She clenched the medicinal powder tightly, her knuckles turning white.
I watched her without looking away. Wind blew in through the doorway, sweeping up the lingering incense ash from the altar and carrying it past that bloodstained corner of cloth. It still lay in the tray, its fluorescent glow unextinguished, as though some force had nailed it in place.
The elders had not gone far.
Footsteps paused at the end of the corridor. Someone spoke in a low voice, suppressed almost to a whisper, but it could not escape my hearing. They hesitated, not daring to reach a conclusion lightly, and even less willing to immediately offend the forces behind Ji Hantian.
But the evidence was already laid before them.
I slowly raised my hand, my fingertips lightly brushing across my palm—the faint golden origin within still circulated, like a hidden river lurking beneath my bloodline. The Battle Intent Fragments accumulated during the confrontation had now transformed into tangible power, slowly advancing through my meridians. Seven strands and three-tenths—just a little more, and I could condense a Dao foundation.
I did not need to make a move.
I only needed to give it one more push.
While everyone's eyes remained on Ye Qingwan, I pressed down slightly with my fingertip. An exceedingly fine wisp of aura seeped into the air and silently descended upon that piece of cloth. The Heaven-Slaying Origin carried no killing intent, yet it could stir resonance with the world's Remnant Dao. Especially when facing something like demonic aura, rejected by the laws themselves, its reaction became even fiercer.
Almost in an instant, the fluorescence on the cloth trembled violently, then surged.
The originally faint halo became blinding in an instant. The entire corner of cloth seemed to have been set alight, rippling with scarlet and golden light intertwined. It was no illusion, but the true manifestation of Spiritual Power resonance.
A middle-aged elder standing in the front row changed expression abruptly and staggered half a step back. "This... this is a sign of demonic aura backlash! Only those who have been in prolonged contact with soul-eroding artifacts would bear such a deep mark!"
Several elders who had originally remained on the sidelines also changed expression.
"It cannot have been accidental contamination," another said in a grave voice. "At this level of fluctuation, it has persisted for at least three months."
"Shut up!" A furious roar came from the entrance.
Ji Hantian had returned at some point, his face ashen. The arm beneath his Purple-Gold Python Robe trembled faintly. He stared fixedly at the glowing cloth, a flicker of panic flashing through his eyes before fury covered it. "You have all been deceived! This is poisonous powder refined by Ye Qingwan, deliberately used to create a false appearance and frame me!"
"Whether it is a false appearance can be retested on the spot." A white-bearded elder slowly stepped forward, forming a Demon Identification Seal from a Sect Secret Technique in his hand. As spiritual light flickered, he held his palm three inches above the cloth.
Time seemed to freeze.
Three breaths later, the old man opened his eyes, his voice cold as frozen iron. "The demonic aura has penetrated through seven layers of meridian residue, perfectly matching the operating cycle of the Blood Demon Sect's 'Soul Devouring Array.' This object was indeed caused by prolonged contact with a demonic-path artifact."
The entire hall fell deathly silent.
Even the elders who had originally stood with Ji Hantian fell silent.
One man from the Punishment Faction immediately rose to his feet. Holding a clan token, he declared loudly, "Ji Hantian, collusion with external enemies and the secret possession of forbidden techniques—the evidence is conclusive! From this day onward, you are to reflect behind closed doors and remain confined to your chamber. You may not leave without a summons from the Executive Elder Council!"
Two members of the Law Enforcement Team stepped forward to take him away.
Ji Hantian's eyes turned bloodshot as he flung his sleeve. "You dare? I am the Great Elder's grandson! What right do you have to convict me?!"
"By the Family Rules." I spoke, my voice not loud, yet clearly reaching every ear.
He whipped his head toward me, fire nearly bursting from his eyes.
I did not evade his gaze and merely said flatly, "If you are innocent, why fear an investigation? Such fierce resistance only makes it seem as though you have a guilty conscience."
His lips trembled. He still wanted to say something, but the Law Enforcement Team forcibly dragged him out of the ancestral hall.
The moment the door closed, the air finally loosened somewhat.
The crowd gradually dispersed. Some spoke in low voices, while others repeatedly looked back. This disturbance seemed to have settled, but in truth, it had only just begun.
I remained where I was, the wisp of origin in my palm still unretracted. Seven strands and six-tenths—only a hair's breadth remained before the Dao foundation. With one more similar bout of pressure, I might be able to break through.
"Leaving?" A voice sounded beside me.
At some point, Ye Qingwan had come to stand at my side. Her Black Cloak hung low, concealing half her face. She still gripped that pinch of medicinal powder in her hand, faint light glimmering through the gaps between her fingers.
I nodded and stepped forward with her.
We walked out of the ancestral hall side by side. Behind us, the incense gradually died out, and the memorial tablets returned to silence. Outside, the sky was overcast, clouds hanging low as if rain was about to fall.
Guards had already formed ranks on both sides of the long corridor, sealing the passages leading to every part of the inner courtyard. One squad guarded the route toward Ji Hantian's chamber, forbidding anyone from approaching.
"They are afraid he will destroy the evidence," I said.
Ye Qingwan gave a soft hum and did not slow her pace.
When we reached a corner, the crowd thinned somewhat. She suddenly slowed down, waiting half a step behind me.
"What you said earlier," she said softly, "about my mother... it was not an accident."
I did not deny it.
Instead, I asked, "Why would a woman of a collateral branch die at the edge of the Direct Lineage's Forbidden Ground? And why would her body be uninjured, yet her soul completely gone?"
Her breathing caught.
Golden light flickered in her eyes, as though some power within her was awakening.
"Do you know who did it?"
"I do not," I said. "But I know that someone used the Soul Nurturing Cauldron to extract her consciousness that night. And that cauldron is now in Ji Hantian's chamber."
She stopped walking.
So did I.
Raindrops began to fall, pattering against the eaves in a fine, fragmented rhythm.
She stared at me and enunciated every word. "Then what about you? You pretended to be worthless for three years. What exactly were you waiting for?"
I did not answer immediately.
A muffled peal of thunder sounded in the distance, rolling across the heavens.
Just then, a Law Enforcement Team member hurried over from the direction of the chamber, his face tense as he rushed straight to the guard captain. The two lowered their heads and exchanged a few words. The captain's brows knitted tightly, and he immediately ordered more personnel deployed.
Something seemed to have happened.
I withdrew my gaze and looked at Ye Qingwan. "I was waiting for an opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"To let everyone know," I said in a low voice, "that I am not worthless."
She looked at me, her eyes complicated, as though she wanted to see through something, yet also as though she was confirming a certain answer.
After a moment, she nodded lightly and continued walking.
I said nothing more and silently followed half a step behind her. The origin in my palm flowed slowly, its temperature slightly higher than before. Seven strands and seven-tenths—it was closing in on the threshold.
The guards near the chamber had visibly increased, patrols becoming more frequent. Shadows even flashed across the rooftops.
I knew what they were guarding against.
But once some things left traces behind, they could never be erased again.
That moment in the ancestral hall when I injected the origin had not merely been to intensify the demonic aura's reaction.
I had also left behind a thread of perception.
As long as that bloodstained corner of cloth remained within the chamber, I could continuously absorb the scattered fragments of demonic aura around it and convert them into Heaven-Slaying Origin. The more perilous the situation, the stronger the enemy, the faster the system would operate.
And now, Ji Hantian was trapped in his chamber. Fury, fear, unwillingness—those emotions would give rise to even greater battle-intent fluctuations.
For me, it was the finest breeding ground.
The rain fell harder and harder.
We reached a fork in the road. She was headed for the eastern courtyard, while I was returning to the western wing.
She turned to look at me. Rainwater slid from the brim of her hood, tracing a wet line down beside her cheek.
"At the Court Hall tomorrow," she said, "will you be there?"
"I will," I said. "You should go too."
She nodded and lifted her foot to leave, only to pause again.
"Do not die before that day." With her back to me, she spoke.
I did not respond.
She walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped again.
She reached into her medicine pouch and took out a small packet of unused fluorescent powder. Without turning back, she gently placed the paper packet on the stone steps by the roadside, letting the rain soak one corner.
Then she hurried away, her figure vanishing into the curtain of rain.
I stood where I was for a moment before walking over and picking up the packet of medicinal powder. The paper was damp, but the powder inside had not yet dissolved.
I tucked it into my sleeve.
I raised my head toward the direction of the chamber. The lights there were dim, and the guards were strict.
And behind some tightly shut window, a letter was being torn into shreds and thrown into a brazier. The flames suddenly leaped high, illuminating a twisted face.
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