Chapter 11: Being Interrogated in the Main Hall

A Shang was not in a good state at the moment. First, she had been targeted by He Zong and his two companions, who attempted to humiliate her using a Spirit-Binding Rope. After barely escaping, she had injured her leg and fallen off a cliff. Then, she had to fight a demonic beast.

Her hair was disheveled, her once pristine white Daoist robes now filthy and tattered. Her body was covered in wounds and bruises, and her leg was injured, making her appear utterly pitiful.

The moment the young girl appeared, Xie Hengyu had already sensed the overwhelming demonic aura emanating from her, as well as the completely naked man lying on the grass, looking thoroughly satisfied.

The surrounding air instantly turned cold. Wu Zhu, who had just eaten his fill and was considering adding a little more to his meal, instinctively sensed the killing intent in the air, though his master clearly did not approve.

In the next second, a sword enveloped in a chilling, azure light shot toward him with deadly precision.

A Shang had not expected Xie Hengyu to develop a murderous intent toward Wu Zhu. Seeing Xie Hengyu’s Lifebound Sword, Qingshuang, thrusting toward Wu Zhu, she quickly stepped in front of him, shouting, “Stop!”

Qingshuang halted just a foot away from A Shang’s chest.

A Shang stared at Qingshuang, which was now mere inches away from her. The sword’s blade was a pale azure, exuding a biting cold that frosted her eyelashes with a thin layer of white.

“Stop?” Xie Hengyu’s gaze fixed on A Shang, who had recklessly thrown herself in front of the demon to block the sword. A faint trace of displeasure flickered between his brows.

Having been his Daoist partner for five years in her past life, A Shang knew all too well the signs of Xie Hengyu’s anger. She watched as the grass around him began to frost over, confirming her fears.

A Shang couldn’t understand why he would immediately try to kill Wu Zhu upon seeing him. But when she met Xie Hengyu’s icy, merciless eyes, it all became clear.

Xie Hengyu had always been intolerant of demons. In her past life, countless demons had fallen to his sword, and his name alone was enough to send shivers through the demon realm. He had even earned the infamous title of “Butcher of the Immortal Sect” among the demons.

A Shang had often wondered in her past life: if she had been a pure-blooded fox demon, would she have met her end under his sword after their one night together?

Sensing the killing intent radiating from Xie Hengyu, A Shang turned her back to Wu Zhu and urged, “Go, quickly. Find a place to hide.”

She didn’t want her first contracted spirit to die by Xie Hengyu’s sword on the very first day.

Wu Zhu, who valued his life dearly, didn’t need to be told twice. Having endured ten thousand years of isolation in the Ten Thousand Spirit Abyss, he wasn’t about to let himself be killed on his first day of freedom.

If this had been ten thousand years ago, a cultivator like Xie Hengyu wouldn’t have fazed him in the slightest. But now, without a physical body and reduced to a mere wisp of a soul, coupled with the fact that his contractor was a half-demon of modest cultivation, Wu Zhu knew he was no match for the man before him.

When A Shang told him to find a place to hide, Wu Zhu didn’t disappoint. In the blink of an eye, he vanished without a trace.

A Shang let out a sigh of relief, but before she could fully recover, Xie Hengyu, who had been standing some distance away, was already in front of her. His tall figure blocked the light, casting a shadow over her.

In an instant, Xie Hengyu’s hand grasped A Shang’s neck. Though he didn’t exert any force, the controlling gesture forced her to tilt her head up and meet his gaze.

“A Shang,” Xie Hengyu called her name in a cold voice, his eyes dark and unreadable.

Hearing him suddenly call her name, A Shang realized this was the first time he had done so since her rebirth a few days ago.

Xie Hengyu stared at A Shang’s slightly dirt-streaked face. They were so close that he could see the trace of blood on her lips, as if someone had bitten her.

It was… irritating.

His grip on her neck suddenly tightened, and A Shang immediately felt suffocated. Frowning, she reached up and grabbed his wrist.

At that moment, there was a commotion behind them. A group of sect disciples had arrived.

“A Shang, come back to the sect with us!”

The leading disciple held a piece of paper in his hand, on which was her portrait.

A Shang recognized it at a glance—it was a wanted notice issued by the sect.

*

Immortal Sect

Lingguang Palace, Main Hall.

Silver Spirit-Binding Rings encircled A Shang’s wrists as two disciples escorted her into the hall. The room was filled with people, all disciples of the sect.

As she entered, everyone’s eyes turned toward her.

When He Zong and Lu Si, standing not far away, saw that A Shang had indeed returned alive, their expressions changed slightly. Though inwardly trembling with fear, they thought to themselves that even if she told the truth, no one would believe her anyway.

With that in mind, the two immediately straightened their postures, exuding confidence.

As A Shang reached the center of the hall, a stern voice rang out from above:

“Wretched beast! Kneel at once!”

At the head of the hall sat several elders of the Immortal Sect. Out of the sect’s five elders, three were present today. The one who had just ordered her to kneel was the Fifth Elder, Lingfeng Zhenren.

In response to the Fifth Elder’s rebuke, A Shang calmly raised her eyes and said, “This disciple has done nothing wrong. Why should I kneel?”

Her words shocked everyone present. She had personally killed a fellow disciple, yet she still claimed she had done nothing wrong.

“Bring Zhong Hua’s body forward!” As soon as the Fifth Elder spoke, two disciples carried a corpse into the hall.

The Fifth Elder continued, “You say you’ve done nothing wrong? Then tell me, did you or did you not kill Zhong Hua?”

A Shang glanced at the body. The corpse was pale, and the bloodstains on its neck had dried, a gruesome sight. The wound was clearly from her dagger.

A Shang admitted, “Yes, I killed him.”

As soon as these words left her mouth, the hall erupted in murmurs of disbelief.

“Such a rebellious disciple! Such a rebellious disciple! Killing a fellow disciple is a grave crime, yet she shows no remorse whatsoever!” The Fifth Elder, seeing A Shang’s composed and unyielding demeanor, pointed at her and scolded:

“Back then, when Changxuan proposed admitting a half-demon into the sect, I was utterly opposed. Now look, just look at what kind of disciple our Immortal Sect has taken in—a half-demon disciple! First, she used underhanded methods to become Yanzhi’s Daoist companion, and now she has killed a fellow disciple. If we allow such a vile creature to remain in the sect, it will only lead to more calamity in the future!”

Hearing this, the disciples present began whispering among themselves.

“Qingyu,” the Fifth Elder turned his gaze to the Second Elder and said, “You speak. This vile creature is your beloved disciple’s Daoist companion. Now that she has killed someone, how should we deal with her?!”

Qingyu Zhenren, whose name had been called, opened his eyes, his sharp gaze falling on A Shang below.

A Shang met his eyes. She had seen that look of disdain many times in her past life. Even at the moment of her death, Xie Hengyu’s master, Qingyu Zhenren, had still looked at her with the same contempt.

A supreme sword master like him inherently looked down on half-demons like her, especially after learning that she had defiled his beloved disciple. His disdain for her had only deepened, turning into hatred.

Killing intent filled Qingyu Zhenren’s eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that Yanzhi had fallen under this vile creature’s love curse and was bound to her in life and death, he would have gladly cut off her head with a single stroke of his sword.