“Master Yuehua, what are you still hesitating about?” Master Fengqing urged, “The truth that your precious disciple is cultivating demonic arts is right before your eyes, and he’s even preparing to continue harming disciples of the Qingling Sect. This is the disciple you raised. Why haven’t you taken action to clean house yourself yet?”
Master Yuehua felt deeply conflicted inside. There were many things she couldn’t make sense of. Lin Mo had no reason to fall into demonic cultivation—why would he do it? But just as Master Fengqing had said, the truth was already laid bare before her eyes—even if she still refused to believe it, it was useless. Her disciple falling into demonic cultivation was already a fact.
Seeing that Lin Mo was already close to him, Ye Kai disregarded his image and cried out, “Master, if you don’t come now, I’m going to be killed by this demon! My parents sent me to find you, not to have me go down there and accompany the two of them in death!” Hearing Ye Kai’s final sentence, Master Yuehua hesitated no longer.
In an instant, she appeared behind Lin Mo and seized his shoulder with a firm grip. “Wicked disciple, are you still not going to stop?” Lin Mo turned around, his reddened eyes fixed on Master Yuehua. “Master, please trust me just this once. Ye Kai cannot be allowed to live.” Looking at Lin Mo, whose entire body was radiating demonic energy, Master Yuehua’s eyes involuntarily revealed a trace of disgust. “You’ve fallen too deeply into demonic cultivation, and you still want to continue framing your junior disciple Ye Kai?”
Her current Dao heart was resolute: eradicate all demons. She had zero tolerance toward demons or anyone cultivating demonic arts. If it weren’t for the fact that the person before her was the disciple she had spent over a decade with day and night, she wouldn’t have even bothered saying a word—she would have already struck to kill.
Lin Mo retorted, “Master, do you also believe that all demonic cultivators are in the wrong? If I was born as a demon, does that mean I deserve to die?” Master Yuehua replied firmly and decisively, “Demons deserve to die.” Perhaps because she owed Lin Mo too much over the years, Master Yuehua still felt some lingering reluctance in her heart and asked, “Tell me—why did you choose to enter demonic cultivation?”
Lin Mo let out a self-mocking laugh and said, “Would explaining the reason even matter? Haven’t you already said it yourself? Demons deserve to die.” Master Yuehua frowned and said, “If you were truly forced into demonic cultivation with no other choice, I can ensure your soul remains intact.” Lin Mo reacted as if he had just heard the biggest joke in the world. “Ensure my soul remains intact? So, Yuehua originally planned to destroy even his soul as well?”
Lin Mo was completely heartbroken. “These thirteen years, I’ve managed Qingzhu Peak diligently for you, doing my utmost to repay the kindness of you taking me as your disciple. Let’s not even talk about whether you ever truly taught me how to cultivate. Besides cultivating on your own, did you ever ask how I was doing? How I felt? Ye Kai has only been in the sect for a year, yet you sided with him again and again without question—is this how a master is supposed to act?”
At this moment, Master Yuehua recalled everything Lin Mo had done for her, and a trace of guilt once again rose in her heart. “But that’s still not a reason for you to fall into demonic cultivation.” Lin Mo no longer bothered to explain anything to her.
He had to eliminate Ye Kai, that beast. Seeing that Lin Mo ignored her and continued approaching Ye Kai with murderous intent on his face, Master Yuehua warned sternly, “Lin Mo, stop right there.” But Lin Mo paid her no mind. A stream of black sword energy gradually condensed in his hand. At that moment, the other peak lords began urging one another into action.
“Master Yuehua, are you still planning to shield this disciple of yours? Our spiritual energy is almost depleted. The formation won’t hold that demon much longer. The people of Qingling Sect will all die by his hand.”
“See for yourself—he’s already fallen into demonic cultivation. He won’t listen to you at all.” Hearing this, Master Yuehua no longer hesitated. She had long since made a Dao vow—to eliminate every demon under the heavens. She summoned her spiritual sword, imbued with the demonic-slaying power she had comprehended, and stabbed toward Lin Mo.
Just then, two figures moved to intervene. One was Qu Ruyan, still gravely injured, and the other was Zhu Shiyao. The two of them flanked Master Yuehua from front and back, surrounding her. “I won’t allow you to harm my master.” Qu Ruyan swung her Miao Miao Fist, doing everything she could to block Master Yuehua’s sword strikes. Fortunately, Zhu Shiyao helped share the pressure—otherwise, she alone wouldn’t have been able to withstand Master Yuehua.
At that moment, Master Fengqing shouted, “Zhu Shiyao, do you understand the consequences of shielding a demonic cultivator right now?”
Zhu Shiyao also wore a cold expression as she replied, “I’ll answer to the Spirit Sword Sect myself. It’s not your place to lecture me.”
Duan Susu seized the opportunity and rushed forward, grabbing hold of Master Yuehua. “Master, you can’t treat Senior Brother like that. He would never harm his fellow disciples or commit such unforgivable acts.”
“Let go,” Master Yuehua warned coldly.
“I won’t,” Duan Susu still clung tightly to her sleeve. Seeing this, Master Yuehua hardened her heart and used her spiritual energy to fling Duan Susu’s entire body hundreds of meters away, slamming her into a wall. Duan Susu coughed up a mouthful of blood and lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, on Lin Mo’s side, that black sword energy was just an inch away from piercing Ye Kai’s dantian. At this moment, while being held back by Qu Ruyan and Zhu Shiyao, Master Yuehua shouted coldly, “Wicked disciple, how dare you?” Lin Mo ignored her words—the black sword energy had already pierced into Ye Kai’s skin. Ye Kai screamed in agony, his cries heart-wrenching, as black energy began to seep out from his dantian.
“Did you all see that? Ye Kai, he…” Just as Lin Mo was about to point out that Ye Kai was also cultivating demonic arts, he suddenly felt a wave of excruciating pain tearing through his lower back. At that moment, Shen Ke’er stabbed her sharp sword straight through the back of Lin Mo’s waist. Her voice was low and eerie: “You’re not allowed to hurt Brother Ye.” Lin Mo struck her away with a palm strike, and at the same time activated the “Yellow Millet Dream” he had previously purchased on her.
He then instructed the system: “Don’t let her soul escape. Let Lin Mo [her perception of him] trap her in the endless cycle of the Yellow Millet Dream.”
The system replied: [Got it. I’ll collect the owed regret value from you later, host.]
Lin Mo said no more. As long as he killed Ye Kai, the truth about his demonic cultivation would also come to light.
Just as Lin Mo gripped the glazed sword wrapped in black aura, memories of the original host’s experiences surfaced in his mind. Mimicking what Master Yuehua had once done, he began to slowly slice Ye Kai’s skin open. As Ye Kai let out shrill, miserable screams, blood began gushing from his abdomen. In Ye Kai’s eyes, Lin Mo was now the true demon. From within the ring, Wanwan cursed quietly, “Coward. It’s just getting your skin sliced—can’t you be a little more composed? Even with his lower back pierced through, Lin Mo didn’t let out a single groan.”
Just as Lin Mo was about to pull out Ye Kai’s heart, Master Yuehua broke through Zhu Shiyao and Qu Ruyan’s defense. She unleashed an unstoppable strike with her spiritual sword, slicing through the entire dueling arena and landing a devastating blow to Lin Mo’s back. His white robe was instantly soaked in blood, and the sword energy split open his entire back, cutting straight from his right shoulder. At the same moment, the array within the stone left by Yan Ruyu activated, shielding him from what would have been a fatal strike.
Even so, Lin Mo’s wound was so deep that his bones were visible, and his internal organs could faintly be seen. He still didn’t let out a single sound. His stamina was rapidly draining, and his demonic energy was dispersing. Blood filled his eyes, turning his vision red. In a daze, he used the last of his strength to thrust the Liuli sword into Ye Kai’s abdomen. Though it wasn’t the heart, it pierced his dantian. Ye Kai screamed in agony—the foundation he had painstakingly repaired was destroyed in an instant.
Everyone present couldn’t understand—Lin Mo clearly had the ability to dodge Master Yuehua’s sword energy, so why would he risk his life just to eliminate Ye Kai? Swaying on the verge of collapse, Lin Mo used the last of his strength and said to Master Yuehua, “The bond between master and disciple has already been severed by your sword just now. From now on, I am a demon—until death, I will not rest.” As Lin Mo finished speaking, he saw a white figure flying toward this direction in the sky—then his figure gradually faded.
After slapping Lin Mo and leaving, Gu Qingxue hadn’t gone far before she sensed the activation of Qingling Sect’s great protective formation. At that moment, she was still absorbing the memories of her external avatar’s time with Lin Mo. Every little moment they’d shared was imprinted clearly in her mind. A voice kept echoing in her head: “Go back and save Big Brother Lin Mo.” In that instant, her emotions and those of her avatar fully merged. Although she still couldn’t fully face those emotions, she knew one thing: she had to save Lin Mo.
However, by the time she returned, she saw Lin Mo injured by Master Yuehua, and just as suddenly, he was rescued by some other force—it wasn’t clear where he had been teleported to. Ever since becoming the Palace Master of Ice Palace, Gu Qingxue had always been cold and distant. But today, fury surged in her heart. Before anyone could react, sword wounds of the same caliber that Lin Mo had suffered appeared on the backs of the eleven peak masters—excluding Master Yuehua. As for Master Yuehua, she had two. After swiftly completing all this, Gu Qingxue took Qu Ruyan and left.
