Chapter 246: Chapter 246: Bai Yang’s Dao Heart is Damaged
While Song Wanning was refining her avatar, Bai Yang had not been idle.
Upon returning to the Sect, he first went to straighten up his residence. The familiar surroundings remained, but the familiar faces were all gone, and Bai Yang’s heart filled with anguish.
As he looked at Lu Nanfeng’s belongings, the rims of his eyes reddened, and a murderous glint flashed in their depths.
Happy memories of his time with his junior brothers flashed before his eyes. He clutched his heart and gritted his teeth, his hatred for Ye Chuxue growing even deeper.
After a simple cleaning of all his junior brothers’ quarters, Bai Yang went to look for his Little Junior Sister Li Rao, only to find she wasn’t on the peak either.
The once-bustling Yunxiao Peak had now become so desolate.
He wandered the peak dispiritedly. Feeling stifled, Bai Yang decided to search for An Ze again.
’I need to find him, dead or alive,’ he thought. ’It’s better than him just vanishing without a trace.’
Leaving Yunxiao Peak, Bai Yang went to ask other disciples for news of An Ze.
However, the disciples in the Sect all gave him strange looks. Many of them even started whispering among themselves after he walked away.
His Divine Sense had expanded considerably due to his recent breakthrough, allowing him to hear everything they said.
"Hiss... you think Master Bai has something wrong with his head? He openly defied Grandmaster Song for Ye Chuxue, even stole Elixir Pills, and ended up being cast aside by Grandmaster Song!"
"Grandmaster Song used to be so good to him! Who in the entire Sect wasn’t envious? Who wouldn’t want a master like that? But look at him, turning on his own master for a woman. It was merciful of Grandmaster Song not to expel him from the Sect!"
"Exactly! And now Grandmaster Song has even advanced to the Mid-Stage Divine Transformation. Bai Yang must be kicking himself!"
"When you get down to it, that woman Ye Chuxue is the truly impressive one. She not only has her own master wrapped around her finger, but she also made fools of Bai Yang and his two brothers!"
"Did you guys know? Before An Ze disappeared, someone saw him. They said he went to find some kind of Elixir Pill for Ye Chuxue..."
"Tsk, to have so many men fall for her schemes... she’s truly something else!"
"Hahaha, you guys don’t get it. ’To die for a beautiful woman is a romantic fate.’ And Ye Chuxue is certainly a looker..."
The group’s conversation devolved into lewd jokes, causing several of them to roar with laughter.
Bai Yang’s face paled, a vicious glint in his eyes. He suddenly spun around and grabbed one of them by the neck.
"Where did you say An Ze went?"
He didn’t care about them gossiping, but he couldn’t miss a clue about An Ze’s whereabouts.
The faces of the disciples who had been talking behind his back changed instantly. So Bai Yang had heard everything.
No matter how much they looked down on Bai Yang behind his back, he was still a True Disciple. If he really wanted to come after them, there was nothing they could do.
The disciple whose neck was in his grip grew even more terrified, his face drained of color as he began to stutter.
"I... I only heard it from them..."
He stammered out the story to Bai Yang, and was promptly thrown to the ground, where he lay seeing stars.
Luckily, Bai Yang didn’t trouble him further and strode away.
Only when he was completely out of sight did the group let out a sigh of relief.
"Pah! What’s he putting on an act for? Anyone can guess that An Ze must be dead!"
"His precious Senior Sister Ye was waiting for him to bring back an antidote. How could he bear not to return?"
So it was obvious An Ze must have met with an accident.
"Shh, stop talking!"
「...」
Following the disciples’ description, Bai Yang found the large mountain and searched it frantically. In the end, all he found was a small scrap of clothing hanging from a tree branch.
The dark red bloodstain on it stood out starkly.
At that moment, Bai Yang’s body swayed.
He’d already suspected it, but he’d just refused to accept the truth.
Now, seeing this piece of fabric, he could no longer hold it together, and a single tear slid from the corner of his eye.
The two junior brothers he had watched grow up had both perished.
And the culprit behind it all was Ye Chuxue!
Bai Yang’s body couldn’t stop trembling, and the killing intent in his eyes was so tangible it seemed to drown his dark pupils.
A staggering hatred filled his heart, a vicious aura roiled within him, and a crack appeared in his once-unyielding Dao Heart.
He was filled with regret.
’If I hadn’t gotten close to Ye Chuxue in the first place, my two junior brothers might not have become so friendly with her. I even told them that Ye Chuxue was pure and kind, that she was naive and could easily be taken advantage of, and that they should look out for her...’
’I had a hand in both my junior brothers’ deaths!’
Bai Yang couldn’t accept this, his body swaying on the verge of collapse.
The more he thought, the more chaotic his aura became...
Fortunately, he slammed the brakes on his thoughts in time, stopping himself from spiraling deeper and thus preserving his sanity.
’I can’t lose my composure. Ye Chuxue must pay for these two blood debts.’
He managed to suppress the killing intent in his heart with great difficulty. When he raised his head, the clarity had finally returned to his eyes.
Just as he was about to continue his search for Ye Chuxue, Song Wanning’s Communication Talisman suddenly lit up.
Bai Yang immediately activated it.
"Urgent matter. Wait for me at the Sect."
Song Wanning’s cold, clear voice echoed from it, disrupting Bai Yang’s plans.
He frowned. ’Since Master needs me for something, I’ll let Ye Chuxue live a little longer!’
「...」
Song Wanning was unaware of the change in Bai Yang’s heart. Her avatar was already on its way, heading for the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.
Her true body, meanwhile, remained with the Song Family, comprehending the inherited legacies.
The avatar, created from Xirang, was incredibly powerful. It didn’t need repeated tempering and could advance in cultivation alongside the true body. Any new legacies comprehended by the true body could be used directly by the avatar. It was simply heaven-defying.
Arriving at the gates of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect, she sent out a Communication Talisman to summon Bai Yang.
When Bai Yang reached the designated spot, he found an unfamiliar man waiting for him and instantly grew wary.
"Who are you?"
"It’s me."
Song Wanning confirmed her identity using her original voice.
Bai Yang was stunned for a moment. He raised a surprised eyebrow. "Master, how are you...?"
Song Wanning cut him off, shaking her head.
"Come with me first. We’ll talk later."
Song Wanning then cast out her familiar flying carpet.
At this, the last wisp of doubt in Bai Yang’s heart vanished, and he curiously followed her onto it.
"Master, what’s with this disguise?"
He was incredibly curious why his master would disguise herself as a man.
Hearing this, Song Wanning’s expression turned serious as she replied, "Some days ago, I discovered a Secluded Land. The Spiritual Energy inside is dense, and most of the Cultivators there have very high Cultivation."
"The people inside are all deserters from the great war of the Ancient Times. They have preserved many lost texts."
"I want to venture in and see if I can find some legacies to refine the Golden Jumping Pill."
She first told Bai Yang about the nature of the Secluded Land before mentioning the Golden Jumping Pill.
As expected, Bai Yang’s expression darkened.
’Deserters from the great war of the Ancient Times?’
Before even meeting them, he was already prejudiced against the people of the Secluded Land, and he saw nothing wrong with his master wanting to search for legacies there.
