Chapter 703: Chapter 703. A Revealed Secret

When the light washed over Mu Qin, it was like a veil had been lifted. A dark aura seeped out of her body.

Even though Mu Qin was high up and the citizens couldn’t sense her aura, the visual sight of the dark aura was enough to tell everyone what was going on.

Even Zhang Daofeng himself was stunned into silence. Though he had expected this, he couldn’t deny that he had doubts about the validity of Amon’s claim. His speech before activating the talisman had been planned so that if the claim turned out to be false, he wouldn’t have a complete fallout with the Holy Mother.

He never directly accused Mu Qin of being the demon. He simply pointed out unverified intel. If Mu Qin turned out not to be a demon, he could assert that the intel said that the demon lived in a district directly below them, and he used the talisman to fish them out.

He was glad that the claim was true. He was so glad that he struggled to keep himself from smiling.

Thankfully, his surprised expression was genuine. He did his best to maintain that expression as he exclaimed, “Holy… Holy Mother…! It’s you…? I can’t believe it… I knew there was a demon among our ranks, but for it to be you…? How can this be…?”

His voice remained enhanced by aether, so it was broadcast loudly all over the city. Citizens who were too far to see Mu Qin’s dark aura were now shocked like those who had directly witnessed it. They rushed over to verify it with their own eyes.

The one most shocked by this incident was Mu Qin herself. Everything had happened so suddenly and so unexpectedly. She was in complete silence as her infernal aether kept seeping out of her.

Her demon aura didn’t come out of her will. It was due to the talisman’s effect. One could keep others from sensing their aura simply by not using their aether, but the Demon Revealing Talisman forcefully pulled the infernal aether out of a cultivator’s energy core. It was as if something had punctured the core and the stored aether was now leaking out uncontrollably from the hole.

Aside from having that effect, the talisman also disabled all kinds of concealment effects, allowing the leaked aether to be perceived as its original form.

“That bangle… I see it now. You are not using a concealment art. You are using an artifact to conceal your demon aura. That’s how you can maintain the concealment all the time,” Zhang Daofeng uttered.

Mu Qin wore a metal bangle on her left arm. That bangle was now shining brightly. Yet, its shine seemed restrained, as if something was preventing it from using its power.

She sensed several high-level individuals approaching from behind. She looked back and saw Hou Huang, Huang Ti, and Dim Loog.

Seeing this scene, Mu Qin came to a realization. This had all been planned.

“How do you know…?” Mu Qin asked Zhang Daofeng.

Zhang Daofeng finally allowed a sliver of a smile to escape his mouth. “That is not important now. What’s important is that we have finally learned the truth.”

Hou Huang announced their presence by speaking loudly, “Demon woman! You have finally revealed the truth! Demons are a scourge. We will eliminate you for the sake of the world!”

The citizens below registered the three sovereigns after her words. What were the leaders of the enemy countries doing inside this city? They looked to the distance and saw the Martial Realm soldiers of the enemy army hovering above the city wall.

Some, out of habit, flew up to take a defensive stance. The loud voice of the Hierophant stopped them.

“Everyone, stay your ground!” Zhang Daofeng exclaimed. “It has come to my attention that the other countries are attacking us because they believe that the Temple of Divinity will bring about a calamity that will destroy this world. This calamity will be brought about by a demon hiding within the temple’s ranks, who turns out to be the Holy Mother! I know this is shocking, but it is the duty of every divine cultivator to vanquish demons, especially so for our temple that embodies holiness. We can’t allow this stain among us!

“We will have a truce with these enemy countries for now. We will work together for a greater threat. By defeating this demon, we will stop the upcoming calamity!”

This was the first time the citizens heard about the calamity. They weren’t sure what to do. Yet, the one speaking was the Hierophant, the highest authority within the temple. Although they adored the Holy Mother, they respected the Hierophant. Now that the Holy Mother turned out to be a demon, they decided to stay out of it and see how things proceed.

“This again about the calamity? How did you people know, anyway?” Mu Qin asked. “We have erased any records and buried the evidence.”

“You didn’t bury it enough,” Zhang Daofeng said.

“You…? You poked around in my vault?” Mu Qin asked. “… I chose you because of your talents. I never expected it would backfire like this.”

“Are you finally admitting to being the cause of the calamity?” Dim Loog asked.

“I admit its existence, not its cause,” Mu Qin answered.

A voice came from below, “How about you come clean and tell us about the cause then?”

They looked down and saw Amon flying up to their elevation. He was accompanied by a blue battle puppet.

Amon positioned himself behind the three sovereigns and placed the Beta Puppet before him as a shield.

“You? Wait… What’s your name again? Oh, I remember now, Amon,” Mu Qin said.

Zhang Daofeng chuckled. “It was thanks to that man that we know you are a demon.”

“Him? How did he…,” Mu Qin stopped mid-sentence. Her face showed realization. “The Hell Beast… I shouldn’t have let you leave that time.”

“You shouldn’t have,” Amon agreed. “Being undefeated for eons does tend to make people careless. You lose that sense of danger, as if nothing can hurt you. One thing I am curious about. How many of these calamities have you gone through?”

“… Too many,” Mu Qin answered.

“You… Are you immortal…?” Huang Ti asked. Everyone could hear the concern in his voice. The only existence that attained immortality was those who had entered the Divine Realm.

For a second, everyone thought about the possibility that Mu Qin was a Divine Realm cultivator.

“The Demon Revealing Talisman not only draws out the infernal aether, but it also disables all concealment abilities. Don’t worry, he is a genuine Peak Lord Stage,” Zhang Daofeng assured everyone.

Mu Qin chuckled. “If I am a Divine Realm cultivator, none of you will be able to move.”

“You spoke like you had encountered such an existence,” Hou Huang said.

“Why do you think I built the Temple of Divinity. It is all for the Divine, for his words are law. We all exist to serve him.”

“I don’t care about the Divine. What I want to know is the calamity. What is it? And how do we stop it?” Dim Loog asked.

“You can’t,” Mu Qin replied. “It is just how the world is. There is nothing you can do about it.”

“You can live through it. That means there is a way to survive it,” Amon said.

“… There is, but not for you.”

“Enough riddles, demon woman. Tell us everything you know about this calamity!” Hou Huang exclaimed.

Mu Qin tilted her head. “You are not in a position to demand an answer, little girl.”

“I disagree,” Huang Ti said. “After the truth of your identity is revealed, the whole world is now your enemy. You are the one not in a position to oppose us.”

“Is that so?” There was a genuine amusement in Mu Qin’s tone.

“It is pointless to ask her,” Zhang Daofeng said. “Let’s defeat her and get the key to her deepest vault. I believe we can find the answer there.”

Mu Qin turned to Zhang Daofeng. “The others, I don’t blame them. But you… How could you? I brought you in and nurtured you. I gave you everything, and this is how you repay me?”

“There is something you don’t give me,” Zhang Daofeng replied. He assumed a battle stance. “But I will take it from you.”

Mu Qin frowned in confusion at the statement. She then shook her head. “Whatever. You people seem to think you have won. I don’t mind my identity being revealed. The calamity will not be long anyway. It will be slightly more difficult in the coming years, but I will simply start anew after it happens.”

Amon narrowed his eyes upon hearing it.

Zhang Daofeng was no longer interested in conversing. He bellowed, “Everyone, attack at the same time!”

Upon his signal, everyone except Amon charged forward.

Mu Qin didn’t move from her spot. She remained still as a statue. When her opponents almost reached her, her long hair moved. The hair went in one circle, slapping everyone who approached.

The slap pushed everyone back, even Zhang Daofeng.

“You people think you have a chance to defeat me? What a joke,” Mu Qin said disdainfully.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep