AVL Chapter 34

At Xiezhi Sect, rain poured in torrents.

 

Winter Snow was a sentient fierce sword; even without its master’s control, it could distinguish friend from foe, slaughtering the rampaging fierce ghosts and spirits throughout Xiezhi Sect, turning them into piles of dust.

 

The adjudicators of Xiezhi Sect cheered and praised:

 

“No wonder Winter Snow is number one!”

 

“Thank you, Lord Winter Snow, for saving us!”

 

Winter Snow, usually expressionless as it killed, covered in blood like a vengeful ghost god, suddenly paused at the sound of their praise.

 

The adjudicators thought they’d disturbed Lord Winter Snow’s killing and quickly fell silent.

 

Winter Snow coldly slew a ghost that had reached the ghost dao, then suddenly turned, its crimson eyes looking coldly at the adjudicators below.

 

Everyone held their breath in nervous anticipation.

 

Suddenly, Winter Snow beckoned arrogantly: “Keep praising.”

 

The adjudicators: “…”

 

“Lord Winter Snow! Number one on the fierce sword rankings!”

 

“Spring Rain can’t even compare to Lord Winter Snow!”

 

“Winter Snow! Winter Snow!”

 

Hearing them praise itself and belittle Spring Rain, Winter Snow’s brows danced with pride, and it killed ghosts even more fiercely.

 

—Winter Snow’s temperament was nothing like Sheng Jiao’s; it was a lot more like Xi Jianlan’s.

 

The fierce ghosts in Xiezhi Sect were almost wiped out. The two adjudicators guarding the entrance by the river, informed by the rhino horn lamp, quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Thank goodness Sect Master Sheng arrived in time—no casualties.”

 

“When I first came to Xiezhi Sect, Shentian She was already sealed. Shixiong, is that illusion realm really so dangerous?”

 

The older adjudicator sighed: “Back then, it was just a trial for the mind—even if dangerous, it wasn’t fatal. But this time, who knows… Even Sect Master Sheng went in, and who knows what dangers await…”

 

Just then, someone approached with an umbrella.

 

The heavy rain drummed on the oiled paper umbrella, forming a crisp, pleasant rhythm.

 

The adjudicators hurried to greet the newcomer respectfully.

 

The rain was so heavy that only when the person drew near did they realize—it was Juan Xunfang.

 

Juan Xunfang, in a Xiezhi Sect black robe, lifted the umbrella, raising an eyebrow at them: “Open the waterway to Xiezhi Sect.”

 

The adjudicator was stunned: “Lord Juan? Weren’t you with the sect master inside?”

 

“Did you just change shifts?” Juan Xunfang said expressionlessly, raising his wrist to show the Tianyan pearls. “The sect master forgot his Tianyan pearls, so I went back to the Sheng family to fetch them and bring them to Shentian She.”

 

The adjudicators exchanged glances.

 

“What are you waiting for?!” Juan Xunfang barked. “Time flows differently in Shentian She. The sect master’s been in the illusion for half an hour already. If we delay any longer and something happens to him, do you want to lose your heads?!”

 

The adjudicators, startled by the scolding and seeing that the Tianyan pearls were indeed Sheng Jiao’s, quickly bowed in apology.

 

“Yes, yes—open the Xu waterway!”

 

Beneath the three surrounding lakes of Xiezhi Sect were raging rivers.

 

As the adjudicator turned the huge sundial to the Xu character, a rushing current suddenly broke through the thin water surface, forming a gentle, winding water staircase that stretched all the way to distant Xiezhi Sect.

 

Juan Xunfang, holding the umbrella, walked briskly along the waterway as if he’d done it a thousand times.

 

The two adjudicators respectfully watched him go.

 

Halfway down the waterway, “Juan Xunfang” finally let out a breath, muttering, “Xiezhi Sect people are still as easy to fool as ever.”

 

The black cat jumped off Xi Jianlan’s shoulder, pressing its paw curiously on the water: “Is this some kind of waterway formation? How come you don’t sink?”

 

Xi Jianlan said with a crooked smile, “If you’re not on the right path, you’ll sink straight to the bottom, and the hook-snakes in the water will skewer you for a barbecue.”

 

Just then, a huge shadow like a swimming dragon glided below the water.

 

The black cat was so startled it shot back up to perch on Xi Jianlan’s neck.

 

“You were tortured for three months in Xiezhi Sect?” the black cat asked nervously. “How can you still dare to come back?”

 

Xi Jianlan looked puzzled: “Why wouldn’t I dare?”

 

The black cat: “D-don’t you have any trauma?”

 

“Trauma? What use is that kind of thing?”

 

Xi Jianlan said carelessly, snapping the limbs off the little wooden figurine hanging at his waist, then, after a moment’s thought, snapped its neck too.

 

Crack—the sound was like breaking someone’s bones.

 

The black cat choked.

 

After suffering so much at Xiezhi Sect, most people would tremble just approaching the place.

 

But not this little liar—not a care in the world.

 

Still, this little liar told so many lies, the cat couldn’t tell if he was faking or if he really was so heartless, forgetting pain as soon as he healed.

 

Even without spiritual power, Xi Jianlan moved quickly, almost jogging the whole way.

 

As soon as his foot touched solid ground at Xiezhi Sect, the waterway instantly transformed back into a raging river, like a water snake churning the surface before diving below, resuming its wild course.

 

The marsh surface instantly calmed, not even a ripple in the wind.

 

Thunder and lightning raged at Xiezhi Sect. Halfway there, Xi Jianlan took off his earring, his robe and wide sleeves already soaked, clinging uncomfortably to his arms and legs.

 

He’d spent three months in Xiezhi Sect before, so he had a good idea where Shentian She was, and skillfully avoided people as he made his way to the illusion realm.

 

Fortunately, all the adjudicators were busy cleaning up the aftermath. Some who saw him only greeted him in passing, not asking any questions.

 

With Juan Xunfang’s face, Xi Jianlan made it to the sealed Shentian She without a hitch.

 

Just as he was about to walk over, he bumped right into someone at the corner.

 

Juan Xunfang: “……”

 

Xi Jianlan: “……”

 

The two of them, wearing the same face, stared wide-eyed at each other in the pouring rain.

 

Boom!

 

A huge thunderbolt struck, illuminating their faces ghostly white.

 

Juan Xunfang: “You…”

 

Xi Jianlan reacted quickly, wiping his face, and in an instant his appearance shifted into Shang Yuan’s form.

 

Juan Xunfang: “???”

 

Juan Xunfang was about to speak when Shang Yuan came around the corner holding a sword: “Lord Juan, I was still worried about the sect master…”

 

She stopped mid-sentence.

 

Shang Yuan: “……”

 

Xi Jianlan: “……”

 

The three of them stared at each other.

 

An adjudicator walked over: “Lord Juan? Are there fierce ghosts here too?”

 

Juan Xunfang: “……”

 

Juan Xunfang thought, Right, there is a face-changing fierce ghost here.

 

Still, Juan Xunfang quickly grabbed Xi Jianlan and pressed him behind a pillar, pretending to be calm: “It’s nothing, Shang Yuan and I will handle it.”

 

The adjudicator grunted and obediently left.

 

Only when no one was around did Juan Xunfang grab Xi Jianlan and angrily whisper, “What are you doing at Xiezhi Sect?! Didn’t the sect master tell you to stay put at the Sheng family? He even left you the Tianyan pearls!”

 

Xi Jianlan shifted back to his original form, looking innocent as he dangled the Tianyan pearls: “I heard the sect master went into Shentian She and was worried he’d be in danger, so I brought him the Tianyan pearls myself.”

 

Juan Xunfang looked at him in disbelief, thinking, Does this little liar actually have a conscience?

 

He’d never understood why the sect master wouldn’t let Xi Jianlan come to Xiezhi Sect to be watched, but also wouldn’t bring him along—until he realized, Xi Jue had been tortured in Xiezhi Sect for three months. Of course he’d have trauma; making him come back would only reopen those wounds.

 

Sheng Jiao was so considerate of this little liar that Juan Xunfang was eaten up with jealousy.

 

But now, seeing Xi Jianlan impersonate him and barge into Xiezhi Sect, Juan Xunfang was furious that the sect master’s good intentions were being wasted.

 

“Why come in person?! You could’ve left them at the entrance and had an adjudicator bring them in!”

 

“No.” Xi Jianlan said sincerely, “Sheng Jiao’s things—I can’t bear to hand them to anyone else.”

 

Juan Xunfang was instantly comforted.

 

So this little liar does have a shred of true feeling.

 

Juan Xunfang looked at him more kindly and didn’t scold him: “Then, give them to me. I’ll give them to the sect master.”

 

But Xi Jianlan hid the Tianyan pearls behind his back: “No, I have to give them to him myself to feel at ease.”

 

Juan Xunfang rolled his eyes: “The sect master is inside Shentian She right now. How can you, with your broken body, enter the illusion? Be good and give them to me. I’ll have Shang Yuan escort you back to the Sheng family.”

 

Xi Jianlan eyed him.

 

This guy’s only in his twenties, but he talks like an elder.

 

Be good? Listen to you? Yeah, right.

 

Juan Xunfang realized how odd he sounded, coughed, and tried to reason: “You do know what Shentian She is, right? It’s not like a normal illusion. If you go in, you could die. Even without the Tianyan pearls, the sect master is Void Return realm—he’ll be fine.”

 

Xi Jianlan glared at him and snapped, “Nag, nag, nag. Why are you just like Heng Yudu? Get out of my way.”

 

He shoved Juan Xunfang aside and strode toward the eerie “eye” of Shentian She.

 

Juan Xunfang blocked him, finally losing his temper: “You’ve lost your cultivation and still want to save someone? Worry about your own life first!”

 

“Relax.” Xi Jianlan said, “If there’s danger, your sect master will definitely save me.”

 

Juan Xunfang: “…?”

 

Don’t you think there’s something weird about that statement?

 

After some tugging back and forth, Xi Jianlan got fed up and turned to the confused Shang Yuan: “Little Shang Yuan, didn’t your sect master tell you all to wait outside and not go into Shentian She?”

 

Shang Yuan nodded: “Yes.”

 

“Then how can the Tianyan pearls be delivered?” Xi Jianlan asked gently. “Doesn’t that mean I have to take them in myself?”

 

Shang Yuan tilted her head, thinking hard.

 

Juan Xunfang saw Xi Jianlan was using the clueless Shang Yuan as a pawn and snapped, “Shang Yuan, don’t listen to his nonsense! He’s a liar through and through!”

 

Shang Yuan said, “But the sect master really did say not to let us in. He’s not lying.”

 

Juan Xunfang: “You!”

 

Seeing this path was working, Xi Jianlan grinned: “Now it looks like Lord Juan is insisting on coming into Tian She with me. Isn’t that disobeying the sect master’s orders?”

 

As soon as he finished, Shang Yuan moved lightning-fast, pinning the unprepared Juan Xunfang to the ground.

 

What to do?

 

Just restrain the one breaking the sect master’s orders!

 

Juan Xunfang: “……”

 

Juan Xunfang’s cultivation was a bit lower than Shang Yuan, this emotionless little monster, and she pressed him into a puddle, half his face in the water, as he struggled and roared.

 

“The sect master would never let him into Shentian She! He has no cultivation—if he goes in, he’ll just die!”

 

Shang Yuan, kneeling on Juan Xunfang’s back, said seriously, “The sect master didn’t say he couldn’t go in, so he can.”

 

Juan Xunfang: “……”

 

Juan Xunfang was about to cough up a ghost in frustration.

 

While Juan Xunfang was pinned, Xi Jianlan ran to the edge of the Shentian She illusion, glanced back with a smile, and leapt into that eerie “eye.”

 

Juan Xunfang was furious, breaking free of Shang Yuan and howling like a mad dog, “Idiot! Can’t you see the sect master likes him?! If something happens to him in Shentian She, what will the sect master do?!”

 

Shang Yuan, seeing he wasn’t going in, just drooped her head and let him yell, mumbling, “But the sect master said…”

 

Juan Xunfang couldn’t reason with her, glaring at the eerie “eye” of Shentian She and raking his wet hair in despair.

 

…He could only hope that as soon as that little liar entered Shentian She, he’d fall right in front of the sect master.

 

***

 

Although Shentian She was called an illusion realm, in truth it was no different from a small world.

 

Looking down from above, the entire illusion resembled a chessboard.

 

Nineteen lines crossed horizontally and vertically, each intersection forming a small, self-contained world.

 

Six years ago, it was used to house judgment illusions, but after being sealed and thrown into chaos, the killing intent bred countless resentful and yin spirits, all devouring and battling each other. Now, black smoke coiled up to the sky, resentment and malice everywhere.

 

It was like a battlefield, the smoke of war still lingering.

 

At the very center of the chessboard, in the “tengen” position, the smoke had cleared, as if struck by heavenly thunder, leaving only scorched earth.

 

With hundreds of illusion realms, Xi Jianlan had no idea where to go—he could only clutch the Tianyan pearls and let them guide him down.

 

“Tianyan pearls are Sheng Jiao’s artifact,” Xi Jianlan thought hopefully before landing. “They’ll definitely lead me straight to Sheng Jiao.”

 

The Tianyan pearls crackled, as if to say, Don’t worry.

 

The next moment, Xi Jianlan crashed down into one of the chessboard squares.

 

The illusion felt like a layer of water film, wrapping around him; when he hit the ground, it bounced him softly, leaving him unhurt.

 

Xi Jianlan rubbed his head and got up, frowning as he looked around for Sheng Jiao.

 

But as soon as he looked up, he was greeted by the face of a hanged ghost.

 

Xi Jianlan: “……”

 

The hanged ghost’s face was twisted and hideous, tongue lolling long, and as soon as it opened its mouth, it began a long, wailing complaint.

 

Xi Jianlan tried to read its lips, but after two words he couldn’t bear to look anymore, thinking, That’s just too ugly.

 

“Wait, don’t cry yet,” Xi Jianlan said.

 

The hanged ghost paused, apparently never having been told not to cry first, but it was obedient, sniffled, and stopped, waiting.

 

Xi Jianlan rummaged around, found his earring, clipped it on, and after tuning it, said, “Okay, you can start crying now.”

 

Hanged ghost: “……”

 

The hanged ghost wailed, “I was a prodigy, but the great families envied my profound-grade xiangwen and forcibly stripped it away. I was gravely injured, unable to cultivate, with nowhere to turn for help, so I hanged myself at the gates of Xiezhi Sect!”

 

Xi Jianlan clicked his tongue: “That’s rough.”

 

In the narrow illusion, there were also several simulated Xiezhi Sect adjudicators standing around, shoving each other, their faces smeared with ink, impossible to see clearly.

 

The hanged ghost said, “I became a fierce ghost and killed the Xiezhi Sect adjudicators. Am I guilty?!”

 

At the same time, a group of faceless Xiezhi Sect adjudicators, covered in blood, echoed the ghost’s tone:

 

“Is it a crime?!”

 

“Is it a grave crime?!”

 

Xi Jianlan sat cross-legged on the ground, chin in hand, watching with great interest as if it were a play.

 

This must have been one of the old Xiezhi Sect mind-tempering trial questions—the answer should be: guilty, and gravely so.

 

The hanged ghost stared at him, waiting for his judgment.

 

Xi Jianlan watched for a while, then suddenly clapped his hands and smiled: “Of course not guilty.”

 

The hanged ghost’s face froze, its malice pausing in surprise.

 

“Xiezhi Sect’s duty is to bring justice to cultivators who have been wronged,” Xi Jianlan said with a crooked smile. “If they couldn’t give you justice and caused your tragic death, then your revenge is perfectly justified.”

 

Hanged ghost: “……”

 

It had been here for decades and never heard such an answer.

 

After a long time, the hanged ghost finally said softly, “That’s correct.”

 

Xi Jianlan’s eyes narrowed.

 

It seemed Shentian She really had fallen to the point where right and wrong were completely blurred.

 

“But it’s a pity.” The hanged ghost’s thin body suddenly swelled to dozens of zhang tall, its long tongue whipping like a snake, bulging eyes nearly popping out as it cackled, “You still have to die!”

 

Xi Jianlan: “……”

 

He covered his eyes, thinking, Dear heavens, that’s ugly.

 

Sensing killing intent, the Tianyan pearls on his wrist suddenly burst apart—half formed a circle spinning rapidly around Xi Jianlan, the other half shot into the sky, drawing down silent heavenly thunder to strike the giant fierce ghost.

 

Without Sheng Jiao’s control, the Tianyan pearls’ power was halved, but even so, one strike left the hanged ghost shrieking in agony.

 

The little ghosts playing Xiezhi Sect adjudicators also screamed and fled.

 

The Tianyan pearls showed no mercy, blasting away until the whole illusion was scorched black—only the area where Xi Jianlan stood remained untouched.

 

Boom—

 

At the tengen of the illusion realm, Sheng Jiao stood expressionless at the center, empty-handed, yet still able to summon thunderbolts.

 

From beneath his feet, charred thunder patterns spread out like a spiderweb, cracks snaking across the ground, countless thunder-fires burning, the flames illuminating his cold, frosty face.

 

Resentful ghosts kept pouring in from all sides, clawing and snarling as they lunged at Sheng Jiao.

 

Sheng Jiao was like a god of slaughter—no matter how many wronged souls wept, pleaded, or cursed before him, he ignored them all, summoning thunder to strike them down.

 

His movements were almost mechanical.

 

It was as if he were trapped in a nightmare he could never wake from; if you looked closely, even his eyes were unfocused.

 

There were too many ghosts and spirits—no matter how many he killed, they never ended.

 

Sheng Jiao’s gaze was vacant. Amid the thunder, he vaguely saw a half-grown child kneeling not far away, sobbing heart-wrenchingly.

 

Twelve years old, not even a full youth, just a half-grown child.

 

He wore warm yellow robes, trembling violently, one hundred and eight Tianyan pearls hanging around his neck, the faint thunder patterns on them looking utterly powerless.

 

Vengeful souls, ghosts, and fierce spirits howled all around him, questioning again and again:

 

“Am I guilty?”

 

“Is it a grave crime?!”

 

“I was clearly the victim—why am I judged guilty?!”

 

“Cold-blooded! Monster!”

 

“What right do you have to judge my sins?!”

 

Little Sheng Jiao’s face was streaked with tears as he desperately covered his ears, crying out hoarsely, “No… I don’t want to…”

 

His weak voice was drowned out by the rising chorus of angry shouts.

 

Forced to his feet by his own sobs, little Sheng Jiao ran forward, the chessboard beneath his feet, stepping from square to square.

 

As he walked across hundreds of squares, the child who could only cry and run seemed to change. His eyes became dry and lifeless, as bleak as the scorched, thunder-struck land beneath his feet.

 

The child paced the chessboard again and again.

 

Five years slipped by in a flash, leaving no mark on him—except that his eyes grew colder and more vacant.

 

In the end, he didn’t even need the Tianyan pearls to summon the heavenly thunder of Shentian She, skillfully striking the truly guilty into dust.

 

The expressionless half-grown boy walked slowly across the chessboard squares, finally stopping in the midst of the scorched earth, his hollow eyes lifting to meet those of his future self.

 

For some reason, the little child reached out his hand to him.

 

Sheng Jiao stared at that small, sword-callused hand, his gaze vacant for a long time.

 

His fingers at his side curled into a tight fist, and the last glimmer of light that had burned in his eyes for more than a decade suddenly dimmed.

 

Sheng Jiao slowly raised his hand.

 

Just then, a shrill scream echoed from the horizon.

 

Sheng Jiao snapped out of his daze, his eyes suddenly clear.

 

Countless ghosts had already surrounded him, just a hair’s breadth from piercing his heart.

 

A silent thunderbolt struck down, reducing the thousands of fierce ghosts encircling him to dust.

 

Finally, the person who had screamed crashed heavily to the ground at the edge of the blackened earth, cracks spreading toward Sheng Jiao’s feet.

 

Sheng Jiao was about to summon thunder again when he sensed something and paused.

 

As the black smoke slowly cleared, someone staggered to their feet in the scorched earth, muttering under their breath, “Damn thing, see a bone and you can’t hold back, can you?”

 

—It was Xi Jianlan.

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

Xi Jianlan had been forcibly dragged by the Tianyan pearls to the very center of the chessboard illusion, nearly falling head over heels.

 

Like a cat, he scrubbed at his face with his paw; what had been a few smudges of dirt became a face smeared all over, looking utterly ridiculous.

 

When the smoke finally settled, Xi Jianlan caught sight of a familiar figure nearby. He froze for a moment, then quickly dropped his hand, shook out his sleeve with an air of mystery, and struck a pose as if he were a lofty immortal come to save Sheng Jiao.

 

Somehow, the dim light in Sheng Jiao’s eyes suddenly brightened again.

 

The slender child who had been reaching out to him had already turned to dust and been scattered by the wind.

 

Xi Jianlan looked at Sheng Jiao with a calm, arrogant air, as if delivering the Tianyan pearls was a great favor, his brows raised as he spoke coolly:

 

“Sheng Wuzhuo.”

 

Sheng Jiao thought he was about to say something smug, but instead, as Xi Jianlan strolled over, still putting on airs, he announced grandly:

 

“Save me.”

 

As the thick smoke cleared, countless fierce ghosts with twisted faces surged toward Xi Jianlan, howling in rage.

 

“Bastard! Can you even judge a case?! He may have killed countless people, but he was still a good man! How could you say something like that?!”

 

“I’m guilty! I killed so many—how can I be innocent?! Judge me again!”

 

“You were right! But I still have to kill you!”

 

Each one was ferocious and terrifying.

 

Sheng Jiao: “…………”

 

Sheng Jiao looked utterly speechless.

 

Xi Jianlan, though outwardly calm, was running so fast his legs were a blur, and in an instant, he crashed into Sheng Jiao’s arms, clinging to his waist and hiding inside the wide Xiezhi Sect robe.

 

Sheng Jiao frowned and grabbed him by the back of the neck, pulling him out.

 

Xi Jianlan latched on again, as if terrified, urging, “Hurry up and kill them!”

 

Sheng Jiao said simply, “Already did.”

 

Xi Jianlan blinked and looked back.

 

Sure enough, in just a moment, the horde of howling ghosts had silently turned to dust, covering the ground.

 

Xi Jianlan finally let out a sigh of relief, clutching Sheng Jiao’s robe as his legs gave out, sliding down helplessly.

 

“That scared me to death. They were so fierce, even though they begged me to judge their cases, they still got mad when I was right!”

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

He’d meant to toss Xi Jianlan aside, but seeing him trembling so badly, he didn’t have the heart to question if it was real, and just frowned, holding him steady by the waist.

 

“Sheng Jiao, you’re the best.” Xi Jianlan leaned into his arms, listless. “It wasn’t for nothing that I traveled a thousand miles to bring you the Tianyan pearls.”

 

But it seemed Sheng Jiao didn’t even need the Tianyan pearls to handle Shentian She.

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t care.

 

He was so worried about Sheng Jiao that even if Sheng Jiao didn’t need them, he’d better be grateful.

 

Sheng Jiao frowned at him: “Didn’t I tell you to stay at the Sheng family?”

 

“There were people trying to kill me—a whole mob came after me. I couldn’t fight back, so I was bullied and nearly died.” Xi Jianlan lied smoothly. “I was so scared, I only escaped thanks to the Tianyan pearls. How could I just wait at the Sheng family to die?”

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

Xi Jianlan stared at Sheng Jiao’s cold, frosty, but soul-stirring face, then suddenly rose on tiptoe to kiss him.

 

Sheng Jiao was caught off guard as Xi Jianlan kissed his lips. His face darkened, and he immediately pulled away, grabbing Xi Jianlan’s chin and forcing his mouth open, his thumb probing for any hidden poison pills in Xi Jianlan’s back teeth.

 

Xi Jianlan froze, only realizing after Sheng Jiao had checked every tooth that he was searching for poison.

 

He burst out laughing in exasperation and kicked Sheng Jiao in the knee, springing out of his arms.

 

“Insensitive!” Xi Jianlan scolded him, “Blockhead.”

 

“Silver tongue, pretty face,” Sheng Jiao retorted coldly. “Liar.”

 

Xi Jianlan was so taken aback by the comeback that he stared at Sheng Jiao in disbelief—it was the first time this saw-mouthed gourd had ever talked back to him.

 

This was truly unprecedented.

 

“You’ve finally wised up?” Xi Jianlan wasn’t angry anymore. Like flipping a switch, he grinned and leaned in, “No matter how I insulted you before, you never talked back.”

 

Sheng Jiao didn’t want to engage, turning to stride toward the next illusion realm.

 

Xi Jianlan’s smile froze as he watched Sheng Jiao’s back, but he quickly put on a cheeky grin and hurried after him: “Wait up, slow down! I can’t keep up—seriously, you’ve finally grown a bit of personality after six years. Is it because you missed me too much?”

 

Sheng Jiao suddenly stopped and shot him a glare.

 

Xi Jianlan burst out laughing, caught up and tugged his sleeve: “Okay, I’ll stop, don’t be mad.”

 

Sheng Jiao marched forward in silence, taking long strides.

 

Xi Jianlan jogged to keep up, seemingly unaffected by Sheng Jiao’s coldness.

 

When they reached a new illusion, Xi Jianlan was quiet for a while, then suddenly said, “…I’m telling the truth.”

 

Sheng Jiao, face still cold, slaughtered all the ghosts in the illusion arguing over right and wrong, then frowned and looked back at him.

 

“If you want to know anything, just ask me.” Xi Jianlan lowered his head, voice soft. “I’ll tell you everything, I won’t lie.”

 

Sheng Jiao was startled.

 

Xi Jianlan frowned, patiently waiting, but when Sheng Jiao still didn’t speak, he clutched his chest dramatically: “Hurry up and ask! I can’t hold back from lying much longer!”

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

Is telling the truth really that hard?

 

After hesitating a long while, Sheng Jiao finally asked the question that had always been on his mind.

 

“Why are you afraid of me?”

 

Clearly, before Xi Jianlan came of age, they’d already crossed that line, but ever since the Xi family was wiped out, Xi Jianlan had been inexplicably afraid of him.

 

Back in Xiezhi Sect, Sheng Jiao had wanted to protect him, but Xi Jianlan was so terrified he was in tears and trembling all over.

 

For six years, he’d avoided Sheng Jiao like the plague, and when they met, he was all threats and hostility, never showing any mercy.

 

No matter how hard Xi Jianlan tried to hide it, he couldn’t fool Sheng Jiao.

 

Xi Jianlan’s feelings for him were fear—pure, overwhelming fear.

 

Even if there was real affection, it was completely buried beneath that terror, leaving nothing visible.

 

It was as if Xi Jianlan had expected this question. He answered quietly, “What Rang Chen said is true.”

 

“What?”

 

“When Rang Chen broke his vow of silence, he said I would die by your hand one day.” Xi Jianlan’s voice was soft. “That’s true.”

 

Sheng Jiao didn’t seem to believe him, staring coldly.

 

Xi Jianlan’s face went pale. Knowing he’d lied too much and lost all credibility with Sheng Jiao, he nearly panicked: “I—I’m not lying to you, not this time.”

 

Sheng Jiao stared at him for a long moment, brow furrowing slightly.

 

Ghosts still rampaged in the illusion, but Sheng Jiao unconsciously blasted them to pieces with thunder.

 

In the flickering lightning, Xi Jianlan’s lips moved, murmuring, “Sheng Jiao, I’m scared.”

 

Sheng Jiao’s pupils contracted slightly.

 

Xi Jianlan was too good at lying and pretending, and he had a twisted sense of humor.

 

Whenever someone fully trusted him, he’d deliberately show his true face, catching them off guard and leaving them full of regret, while he himself felt delighted at having fooled them.

 

It was as if telling a single truth was like ripping out his battered heart for others to see.

 

But now, with his eyes lowered, Xi Jianlan said “I’m scared” in a voice so fragile it seemed he’d shatter at a touch—this was his best disguise, but even after being lied to so many times, Sheng Jiao’s heart softened again.

 

“I won’t,” Sheng Jiao said softly.

 

Xi Jianlan looked down at his toes, as if only by not meeting Sheng Jiao’s gaze could he speak the truth.

 

“Sheng Jiao, you will.”

 

Sheng Jiao frowned stubbornly: “I won’t.”

 

Xi Jianlan didn’t argue, only repeated, nearly lost, “I’m really scared.”

 

If Rang Chen hadn’t told him that, maybe he could have acted without guilt.

 

But the words of “Glimpsing Heaven’s Secrets” hung over his head like a sword, and every person Xi Jianlan killed made him feel the blade drop an inch lower.

 

The icy sword edge was already pressed to the back of his neck, as if it could pierce him at any moment.

 

But halfway down the road, there was no turning back.

 

Just then, the thunder finally stopped, and the ghosts in the illusion were all gone.

 

Sheng Jiao was about to say something.

 

Xi Jianlan pressed a finger to his lips, then looked up with his usual smile: “Shh, I’ll only answer this one question. After that, I’ll start lying again.”

 

Sheng Jiao: “……”

 

He’d never seen anyone so brazen about announcing they were about to start lying.

 

Sheng Jiao added, “I really won’t.”

 

Xi Jianlan immediately started lying, gazing at him with deep affection: “I know you like me, you’d never bear to kill me. I trust you, really.”

 

Sheng Jiao pressed his lips together, knowing it was pointless to argue, and just led him to the next illusion to find Xi Minghuai.

 

This one seemed different from the others, untouched by resentment or malice.

 

The illusion was clean and pure, with a woman in white kneeling properly in the center, her eyes vacant and empty.

 

Nearby, a group of men locked in Xiezhi Sect’s prison cages shouted at her in anger.

 

Even though the resentment was strong, the illusion remained pure.

 

It seemed the woman was the master of this realm.

 

Sheng Jiao didn’t attack right away, his gaze cold as he watched.

 

The woman saw the Xiezhi pattern and her empty eyes stirred slightly. She was truly beautiful, every movement gentle and serene. She bowed respectfully and greeted softly, “My lord.”

 

Xi Jianlan saw that she was completely different from the other fierce ghosts and asked, “Do you have a grievance?”

 

The woman smiled gently: “I was a woman from the Northern Territory, my husband a mountain apothecary. One day, while gathering herbs, he fell into a trap set by hunters in the mountains, and a wooden stake pierced his leg so he couldn’t escape.”

 

Xi Jianlan listened intently.

 

The apothecary’s cries for help brought the hunters, but instead of saving him, they let him bleed to death. Afterward, the hunter broke into the apothecary’s home and took the beautiful, now alone, woman for himself.

 

From then on, other hunters from the mountain came to the apothecary’s home one after another.

 

The woman grieved deeply for her husband’s tragic death and wept daily for being violated by beasts.

 

“…So I used wooden stakes to pierce each of their organs, making them bleed to death, one by one.” Even after such a painful experience, the woman remained gentle, softly asking, “My lord, do you say I am guilty?”

 

Sheng Jiao was silent.

 

Xi Jianlan, however, smiled and said calmly, “Of course you are not guilty.”

 

The woman’s eyes curved: “Why not guilty?”

 

“To kill to stop killing, to repay grievance with grievance.” Xi Jianlan gave her a crooked smile. “Such is the way of Heaven.”

 

The woman looked at him with gentle, motherly eyes, smiling for a long while before turning to Sheng Jiao.

 

Sheng Jiao said coldly, “You are guilty.”

 

This was the famously merciless justice of Xiezhi Sect.

 

The woman’s pale face broke into a smile. She wasn’t angry, and said gently, “I remember you, little immortal. The first time you came, you judged me innocent.”

 

Sheng Jiao was stunned, almost bewildered as he looked at her.

 

“But Xiezhi Sect said you were wrong,” the woman said. “So you were struck by Shentian She’s thunder and lost your compassion.”

 

Sheng Jiao’s pupils trembled slightly.

 

Xiezhi Sect’s law did not yield to emotion; the greatest taboo was compassion that did not distinguish right from wrong.

 

Xi Jianlan’s pupils shrank.

 

Sheng Jiao said nothing, just gave the woman a slight nod, then pulled Xi Jianlan away from the illusion.

 

The woman watched their backs with a smile, a single clear tear sliding from the corner of her eye.

 

Entering the next illusion, for some reason, it was another clear and pure realm.

 

A handsome youth stood in the center, cheerfully saying, “Finally, someone’s here.”

 

Xi Jianlan looked at the boy’s face, then at the cage beside him, where another person who looked exactly like him was locked up. Somehow, he seemed to guess the truth.

 

The youth said brightly, “I was born poor in the Southern Territory, but looked just like a young master of a great family. The young master fell gravely ill and couldn’t go out, so the family head killed my parents and took me to be the young master’s stand-in.”

 

Xi Jianlan was stunned.

 

The youth, as if showing off, grinned: “After I learned my parents were killed, I pretended to be obedient, gained their trust, and at a family banquet, poisoned the wine and killed the family head and young master.”

 

Before he could ask, Xi Jianlan clapped and laughed: “Of course you’re not guilty either.”

 

The youth looked at Sheng Jiao.

 

Sheng Jiao was silent.

 

The youth continued, “Little immortal, you judged me innocent back then, but were struck by heavenly punishment and lost your anger.”

 

Xi Jianlan glanced at the expressionless Sheng Jiao, his heart trembling.

 

Just two cases judged wrong, and he’d lost his compassion and anger…

 

Back then, little Sheng Jiao spent a full five years in Shentian She.

 

The illusion faded.

 

Xi Jianlan stood on scorched earth and suddenly asked, “Sect Master Sheng, do you still think these people are innocent?”

 

Sheng Jiao was silent.

 

Xi Jianlan stepped forward, placing his hand on Sheng Jiao’s chest, feeling the utterly unmoved heartbeat beneath his palm.

 

“You’ve lost all empathy and compassion, and all righteous anger. No more seven emotions or six desires, your feelings and desires are thin as paper. All you have left… is a cold heart.”

 

Sheng Jiao seized his hand, his gaze icy and indifferent.

 

“So, Sheng Jiao…”

 

Xi Jianlan wasn’t afraid of his chill at all; he even rose on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to Sheng Jiao’s cold lips. Their breaths mingled, but their eyes were equally cold and emotionless.

 

Xi Jianlan was even smiling.

 

“You really will kill me. I’m afraid.”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)