Su Jiu dared not dwell on what Ning Fan must have felt as he personally sent his fellow disciples to their deaths, nor could she imagine how much pressure he had borne.
Others could refuse to turn their swords on their fellow disciples out of old affection, but he could not.
For the sect, for the many more disciples behind him, he had to play the villain. Otherwise, even more disciples would be hurt.
Yet everyone had forgotten that before becoming sect master, he, too, had been an ordinary person-an Azure Tide Sect disciple whom so many elders had watched grow up.
And he possessed the same emotions as any other human being.
When he struck, little did they know that the person suffering most was actually him.
"We're still looking for a solution, but so far, we haven't found any leads. Even the demonic cultivators are helpless against the demonic qi released by those demonic beasts..." Li Ran sighed, bitterness filling his heart.
Su Jiu could not help looking surprised. "The demonic cultivators are affected by that demonic qi, too?"
Before Su Jiu could get an answer, someone suddenly came running from nearby.
"Qi Song, Li Ran, the elders and sect master want you over there! Hurry!" Panic filled the messenger's face; one glance was enough to tell that something had probably happened.
Qi Song wiped away the tear tracks that had yet to dry on his face. "Something's come up. Let's go."
The two seemed long accustomed to these sudden summons, with not the slightest surprise on their faces.
Before leaving, they glanced at Su Jiu, who had followed them.
Seeing this, Su Jiu explained, "I need to see the Third Elder and the others, too. We're going the same way."
The Pill Refining Room was not