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Before the persecuted disciples stepped forward, many did not believe A Shang. After all, she was a half-demon and carried the infamous reputation of having drugged their Senior Brother Xie.
Although her earlier words had been deeply moving, most of those present remained skeptical.
It wasn’t until one after another, the persecuted disciples voluntarily came forward to expose the crimes of those three that the crowd finally realized A Shang had been telling the truth all along.
“We beg the elders to uphold justice for us and grant us fairness.”
“Junior Sister A Shang is right. As cultivators, if we cower and hide when faced with injustice, what are we cultivating for? What demons are we vanquishing? I will no longer hide in shame. The fault does not lie with me, so why should I bear the weight of all this guilt?”
“That’s right,” a bystander among the crowd stepped forward and said, “You shouldn’t feel ashamed. The ones who should feel shame and disgrace are these three beasts! If it were me, not only would I kill them, but I wouldn’t hesitate to cut them into a thousand pieces—it would be no less than they deserve.”
“Such scum is the true disgrace of our sect.” Some disciples were so incensed that, if not for the presence of the three elders above, they would have rushed forward to beat these three sect disgrace to a pulp.
“These three scoundrels have committed heinous crimes! They should be thrown into the Immortal Punishment Hall and subjected to the Lightning Punishment!”
“Throw them into the Immortal Punishment Hall and subject them to the Lightning Punishment!”
“Throw them into the Immortal Punishment Hall and subject them to the Lightning Punishment!”
The disciples present unanimously agreed, their voices rising in unison.
He Zong and Lu Si never expected that these disciples would actually disregard their own reputations and publicly expose their vile deeds.
Seeing the crowd of disciples demanding they be thrown into the Immortal Punishment Hall and subjected to the Lightning Punishment, they were filled with terror. The Immortal Punishment Hall was a place where the most evil demons and malevolent beings were imprisoned and executed.
If the two of them were sent there, they would undoubtedly meet their doom.
He Zong, still on the ground, was about to cry out for help to those above, but before he could fully utter the word, a surge of black energy, seemingly coming from nowhere, struck him between the eyebrows.
In the next second, his eyes turned blood-red, and he lunged toward A Shang.
His speed was so fast that by the time anyone noticed and tried to warn A Shang to dodge, it was already too late.
A Shang watched as He Zong, his eyes blood-red and black veins pulsing with dark energy spreading across his face, pounced toward her.
At the critical moment, a pale cyan sword shot out, piercing straight through He Zong’s chest.
Black blood spilled from He Zong’s mouth, and then his body collapsed to the ground.
A Shang looked up and saw Xie Hengyu standing in front of her, holding the Qinghuang sword in his hand.
Fifth Elder, seeing He Zong’s lifeless body on the ground, exclaimed in shock, “How could He Zong have such intense demonic energy within him? How could a demonic entity have infiltrated our Immortal Sect?”
Cultivators had always been extremely sensitive to the presence of demonic energy, especially when it appeared so brazenly on one of their own sect members. The three elders above immediately ordered a thorough investigation of the entire sect to determine if any demonic entities had infiltrated.
He Zong was dead, having suddenly demonized and been pierced through the heart by Xie Hengyu’s sword.
Of the three, only Lu Si remained alive, but compared to the relatively quick deaths of He Zong and Zhong Hua, Lu Si’s fate was far worse.
Where had they obtained the method to use others as cultivation cauldrons? And why had He Zong suddenly demonized?
The sect suspected that the three of them must have colluded with the Demonic Clan, and since Lu Si was the only one still alive, he became the sole source of information. He was imprisoned in the Immortal Punishment Hall, awaiting interrogation.
As the matter came to a temporary close, the people in the grand hall gradually dispersed. Just as A Shang was about to leave, she was suddenly called out by a few disciples.
“Junior Sister A Shang.”
Hearing the voice, A Shang turned around and saw the disciples who had stepped forward earlier in the hall to testify against the crimes of He Zong and the others.
The disciples looked somewhat reserved, and one of them, a female disciple named Fang Wei, spoke up, “Thank you for today. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have had the courage to come forward and expose those three scoundrels. Junior Sister A Shang, if you ever need someone to gather herbs or complete tasks with, you can call on me.”
“And me,” another disciple chimed in. “My name is Wu Xin, and I’m an alchemist. If you ever need any pills in the future, feel free to come to me.”
As she spoke, Wu Xin had already pulled out a small pouch of pills and handed it to A Shang. “These are some pills I’ve refined to strengthen the body and replenish spiritual energy. Consider them a gift for you, Junior Sister A Shang.”
As soon as Wu Xin finished speaking, another disciple, Su Yan, stepped forward and stuffed a large bundle of talismans into A Shang’s arms. “My name is Su Yan, and I’m a talisman cultivator. This is a small token of my appreciation. I hope you’ll accept it, Junior Sister A Shang.”
Each of them gave A Shang something, filling her arms with gifts.
“Your injuries look quite severe. Would you like…” Wu Xin, noticing the wounds on A Shang’s body, was about to suggest taking her to treat her injuries when she caught sight of Xie Hengyu standing behind A Shang.
A Shang was now Xie Hengyu’s Dao companion, and it was Xie Hengyu who had saved her from He Zong earlier.
Realizing this, the group quickly bid farewell to A Shang, not wanting to overstep.
A Shang turned around and saw Xie Hengyu standing behind her, though she hadn’t noticed when he had arrived.
Just as she thought he might have something to say to her, he remained silent and turned to leave.
A Shang paid him no mind and began storing the items she had received into her storage pouch. She was about to walk in the opposite direction when she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist.
Looking down, she saw a silver-white whip coiled around her waist—it was Xie Hengyu’s spiritual tool, Bai Zhuo.
A Shang turned her head to look at Xie Hengyu, who stood not far away, and heard him say to her, “Come here.”
Before A Shang could understand why Xie Hengyu had called her over, she was already pulled into his embrace, her body colliding with his chest. The cold, refreshing scent of snow lotus enveloped her completely.
“Hold on tight,” Xie Hengyu’s voice came from above her head.
“What?” A Shang was confused.
In the next moment, Xie Hengyu had already taken off with her in his arms. She stumbled, unable to steady herself, and once again crashed into his firm chest.
Feeling the scenery around her rapidly shifting and the wind whistling past her ears, A Shang looked down and realized they were standing on Qingshuang. It dawned on her that Xie Hengyu was taking her on a sword flight.
A Shang was somewhat afraid of heights. Without any warning, he had suddenly taken her flying, and she couldn’t help but feel her legs go weak. Several times, she lost her balance and bumped into his chest.
But A Shang knew he didn’t like her touching him. Even though she was terrified, she stubbornly clung to the edge of his sleeve, refusing to get any closer to him.
Eventually, perhaps realizing that she might actually fall, Xie Hengyu wrapped an arm around her waist, securing her firmly against his chest.
The warmth of his large hand seeped through the fabric of her clothes, sending a shiver down her spine. Her ear pressed against his chest, and the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat pounded against her eardrum.
A Shang took a deep breath, forcing herself not to overthink. He was only doing this because he was afraid she might fall to her death. That was all.