Chapter 85: The Crow’s Lament
One sword, cleaving through the mist.
The world was bathed in a clear, bright light.
The Primordial Mist Concealment Formation slowly dissipated, revealing Chen Yin and the others standing amidst the ruins.
The Mist Spirit Sect disciples stared in horror.
“Wh-what happened?”
“How was the protective formation broken so easily?”
“Who did it? Was it Immortal Yu Ling?”
Several disciples rushed to support their injured Sect Master, Wu Xun. “Sect Master!”
Wu Xun didn’t speak, just waved them away with a dark expression, signaling them to keep their distance.
Chen Yin glanced at the obliterated remains of the secret division members, then turned to the elders.
“There are three more people who appeared in the recording of the Changli Palace incident.”
“Xiang’er, how do you want to deal with them?” He handed the Eternal Light sword to Yu Xiang.
Yu Xiang looked at him with a dazed expression.
Her pale face trembled slightly as she bit her lip, then took the sword and slowly walked towards the three elders.
Most of the Mist Spirit Sect disciples were still in shock, but a few loyalists tried to step forward and protect the elders.
However, before they could move, a figure in an azure blue dress blocked their path, her sword, as clear as moonlight, drawn before them.
“Stop.” Shen Shuanglian said softly, her eyes downcast. “This is a personal matter between the elders.”
“We disciples… should not interfere.”
Yu Xiang walked towards the three elders, her steps firm and resolute.
“W-wait!”
One of them cried out in fear. “I had nothing to do with the Changli Palace incident! It was the Sect Master’s orders! I-I was just following orders!”
“Please, spare me… I don’t want to die!”
“Heh, you little bastard! You were the only one who escaped!” Another elder spat out, his mouth frothing with blood. “If I had killed you along with the others, none of this would have happened!”
“Ah, you reap what you sow. This is karma, karma.” The last elder sighed with a wry smile.
Yu Xiang stood before the three elders, her face reflecting a torrent of emotions.
Hatred. Anger. Sorrow. Relief. Melancholy.
But in the end, she remained silent.
Chen Yin stood behind her, watching as she raised her sword and swiftly pierced their hearts.
As the three bodies collapsed to the ground, Yu Xiang swayed slightly.
Her legs felt weak, and she almost lost her balance. But someone caught her.
“I thought you would repay them in kind.” Chen Yin said softly, supporting her.
Yu Xiang bit her lip, her eyes filled with a fragile vulnerability.
“…I don’t want to waste any more time on them.”
“No matter how much I torture them, my parents and my senior brothers and sisters won’t come back.”
“If their souls are still lingering, I’ll let them take revenge themselves.”
Chen Yin didn’t say anything more. Instead, he asked, “Now that you’ve had your revenge, how do you feel?”
Yu Xiang looked up and whispered, “I just feel lighter.”
“And… I want to cry.”
“Then cry.”
She bit her lip hard, then threw herself into Chen Yin’s arms, burying her face in his chest.
A heart-wrenching sob, suppressed for years, finally erupted.
Her cries sounded like a crow flapping its wings in the night sky.
The entire world seemed to fall silent, only her mournful sobs echoing through the air.
…As if her soul was being torn apart.
Chen Yin remained silent, his hand resting on her head, waiting for her to calm down.
Master, Mu Susu, and Wan Yunhai walked towards Wu Xun.
“Look what you’ve done to that poor girl.” Master said with a disgusted expression. “You old bastard, you’ve truly sinned.”
Wu Xun’s beard trembled slightly, his cloudy eyes filled with a strange calmness.
“…History is written by the victors.” He said hoarsely.
“Without the Heavenly Dao Fragment, who can guarantee that the Mist Spirit Sect won’t suffer the same fate one day?”
Mu Susu and Wan Yunhai remained silent. Master simply snorted disdainfully.
“Tch. A coward who bullies the weak. After all these years of cultivation, no wonder you haven’t comprehended the Dao.”
“End it yourself. Don’t make me dirty my hands.” She looked at him with disgust, like he was a cockroach.
Wu Xun didn’t answer. His old eyes were fixed on Wan Yunhai and Mu Susu.
“Everyone.”
“This was my decision, my responsibility. I’m willing to end my own life, but for the sake of maintaining stability in the cultivation world, please spare the Mist Spirit Sect.”
Wan Yunhai simply bowed silently, while Mu Susu said gracefully, “Don’t worry.”
“The Heavenly Net Sect is wealthy and powerful. We have no interest in your meager possessions. Besides, it would bring bad luck.”
“But from today onwards…”
“The Mist Spirit Sect will be removed from the ranks of the major sects.”
Hearing those words, a flicker of regret crossed Wu Xun’s eyes.
The next moment, his face became incredibly old and weary, the light fading from his eyes.
“…What a pity.”
“Yu Ling, I should never have attacked you.”
“Please forgive my transgressions and continue with your own endeavors.”
“Just pretend… we never existed.” He closed his eyes slowly.
At that moment, the sky darkened slightly. Dark clouds gathered, and a light drizzle began to fall.
The mournful cries of the Mist Spirit Sect disciples filled the air.
Mu Susu and Wan Yunhai remained silent. Master, however, stared at Wu Xun’s lifeless body, a rare flicker of emotion in her eyes.
“If you hadn’t been so obsessed with power and the sect’s legacy…”
“…Perhaps you wouldn’t have met such an end today. You might have even achieved immortality.”
She turned and waved her sleeve, and Wu Xun’s body dissipated like a firefly.
Chen Yin watched everything silently.
As the raindrops fell on his and Xiang’er’s faces, her mournful sobs finally subsided.
“…It’s over,” he whispered to her.
Xiang’er nodded, her eyes red and swollen.
“Let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
He was about to turn around when he heard a hesitant voice call out, “Chen—”
Chen Yin turned his head. Shen Shuanglian’s clear eyes were filled with uncertainty. She reached out a hand, then slowly withdrew it.
“Aren’t you coming with me, Senior Sister?”
“…Give me some time.” She bit her lip gently.
“The Mist Spirit Sect is in chaos now, without a leader. Someone needs to take charge and clean up this mess.”
She lowered her eyes, her voice filled with reluctance. “I… I’m still the chief disciple of the Mist Spirit Sect.”
Chen Yin nodded. “I understand.”
“Take your time. I’ll come back for you after you’ve dealt with the sect’s affairs.”
Shen Shuanglian’s long eyelashes fluttered.
She understood what he meant.
He already considered her part of their family on Mount Yu.
Shen Shuanglian smiled sweetly and nodded obediently.
“Okay. I’ll wait for you.”
“Hey, hey, hey, what about me, what about me?”
Luo Qiaoqiao rushed over, pouting. “Can’t I come back to the mountain with you?”
“What are you talking about?”
Chen Yin flicked her forehead playfully. “Your mother is right here. Go home with her.”
“Hmph!” Luo Qiaoqiao was clearly unhappy, her eyes watery, her pout almost reaching the sky.
“I don’t want to! I want to go play with you!”
Chen Yin’s head throbbed.
…This girl was impossible to reason with when she was being stubborn.
Fortunately, before she could say anything else, a delicate hand grabbed her collar and pulled her away.
“Enough, have some sense. They have important matters to attend to. Why are you following them?”
“Come home with Mother. Stop making a fuss.”
“No! I don’t want to go home!”
Luo Qiaoqiao’s whines and protests faded into the distance. Chen Yin breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking Vice Sect Master Mu.
He turned his head and asked with a puzzled expression, “Where’s Master? Wasn’t she just here?”
Wan Yunhai chuckled awkwardly.
Chen Yin: “…”
…He understood.
It seemed the Mist Spirit Sect’s treasure vault was about to be raided.
His Master was not one to take a loss lightly. After causing such a commotion, she wouldn’t leave without taking something valuable as compensation.
“Thank you for your help, Pavilion Master Wan.”
Wan Yunhai waved his hand dismissively. “It was nothing, just a small effort.”
“Besides… this was ultimately Immortal Yu Ling’s intention. Otherwise, with our Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion’s policy of non-interference in the cultivation world’s affairs, I wouldn’t have dared to come here.”
Chen Yin blinked and asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time, “Is Master really that influential? Even you, the Pavilion Master of the Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion, have to give her face?”
“Well…”
Wan Yunhai chuckled awkwardly. “It’s not a matter of giving face.”
“It’s a rule passed down from our ancestors.”
“If Immortal Yu Ling has a request, we will use all our resources to fulfill it, regardless of the cost. And we expect nothing in return.”
Chen Yin was stunned.
Wow.
This wasn’t just about giving face. This was practically having the entire Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion at her disposal.
And a rule passed down from their ancestors… just how long had this old woman lived?
“But Immortal Yu Ling has mostly just used the Ten Thousand Fragrance Pavilion for information gathering. She rarely interferes in the affairs of the cultivation world or the Pavilion.”
“This time… she must be truly angry.” A flicker of fear crossed Wan Yunhai’s eyes.
Chen Yin was intrigued. He wanted to ask about the video camera, but it wasn’t the right time to ask in public. So he simply said:
“I’ll visit you another time, Pavilion Master Wan.”
“I’ll be waiting.” Wan Yunhai bowed in return.
With everything settled, Chen Yin finally felt a sense of relief.
He looked down at Xiang’er, who was clinging to him timidly, her head lowered in silence.
“Forget about Master.”
“Let’s go home,” he whispered.
Xiang’er nodded slowly.
In the soft, silky rain, their figures, nestled against each other…
…walked away, disappearing into the distance.
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