Chapter 160: Who Can Bring Her Back to Me?

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The other person who struggled to endure this situation was Quan Ye.

After five long years of reflection at the Cliff of Reflection, Quan Ye spent most of his time cultivating. Yet, no matter how disciplined he tried to be, his thoughts would invariably drift back to the same person—Yu Zhao, the woman whose Foundation Establishment he shattered with a single punch.

He had regretted that reckless act every single day. The punch had left her gravely injured, and the guilt consumed him. He vowed that once his punishment was over, he would find her, apologize sincerely, and accept whatever retribution she demanded.

But what greeted him upon his return?

Yu Zhao stood there, radiating strength and brimming with spiritual energy. She didn’t appear weak or broken like the image he had tortured himself with for five years.

It felt like a cruel joke.

Her supposedly shattered Foundation Establishment? All a lie, in his eyes.

He now saw himself as the true victim of her deceit.

“Yu Zhao, don’t you have anything to say?!” Quan Ye demanded, his voice low but shaking with fury. His eyes, bloodshot, glared at her, accusingly.

Yu Zhao, baffled by his outburst, met his gaze without flinching. She had barely returned to the Five Elements Dao Sect when Quan Ye, accompanied by Ye Cong Xin, blocked her path. Both of them stared at her with a strange mix of anger and indignation, as though she had committed some heinous crime.

The growing crowd of disciples nearby whispered among themselves, their murmurs rising like an incoming tide. Yu Zhao quickly realized that leaving quietly was no longer an option.

In the past, staying silent had only earned her more baseless accusations. She was done tolerating lies and manipulations. If someone tried to smear her name, she would ensure they paid the price.

With a faint smile playing on her lips, she raised an eyebrow and asked calmly, “What do you want me to say? Forgive you? Sorry, I can’t.”

“You dare talk about forgiveness?!” Quan Ye roared. “Your Foundation Establishment was perfectly intact, but you lied to me! Because of you, I suffered five years of punishment at the Cliff of Reflection! You’re vile!”

Among the five senior disciples, Quan Ye was the most physically imposing. His path of Body Refinement made his voice naturally commanding. Even without shouting, his words carried far and wide, ensuring everyone present could hear.

Ye Cong Xin, snapping out of her own brewing resentment, furrowed her brows as she chimed in. “Senior Sister Yu, since you weren’t actually injured, why did you deceive everyone? Because of you, Fifth Senior Brother was punished. Don’t you think that was excessive?”

Their words painted Yu Zhao as a schemer, someone who manipulated others for her own gain. The murmurs among the surrounding disciples grew louder.

“So, it was all fake? Yu Zhao is too much!” “Isn’t she a Golden Core cultivator now? Shouldn’t we call her Senior Sister Yu?” “Senior Sister Yu? She has no integrity! I thought she had changed, but she’s still the same. She doesn’t deserve that title!”

Yu Zhao had always had a poor reputation within the Five Elements Dao Sect. Even though Zhou Jin Yue and others had defended her, most disciples trusted what they could see over any rumors. And with Quan Ye and Ye Cong Xin reinforcing the narrative, disdainful and mocking gazes fell on Yu Zhao like a storm.

Ye Cong Xin’s lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. She knew that no matter how talented Yu Zhao was, she could never regain her footing within the sect with Ye Cong Xin undermining her at every turn.

“Quan Ye,” Yu Zhao said, her voice now icy, “did your years at the Cliff of Reflection fry your brain? Do I need to remind you of what happened five years ago?”

Her sneer cut through the tension like a blade. “That day, it was your punch that shattered my Foundation Establishment and reduced my cultivation to the Qi Refinement stage. Fang Cheng Lang and others were there; they saw everything. And if I remember correctly, Ye Cong Xin, you were there too.”

All eyes turned to Ye Cong Xin, whose face stiffened for a moment before she composed herself. “Yes, I was present,” she admitted, “but I was too far away to see clearly.”

Yu Zhao smirked. “Fine. Let’s say you didn’t see it. Quan Ye, did you also miss it? You, of all people, should remember the sound of a Foundation Establishment breaking.”

Quan Ye opened his mouth but couldn’t muster a response.

How could he forget? That heart-wrenching sound still haunted his dreams, echoing in his mind countless nights. It was why his guilt consumed him, why he could never sleep peacefully.

But… Yu Zhao standing before him, unbroken and confident? It didn’t align with his guilt-ridden narrative. It wasn’t the Yu Zhao he knew.

“You…” His voice faltered, trembling with desperation. “Why don’t you call me ‘Fifth Senior Brother’ anymore?”

The question caught Yu Zhao off guard, but before she could answer, one of the onlookers interjected, “Senior Brother Quan, Yu Zhao is no longer part of Lone Moon Peak.”

Quan Ye’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What do you mean? What do you mean you’re not part of Lone Moon Peak? Where did you go?”

Yu Zhao stared at him, her expression unreadable. Was he panicking over losing her as a sparring partner?

“Say something!” Quan Ye’s voice cracked, and the veins on his forehead throbbed with intensity. His towering figure radiated such fury that several disciples instinctively stepped back in fear.

Sensing the shifting mood, Ye Cong Xin spoke gently, “Fifth Senior Brother, calm down. Don’t scare Senior Sister Yu.”

But Quan Ye didn’t even glance at her, his wild eyes fixed solely on Yu Zhao. There was something feral in his gaze, a bloodlust that only worsened with every passing moment.

Yu Zhao immediately recognized the signs. Quan Ye’s temper was boiling over, and when that happened, there was only one way to calm him down: physical release.

In her past life, she had been his outlet. Whether she consented or not, she was forced to endure his aggression under the guise of “sparring.” Her protests were ignored, and the cycle continued until she began to believe the lie: that he tormented her because he cared.

She shook her head, clearing away the painful memories. She was no longer that weak and self-deluded girl.

Raising her chin, Yu Zhao met Quan Ye’s gaze without fear. Her piercing stare carried a cold detachment, as if she were studying a beast in a cage.

Quan Ye’s chest tightened under her scrutiny.

No. This wasn’t Yu Zhao.

This couldn’t be her.

“Who…” he whispered hoarsely. “Who can bring her back to me?”

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