with Kongming Island's historical strength.

Only Peng Wuyan's face flushed crimson with embarrassment. Her own elder didn't need to disparage her so much just to prove a point, did she?

After all, she was a chief disciple of a sect; didn't she deserve some respect?

Yun Jianyue's reaction was swift. "What a joke! Times change. Kongming Island has worked diligently for decades, and with a talented disciple, what's so strange about making a splash in the competition? On the contrary, you're constantly disparaging Kongming Island, yet you claim not to be demon cult fiends!"

Seeing her master's righteous indignation, Qiu Honglei almost believed it herself, thinking how far her own cultivation lagged behind her master's.

Elder Lian and Elder Peng on the opposing side were furious and began trading insults with her. Unfortunately, neither of them was a match for Yun Jianyue's sharp tongue. They were utterly routed in the war of words, making many people more inclined to believe Yun Jianyue was genuine.

Just then, Yan Xuehen, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "It's simple to tell who's real and who's fake. Both parties should allow their pressure points to be sealed, and then we will conduct an inspection. The truth will naturally be revealed."

Yun Jianyue cursed inwardly. This "Ice Stone Woman" was truly her fated nemesis.

She scoffed, "Are you joking? Giving up our resistance and letting you control us would be like becoming fish on a chopping block. If you harbor malicious intentions, wouldn't that mean the end of our Kongming Island?"

Her words certainly made sense; no master in the world would willingly hand over control of their life and death to others.

Yan Xuehen calmly stated, "The Nine Daoist Sects are all reputable and righteous. With so many young disciples present, we would not do anything to tarnish our reputation."

At this, Elder Lian and Elder Peng, who had been on the back foot, finally seemed to awaken from a dream. They eagerly shouted, "We are willing to undergo inspection!"

With that, they made a gesture of surrender, waiting for those around them to conduct the inspection.

Yun Jianyue's expression shifted several times. This move was a blatant trap, an "open conspiracy," but she couldn't counter it. Her true identity would instantly be exposed upon inspection, and with the restrictions placed on her body, she wouldn't even be able to resist.

Seeing her expression, those around her finally understood. The sect masters from various factions moved closer, subtly encircling the master and disciple.

"Hahaha, the Nine Daoist Sects are truly nothing special! You boast all the time, but in the end, it's our demon cult disciple who will claim first place!" Yun Jianyue stopped pretending altogether. Her outer disguise, both clothing and mask, shattered, revealing her cascading, beautiful hair. Her entire being exuded an eerie, captivating beauty coupled with an aura of danger.

Seeing this, Qiu Honglei also had no choice but to reveal her true form, vital energy swirling around her, ready for battle at any moment.

The entire Golden Summit erupted in chaos. The Daoist sects and the demon cult had always been mortal enemies. Many younger disciples had grown up hearing tales of the demon cult's cruelty and bloodlust, especially that their leader, Yun Jianyue, had clawed her way up through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

However, most had only heard her name and never seen her face.

They never imagined she would be such a peerless beauty.

Qiu Honglei, by her side, was equally charming and captivating; her every frown and smile made many young disciples blush and their hearts pound.

Only Wan Guiyi looked utterly bewildered. How had she changed? She looked so frail now. He still preferred her previous appearance, which conveyed the beauty of a strong master.