Chaos reigned in the Facing Sun Hall for quite some time until Qi Yunke finally exerted his strength and unleashed a Lion's Roar to silence the crowd.
Gradually, everyone fell into silence—a deathly, bone-chilling silence.
Cai Zhao's feet felt icy cold, and she found it strange how a person could hide in a bamboo basket.
It turned out to be a 'Half-Man.'
Chang Ning held her tightly, his expression grave as he stared toward the main hall.
The monks and nuns began silently chanting scriptures.
Wang Yuanjing finally pushed through the chaotic, jostling crowd and threw himself onto Wu Yuanying, weeping bitterly.
Wu Yuanying, his eyes hollow and rotting, slowly turned his head as if recognizing his junior brother by sound alone. He strained with all his might to move closer, but with his limbs severed, he could only collapse to the ground.
Wang Yuanjing clung to him tightly, tears streaming down his face. Wu Yuanying bit into his wet sleeve, trembling uncontrollably.
The sight left everyone present deeply sorrowful.
Qiu Yuanfeng stared at Wu Yuanying, his entire body shaking violently. "No... impossible. He was dead—I saw it with my own eyes, I really did..." He repeated these words over and over, as if trying to convince everyone.
Cang Qiongzi's face was ashen as he barked sharply, "Enough! What's with this panic? You made a mistake back then. Who could have known the Luo family's protective mirror was truly effective? Who could have known Yuanying would survive?"
He turned, his murky eyes fixed fiercely on Luo Yuanrong. "Yuanrong, I ask you: where did you find Yuanying? Where did you obtain the 'Storm of Thunder'? While saving your senior brother may have been well-intentioned, if you colluded with the Demonic Cult to do so, the Grand Beginning Temple cannot tolerate it. We would have to purge our ranks!"
His words were righteous and stern, but the horrific state of Wu Yuanying had left too strong an impact. Everyone knew Cang Qiongzi was merely trying to save face, and their eyes filled with disdain.
"I pretended to join the Demonic Cult," Luo Yuanrong said calmly. "Three years ago, I had a fierce argument with Third Senior Brother. He severely injured me, but fortunately, the heroic Chang Haosheng saved me. After recovering, I realized I would find no justice in the Grand Beginning Temple. If even my own sect wouldn't believe me, how could others? So I changed my name and infiltrated the Demonic Cult."
Though Luo Yuanrong was renowned as the 'Frost Fairy,' her quiet nature and devotion to Wu Yuanying meant she hadn't roamed the world like Cai Pingshu, who often intervened in injustices. Thus, few had seen her true appearance.
To gain the Demonic Cult's trust, she didn't even dare use disguises.
In her youth, she had heard from a girl skilled in disguise who traveled with Cai Pingshu that the most flawless method of transformation was to completely alter one's habits, thereby changing both appearance and demeanor.
So she spent an entire year laboring in harsh, desolate lands, eating the coarsest food, wearing the most tattered clothes, hunching her back, indulging in alcohol and gambling—even pulling out several of her own teeth. At last, she became a haggard, wretched middle-aged woman.
Luo Yuanrong spoke indifferently, as if recounting someone else's story. "In recent years, the Demonic Cult has also been in turmoil. I played deaf and dumb, pretending to be an ugly witch. From the Netherworld Radiant Path to the Sacrificial Platform, through the vast Dungeon Black Hell, it took me two full years to finally uncover the whereabouts of First Senior Brother.""It turns out that after Elder Nian Yaoguang struck, he indeed failed to kill the senior brother. Thus, he conceived the idea of replacing him and hastily took the severely injured senior brother away. Later, when Elder Yaoguang’s master and Old Sect Leader Yin joined forces to kill him, the senior brother was left in the dungeon of the Netherworld Radiant Path, forgotten by all."
"Later, when Cai Pingshu killed Nie Hengcheng, the Demonic Cult fell into chaos, embroiled in infighting for many years, and no one remembered who else remained in the dungeons. The guards of those underground prisons were vile and despicable vermin. Unrestrained and too cowardly to open the cell doors, they amused themselves by tormenting the prisoners at will. For over a decade, senior brother endured a living hell, tortured inch by inch until he became what he is today..."
The heroes in the hall could hardly contain themselves—some silently wept, while others gnashed their teeth in fury.
Even Song Shijun’s eyes reddened, his fists clenched in indignation.
Luo Yuanrong stood rigidly in the center of the hall, tears streaming down his face, yet he dared not turn his head, afraid that seeing Wu Yuanying would reduce him to uncontrollable sobs.
"The two 'Stormy Pear Blossom' darts were seized from one of Celestial Pivot Elder’s disciples. I never intended to seriously harm anyone, so I removed half the poison beforehand."
Shijing Yuantai opened her mouth several times but ultimately said nothing.
Venerable Fakong sighed, "Brother Luo’s actions show he has not strayed from the righteous path of benevolence. What a pity—after Nie Hengcheng’s death, the Demonic Cult was left leaderless. Had we known then that Hero Wu was still alive, even if it required less-than-honorable means, we might have been able to rescue him."
Though a monk, the old master spoke with profound humanity. Many present had harbored similar thoughts, and now, reflecting on it, their regret for Wu Yuanying grew unbearable. This regret doubled their contempt and loathing for Cang Qiongzi and Qiu Yuanfeng.
Had they believed Luo Yuanrong’s words and sought help from their righteous allies, the outcome might have been different.
Cang Qiongzi gritted his teeth, "Yuanrong is indeed a tragedy, but what could Yuanfeng have done on Cauldron Peak Mountain back then? It took the combined efforts of Old Sect Leader Yin and my senior brother to kill the old traitor Yaoguang. Had Yuanfeng returned, it would only have meant certain death!"
His words revealed a subtle attempt to placate Luo Yuanrong.
Luo Yuanrong sneered through his tears, "Uncle, don’t rush. Over the years, I’ve uncovered far more than just a thing or two—do you remember the Twin Heroes of Lingnan? Not everyone escaped that battle. Many were left behind, wounded but not yet dead. Some lay unconscious among the corpses and survived—I tracked them down one by one and questioned them thoroughly, leaving no detail unclear."
Cang Qiongzi froze, while Qiu Yuanfeng’s face turned ashen.
Luo Yuanrong continued, "That day, senior brother turned back to fight the old traitor Yaoguang to save third brother. At that time, the Twin Heroes of Lingnan were still alive. Though gravely injured, they struggled to attack the old traitor when they saw senior brother risking his life."
Hearing this, the Lingnan Sect heroes were moved to tears. The Twin Heroes had been the most outstanding of their generation, and they had perished on Cauldron Peak Mountain.Luo Yuanrong: "Third Senior Brother, that final glance you cast back wasn’t just at Yaoguang Senior grabbing for Eldest Senior Brother, was it? There were also the Twin Heroes of Lingnan—knowing their organs were ruptured and survival unlikely, they cast aside all thoughts of life and death. Seizing the moment when Eldest Senior Brother was locked in fierce combat with the old villain, one clung desperately to the villain’s legs while the other wrapped around his torso from behind..."
The crowd held their breath, the hall plunged into suffocating silence, as if the perilous scene from that day was unfolding before their eyes.
Luo Yuanrong stepped forward, his gaze venomous: "Qiu Yuanfeng, let me ask you—given the situation then, if you had turned back to help, could you have brought Eldest Senior Brother out alive?"
Qiu Yuanfeng staggered backward, sweat dripping from his brow.
"True, Yaoguang Senior’s Venomous Serpent Drill Claw is vicious beyond measure. But that day, he had already used it twice—did he dare unleash it a third time so soon? The technique drains immense energy, and the old villain was already wounded by Third Senior Brother’s sword. Using it three times in succession would have left him either dead or grievously injured! In that moment, had even one skilled fighter joined the fray, Yaoguang Senior would have hesitated!"
"If that had happened, Third Senior Brother, you could have rescued Eldest Senior Brother! But instead, you fled—vanished without a trace, leaving Eldest Senior Brother to fall into the Demon’s clutches!" Luo Yuanrong’s voice choked with emotion. "You cowardly, self-serving wretch! Eldest Senior Brother was destroyed by your hands, despite all the years he spent protecting his juniors!"
Qiu Yuanfeng looked utterly broken: "No, it wasn’t like that! I didn’t mean to harm Eldest Senior Brother—I truly believed there was no chance he could survive, so I... so I ran..."
In his panic, he noticed the scornful looks from those around him. Even Cang Qiongzi lowered his head, refusing to meet his gaze.
Luo Yuanrong advanced step by step: "For years, you’ve played the part of the righteous, unyielding rebel—so selfish that even when you acted improperly, people excused it as your ‘true nature,’ your ‘blunt honesty.’ Only I knew the truth: you’re a calculating schemer who values your own life above all else!"
"Once Master died, you rallied your followers to spread rumors, claiming Second Senior Brother contributed nothing to the Battle of Cauldron Peak Mountain, that he reaped rewards without merit. And after Shifu lost both legs, you groveled before him, vowing to avenge his beloved disciples—only then did he transfer most of his cultivation to you!"
Song Shijun suddenly understood: "So that’s how he defeated the Yuanjing brothers at the Grand Beginning Temple’s competition that year—he’d inherited Daoist Cang Qiongzi’s power." He had been observing from the guest seats at the time, baffled by the outcome, which robbed him of the chance to deliver the sarcastic remarks he’d prepared.
Luo Yuanrong closed in on Qiu Yuanfeng, his smile cruel and triumphant: "Indeed! Do you all wonder how our ‘Hero Qiu’ suddenly gained such power in just a few months? On his own, this waste would never have caught up to Eldest and Second Senior Brother in a hundred years. No, he achieved it by groveling, flattering Shifu like a servile dog!"
Qiu Yuanfeng retreated until his back hit the altar, drenched in cold sweat. The crowd’s gazes—mocking, accusatory, disdainful—stripped him bare like blades, exposing his bloody, hideous core. Even the disciples of Grand Beginning Temple shunned him as if he were a plague.
Cang Qiongzi sighed in sorrow: "Enough, Yuanrong, enough! Yuanfeng has erred—he feared death and fled. Take him back to Grand Beginning Temple, punish him as you will, even strip him of his position as sect leader. But you are still a disciple of our sect—spare us this disgrace!"Venerable Fakong also said, "Patron Luo, what's done cannot be undone, and later generations can neither regret nor change it. Patron Luo should look more to the future. If you don't mind, perhaps you could entrust Hero Wu to our temple. This old monk presumes to say that we will surely take good care of Hero Wu, to make his... to make his remaining days more comfortable..."
Even the compassionate old monk couldn't continue. Seeing Wu Yuanying in such a pitiful state, everyone wondered what kind of treatment could possibly help.
Shijing Yuantai added, "If Patron Luo and Hero Wu find Evergreen Temple inconvenient, though our Hanging Temple is humble, it can still offer shelter." She guessed Luo Yuanrong wouldn't want to leave Wu Yuanying, yet as a woman it would be inappropriate for her to stay in a monastery. It would be better for both to go to Hanging Temple—after all, Wu Yuanying's current condition wouldn't tarnish the nuns' reputation.
But for the usually stern and unyielding Shijing Yuantai to say such words was no small matter.
Hearing these words of pity, Luo Yuanrong could bear it no longer. She collapsed to the ground, weeping bitterly.
Through her tears, she recalled Wu Yuanying's bright, heroic smile that morning, his hearty laughter as he told his junior sister not to worry, saying he'd be back soon. But he never returned.
To the righteous heroes, Wu Yuanying might have been just a young hero, a cheerful companion, a chivalrous warrior who fought against the strong and helped the weak, a sigh in casual conversation, an occasional fleeting thought, a faint memory of regret in the blur of time.
But to Luo Yuanrong, Wu Yuanying was the most intense, bone-deep love of her life, the blood from her heart she would never give up even after a hundred deaths, the beloved she would dream of and remember forever.
For over a decade, she had watched helplessly as every trace of Wu Yuanying was erased, as if he had never existed.
Alone in the world, she had cried out and insisted, "He's not dead," but no one had listened.
Luo Yuanrong slowly rose and bowed to each person present. "Today, thanks to your help, Yuanrong and my senior brother's grievances have been redressed. For this, I offer my deepest gratitude."
Hearing this, everyone in the hall felt a deep sense of guilt, for in truth, they had done little to help Luo Yuanrong.
Luo Yuanrong walked to Cang Qiongzi's side and bowed slightly. "Uncle Master, all these years I've been stubborn and obstinate. Please don't blame me."
Cang Qiongzi sighed. "As long as you understand, we must always prioritize our sect's reputation... Ah—!" His eyes widened in shock as he clutched his throat, blood gushing between his fingers, his voice reduced to gurgles.
Luo Yuanrong held a short blade and said coldly, "This is how stubborn and obstinate I am. I'm sure you won't blame me, Uncle Master."
Before anyone could react, Luo Yuanrong swiftly pulled out a dark, ominous "Storm of Thunder" from her robes and leaped toward Qiu Yuanfeng, hurling it with lightning speed.
A deafening explosion erupted, far more powerful than before, shaking the entire Facing Sun Hall as if it might collapse.
As the smoke cleared, everyone looked through the scattered rubble to see Qiu Yuanfeng, his belly torn open, half his body charred black, blood streaming from his ears, eyes, and nose.
Luo Yuanrong's legs were also mangled, bones visible through the torn flesh. Yet she crawled resolutely toward Wu Yuanying, embracing the broken man in her arms. Before Qi Yunke and the others could approach, two muffled groans sounded—Luo Yuanrong and Wu Yuanying moved no more.
Horrified, Qi Yunke and the others pushed Luo Yuanrong aside and saw identical daggers deeply embedded in both her and Wu Yuanying. Though they could not live together, they chose to die together. All who witnessed it sighed in sorrow.Cang Qiongzi had already breathed his last, while Qiu Yuanfeng continued to writhe and howl amidst the rubble.
Qi Yunke, Song Shijun, and Zhou Zhizhen exchanged glances, their thoughts aligned.
Song Shijun remarked, "A swift end would be merciful. Though I feel somewhat sorry for Sister Yuanrong—my inclination was to let Qiu suffer a bit longer."
Zhou Zhizhen shook his head. "We can't delay any further. The disgrace isn't limited to Grand Beginning Temple alone now. Brother Yunke, if it's inconvenient for you, I can handle it."
Qi Yunke paused, then smiled bitterly. "As sect leader, I am truly inept." He then walked over to Qiu Yuanfeng, placing his right palm on the Baihui acupoint atop Qiu's head. Blood streamed from Qiu's nose, his pupils dilated, as he muttered deliriously, "One wrong decision, one wrong decision... How could I have been so blind..."
Qi Yunke looked up at Song Shijun and Zhou Zhizhen, who had also heard these words, and both slowly shook their heads. With a surge of inner energy from Qi Yunke's palm, Qiu Yuanfeng perished instantly.
Rising to his feet, Qi Yunke declared, "Qiu Yuanfeng of Grand Beginning Temple betrayed trust, violated righteousness, and murdered his own sect brothers. Today, I have taken his life to uphold the laws and integrity of the Big Dipper Six Sects. Does anyone object?"
The joint decision of the three North Star sect leaders to execute Qiu Yuanfeng first, then seek opinions, carried an implicit message: 'Those from other sects should refrain from speaking up.' Naturally, no one voiced dissent—not even the sarcastic Yunzhuan Daoren, who kept his mouth shut.
Watching Wang Yuanjing and his disciples silently gather the four corpses, Cai Zhao felt overwhelming sorrow.
She whispered, "Just moments ago, Grand Beginning Temple was so arrogant and domineering. Yet in such a short time, four have died, and their reputation lies in ruins. Truly, pride comes before a fall."
Chang Ning gently brushed the gravel and dust from Cai Zhao's clothes. "You think only Grand Beginning Temple is disgraced? The Big Dipper Six Sects have all lost face."
"Don't gloat. Sigh... Your father was truly a good man. Despite having no ties to Grand Beginning Temple, he still tried to save Heroine Luo. Why do good people never live long?"
Chang Ning remained silent.
Cai Zhao looked up and saw Song Yuzhi leading his disciples in examining the remnants of the 'Stormy Pear Blossom.' Puzzled, she asked, "Why is there such a stark difference between these 'Stormy Pear Blossoms'?"
Chang Ning lifted his eyelids. "It seems Luo Yuanrong seized three 'Storm of Thunder' devices. She extracted half the gunpowder from the first two and poured it into the third, while transferring the poisoned needles from the third into the first two."
Cai Zhao worried, "The Demonic Cult is as towering as the clouds—even the hidden weapons left by the dead are this formidable."
Chang Ning's expression was indifferent. "That was in the past. The current Demonic Cult is too busy with internal strife. Back then, Nie Hengcheng had no scruples—he recruited all manner of demons and monsters as long as they had skill. They say he could control them."
"So the current Demonic Cult leader hasn't recruited powerful monsters because he can't control them?"
"Acting leader."
"Fine, acting leader."
"Of course he can't control them. That's why my father said Nie Zhe sitting as leader is actually good—he lacks ability himself and dares not recruit formidable subordinates."
Just then, Wu Yuanying's corpse was carried past them. Cai Zhao suddenly felt a surge of irritation. "It's too stifling here. I need some air."
Chang Ning naturally accompanied her.
As they were about to step over the high threshold of Facing Sun Hall, a resonant bell toll suddenly echoed from outside.
Those inside the hall heard it as well.
Zeng Dalou awkwardly reported to Qi Yunke, "Master, the time for the ceremonial rites has passed."Cai Zhao thought this ceremony was nothing but bad luck and had no desire to stay. Turning her head, she strode out of Facing Sun Hall.
At this moment, the sun stood at its zenith in a cloudless sky. The clear, bright sunlight fell boldly upon the facades of Dusk Micro Palace's halls, illuminating every hidden shadow in the corners of the eaves, leaving nothing concealed.
[End of Volume One]
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