The Sect Master's Fall

The sect leader was seriously injured this time. Gu Huaiwei had not yet regained his memory and had no idea that the person in front of him was his senior brother, so he did not hold back at all when he attacked him.

The poor sect leader recognized his junior brother early on, but out of consideration for their fraternal bond, he refused to kill him, ultimately suffering a miserable defeat.

Now that the Flowing Light Sword Sect has been razed to the ground, there is no way to restore the entire sect in a short time. The only option is to temporarily place the immobile sect leader in a bamboo building Law Artifact.

The bamboo building has no more than three floors and is not very large; it can only house disciples who are seriously injured and need to recuperate.

The sect leader was placed in the largest room, but even though it was the largest room, Sang Zheng and his wife still felt somewhat confined when they stepped inside.

Hearing the commotion at the door, the sect leader, who was already exhausted, strained to look in their direction.

Two figures appeared in his blurry vision. The sect leader blinked with difficulty, but still couldn't make out their faces. "Who's here?"

His voice was somewhat hoarse and weak.

Upon seeing his current appearance, Sang Zheng Wen Miaoshu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "It's me," Sang Zheng cleared his throat and replied.

The sect leader's expression changed immediately upon hearing this voice.

He instinctively wanted to pounce on Sang Zheng, but the sect leader underestimated his current physical condition and strength. He barely moved and almost fell off the bed.

In the end, it was Sang Zheng who reached out and helped him up, preventing the sect leader from falling to the ground. However, the sect leader, who was being helped up, trembled subconsciously when he touched Sang Zheng's hand.

"You're back." He said with deep emotion, "I knew you'd come back, I knew..."

By the end, he was muttering to himself, the words uttered in a murmur that no one but himself could understand.

Sang Zheng had just moved closer, trying to hear what he was saying, when the sect leader grabbed his arm tightly.

The man lying disheveled on the bed was no longer the man he once was. His once full head of black hair had turned completely white due to the depletion of his Essence Blood, and even the hand he reached out to Sang Zheng was covered with wrinkles like old tree bark.

Looking at the sect leader's current state, Wen Miaoshu looked away with some reluctance. But she felt no pity for his fate, believing he had only himself to blame.

"Fusheng is... is... Gu, Gu..." The sect leader held Sang Zheng's hand, becoming excited once again.

At this moment, he was only exhaling and not inhaling; he looked completely exhausted.

Hearing the words he uttered with difficulty, Sang Zheng immediately guessed what he meant and quickly said, "I know, we know! Fusheng is Gu Huaiwei, we already know that."

Upon hearing this, the sect leader's wide eyes finally closed slightly, and he was no longer as hysterical as before. He simply looked quietly in Sang Zheng's direction, tears streaming down his face and eventually disappearing into his hair.

"I'm sorry." These three words were uttered slowly but firmly from the sect leader's lips, leaving the other two present with a complex mix of emotions.

Hearing this apology made them extremely uncomfortable. Even though their relationship with the sect leader wasn't particularly good in the past, they had been fellow disciples for so many years.

Sang Zheng had even trusted this man so much that she was willing to entrust her daughter to him for care.

But this person ultimately disappointed them, not only scheming against them but also nearly costing their daughter her life.

Sang Zheng did not release the sect leader's hand, but his words remained cold. "We accept this apology, but whether you can forgive her depends on Sang Ying's wishes. We cannot make that decision for her."

After saying this, Sang Zheng pulled his hand away with a little force. The couple glanced at the sect leader one last time, then left without saying a word.

The day after they met the sect leader, when the sect leader's disciple Mu Xuan, went to deliver medicine to him as usual, he found that the other party had already stopped breathing.

Thus, after losing their sect, the Flowing Light Sword Sect soon lost their sect leader as well.

Because everything is in ruins and the Twin Orchid Realm has just suffered a severe blow, it needs time to heal its wounds. Therefore, the sect leader's funeral was held somewhat hastily and simply.

Most of the sect elders and disciples attended the funeral that day, except for Sang Ying's family and Ten Thousand Daos Born and his group.

Even so, no one present expressed any dissatisfaction, not even Mu Xuan. This was because Elder Yanhua had already revealed the grudge between the sect leader and the Sang Zheng family of three. On the one hand, everyone mourned the sect leader's passing, and on the other hand, they felt ashamed of what he had done.

Even the day before the funeral, Mu Xuan personally went to kneel in front of the bamboo house where the Sang Household now lived, expressing that he would spend his whole life atoning for the mistakes his master had made.

Sang Ying, of course, refused to agree. In her view, the sect leader was the sect leader, and Mu Xuan was Mu Xuan. Why should the latter bear the responsibility for the former's mistakes?

Mu Xuan refused, saying, "I have received many years of kindness from my master. Even if I didn't know he had made mistakes before, now that I know, I can't ignore it. It is my duty to settle this score for my master."

He spoke earnestly, his eyes filled with determination, and he firmly stated that if the Sang Household did not agree, he would kneel in front of the bamboo house and refuse to get up.

Sang Zheng had no choice but to agree, despite his dao companion's disapproving gaze.

After the sect leader's funeral, everyone began to discuss the selection of a new sect leader.

Among them, Sang Zheng and Elder Yanhua were the most popular candidates, but because Elder Yanhua was not interested in worldly affairs, the heavy responsibility ultimately fell on Sang Zheng.

So when Sang Zheng was given a sect leader's seal and then heard several elders announce him as the successor sect leader, his face was completely dumbfounded.

The announcement had already been made; even if Sang Zheng wanted to back out or refuse, it was too late.

Fortunately, the elders understood Sang Zheng's reluctance and eventually compromised, stating that Sang Zheng would be allowed to step down and leave when Mu Xuan had grown up enough to be able to stand on his own.

Sang Zheng had no choice but to accept the decision and postpone his plan to return to the Immortal Spirit Realm with his wife and daughter.

He could postpone his return, but Jiulian and the others really couldn't delay any longer; it was time for them to set off back to their sect.

Now that the crisis in the Twin Orchid Realm has been resolved, all that remains is the task of recuperating and rebuilding the sect. These tasks do not require Ten Thousand Daos Born's disciples, and they have been away for long enough; it is time for them to return to the sect.

Originally, Sang Ying had planned to leave with Jiulian and the others, but because Sang Zheng was forced to stay and become the sect leader, she changed her mind and decided to stay in the Twin Orchid Realm for a while longer until things were settled before returning to Ten Thousand Daos Born.

Jiulian didn't stop her, but before leaving, he earnestly said to Sang Ying, "Remember to return to the sect, don't keep your master waiting too long!"

Sang Ying smiled and nodded at him.

With all the trivial matters on the surface settled, the people of the Flowing Light Sword Sect finally had time to deal with the people underground.

After being locked in darkness for a long time, Gu Huaiwei and Qi Yaoji finally saw the third person enter the water prison.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Gu Huaiwei suddenly looked up and met Sang Zheng's eyes.