"...I once wondered if Zhao Zhao, being so clever, would later guess the hidden truth," Mu Qingyan seemed to be talking to himself. "I never expected you'd figure it out even sooner than I imagined."
He frowned slightly. "I originally thought Fan Xingjia was working for the mastermind behind all this. But now it appears Fan Xingjia didn't know the full story—he was deceived."
Cai Zhao felt her heart tremble. "You...you know who ordered Senior Brother Fan to do this?"
"No," Mu Qingyan replied calmly. "But I've nearly figured it out. Fan Xingjia lived with his family in Jiangnan until age ten, then joined the Azure Tower Sect. The only ones who could make him commit such acts would be either Qi Yunke, whose orders as his master he couldn't disobey, or Zhou Zhizhen, Lord of Jade Pendant Mountain Manor, who holds the lives of Fan's entire family in his hands."
Neither name was one Cai Zhao wanted to hear. She struggled to argue: "How do you know there isn't a third person?"
"That's why I went to question Song Xiuzhi."
"Song Xiuzhi? What did he say?"
Mu Qingyan smiled mockingly. "He said one late night, a man in black suddenly came to tell him secrets about events happening thousands of miles away at Seven Bath Mountain—from Yang Heying's madness to the fates of the Yellow Sand Gang and villagers, every detail clear. Everything after was Song Xiuzhi's own scheming."
Cai Zhao's heart sank. "This mastermind knew just giving Song Xiuzhi a lead would let him shake the entire Vast Heaven Gate. This person, this person..."
Mu Qingyan continued: "This person understands Song Xiuzhi intimately, knows the factional divisions within Vast Heaven Gate. This isn't knowledge gained through hearsay—it requires close interaction. Qi Yunke is Song Shijun's brother-in-law, with full access to the Song household. Zhou Zhizhen is famously amiable in the Martial World, regularly inviting juniors from various sects to stay at Jade Pendant Mountain Manor for exchanges. Though you've only been once, others have visited frequently."
"Other prominent figures from the six sects either lack sufficient cultivation to evade detection, or have too shallow connections with the Songs. Only Qi and Zhou fit!"
The more Cai Zhao listened, the more confused she became: "If you already suspected them most, why did you let Senior Brother Fan take the Night Orchid? Why deliberately hide it from me and watch me find the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower?"
A terrible thought suddenly struck her. "Was it you who sent the black-clad men to Hanging Temple? Did you steal the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower? Did you take a cutting of Night Orchid that night at Blood Marsh too? Do you also want to cultivate the Purple Star Sutra?!"
Mu Qingyan stomped heavily on the mountain rock, simultaneously leaping down to stand before Cai Zhao: "You think I would send people to injure you and force you off a cliff?!"—The rock behind him cracked with a loud boom before shattering completely.
Cai Zhao stumbled back several steps, crying out: "My aunt once wrongly trusted Mu Zhengyang, causing her sworn brothers' deaths and forcing her to face Nie Hengcheng alone on Tu Mountain! Now you're deceiving me about this—how can I trust you?!"
Mu Qingyan suppressed his anger: "I physically cannot cultivate the Purple Star Sutra!"
Cai Zhao scoffed: "If my master and Uncle Zhou can practice it, why can't you?!"
"Because I have no flesh-and-blood relatives left in this world!""..." Cai Zhao was stunned. "What, what do you mean? What does this have to do with flesh and blood?" She took a step forward, pleading softly, "At this point, just tell me everything, alright? Don't hide anything from me anymore."
Mu Qingyan turned his head, lips pressed tightly together, the ferocity in his eyes growing heavier. "Fine, since you want to hear it, I'll tell you everything!"
"After Mu Zhengyang forged Elder Qu's manuscript, he destroyed the original. However, I found another copy elsewhere, and its records differ from Mu Zhengyang's forgery in three key places—first, Mu Song's eldest son was not killed by his siblings. At the time, Mu Song had already noticed the escalating conflicts among his children. To prevent fratricidal strife, he kept their respective factions separate. When Mu Song's eldest son died, none of his other children or their trusted followers were even in the Paradise Palace."
Cai Zhao's eyes widened. "Then who killed Mu Song's eldest son?"
Mu Qingyan's gaze darkened further. "Think about it. If his eldest son had been killed by someone within the sect, Mu Song would have purged the traitors. If it had been an outsider, he would have mobilized the entire sect to seek vengeance—yet Mu Song did nothing. Not only did he do nothing, he actively erased all traces of his eldest son's existence. In the official records of the Divine Sect, there isn't even a mention that Mu Song had a frail eldest son. So, who do you think killed him?"
A bizarre thought occurred to Cai Zhao. "Was it... was it Mu Song himself who killed his own son?" The moment she said it, she could hardly believe it. "How is that possible? They were father and son!"
Mu Qingyan replied, "This brings us to the second discrepancy in Mu Zhengyang's forgery—the back garden of the Paradise Palace wasn't accidentally burned during the power struggle among the heirs. Mu Song himself set it ablaze. Not only did he burn all the Night Orchids in the garden, but he also gathered every trace of Snowscale Dragon Beast Saliva he could find, along with the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower, and reduced them all to ashes!"
Cai Zhao suddenly understood. "So that's when the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower was burned into a blackened rock?"
"Exactly. After the fire was extinguished, someone found the remains of the golden ornament—the melted Purple Jade Golden Sunflower—and tossed it back into the treasury." Mu Qingyan asked, "Why do you think Mu Song did this?"
Cai Zhao hesitated. "He... he didn't want his eldest son to cultivate the Purple Star Sutra?"
"Correct."
"Correct? No, that can't be right." Cai Zhao grew increasingly uneasy. "Your family forbade later generations from cultivating the Purple Star Sutra because practicing it leads to death or severe injury. But after Mu Song's eldest son mastered it, he was perfectly fine—even cured of his congenital weaknesses. So why would Mu Song disapprove?"
Mu Qingyan said, "This is the third discrepancy in Mu Zhengyang's forgery. During the chaos of the power struggle, what was discovered at the foot of the mountain wasn't the desiccated corpses of seven experts, but the dried-up bodies of two children."
"What?!" Cai Zhao was horrified.
Mu Qingyan continued, "One of the children was the four-year-old son of Mu Song's beloved concubine in his later years. The other was the infant child of Mu Song's second son—the first grandchild Mu Song had ever held, and he doted on the child so much that he took the baby into his own care to raise. When these two children disappeared one after the other, Mu Song launched a massive search, but eventually, for some reason, the matter was quietly dropped.""Both children were drained of their vital energy and blood, but there were slight differences. When the four-year-old was killed, the murderer wasn't very skilled with the Leech Grand Art yet—the child's bones weren't completely shattered, only broken into segments. By the time the infant was killed, the murderer had become much more proficient, reducing the baby's bones to powder, leaving only a shriveled husk."
A chill ran down Cai Zhao's spine. "...Was this all done by Mu Song's eldest son? That man is no human! How could he commit such beastly acts!"
Mu Qingyan looked at the girl. "Aunt Jiang mentioned that Mu Zhengyang once tried to kill Nie Zhe, but even after your aunt questioned him extensively, he couldn't explain why."
Cai Zhao seemed to understand but not fully.
Mu Qingyan continued, "Do you remember why Mu Zhengyang attacked my father? At the time, he tried to snatch me from my swaddling clothes, and my father refused adamantly. That's when they fought."
Cai Zhao's eyes widened further, filled with horror.
"Back then, we both wondered why he would do such a thing?" Mu Qingyan guided her step by step. "Now think about Nie Hengcheng—he drained so many martial masters of his time yet still couldn't break through the third heavenly stage. But Mu Song's eldest son succeeded. So what is the true method?"
"Oh heavens, oh heavens!" Cai Zhao gasped heavily, unable to believe such evil existed in the world. "Dear heavens, how could this be? No wonder Mu Song killed his own son! This is too horrifying, utterly against nature and morality! How could he conceive such a vile, terrifying method? Was he insane?!"
Mu Qingyan murmured, "Who would have thought that to master a divine skill unparalleled through the ages, the final step would be to drain one's own flesh and blood?"
"Mu Zhengyang was also a madman!" Cai Zhao raged between gasps. "He tried to kill Nie Zhe to cut off Nie Hengcheng's path, fearing Nie Hengcheng might suddenly attain enlightenment. And he tried to take you because... because he wanted to practice it himself!"
No wonder Mu Qingyan said he couldn't practice it—all of Mu's close relatives were dead. Even if he had a child now, the Night Orchid would lose its potency in half a year. But Qi Yunke and Zhou Zhizhen both had living children!
Pointing at Mu Qingyan, Cai Zhao shouted, "And you! You're insane too! Knowing all this, why did you let things unfold? What if the mastermind behind all this knows the secret?"
Mu Qingyan seemed distracted. "Because... I want to practice the Purple Star Sutra."
"Have you lost your mind? How could you practice it?!"
Mu Qingyan suddenly looked up. "Haven't you considered? Besides Mu Song's eldest son, two others mastered the Purple Star Sutra in the past two hundred years."
Cai Zhao racked her brain. "Who?"
Mu Qingyan answered, "The founding sect leader, Mu Xiujue, and his sickly, prematurely deceased eldest son."
"Another sickly, prematurely deceased eldest son?" Cai Zhao's thoughts raced elsewhere. "Was he also killed by his father?"
"No," Mu Qingyan denied. "Father and son passed away half a year apart. Moreover, according to all records I've examined, Mu Xiujue's eldest son was the first among his children to die—he didn't use blood relatives to practice. Besides, the Night Orchid was brought by an Indian traveler over fifty years later. Back then, no one in the sect cultivated such a plant."Cai Zhao was bewildered: "Then how did he master it?"
Mu Qingyan said faintly, "I pondered it carefully—the Purple Star Sutra is a peerless legacy left by Old Ancestor Bei Chen for his own flesh and blood. How could it possibly be some sinister technique that requires draining the lifeblood of kin to cultivate? In other words, there must be another way to practice the Purple Star Sutra —one that is upright, honorable, and righteous."
"After much deliberation, I finally understood," he continued. "To cultivate the Purple Star Sutra , one doesn’t need saliva, Night Orchid, or the Purple Jade Golden Sunflower. These were all concocted by Mu Song’s eldest son in his desperate attempt to forcibly master the divine skill. The true method of cultivating the Purple Star Sutra only requires the assistance of someone who has already mastered it to break through the first barrier."
"Mu Xiujue mastered the Purple Star Sutra with the help of Old Ancestor Bei Chen. Mu Xiujue married in middle age, and by the time he passed away, only his eldest son had come of age, while his other children were still young. Thus, he helped his eldest son overcome the first barrier. Normally, the eldest brother should have taken on the role of a father, assisting his younger siblings in their cultivation. But who could have foreseen that he would die young, causing the Purple Star Sutra to become a lost art?"
"You’ve gone to great lengths to figure all this out," Cai Zhao said coldly. "So, you’re planning to wait until someone else drains their kin to master the Purple Star Sutra , then have that person help you break through the first barrier? But no matter how clever your scheme, things may not go as you wish! Once someone becomes invincible, why would they still obey you?"
Mu Qingyan replied indifferently, "Since I’ve already deduced that the mastermind is either Qi Yunke or Zhou Zhizhen, I naturally made arrangements long ago. There are many ways to control people—persuasion, emotional manipulation, or... poison. Coincidentally, my sect excels in such trivial tricks."
Cai Zhao grew frantic, stamping her foot. "Why must you do such things? Isn’t your current power enough? If you had just stopped Senior Brother Fan back then, none of this would have happened! Can’t we just live peacefully together?"
"You wouldn’t live peacefully with me," Mu Qingyan said, his expression icy. "Do you remember that cave by the Suochuan River? No matter how I begged or threatened, you still left without looking back."
"In this life, what I hate most is being abandoned," he said, each word laced with resolve and madness. "I thought that after Father’s death, no one could abandon me again. Yet you hurt me once more! I won’t let it happen again."
"It’s just the grudges between the Divine Sect and North Star, just the feuds between sects! Once Qi Yunke and Zhou Zhizhen commit atrocities that outrage both gods and men, I’ll expose them to the world, ruin their reputations, and then dispatch forces to raze North Star to the ground—not a single bone left! Let’s see who dares to gossip about us then!"
Cai Zhao had no rebuttal and could only repeat, "Have you gone mad? Are you truly insane? Do you know how many will die for the sake of your ambitions?! Whether it’s Senior Sister Lingbo or Zhou Yuqi, they’re all innocent!"
Mu Qingyan’s expression was terrifyingly indifferent. "It was their fathers who wanted them dead. What does that have to do with me?"Cai Zhao could bear it no longer and shouted, "My aunt once said there are two kinds of evil people in this world—those who commit wicked deeds and those who stand by and watch wickedness happen. But you're even worse! Because not only do you stand by, you encourage it, you revel in it! Mu Qingyan, I despise you! Even if the North Star were torn apart, even if the world achieved perfect harmony, I would never stay with someone like you!"
Before speaking, she had already clenched a handful of crushed stones in her palm. As she uttered the last word, she flipped her hand and sent over a dozen sharp stone fragments flying toward Mu Qingyan like blades.
Mu Qingyan raised his sleeve and dodged sideways. Seizing the opportunity, Cai Zhao darted into the dense black forest ahead. By the time Mu Qingyan brushed aside the stones, the girl had vanished without a trace.
He let out an angry snort, allowing a small firework to slide from his sleeve into his palm. With a flick of his fingers, the firework shot upward and exploded in midair, instantly painting a bright silver circle across the pitch-black night sky.
Shangguan Haonan, who was guarding outside the Forbidden Tomb, saw it and said, "The sect leader ordered us to seal the mountain. What's going on? Did they argue this badly? Should we find Lian Shisan to go check?"
You Guanyue pondered. "Better fetch Cheng Bo too. Lian Shisan wouldn't mediate—he'd rather watch the drama unfold."
"Fine, I'll take some men to block the Nether Bamboo Path first."
The night wind howled as the enormous black trees twisted like demons. Cai Zhao ran desperately, striking any obstructing trees or rocks with a backhanded palm strike until the edges of her hands ached. Behind her, Mu Qingyan's relentless calls alternated between fury and gentleness, further unsettling her.
"Zhao Zhao, Zhao Zhao, come out! This is a dead end—you can't escape!"
"If you insist on opposing me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
"Zhao Zhao, be good. You're still injured. Come out first, and we'll talk properly."
On flat ground, Mu Qingyan would have caught up to her by now. But the rugged terrain and the dense thicket of dark trees made it difficult—Cai Zhao's petite frame easily disappeared behind the trunks. After calling repeatedly with no response, his anger flared. He raised his palm to strike but hesitated, fearing the consequences as shattered wood flew from the broken tree.
Unable to attack, unable to coax her out, and unable to set the forest ablaze—this was, after all, the ancestral gravesite. Mu Qingyan stopped and raised his voice. "Don't think hiding will save you! I'll send for hounds—they'll sniff you out in no time!"
Cai Zhao's heart lurched, and she bolted forward.
Her movement betrayed her position, and Mu Qingyan shot after her like an arrow.
Panicked and running blindly, Cai Zhao found her path blocked by a massive boulder. She tried to shatter it with a palm strike, but the rock was surprisingly hard, only shedding a few brittle fragments. With Mu Qingyan closing in, she drew the Bright Sun Blade in desperation, mustered all her strength, and leaped up for a mighty slash.
The boulder crumbled apart, revealing two identical side-by-side cave entrances behind it.
When Cai Zhao glanced back, Mu Qingyan's tall figure was already visible.
In her fluster, she dashed into the right-hand cave without a second thought.Just a step too late, Mu Qingyan barely arrived in time to face two suddenly appearing cave entrances—identical in size and shape. The Flower-Fluttering Crossing of Fallen Blossom Valley was so light-footed that the girl had left no trace behind. For once in his life, he found himself at a loss.
With a light snort, he stubbornly chose the left cave.
Inside, the cave was pitch black, exuding a cold and enclosed scent, yet it wasn’t stifling—somehow, it was well-ventilated.
Mu Qingyan had intended to light a firestarter, but then he noticed faint glimmers along the cave walls. Upon closer inspection, he found fist-sized Night-Shining Pearls embedded at intervals. The winding cave narrowed and widened unpredictably, with pearls spaced every few zhang, and oil lamps even hung in the wider sections.
Though curious about the cave’s design, Mu Qingyan was in a hurry to catch up with Cai Zhao, so he swiftly glided past without pause.
Despite the cave’s enclosed nature, Mu Qingyan sensed they were descending. After racing forward another hundred zhang, the path abruptly ended in a dead end. Enraged, he struck out with a Void Severing Palm, shattering the massive boulder blocking the way. The light of dawn instantly poured in.
Mu Qingyan froze, then pushed aside the dense vines covering the exit and stepped out. Above him loomed the shadow of a towering peak, as if floating in the clouds, while he now stood at the mountain’s base. When he turned back, his face paled in shock—the Nether Bamboo Path was right behind him!
If the cave he had taken led directly outside the Nether Bamboo Path, then the other one likely did too!
Mu Qingyan immediately let out a sharp whistle. Shangguan Haonan, who had been guarding the Nether Bamboo Path, rushed over at the signal.
Mu Qingyan’s face was dark with fury. "Gather all your men immediately, mount the fastest horses, and spread out along every possible trail. Find Zhao Zhao and bring her back to me!"
Shangguan Haonan was stunned. "Miss Zhao Zhao has already left? Impossible! I’ve been guarding the Nether Bamboo Path this whole time—no one could have passed through!"
Mu Qingyan snapped, "No time for questions! Just go after her! When I get my hands on her, I’ll break her legs myself!"
Just as Shangguan Haonan was about to obey, Lian Shisan sauntered over in loose, casual attire, carefree as ever. "No need to search. You won’t catch her now."
Shangguan Haonan glanced questioningly at You Guanyue behind Lian Shisan, who wore a helpless smile.
Lian Shisan continued, "On our way here, the Golden-Winged Great Peng of the sect leader soared overhead. We saw a girl riding on the back of one of them. By now, she’s probably already flown beyond the borders of the Vast Sea Mountain Range."
Mu Qingyan’s expression turned to disbelief. He immediately yanked a slender golden chain from beneath his collar—only to find that the golden whistle he used to summon the Golden-Winged Great Peng was gone. In its place hung a bamboo-shaped earring of similar size.
Instantly, he recalled the girl’s suppressed smirk the evening before when he had offered to let her ride the Giant Peng.
Lian Shisan craned his neck for a look. "Huh, so she swapped the whistle? And you didn’t even notice? When did she do it? That’s some skill."
The lingering warmth of her soft skin against his during their intimate moments still clung to him.
Mu Qingyan’s face flushed red, then white. The air grew heavy with silence for a long moment before he clenched the earring in his fist and roared, "Forget it! Let her go to hell!"
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