Sang Dai clutched her chest, her eyes vacant and dim. Cold sweat poured from her body as she struggled to process that the people saying these things were her own parents, and the ones committing these acts were members of the Sword Sect, the very sect she had been desperately protecting.
At that moment, the door was pushed open.
A bolt of lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating Sang Dai’s pale face. Outside, the raging wind howled, driving rain into the bamboo house.
Sang Dai locked eyes with Sang Wenzhou and Madam Shi.
“Father… Mother…”
Madam Shi’s face was devoid of her usual gentleness, replaced by shock and horror. “When did you wake up?”
There was no need for Sang Dai to answer. Her expression said it all.
She had heard everything.
Sang Wenzhou’s face darkened, his expression numb, cold, and utterly devoid of emotion. He waved Madam Shi aside and stepped into the bamboo house.
Summoning his life-bound sword with one hand, its sharp glow radiating fiercely, he advanced toward Sang Dai.
“Madam, would you step aside?”
Madam Shi knew exactly what he intended to do.
So did Sang Dai.
She had heard everything. With her nature, there was no way she would conspire with them. She would undoubtedly reveal the truth to the world and seek justice for the deceased. But this secret couldn’t be exposed to the Four Realms.
Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners were rare, but they still paled in comparison to the Sword Sect’s reputation.
Sang Dai clutched her chest, blood spilling from the corner of her lips as tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
“Father… why? Why are you doing this? This is wrong…”
Her entire body trembled with weakness as she staggered backward, unable to believe the man before her was her father.
She looked toward Madam Shi, but her mother remained silent, her expression complicated.
Sang Wenzhou raised his sword, pointing it directly at Sang Dai, his voice cold and indifferent. “Dai’er, you shouldn’t have heard this.”
Suddenly, Madam Shi spoke up. “Wait.”
Sang Dai turned to her, a flicker of hope lighting her eyes.
But Madam Shi’s next words plunged her into despair: “Don’t kill her. Extract her spiritual root first—Yao Yao needs a replacement.”
Sang Dai’s lower back pressed against the wooden table, and the last traces of familial affection and reliance were completely shattered.
She stared numbly as Sect Master Sang’s sharp claws descended toward her crown. At that time, Sang Dai was only thirteen, far from reaching Core Formation and certainly no match for Sect Master Sang, who was at the peak of Nascent Soul Stage.
But Sect Master Sang did not succeed.
Because… the Beast Realm launched another invasion.
The Beast Realm repeatedly attacked the Immortal Realm, and the Immortal Realm needed Sang Dai’s strength to fight.
Sang Wenzhou did not kill her.
Instead, Sang Dai was locked in the Discipline Hall, and three days later, the powerful elders of the Sword Sect gathered to imprint a seal within her sea of consciousness, sealing away her memories.
She forgot the conspiracy she had overheard at thirteen.
When she woke up, all she saw were the worried faces of her father and mother. They embraced her gently, coaxing her as they said, “Dai’er, you’ve worked hard during this training mission. Your father and mother are so proud of you.”
Sang Dai remained the beloved eldest daughter of the Sword Sect, devoting herself wholeheartedly to its protection.
Everything seemed like a fleeting illusion, passing in the blink of an eye. Over a hundred years had gone by.
Now, Sang Dai was a Soul Transformation Stage cultivator at its peak, but she had never known about the seal placed in the depths of her sea of consciousness by the Immortal Realm’s most powerful figures.
Ling Yin had already disappeared, leaving behind only a single transmitted message:
“Miss, whether you survive today depends on fate.”
Changmang had already awakened. Sensing what had happened, it quickly grew larger, shielding Sang Dai and encircling her protectively.
The disguise left by Su Xuan had been undone by Ling Yin, and now Sang Dai’s true face was exposed.
Changmang became even more frantic, nudging Sang Dai repeatedly, hoping for a response.
But Sang Dai remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Changmang whimpered, attempting to contact Su Xuan, but it couldn’t sense his presence. There was an array in place, cutting off all connection with the outside world. Someone didn’t want Su Xuan to find either it or Sang Dai.
At that moment, Sang Dai finally moved.
She steadied herself against the wall and stood up, while Changmang continued to circle around her, warming her meridians with its spiritual energy.
Sang Dai headed for the exit, but Changmang whined and tried to block her path.
She glanced at Changmang and said, “Changmang, there’s a matter that has been delayed for a hundred years. I need to resolve it.”
Her meaning was clear—she could not be stopped.
Changmang panicked. As a Heaven-grade spiritual weapon, it could sense the number of people outside—thousands at least. The overwhelming waves of spiritual energy were daunting, and their intent, whether hostile or friendly, was unknown. Sang Dai, with her half-shattered Golden Core, was no match for them.
But as her life-bound weapon, it had no choice but to obey its master.
Resigned, Changmang followed her out of the cave.
The Burning Heaven Realm was devoid of light, illuminated only by ghostly flames. The ground was barren, as though it had been scorched by a great fire.
Outside the cave was a small hill. Standing at the high ground, Sang Dai looked down, gazing at the dense crowd below.
A significant number of people from the Immortal Realm had come this time. Out of the Three Sects and Six Factions, five had sent representatives, their goal being to retrieve the Heaven-grade spiritual root and the Immortal Velvet Grass. However, only three sects were present here.
When they spotted the female cultivator standing on the hill, everyone froze. Voices rippled through the crowd:
“Is that… is that the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect?”
“Sang Dai? Isn’t she supposed to be dead?”
“I’ve seen Miss Sang before. I could never mistake her—that’s Sang Dai!”
Shen Ciyu raised his head to look at Sang Dai standing high above. His hands slackened, and he nearly dropped his sword.
Why was she here? Where was Su Xuan?
How could she appear alone in the Burning Heaven Realm, a place teeming with vengeful ghosts? It would be far too easy for them to seize her body.
The group had sensed the presence of Immortal Velvet Grass nearby and came searching for it, but they found Sang Dai instead?
Unnoticed by others, Shi Yao’s lips curled into a cold smile. Her gaze darkened as she quietly melted into the crowd, disappearing from sight.
Sang Wenzhou’s pupils contracted sharply as he stared at Sang Dai, his disbelief written across his face.
The aura around her… the seal placed by the combined efforts of several Sword Sect elders was gone. Did that mean she… remembered?
It wasn’t just Sang Wenzhou who noticed; the elders present, who had been involved in placing the seal back then, also realized what had happened.
Sang Wenzhou gripped the sword at his waist tightly, his gaze fixed on Sang Dai with a ferocious intensity as though he wanted to devour her.
If she truly remembered, she could not be allowed to live.
While the disciples were still confused and discussing the “resurrection” of the Sword Sect’s eldest daughter, a cold voice rang out from the forefront of the crowd—the Sword Sect’s Sect Master.
“Traitor Sang Dai, along with her master Ying Heng, slaughtered the Cangwu Daoist Temple and destroyed the Guixu spiritual vein. Ying Heng took full responsibility, allowing this criminal to escape for a century. Justice spares no one, and even as the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect, she cannot be allowed to leave today.”
Shen Ciyu froze in shock. When he came back to his senses, he shouted, “Master, what are you saying!”
Another elder stepped forward, speaking gravely.
“We have found letters left behind by Ying Heng in Sang Dai’s room. Written in black and white, they clearly state that Sang Dai colluded with her master to destroy the Guixu spiritual vein and exterminate the entire Cangwu Daoist Temple, leaving no survivors.”
A second elder added, “Her crimes are heinous. Born a Heaven-grade spiritual root awakener, yet she has brought calamity to all living beings!”
A third elder echoed, “The evidence is solid. Though it has yet to be reported to the Immortal Alliance, I vouch with the Sword Sect’s reputation that there is no falsehood. Since we’ve encountered this traitor today, it is the duty of the Sword Sect’s disciples to join forces and kill her!”
Shen Ciyu was horrified. He looked up at Sang Dai standing on the hill, her face devoid of expression.
Suddenly realizing something, he turned to his master in a panic. “Master, you—”
Sang Wenzhou raised a hand, cutting him off. “Sword Sect disciples, hear my command. Form the Ten Thousand Kill Formation. Today, Sang Dai must not leave alive!”
The disciples hesitated, casting uncertain glances toward the sword cultivator high above.
Sang Dai, a Heaven-grade spiritual root in the Immortal Realm, had slain countless evils and demonic forces over the past century. In their hearts, they didn’t want to believe that someone like her could be responsible for destroying the Guixu spiritual vein.
But their sect’s elders had declared her guilty.
And the one ordering her death was her own father.
If there wasn’t evidence, how could they bear to kill their own daughter?
“Sword Sect’s Miss Sang…”
“Form the formation!”
The noise was deafening, so loud that Sang Dai couldn’t ignore it.
She gazed at the dense crowd below, spotting many familiar faces among them.
Former sectmates who had fought by her side, people she had saved on the battlefield, or perhaps mere acquaintances she had met only a few times.
Changmang, loyal to its master, transformed into a hundred-zhang-long defensive ribbon, hovering protectively behind Sang Dai. However, as a defensive weapon, its offensive power was naturally weak, and it was anxiously calling out for Su Xuan.
Shen Ciyu stepped forward to block the crowd. “Sang Dai could never be a traitor. There are too many doubts in this matter. You absolutely cannot—”
Before he could finish, everything went blurry, and a sharp pain shot through his neck. Completely unguarded, Shen Ciyu was struck unconscious by a single palm from Sang Wenzhou.
Catching Shen Ciyu as he fell, Sang Wenzhou handed him to the disciples behind him.
“Ciyu grew up with Sang Dai and let his emotions cloud his judgment. Take him away.”
In the distance, vengeful ghosts roared, and the sinister atmosphere of the Burning Heaven Realm grew heavier. The miasma creeping through the air had begun to invade Sang Dai’s meridians.
Suddenly, Sang Dai, who had been silent all this time, began to speak.
“At three, I awakened my spiritual root and was entrusted to my master for guidance. He taught me tirelessly. You all said that as one of the rare Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners of the Four Realms, I should protect all living beings.”
“At ten, I comprehended my Sword Heart and obtained the Zhiyu Sword. At seventeen, I reached Core Formation. You all called me a prodigy of the Immortal Realm.”
“For 132 years, I led troops to repel the Beast Realm 31 times and slew thousands of evil spirits. You all said I was the shield of the Immortal Realm, and that as long as I was here, the people of the Immortal Realm could live in peace.”
“That’s what I always believed, too.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, not even as loud as the roars of the distant vengeful ghosts, yet it silenced the chaotic crowd.
Sang Wenzhou’s expression grew darker as he barked harshly, “Don’t listen to her nonsense! Form the formation and execute the traitor!”
The Sword Sect disciples hesitated but were ultimately forced to obey their sect master’s orders. Reluctantly, they began to draw their swords and form the array.
The other two sects were confused, but the respected elders of the Sword Sect had spoken, even wagering the sect’s reputation.
Moreover, many harbored resentment toward Sang Dai because of Ying Heng’s betrayal. Gritting their teeth, they decided to side with the Sword Sect.
“Nine Cauldron Sect, form the formation!”
“Spirit Inscription Sect, form the formation!”
It was ironic, really—three of the most powerful sects in the Immortal Realm joining forces to form its strongest execution array, and their target was one of the realm’s rare Heaven-grade spiritual root awakeners.
Sang Dai tilted her head back, suddenly recalling what Ying Heng had said to her on the night before his so-called betrayal.
“Dai’er, no matter what you face in the future, always remember: walk your own path. Don’t listen, don’t watch, don’t stop.”
“We are not wrong. They are.”
She finally understood Ying Heng’s words.
Ling Yin had told her to judge her own right and wrong.
And Sang Dai’s judgment was that she was not in the wrong.
Even now, she still believed it.
She was not in the wrong.
“I thought my sword was protecting the future of the Immortal Realm, but I never realized that all along, I’ve been nothing more than an executioner, protecting a group of evildoers.”
The Zhiyu Sword appeared in her hand, its blade faintly cracked, and a Tianyu Stone was embedded in its hilt.
Once the most renowned sword in the world, it had fallen from glory, just like its master.
The formation was complete, its oppressive power bursting forth. The combined killing array of the three great sects drove back the vengeful ghosts within a radius of dozens of miles. The harsh cries of ghosts receded, leaving only the solemn whistling of the fierce wind.
Sang Dai raised her sword, pointing it at Sang Wenzhou below.
“Sect Master Sang Wenzhou of the Sword Sect, as a steward of the Immortal Alliance, you have used the spiritual roots of innocent cultivators as sacrifices to the Guixu Immortal Realm, slaughtering living beings. You are unworthy of being a sect master. You shall be executed.”
“The elders of the Sword Sect, reckless in their actions, colluding with Sang Wenzhou in murdering cultivators and committing countless atrocities, shall be executed.”
“For 132 years, I have never done anything against my conscience. If you don’t believe me—”
Sang Dai reversed her grip on the sword and slashed across her palm. Changmang hovered at her side, steadfast.
Gripping the Zhiyu Sword tightly, she let her blood flow from the wound across her palm. The crimson drops seeped into the cracks and patterns of the blade, dyeing it red. The Tianyu Stone embedded in the hilt trembled briefly, and the once-clear gem flickered with a faint glow before merging into the dim blade of the Zhiyu Sword, emitting a faint blue light.
Sang Dai spoke coldly:
“Come and fight.”
The clouds overhead thickened, muffled thunder rumbling within. Lightning snaked through the skies like a coiling dragon.
Amid the earth-shaking roars, the crowd suddenly remembered:
Sang Dai, the eldest daughter of the Sword Sect, had awakened a Heaven-grade lightning spiritual root.
She had actually summoned heavenly lightning with a broken sword!