AVL Chapter 32

The Tianyan pearls wrapped lightly around Xi Jianlan’s slender wrist.

Perhaps after being worn by Sheng Jiao for so long, even the pearls now carried a hint of osmanthus fragrance.

Xi Jianlan rubbed them a couple of times, and all the anger and humiliation stirred up by old memories vanished in an instant.

Since the little courtyard was empty, why shouldn’t he lie on Sheng Jiao’s bed for a while?

Successfully convincing himself, Xi Jianlan shamelessly strolled into the inner room, tossing aside the Xiezhi-patterned outer robe.

He’d intended to flop right onto the bed, but then remembered: he hadn’t changed clothes since the riverboat last night, and Sheng Jiao would definitely complain if he found out.

“Ahem.”

Xi Jianlan stopped himself, walked over to the wardrobe, and casually rummaged through it, not treating himself as an outsider at all as he pulled out a set of Sheng Jiao’s old clothes.

When Sheng Jiao came of age, he was half a head taller than Xi Jianlan. Now, after all these years, Xi Jianlan hadn’t grown much, so Sheng Jiao’s black robe from youth fit just right.

Xi Jianlan had no concept of shame, stripping down without a care.

The string of Tianyan pearls on his wrist suddenly trembled, and as if the thread had snapped, they all clattered to the ground.

Startled while running his hand through his hair, Xi Jianlan grumbled and bent down to pick them up.

But all 106 Tianyan pearls seemed to sprout legs, rolling away in all directions, vanishing in an instant.

Xi Jianlan cursed, “What kind of dog thing is this?”

He’d never liked the Tianyan pearls anyway, and didn’t care what they were up to. He just put on Sheng Jiao’s clothes one by one.

By the time Xi Jianlan climbed onto the soft bed, there was a crisp clatter as all 106 pearls, as if suddenly strung together, silently rolled back to rest by his pillow.

Lying on the pillow, Xi Jianlan gazed at the familiar carved bedpost, lost in thought.

Catching sight of the Tianyan pearls, he rolled over in annoyance.

The pillow was full of faint osmanthus fragrance. Wrapped in a brocade quilt, Xi Jianlan’s suppressed exhaustion crashed over him, and he closed his eyes, planning to sleep.

Just then, a wisp of black smoke slipped out from the back of his neck.

A black cat languidly sprawled on the bed, staring at him: “Where is this?”

Xi Jianlan replied lazily, “Sheng family.”

“Central State?!” The black cat’s fur stood on end. “Didn’t you always avoid Central State? Did Sheng Jiao drag you here?”

Xi Jianlan yawned, mumbling, “So noisy. I’m going to sleep. If anyone comes, wake me.”

The black cat was stunned: “Who would come?”

Xi Jianlan’s voice grew fainter as he drifted into sleep, leaving behind only—

“Someone who wants to kill us.”

Black cat: “…”

Now it’s ‘us’ with me?!

The black cat grumbled, dragging its injured body out to the eaves, looking left and right, on high alert.

Xi Jianlan never cared about his own life.

If he felt like sleeping, he couldn’t be bothered to fight back even if someone came to kill him.

The black cat scurried around the roof, sensing that the quiet courtyard was protected by a barrier as strong as a Great Ascension’s, one that few in all the Thirteen States could break.

After a while, it finally relaxed.

Just as it was about to return, it heard the faint sound of shattering glass.

Looking down, it saw that at the courtyard entrance, the barrier had been quietly breached, and several fierce ghosts, undiminished by daylight, charged in with savage faces.

The black cat’s fur bristled. It raced back to the inner room, slapped Xi Jianlan’s face with a paw, and roared, “Little liar! Wake up, someone’s really here to kill you!”

Xi Jianlan’s eyelids were so heavy he could barely open them, mumbling, “Huh?”

“Wake up!” The black cat plopped down on his chest, nearly squashing his frail body, “Someone broke through the barrier outside!”

Xi Jianlan opened his mouth and nearly spat out a wisp of white soul, weakly saying, “Got it, get off.”

Seeing that he was truly awake, the black cat finally jumped off the bed.

Xi Jianlan messily scratched his tousled hair, mumbling a few words.

The black cat thought he was talking to it and leaned in, only to hear him mutter, “…They’re all here? No way, I only want to kill Qu Xiangren, the rest are just extras… Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re so naggy.”

The black cat stared at him in horror: “You… who are you talking to?”

This little liar… could he have gone mad from qi deviation?

After sleeping half the day, Xi Jianlan’s whole body was limp and weak. He listlessly draped Sheng Jiao’s oversized robe over his shoulders and got out of bed, not wanting to deal with the cat.

Outside, there was already quite a commotion. The people who’d come to kill him probably hadn’t snuck in, but had been openly invited in by the Sheng family.

Xi Jianlan yawned, and as he walked out of the inner room, he thought for a moment and put the Tianyan pearls back on the bed.

The Tianyan pearls seemed to want to follow, but Xi Jianlan pointed at them, his lazy yet striking face breaking into a languid smile, like a flower wilting in the afternoon sun.

“Don’t follow me,” Xi Jianlan said. “Or I’ll smash you.”

The Tianyan pearls froze, then drooped back onto the messy bed.

Xi Jianlan was about to leave again, but remembered something and took off his earring, tossing it carelessly next to the Tianyan pearls.

The black cat was startled: “Your ears?”

Its mouth shape looked like “meow meow meow” no matter how you looked at it, but Xi Jianlan could read it with ease.

“Oh, nothing.” Xi Jianlan stretched lazily and said tiredly, “I just don’t like hearing the sound of killing.”

The black cat froze.

Killing…

Does it have a special sound?

Xi Jianlan put on his shoes, straightened his robe, and headed out, as if going to watch a long-prepared opera.

The quiet Sheng family courtyard was already a stage set for a show. As Xi Jianlan pushed open the door, several fierce ghosts lunged at him—though their vicious growls were blocked out, making the scene look almost comical.

Xi Jianlan didn’t move at all, apparently not planning to fight.

The black cat cursed under its breath, valuing its own life, and leapt forward, transforming on the spot into a tall, slender youth. Black mist poured from his hands, sweeping toward the ghosts.

“Get lost!”

He shouted, and the black mist corroded the bodiless ghosts with inky purple poison marks, black smoke hissing out.

The ghosts’ shrieks echoed to the heavens, making everyone present frown from the piercing sound.

Qu Xiangren stood not far away, coldly watching the youth in poisonous-flower-patterned black robes.

“Lezheng family?”

No, that couldn’t be.

The Medicine Sect had been in seclusion for years, never meddling in Tianyan spiritual vein disputes—why would they send someone to protect Xi Jue?

But that youth clearly used poison.

Xi Jianlan glanced around, raising an eyebrow.

Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang truly lived up to their reputations as old foxes of great clans—this time, they hadn’t even shown up in person, only sent a few minions and fierce ghosts to join the fun.

“Tsk.” Xi Jianlan looked at Qu Xiangren with a half-smile, “Seems your Qu family’s decline is well deserved.”

Being used as someone’s pawn and still thinking you’re clever.

Qu Xiangren said coldly: “Where have you hidden the twelve xiangwen?”

Xi Jianlan touched the wound on the back of his neck, looking completely innocent: “Didn’t your Qu family take them? Look, my scar is still here.”

The Qu family elder at the side was so furious at being blamed that his eyes nearly popped out. He shouted, “Nonsense! Before we could extract them, your xiangwen had already…”

He stopped himself, realizing he’d said too much, and immediately shut his mouth with an ugly expression.

“Hahaha!”

Xi Jianlan was so amused by his reaction that he couldn’t help but laugh, slowly reaching out to point at him.

A strange tremor ran through the ground, as if some fierce beast was churning beneath the thin surface, nearly knocking everyone nearby off their feet.

“So stupid.” Xi Jianlan pointed at the Elder Qu, his gaze cold and emotionless as he looked at Qu Xiangren, murmuring, “If you suspected the twelve xiangwen were still with me, why come here to die? Wouldn’t it have been better to hide in your turtle shell for another six years?”

Qu Xiangren’s pupils shrank.

In the next instant, Xi Jianlan’s five fingers curled like a claw, as if grasping something invisible.

The Elder Qu suddenly stiffened, eyes bulging in terror.

The Xiezhi-patterned black robe looked awe-inspiring on Sheng Jiao, but Xi Jianlan wore it with wild abandon—what should have been solemn and restrained became dazzling and flamboyant.

That stunning face, so beautiful it was almost aggressive, now wore a nearly sickly smile, the corners of his eyes tinged red, his features radiating unrestrained delight.

Just looking at him, one felt that “alluring” and “chilling” could coexist on a single face.

Suddenly, Xi Jianlan’s five fingers spread open like a blooming lotus, his lips softly touching together, repeating as he had that morning, in a gentle voice:

“Pop.”

As soon as the word left his lips, the Elder Qu’s body convulsed, blood streaming from his seven orifices as he crashed to the ground.

His chest had caved in with a bloody hole—his heart crushed by an invisible force.

A hush fell over the crowd.

Everyone shivered, even the Feng family’s fierce ghosts recoiling in terror.

Xi Jianlan’s slender, well-defined hand still held the lotus-bloom gesture. No one could believe that such a delicate-looking “cripple” had just crushed a Nascent Soul cultivator’s heart with his bare hands.

He…

The Heng family’s people and the fierce ghosts stared at each other in horror.

How did he do it?

Wasn’t he supposed to have lost all his cultivation?

Qu Xiangren nearly ground his teeth to dust. He sent his spiritual power into the still-warm corpse, only to find, to his shock, that the Elder Qu’s profound-grade xiangwen had been silently extracted.

He looked up at Xi Jianlan in horror, finally realizing that what he’d said earlier wasn’t a lie.

“The twelve xiangwen… really are still in your hands.”

At those words, everyone was stunned.

Xi Jianlan didn’t answer, just smiled brightly and reached out his hand again.

Suddenly, he pointed at Qu Xiangren.

Qu Xiangren’s pupils shrank, and he retreated at the fastest speed of his life, instantly summoning several protective barriers around himself, landing awkwardly atop the courtyard wall, watching Xi Jianlan warily.

“Hahaha, are you scared?”

Xi Jianlan suddenly burst out laughing, his beautiful fingers continuing to point, but nothing happened.

—He hadn’t actually intended to kill.

In that instant, Qu Xiangren’s face turned ashen. The shame and resentment of being played like this in front of so many people made him tremble all over, wishing he could grind Xi Jianlan’s bones to dust.

Xi Jianlan coughed from laughing so hard: “I thought you weren’t afraid of death, but you’re this scared?! Hahaha, the mighty Qu family… cough, cough!”

The black cat: “…”

The black cat’s face turned green, thinking, does this guy ever know when to stop?

If these people get desperate, and throw a pile of “Abandoned Immortal Bone” at him, it might be hard to survive.

But even though it had been so close to Xi Jianlan just now, it still hadn’t figured out what secret technique he used to crush a Nascent Soul cultivator’s heart bare-handed.

Xi Jianlan was a crafty old fox—if he dared provoke them like this, he must have left himself a way out.

Because the twelve xiangwen were in Xi Jianlan’s hands, everyone was wary, staring at that beautiful hand that seemed like it could kill with a point, not daring to make another move.

Xi Jianlan was every inch the elegant young master, his cheeks flushed from coughing, looking lazy as he sat on the steps, as if reminiscing with old friends.

“Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang must be here too, right?”

Everyone and the fierce ghosts exchanged glances.

After a while, two strands of divine sense silently appeared from the corners.

Heng Qinglian was a smiling tiger in sheep’s clothing. He was the one who’d suggested killing Xi Jue first, and didn’t even come in person. Now, even when meeting face to face, he was still all smiles, even giving a polite bow.

“Greetings, Young Immortal Lord.”

Xi Jianlan remained arrogant and flamboyant, as if with or without the Xi family, he was always the center of attention.

He propped his chin up and lazily looked at Heng Qinglian, his jade-like fingers lightly pointing at him.

Even though Heng Qinglian was already at the Void Return realm, he still felt a chill run through his body at that gesture, barely managing not to disgrace himself by fleeing like Qu Xiangren.

Luckily, Xi Jianlan wasn’t a wanton killer.

—After all, killing a strand of divine sense wouldn’t be fatal to Heng Qinglian’s true body.

Xi Jianlan’s finger kept pointing, as if he could take a life at any moment. He sighed lightly: “Lord Heng, perhaps you’re just too old, your mind doesn’t turn so well anymore. Lord Rang Duan is much smarter than you.”

Heng Qinglian was indeed several decades older than Xi Jianlan, but cultivators lived for centuries, and even after hundreds of years, his face was still youthful.

Being called stupid by a junior, even someone as good at playing along as Heng Qinglian had his smile freeze a bit.

“Young Immortal Lord, why do you say that?”

Xi Jianlan sensed the hidden killing intent but didn’t care, smiling as he replied casually, “Do you really think Lord Rang Duan went into life-and-death seclusion because he hit a bottleneck?”

Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang both froze.

Qu Xiangren trembled with rage, cursing him.

But Xi Jianlan was deaf—if he didn’t want to listen, it didn’t matter how loud anyone shouted.

The black cat was dizzy, not understanding how Xi Jianlan had suddenly taken control of the whole scene. It tentatively withdrew its poison mist and crouched down, rubbing against Xi Jianlan’s arm.

Xi Jianlan absentmindedly scratched the black cat’s chin, smiling: “…Of course not. Rang Duan is using this method to admit his guilt to me.”

Heng Qinglian’s face changed.

Xi Jianlan said, “Rang Duan may have a Heaven-grade xiangwen, but his talent is mediocre…”

As soon as he said this, everyone present twitched, their faces turning ugly.

To call a Heaven-grade xiangwen “mediocre talent”—only someone with a Spiritual-grade xiangwen could say such a thing.

Yet everyone present was either Profound-grade or not even as good as Rang Duan’s Heaven-grade, so they could only let Xi Jianlan slap them in the face with those words.

Xi Jianlan watched their faces with great interest and continued:

“…For Rang Duan to reach the Void Return realm is already his peak. No matter how many years he spends in seclusion, he’ll never break into Great Ascension. His life-and-death seclusion is only death—there’s no hope of survival.

“Lord Rang Duan is using this method to confess and atone to me, and I’ve accepted it. That’s why I haven’t killed a single member of the Rang family in six years.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why?”

Heng Qinglian’s face was dark, his hand at his side clenched tight.

Even Feng Chongyang, usually expressionless, looked hesitant.

“No one in Central State can escape what happened back then.” Xi Jianlan patted the black cat’s head and said blandly, “We’ve always been clear about grudges and favors—revenge for grudges, gratitude for kindness. Now Sheng Jiao is in charge of Xiezhi Sect, upholding justice and law without mercy. If the truth comes out, I won’t escape responsibility either.”

The black cat was stunned by the rare affection.

This cold, heartless guy actually said “we” again!

“I value my life. You all should want to live even more.” Xi Jianlan looked at Heng Qinglian, half-smiling. “Now I just want to settle this quickly, but it seems… none of you want peace.”

Heng Qinglian’s brow arched slightly, and he exchanged a glance with Feng Chongyang, a cold light flashing in their eyes as if they’d made a decision.

A dead silence fell.

Qu Xiangren’s eyelids twitched, sensing something bad.

Heng Qinglian suddenly gave an order to the Heng family members.

At the same time, the fierce ghosts that had been full of killing intent toward Xi Jianlan suddenly turned and lunged coldly at Qu Xiangren.

Yin energy surged from all sides, the ghosts’ howls like ten thousand wailing souls.

The killing intent was so real it froze the osmanthus trees in the courtyard with frost, golden blossoms falling in a shower, instantly carpeting the ground.

Xi Jianlan raised his hand, catching a handful of falling osmanthus.

Qu Xiangren reacted quickly, pushing himself away. But his still-fading protective barrier was shattered one after another by the fierce ghosts’ malice, the sound of breaking glass like the urgent drums before a play begins.

Dong dong.

After steadying himself, Qu Xiangren quickly formed another protective barrier and shouted sharply, “Heng Qinglian! You were the one who pushed for killing Xi Jue, and now you want to wash your hands of it?!”

Heng Qinglian smiled as he summoned his weapon: “Wasn’t it your Qu family who feared the Young Immortal Lord would take revenge for your secret torture years ago, and forced us all to the Qu estate to plot a solution? How is it suddenly all my idea? Qu Adjudicator, no wonder Sheng Jiao kicked you out of Xiezhi Sect. Not only do you not know right from wrong, you’re also a master of framing others.”

Qu Xiangren fumed, “You!!”

Heng Qinglian had always been a fence-sitter, and arguing with him was a surefire way to die of anger.

Qu Xiangren took a deep breath and turned a cold gaze to Feng Chongyang: “And your Feng family?”

Feng Chongyang replied indifferently, “This should have ended long ago.”

Qu Xiangren laughed in disbelief.

Xi Jue, with just a few words, had managed to turn Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang against him.

Those two families clearly knew Xi Jue hated him to the bone and wanted to use his head as a peace offering.

No amount of talking would help now.

A cold glint flashed in Qu Xiangren’s eyes as he stared directly at Xi Jianlan.

Xi Jianlan smiled at him: “Hee.”

Qu Xiangren: “…”

Even the black cat got goosebumps from that “hee,” looking at him nervously.

This person was like a bewitching spirit—just a few words from his mouth could completely turn a desperate situation around.

Just then, Heng Qinglian suddenly moved.

On the “stage,” everything happened in a flash. The Heng family’s spring-rain spiritual power now carried a biting chill; at the height of summer, hundreds of ice lances hung in the air.

Sunlight reflected off the sharp ice tips, casting cold beams everywhere.

The ice lances were a field of pale white, looking almost like swords, raining down toward Qu Xiangren.

Qu Xiangren tensed, having prepared for this, and drew his sword with a series of clangs. The ice lances turned to frost and snow as they fell.

The next moment, fierce ghosts wrapped in yin energy tore through the snow, howling as they lunged for Qu Xiangren’s heart.

Qu Xiangren gritted his teeth and raised his sword to block.

The three families who’d come together to kill Xi Jue were now fighting each other, sword light and yin energy clashing wildly.

The sound of swords, shattering ice, howling ghosts, and colliding spiritual power—

One after another, just like the drums and gongs of an opera performance, with everyone painted up and dressed for the stage, putting on a show that was truly captivating.

“Look.” Xi Jianlan clapped and laughed. “Singing, acting, fighting—what a brilliant show!”

The black cat sat in front of Xi Jianlan, dumbfounded, and after a long time, managed to swallow and stammer, “You… you really still have your xiangwen?”

“Idiot.” Xi Jianlan watched the dog-eat-dog drama on the stage with great interest, replying offhandedly, “Don’t you know whether I have my xiangwen or not?”

The black cat said dryly, “But just now… that ‘pop,’ how did you do that?”

How could he crush a Nascent Soul cultivator’s heart without any spiritual power?

Xi Jianlan replied casually, “That was the poison I gave that elder this morning. I just triggered it now.”

The black cat: “?”

The black cat’s face twitched in shock: “Then what’s your backup plan?!”

“What backup plan?” Xi Jianlan looked genuinely puzzled. “I didn’t prepare any backup plan.”

The black cat: “…”

The black cat was terrified, almost ready to start cursing: “And you still dared to lure these three families here to kill you? Aren’t you afraid they’ll really join forces and slaughter you?!”

Does this bastard even know what fear is?!

The black cat’s heart nearly stopped from fright.

Xi Jianlan just grinned, “That’s what makes it fun.”

The black cat: “…”

What’s fun about that?

One wrong move and you’ll be dead!

But Xi Jianlan didn’t care.

He really sat there watching the three families fight as if it were an opera, and if you gave him some pine nuts and tea, he’d happily snack and even tip the “actors” on stage.

Qu Xiangren had just entered the Void Return realm; if it were a one-on-one fight, he’d never beat Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang. But since those two were only present with divine sense projections, their spiritual power was limited.

The fierce ghosts’ yin energy and the two non-original spiritual powers clashed, sending out booming shockwaves. The barriers Sheng Jiao had set rippled with waves, the force drilling straight into the ground.

Beneath the Sheng estate was the Tianyan spiritual vein.

Xi Jianlan watched the earth-shaking battle with delight, a smile never leaving his face.

Qu Xiangren’s spiritual power was quickly depleted. A half-transparent fierce ghost pierced his chest, flooding his meridians with icy yin energy.

In that moment of paralysis, Heng Qinglian struck without blinking, palm slamming into his chest.

Boom—

Qu Xiangren flew several zhang, slamming hard into Sheng Jiao’s barrier, nearly shattering the Great Ascension-level restriction.

He staggered to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth, his organs almost pulverized.

Struggling to prop himself up, Qu Xiangren glared at the two, nearly roaring in fury, “You really believe his lies?! That little monster is vengeful to the extreme—what the Central State families did to him is unspeakable! How could he let it go so easily?!”

“If he really goes all out and tells Sheng Jiao everything, none of us will have a good end.” Heng Qinglian said calmly, “Now he fears Sheng Jiao too and wants to keep the peace. Isn’t that best for everyone?”

It was best for all of Central State—but for the Qu family, it was disaster.

But no one cared about a declining family’s fate. As long as Xi Jianlan could be appeased, even if the entire Qu family was handed over, no one would object.

Qu Xiangren’s life was just a bargaining chip for the Heng and Feng families to win Xi Jue’s favor.

Heng Qinglian was about to subdue him and drag him before Xi Jianlan, but just then, the dying Qu Xiangren suddenly summoned a last burst of spiritual power, and in a flash, appeared beside Xi Jianlan.

Qu Xiangren had been driven to the brink—if he was going to die, he was determined to take Xi Jianlan with him.

Feng Chongyang’s expression changed: “He’s going to self-destruct his core!”

Qu Xiangren, nearly burning his own divine soul, charged straight at Xi Jianlan, who was still watching the show, his face twisted and eyes bulging with rage. His internal core was suddenly activated, and spiritual power surged out from his battered body.

It looked like he would explode at any second.

Feng Chongyang immediately moved to stop him, but Heng Qinglian raised a hand to block him.

Why stop Qu Xiangren from self-destructing?

If he could blow up Xi Jue along with himself, Central State would finally be free from his shadow.

Feng Chongyang frowned deeply, shooting Heng Qinglian a cold look.

Heng Qinglian pretended not to notice his displeasure, watching with great interest.

Xi Jianlan was still sitting there lazily, as if basking in the glow of the osmanthus blossoms, enjoying the show. When the blood-soaked Qu Xiangren suddenly appeared before him, he just tilted his head slightly, as if he’d expected it, and the corners of his lips curled up.

The black cat instantly turned into black mist, wrapping tightly around him and hissing, “Run! He’s going to self-destruct!”

A Void Return realm cultivator’s core self-destruction was no small matter—it could destroy the entire Sheng estate and everything for dozens of miles around.

—Not to mention Xi Jianlan was the closest.

Xi Jianlan, who had been watching the show, suddenly found himself the “main event” in everyone else’s eyes. For some reason, he didn’t run or panic, just quietly watched Qu Xiangren.

He seemed to feel a faint tremor under his feet.

A hidden spiritual power was like a volcano about to erupt, the whole ground trembling restlessly.

The next instant, the Tianyan pearls shot out from the inner room.

But it seemed too late.

The first wave of Qu Xiangren’s self-destruction spiritual power shot straight at Xi Jianlan, knocking him backward and leaving him half-collapsed on the steps.

The Tianyan pearls vibrated wildly, about to rush forward to shield him—

But suddenly, a surge of deep blue lightning erupted from Xi Jianlan’s thin shoulder.

“Zzzt.”

BOOM—

A bolt of heavenly thunder crashed into Qu Xiangren’s body, merging with the strange spiritual power in the ground and forcibly halting his self-destruction halfway.

The shockwave rippled out, instantly shattering the barrier Sheng Jiao had set.

A rich osmanthus fragrance filled the air.

Xi Jianlan staggered on the ground, clutching his right shoulder and gasping for breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the burning pain.

—It was the brand that Sheng Jiao had personally seared onto his back in Xiezhi Sect all those years ago.

Xi Jianlan had always considered that brand the greatest humiliation of his life, but now he sat frozen, mind blank, unable to sort out his chaotic thoughts.

Six years ago, Qu Xiangren had pressed a red-hot branding iron with the character “Sin” onto his face.

The heat had already reached his lashes, and the dying Xi Jianlan had resigned himself to a life with that “Sin” mark on his face. Then, a familiar osmanthus scent drifted close.

Sheng Jiao, in a brand-new Xiezhi-patterned black robe, stood above him, backlit.

Filthy, disheveled Xi Jue met his eyes in a daze, then dropped his gaze in shame.

…For the first time, the arrogant young master felt what it was to be humiliated.

Sheng Jiao said something, and everyone in the cramped cell left. Then he strode over, tore open Xi Jue’s blood-soaked robe, and pressed the red-hot brand to his wounded shoulder.

Xi Jue, who had been quiet and unresisting, suddenly began to struggle violently. He couldn’t hear anything, didn’t realize he was screaming, and desperately tried to push Sheng Jiao away with broken arms.

Sheng Jiao held him tightly, his large hand trembling as he covered Xi Jue’s eyes, and branded his shoulder.

Three months of torture hadn’t made Xi Jianlan shed a tear, but when Sheng Jiao branded him, he wept uncontrollably, on the verge of collapse.

Later, Xi Jue learned what the character was.

—The humiliating character “Zhuo” (灼, “burn/scorch”).

For the six years since he’d escaped Xiezhi Sect, Xi Jianlan had harbored endless resentment toward Sheng Jiao for that ever-burning brand.

He hated Sheng Jiao for never giving him the justice he wanted.

He hated Sheng Jiao’s “Execute” and “Burn.”

That hatred had lasted six years, but now Xi Jianlan felt lost, as if drifting in smoke.

Could the brand of humiliation from Xiezhi Sect… also protect someone?

The black cat helped him up, and Xi Jianlan looked blankly at Qu Xiangren, who was being forced to kneel by the power of all 106 Tianyan pearls, unable to recover for a long time.

The black cat thought he was just stunned by Qu Xiangren’s self-destruction, and patted his face.

“Xi Jianlan! Xi Jue! Wake up, it’s over, it’s over!”

Xi Jianlan finally came back to himself, looking complicatedly at the Tianyan pearls still crackling with lightning.

Because his self-destruction had been forcibly stopped halfway, Qu Xiangren’s meridians were bleeding everywhere, and he was barely alive, kneeling there. Without the Tianyan pearls’ spiritual power supporting him, he’d have collapsed.

Xi Jianlan’s gaze swept over to Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang.

A flash of regret passed through Heng Qinglian’s eyes, but he was always good at reading the room. He smiled and stepped forward: “Young Immortal Lord, you’ve had quite a scare. Thank goodness you’re all right.”

Xi Jianlan looked at him, then suddenly smiled too: “Yes, it’s terrible. How could I be all right?”

Heng Qinglian’s smile turned slightly puzzled, as if he didn’t understand.

Xi Jianlan couldn’t be bothered to play word games with such an old fox, and said blandly, “Lord Heng, give my regards to Yudu for me.”

At these words, Heng Qinglian knew Xi Jianlan didn’t plan to pursue the matter further, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief, his smile becoming more genuine.

“Young Immortal Lord, we’ll take our leave now.”

Xi Jianlan ignored him.

Heng Qinglian bowed respectfully, waved his hand, and the Heng and Feng family members all withdrew.

The divine senses of Heng Qinglian and Feng Chongyang also faded away.

Xi Jianlan looked at the mess in the courtyard, thinking that Sheng Jiao would definitely scold him when he got back—how should he brush it off to avoid getting in trouble?

The barely-breathing Qu Xiangren glared at him with hatred. Xi Jianlan thoughtfully touched the red mark on his back shoulder where the “Zhuo” (灼) character and thunder pattern had faded, and said calmly, “Adjudicator Qu.”

Qu Xiangren looked at him with venom.

He thought Xi Jianlan would swagger and kick him while he was down, but after a long silence, Xi Jianlan unexpectedly asked, “Six years ago, what did the Xiezhi Sect brand look like?”

Qu Xiangren was stunned.

Xi Jianlan immediately regretted asking. He finally got up, slowly walking to the last step, looking down at Qu Xiangren from above.

He should have had a lot to say, but for some reason, his mind wandered, and as he touched his right shoulder, he didn’t know what he was thinking.

“Heh.” Qu Xiangren coughed up blood, panting as he said hoarsely, “The crimes committed by the Heng, Feng, and Rang families back then far outweigh those of my Qu family. When you were imprisoned and tortured in Xiezhi Sect, they had a hand in it too.”

Xi Jianlan’s gaze was vacant as he replied absentmindedly, “No need to remind me. I remember everything you all did.”

Qu Xiangren was taken aback: “Then why did you agree to let them off?”

Xi Jianlan finally came to his senses, lowered his eyes to look at Qu Xiangren for a long time, then suddenly couldn’t help but laugh.

“Did you really believe that too?”

Qu Xiangren: “What?”

Black cat: “What?”

“You really thought Rang Duan went into life-and-death seclusion to atone to me?” Xi Jianlan looked at him like he was an idiot, half-smiling. “Rang Chen can glimpse heavenly secrets—he knew Rang Duan had a chance to break through to Great Ascension in recent years, that’s why he went into seclusion.”

Qu Xiangren: “…”

Black cat: “…………”

Qu Xiangren was stunned for a long time, then his face turned ashen with terror as he stared at Xi Jianlan: “You! You were tricking us?!”

“That’s right.” Xi Jianlan withdrew his hand from his right shoulder, suddenly in a great mood, grinning, “Looks like Heng Qinglian really is getting old—his mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be, to believe something like that.”

If Qu Xiangren had only hated Xi Jianlan before, now he was terrified, his body bristling with goosebumps under the restraint of the Tianyan pearls.

“Since they didn’t come in person, even if I fall out with the two families, I can’t kill them.” Xi Jianlan said with interest, “I just casually said I’d let it go. I didn’t swear to Heaven or vow on the Tianyan pearls, so it doesn’t count.”

Qu Xiangren trembled all over, shaking like a leaf.

The person before him clearly had no spiritual power, a cripple who could be blown over by the wind, but in his eyes, he was a monstrous, terrifying creature.

—His messy black hair blown wild like claws, his beautiful smiling face twisted into something fierce, even his gentle breathing seemed laced with poison.

A monster, just like Sheng Jiao…

A monster they had created with their own hands.

Xi Jianlan leaned down, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper, his dark eyes suddenly turning a strange gold, his beautiful face sickly and tinged with hidden madness.

“Anyone who tormented me back then—none of you will escape.”