This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 199: Chapter 98: She’s His to Bully, Destined to Stand Above All

Ling Zhuyun was even more surprised to hear this explanation.

"Chu Chan’s ancestors had deep ties to the Purple Mist True Monarch, so she knows quite a bit about this place..." Chen Ning continued to explain.

It dawned on Ling Zhuyun, and she faintly guessed the origin of Jiang Lan’s Jade Pendant.

The Array outside Purple Mist Mountain had been broken. The area was a scene of devastation, and the surrounding mountains had been flattened.

At the entrance of the Secret Realm, Flying Ships descended one after another. Elders from the various Immortal Sects had arrived to retrieve the Disciples of their respective factions.

The Loose Cultivators who had emerged earlier were held in place, unable to leave, and were required to submit to an inspection.

Although their expressions were grim and they were filled with rage, none of them dared to say a word.

The matter of the Blood Immortal Sect was too important; not even the Great Xia imperial court dared to be the least bit negligent.

Even the various Immortal Sects were not permitted to leave on their own. They had to undergo a thorough screening to confirm that there were no hidden remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect before being allowed to depart.

The Knights of the Observatory were stationed on all sides, guarding the entrance to the Secret Realm.

A tyrannical, murderous aura surged from each of them. They sat astride Barbaric Beasts, their faces concealed by helms, revealing only cold, indifferent eyes.

One cultivator, sensing something was amiss after leaving the Secret Realm, tried to flee. But he hadn’t flown far before a Knight of the Observatory on a Barbaric Beast caught up to him. A long spear swept out, drawing a spray of blood as his corpse plummeted to the ground.

The sight struck fear into the hearts of the many cultivators, their faces turning pale. Those with weaker dispositions or guilty consciences couldn’t help but tremble.

"Elder, I’ve failed all my fellow disciples. I’m the only one who made it out alive. Those from the Blood Immortal Sect... they are utterly despicable."

"Especially a man named Ye Ming. He’s despicable, shameless, cruel, and ruthless! All of my fellow disciples were murdered by him..."

At the entrance to the Secret Realm, Qi Heng, a True Disciple of the Human King Hall, immediately sought out his sect’s Elder upon emerging. With a grief-stricken expression, he began to tearfully recount the events that had transpired inside.

The Elders from the Ancient Inquiring Sect, Biyou Grotto Heaven, Celestial Demon Hall, and other factions stood with grim faces, not uttering a single word.

Unlike the Human King Hall, which at least had one True Disciple survive, their factions had been completely wiped out. Not a single person had emerged alive.

As for the Ye Ming mentioned by Qi Heng, they seethed with such hatred that they wished they could subject him to death by a thousand cuts and scatter his ashes to the wind.

The Elder of the Celestial Derivation Sect, however, had a more relaxed expression. His sect had surprisingly suffered few losses on this venture.

Comparatively, they were quite lucky.

Seeing this, the Elders of the other Immortal Sects were instantly displeased. ’Why is it that the Celestial Derivation Sect suffered no losses?’

Watching this scene from a short distance away, Jiang Lan smiled inwardly with amusement.

He had deliberately spared the people from the Celestial Derivation Sect—not out of mercy, but to minimize suspicion as much as possible.

If even the Celestial Derivation Sect had been completely wiped out, with all its Disciples lost, any discerning person would immediately connect the dots and suspect their common enemies.

Furthermore, these factions had secretly joined forces to move against the Taiyi Sect. Following that trail of logic, there was no guarantee that suspicion wouldn’t fall upon the Prime Minister’s Mansion and the Taiyi Sect.

He was in no hurry to deal with these factions anyway.

"Saintess..."

Just then, an elderly woman emerged from a Cloud Palace Flying Ship, appeared before Ling Zhuyun, and began to inquire about the situation.

Ling Zhuyun recounted everything that had happened, holding nothing back.

"Hmph! Ling Zhuyun, if you hadn’t shielded that Ye Ming in the village that day, how could he have escaped and caused this disaster?"

"The Immortal Sects have suffered grievous losses, and so many of our peers have died tragically. You cannot escape responsibility for this."

Seeing his chance, Qi Heng, who was standing nearby, immediately seized the opportunity to launch an attack, shouting angrily.

In front of all the Immortal Sect Elders, he exposed the fact that Ling Zhuyun knew Ye Ming, stating bluntly that it was all because she had naively trusted him.

This, he claimed, was what ultimately led to the tragic deaths of the Disciples from all the great Immortal Sects. In an instant, all blame was shifted onto her.

The Elders of the Ancient Inquiring Sect, Biyou Grotto Heaven, and the other factions were already harboring a bellyful of fire with nowhere to vent it. Hearing Qi Heng’s words, their expressions instantly changed as they all turned to look at Ling Zhuyun.

"Saintess, what is going on?"

The Elder from the Jasper Pool Sect’s expression changed as well, and she couldn’t help but ask.

Although the Jasper Pool Sect was a top-tier power in the Celestial Central Province, it didn’t have the backing or the audacity to confront so many Immortal Sect Influences at once.

"Elder..."

Ling Zhuyun’s face was filled with guilt and self-reproach. Beneath her light veil, her lips parted, but she didn’t know how to explain.

’Although I wasn’t the one who killed the younger generation from the various Immortal Sect Influences, given what Qi Heng is saying, I do bear an undeniable responsibility. If only I had inspected Ye Ming’s Sumeru Ring back then, perhaps none of this would have happened...’

She didn’t know how to defend herself.

Seeing Ling Zhuyun fall silent, the Jasper Pool Sect Elder was stunned, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"What a Quasi-Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect. If you don’t give this old man an explanation today..." the Elder from the Ancient Inquiring Sect began, his expression dark and menacing.

’Han Yiming was the True Disciple he had valued most. Now, he had died a tragic death inside the realm, and all the years of effort he had poured into the boy were destroyed in an instant. How could he possibly accept this?’

"Or you’ll what?"

A voice tinged with mockery cut him off.

Jiang Lan strolled leisurely to Ling Zhuyun’s side, glanced at her, then turned his gaze to the Elder of the Ancient Inquiring Sect.

"The Disciples of the Ancient Inquiring Sect were incompetent and died tragically for it. To not blame yourselves, but to blame others instead... truly laughable."

"How is it that other Immortal Sect Influences weren’t completely wiped out? For all these years, the strength of the Ancient Inquiring Sect’s Elders and Disciples hasn’t improved, but your skill at pinning blame on others certainly grows by the day."