When Liu Buli spoke, the hall masters were stunned, and Lu Wuming was also stunned.
Liu Buli knew better than anyone present how the elders had ended up and who had made the move. Yet, he could lie with his eyes wide open, so decisively and without hesitation. This left Lu Wuming so astonished that he didn't know how to react.
After staring blankly for a moment, Lu Wuming slowly lowered his head further, hiding the uncontrollable smile in his eyes.
His master was truly too good to him.
She was even willing to lie for him in such a matter, and so righteously.
It was truly...
So heartwarming...
Just then, the hall masters who had been named also reacted. The Green Hall Master immediately retorted to Liu Buli, "I don't understand why the Sect Master speaks this way, but I can swear to the heavens that it was not us who attacked the elders. It was your young disciple, he is a ghost, and the scene indicates it was the work of ghosts. I implore the Sect Master to investigate clearly and not let these foreign monsters confuse your mind!"
Upon hearing this, the other two hall masters echoed his sentiments, pushing all the blame back onto Lu Wuming. They certainly wouldn't take any responsibility.
Liu Buli listened quietly until they had all finished. He then chuckled softly and said indifferently, "My disciple can also swear to the heavens. We are all cultivators, and we know very well that the sins accumulated from swearing to the heavens are repaid during tribulation. The cultivation of the three of you has been stagnant for some time, and it seems your next tribulation is not within the next few hundred years. Perhaps you will never have the chance. So, what's wrong with taking an oath?"
This statement was quite personal.
In the cultivation world, if one's cultivation stagnates for decades or even a century, it essentially means they have reached their limit. Without advancement in cultivation, one's lifespan will come to an end. These three hall masters happened to be in exactly this situation, and Liu Buli's words had clearly struck their most painful spot.
For a moment, the colors on their faces changed like their hall names, shifting from green to white, finally settling on a furious and ashamed crimson.
The White Hall Master stepped forward, glaring at Liu Buli and shouting, "Sect Master, let's discuss the matter at hand. You don't need to bring up our cultivation issues to say such things! If we didn't do it, we didn't do it. We also don't understand what you mean by conspiring with those elders! If you intend to slander us without any evidence, we will not accept it!"
His attitude was indeed extremely hostile.
However, Liu Buli could understand. After all, in their eyes, they had never considered the former "Liu Buli" as their Sect Master.
It was just that the past Liu Buli would follow their arrangements and act as their puppet, so in public settings, they didn't mind giving him some face.
But things were different now. Liu Buli refused to be their puppet, and so many of their allies had been dealt with. When facing Liu Buli, they could still use "you" when speaking, which could be considered the greatest respect.
At this point, both sides were equally confident in their words, but the problem was that Liu Buli had no evidence.
If the discussion continued, it would be clear to everyone that Liu Buli was about to lose.
Just as the hall masters smugly prepared to welcome victory, Liu Buli began to laugh. He stroked his chin and said, "I must admire Hall Master Bai's shamelessness. But you all think too foolishly of me, don't you? If I had no evidence, I wouldn't have pointed fingers at you in front of everyone. I consider myself relatively merciful, having given you so many chances. Who knew you would push your luck and refuse to accept kindness?"
Liu Buli sighed and shook his head.
He took out several letters and a piece of paper from his robe and handed them all to the Fifth Elder standing nearby.
The Fifth Elder was still somewhat bewildered.
Liu Buli explained, "Elder Five did not participate in this rebellion, which is rare. So, I'll entrust these letters to you, Elder Five, to read them. The last piece of paper is a confession written by the First Elder to me. He attempted to harm me during my disciple's master-acceptance ceremony, which everyone witnessed. As for the other things, they were presented to me by him when I interrogated him."
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Elder quickly nodded and began to read the letters in his hand. It had to be said that the First Elder had held nothing back in order to save his life.
The letters included their dealings with the Medicine Master Valley and their communications with Duan Liuyun. At the time of the correspondence, the First Elder had been cautious. Although the letters did not mention the specific details of Lu Wuming, they listed the names of everyone involved in the matter.
The writing on the paper was indeed the First Elder's handwriting.
Behind the letters were also records of everyone's signatures and thumbprints.
According to the First Elder, these were proof to prevent anyone from betraying the group. Each person held a copy, which was convenient for Liu Buli.
With the evidence presented, everyone's expressions changed again.
The Red Hall Master, who had remained silent, gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "I admit we had contact with those elders, but we were not the ones who killed them. The killers were the ghosts, your disciple!"
"My disciple is a ghost?" Liu Buli scoffed, as if hearing a great joke. He gestured towards the Fifth Elder and said, "Elder Five, read the First Elder's confession to everyone!"
All attention turned to the Fifth Elder.
The Fifth Elder's hand holding the paper trembled slightly.
Clearing his throat, he began to read, "We, along with the Medicine Master Valley and Duan Liuyun, conspired to harm Sect Master Liu Buli and abduct his young disciple. This is because his young disciple possesses the bloodline of the God... God race?"