Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Rumors Laid Bare

Master Ling Xiao snorted through his nose and demanded: “Then tell us what really happened in the Secret Realm.”

Bai Mu Mu shot Wen Xuan a meaningful look and sent him a Mind-Voice Transmission: “If you want the Pass Token, you know what to do.”

Wen Xuan’s hand clenched and then slowly loosened. He took a deep breath and said, voice steady: “The facts are as Shen Sang Ruo and the others said. There is indeed a Malevolent Spirit on Bai Mu Mu.”

He then described in full how he and Bai Mu Mu plotted to murder the Ninghua Sect group, and how Bai Mu Mu used that Malevolent Spirit to control the Purplegold Serpent.

Shen Dao Chen and Master Ling Xiao’s faces changed at once.

Wen Xuan dropped to his knees toward the two of them and begged solemnly: “Please believe this disciple. For the sake of the Cultivation World, we must remove this scourge. The Flying Cloud Sect must not harbor such a thing…”

Crack! Before he finished, Master Ling Xiao slapped his head to the side and withdrew his hand with a frost-cold face.

He said flatly: “Nonsense. You are ill. Take him down to recover.”

But the buzz on the Fengling Terrace swelled like thunder. Wen Xuan’s words had given powerful proof to Bai Mu Mu’s deeds. He was Bai Mu Mu’s own Senior Brother, choosing righteousness over kin. The force of that spoke for itself.

Bai Mu Mu lowered her head and cried softly in Shen Dao Chen’s arms: “I did not…”

The crowd noise grew and slipped out of control. Fury filled Master Ling Xiao’s eyes as he shouted at Wen Xuan: “Get out now.”

He pointed at Feng He Yun and Luo Chu: “You two, take him down.”

Yet none of the three moved to leave. Instead, Feng He Yun and Luo Chu knelt beside Wen Xuan.

Wen Xuan said stubbornly, eyes bleak: “Master, we cannot keep making mistakes.”

Feng He Yun raised his voice: “Shen Sang Ruo is not Master’s abandoned disciple. She asked to leave the Thunder-Scale Peak herself and dissolved the tie with Master.” He paused, then set his jaw: “The truth is…”

Shen Dao Chen and Master Ling Xiao never expected him to say such things on this stage. To save the Flying Cloud Sect’s face, they had to stop him. A Silencing Spell fell on Feng He Yun’s mouth, and his voice vanished. Luo Chu stood and swept his sleeve.

He declared: “This is the truth.” Four huge Confession Scrolls unfurled above the Fengling Terrace.

The scrolls Shen Sang Ruo had forced them to write before had been scattered long ago. These were newly written.

Cultivators and sect members alike stared, shocked, at the words on the Confession Scrolls. Heart blood taken. Cultivation scattered. Seven Emotions Gu planted. Taking the blame. Beaten till gravely injured.

Could Senior Brothers really do such things?

There was more. Without learning the truth, Master Ling Xiao had locked Shen Sang Ruo in the Confinement Chamber and forced her to confess. In the Young Sect Master duel, Shen Sang Ruo had clearly defeated Bai Mu Mu, yet Sect Master Shen pinned the charge of deliberately injuring Bai Mu Mu on her and drove her out of the Flying Cloud Sect.

Truth laid bare, a stinging slap to all the rumors before.

Cries burst out:

Someone shouted, shaking: “I knew it. Our Sang Ruo would never be like that.”

Another voice raged: “So this is what really happened. This is infuriating.”

A third voice gasped: “What, the Flying Cloud Sect is like this? And Master Ling Xiao also… what a shock.”

Judgment turned sharply against the Flying Cloud Sect and Master Ling Xiao.

A woman’s voice cracked: “Father, Master, and Senior Brothers, not a single good one. After so many years as close kin, they treated her like this, just because she was not related by blood?”

Another scoffed: “I think those rumors were spread by the Flying Cloud Sect on purpose. So disgusting.”

Yet another cried: “Even if Bai Mu Mu came back, they should not have treated Shen Sang Ruo this way. If you cannot accept her, let her go. Why torture her?”

A bright, angry voice said: “Good thing she left. Fire shines wherever it goes. I want to see if the Flying Cloud Sect regrets this.”

And a final roar rose: “The Flying Cloud Sect people are blind.”

Countless apologetic looks fell on Shen Sang Ruo, but her face stayed calm, as if none of it had happened to her.

She lifted a brow, puzzled for a moment: [What set these three off?] They were willing to let themselves and the Flying Cloud Sect be cursed by thousands just to reveal the truth.

Even so, her heart felt no ripple at their sudden “awakening of conscience.”

Public opinion crashed like waves, one higher than the last, pounding the once brilliant Flying Cloud Sect until it swayed.

On the high platform, Shen Dao Chen and Master Ling Xiao’s faces were as dark as ink. Bai Mu Mu’s eyes flashed with fury. Were Feng He Yun and the others crazy?

Master Ling Xiao’s temple throbbed. He flung a strike to shatter the Confession Scrolls, but the three had poured all their Spiritual Power into them, ready to die to protect the scrolls. With a fierce blow, Master Ling Xiao finally smashed them apart.

Yet what they contained had already engraved itself on every mind present.

Shen Dao Chen roared: “Shameful. Take them to the Disciplinary Hall and punish them heavily.”

Dragged away, the three wore relieved smiles and looked to Shen Sang Ruo, hoping she would glance at them once. Even as they were taken below, no hint of attention reached them. Their smiles froze, and sharp pain rippled through their hearts.

Shen Sang Ruo shifted the focus back to Bai Mu Mu and the Malevolent Spirit: “The evidence is solid. Will Sect Master Shen and Master Ling Xiao still shield Bai Mu Mu?”

True Lord Gu Ci’s gaze swept over Shen Dao Chen: “Sect Master Shen, I fear you must give the Cultivation World an explanation.”

Voices rose together: “Yes. Give us an explanation.”

Shen Dao Chen’s heart twisted. He believed his daughter was innocent, yet so many pointed fingers, so much proof. No matter what, the controversy around her was too great. She likely could no longer serve as the Flying Cloud Sect’s Young Sect Master.

He lowered his tone and spoke to Bai Mu Mu: “Do not worry, Mu Mu. Father will not let anyone harm you.”

[Ding – Shen Dao Chen favorability -5, current favorability 85, zzzt -]

The choppy electronic voice in her mind overlapped with the roar on the Fengling Terrace. Bai Mu Mu’s chest heaved. [Why is it like this? It should not be like this. Everything of mine has been ruined by Shen Sang Ruo.]

Bai Mu Mu had been holding on with only one breath, supported only by Master Ling Xiao’s Spiritual Power. The blow of this moment crushed that last support. She suddenly spat a mouthful of bright blood.