Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Chapter 289 Level 2 Reversal, From Heaven to Hell

The disciple, who had just woken up, looked bewildered.

Noticing the strange looks around him, he felt a chill run down his spine.

He turned to look at his companions and saw that the other four looked ashen-faced, and then he vaguely understood what was going on.

"Holy...Holy Son, we know we were wrong, please forgive us!"

"We were blind and should not have questioned His Holiness the Holy Son!"

"We beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

The others knelt down and begged for mercy, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Son?!"

The disciple, who had just woken up, almost fainted again due to a sudden mental lapse.

But Wang Zhao grabbed him and said irritably, "Playing dead won't work! Weren't you so talkative just now? Why are you chickening out now?"

The disciple turned pale, his legs went weak, and he knelt down as well.

All eyes were focused on the five terrified disciples, their gazes filled with hostility.

Now everyone understands.

The rumors and slander against Li Wudao were all instigated by these few people.

People aren't stupid. Being led astray before was just a momentary impulse. Now that they've calmed down, how could they not see the trickery involved?

The disciples' condemnations surged like a tidal wave, instantly overwhelming the five people.

"It was those few who were stirring up trouble and slandering His Majesty the Holy Son!"

"Cultivation should be abolished, and he should be expelled from the sect!"

"Yes! This kind of black sheep cannot be allowed to live!"

"Please punish him severely, Sect Master!"

The outcry grew louder and louder.

Nangong Cheng, the most senior patriarch, spoke, his aged voice carrying an undeniable authority:

"Murong brat, you must give the Holy Son an explanation for this matter. These petty villains must not be let off lightly!"

Murong Yan nodded, his expression cold as he looked at the five people:

"You have maliciously slandered the Holy Son, incited trouble, and disrupted the sect's order. According to the sect rules, your cultivation should be abolished, and you should be imprisoned in the Cliff of Repentance for ten years!"

Upon hearing this, the five men were so frightened that their legs went weak and they broke out in a cold sweat.

This punishment is too harsh!

To abandon one's cultivation is tantamount to severing one's path of cultivation.

After ten years of confinement, everything had changed when I came out. My life was ruined!

The pressure was overwhelming, and finally someone broke down.

"No...it wasn't us! It was the young sect leader! It was Wu Shaotian who ordered us to do it!"

The leading disciple shouted hoarsely, as if grasping at the last straw.

The others followed closely behind, each pointing out the others:

"Yes! It was the young sect leader who told us to do this!"

"He said that as long as we embarrass Li Wudao in public, he will give each of us a thousand spirit stones and promised to promote us in the future!"

"We were just confused for a moment and were misled!"

The whole place was dead silent.

All eyes, like countless invisible swords, were fixed on Wu Shaotian.

This young sect leader was known for his gentle, refined, humble, and kind nature.

His face was as pale as paper, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. He stood there, his body seemingly stiff.

The gentle smile that always graced his lips had vanished, replaced by a look of shock at being suddenly exposed and... a hint of barely concealed panic.

"No... not..."

Wu Shaotian's lips moved slightly, his voice was dry, and he subconsciously wanted to deny it.

But faced with the five disciples' desperate accusations, and countless gazes around them filled with shock, doubt, and anger...

He felt an unprecedented pressure, as if he were standing on the edge of a precipice with a bottomless abyss below.

A storm raged within him.

Is it finished?

Is the carefully cultivated persona of many years about to collapse completely today because of the betrayal of these few idiots?

Once he is proven guilty of "instructing fellow disciples to maliciously slander the Holy Son," his prestige will be completely destroyed, and his status within the sect will plummet.

This is not just a matter of personal honor or disgrace; it will seriously affect the Demon Clan's next steps!

The Demon Clan's grand ambitions cannot afford to be jeopardized by such a trivial matter!

But what can we do now? How can we explain ourselves?

Wu Shaotian's mind raced, countless thoughts flashing through his mind, but he couldn't find a perfect solution.

Cold sweat trickled down his temples and dripped onto his clothes, but he was completely unaware.

The surrounding murmurs began to buzz, though kept low, but when gathered together, they sounded like a swarm of bees buzzing around your ears.

"Was it really the young sect leader who ordered this?"

"No way... Young Sect Master is usually so kind to people..."

"You can know a person's face, but not their heart..."

"If that's really the case, it's truly disheartening..."

Murong Yan's face had completely darkened.

He looked at Wu Shaotian, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Shaotian, is what they said true?"

The elders, including Nangong Cheng, also frowned, their eyes filled with scrutiny as they looked at Wu Shaotian.

If the young sect leader is such a narrow-minded and treacherous person, then the future of the Xuantian Sect is truly worrisome.

"You hypocrite!"

Wang Zhao jumped up and pointed at Wu Shaotian, yelling, "You're two-faced! So it was you who did this!"

Qiu Zishi also said in a deep voice, "Please give an explanation, Young Sect Master."

Wu Shaotian felt his throat go dry and his scalp tingle.

He opened his mouth, intending to steel himself and deny everything for the time being.

"and many more."

A clear voice suddenly rang out, breaking the suffocating stalemate.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and were all astonished.

But the one who spoke was none other than Li Wudao, who had just been slandered and should have been the most furious at that moment.

Li Wudao slowly stepped forward and walked between Wu Shaotian and the five disciples.

His expression was calm, even showing a hint of understanding and tolerance. He cupped his hands to Murong Yan and the several elders and said:

"Sect Master, Elders, I believe there is more to this matter than meets the eye."

"Oh?" Murong Yan was taken aback. "Wu Dao, what are your thoughts?"

Li Wudao turned to the five disciples whose faces were ashen, sighed, and spoke with a hint of heartache:

"Judging from these senior brothers, they are usually quite diligent and do not seem like wicked and evil people."

Today's events may have been due to being misled and acting in a moment of confusion, leading to this mistake.

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Wu Shaotian before quickly returning to his original position, and continued:

"The young sect leader is an upright and magnanimous person, which I have witnessed since joining the sect. How could he instruct his fellow disciples to do such a despicable thing?"

"In my humble opinion, these senior brothers must know that they cannot escape their crimes and are afraid of being severely punished. Therefore, in their desperation, they are making baseless accusations and trying to drag the young sect leader down with them in order to reduce their punishment."

"His heart... is truly despicable!"

Li Wudao spoke the last four words with a firm and resounding tone.

His face was full of indignation towards the "framer" and sympathy for the "framed".

The entire audience was stunned.

Everyone was stunned, mouths agape, eyes blank, completely bewildered.

Your Majesty, are you mistaken?

The person who was just slandered, forced to climb the tower to prove their innocence, and nearly lost their life was you!

These five guys are the mastermind's henchmen, and now they've identified the mastermind behind it all.

Why... why are you speaking up for the mastermind?

The five disciples who had pointed out Wu Shaotian were completely dumbfounded.

Their faces were ashen, their pupils trembling violently, as if they had heard the most unbelievable things in the world.

"No...no, Your Holiness!"

The leading disciple was so anxious that tears were about to fall, and his voice was trembling with sobs as he said:

"We're telling the truth! It really was the young sect leader who ordered it! We wouldn't dare lie!"

"Yes, yes, yes! We have evidence! The communication jade talisman that the young sect leader gave us is still here!"

The other person hurriedly took out a light blue jade talisman from his bosom.

They thought that by voluntarily exposing the mastermind, even if they couldn't atone for their crimes, they could at least reduce their punishment.

Who would have thought that this Holy Son would turn around and exonerate the mastermind?

This shattered their last hope, a complete reversal, sending them plummeting from heaven to hell once more!