Qin Jian did not lash out at Long Bai—his junior. His anger was justified. But he, too, had his own burdens to carry. Still, it pained him deeply to have left the sect that had nurtured him for centuries. That unresolved guilt had become a knot in his heart, one he had never been able to untangle. It was also the reason he had failed to break through to the Void Shattering Realm.

As a cultivator at the Peak Soul Formation Realm, Qin Jian's lifespan could easily reach five thousand years. Yet, it had already been a thousand years since his last breakthrough. Time was slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

Furthermore, his master—the Peak Master of Sword Peak—had begun to notice the stagnation in Qin Jian's cultivation. The old man said nothing directly, but the disappointment was unmistakable in his gaze.

Qin Jian had once been designated to inherit Sword Peak. His master had even planned to retire and leave all responsibilities to him. Yet Qin Jian had faltered. Instead of stepping up, he had forced his aging master to continue overseeing the peak, even in his declining years.

Yes, most of the paperwork and internal management had been handled by Qin Jian himself, but when it came to official matters—when the Sect Master summoned the peak for meetings—it was always his master who attended, not him.

In the end, Qin Jian couldn't help but feel that he deserved his current plight. Who had asked him to step onto two boats at the same time? Now, as he sank into the sea of regret and indecision, both boats remained afloat—untouched, unbothered.

Perhaps his end was drawing near.

A bitter smile crept onto his face as he raised his head and gazed at the sky. The clouds were drifting rapidly today, as if chased by unseen winds.

Maybe a storm is coming.

Crack–Crack–

A surge of spatial energy rippled across the platform as Xu Mo stepped out from the entrance of the secret realm. He barely managed to steady himself, swaying slightly before regaining composure. He had done it on purpose—to appear inexperienced and harmless.

He had even changed his hairstyle and posture to better match a low-key, forgettable persona. His aura was suppressed, revealing only the cultivation base of someone in the Ninth Stage of Qi Condensation.

Several elders stood nearby, clad in the signature robes of the Verdant Sky Hall, their chests adorned with its emblem.

"Someone's already out?" one elder muttered with surprise.

"Child, the time limit hasn't expired yet," another elder said, his brows furrowing. "You must have exited by mistake—"

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"No," a third elder interjected coldly. "Even if he left early by accident, the rules are the rules. Once out, he can't go back in."

Xu Mo was allowed to pass, and the elders didn't suspect anything unusual. They took him at face value—just a low-level disciple with bad luck. However, just as he walked past, one elder raised a hand.

"Stop," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I almost forgot."

"All items obtained inside the secret realm—lay them out here." His voice turned stern, dignified with authority.

Xu Mo frowned slightly but remained calm. Is this some new method of begging? he mused to himself.

He had been careful. No eyes were on him when he retrieved the corpses inside, and he had been fortunate enough to find a storage ring on one of the bodies. He had transferred all the items and corpses into that ring. As everyone knew, storage rings could only hold non-living things.

"Elder," Xu Mo said respectfully, "I didn't obtain any treasures inside the secret realm. As you can see, I'm only in the Ninth Stage of Qi Condensation. Whatever I found was consumed to increase my cultivation. However, I did collect the bodies of deceased cultivators I encountered on my way to the exit."

Without hesitation, he activated the storage ring he had used. One after another, the corpses he had collected emerged and were laid gently on the ground. Xu Mo didn't treat the dead with disrespect. His parents had taught him better. He sorted each body with care, laying them in neat rows on the flat ground.

"Huh?!"

"What…?!"

"Is this… real?"

The gathered elders, initially indifferent, now wore expressions of shock and disbelief. Qin Jian, who had been observing nearby, also gasped. He had intended to use this moment to show off his strength in front of the other sect elders. But now, all attention was on something far more startling.

There were forty-nine bodies.

Xu Mo bowed and spoke clearly. "These are the cultivators I found fallen inside the secret realm. I request your assistance in ensuring their remains are treated with respect and returned to their respective sects."

A moment of silence fell—then chaos.

"Chen Yuntao!!" a heartbroken scream rang out from the distance.

An elder from another sect burst through the gathering, shoving aside the Verdant Sky Hall disciples with forceful spiritual pressure. Several disciples moved to stop him, but Qin Jian raised his hand, signaling them to stand down.

"Open your eyes, my son… Please, open your eyes!" the elder wailed, clutching one of the corpses. "What will I tell your mother?! Please, please…"

Other sect elders followed, their restraint shattered. They rushed in, some pushing through barriers, others simply collapsing in grief.

"Xie Lang!!"

"He Shuang!!"

"Dong Min'er!! No!"

As mourning filled the air, a terrifying silence followed. The atmosphere thickened like a blade being drawn. Dozens of bloodshot eyes turned to Xu Mo, their grief quickly warping into rage.

They think I killed them, Xu Mo realized. As expected, but this many…

Just as one elder surged forward, Long Bai clenched his fists, preparing to act. But before he could move, Qin Jian appeared beside Xu Mo, stepping in front of him like a shield.

"He's the killer!" someone roared. "I'll kill him! He must die!"

"You murdered my only disciple! You'll pay with your life!"

"Killer! Hypocrite! Monster!"

Xu Mo remained composed, his expression calm despite the accusations being hurled at him.

He raised his hand, holding out the storage ring.

"Elder," he said, locking eyes with one of the grieving men, "I believe this storage ring belonged to your son. I didn't have one of my own, so I used it to carry the bodies. I had no choice."

The elder stared at the ring—and then, without warning, seized Xu Mo's wrist with crushing strength. The bones in Xu Mo's arm creaked under the pressure.

"You dare…?" the elder growled, eyes blazing. "You think I'll believe such nonsense? How could a murderer leave behind such a treasure? You expect us to believe you simply found my son's ring? Even the Verdant Sky Hall won't be able to protect you now!"

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