Heaven-Piercing Peak's back mountain.
Ancestral Hall.
"W-what do you mean?"
At Wan Jianyi's words,
Cang Song stared fixedly at the frail old man before him with bloodshot eyes.
How could Daoxuan not have harmed you?
Who in the entire Qingyun Sect didn't know Daoxuan was jealous of the talented?
Who didn't know Senior Brother Wan's achievements had once overshadowed his leader?
"Senior Brother."
"Did he feed you some kind of bewitching potion?"
"Or did he place some sort of restriction on you?"
"Don't be afraid!"
The immortal sword in Cang Song's hand hummed, its emerald glow illuminating his frenzied face.
"I'll risk my life to get you out of here!"
Wan Jianyi didn't move.
He merely leaned the broom in his hand gently against the wall.
His movements were delicate,
as though he were setting down a priceless treasure.
"Back then..."
"Master didn't die in that bloody battle in the Savage Lands."
Wan Jianyi's voice was calm, as still as a stagnant pool.
"But after he returned, his inner demons took hold."
The moment he said this,
the air in the ancestral hall seemed to freeze.
Even Cang Song's frenzied momentum faltered.
"The Zhu Xian Sword."
"That sword was too murderous."
"To protect Qingyun, Master wielded it to slay demons and evil, but in the end... he was overcome by its baleful aura."
Wan Jianyi lifted his head. In his cloudy old eyes, the bloody night from a hundred years ago was reflected.
"Master went mad."
"He killed everyone he saw."
"If no one stopped him, the Qingyun Sect's thousand-year legacy would have been destroyed by Master's own hands."
"For the Qingyun Sect's good name, and to preserve Master's lifelong honor..."
Wan Jianyi pointed to the one hand he had left.
"It was me."
"I took the Dragon Slaying Sword."