Nangong Liu was backed into a corner; he had no choice but to coax her, “Of course I love you. But this matter needs to be considered at length. We should do as we agreed earlier. You should first use the order of the Sect Leader to let Jiangdong Hall seek shelter in Rufeng Sect, and after the two sects merge, we’ll—”

     “No way!” Qi Liangji shouted. Her eyes actually got a little red, “Back then, I… I believed you, and what happened? You turned around and married Rong Yan… Not this time! You have to give me an answer. Are you going to marry me or not?”

     “...”

     Seeing him hesitate, she became even more furious, and shouted, “Nangong Liu, how long are you going to wait?! I can kill my husband for our sake—but you?! You don’t even dare to nod your head?!”

     The crowd was appalled.

     Xue Zhengyong was also extremely surprised. He whispered to Madam Wang in a low voice, “She killed Jiangdong Hall’s former Sect Leader?!”

     This time, Jiangdong Hall was also in deep trouble. Although the former Sect Leader had died, there were still many of his old subordinates in the sect, not to mention his two brothers, who immediately rushed forward to fight Qi Liangji.

     “You were the one who killed him?”

     “You… how could you have the heart?! It’s true that he was more than ten years older than you, but he treated you so well. You—you poisonous woman! Give me back my brother’s life!”

     As the brothers shouted on one side, the fires continued to rage on the other, and the shattering tapestry of memories shone in the infinite light.

     Horrifying fragments of scrolls unfolded one after another in front of the people, and amidst the boundlessly dazzling light, they revealed numerous foul and shameful matters.

     These things were not only related to Rufeng Sect, but also included almost all of the sects in the upper cultivation world, as well as many of the famous cultivators who traveled to Rufeng Sect for this celebration.

     After Jiangdong Hall, there was Wubei Temple, Huohuang Pavilion, Bitan Manor… Even the usually elegant and tranquil Taxue Palace was lit up with scandalous stories of their high level disciples and elders.

     In addition to Nangong Xu’s own memories, all the memories he had scoured over the years were laid bare for all to see.

     There were even records of the collusion between Nangong Liu and the former Sect Leader of Wubei Temple, Master Tian Chan.

     Nangong Liu spoke from the fiery scroll, “Great Master, tomorrow is the Spiritual Mountain Competition. Winning or losing is an extremely important matter. Father already thinks I’m stupid, so if I lose to my brother’s sword again at this competition, then I’m afraid I really… have no chance at becoming the Sect Leader.”

     Master Tian Chan replied, “Nangong-shizhu, there is no need to panic. Have you memorized the spell scrolls this old monk has given you?”

     “I’ve memorized it.”

     Master Tian Chan smiled, “Then tomorrow you need not worry about winning or losing. As long as you put all of your strength into using the scroll, your little brother will naturally be no match for you.”

     Nangong Liu was puzzled, “This junior is slow-witted. Please enlighten me.”

     “This spell scroll is a secret technique created by your younger brother, Nangong Xu. He has been practicing it diligently, and is determined to make a name for himself at the Spiritual Mountain Competition.”

     “Ah,” Nangong Liu was extremely shocked. “Since it was created by my brother, then… how can I use his own spells to defeat him?”

     Master Tian Chan smiled slightly, “Nangong Xu is a proud and aloof person. After creating this spell, he completely stopped interacting with others. All he wanted to do was hide in a cave to refine the spell day and night. If he said he created the spell, who would believe him?”

     “...”

     “You are different, Nangong-shizhu. With me and the Fourth Palace Master of Taxue Palace as guarantors, as long as we say we have seen you use this spell, you can insist it was your creation,” Master Tian Chan explained calmly. “This technique is something you have practiced with your entire heart; they won’t know you aren’t its creator. No matter how eloquent your brother is, he won’t be able to escape the crime of stealing his brother’s unique immortal spell.”

     Master Tian Chan continued, “Once his reputation is tarnished, he will be condemned by thousands of people, and will never be able to rise again. What’s the use of winning the Spiritual Mountain Competition?”

     “I see…” Nangong Liu’s eyes widened, as if enlightened, and he cupped his hands in thanks, “Thank you, Master, for your guidance! After this junior succeeds his position, I will not let you down. After this matter is settled, Rufeng Sect and Wubei Temple will be on good terms for a hundred years!”

     The burning scroll that covered the entire night sky revealed the secrets of all the people who had offended him, and brought them to the eyes of all. Whether it was cultivators, or commoners near Rufeng Sect, they were all attracted by this flickering flame, and saw all the ugly truths buried under their magnificent robes.

     When Xu Shuanglin tore open the crack in the sky, he had said with a bright smile, “I’m going to destroy all of your hearts.”

     It was only at this moment that they finally understood the true meaning behind his words.

     Nangong Xu had been hiding in Rufeng Sect for so many years under the name of Elder Shuanglin. His goal was not only to destroy Rufeng Sect’s seventy-two cities and centuries-old foundation.

     He wanted to destroy all the people he hated.

     All the people who had wronged him, slandered him, and those who, for public or private benefits, had forced him into a corner.

     As for his elder brother, Nangong Liu was only the first to have his true colors revealed in this field of vengeance. After that, the Sect Leaders and elders…

     As long as they did something that angered Xu Shuanglin, no matter who it was, no one would be able to escape this burning execution platform.

     In this night illuminated by fire, Chu Wanning suddenly recalled the words of the young man covered in blood who had smilingly spoken in Luo Xianxian’s memories.

     “There once was a man from Linyi whose heart died at twenty.”

     A talented young man of great skill and talent had been denied justice. He was schemed against, ostracized by his own family, and murdered. The spell that he had painstakingly created had been stolen, and those who claimed it as theirs, in the end, accused him of being a thief.

     How absurd…

     A heart dead at twenty…

     At Jincheng Lake and the Peach Blossom Springs, Xu Shuanglin’s white chess piece had once laughed and said he was a ghost that had crawled out of hell to claim his life from the living.

     Chu Wanning looked around. All the sects and clans of the upper cultivation world were in a state of panic and chaos. As the saying goes, when the tree falls, monkeys scatter—this was not limited just to Rufeng Sect. Xu Shuanglin had used the latter half of his life as dried wood to ignite this fire of vengeance.

     He did it.

     Boom! There was a sudden burst of purple light in the direction of Rufeng Sect’s seventh city—Dark City. The beam pierced through the sky, so dazzling that many people were unable to open their eyes.

     Ye Wangxi immediately shouted, “Not good!” As she spoke, she reached for her sword to fly to Dark City.

     Nangong Si grabbed her. That wild and untamed face of his had already become extremely devastated, and was on the verge of collapse. However, he still held Ye Wangxi’s shoulder tightly and said in a hoarse voice, “Don’t go.”

     “But the evil spirits suppressed under Jingu Tower are about to come out! Rufeng Sect has imprisoned thousands of evil creatures for a hundred years! If they break the seal and come to this world…” Ye Wangxi didn’t finish her sentence, feeling a chill run down her spine.

     “What’s the use of you going?” Nangong Si asked.

     “I—”

     “Ye Wangxi, you have done more than enough for Rufeng Sect.” He raised a hand, and for a moment it seemed as if he wanted to wipe the dirt off of Ye Wangxi’s face, but in the end, he only moved it back, not doing anything.

     “Don’t waste your energy.” Nangong Si’s eyes were empty, “Jingu Tower needs the strength of the Sect Leader and the ten elders to be secure. If you go, you will only be sending yourself to your death.”

     “I know it’s a death sentence. But even if it’s a death sentence…” Ye Wangxi paused, looking pained, “Even if it’s a death sentence, I don’t… I don’t want to stand by and watch. If Jingu Tower is broken and the demons descend, Rufeng Sect… will definitely be condemned by everyone… You…”

     “Do you think that if Jingu Tower isn’t broken, Rufeng Sect won’t be condemned by everyone?” The corners of his lips were stained with dried blood, and his smile became increasingly bleak. “Don’t be silly, Rufeng Sect has already reached its end. You have to live well, okay? Because I really…” Nangong Si closed his eyes, eyelashes trembling and his words choked up, “I really don’t want anyone else to die for this sect… It’s not worth it…”

     In the surging flames, Ye Wangxi stared at Nangong Si in a daze. Before he could say anything else, they suddenly heard another rumbling from the direction of Dark City.

     When they turned around, they saw thousands of bright white streams of light flying in all directions from Jingu Tower, disappearing into the vast night.

     Ye Wangxi went pale, “Jingu Tower… It’s going to fall…”

     Crash! The earth trembled, and the ground beneath their feet began to crack. The great demon that had been suppressed in Jingu Tower for a hundred years returned to the world, turning into a powerful blood-red light. The light looked like an astonishingly large fish with a tail like a blooming red lotus.

     The giant fish let out an earth-shattering roar, the soundwaves shaking all the leaves for a thousand miles. The lofty Jingu Tower instantly crumbled into tens of thousands of broken bricks and tiles, and those who were too close to it were fiercely overturned by the wave of qi unleashed by the great demon and thrown into the burning flames, burnt to ashes before they could even scream.

     Someone in the crowd screamed, “What is that?!”

     “Gǔn!” another yelled.

     Hearing this, the first person was angry, clutching his sword so as not to be blown away by the sudden demonic wind, and cursed, “What?! Why do you want me to scram?!”

     “What the hell?! I said it was a Gǔn, one of the ancient vicious beasts! Legend has it that Nangong Changying, the first Sect Leader of Rufeng Sect, once subdued the beast in the east sea, and imprisoned it in Jingu Tower. I didn’t expect… I didn’t expect it was actually true!”

     Although the fierce beast had appeared, it had been suppressed under Jingu Tower for a long time, and its spiritual energy hadn't recovered. It still had a lingering fear of cultivators, so it didn’t stay for long, and fled to the east sea.

     However, the waves of qi it created could not be underestimated. The tribulation fire that burned Rufeng Sect was lifted several feet by this wave of qi, and the originally safe places were instantly scorched by the flames.

     Seeing this, Xue Zhengyong immediately shouted, “Run! All of you, run!”

     After he shouted, the iron fan carried him and Madam Wang into the distance, and the rest of the cultivators started fleeing as well. However, there were also some cultivators who fought fiercely, such as Qi Liangji and several other elders in their sect. They could not escape, nor did they attempt to escape, and the moment they were engulfed in the fire, a deep hatred flashed in their eyes…

     And just like that, they were turned into ashes.

     Nangong Si leapt onto Naobaijin and extended his hand to Ye Wangxi, “Come up quickly!” Then he turned around to look at Chu Wanning, “Chu-zongshi, you also—”

     “It won’t carry us all, you two go first.”

     “But…”

     Mo Ran made a prompt decision and said to Nangong Si, “Go quickly, I’ll take Shizun out with me on the sword!”

     Seeing that the fire was getting closer and closer to them at a terrifying speed, Nangong Si cursed under his breath and hugged Ye Wangxi from behind before disappearing into the darkness together with her on his faewolf.

     The trees fell one after another, and the orange grove burned with ear-splitting crackles and the smell of burnt citrus. Without delay, Mo Ran began to draw his sword, and together with Chu Wanning, they fled towards the only place the fire hadn’t yet reached.

     Behind them, the hundred-year-old splendor of Rufeng Sect, glorious for the vast expanse of magnificent terraces, pavilions, and meadows, was annihilated in a single night by the surging flames.