“All these years, he has been scheming and forming factions, all for his own selfish desires. As for the safety of the Sacred Domain? The integrity of our allies? Has he ever cared?”
The entire field was deathly silent.
The elders standing near Chu Yunlan turned pale. They remembered how they had fawned over him over the years, the resources they had given, the favors they had promised…
And this guy was a fake?
Chu Yunlan’s face was as white as paper, his expression becoming increasingly twisted. “You… you…”
He stared at the Fox Venerable, his voice trembling.
His lips shook violently, but he couldn’t say a single word.
What could he say?
To argue? He truly couldn’t manifest the Saint Physique. How could he refute it?
To resist? He was currently heavily injured and missing an arm. How could he fight back?
To run?
Where could he run?
In every direction, there were Sacred Domain elders and cultivators. Those who used to flatter him were now looking at him with murderous intent, wishing they could eat his flesh.
Since he was a fake young master, his position as Holy Lord was forfeit. Plus, since he had caused such a disaster, they had to “sacrifice” him to avoid being implicated.
Chu Yunlan realized things were going south. Driven by survival instinct, his single hand crushed a talisman. The moment the talisman was activated, he turned into a beam of light to flee.
The Fox Venerable stood gracefully in front of the Immortal Army, having no intention of stopping him.
Ever since the death of the Saint Son, Chu Yuan, she had been waiting for this moment.
Looking back at the generations she had protected, only Chu Yuan had been raised by her own hands. She cherished him as her own flesh and blood, yet he had been persecuted by this fake young master.
The Fox Venerable had always remembered this great grudge.
To that end, she turned toward the red-haired Empress and bowed. “Your Imperial Majesty, that thief is a remnant of the Demon Path Alliance who has brought chaos to my Sacred Domain for years. Now that his identity has been revealed, my Taixu Sacred Domain is willing to contribute nearly half our resources and request that the various armies join us in punishing this traitor!”
She wanted to use Ji Xuanyuan’s blade to completely eliminate this “fake.”
Ji Xuanyuan’s brows twitched. She suddenly understood why this nine-tailed Fox Venerable was able to stand on equal footing with the Holy Lord.
Currently, the Sacred Domain was suspected of being a branch of the Demon Path Alliance because of Chu Yunlan’s foolish actions. If the Fox Venerable simply gave resources, the domain would still be criticized afterward.
Only by sacrificing this fake young master and using resources to bribe the others could she shut everyone up and clear their suspicion. Furthermore, by doing this, she could split the portion that was originally meant for the Immortal Dynasty among the other factions.
Inadvertently, she had saved a large amount of resources for the Sacred Domain.
“Fine!”
Of course, for Ji Xuanyuan, those resources weren’t her goal. Taking revenge on Chu Yunlan was the main point!
Since the Fox Venerable was willing to cooperate, she would take the opportunity to nail Chu Yunlan to the pillar of shame in front of the entire world.
At Ji Xuanyuan’s signal, the various factions led by the Phoenix Feather Army immediately began their pursuit.
Caught in an inescapable net, Chu Yunlan didn’t hide for long before his cultivation was crippled and he was thrown into the Sky Prison.
The day Ji Xuanyuan went to visit him was in the dead of winter.
In the depths of the Sky Prison, it was bone-chillingly cold. Frost an inch thick covered the walls.
A jailer led the way with a dim yellow lantern. They passed through three heavy iron gates and bypassed seven layers of seals to reach the deepest cell.
She saw Chu Yunlan.
He was curled in a corner, his prison clothes covered in blood and filth. His disheveled hair covered most of his face, revealing only a small portion of his cheekbone.
The once warm, elegant gentleman was now cowering miserably in the icy corner.
Ji Xuanyuan stood by the door, watching him through the rusted iron bars.
The jailer whispered a reminder, “Your Majesty, this man has gone mad. You must be careful…”
Before the jailer could finish, the figure in the corner suddenly raised his head.
The moment she saw his face, Ji Xuanyuan was startled.
His eyes, which used to always be smiling, were now hollow voids. “It’s you.”
His voice was so hoarse it was barely recognizable. “You… came to enjoy the joke.”
Ji Xuanyuan looked at this man, who had always “cared” for her Junior Brother with a condescending attitude, and said nothing.
Chu Yunlan laughed instead. “You won. Those old fogeys who used to kneel at my feet and shout ‘Eternal Life to the Holy Lord’ are now rushing to stab me. They say: How can a fake like Chu Yunlan be the Holy Lord?”
“On the contrary, my Brother Yuan, whom they conspired to frame, is now being praised. They’ve turned him into a true dragon who lived in exile and endured humiliation since childhood! Destined by heaven! Hahaha…”
His laughter was dry, like a dull blade scraping bone. “Saint Son Chu Yuan, gifted in childhood and gentle in adulthood. Though he suffered through many hardships, he never changed his aspirations. It is a pity his life was cut short before he could reclaim his throne. The whole world mourns him…”
“Those old fogeys… they clearly helped me frame Brother Yuan back then, but now they’ve pinned it all on me? They’re letting that dead fox skin me alive!”
Chu Yunlan’s head gradually drooped, and his voice suddenly lowered. “Brother Yuan, look at how good I am to you. You were clearly the one who fell into the demonic path, yet I’m the one taking the fall for you… Hahaha…”
He laughed until tears streamed down his face, then suddenly roared, “Why! Chu Yuan! Why did father have to have a biological son like you? If it weren’t for you, I would be the only legitimate heir… Hahaha!”
Ji Xuanyuan turned and left without a word.
Behind her, the raspy laughter continued to echo. Before long, the laughter quieted down, eventually turning into intermittent whimpering.
The whimpering sounded like a dog with a broken spine.
After passing through the three heavy iron gates and bypassing the seven layers of seals, she stepped out of the Sky Prison. The winter wind bit into her face.
Thinking of the person she had run through the heart with her sword, Ji Xuanyuan sighed softly. ‘Junior Brother, the one who stole your position has been eliminated by me. Can your soul in heaven see it?’
She closed her eyes and tilted her head up. The moisture at the corners of her eyes was instantly dried by the cold wind.
When she opened her eyes again, she was back in the present.
The third floor of the tea house in Xuanji City.
Ji Xuanyuan looked at Chu Yunlan standing at the tea house entrance and felt a wave of bittersweet emotion.
Seeing him stop that gray-clad figure, her heart filled with doubt.
Right now, Chu Yunlan was the only son of the titular Holy Lord, holding a noble status. With his arrogant personality, he would never lower himself to trouble a mere branch member of the Chu Clan unless…
Ji Xuanyuan looked at Chu Yuan below, and hope reignited in her eyes.
‘Junior Brother…’—
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