Chapter 221

Chapter 221: Making Public the Malevolent Spirit Tied to Bai Mu Mu

When the team trial ended, everyone in the Secret Realm was Teleported back to Fengling Terrace.

Seeing the final result, Bai Mu Mu seemed to lose all strength and all means. [Why? Why can’t I beat her?]

“Mumu!” Shen Dao Chen and Master Ling Xiao were startled by her condition. Their Divine Sense swept over her, and they found she was in worse shape than anyone else.

Master Ling Xiao wrapped her heart meridians with Spiritual Power to protect them, then lifted blazing eyes toward the Ninghua Sect. It was not hard to guess whose handiwork her wounds were.

Shen Dao Chen urged her, voice tight with anger and worry: “Mumu, tell Father what happened in the Secret Realm. Your father and your master will stand up for you!”

Bai Mu Mu bit her lip, eyes red, and spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito.

In the Ninghua Sect’s rest area, Immortal Lord Chang Li and the others were also about to ask their people what had happened.

Then True Lord Gu Ci’s voice rolled out, and all sound on Fengling Terrace stilled.

She declared: “After investigation, the points of the Flying Cloud Sect and the Ninghua Sect show no anomalies and can be used for the final ranking.”

A light flashed from her fingertips and formed a display board.

She said calmly: “Here is the detailed breakdown of how both sects earned their points.”

The board finally smothered the loudest rumors.

Cries rose: “So they’re all real points. No cheating!”

Someone pointed out: “Looks like the Flying Cloud Sect wandered into a place rich in materials and treasures, and Ninghua Sect’s points are mostly from Dodder Vine segments?”

True Lord Gu Ci continued with the announcement: “The final results of this Sect Grand Tournament are as follows: first place, Ninghua Sect; second place, the Flying Cloud Sect; third place, Heavenly Sword Sect; fourth place, the Red Desert Jiang Clan; fifth place, the Alchemy Sect.”

The rest of the rankings appeared on the board.

An uproar swept the terrace. Who would have thought that Ninghua Sect, a whole sect of only eight people, would take the crown?

True Lord Gu Ci asked evenly: “Do any of you have objections?”

After hearing Bai Mu Mu’s account, Shen Dao Chen could no longer contain his fury and was about to step out to challenge the Ninghua Sect.

But a clear voice rang out from Ninghua’s side first: “I object.”

It was Shen Sang Ruo.

She did not beat around the bush and said directly: “Bai Mu Mu of the Flying Cloud Sect colluded with a Malevolent Spirit, controlled a Purplegold Serpent and strengthened it with Devil Qi, and tried to kill the five of us from the Ninghua Sect inside the Secret Realm.”

Her voice, carried by Spiritual Power, reached every corner of Fengling Terrace like a bomb.

People gaped and blurted: “Wait, what? A Malevolent Spirit? Devil Qi? Murder?”

She was the Flying Cloud Sect’s Young Sect Master from the last tournament’s champion sect, Shen Dao Chen’s own daughter, and Master Ling Xiao’s Closed Door Disciple, as upright as could be. How could such things be mentioned in the same breath with her?

The crowd boiled.

True Lord Gu Ci glanced at Shen Sang Ruo and frowned slightly. Based on Shen Sang Ruo’s conduct in the tournament, she was not reckless. That alone made her words worth weighing.

Shen Dao Chen slammed the table and snapped: “Nonsense!”

He had thought Shen Sang Ruo had changed, yet she was still the same. What had Mumu ever done to deserve this? He barked: “My daughter is gravely hurt and can barely speak, while all five of you are perfectly fine. She tried to kill you? Nonsense!”

Everyone had seen how weak Bai Mu Mu looked.

Master Ling Xiao’s voice dropped cold as he stared at Shen Sang Ruo: “I believe the killer is someone else.”

He said, each word heavy: “Mumu’s entire body is burned by Glazed Flame, and there are two deep, bone-revealing wounds in her chest from a feather fan. The attacker’s methods were ruthless and clearly meant to take her life. If you doubt it, anyone may examine the injuries. Who else uses such attacks?”

With a figure like Master Ling Xiao speaking, few thought to question him. Glazed Flame and a feather fan—many eyes swung toward Shen Sang Ruo.

She answered without flinching: “Yes, I inflicted those wounds.”

Gasps burst all around.

Her expression did not change as she asked back: “She tried to kill me and already acted. If I don’t fight back, should I just wait to die?”

Master Ling Xiao narrowed his eyes: “If she tried to kill you, why don’t you have a single injury?”

Immortal Lord Chang Li stepped to Shen Sang Ruo’s side and said with a thin smile: “Because some people lack strength. They meant to kill, failed, and were the ones who ended up gravely hurt.”

Master Ling Xiao’s face went black. The two locked eyes, their auras clashing.

True Lord Gu Ci raised a hand and said: “Silence. The projection in the Heaven-grade Zone malfunctioned. We do not know what happened inside. We cannot pass judgment in haste.”

She turned to the other party: “Bai Mu Mu of the Flying Cloud Sect, what do you have to say?”

Supported by Shen Dao Chen, Bai Mu Mu said weakly: “We accidentally entered the Purplegold Serpent’s territory. My Senior Brother and our other teammates were eliminated by it.”

She added through sobs: “The Ninghua Sect took the chance to ambush me. Senior Sister Shen, she wanted to kill me…”

The Flying Cloud Sect grew furious at once.

Shen Dao Chen stated: “What Mumu says is true. The injuries on our eliminated Disciples were all caused by the Purplegold Serpent. Anyone can check.”

Bai Mu Mu lifted her eyes and said, voice shaking: “I did not expect she would accuse me with talk of a Malevolent Spirit and Devil Qi. If you examine the Purplegold Serpent, you can clear me.”

Shen Sang Ruo said calmly: “No need to check. The Devil Qi on the Purplegold Serpent has already faded.”

That only made many cultivators more displeased; to them, she sounded like she had no proof.

She paused, then continued: “I have no physical evidence, but there are plenty of witnesses.”

Mei Mei, unable to stand it any longer, stood up and said with open disgust: “I, along with a number of Heavenly Sword Sect Disciples, saw it with our own eyes. The Purplegold Serpent was tainted with Devil Qi.”

Before the shock settled, Jiang Chu from the Red Desert Jiang Clan also rose and declared: “The fifteen of us saw it too. We can testify for Fellow Daoist Shen.”

He explained: “We saw Fellow Daoist Shen’s distress signal. When we arrived, the Ninghua Sect team was trapped inside the Purplegold Serpent’s Barrier Ward…”

They described the scene in brief, each detail ringing true.

With those two sects speaking up, the balance tipped. Heavenly Sword Sect in particular was known to hate evil and would never lie about anything involving a Malevolent Spirit. Neither sect had any conflict with the Flying Cloud Sect, and they had no reason to lie for Ninghua.

It landed like a hammer blow.

The looks people cast at Bai Mu Mu and the Flying Cloud Sect began to change. Even Shen Dao Chen wavered, his gaze at Bai Mu Mu turning complicated.

[Could it be…]

Bai Mu Mu looked straight at him, eyes brimming with tears, and asked with despair in her voice: “Father, do you not believe me either?”