In an instant, the entire mountain erupted with screams. Zanxing clutched her head in pain. For a moment, a deep, violent urge surged from her chest. The Xiao Yuan Pearl, which had once been relatively docile, now seemed to possess a power to manipulate her heart, inciting her to kill everyone present.
This cannot continue. Ziluo had clearly tampered with something, and with the Xiao Yuan Pearl out of control, Zanxing would indeed kill everyone here. She clenched her fists, grasped the Wuyou Staff tightly, and burst out of the courtyard.
However, as soon as she exited, she collided with a powerful sword aura. Someone had blocked her path with a single sword strike.
“It’s you!” the newcomer said coldly.
Zanxing looked up to see Elder Rong Shuang standing before her, her gaze as cold as ice.
“Sect Master!” The Xiang Ling Sect disciples behind her quickly said, “This demon has killed the Chihua Sect disciples and now intends to escape!”
Hearing this, the newly arrived Chihua Sect Master, Daoist Lingxin, changed expression and immediately flew into the hall. When he emerged, his eyes were red, and without a word, he attacked Zanxing with his Demon Subduing Pestle.
However, the attack was blocked.
“Shaoyang, what is the meaning of this!” Daoist Lingxin said angrily. “My Chihua Sect disciples were silenced by this demon on your mountain. This demon is one of your sect’s disciples. Are you Taiyan Sect and the demons colluding to go against the entire immortal cultivation world?”
“Old fool, stop spouting nonsense!” Tian Fangfang, who had arrived at the scene, said immediately without waiting for Shaoyang Zhenren to respond. “The situation isn’t clear yet. On what basis do you judge that my junior sister is a demon?”
“Is there any doubt?” Rong Shuang sneered. “Look carefully at the Demon King’s Seal on her forehead. Is there any chance of it being fake?”
Tian Fangfang’s gaze focused intently as she finally noticed the Demon King’s Seal on Zanxing’s forehead. He hesitated, hisr voice lacking conviction, “That… that still doesn’t prove anything!”
“Yang Zanxing,” Men Dong stared at her in disbelief. ���Did you really kill Senior Sister Ziluo?” He and Ziluo had often assisted in the Lidan Book Pavilion and were quite close, making it hard for him to accept the reality.
“No,” Zanxing struggled to suppress the chaotic spiritual power within her and responded with effort. “I came out of the Library Pavilion and met Senior Sister Ziluo. She asked me to accompany her to deliver something to the Chihua Sect disciples. When I arrived, all the Chihua Sect disciples were already dead. I realized there was a flaw in what she said and learned of her demonic identity. It was only then that I fought with her… I don’t know why the Demon King’s Seal appeared on me. If I were truly a demon and wanted to harm Senior Sister, why would I use such a clumsy method and wait for you to discover it?”
“That does make some sense,” Fu Yonghua, the Sect Master of Yinfeng Sect, pondered for a moment and instructed a younger disciple, “Go check if the disciple named Ziluo was indeed a demon.”
Zanxing took a deep breath. Once outside, the bloodthirsty killing intent in the Xiao Yuan Pearl seemed to have lessened, as if it would calm down a bit if not provoked by the corpses and blood. However, the surging spiritual power inside her did not subside. It felt as if two conflicting forces were fighting within her body, making her endure the pain of their struggle and the risk of a potential breakdown.
The Taiyan Sect members looked at her with either fear or concern. Zanxing gritted her teeth silently. If she could not clear things up today, escaping unscathed would be extremely difficult.
The Yinfeng Sect disciple soon returned and reported, “We checked. The disciple named Ziluo has no trace of demonic energy in her body and is not a demon.”
Zanxing was stunned. “How is that possible?”
The Ziluo she had seen was completely different from the usual gentle and smiling Ziluo. The demonic, cold Ziluo was clearly not the same person. If she wasn’t a demon, why go through such elaborate schemes to frame her? Was Ziluo always an undercover spy within Taiyan Sect?
As her thoughts raced, a spiritual weapon suddenly pierced toward her from behind. Daoist Lingxin’s eyes were filled with a deep, chilling coldness. “Demons deserve to die!”
Zanxing, still struggling with the chaos of her spiritual power, could not dodge in time. However, a figure suddenly appeared from the side, blocking the Demon Subduing Pestle with a heavy black sword. Meng Ying, her skirt fluttering, stood in front of Zanxing with no trace of fear in her eyes.
“Senior Sister…” Zanxing murmured.
“Meng Ying, get out of my way!”
“Master Lingxin,” Meng Ying’s voice was calm. “Yang Zanxing is a disciple of Taiyan Sect. Even if there is a need to clear out the sect, it should be done by our own sect, not by people from other sects.”
“A mere child, not even a sect master yet, dares to act so arrogantly?” Daoist Lingxin sneered. “Since Taiyan Sect’s juniors are so unruly, today I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of Shaoyang!” With that, Daoist Lingxin forcefully channeled his spiritual power and struck heavily at Meng Ying.
“Senior Sister Meng!” Zanxing cried out in concern.
Though Meng Ying was a talented junior of Taiyan Sect, Daoist Lingxin, being several hundred years older, had vastly superior spiritual power. If they fought, Meng Ying would not stand a chance. Zanxing, frustrated, exclaimed, “Is this how Chihua Sect treats the younger generation, bullying them just because they are weaker?”
“There’s no need to consider any methods when dealing with demons,” a cold voice rang out from behind. “Since demons are so rampant, today is your end!” An autumn-colored sword shadow struck from behind. Zanxing felt a surge of spiritual power from her back. She was already engaged with the person in front of her and didn’t anticipate that Rong Shuang would attack from behind, leaving her no time to evade.
Bang! The sword shadow was deflected by another force. A black long knife sliced through the air, cutting the sword shadow in half. Mu Cengxiao, the usually taciturn youth, stood behind Zanxing with an undisguised look of disdain. “The Xiang Ling Sect, despite being a major sect, resorts to such dishonorable tactics as sneaking attacks! Shameless!”
“Senior Brother Mu…” Zanxing’s eyes welled up with emotion.
She hadn’t expected that even at this moment, Mu Cengxiao and Meng Ying would still stand in front of her.
“Master,” Men Dong, flustered and anxious, grabbed the sleeve of Daoist Yuehuang. “They’re treating Yang Zanxing this way. Should we just watch? Why doesn’t the sect master or our elders intervene? This is Taiyan Sect, after all!”
“Men Dong, you’ve seen the Demon King’s Seal on her forehead,” Daoist Yueuang’s expression was complex. “If she is truly a demon, even the sect master cannot save her. Moreover, all the Chihua Sect disciples have died here. To avoid suspicion, unless Yang Zanxing proves she is not a demon, how can we explain this to the other sects? However…” Daoist Yueuang’s voice grew colder. “Yang Zanxing has not denied being the cause of the Chihua Sect disciples’ deaths. Can you see her denying she is a demon?”
Men Dong’s voice fell silent.
Indeed, throughout the ordeal, Yang Zanxing had never denied being a demon.
“But…”
“If she is truly a demon, then her deliberate arrival at Taiyan Sect is very suspicious,” Daoist Yueuang lowered his gaze. “With Taiyan Sect declining, even if the sect master wants to protect Zanxing, it may not be possible. With the demons coming so aggressively, if Taiyan Sect becomes enemies with the entire cultivation world…”
He did not continue.
Men Dong bit his lip. “Do we really have to just watch them kill Yang Zanxing?”
Tian Fangfang swung his axe to drive away a disciple attacking Zanxing and rushed to her side. Despite the tense situation, he even managed to smile at Zanxing. “Don’t worry, Junior Sister. Your Senior Brother is here to protect you!”
“Senior Brother,” Zanxing gritted her teeth. “You’d better keep your distance.”
At this point, it was clear that the cultivation world would not let her go. She once thought that, despite the prejudice against demons, it would not lead to a situation of mutual destruction, especially since she had done nothing wrong. But now she realized she had underestimated the hatred the cultivation world had for demons. Even if a demon were kind-hearted and helpful, just being a demon meant a certain death once encountered by cultivators.
“Miss!” A familiar voice called out. Zanxing looked up to see Hong Su, holding Mimi, stumbling towards her, angrily shouting as she ran. “This is nonsense! How could our Miss possibly be a demon? I’ve cared for her since she was little. If she were a demon, she would have eaten you all long ago. Don’t you dare slander our Miss!”
“Hong Su…” Zanxing’s heart tightened.
Meng Ying and Mu Cengxiao could help her, and even though Daoist Lingxin and the others were displeased, they were still disciples of Taiyan Sect, and Shaoyang Zhenren could guarantee their safety. But Hong Su was different. Hong Su was a maid she had brought up the mountain from Yue City, and was utterly dependent on her. To others, she was also the person closest to Zanxing. If Zanxing were to die, what would happen to Hong Su? Would they torture her or simply expel her from the sect? Hong Su was just a helpless girl, if she were cast out of the sect, how would she survive?
“Miss,” Hong Su tried to rush to Zanxing’s side but was blocked by the disciples nearby. She had to hold back her panic, fiercely threatening those around her. “If you harm even a hair on Miss’s head, I will fight you to the death!”
As a mere girl, her threats were of little consequence. However, Mimi sensed the change in atmosphere, jumped down from Hong Su’s arms, and bared its teeth, hissing and screaming at those around.
Amidst the uproar, Yinfeng Sect’s Sect Master, Fu Ronghua, looked at Shaoyang Zhenren and said, “Shaoyang, with your sect’s disciples involved in this matter, are you not going to give us an explanation?”
“Indeed,” Lady Rong Shuang’s cold voice followed, “It seems the disciples of Taiyan Sect are fond of associating with demons. One after another, they are eager to die for that demoness. Should I say that such a master has such disciples…”
“Today, I must kill that wretch!” Daoist Lingxin’s voice was ominous. “Shaoyang, considering our years of friendship, I have not acted against you so far. But if you protect the demons and align with the entire cultivation world, then not a single disciple of Taiyan Sect will leave this mountain alive today!”
The threat was blatant.
Were they to sacrifice all the disciples of Taiyan Sect for a single Yang Zanxing?
The disciples looked at Shaoyang Zhenren with expectation, waiting for the sect master to speak.
After a long silence, Shaoyang Zhenren finally spoke, his head lowered.
He said, “Activate the Ten Thousand Killing Formation.”