The voices condemning Ye Zhaozhao echoed one after another across Lingxu Peak.
True Man Lingxu had remained relatively calm, but when the clamor spread through the mountain, his expression shifted slightly.A flicker of irritation welled up in him.
What were these people doing?
What did Li Shuang's affairs have to do with them?Why were they so nosy?
Ye Zhaozhao had felt relieved when True Man Lingxu had spoken in her defense, but now, hearing so many voices rise together against her, her face turned pale again.
How had she never realized before how meddlesome these Sword Sect disciples were?
Panic surged in her chest.
When she had chosen Li Shuang as her parasite, the system had shown her a vision of Li Shuang's predicted future.
In that future—
Li Shuang had shone brilliantly. She was True Man Lingxu's most prized disciple, the senior sister that Lingxu Peak's disciples were proud of, a peerless genius hailed by the entire Sword Sect.
Wielding the Dragon Roar, she took first place in the Six Sects Competition, becoming the strongest of her generation.
Step by step, with unmatched talent and boundless luck, she took over the Sword Sect and led it to become the foremost sect in the world.
Finally, amidst the admiration of countless immortal cultivators, she shattered the tribulation clouds with a single sword strike and ascended to the upper realms.
The system had told her there was a 90% chance this would be Li Shuang's destiny.
Over the past ten years, with the system's help, Ye Zhaozhao had stolen everything from Li Shuang—her opportunities, her glory, her path.
She believed she had completely replaced her.
She believed the destiny once meant for Li Shuang would now belong to her—She would be the daughter of heaven, take over the Sword Sect, and stand at the very pinnacle of success.
But now—
As she looked at the scene before her, unease gripped her heart.
This moment overlapped with the vision she had once seen.
In that future, Li Shuang commanded the support of hundreds, revered by all.
Ye Zhaozhao had thought Li Shuang was finished. She had lost even her Nascent Soul cultivation, reduced to a mere Qi Condensation disciple.
And yet—So many still defended her?
Why?
Was this the power of the Heavenly Dao's chosen heroine?
Then what had her ten years of hard work been for?The glorious future she had imagined seemed to vanish into thin air in the face of these angry voices.
Meng Yifei observed the chaos and raised his hand slightly.
A wave of pressure spread, and the noise faded into silence. All eyes turned to him.
Meng Yifei, the headmaster, usually kept a low profile, preferring to maintain checks and balances. As long as harmony was preserved on the surface, he rarely intervened deeply.
But once he made a final decision, few in the Sword Sect dared to challenge it.
He looked calmly at True Man Lingxu."Ye Zhaozhao deliberately framed Li Shuang. Regardless of the outcome, the intent is a crime. The Spiritual Weapon Pavilion has produced evidence. Does Ye Zhaozhao have any objections? If so, speak now. If not, you will be punished according to the sect's rules."
Li Shuang's eyes flickered slightly. She wasn't surprised by his verdict.
Meng Yifei had always been like this—if her framing hadn't caused such a public uproar, he might have smoothed things over out of regard for Lingxu Peak's feelings.
But now was different.
The people from the Spiritual Weapon Pavilion had come in person.Countless disciples had witnessed the matter firsthand.
If he tried to cover for her in the name of harmony, the entire sect would be in turmoil.
As sect master, Meng Yifei would naturally make the decision that upheld the sect's stability.
True Man Lingxu's face darkened, but after moving his lips several times, he said nothing.He knew Meng Yifei's character—there was no room for maneuver.
"Junior Sister, quickly explain. There must be some misunderstanding," Chang Le'an said, holding on to a last thread of hope.
Ye Zhaozhao's lips trembled, her eyes reddening as she spoke in a fragile, helpless voice:"I… I didn't mean it. At that time, Second Senior Brother had all his possessions taken and was badly injured, unconscious. I was so angry I lost my mind and did such a thing! I… I just wanted to get his spirit stones back… I truly didn't have bad intentions…"
She looked at her master and senior brothers, tears falling."Master, Big Brother, Third Senior Brother—you know me, I'm not that bad! After I got Second Senior Brother's spirit stones back, I would have found another way to return Sister Li's things!"
She cried pitifully.
Sheng Yuan's heart trembled.
He realized now that they had indeed been biased before.
He was dissatisfied with her actions—But should they really push Junior Sister to ruin?
She had always been warmhearted. When he had once mentioned there were no good storybooks left in the mortal world, she had stayed up for days writing one for him herself—an exquisite work, crafted with painstaking care.
Yes, she had made a mistake now.But was that enough to cast her aside?
Back then, Li Shuang had abandoned Junior Sister on the snowy mountain—wasn't that also a grave wrong? He had never wanted to punish her harshly.All he'd wanted was an apology.
Now the roles were reversed.
His voice hoarse, Sheng Yuan said slowly, "Senior Sister, Junior Sister was wrong. Let her apologize to you… and let's not pursue this too far, okay?"
Hope still lingered in his gaze.
He knew he had favored Junior Sister, and that favoritism had pushed her to extremes. But he was willing to forgive her—So shouldn't Senior Sister forgive her just once?
"Zhaozhao is just a child. What's the point of talking about framing?" Chang Le'an said, stepping protectively in front of Ye Zhaozhao.
Li Shuang glanced at Lingxu Peak's people with an indifferent expression, then turned to Meng Yifei."Master, although Ye Zhaozhao's words are just excuses, she cannot refute the evidence shown in the image stone. The facts are clear. I ask Master and the Hall Master to make a decision."
Her decisiveness made several Lingxu Peak members' faces turn sour.
To them, Li Shuang was still their eldest sister—she could be wronged, but outsiders shouldn't interfere.
Why hadn't she settled this privately within Lingxu Peak? Why take it to the sect master?
"Makes no difference. Hall Master Pang, you know the sect rules best—you make the judgment," Meng Yifei said, glancing at Pang Zhixue.