Chapter 224: Sanniang is Not a Monster
Chen An had thought he would return to the Tai Xuan Sect.
He just didn’t expect to be back so soon.
South Mountain was still the same South Mountain, but the snow covering it had melted, revealing the green of early spring.
Upon returning to the Tai Xuan Sect, Chen An’s first act was to seek out Dao Xuan Zhenren.
However, to his surprise, Senior Sister Su Ping informed him that the Sect Master had left the mountain a month ago, and his whereabouts were unknown.
As the Sect Master and a Tribulation Crossing True Monarch, Dao Xuan Zhenren’s destination was not something disciples could know.
Chen An then visited the other peak masters but still received no answers.
He only knew that it was likely related to the old demon imprisoned beneath the Nether Prison.
This filled him with a growing unease.
It was too coincidental.
Just as Mu Sanniang had an incident, something else happened here, which also drew away Dao Xuan Zhenren, the Tai Xuan Sect’s top combat power. Chen An couldn’t help but overthink.
This unease, after three days, finally became reality.
Chen An did not wait for Dao Xuan Zhenren to return to the mountain.
But on this day, the Tai Xuan Sky Ladder below South Mountain welcomed new “guests.”
…
…
It was a young girl.
Her white skirt, no longer Immaculately pure, was stained with blood that had seeped deep, turning it dark and murderous.
The girl held a saber and ascended the steps.
Her face was still beautiful, but the coldness emanating from her entire being seemed etched into her bones, causing a stinging sensation.
Her light blue eyes had, at some point, been stained crimson, flashing with a frantic, violent desire to destroy everything.
The anomaly outside the sect was quickly discovered by the disciples guarding the mountain.
This was a new disciple who knew nothing of Mu Sanniang’s past.
He was merely shocked by the newcomer’s appearance and the almost tangible smell of blood that clung to her.
Even a place as spiritually rich as South Mountain couldn’t suppress the overwhelming killing aura emanating from the girl.
He dared not approach, shouting from a distance, trying to make her back down, but she merely lowered her head and continued forward.
Afraid to delay, he quickly took out his jade token to report.
In fact, before he could report, some senior masters with high realms had already sensed the evil aura outside the sect.
A streak of divine light flashed and slowly stopped before the girl, revealing a figure within.
He was an old man with white hair and beard.
Judging by his attire, with a stylized cauldron pattern on the cuffs of his sleeves, he was likely Han Yi, the peak master of the Pill Xuan Peak among the Six Peaks.
He frowned, gazing at the girl before him.
Unlike the newly joined disciple, he had seen Mu Sanniang and knew of her past.
Seeing the black saber in the girl’s hand and the faint cries of ghosts emanating from her, Han Yi couldn’t help but be inwardly startled.
Facing the girl directly, he could feel a pressure from the depths of his soul.
It was as if the person approaching him was not a blooming young girl, but a vast sea of blood, with countless severed limbs and souls struggling within, issuing soul-wrenching screams and wails.
In just a few months since he last saw her, what had happened to her?
Han Yi composed himself and asked in a deep voice,
“Mu Sanniang, without the Sect Master’s order, why have you returned?”
Despite his words, he was already contemplating capturing her and returning her to the sect to be imprisoned in the Nether Prison once more. Otherwise, if she were to escape into the mortal world and wreak havoc, he, as a senior of the Tai Xuan Sect, would not escape blame.
On the other side.
Return…
For what?
Hearing the question, the girl slowly stopped, appearing somewhat dazed.
Her consciousness was like being immersed in a bloody ocean, making her thoughts very slow.
After a long while, as if she had finally found an answer, the girl’s vacant pupils gradually refocused.
She raised her eyes, looking directly at the person blocking her path, and softly spoke.
“To… return…”
“To kill.”
The girl’s words were as concise as ever.
Just like her actions, she immediately swung her saber.
The black saber swung out, its blade vibrating with excitement, eager to drink the blood of Nascent Soul cultivator.
There were no flashy techniques.
For the girl, she only knew the simplest swing of the saber.
Yet, this seemingly simple strike made Han Yi’s expression extremely solemn. As if facing a formidable enemy, he summoned over a dozen magic treasures with a raise of his hand.
The colorful spiritual light emanating from the magic treasures covered the sky and blocked out the sun, enveloping the entire Tai Xuan Sky Ladder.
But when they met the slender black saber, it was as if they were made of paper. The defensive line formed by these magic treasures disintegrated in an instant.
Han Yi’s expression was one of horror. He felt goosebumps on his arms and a surge of mortal danger.
He found it unbelievable. Although he was not skilled in combat, he was a dignified Nascent Soul cultivator, and he had not held back or underestimated his opponent. Yet, he seemed so insignificant before this blow!
Was this truly the “trash” people spoke of?
Even the most heaven-defying demonic cultivation could not have brought her to this level in such a short time!
But he was given no time to ponder further, as the world before his eyes began to turn red, and soul-shattering, ear-piercing wails swirled around him.
The black saber had already fallen.
With a single strike, Han Yi was sent flying uncontrollably, creating a spray of blood mist.
While his mind was filled with terror, Han Yi hastily performed a technique, fleeing backward.
As he ran, he anxiously transmitted his voice: “The sect is under attack! All Peak Masters, come quickly, and together we shall activate the mountain protection formation!”
Initially, Han Yi had thought that with his intervention, dealing with a disciple who had gone mad would not be a major problem.
But after truly engaging, he realized how wrong he was, and more than just wrong, profoundly mistaken.
He had completely underestimated the girl’s combat power, and more crucially, the girl’s sanity was clearly lost. She acted purely on instinct and killing intent, making communication impossible.
Coupled with the Sect Master’s absence and the fact that the peak master of Shang Xuan Peak, who was most skilled in combat, was imprisoned in the Nether Prison, Han Yi’s immediate thought was to activate the mountain protection formation to counter the enemy.
As the commotion outside the sect grew, figures emerged one after another, rushing towards the sect’s exterior.
However, the first to arrive was not a peak master from another peak.
It was a young man.
Upon seeing the young man, Han Yi’s face clearly showed surprise, then he seemed to realize something and frowned, “Chen An, you are only at Foundation Establishment, what are you doing here? Retreat quickly!”
“I and the other peak masters are here to keep her contained; we won’t let her truly enter the sect and harm innocents.”
He was worried the child might impulsively do something foolish.
But the young man merely shook his head.
His gaze passed over the Pill Xuan Peak Master and fell upon the stone steps not far away.
There stood a figure he once knew intimately, yet now found incredibly unfamiliar.
“Let me go,”
he said.
Han Yi frowned deeply and couldn’t help but scold loudly, “Nonsense!”
“Her soul is lost, her mind corrupted. If you go now, it’s suicide!”
“She is no longer your sister; she is merely a monster with the same appearance and body as your sister!”
Listening to his elder’s reprimand, the young man seemed to fall silent briefly.
After a moment, he shook his head again.
“Sanniang is not a monster.”
He refuted softly.
And in the time they wasted bickering, the various peak masters of the Tai Xuan Sect had already arrived one after another.
They had learned of the situation from Han Yi’s transmission and now wore solemn expressions.
The young man’s voice rang out once more.
“Let me try.”
He said.
(End of this chapter)
