"Help! Help! Someone help her!"
"No way—this game didn't say anything about a heroine death flag!"
Outside the "game," Chen Huaian was utterly stunned as he watched Li Qingran suddenly become a blood-soaked mess.
For a moment, he even wondered—
Did I not top-up enough?!
He frantically tapped the screen. The already cracked phone screen began to splinter further under his assault.
Sweat dripped down his face as he stared intently, praying for the system to pop up a recharge button.
All of Qingyun Sect stood in shock. One disciple in the crowd turned pale with disbelief.
He never imagined Li Qingran would use a Dao Oath—a vow enforced by Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart—as a means to prove her innocence.
That kind of oath...
If mishandled, it could leave a permanent shadow on one's cultivation path, possibly halting advancement forever!
Just then, the delayed cash-grab mechanism finally arrived on Chen Huaian's screen.
A slow, almost smug pop-up appeared—just before his phone completely shattered.
> [Would you like to spend ¥18.8 to purchase one Immortal-Grade Jade Creation Pill to heal Li Qingran? (Limited-time offer~ ♥)]
"Buy!"
Chen Huaian didn't hesitate. Eyes shut, he hit confirm. He didn't even notice how surprisingly generous the price was this time.
---
Cangyun Realm, Qingyun Sect, in front of the main hall.
Just as Li Qingran was on the verge of blacking out from pain, an unseen force gently caught her.
Before anyone could react, a jade box floated out from behind her, emerging from the void.
The box opened, revealing a glowing green pill.
A rich, medicinal aroma filled the air instantly.
Those nearby felt their spiritual energy flow more smoothly; even half-healed wounds began to itch.
Those farther away also felt a surge of clarity and alertness.
Before they could savor the fragrance—
The pill flew straight to Li Qingran's lips, transforming into a green light that entered her body with her breath, dispersing through her meridians in the blink of an eye.
"Jade Creation Pill! It must be a Jade Creation Pill!"
Sect Master Wu Duantian was the first to react.
Lately, he had tried every rare pill under the sun to restore Zhao Lingtian's dantian, including the famed Jade Creation Pill said to snatch people back from the gates of death.
But the one he gave Zhao Lingtian had nothing like this potency or aroma.
The pill they'd just witnessed was flawless, glowing like carved jade.
The truth was clear.
"And it's an Immortal-grade Jade Creation Pill!"
Wu Duantian's heart trembled.
"Master, is that pill really that amazing?"
Zhao Lingtian asked.
Wu Duantian shot him a look.
"The basic Jade Creation Pill is a fifth-grade medicine. This one was clearly Immortal-grade. You do the math."
Zhao Lingtian's eyes widened.
If the regular one was fifth-grade, wouldn't this be at least fourth? Maybe even third-grade?
And it was used just to ease her pain?!
She wasn't even dying!
Zhao Lingtian's heart bled.
The other peak elders also looked on with mixed feelings as they watched Li Qingran's body glow with a jade-green light.
If they had such a pill, they'd only use it in true life-and-death moments—not like this!
In the crowd, Outer Elder Wang Chuanhe was drenched in sweat.
He could feel disaster closing in.
He was absolutely sure now—he had been exposed.
Who could've predicted Li Qingran would be this crazy?
She casually invoked Ten Thousand Swords Piercing the Heart like it was nothing!
With Wu Duantian's temperament, his position as elder was as good as gone.
And the punishment—eye gouging, tongue removal, molten iron to the ears—was basically guaranteed.
But most terrifying of all was the mysterious cultivator behind Li Qingran.
Would Wu Duantian offer him up as a sacrifice just to curry favor with that person?
The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became.
Wang Chuanhe's gaze toward Li Qingran grew more and more vicious.
"Everyone's eyes are on her now. That senior must be focused on her safety too. This is my only chance, before anyone notices…"
To hell with it.
He tossed his flying sword forward, leapt into the air, and landed atop it.
"Green mountains remain, and rivers flow forever. I'm out!"
He hadn't even flown two steps—
Before dozens of golden talismans shot after him at even greater speed.
BOOOOM!
Though the skies were clear, thunder roared like a storm.
Wang Chuanhe couldn't dodge in time.
He was hit dead-on and dropped from the sky like a charred piece of meat, smoking all over.
Back in the real world, Chen Huaian calmly stuffed the unused Thunderfire Talismans back into his inventory.
He shook his numbed fingers and muttered, "Another nameless act of heroism. Done."
Wang Chuanhe, though a Peak Golden Core, was no match for the talisman storm.
He didn't die—but he was now crispy inside and out, barely able to move.
Wu Duantian's heart skipped a beat and quickly ordered him restrained.
His respect for the hidden master behind Li Qingran grew even deeper.
Those Thunderfire Talismans weren't ordinary—they even included a few top-grade ones.
Such extravagance suggested this wasn't just some rogue cultivator, but a hidden powerhouse with a sect backing.
And those were the scariest kind.
---
"Master… Sect Master… I confess."
Yun Zimo knew the secret couldn't be hidden anymore.
He knelt down before Wu Duantian and Elder Qingxuan, bowing his head:
"I only did it because I was furious about what happened to Junior Sister… But no matter the reason, I've broken sect rules. I accept punishment!"
"You disgraceful brat!"
Elder Qingxuan trembled with rage, his face red as a tomato.
He was humiliated.
His entire Chixiao Peak had become a joke.
If the ancestor heard about this upon emerging from seclusion, he'd surely be disappointed.
But worst of all, he couldn't act.
That mysterious senior was still watching.
Qingxuan swore he'd never felt this powerless before.
---
Wu Duantian stroked his beard, eyes narrowed.
"You wouldn't have pulled this off without Wang Chuanhe. He's the real mastermind."
Yun Zimo's heart leapt with joy.
If the Sect Master said that, then the worst punishment would go to Wang Chuanhe.
He might get off lightly!
Then came Wu Duantian's voice, ringing out loud and clear:
"Outer Elder Wang Chuanhe, for framing and slandering a fellow disciple with malicious intent, has shown himself unworthy as a teacher and a sect administrator. He is hereby stripped of his elder title, sentenced to eye gouging, tongue removal, and molten iron poured into the ears, and will reflect at the Cliff of Repentance for six months."
"Chixiao Peak disciple Yun Zimo, likewise, shall receive the same punishment and reflect for three months. Considering he confessed, his meals will include two extra vegetable leaves per day."
"All other implicated disciples shall be sent to the Cliff of Repentance for contemplation."
Yun Zimo's face turned ashen.
So in the end…
He still got the worst of it?!
And three months was longer than usual!
"Sect Master, please! I'll be crippled! Master—please, help me!"
Yun Zimo scrambled over to Qingxuan, clinging to his feet.
Thud!
Qingxuan kicked him across the square.
He rolled to a stop, unconscious.
"Master! Third Brother knows he was wrong…"
Lu Changtian tried to plead.
Even Mu Baishuang joined in, voice soft and pleading:
"Yes, Master. He just had a moment of weakness…"
But Qingxuan's icy glare was like a dagger.
"Silence!"
"One more word, and you can all go join him on the Cliff of Repentance!"
Lu Changtian went pale and clamped his mouth shut.
Xiao Yifeng, who had been about to speak, swallowed his words.
Mu Baishuang's eyes darkened.
Things—and people—were no longer under her control.
---
Wu Duantian cast a glance at Chixiao Peak's disciples.
A faint, unreadable smile curled at his lips.
Then his eyes landed on Li Qingran—now healed and awake.
His tone turned gentle.
"Qingran, are you satisfied with this sect master's judgment?"