"The Wushan Four Fiends didn’t go to the mine to plunder, but to kill Song Wenxuan. He and his group had stolen the Fiends’ Spirit Medicine, and Senior Brother Liu let them into the mine for refuge... When the Wushan Four Fiends came to kill, Xu Yang stood by and watched, allowing them to murder Senior Brother Liu, Song Wenxuan, and the others before leaving."
He Song did not recount every detail he had uncovered to Liu Qingyuan.
"So he even got Wenxuan killed!" Liu Qingyuan’s rage intensified upon hearing this.
’Although Xu Yang didn’t strike the killing blow himself, what’s the difference? If Xu Yang had helped, how could Liu Xunjiang have possibly died at the hands of the Wushan Four Fiends?’
"That little bastard! He obviously held a grudge because I helped Li Chuyang, so he just sat and watched as the Wushan Four Fiends killed Xunjiang. He deserves to die!" Liu Qingyuan seethed, a mixture of grief and fury.
He completely ignored the fact that Xu Yang had tried to warn Liu Xunjiang. He also didn’t care whether Xu Yang himself might have been killed by the Wushan Four Fiends had he intervened.
All he knew was that Xu Yang, the expert assigned to guard the mine, had stood by and watched his nephew be slaughtered by the Wushan Four Fiends.
"Master, should I go report this to the Law Enforcement Hall? We can have them arrest him and charge him with disregarding the bonds of our sect and dereliction of duty," He Song asked.
Liu Qingyuan shook his head. "That little bastard is too clever; he made sure his actions were flawless. It’s useless."
He was furious, but his mind remained clear.
If this were any ordinary disciple, his status as an Elder would allow him to press the issue, even if the disciple had left no obvious loopholes.
But given Xu Yang’s talent, Elder Huoyun would never allow the Law Enforcement Hall to act recklessly. Even if they brought Xu Yang back, it would amount to nothing more than empty arguments. Any punishment he received would be a mere slap on the wrist.
Xu Yang was fifth on the Ten Heroes List, a genius expected to achieve a Secondary Dragon Ascension. Since he hadn’t technically done anything wrong, even an Elder like him could do nothing about his nephew’s death. The Law Enforcement Hall would have to handle it by the book.
And by the book, Xu Yang was not at fault. The mine wasn’t a sanctuary; Liu Xunjiang had brought this disaster on himself.
What he wanted was for Xu Yang to die—to serve as a funeral offering for his nephew!
Leaving Xu Yang at Moon Lake was the only way to get a chance to kill him. Bringing him back to the sect would, ironically, be protecting him.
"Go down the mountain at once and tell the Song Family everything!" Liu Qingyuan commanded.
A single Xu Yang wasn’t worth him acting personally. Besides, Elder Huoyun was likely watching him now, so he wouldn’t get the chance to strike even if he wanted to.
"Yes!"
He Song clasped his fists, then turned and departed.
...
The Song Family was one of the ten great families of Cyan Yang City. With deep foundations and a lineage of over one hundred years, the family, in its most glorious era, had once boasted two or three Celestial Essence Strong Persons at the same time.
"Wenxuan!"
The voice of Song Family Patriarch Song Shirong was desolate, his eyes burning with a rage so intense it felt as if they would tear apart.
His son, Song Wenxuan, had gone to the Yunling Mountain Range to gain experience, and now he was dead.
Though Song Wenxuan wasn’t his most talented son, he was his most beloved, for the boy reminded him so much of himself as a young man.
"Patriarch Song, my condolences," He Song said softly.
"How dare the Wushan Four Fiends kill my third brother! They deserve to die."
Song Shirong’s eldest son, Song Wenshan, his face a mask of killing intent, declared, "Father, please permit me to lead our men into the Yunling Mountain Range. I will kill the Wushan Four Fiends and avenge Wenxuan and the others."
The Wushan Four Fiends had killed a young master and several experts of the Song Family. If they failed to avenge this, how could the Song Family maintain its prestige?
As the future patriarch of the Song Family, he had to personally lead the mission to eliminate the Wushan Four Fiends.
"The Wushan Four Fiends deserve to die, but so does that Xu Yang!"
Song Shirong’s gaze was glacial. "Wenxuan and his friends begged for refuge at the mine, and he refused them. Then, he just watched as the Wushan Four Fiends murdered them. If he had made a move, how could Wenxuan have died? He is no different from the fiends who killed my son."
"He does deserve death for treating our Song Family as if we are nothing. But Father," Song Wenshan cautioned, "he is fifth on the Ten Heroes List. If we kill him, it will be very difficult to answer to the Purple Sun Sect."
Xu Yang was no ordinary disciple. He was the fifth-ranked genius on the Ten Heroes List and held in high regard by Elder Huoyun.
For Xu Yang’s sake, Elder Huoyun had even forced the Sect Leader and Li Songhe to revise the Ten Heroes List ahead of schedule.
Even as one of the ten great families, the Song Family could not afford to provoke the Purple Sun Sect.
Song Shirong gave a cold sneer. "Who said the Song Family was going to kill a genius from the Purple Sun Sect? Wenxuan was killed by the Wushan Four Fiends. What does that have to do with Xu Yang?
However, the Yunling Mountain Range is crawling with bandits. If some were to break into the mine, plunder its ore, and kill someone... well, that would have nothing to do with the Song Family either."
He Song laughed. "Patriarch Song is right. One must not kill a genius of the Purple Sun Sect. However, in a place like the Yunling Mountain Range, accidents happen all the time. It’s perfectly normal for a genius to die there."
"I understand!" Song Wenshan said, clasping his fists.
’We can’t move against him openly, only in the shadows. As long as we don’t leave any evidence, there won’t be a problem, not with Elder Liu Qingyuan running interference for us in the Purple Sun Sect.’
"Gather your men and hunt down the Wushan Four Fiends first. Do not touch Xu Yang for now," Song Shirong instructed.
Although he wanted to kill Xu Yang immediately, he knew he couldn’t be too rash. If their actions were too obvious, Elder Huoyun—who was no fool—would notice.
What they didn’t know was that as long as a Celestial Essence Strong Person wasn’t dispatched, Elder Huoyun wouldn’t have cared about this matter in the slightest.
...
「Moon Lake!」
After several days of seclusion, Xu Yang had finally stabilized his Cultivation at Marrow Cleansing Great Success. The process of replacing all the blood in his body was complete, and his system had returned to normal.
His vital blood, now thick and viscous like mercury, pulsed from his heart, constantly nourishing his entire body.
He discovered that after his Cultivation breakthrough, practicing the Unmoving Bright King Body had become easier, and his Body Refining speed was now far greater than before.
However, this wasn’t the most significant change from Marrow Cleansing. The truly greatest transformation was something else entirely—Spirituality.
That’s right—Spirituality!
With his metamorphosis complete and his old blood replaced by new, he discovered that his body seemed to have developed a Spirituality of its own.