Snow fell urgently, the world drowned beneath a storm of white. Thick clouds swallowed the sky, and the valley lay under a suffocating gloom.
From within the roaring blizzard, a tall figure emerged—each of his steps made the ground quiver, the mountains shuddering in response.
“So, as I said, you’re far too cautious,” a hoarse yet commanding voice thundered through the snowstorm. “It’s only a weakened Xie Xuechen.”
One-Thought Venerable’s tone was calm. “After all, he is Sect Leader Xie. I must show him due respect.”
Amidst the storm stood Xie Xuechen, his robes fluttering wildly, his sword glinting faintly under the dim light. His presence was sharp, like an unsheathed blade that could cleave the heavens.
“It was you who set up the teleportation array,” Xie Xuechen’s voice was icy. “You brought the Infatuation Demon and Battle Demon into Snow-Embracing City. A man careful enough to use left-handed writing to conceal his identity would anticipate its discovery. Thus, the one whose handwriting matches the array isn’t the real mastermind. Only someone who lived by his side for a hundred years could mimic it perfectly.”
One-Thought Venerable gave a faint nod. “I see. Sect Leader Xie has suspected me for quite some time.”
“The real Nan Xuyue wouldn’t have overlooked this either,” Xie Xuechen continued. “Yet he said nothing.”
One-Thought Venerable’s eyes flickered. “So, he revealed himself as well.”
“Since Battle Demon stands before me,” Xie Xuechen’s gaze turned to the colossal figure beside him, “then the one possessing Venerable Fajian must be the Infatuation Demon. The real Battle Demon’s power is pure—his existence is for killing, and killing alone.”
Battle Demon grinned, revealing fangs gleaming beneath the storm. “Only those too weak to kill with one strike resort to schemes. Sect Leader Xie knows this best.”
Xie Xuechen’s voice was steady. “Given Venerable Fajian’s cultivation, Infatuation Demon wouldn’t possess him so easily. You made your move last night.”
One-Thought Venerable smiled faintly. “Indeed. Last night, while we discussed the Dao, his thoughts wavered. He wished to destroy my Dao, to kill me, and regretted his own weakness. I was ready. I sealed him with an array. Infatuation Demon struck, feeding on his doubts until he was completely taken this morning.”
“Controlling Nan Xuyue wasn’t in your plan. He’s just an ordinary man,” Xie Xuechen said.
“True,” sighed One-Thought Venerable. “But the moment he entered the Hall of Righteousness, the Inner Demon Array activated. Who knew his heart held such deep obsession? Infatuation Demon found it irresistible—and shifted its control to him instead.”
Xie Xuechen’s brows furrowed slightly but he quickly suppressed the thought. Now was not the time.
“You sowed suspicion among the Immortal Alliance, turned them into scattered sand. You possessed Venerable Fajian to provoke chaos, then lured me out, planning to kill me with Battle Demon’s aid,” Xie Xuechen said coldly. “Sang Qi’s plan is clear—destroy the Immortal Alliance from within.”
“Senior Uncle Fajian is the strongest after you,” One-Thought Venerable said mildly. “Without unity, the rest can’t resist him.”
“Infatuation Demon only seeks the Alliance’s ruin. Whether Fajian lives or dies means nothing.”
“You’re perceptive as always,” One-Thought Venerable smiled. “But why tell me all this? It isn’t your habit to explain to enemies.”
Xie Xuechen slowly drove his sword into the frozen rock, its blade ringing faintly. “Because I, too, needed time.”
The world froze. Snowflakes hung suspended in mid-air. The red mark between Xie Xuechen’s brows flared like a burning star. In the next breath, the storm exploded outward, sword energy surging skyward like a dragon.
“Jun Tian!” One-Thought Venerable’s face changed.
“His divine aperture has healed?” Battle Demon’s eyes gleamed. The memory of Jun Tian tearing through the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation still haunted him—but now it only fueled his excitement.
Battle Demon laughed, pulling two battle axes from his back, demonic aura surging. “As expected of the First Sword Cultivator! Let’s see how exhilarating your death will be!”
But Xie Xuechen’s cold voice drifted through the storm. “It’s more than enough—to kill you.”
The words had barely fallen when Jun Tian’s blade split the heavens apart.
The clash of divine power shook the entire city. Cultivators rushed out, watching in awe as sword light and demonic flames collided in mid-air. None dared to intervene—it was a battle of gods.
When Mu Xuanling arrived, the Hall of Righteousness was already in ruins. She found Nan Xuyue unconscious amidst the rubble and hurried to revive him.
He had no visible wounds, but his body was pale and cold, his spirit fragile from demonic possession.
“Master Nan, it’s too dangerous here. Let me take you away first.”
Mu Xuanling supported him with her shoulder, her touch steady but anxious. Nan Xuyue leaned on her, breath shallow, strength slowly returning.
Fu Lansheng arrived soon after, alarmed by the sight. “What happened? My father and the others are fighting Venerable Fajian, but Sect Leader Xie is nowhere to be seen!”
Nan Xuyue frowned weakly. “I was possessed. My memories are gone… but from what I sense, One-Thought Venerable has betrayed us—and taken Sect Leader Xie.”
“Then he’s already lost,” Mu Xuanling said softly, eyes calm yet glimmering with faith. “At this moment, Xie Xuechen is the invincible Sect Leader Xie.”
She knew the exact moment the medicine would wear off—so did Xie Xuechen. That was why he let himself be taken, to uncover the enemy’s final trap.
Above them, spiritual light tore through the clouds.
Venerable Fajian, possessed by Infatuation Demon, laughed maniacally as golden light burst from his chest.
“Not good! He’s going to self-destruct his Golden Core!” someone shouted.
Half of Snow-Embracing City would vanish if that happened.
But far away, amid the storm, Jun Tian’s sword howled.
One-Thought Venerable could only watch in shock as thousands of golden swords rained down, shredding Battle Demon to dust.
In that brilliance, Xie Xuechen stood alone—his sword reformed in his grasp, radiant as a newborn sun.
No wonder, thought One-Thought Venerable dazedly, he became Sect Leader of the Immortal Alliance at twenty-five.
The man’s Dao heart was flawless, his will unyielding.
Xie Xuechen looked down at him, voice calm yet final.
“This is your last chance.”
Xie Xuechen seized One-Thought Venerable’s arm, and in a flash of light, both vanished from sight—soaring toward Snow-Embracing City like twin streaks of divine fire.
Even from a hundred li away, the air rippled with violent spiritual energy. The aftermath of the Fashen battle pulsed through heaven and earth. Xie Xuechen’s gaze sharpened—his speed doubled. Ahead, several figures clashed in mid-air, their auras colliding like crashing waves.
Then, an immense, terrifying pressure surged forth. The sky trembled as if something was about to explode and tear the world apart.
Xie Xuechen released One-Thought Venerable, his right hand forming a sword seal. Jun Tian responded with a clear cry, soaring upward before shattering into a thousand blades. The swords cascaded like a storm, weaving a brilliant cage of light that sealed the dark-golden, destructive aura within.
At the same instant, a violet whip shadow flashed like lightning—coiling tightly around a gray silhouette suspended in the air.
A thunderous explosion split the heavens. The shockwave blanketed the land, and within a hundred li, everyone fell unconscious where they stood. Even those with cultivation sank to their knees, clutching their chests as if their hearts were about to burst.
It was the power of a Fashen’s self-destruction.
Yet it wasn’t its full force. The golden cage forged by Xie Xuechen’s sword had restrained most of it. Jun Tian alone had absorbed seventy percent of the impact—while Xie Xuechen took the rest upon himself.
He clenched his trembling fist, swallowing the metallic taste that rose in his throat.
The sect leaders who had surrounded Venerable Fajian were shaken but unharmed—they had been prepared. Duan Xiaorong, seeing Xie Xuechen return alive, finally exhaled in relief. Spotting her son safe behind a glowing barrier, she released her fear at last.
Xie Xuechen flashed forward, descending beside the fallen Venerable Fajian—now tightly bound in demonic purple vines, eyes wide with terror.
One-Thought Venerable landed beside him, and soon the others gathered around.
“Welcome back, Sect Leader!” Fu Yuanting called, bowing deeply.
Had the Fashen’s explosion succeeded, not one of them would have survived. Xie Xuechen had borne it all alone—saving half the city with a single sword.
Even Su Ningzhen, who always spoke with disdain, now looked upon him with a flicker of awe—and fear. For the first time, she realized how terrifying a ten-aperture prodigy truly was. At twenty-five, his cultivation already stood unmatched. If he lived another hundred years… what heights could he reach?
Xie Xuechen gave a curt nod, then turned his cold gaze toward the bound Venerable Fajian, possessed by the Infatuation Demon. His voice was razor-sharp.
“You dared to detonate Venerable Fajian’s Golden Core.”
He had moved with his fastest speed—yet still, a step too late.
The Infatuation Demon thrashed wildly, its host’s face twisting in fear and confusion. Why was he restrained by the Judgment Vine? Why did the Holy Maiden aid these cultivators?
The writhing vine shimmered with both demonic and monstrous energy, but none among them realized it wasn’t Xie Xuechen’s doing.
“Use the Prajna Sutra to drive him out,” Xie Xuechen ordered.
One-Thought Venerable pressed his palms together, golden light blooming between them. As his chant deepened, golden radiance spread, wrapping around Venerable Fajian.
Where the light touched, tendrils of black smoke hissed upward. Infatuation Demon screamed, a dark silhouette clawing to escape the body—but the violet vine held it fast until, at last, it loosened and faded.
Chains of golden light erupted, dragging the howling shadow from Venerable Fajian’s form and binding it tightly.
Fajian’s eyes cleared—but his aura was faint. His Golden Core was gone, his life flickering like a dying flame.
One-Thought Venerable knelt, tears streaking down his face. “Senior Uncle…”
Venerable Fajian’s withered hand rose to his disciple’s shoulder. “I never doubted you. Your aura was pure—untainted by guilt. You acted according to your Dao heart…” His voice trembled. “…Only your path was wrong. Still… with Sect Leader Xie here, you haven’t gone beyond redemption.”
He Xianwo’s tone was cold. “The Xuantian Temple has long been revered for its righteousness. I cannot fathom why One-Thought Venerable would fall so far.”
“I realized,” said One-Thought Venerable hollowly, “that evil can never truly be destroyed.”
Su Ningzhen snorted. “Everyone knows that.”
“Evil,” he said quietly, “is born from human hearts. Killing it only breeds more evil—another demon born from the will to kill.”
Su Ningzhen’s lips curled. “So, because you couldn’t kill them all, you joined them instead?”
He ignored her mockery. “To purge demons, one must cultivate the mind. Only the Prajna Sutra can purify the heart. This shows Heaven’s will—that the Xuantian Temple bears the true mission to cleanse the world.”
He Xianwo’s eyes narrowed. “So you conspired with the demons—hoping that once Sect Leader Xie was dead, your temple could seize power and force the world into your ‘path of purity’?”
One-Thought Venerable shook his head. “No. I wanted my Senior Uncle to lead it.”
“And when he refused,” He Xianwo sneered, “you offered his body to the Infatuation Demon?”
Fu Yuanting’s voice cut through the tension. “Absurd. I think the first one corrupted by Infatuation Demon… was you.”
One-Thought Venerable’s pupils dilated, his voice faltering. “Was… I the first?”
He had believed his cause was righteous—that if all under heaven practiced meditation and learned the Prajna Sutra, demons would vanish. But to reach that world, he had sacrificed too much—too many.
Xie Xuechen watched the fading clarity in his eyes. He had already fallen too deep.
“Some of what he said is true,” Xie Xuechen spoke suddenly.
Everyone turned to him in surprise.
“Demons are born from the heart. They are our shadows,” Xie Xuechen said calmly. “But shadows exist only where there is light. When the sun stands overhead, shadows shorten. To destroy demons, one must not kill nor withdraw from the world—but build an age of brilliance. When seas are calm and hearts at peace, demons will have no soil to grow.”
Silence fell. Even the wind seemed to stop.
Venerable Fajian smiled faintly, his voice trembling. “Sect Leader Xie’s Dao… is the righteous path I sought for five hundred years.”
He Xianwo sighed softly. “But how arduous that path is.”
“The righteous path,” Fajian whispered, “is always steep and lonely.” His eyes grew dim. “With Sect Leader Xie in this world… I can depart without regret. The Xuantian Temple submits to the Immortal Alliance’s judgment. The Prajna Sutra shall be shared freely—none shall be forbidden from learning it.”
“Senior Uncle…” One-Thought Venerable wept. But Fajian’s voice no longer answered.
All bowed their heads in silence. A sage of an age had fallen.
Then came a cold, hoarse laugh.
“Heh… heh… heh…”
Infatuation Demon’s bound form grinned through blood. Su Ningzhen, enraged, whipped him across the face.
He only turned his head slowly back. “What are you laughing at?” she demanded.
“At you righteous hypocrites,” he spat, smiling wide. “So noble above, yet filthy below.”
Su Ningzhen raised her whip again, but He Xianwo stopped her.
“That’s right,” the demon sneered. “Strike me again, and it’ll look like you’re silencing the truth.”
Her eyes burned with fury, but she stepped back.
Infatuation Demon’s grin widened. “It doesn’t matter. I won’t leave this place alive. But remember this—among you, someone else still serves the demon race.”
The air froze. Every gaze sharpened like a drawn blade.
“Who is it?” voices shouted in unison.
Everyone’s expressions tensed as they demanded sternly: “Who is it!”
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