Seeing Xuanzhen contemplative for a long time, the female crown thought she was unwilling and spoke again, "I've heard that Daoist Qingyu's realm is profound and inscrutable, and all the young ones on the peak want to experience it!"

A smile curled up at the corner of Xuanzhen's mouth as she turned to look at the female crown, her gaze seeming to penetrate her heart, "Is that really all there is to it? Is it merely the juniors who want to witness it?"

Under Xuanzhen's gaze, the female crown quietly lowered her head.

"You all are also somewhat dissatisfied with the Sect Leader brother, aren't you?" Xuanzhen shook her head and sighed.

"Forgive me, elder sister!" the female crown said softly.

The disciples of Su Nu and Kunyin Peaks, both practicing the Earth Dao, naturally interacted on a regular basis.

Due to conflicts with the Sect Leader Faction, Kunyin Peak often faced targeted difficulties. Over time, this led to Su Nu Peak also facing certain challenges.

Although as female crown, the disciples of Su Nu Peak weren't subjected to overly harsh treatment, many were deeply dissatisfied.

Compared to the resolute Daoist women of Kunyin Peak, those of Su Nu Peak, primarily healers, inevitably lost some resilience. Being constantly harassed, how could they endure it? The resentful energy had long been accumulating day by day like a river.

'Junior Brother Xuan Chen must also be unable to tolerate the sect always having a second opinion—this is forcing me to take a stand.' Xuanzhen thought with a sigh.

After ten years of building up, Xuan Chen had solidified his position as Sect Leader and was ready to move against the old followers of Xuanfa.

Xuan Shang and others wanting to resist Xuan Chen, little did they know, Xuan Chen was also intent on purging those who opposed him!

Hunter and prey, they are always relative. Until the final moment, the mystery isn't revealed.

Xuan Chen dared to act this way because he had his own confidence. At least, from Xuanzhen's many years of covert observation, the True Martial Three Elders in the forbidden area behind the mountain didn't necessarily despise Xuan Chen.

Among the Three Elders, one, or perhaps two, probably supported Xuan Chen. Otherwise, Xuanfa's maneuvers in the past wouldn't have failed, and the one sitting in the Sect Leader's position wouldn't be Xuan Chen.

If the True Martial Three Elders didn't support Xuan Chen, why didn't they let Xuanfa ascend to the Sect Leader's position back then?

The so-called collusion with Shadow Pavilion wasn't actually the main reason. After all, it was somewhat arbitrary to directly declare a Sect Leader candidate a traitor based on the words of a single person, Xuan Guang—an actual traitor.

Past memories flashed through Xuanzhen's mind and finally, the Peak Master of Su Nu lightly said, "My peak consists of female crown; it would ultimately harm his reputation for Daoist Qingyu to come here. I will find a time to visit Daoist Qingyu at Wanfa Peak."

"Junior sister understands," the female crown's gentle voice carried an undeniable excitement.

She knew elder sister was probably not insisting on neutrality anymore. Otherwise, why need to meet Daoist Qingyu, a close friend of Xuan Shang?

··························

The night was cool as water, the breeze at the top of Wanfa Peak especially chilly.

In front of the small thatched hut at the peak, Xuanfeng still lay on the lounge chair, foolishly staring at the sky.

The vigor of someone in the True Pill Realm was especially robust, a few days and nights without sleep was trivial. After gradually recovering his physical vitality, Xuanfeng's vigor also returned to its normal state.

"Is this how you treat Junior Brother Xuanfeng?"

In the nighttime breeze, the angry voice of the female crown suddenly came through.

Qingyu slowly turned around, facing Xuanzhen who had come in the deep of night, and said, "You must also be aware of Xuanfeng's nature, Daoist Xuanzhen. He wholeheartedly serves the Zhenwu Sect, yet unfortunately, he always mistakes the wrong path for the right one."

Sealing his memory and keeping him out of the loop was actually a form of protection for him.

This protection would last until the final confrontation arrived.

Qingyu didn't say this out loud.

"You just told me what you did to Junior Brother Xuanfeng, aren't you afraid I'll report it to Sect Leader Brother?"

"Uh—"

A cold breeze blew through, and it seemed as if a chill had descended in the nighttime sky, the temperature in the area of the peak dropping several degrees. A solemn, murderous aura enveloped the surroundings, locking onto the life of the female crown.

Qingyu looked at Xuanzhen emotionlessly, seven sword shadows flitting across his pupils, invisible Sword Qi intermittently visible around him.

The conversation seemed about to escalate into a fight, a tense atmosphere brewing.

"Heh," a laugh dissolved the chill, and the threatening aura vanished. Qingyu chuckled, "Would you really do that, Uncle Master Xuanzhen?"

The sudden shift in address slightly raised Xuanzhen's brows, but she didn't show any surprise, "It is indeed you, Qingyu."

"This has deepened your crisis further. If I inform Sect Leader Brother of your identity, you are destined to spend the rest of your life being hunted down by the Zhenwu Sect."

Spend the rest of his life being hunted down by the Zhenwu Sect?

Was Qingyu afraid of that?

Sorry, ever since he had beaten Qingxu into a bloody mist, he had been doomed to be on the non-negotiable blacklist of the Zhenwu Sect, or rather, on Xuan Chen's side.

If Qingyu were afraid of being hunted, he would have died of fear a long time ago.

Moreover, even now that Xuanzhen was betraying him, could she really make Qingyu stay here? Impossible.

If he weren't certain he could escape, Qingyu wouldn't be standing here so confidently.

"Indeed, if Uncle Master genuinely informs Xuan Chen, I will indeed face endless pursuit from the Zhenwu Sect, but Uncle Master, would you really do that?"

Qingyu slowly paced a few steps, saying, "Today when I came up the mountain, Xuan Shang told me that 'my' corpse had been personally inspected by you, Uncle Master. As a grandmaster in the medical arts, did you find any traces on the body that shouldn't have been there? Such as..."

"Traces of facial alterations."

Qingyu lightly gestured at his jaw, "At that time, I was not adept at altering appearances with surgery, and inevitably left many traces. No, even now, a face altered by my hand might not deceive you, Uncle Master."

At that time, Qingyu had just started studying the Lianhua Treasure Book, and although he had tried some surgeries beforehand, he had still left some traces.

For a grandmaster of medical arts, these traces were crucial clues that could reveal the truth, especially since Xuanzhen was also a grandmaster in the True Pill Realm.

The perception of the True Pill Realm far exceeded the previous realms, something Qingyu had personally experienced when he advanced to the True Pill Realm.

Thus, as soon as he heard what Xuan Shang had said today, Qingyu was certain that Xuanzhen knew he was still alive.

"Phew," Xuanzhen suddenly exhaled deeply, as if releasing past frustrations, "I never thought that my supposedly dead nephew would reappear before me in this manner. When I discovered that the person at Tianzhen Temple in Shu Province, Daoist Qingyu, had a face identical to my nephew's, heaven knows what I felt then."

Imagining his dead and incognito nephew suddenly appearing as a grandmaster of the True Pill Realm, Qingyu himself would've had mixed feelings in his place.

However, it was also because of this incident that Qingyu could confirm that Xuanzhen's neutral stance had shifted.

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