Mo Ran’s confession was over. For a moment, no one in Loyalty Hall made a sound.

     Who was right and who was wrong? What was right and wrong?

     Although everyone had their own personal thoughts, no one could say for sure.

     Mo Ran didn’t look at the faces of Xue Zhengyong and his family. He lowered his eyelashes and said after a long time, “Back then, I thought I was going to die in the sea of fire. But when I woke up, I found myself at Sisheng Peak. The investigator sat on the edge of my bed. When I woke up, he placed his hand on my shoulder and told me that from now on, I would be the Young Master of Sisheng Peak.”

     He paused for a moment, chuckled, then said, “Uncle’s nephew.”

     The floor of Loyalty Hall was embroidered with blooming pollia. Mo Ran looked at the luxuriant purple flowers blooming all over with a calm expression.

     “The investigator was afraid he wouldn’t get the reward, so when my uncle rescued me from the fire in the House of Drunken Jade and asked him anxiously if this was the child he was looking for, he nodded.” Mo Ran said, “This nod changed my fate.”

     Master Xuan Jing sighed and said, “Amitabha, Mo-shizhu, how can you feel at ease? All these years, have you never thought of confessing to Sect Leader Xue?”

     “When haven’t I thought about it? In the days after I first woke up, I was very uneasy and wanted to tell the truth.”

     Mo Ran’s eyes were a little hazy, as if he were looking at the years of a past life.

     “But when he heard that I’d woken up, Uncle… came to see me. Auntie personally cooked noodles for me, and I remember that there were three poached eggs, all sweetened and covered with minced meat. She told me that… she was afraid I wouldn’t be able to digest it since I had just woken up, so she chopped it up to make it easier for me to swallow. Xue Meng also came and gave me a whole box of pastries.”

     He slowly closed his eyes.

     “I ate that bowl of noodles and those pastries. I couldn’t bring myself to tell the truth. They smiled at me and treated me so well… If I told them that I was the one who set the House of Drunken Jade on fire, that I killed his nephew and sister-in-law… what would happen then?” Mo Ran said softly, “I couldn’t say it. These words were swallowed in my throat, and the more time passed… the more I didn’t know what to say.”

     Master Xuan Jing sighed. “Ah…”

     “I knew what kind of person Mo Nian was. He was lazy and frivolous. At first, I didn’t know how much Uncle knew about him, so I did my best to imitate him. Later, I found out that Uncle didn’t know anything, so I stopped and didn’t take him for granted.” Mo Ran paused for a moment, then continued slowly, “...In short, I have a blood debt with the Mo family. But in the end, I took advantage of their family.”

     The people of Sisheng Peak were all at a loss. Many of the disciples and elders who had interacted with Mo Ran before stood there in a daze, with mixed feelings in their hearts. Xue Zhengyong and Madam Wang didn’t say anything as they stared blankly at Mo Ran’s figure.

     They had watched this child grow up from an inexperienced youth to a zongshi of a generation.

     But now they were told that this was wrong from the beginning.

     Mo Ran wasn’t their nephew. What’s more, they were even separated by a blood feud between them.

     What could they say?

     What could they do?

     Xue Zhengyong didn’t know, and neither did Madam Wang.

     They had never seen “Mo Nian.” All their feelings of guilt and yearning for their deceased brother had been placed on this child named Mo Ran. They didn’t know who he was, but they had touched Mo Ran’s hair, held his hand, and been called “Uncle” and “Auntie” by Mo Ran.

     Xue Zhengyong’s mind was in a mess.

     In the silence, Mu Yanli said, “Mo Ran, although you are pitiful, you have committed many crimes and cannot be spared lightly. Count them, do you know how many sins you’ve committed?”

     Mo Ran had never liked Tianyin Pavilion, so he closed his eyes and didn’t answer.

     Mu Yanli looked at him disdainfully, and her voice rang out like a bell. “You willfully killed many mortals, set fire to a building, lied about your identity, and pretended to be a young master. On Mount Jiao, you clearly knew that the Nangong family’s blood flowed through your veins, but you still only watched coldly from the sidelines, with unpredictable intentions. At Guyue’ye, you massacred others, splattering the hall with blood—what exactly do you want?”

     “I’ll say it again. I didn’t kill those people in Guyue’ye. After the Gate of Life and Death opened, two worlds intertwined. That person wasn’t me.”

     “The Gate of Life and Death is the first forbidden technique. It hasn’t been opened for thousands of years. Don’t you think that excuse is too absurd?” Mu Yanli said coldly, “I’m afraid that as the descendant of the Nangong family, you were unsatisfied and ambitious, wanting to overturn the upper and lower cultivation worlds.”

     “Pavilion Master Mu’s words are too exaggerated.” Jiang Xi couldn’t help but frown. “In my opinion, Mo Ran doesn’t have any motive to overturn the upper and lower cultivation worlds. If he wanted to do such a thing, he could have used any means on Mount Jiao, and the ten great sects would have suffered disastrous losses. There are many doubtful points here, so before the facts are clear, please be careful with your words.”

     Mu Yanli stared at him coldly. “Sect Leader Jiang, you don’t have to speak for him. Even if he doesn’t intend to overturn the cultivation world, the crimes he’s committed before would be enough for him to be taken to Tianyin Pavilion for interrogation.”

     After she finished speaking, she raised her hand and ordered the guards behind her, “Arrest Mo Ran and take him away.”

     “Wait a minute!”

     Mu Yanli glanced sideways at Xue Zhengyong. "Sect Leader Xue, do you have something to say?”

     Xue Zhengyong’s face was blue and red, and he didn’t seem to understand why he stopped Mu Yanli. After so many years, it had become a habit for him to treat Mo Ran as his own.

     He couldn’t sit back and let Tianyin Pavilion take him away like this.

     But what should he say? Ask him to stay?

     Xue Zhengyong closed his eyes, his teeth chattering slightly. He felt cold and hollow in his heart, as if something important had been gouged out.

     He buried his face in his palms. He had always been in high spirits, but at this moment, he looked surprisingly old and rickety.

     “Does Sect Leader Xue want to say goodbye to his nephew?”

     Mu Yanli was a harsh person. She intentionally or unintentionally used the word “nephew,” which made Xue Zhengyong tremble like catkins in the wind.

     “I…” Xue Zhengyong’s throat was hoarse. “Ran-er… Mo Ran…”

     He didn’t even know what to call him.

     Mo Ran didn’t make it difficult for him. He closed his eyes, took a few steps forward, and kowtowed to Xue Zhengyong without saying a word.

     Three bows and nine kowtows.

     Someone muttered, “Just dawdling. What are you doing?”

     “Pretentious…”

     Mo Ran turned a deaf ear to them. When the ceremony was over, he stood up and prepared to leave.

     However, at this moment, Xue Meng suddenly rushed into Loyalty Hall. Longcheng was covered with black blood. It was extremely shocking. He shouted, “Outside—”

     “What’s going on?”

     “There are a large number of Zhenlong chess pieces attacking from outside, and many of them are the warriors of Rufeng Sect!”

     Everyone was horrified. At Sisheng Peak, hundreds of feet in the sky, countless cultivators were flying on their swords, their robes fluttering in the wind. Half of these people were wearing black robes and veils that covered their faces, and the other half were wearing crane robes and had silk ribbons covering their eyes. They were corpses from the Hero’s Tomb of Rufeng Sect.

     “What, what’s going on?!”

     “Didn’t Nangong Si sink all of these corpses into the ground? Why are they all here again?! Who lifted the restriction?”

     As soon as the words left his mouth, he already had the answer in his heart.

     Who had undone the restriction? Who else could undo the Nangong family’s restriction?

     Many angry gazes fell on Mo Ran.

     Although Mo Ran knew who the mastermind behind the scenes was, he couldn’t argue. What was worse was that he had lost all spiritual power. He couldn’t stop the chess pieces from attacking. He could only watch helplessly as hundreds of thousands of dead soldiers descended.

     Sisheng Peak was just like his previous life.

     In an instant, dragons rose and stirred the waves, creating a sea of blood.

     —It turned out that the “surprise” Shi Mei mentioned wasn’t over yet…

     “Fight first!”

     “Repel this wave of chess pieces! Repel them first!”

     Everyone came out of the hall to greet them. However, because they didn’t expect this change, and because these Zhenlong chess pieces came without warning, they were immediately in chaos.

     Mo Ran stood in front of the hall and watched the chess pieces land. They fought with the disciples of Sisheng Peak and resisted the magical techniques of any cultivators who came out to fight.

     The silver-blue light armor and black cloaks clashed in a chaotic battle. He stood on the jade steps, his brows throbbing in pain. Everything in front of him was almost like a replay of the memories of his previous life—

     In his previous life, he was the one who controlled the chess piece army formed of the living and dead. He killed anyone who dared to say “no” to him at Sisheng Peak.

     It was also from that moment on that he became used to killing people like flies and treating people’s lives like grass as their insides coated the entire mountain.

     He still remembered that he also stood in front of Loyalty Hall like this. The traitorous disciple, Mo Weiyu, had looked down on the vast crowd of heroes with a smile on his face. Beside his boots were the corpses of Xue Zhengyong and Madam Wang, which hadn’t yet grown cold.

     “From Sisheng Peak, use your blood to pave the way for me.”

     Those words from his previous life still lingered in his ears. Mo Ran’s eyelids twitched. He shouted towards Xue Meng, “Don’t fight! You can’t win! Hurry up and go, all of you!”

     There was too much noise, and Xue Meng was too far away for him to hear it.

     Mo Ran looked around. There were swords clashing everywhere and the chaos of war.

     He saw Jiang Xi fighting with more than ten chess pieces. At that moment, he remembered how Jiang Xi had fallen under his blade in his previous life—

     “You won’t kneel to me?”

     “No.”

     “You don’t recognize me as emperor?”

     “No.”

     Fresh blood splattered everywhere. He raised his hand, and the blade fell.

     He couldn’t win…

     Mo Ran watched the Palace Master of Taxue Palace lower her eyes and play the xun. The sound pierced the sky, causing the minds of the chess pieces to blur and waver unsteadily. However, he recalled how, in his previous life, the Palace Master had ended up with all her fingers destroyed and her bones and tendons cracked—

     “Why are you resisting so stubbornly?”

     “Since I am the master of the palace, although I am unable to ensure the safety of Taxue Palace, I definitely won’t run away.”

     The xun broke into pieces and finally became silent.

     She couldn’t win.

     As chaos raged, Mo Ran saw Madam Wang and Xue Zhengyong fighting in the distance, but what flashed before his eyes were the two from his previous life, who were never even able to close their eyes, which were frozen with grief and anger.

     They stared at him through two lifetimes, resenting him.

     Cold.

     It was really cold.

     Mo Ran’s muscles and bones trembled, and the tips of his fingers turned ice-cold. For Shi Mei to do this… He actually did this!

     Before, he felt that he shouldn’t underestimate the threat Shi Mei made before taking Chu Wanning away. That was why he decided to return to Sisheng Peak. At this moment, he couldn’t help but feel numb—

     What would have happened if he had been impulsive that day and didn’t listen to Shi Mei’s threat, insisting on chasing after Chu Wanning?

     Half of the elites of the cultivation world were here. If they all died at Sisheng Peak, what would have happened?

     Shi Mei arranged everything so specifically that he didn’t have any time to breathe. Mo Ran raised his head and looked the Zhenlong chess pieces all over the mountains and plains… corpses who weren’t afraid of death and pain… mountains of corpses, seas of blood, demons, ghosts, and bones…

     It can’t go on like this. It can’t go on like this!

     Shi Mei said that this was a “surprise” for him. Then he wouldn’t have done this for no reason. Since he returned and obeyed, there must be a solution! He couldn’t watch the old dream repeat itself. He couldn’t watch Sisheng Peak be destroyed. He couldn’t watch his uncle and aunt die in front of him again.

     If the past were to repeat itself, how could he face himself…? And how could he face Chu Wanning?

     Mo Ran suddenly came back to his senses and pushed through the crowd as he ran towards his aunt and uncle.

     “Stop fighting! Leave this place first. Evacuate first. Don’t fight! You can’t win!”

     His voice was hoarse, and his eyes were bloodshot. He was like a man sinking in the ocean, struggling with all his strength to reach the other side. He was a dead man struggling for life, like a moth towards the flame, like one life towards another.

     “Stop fighting! Hurry up and leave, all of you! You can’t win!”

     You can’t win.

     I’ve seen your deaths with my own eyes.

     Go, I beg you.

     Suddenly, a sword blocked his way. The sword light was cold.

     Looking up, he saw Mu Yanli’s cold face.

     “Are you trying to take advantage of the chaos and escape?”

     Mo Ran said angrily, “Get out of the way!”

     “You’re already a criminal of the cultivation world, so I should—”

     As she spoke, Mu Yanli felt a chill on her back. She turned around and saw a chess piece with its face covered by a veil swinging down with a sword. She quickly turned to face the attack, her eyes full of killing intent. She shouted, “Mo Ran, you’re really the one behind this!”

     The woman’s voice was clear and bright, like an icy spring, easily recognizable.

     Her voice attracted the attention of the surrounding cultivators. They saw that the chess piece was fighting fiercely with Mu Yanli but didn’t touch Mo Ran at all.

     Only then did everyone realize that almost all the chess pieces at Sisheng Peak seemed to regard Mo Ran as one of their own. They all avoided him and didn’t hurt him.

     Someone shouted angrily, “It’s really that traitor, Mo Ran, who’s behind this!”

     “He’s on the same side as these chess pieces!”

     Angry faces twisted and warped, their ears filled with whispers and growls. Several pairs of bloodshot eyes looked over at him.

     Overlapping, overlapping.

     Under such angry gazes, he was once again a murderous devil. He seemed to have become that emperor again, who trampled over immortals to rule the world and broke a thousand rules with his sword. He had gone mad!

     Someone shouted, “Take him down!”

     “Watch him! Don’t let him escape!”

     “Let’s see how long he can pretend!”

     His ears buzzed. It was the same anger, the same accusations, and the same crusade.

     The two lives were so similar that he could even recall the decisive battle between him and Chu Wanning back then.

     On that day, just like today, Mo Ran held the Zhenlong chess pieces in his hands and controlled the dead, the living, the beasts, and the birds to fly. His army was like a black cloud of ink, and his soldiers were like frost reflecting on the mountain.

     He sat high and looked down with a smile. He watched the world turn upside down as the day became dim.

     In the end, it was Chu Wanning who stopped him.

     It was Chu Wanning who tried his best to fight against his millions of chess pieces. His weapon changed from Tianwen to Jiu’ge, then from Jiu’ge to Huaisha.

     Huaisha.

     Mo Ran would never forget the sadness and pain in Chu Wanning’s eyes when he finally summoned Huaisha.

     “It is rumored that this is Shizun’s killing blade. I finally get to see it today.”

     Chu Wanning asked him at that time, “Mo Ran, what do I have to do to make you let it go?”

     He only smiled brightly. “I can’t let it go. Shizun, my hands are already full of blood. I killed Uncle and Auntie with my own hands and killed my fellow disciples... Now, as long as I offer your head, I will be the unparalleled lord of this world. No one will be able to stop me.”

     Chu Wanning’s expression was full of pain.

     He saw it, but only felt unhappy. A wave of malice surged through his heart. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out every word.

     “Kill you. There will be no one left in this world I cannot kill.”