His righteous-sounding accusations made Meng Yang see black with fury.
With a surge of killing intent, Meng Yang swept his spear at Xu Zhiyuan, slicing off a section of his arm on the spot.
Blood gushed. The severed limb hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Xu Zhiyuan howled in pain, clutching what remained of his arm. When he raised his head, hatred had already clouded his eyes. He never imagined that Martial Uncle would treat him like this.
Had he forgotten that Xu Zhiyuan and Wàngshān Sect were already bound as one, sharing both honor and disgrace? Did he not understand what this meant?
"If you do this to me, aren't you afraid the entire sect will be scorned by the world? At this point, your only choice is to keep the secret with me!"
The mask had fully cracked. Since things were already out in the open, Xu Zhiyuan no longer bothered to pretend. He wasn't without support either. Once Ancestor Wu returned, he would surely stand by him.
That was his true confidence.
"Heh."
Meng Yang gave a cold laugh. He didn't want to waste another word. After giving Xu Zhiyuan a final deep look, he turned and left the room.
As the door slammed shut behind him, a sealing formation rose up, blocking all exit routes.
Looking up at the sky, Meng Yang slowly closed his eyes.
"Martial Uncles, Ancestors, do not blame me for being ruthless. Someone like him does not deserve to be our sect master. I will not aid the wicked."
With those words, he turned and left, his robes billowing in rage.
Inside the sealed room, Xu Zhiyuan tried everything to escape but failed. Enraged, he destroyed everything in sight.
If anyone saw him now, they would be shocked. The face remained the same, but the true nature hidden beneath it was chilling. After a moment of twisted fury, he retrieved a transmission talisman and sent word to Ancestor Wu.
"Stay calm. I'll speak to Meng Yang when I return," came the reply.
The message was like a sedative, calming Xu Zhiyuan's nerves. He sneered, shoved a pill into his mouth, and within moments, the severed arm began to regrow rapidly.
Once this crisis passed, he would make Hundred Ghosts Gate pay dearly.
...
Night passed. Xu Zhiyuan sat in meditation, recovering from his injuries. Suddenly, the door burst open. Meng Yang stepped inside, bringing someone with him. The newcomer wore a black robe and a conical hat. Their aura was mysterious and difficult to gauge.
Xu Zhiyuan narrowed his eyes, trying to guess the person's identity.
"Xu Zhiyuan."
A clear, cold female voice rang out. The figure lifted her hand and removed her hat, revealing a beautiful, delicate face.
"Who are you?" Xu Zhiyuan frowned. He was certain he'd never seen this person before.
"Who am I?"
The woman gave a cold laugh, then flung a portrait into the air.
It depicted a little girl, no more than eight or nine, with exquisitely delicate features and faint dimples when she smiled. She looked innocent and sweet, like a doll carved from snow.
Xu Zhiyuan froze. Then a memory flashed across his mind.
That girl's screams. Her desperate pleas for mercy...
He shuddered.
She had been the first one he—
"Y-You... who are you really?" His voice trembled. He suddenly thought of something and snarled, "You're from Hundred Ghosts Gate? So it was you, scheming behind my back this whole time?
The thought that this woman was the reason his secret had been exposed made him want to kill.
"Hmph. Surprised you still remember my sister!"
The Mistress of Hundred Ghosts Gate spoke with a murderous gleam in her eyes. Her elder sister had been young and naive, lured in by Xu Zhiyuan's lies. During a supposed training excursion near the sect, she had vanished.
If not for her sister mentioning him before she left, the truth would've remained buried. But that trip turned out to be her final one. She never returned.
When the death was reported, the grief was unbearable. The girl searched far and wide for her sister's body. By the time she found it, it was far too late.
And worse, the remains were clearly not right—her sister had been tortured to death.
She had tried to seek justice, but the road was harder than climbing the heavens.
Xu Zhiyuan was a talented core disciple. Her sister had only been an inner sect disciple, weak and without powerful connections.
No one cared. No one even looked into the matter.
Left with no other path, she had joined Hundred Ghosts Gate, dedicating her life to avenging her sister. When she saw the memory crystal from Liu Yao, she knew—her chance had finally arrived.
She sent a message to Meng Yang, laying out the truth.
Meng Yang was known for his integrity. She had gambled everything on that fact.
And she won.
Now that he had brought her here in person, it was clear he had made his decision.
"Senior Meng, let me take Xu Zhiyuan. As for the fallout, Hundred Ghosts Gate will shoulder it. We'll do everything we can to minimize the damage to Wàngshān Sect."
The Mistress smiled faintly, but her eyes were filled with killing intent.
Xu Zhiyuan's heart sank. He stared at Meng Yang in disbelief.
"You're giving me to an outsider?"
He was the sect master of Wàngshān Sect!
Did Meng Yang even understand what he was doing?
His furious glare didn't move Meng Yang in the slightest. His disappointment had already hardened into resolve.
"She's no outsider. She's the one you owe," Meng Yang replied coldly.
And the debt she came to collect was a life.
Xu Zhiyuan had harmed too many. Even if this woman hadn't acted, the sect would eventually have executed him anyway. Handing him over to Hundred Ghosts Gate preserved Wàngshān Sect's reputation—it was the best possible outcome.
Without another word, Meng Yang turned and left, lifting the barrier as he went, cutting off all hope of escape.
"Meng Yang! Get back here! You can't do this to me!
I'm the sect master! The sect master!!!"
He screamed and raged, but the seals held tight. No one outside could hear, and he couldn't break free.
Fear crept into his heart. He scrambled to send another talisman to Ancestor Wu.
But distant aid wouldn't come in time.
The Mistress of Hundred Ghosts Gate advanced, eyes steeled with determination.
Even if it cost her life, she would take vengeance for her sister.
The room erupted in battle. Outside the door, Meng Yang stood silently, face cold.
If not for the sake of the sect's future, he would have killed Xu Zhiyuan himself. He wouldn't have left it to another.
But as the sect's elder, his personal feelings had to be put aside.
As for what Junior Brother Wu might say later—Meng Yang didn't care.
By the time he returned, Xu Zhiyuan would already be dead. There would be nothing left to argue about.
Today was a day that would not be forgotten.
...
"Big sister, I found him!"
The little golden sword in her sea of consciousness let out a soft chirp. In the distance stood a disheveled figure—Mu Yuan, the fallen demon prince whom Song Wanníng had personally crippled.
He was originally meant to be Ye Chuxue's devoted second male lead, but after being manipulated by Song Wanníng, the two had turned into bitter enemies.
She had planted something on him back then. Now, thanks to it, she had finally tracked him down.
Song Wanníng smiled faintly.
It was time to collect some interest.
===
Guess what? (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞
After I started translating the apocalypse novel, something unexpected happened:
My mood actually came back.
Like, snap, suddenly I was in the zone. Before I knew it, I'd translated around 100 chapters (yes, a hundred!), and even started working again on other novels that were still running on thin drafts.
Great news, right?
...Well. Yes.
BUT.
Apparently, my body didn't get the memo. Or worse, it did get the memo and went, "Nope."
Despite my mind feeling clearer, my physical health has been… not great.
We're still deep in the Sura Month, with the Lunar Eclipse just behind us, the Earth's energy shifting into higher frequencies, and now—hello again—the Lion's Gate Portal (a spiritual energetic gateway peaking around August 8).
Seriously, why are all these cosmic events happening at the same time? Layered on top of each other like a cosmic sandwich?
It's like the universe stacked them up just to make sure I couldn't escape their collective wrath.
Too. Much. Energy.
I can't even tell if I'm being spiritually upgraded or just spiritually KO'd. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Yeah, it's a bit too much for me right now.
Today, my health suddenly dropped again. I felt nauseous, started vomiting, cold sweats—none of that was on my to-do list, I swear. And honestly, I'm just sitting here wondering:
Why are all these cosmic shifts happening at once? Like, can the universe chill for five minutes?
(￣ヘ￣;)
Emotionally I'm slowly recovering, but physically, I'm still very much not okay. So if in future there's some delay on my update speed, please know I'm not being lazy—I'm just trying to not collapse into a puddle of moonlight and regret (╥﹏╥)
I'll still do my best to keep updates flowing, but I may need to take short breaks here and there to rest. Your patience means everything to me.
Thank you as always for reading, supporting, and understanding. Sending you all the stable energy I wish I had right now ♡(｡•́‿•̀｡)
— Your slightly wobbly translator, Reiya(ฅ'ω'ฅ)