Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Too Late

The disciple beside him smacked the back of his head. “If they’d been sacrificed, would they still be standing here? Use your brain!”

Laughter rippled through the crowd, tension loosening. The earlier knife-edge hostility dulled.

Bai Meng Lian pressed on, voice steady. “Among us, only one person was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator. The rest were all at the Qi Refining Stage. We had no way to stop my Great-Uncle.

“Luckily, my sister was quick-witted. She pretended to defect, got close to him, obtained that treasure, and then…” Bai Meng Lian swallowed. “She reversed her cultivation method and absorbed my Great-Uncle’s devil qi instead.”

A cold breath swept through the hall.

Someone shouted, “Isn’t that suicide? A Qi Refining Stage cultivator absorbing a Golden Core Stage cultivator’s devil qi—how could she not explode?”

“Yeah! Don’t tell me you’re making this up just to excuse your sister!”

Tears slid down Bai Meng Lian’s cheeks. “You’re right. My sister went in fully prepared to die.

“Back then, we had no way out. She wanted us to live, so she was willing to sacrifice herself…”

As she spoke, her fingers pinched Bai Meng Xing’s lower back hard.

Bai Meng Xing jerked in pain, eyes watering. He immediately blurted, “It was exactly like my older sister said! When my sister went in, she didn’t plan on coming back alive. She even made us shut the door and stayed alone with Great-Uncle—ptui!

“He doesn’t deserve to be called our Great-Uncle. He’s a devil fiend!

“My sister stayed in there alone with a devil fiend. Do you know how terrifying that was?!”

The memory of Withered Leaf Cottage still haunted him; his trembling sincerity was convincing enough to make even skeptics falter.

Bai Meng Lian raised her chin, voice ringing. “Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, do you understand now?

“This is how my sister gained her cultivation. She didn’t choose to become a devil cultivator—she was forced to condense a devil heart!”

A disciple called out, “Even if that’s true, how did she survive? Forming a Golden Core is incredibly hard even for us at Foundation Establishment. She was only Qi Refining—how could she absorb that much devil qi without bursting?”

Another voice followed, sharper. “And ordinary people tainted by devil qi become obsessive and bloodthirsty. Even if she didn’t fall into it by choice, she’s still a devil cultivator now. How can you guarantee she won’t do evil in the future?”

“Exactly!”

“It still doesn’t add up!”

“Are you making this story up?”

“Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters!” Bai Meng Lian lifted her voice. “Martial Uncle You is right here. Everything I say will reach the elders’ ears. Would I dare to lie?”

The crowd stilled. After a beat, several people nodded.

Right. With everything in the open, lying would only make things worse.

Still, the question remained—survival.

Bai Meng Lian didn’t hesitate. “As for why my sister survived—we only learned later.

“Perfected Chang Ling from Cinnabar Cloud Palace arrived, examined my sister, and said she had a Jade-Tempered Body, so devil qi couldn’t erode her.”

“Jade-Tempered Body?” Master Sun’s eyes widened. “You’re saying she has a Jade-Tempered Body?”

“Yes, Master.” Bai Meng Lian bowed. “Martial Uncle You can testify.”

Under the weight of dozens of stares, You Yan finally nodded.

Now that someone else had said it first, the Sect Master couldn’t blame her for revealing it. You Yan stepped forward and raised her voice. “Martial Uncle Sun, fellow disciples, the elders have already investigated this.

“That’s why we made an exception and allowed her to enter the sect.”

“No wonder.” Master Sun’s expression shifted from fury to stunned clarity. “They say a Jade-Tempered Body is a naturally pure vessel—able to refine spiritual power on its own and resist devil qi. I didn’t think it was real…” His eyes drifted, already wandering back to craft. “If only she didn’t have a devil heart. With such pure spiritual power, how easily she could commune with heaven and earth. How powerful would the talismans she draws be?”

You Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Martial Uncle Sun truly lived with talisman paper in his bones and nothing else.

She lifted her voice, anchoring the crowd. “Did everyone hear that?

“So there’s nothing wrong with Junior Sister Bai entering the sect. Don’t worry. The sect will not do anything unjust or anything that harms its disciples.

“If you have questions in the future, come ask. Don’t act rashly.”

With Master Sun convinced, the rest of the disciples were easily swayed. The earlier rage dissolved into sighs and murmurs.

“Then Martial Uncle Bai truly is pure and kind—willing to sacrifice herself to save her companions. That’s the style of Limitless Sect.”

“Good thing she has that special constitution. Otherwise, how could she have lived.”

“I can’t believe a constitution like that exists…”

“We shouldn’t have gotten so worked up. The elders devote themselves to the sect—we should trust them…”

Master Sun, muttering to himself, suddenly stiffened as if struck by lightning. He whirled toward the two in the corner. “I get it now!

“No wonder the elders had the Young Sect Master betroth her.” His voice rose, excited. “With her constitution and her control over devil qi, couldn’t she clear the demonic qi inside the Young Sect Master?”

Silence slammed down over the Steward Hall.

Dozens—hundreds—of eyes turned toward Ling Bu Fei and Bai Meng Jin.

If the demonic qi inside the Young Sect Master could be cleared…

Wouldn’t the Young Sect Master recover?

And if the Young Sect Master recovered—if he returned to the Divine Transformation Stage—wouldn’t he be able to take over as Sect Master?

So the Young Sect Master wouldn’t be a cripple forever.

The idea hit the disciples like a hammer. Stunned faces stared as if they’d just glimpsed a new sky.

At that moment, in the Purple Sky Hall, Ling Yun Gao received You Yan’s message.

After reading it, he frowned. “How could Junior Brother Sun cause a scene? Other than making talismans, he never cares about anything.”

Nearby, Qiu Yi Nong was sorting files. Her heart lurched.

She had told someone to plant a few words in front of Master Sun—only to sour his mood, to make that Bai girl suffer some cold looks. She hadn’t told him to drag half the academy to the Steward Hall.

Ling Yun Gao’s expression darkened. He hadn’t wanted this made public, but now that it had boiled over, it had to be addressed. Leaving it to rot would only poison the sect.

“Yi Nong, go take a look,” he said, then paused and drew the Message Talisman back. “No. I’ll go myself.”

Too many things had gone wrong lately. Better to handle it personally.

Qiu Yi Nong followed, nerves tight. “I’ll go with you.”

Master and disciple became streaks of light and arrived before the Steward Hall in a blink.

Seeing the packed crowd, Ling Yun Gao was about to speak—

Master Sun rushed up first, beaming, and cut him off. “Congratulations, Sect Master! You’ve sought medicine for years to heal the Young Sect Master’s Severed Meridians, and now there’s finally good news. Your devotion wasn’t wasted!”

Ling Yun Gao froze.

What was he talking about?

“Yeah, yeah!” A hot-headed disciple chimed in beside Master Sun. “Once the Young Sect Master’s Severed Meridians are healed, the sect will gain another Divine Transformation Stage powerhouse. Sect Master, you’ve governed well—the sect is truly blessed!”

The chant caught like fire.

“Sect Master governs well!”

“Great fortune for the sect!”