Chi Yan's End

As soon Elder Xu fainted, the Mara Gate's ships suddenly became lively.

In an instant, people were being carried away, and others were being given medicine. Some, however, were so audacious and ignorant that they even dared to openly criticize Jiulian:

"Elder Ten Thousand Daos Born's words are so insolent, he has angered our elder to the point of fainting. Is he taking advantage of the Mara Gate has no one to rely on?!" This person is only at the Foundation Establishment stage. He had previously injured several Ten Thousand Daos Born cultivators in the Foundation Establishment individual competition and achieved a decent ranking, which is why he showed his face in front of Elder Xu.

Elder Xu's casual compliment was remembered by this man. His current behavior wasn't out of genuine sympathy for Elder Xu, but rather an attempt to use this opportunity to get on Elder Xu's good side.

Jiulian, who had been named by name, showed no sign of anger whatsoever. She simply winked at the disciple and said, "So what if I am?"

"So what if it is?" The disciple was taken aback, then annoyance flashed across his face.

"You..." He took a large step, as if he was about to say something unpleasant again.

As soon as he took a step, a sharp pain shot through his calf, and he involuntarily fell backward.

Unfortunately, Elder Xu lay unconscious right behind him. The disciples of the Mara Gate hadn't anticipated this accident, so they didn't have time to help him up.

They could only watch helplessly as the disciple crashed heavily onto Elder Xu.

With a "poof," Elder Xu had finally been awakened by the elixir, spat out a mouthful of blood and immediately fainted again.

The disciple who bumped into Elder Xu turned deathly pale instantly.

Elder Xu, who had fainted again, was quickly carried back to the cabin by the disciples of the Mara Gate. After another round of chaos, he was given several pills, which barely managed to stabilize Elder Xu's shaky mind.

Jiulian gently waved the folding fan in her hand, shifting her gaze from Sang Ying's hand that was forming Method Formula, pretending not to have seen what her disciple had just done.

Once the farce on this side had begun to subside, the people from the other factions started discussing their return journey.

White Duckweed Island has already announced the results of the sect competition, and they are well aware that this outcome cannot be changed.

Even though the ten days had not yet passed, and even though some sects still had hidden tricks up their sleeves, they could only regretfully return to Hidden Sparrow City under the guidance of the Azure Feather Sect's seaship.

Meanwhile, within the Azure Feather Sect, Sect Master Jimo was troubled by a difficult matter.

"Are you sure you found residual Demonic Qi in the formation?" The Sect Master Jimo looked at the young man in front of him. This was the junior he cared about most, and the person he had secretly designated as his successor.

The Sect Master Jimo didn't distrust him; it was just that this matter was of such great importance that he had to be cautious.

The young man showed no impatience despite being repeatedly asked about this matter. In his eyes, which were very similar to those of the sect leader, Sang Ying had never seen such seriousness before.

"This disciple would not joke about such a thing with the sect leader. If this matter were not of great importance, this disciple would have already returned to seclusion." Jimo Xuan's words were not very polite, but the sect leader did not seem angry at all.

He knew his nephew's temperament; the more stubborn he was, the more serious the matter was.

The Sect Master Jimo felt a sudden twitch in his brow, a vague feeling that he had been drawn into some terrible conspiracy.

This matter should not have been discovered so quickly, and Jimo Xuan even brought it to the sect leader's attention.

Just a few days ago, Jimo Xuan ended his seclusion early due to his failure to break through. After hearing the news that Sang Ying and the others had left Azure Feather Sect and headed to White Duckweed Island, he originally wanted to go with them.

But before they even left the sect, they unexpectedly bumped into an outer sect disciple who was carrying a truckload of scrap materials to dispose of.

Jimo Xuan was usually a bit rough around the edges, but he was quite kind to people. Seeing that the outer disciple was having a lot of trouble, he readily helped him out.

It was precisely this group that led him to discover the secret hidden in the waste—a piece of gravel fell off the vehicle, Jimo Xuan picked it up casually, but was attracted by the broken array engraved on it.

He quickly recognized that the stone belonged to the dueling arena, and the array on it was specially set up by an array master at the request of the sect leader.

People from other sects probably only thought that this formation was useful for restraining the Spiritual Qi of the contestants and protecting the disciples watching the battle.

However, Jimo Xuan, an elite inner disciple, knew that the greatest function of the formation was to absorb the Spiritual Qi left by cultivators and feed it back into the sect's protective formation to maintain its operation.

However, his good sister's Sword Qi was so domineering that she destroyed the dueling platform before the formation could even begin to convert Spiritual Power.

Therefore, the Spiritual Qi of the first two cultivators still remains on this stone.

Or, it's not just about Spiritual Qi.

"Who do you think was behind this?" the Sect Master Jimo asked again.

"This matter has nothing to do with my sister!" Upon hearing the question from the Sect Master Jimo, Jimo Xuan's first reaction was to exonerate Sang Ying, "Her sword is pure and unyielding; she is not the kind of person who would collude with Evil Dao sects."

Even if Sang Ying was the only cultivator who destroyed the arena, Jimo Xuan still didn't believe that the wisp of Demonic Qi came from his sister.

Seeing his nephew's serious and earnest expression, Sect Master Jimo sighed helplessly, "I know this matter has nothing to do with Sang Ying, you don't need to be so nervous."

If he truly thought that way, would he still have asked Jimo Xuan for his opinion?

The Sect Master Jimo felt helpless, lamenting that they had too few girls in their family, which meant that the younger generation could only pour all their love and affection into Sang Ying alone.

Hearing the sect leader's words, Jimo Xuan's tense expression finally relaxed. "My sister destroyed two arenas this time, one during her battle with Su Fuyun of the Mara Gate, and the other during her battle with Chi Yan of the Mara Gate."

"Since my sister can't be the problem, then the one with the problem must be Mara Gate."

Jimo Xuan's logic is very simple: as long as Sang Ying is innocent, then anyone who is problematic is her enemy!

The Sect Master Jimo was taken aback by his nephew's simplistic thinking, but he had to admit that there seemed to be nothing wrong with his way of thinking.

This alone is not enough to convict Mara Gate.

He remained silent for a long while before saying, "Inform the patriarch and the others about this matter first, and keep it from the rest of the sect for now. Also, arrange for a few trustworthy people to keep a close watch on the Mara Gate's courtyard. Now that the sect competition is over, we just need to wait for their return before we can settle things with them."

Jimo Xuan was not entirely satisfied with this result. However, he also knew that the Mara Gate was, after all, a major sect, and could not be brought down by a mere remnant of an array.

Fortunately, the Sect Master Jimo also promised him that he could arrange for people to keep an eye on the Mara Gate's courtyard.

After thinking it over, Jimo Xuan decided to send a message to his elder brother, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and ask him to bring back some capable people.

He believed that there were still many secrets hidden within the Mara Gate!

News from the Azure Feather Sect quickly reached Rizhao City. Jimo Xuan could keep it a secret from others in the sect, but he wouldn't hide such an important matter from his own family.

So, after hearing the news that Sang Ying and others had won first place in the sect competition, the Jimo Household head and his wife were not happy for long before their smiles froze because of this sudden news.

After reading the message in the communication talisman, the Jimo Household head, with a cold and stern face, said to his son, "This matter is of utmost importance. Since A-Xuan has spoken to you, pick a few good ones and send them to him."

"Of course." Jimo Qing, who appeared even more elegant and composed than a few years ago, nodded in agreement. "Besides, I also want to personally visit the Azure Feather Sect."

Since this involves Sang Ying, it's hard to guarantee that his sister won't be bitten back.

Jimo Qing narrowed his eyes. Putting everything else aside, just based on the information he had gathered about that Holy Maiden Su, he knew that she was not someone who would follow the righteous path!

As an older brother, it is only natural that he should appear in time when his younger sister needs him and protect her.

Unaware of all these undercurrents, Sang Ying was mingling in the fleet, waiting to return to the Azure Feather Sect and receive the honor that belonged to Ten Thousand Daos Born!

Not only Ten Thousand Daos Born, but also the cultivators from Taotie Gate and Buddha Sound Temple couldn't hide their joy.

After several days of fierce fighting, everyone was able to relax a bit and started chatting in small groups.

This scene, witnessed by the Mara Gate disciples not far away, provoked them to reveal expressions of resentment.

Chi Yan refused to look any longer, as if he was worried that he would not be able to suppress his jealousy. He only dared to glance at Ten Thousand Daos Born's ship a few times before squeezing past his fellow disciples and returning to his bedroom.

Seeing his friend's expression, Jing He hesitated for a moment, then got up and followed him.

Chi Yan hadn't expected Jing He to follow him, but since Jing He was a friend he had once considered a friend, he didn't say much, and the two of them went inside without saying a word.

"How are you these days?" Chi Yan pursed his lips and asked.

This monk, who was sharp and cold in front of outsiders, finally let down his guard and revealed a softer side in front of his friend.

Jing He was taken aback by his question, but quickly put on a smile again, "I'm doing quite well. My family is, after all, Aristocratic Clan, and my parents can still give me some help."

These are naturally lies. If Jing He's parents were truly that capable, he wouldn't have been bullied by his fellow disciples.

Chi Yan roughly guessed the truth, but he didn't press further. Instead, he told his friend, "Although I lost this competition, the sect leader promised me that if I accomplished something significant for him, he would grant me one request. Don't worry, I will definitely help you repair your Spirit Root!"

The certainty in Chi Yan's words startled Jing He.

He had indeed wanted to ask this question for a long time: why was his own Spirit Root damaged, while Chi Yan, a person of mediocre talent, suddenly became Single Fire Spirit Root?

Now that the other party had laid out the questions before him, Jing He seized the opportunity to ask, "Why are you so certain? And how did your Spirit Root become like this?"

"Don't ask those questions anymore. In short, out of consideration for our past relationship, I will help you. But you must keep this matter to yourself and never tell anyone else."

Chi Yan said with a sigh, "This Mara Gate has too many secrets; knowing them won't do you any good."

As the two were talking, the fleet arrived at the port of Hidden Sparrow City.

The noise from outside drifted in, making the two of them even more irritable.

"Why can't you tell me that a cultivator's Spirit Root predetermined by heaven? If the Mara Gate can arbitrarily bestow Spirit Root upon others, then can they also arbitrarily seize others' Spirit Root? What exactly do you know?!" At this moment, Jing He could no longer hold back.

He desperately wanted an answer from his friend; he couldn't understand why someone as talented as himself had fallen to this state.

"Don't ask anymore, this is something you shouldn't know." Chi Yan pushed away Jing He's outstretched hand. "Just remember, I won't abandon you."

But Jing He was completely deaf to all of this.

His eyes were bloodshot, his mind filled with memories of past glories and the oppression he was now suffering. He was unwilling to accept it!

"Was it the sect leader or Su Fuyun? What did they do?!" This was the only thing Jing He could guess.

Sure enough, Chi Yan's expression changed.

Jing He sneered inwardly. He was about to ask more questions when the commotion outside grew louder and louder.

Anger consumed his reason, preventing Jing He from noticing his friend's strange expression.

"Bang!"

That was the sound of a ship docking, and also the sound of Chi Yan collapsing.

Faint cheers from disciples of other sects could be heard from outside, mixed with shouts from Rogue Cultivator.

Just a plank of boat's length away, outside was the bustling world of humanity, while inside felt like falling into hell.

Jing He wiped his face; the foul-smelling blood was an ominous black.

His mind, which was filled with anger, suddenly went blank.

Jing He was confused. His friend, who had just been arguing with him, suddenly coughed up black blood and collapsed unconscious.

He suppressed his fear, reached out towards the person on the ground, and pressed a trembling index finger against Chi Yan's nose...

In the deathly silence of the room, only Jing He's breathing could be heard.

He slumped to the ground, a tear rolling down his cheek. Even the proud young master could shed tears.

It's unclear whether his tears were for his Spirit Root, which he could never recover, or for the complete loss of a close friend.

In the room next to Chi Yan, Su Fuyun slowly opened her eyes, her eyes filled with hidden excitement.

He's finally dead, and my plan can go on!

Sang Ying, how will you exonerate yourself this time?

A note from the author:

Sorry, I'm not feeling well today, so this is the only chapter I can write. (A weak and listless girl bows and apologizes to everyone, sob sob sob)

I'll get up early tomorrow and write four chapters to make up for it for everyone~ (I swear on my long tail!)

Love you all, see you tomorrow~