The kiss lasted a long time before Taxian-Jun finally let him go. Chu Wanning originally thought that he would stop there, but unexpectedly, his lips only left and then touched again.

     After repeating this many times, Taxian-Jun was finally satisfied. He licked his lips and stared at Chu Wanning’s face with dark eyes.

     “It hasn’t changed. It’s you.”

     There were too many things to ask and too many changes. Chu Wanning was quiet for a moment before he finally said in a hoarse voice, “...Do you still remember the past?”

     “Naturally.”

     “Do you remember how you died?”

     Emperor Taxian-Jun’s expression was somewhat gloomy. “The ten great sects joined forces to lay siege. This Venerable One was tired of it.”

     “Then do you remember how I died?”

     The gloom between Taxian-Jun’s eyebrows faded slightly, but another layer of clouds covered his face. “Taxue Palace. You stood in the way of my plan. I hated you.”

     Chu Wanning asked again, “Then do you remember how you came back from the dead?”

     “Hua Binan saved me.”

     “How exactly?”

     “This…” But he didn’t say anything more, and a trace of confusion gradually appeared on his face. However, this didn’t last long. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were clear.

     Taxian-Jun frowned and said, “What did you just say?”

     Chu Wanning didn’t say anything.

     He more or less knew what Shi Mei had done to this body. Since ancient times, people’s hearts had always been the most difficult to control. After Mo Ran died, Shi Mei couldn’t fully control the emotions of this body, nor did he dare to destroy Mo Ran’s already chaotic memory and make his disordered memories even more fragmented.

     So, he could only choose a few important things that would affect Mo Ran’s obedience and erase them.

     This Emperor Taxian-Jun in front of him was probably just a living-dead weapon.

     Chu Wanning closed his eyes. After a while, he seemed to want to say something, but before he could, blood rushed to his throat. He coughed violently.

     “Mo Ran…” His lips were stained with blood, and he looked up with misty eyes. “Stop carrying out orders for others. You are already an empty shell, and you should have been laid to rest long ago. You… cough, cough.”

     His vision turned black, and the scattered fragments of his memory began to surge again.

     You should go back to the past. You should be buried in the ground. This place does not belong to you.

     But he no longer had the strength to say these words. Chu Wanning only moved his lips before his consciousness began to fade again—

     In the end, he only saw Taxian-Jun frowning as he said something to him. That handsome but pale face seemed to be a little anxious.

     “Chu Wanning.” He heard him call out to him, just like in his previous life, “Wanning…”

     He closed his eyes, and the pain of his soul merging once again tormented him. He didn’t know what happened next.

     —

     A thousand mountains away, the forest was bleak.

     It had been raining lightly in Sichuan for the past few days, and even the wooden frame of the relay station was covered in a thin layer of mold. Looking out from the relay station’s window, one could see streams of water dripping from bamboo leaves and into the pond, creating ripples.

     Suddenly, a pair of shoes stepped into the pool of water, shattering the reflection of the sky and clouds.

     Mo-zongshi appeared in front of the winding mountain path leading to Sisheng Peak.

     After the shocking incident at Longxue Mountain, his spiritual power hadn’t recovered, and he was unable to fly on his sword. Because he was worried about the safety of Sisheng Peak, he rushed back from Longxue Mountain without stopping, for a total of four days.

     Along the way, he actually thought about many things.

     Such as why he was reborn, why Chu Wanning had set up such a mysterious formation in Longxue Mountain’s cave during his previous life, or Shi Mei’s reason.

     After thinking for a long time, he couldn’t find a clear answer.

     He wasn’t an intelligent person to begin with, and now that he was suffering and worried, he was unable to calm down and think carefully. Shi Mei understood him after all. Chu Wanning was his weakness. As long as Chu Wanning remembered the past, it was his death sentence. He was distraught.

     The rain gradually grew heavier, and Mo Ran stood on the path to the entrance of Sisheng Peak, facing the wind. He raised his head, and wisps of silver frost landed on his face. In front of him, there was a winding stone staircase, leading to the peak of the mountain.

     He had walked this mountain path in life, death, sorrow, and happiness. It was a path that had been walked countless times in his two lives, from the youthful days of inexperience to the time today when the dust had settled and he returned with a guilty conscience.

     It was very cold, and the rain mixed with snow fell, wetting his black clothes and soaking his hair.

     Young people should have no worries, but the north wind blew the snow on his head and turned his hair white…

     Mo Ran closed his eyes and walked up the stairs to the top of the mountain.

     A sinner who walked into the trap finally pushed open the red lacquered door of Loyalty Hall with a “creak.”

     The door slowly opened. This is where the madness, prosperity, nightmares, and darkness of his two lifetimes all began.

     He thought back to his previous life. When he was twenty-two years old, he changed Loyalty Hall to Wushan Hall. The plaque was smashed, and dust filled the air. He stood in front of the old plaque and vowed to trample all immortals and rule the world.

     That life fell here, and this life should also end here.

     Loyalty Hall was densely packed with people. There were even more prominent figures here than at the time they suppressed Xu Shuanglin on Mount Jiao.

     Hearing the door open, everyone turned around, only to see a tall man in black standing in front of the threshold, with a pale face and a few strands of wet black hair on his forehead. The light of the sky was behind him, and it was both raining and snowing.

     No one had expected Mo Ran to suddenly appear like this.

     Was he the hero from Mount Jiao, who sacrificed his life for everyone’s safety? Or was he the bloodless demon, who killed at Guyue’ye? Who was he?

     For a moment, no one made a sound. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the man who had just returned.

     Those who trusted him felt that he was pitiful—wet and cold, like a dog returning home in the rain. Those who didn’t trust him only felt that he was very terrifying—gloomy and dark, like a ghost who’d crawled out of hell.

     The rain continued beating against the green eaves of the roof, seeping into the cracks in the stone and moss on the roof tiles.

     Mo Ran raised his dark eyes. Under his curtain of eyelashes, his eyes were wet, and he whispered softly, “Uncle, I’m back.”

     “Ran-er! Why are you—why are you alone?”

     Xue Zhengyong was sitting in the high seat. He had a very poor expression, and it was rare for him not to care about his appearance. His iron fan was casually spread out on the table. The words “others are ugly” gleamed, like a comment on a farce.

     “Where’s Yuheng?”

     Mo Ran walked into the hall. He was like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil that was heated to its limit, causing a crackling sound. Almost everyone took a big step back when he stepped forward.

     “Mo Ran!”

     “Devil, you actually have the face to come out!”

     “You killed so many people at Guyue’ye, yet you still dare to show your face!”

     Mo Ran ignored these voices. Along the way, he had already heard about the bloody incident that happened at Guyue’ye. He was also very clear about how insane Taxian-Jun was. What were a few dozen people? Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands—in his eyes, the people of the world were nothing more than corpses. It was only the night of Guyue’ye. Taxian-Jun didn’t care at all.

     “Madman… you and Hua Binan are conspiring!”

     “What else do you want to do? Today, all the masters of the sects are here, and the Pavilion Master of Tianyin Pavilion will arrive soon. Even if you are cunning and fickle, you can’t escape from this!”

     “Mo Ran, you are so cunning. You play both good and evil for a while to confuse everyone, so your plan will succeed. You’re so vicious!”

     All around him was a tidal wave of criticism and questioning. Angry faces surged all around. Mo Ran didn’t pay attention to anyone. He continued to walk forward. He more or less understood Hua Binan’s intentions—forgive him for not wanting to call him Shi Mei.

     Hua Binan dug a grave for him. Even the inscription on the tombstone had been written. Hua Binan calculated very clearly that he would jump in himself.

     Because, from the moment Chu Wanning recalled his past life, Mo Weiyu had already turned himself into a corpse that could not be saved.

     It was over.

     “No matter how many masks you wear on your face, today’s gathering of heroes will expose your true appearance.”

     “You must be sent to Tianyin Pavilion to be punished!”

     The noise was deafening. The words that pierced his eardrums most were “Tianyin Pavilion.”

     Mo Ran didn’t expect Hua Binan to involve Tianyin Pavilion. Was it a coincidence? Or had he planned this long ago?

     Tianyin Pavilion was an ancient sect that had been passed down for thousands of years in the cultivation world. The head of this sect was originally the son of a deity and a mortal. Later on, it was passed down through blood relatives from generation to generation.

     After many generations, although the divine blood of the Tianyin Pavilion Master had thinned out, it was still rich in spiritual energy. Although Tianyin Pavilion didn’t usually involve itself in the mortal world, cultivators believed in the justice of Tianyin Pavilion, just like mortals believed in cultivators.

    It was already difficult to overthrow the authority of a hundred years, let alone a thousand years. Therefore, even though Emperor Taxian-Jun had sought to rule the world in his previous life, he still left behind the pure land of Tianyin Pavilion. Shi Mei was very smart. It was best to hand Mo Ran over to Tianyin Pavilion for punishment. No one would refuse the verdict, and no one could refuse to accept it.

     The main hall was filled with clamor. Mo Ran walked along the carpet embroidered with pollia, walked to the front, then stood still.

     “I…”

     The man only said one word, and the crowd suddenly died down. They stared at him, many of their eyes filled with hatred and vigilance.

     They waited for his excuse, for him to lose his composure, for him to make a mistake. They craned their necks, ready to pounce on this treacherous demon and tear him to pieces at any time.

     It was difficult to distinguish whether this person was good or evil, and his actions were unpredictable. But they would rather kill him by mistake than let him go. They had to—

     “I’m here to accept my punishment.”

     It was completely silent, even more so than before.

     It was like sharpening blades in preparation for a great battle. The sound of the golden drum beating through the battle could shake the heavens, but suddenly, it was learned that the enemy general had committed suicide in his tent.

     It was ridiculous.

     “What did he say?”

     It took a while for some people to react, but they couldn’t believe that this demon would confess so easily. As a result, they asked in a low voice, “Did he say he was here to accept his punishment?”

     Mo Ran lowered his eyes and knelt down. He faced his uncle, aunt, and Xue Meng, whose face was as white as a sheet. The dim light shone on his handsome but thin face.

     He was indeed going to let himself be killed, but since Hua Binan had plotted against him, he wouldn’t let that person get away with it. Before confessing his sins, he still had one more thing to do—

     He would use his last bit of strength to protect the person he could no longer protect.

     So, Mo Ran spoke slowly, his voice fiery and incandescent.

     “My hands are indeed stained with blood. Because of my own personal hatred, I have killed many people. Although I wanted to repent these past few years, my sins are still unforgivable. Chu Wanning is also aware of this… Today, in the presence of all cultivators, I have another matter to declare in addition to stating my sins.”

     He paused, and the words fell, like a knife piercing his heart, “Chu Wanning and I are no longer master and disciple.”

     It had to be known that the public severing of a master and disciple connection was a huge scandal in the cultivation world. When this happened, no matter whether it was the master or disciple, both would lose face. Thus, as long as there was no blood feud, even if the relationship wasn’t harmonious, they would still put on a superficial display.

     After the shock, many people murmured, “Wasn’t it fine before? Why did it suddenly become like this? Could it be that he wants to trick us?”

     “It doesn’t look like it. Could it be that something happened between them on Mount Jiao?”

     “It’s possible… Chu Wanning doesn’t seem to care much about his disciples at all. When Shi Mingjing was captured by Hua Binan, didn’t he also not let go to save him? Later on, he was even blinded… If I were his disciple, I would also be bitterly disappointed.”

     People’s voices rose and fell like a tide.

     In the midst of these voices, Mo Ran continued, “It’s a small matter that he won’t tolerate me killing people and setting fires, but it does matter that all this time, he’s always treated me with indifference and insulted my dignity. This person talks about compassion for all the people in the world but treats his disciples badly. How hypocritical! If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have reached this point.”

     It was too painful.

     He stopped, his lips trembling slightly. But he still finished speaking, word by word, and cut himself into a thousand pieces.

     “It was he who harmed me. It was he who wronged me. He and I did not get along, and I am ashamed to have him as my master. Now that I have cut off all ties with Chu Wanning, if anyone considers me his disciple again in the future…”

     He raised his eyes with Taxian-Jun’s gaze.

     “That is to disgust me. I hope you won’t mention it again!”

     Xue Zhengyong was horrified. “Ran-er—!”

     Xue Meng’s face was even paler. “Ge, are you insane?! Do you know what you just said?!”

     Mo Ran closed his eyes. He didn’t want to look at anyone in Xue Meng’s family anymore. The word “ge” was like a sharp claw that pierced his heart.

     Mo Ran continued, “Apart from that, I have one more thing to say.”

     “If you’re guilty, then admit your guilt. There’s no need for one, two, or three more things. You—”

     Before the man finished complaining, he was stopped by Jiang Xi, the current head sect leader.

     Jiang Xi looked at Mo Ran. “...Please speak.”

     Mo Ran said, “My sins are grave. It’s true that I plead guilty and accept my punishment. But what happened at Guyue’ye was not my doing.”

     Many of the people present were here to collect blood debts, and they were already very agitated. Hearing him deny the murder at Guyue’ye, they couldn’t help but feel extremely angry. They all began speaking:

     “Ha! What a joke! This is a fact that is absolutely certain. What else do you have to say for yourself?!”

     “That’s right. Who else could it be if not you?”

     Mo Ran replied, “I wasn’t even at Guyue’ye. At that time, Chu Wanning and I were at Longxue Mountain. The person who did this was someone else. And that person, if I’m not wrong, should be…”

     He hesitated and didn’t immediately reveal his identity as Emperor Taxian-Jun.

     It wasn’t because he was afraid of the anger of the crowd, but because he thought that no one present would believe that the Gate of Time, Space, Life, and Death had split open and another Mo Ran had appeared.

     “Who is it?”

     Mo Ran pursed his lips and decided to talk about Emperor Taxian-Jun later, so he didn’t answer immediately but said, “That person colluded with Hua Binan. One framed me at Guyue'ye, and the other took Chu Wanning away.”

     After he finished speaking, the crowd split into two voices.

     The sound of the first wave of voices was weak, but it could still be heard clearly. Most of them were shouted by disciples of Sisheng Peak. “What happened to Yuheng Elder?!”

     “Where was elder taken?!”

     The other wave of voices was the group that had come to denounce him.

     “Mo Ran, do you think we’ll believe you?”

     “I don’t know what kind of medicine you’re selling! What do you mean someone else? I see that you and Hua Binan are colluding! On Mount Jiao, the two of you put on a show! You didn’t hesitate to kill so many people, even to the point of disregarding the friendship between fellow disciples and harming Shi Mingjing. You, you, you’re a liar!”

     Hearing Shi Mei’s name, Mo Ran slowly raised his head and looked at Xue Zhengyong in the high seat. He then looked at Xue Meng. “Shi Mei, he…”

     Xue Meng was worried. He sat forward. “What happened to Shi Mei? Is he okay?!”

     Mo Ran couldn’t look him in the eye.

     Seeing a person’s broken appearance once was enough.

     Mo Ran closed his eyes. “Shi Mei is Hua Binan.”

     Dead silence.

     After a long while, Xue Meng suddenly fell back into his seat and muttered, “What kind of joke is this? How is this possible…?”

     Indeed. If not for seeing it with his own eyes and hearing it with his own ears, Mo Ran would also want to say, “How is this possible?”. Shi Mei was obviously so gentle and wonderful. The three of them had gone through so much together. To him, Shi Mei was the first true friend he ever had in his life.

     But this friendship was fake. It was nothing more than an illusion.

     Ridiculous.

     The surrounding people began to talk. “What is this nonsense?”

     “He’s crazy. How can such a small cultivator be the world’s number one expert under the heavens?”

     “If Shi Mei is Hua Binan, why did he help us get rid of the heart-drilling worms at Mount Jiao?”

     There were also those who had been saved by Shi Mei on Mount Jiao and were deeply grateful to him. At this moment, they didn’t care about anything else. They pointed at him and said angrily, “Mo Ran, in order to wash away your sins, you actually said such a ridiculous thing. You’re slandering!”

     At this moment, Jiang Xi, who had been silent all this time, also spoke up.

     “Do you have any proof that Hua Binan is Shi Mingjing?” Jiang Xi said, “Hua Binan has been under my tutelage for many years; he almost never left Guyue’ye. If you say he is Shi Mingjing, how can he appear in two places at the same time?”