Old Salamander paused to stare intently at Emperor Wu. "Even if I were to become a Seraph, what of it? It won’t be easy to reset either the Consciousness or the Tianyuan Megaverses, or else it would have already happened. Even if one of them can eventually be reset, I will have already died by that time. Besides, even if I don't become a Seraph, whenever either megaverse is reset, I am already qualified to participate and receive a chance to break through to the Immortal realm. What reason could I have to focus on the title of Seraph?
"My lord, your suspicions are too laughable."
Emperor Wu could not dispute that argument. The truth was that he had refrained from starting an all-out battle earlier because he had been told to wait by Old Yu, as waiting could force the hidden parties to reveal themselves.
Emperor Wu trusted Old Yu. If not, he would have already started fighting.
When Old Salamander had stepped forward, Old Yu had shared his suspicions with Emperor Wu. Only after that had Emperor Wu said anything at all. Rather than sharing his own suspicions, Emperor Wu had essentially shared Old Yu’s thoughts. Even so, Old Salamander’s argument was completely flawless.
Forget Emperor Wu or Old Yu—not even Lu Yin could counter Old Salamander’s arguments.
Both he and Old Yu could feel that something was happening behind the scenes, but neither man could see through those hidden schemes.
Old Yu claimed that things should proceed according to their earlier agreement, which would give both sides a way out. After that, they could slowly work to find the person manipulating things from behind the scenes.
However, Old Yu had not expected Lu Yin to suddenly change those plans and publicly execute Wu Ji. That had instantly escalated the conflict. Yes, doing so had forced Old Salamander out, but the old freak’s reasoning was so flawless that even Old Yu had lost confidence.
He was highly intelligent, but he was far from omniscient.
Old Salamander was right. Why would he want to become a Seraph? The title was meaningless to him.
Without some motivation, why would he make a move?
Even if the suspicions and conclusion seemed accurate, there was no motivation to be found. Even if Old Salamander perfectly fit Old Yu’s suspicions, the same could be true of others. There was nothing that specifically pointed at Old Salamander.
The reason why Emperor Wu had agreed to voice his accusations and trust Old Yu was because Old Salamander's behavior contrasted so sharply with his personality. Emperor Wu knew Old Salamander very well, and while it would be perfectly normal for someone to step up at this particular moment, Old Salamander was the only one who would never step out.
Still, Emperor Wu could not refute Old Salamander's argument. There was no way to verify the accusations that Emperor Wu had stated.
Clap, clap, clap.
Atop Boundless, Lu Yin slowly clapped his hands. "Well said! Words so accurate that no one can argue against them. Sometimes, age itself can be one’s greatest weapon.
"With your end so near, you don't care about the title of Seraph."
Old Salamander looked over at Lu Yin. "Are you saying that you believe me to be wrong, Seraph Lu?"
Lu Yin replied, "Wrong? How could you be wrong? Your words were all too accurate, and no one can refute them.
"However." Lu Yin stared at Old Salamander with increasing intensity. "Your motives mean nothing at all to me. Your motives and whether you care about becoming a Seraph—do I need an explanation for any of that?
"You are the culprit, and only you know why you did everything. All I need to do is find the culprit, nothing more."
Old Salamander laughed loudly. "Seraph Lu, you are indeed qualified to be the ruler of your megaverse! Such arrogant words could only be spoken by you!
"You have no reason for anything, and yet you still insist on accusing me? Do you think I have nothing better to do, or that I orchestrated all of this just to be entertained? Could it be that you believe the Primal Beastland to be empty and that your Boundless can trample over us without concern?"
Lu Yin slowly raised a hand and gently tapped on the void. Ripples spread out from his finger, reaching out to all parts of the Primal Beastland.
Emperor Wu glanced at Lu Yin and felt the ripples. There was no attack, so the ripples were allowed to spread freely.
Emperor Wu refused to be used by another, regardless of whether it was Emperor Slayer or Old Salamander. On top of that, as long as his cultivation remained incomplete, he needed to restrain his urge to attack. Still, none of that meant that he would allow Lu Yin to brazenly attack the Primal Beastland.
If Lu Yin moved against the Primal Beastland, Emperor Wu would be forced to respond.
The ripples continued to spread.
They passed over Yi Die, Jiu Weihu, Old Salamander, and every other cultivator present.
Old Salamander started to feel a bit uneasy, and he looked over at Emperor Wu. "My lord, shall we attack?"
Emperor Wu said nothing.
Lu Yin’s voice suddenly rang out. "One."
In a corner of the Primal Beastland that was far from Old Salamander, on a distant mountain, a small, thin man who had been hiding was suddenly exposed when the ripples reached him. He was surrounded by light and trapped in place.
He was terribly confused and terrified, and he let out a scream of panic.
Old Salamander looked over, and his eyes subtly narrowed. Suddenly, his cane shot forward to attack the man surrounded by the light.
The light stopped the cane. It could not force its way forward.
Lu Yin’s loud voice rang out again, "Don't be so hasty, old man. He’s just the first, just one of the people who helped to spread the Ascendant Hall rumors. There are at least ten such people here in the Primal Beastland. Look, I already found the second one too."
As Lu Yin spoke, a sultry woman was suddenly surrounded and trapped by the same light.
Old Salamander’s expression shifted. He was still unable to push his cane any further forward. He looked at Lu Yin and claimed, "You're trying to frame me."
Lu Yin ignored the old beast. "The third one."
Yi Die, Jiu Weihu, and everyone else looked at Old Salamander with growing uncertainty. His attack had been too decisive and ruthless. It had clearly been an attempt to silence the exposed man.
Seraph Lu would not have pointed these people out without being confident in who they were.
At this moment, Old Salamander felt like he was staring at a ghost. How could Lu Yin have possibly found these people? The ones who had been spreading the rumors were his most trusted followers. Their cultivation was weak, and not a single one knew of another’s existence. They only followed Old Salamander’s orders, so how could anyone have found them?
Not even the Phantom Hand could have found Old Salamander’s agents, let alone Seraph Lu.
Just what had he done?
The further one progressed down the path of karma, the more profound and mysterious it became.
While Astral Anura and Wilderness God had been fighting against Emperor Wu, Lu Yin had been sending spirals of karma into the bodies of the residents of the Primal Beastland, connecting the resulting Karmic Lines with each other.
This was one of the reasons why he had agreed to Old Yu's proposal.
The Primal Beastland was a vast domain, and it was filled with countless cultivators. Even with how quickly Lu Yin could send out his spirals of karma, it was impossible for him to instantly check everyone present. He needed time, and that time had been given to him by Astral Anura and Wilderness God’s fight with Emperor Wu.