Chapter 131: Why?

Chapter 131: Why?!

The atmosphere in the square was incredibly tense, like a bowstring pulled taut, ready to snap.

Shi Zhuoyue almost heard the sound of it breaking in the next instant, his face stinging as if slapped hard.

Who the hell put up this screen?!

He forced himself to remain calm, quickly scanning the crowd, trying to identify the culprit who had exposed his true nature.

However, the gazes directed at him were too sharp—filled with disdain, mockery, and suppressed fury, like sharp, cold blades shooting straight at him.

Feeling uneasy, Shi Zhuoyue’s eyes briefly swept over Yu Yixian and Chi Jing before he averted his gaze.

Chi Jing was the first to break the dreadful silence, her voice trembling slightly, “Shi Zhuoyue, I never thought you were capable of such terror and cruelty. How could you be so insane? I wish I didn’t have such a shameless son!”

Shi Zhuoyue was stunned. Shouldn’t his mother be defending him at a time like this? Why was she suddenly acting so righteous? This wasn’t like her at all.

His father had betrayed her, and Chou Qianling was an illegitimate daughter. By eliminating these two thorns in her side, she should have been overjoyed, just as she would have been in the past.

Could it be that what she said to Chou Qianling was sincere? Had she truly embraced the righteous path and turned over a new leaf?

Shi Zhuoyue’s mind was reeling. He felt both furious and helpless, desperately racking his brains for a way to escape this predicament.

For now, his only option was to play dumb and try to bluff his way through.

With that in mind, he feigned confusion. “Mother, what’s wrong with you? I don’t understand. Why are you—”

Before he could finish, a male cultivator suddenly rushed out from the crowd and slapped him across the face with lightning speed. “You beast! How dare you still try to argue? We all saw it—you killed your own father with your own hands!”

The slap sent Shi Zhuoyue’s head snapping to the side, a metallic taste of blood rising in his throat. Never before had he been insulted so directly. Overwhelmed with rage, he almost retaliated.

But he held back in the next moment. He couldn’t fight back, or these cultivators would tear him apart on the spot.

He understood all too well—these cultivators were just as hypocritical and selfish as he was. Despite their lofty words, they would gladly stomp on anyone who fell from grace, as if dragging him down would elevate themselves.

Clenching his fists and then releasing them, Shi Zhuoyue pointed at the projection and demanded, “So you suspect me because of this? What if it’s fake? Who is slandering me? Their motives are despicable!”

Fake? The cultivators paused, and the one who had slapped Shi Zhuoyue looked embarrassed.

After all, Shi Zhuoyue had served as the Eldest Senior Brother in the sect for many years, with an impeccable reputation that had attracted a large following of loyal male cultivators.

Earlier, when everyone was outraged, they hadn’t dared to speak up. But upon hearing Shi Zhuoyue’s words, they blindly believed he was being framed and shouted, “That’s right! The image could be forged. We’ve all seen what kind of person the Eldest Senior Brother is. How can we doubt him so easily?”

“You fools! How could the image be fake? That’s a magical artifact Sect Leader Xie specifically brought out. Would the sect leader harm her own son?”

The cultivators in the square immediately split into two factions, accusing and insulting each other, descending into chaos.

Shi Zhuoyue secretly smirked.

“Enough!” A pressure at the Nascent Soul Realm erupted, silencing everyone instantly.

Shi Zhuoyue also staggered under the pressure, his smile vanishing. He looked up to see Elder Yu Yixian of Wangyue Peak step forward, her expression cold as she declared, “Whether it’s slander or not, we can simply check the side hall for the former sect leader’s body. Then we’ll know the truth.”

Shi Zhuoyue froze on the spot, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have kept Shi Zhenlin’s body to frame Chou Qianling.

Just as he was about to say something else, a clear voice suddenly rang out from behind him. “No need. I’ve brought Shi Zhenlin’s body with me.”

————

After escaping the side hall, Chou Qianling hid in the small room where Shi Zhuoyue and Liu Xiaoman had previously spoken.

Pressing her body against the wall, she slid down weakly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Her body ached terribly. The blow Shi Zhuoyue had struck had injured her still-healing *dantian*, feeling as if countless blades were repeatedly cutting into her. The shattered wound continued to bleed, the pain making it hard to breathe.

But her heart hurt a hundred times more than her body.

If she had known earlier that Shi Zhenlin and Shi Zhuoyue were such vile individuals, she would never have come to the Golden Gate Immortal Sect. She would have stayed far away from them.

But they had disguised themselves as kind and gentle, showering her with care and filling the void left by her mother’s death. She had mistaken it for the familial love she craved, falling headlong into this beautiful illusion without a second thought.

In the end, everything had turned ugly and dark, the facade torn away to reveal the truth.

She could hardly bear that the ones who had stabbed her in the back were the two people she had trusted the most.

She would have preferred if Xie Yuqing had been the one to hurt her—then her heart wouldn’t feel as if it were being torn apart.

“Why, why, why…?” She bit her lip until it bled, her pale lips trembling uncontrollably.

She truly didn’t understand.

Why were people in this world so hypocritical and ugly? Why was her sincerity never valued?

Had she done something wrong? Was it wrong to be kind and sincere to others? Was it wrong for her, alone in the world, to yearn for family and dependence?

If she wasn’t wrong, then why had she ended up in such a miserable state? Why had the father and brother she trusted so readily snatched away her spiritual root?

But if she was wrong, then why did everyone praise her for being kind, filial, obedient, and capable? Why did the sect’s cultivators commend her for her helpfulness and skill?

Was it the world that was wrong, or was it her?

Had she misjudged people’s hearts, or had she misjudged human nature?

Chou Qianling cried until she had no tears left, her eyes staring blankly into the void before her. The light in her eyes dimmed bit by bit until it extinguished completely.

She finally understood—whether human or Immortal Clan, they were all just self-interested schemers.

No one was worthy of her trust except her mother!

Suppressing the pain in her heart, Chou Qianling shut off her senses, wiped away her tears, and slowly stood up.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, only indifference remained in their depths.

Since that was the case, she would make everyone who had hurt her pay the price!

Even if it meant resorting to any means necessary.

Even if it meant sacrificing her soul.

Having made up her mind, she walked to the door and was about to push it open when light, brisk footsteps suddenly approached.

It was Shi Zhuoyue!

Chou Qianling immediately crouched down, held her breath, and struggled to cast a spell to conceal her presence.

She waited until the footsteps faded into the distance before letting out a sigh of relief and slowly rising to her feet.

She felt grateful that she had killed the dungeon guard earlier, which had given her a bit of cultivation power. Otherwise, Shi Zhuoyue would definitely have discovered her.

However, judging by the commotion just now, Shi Zhuoyue and Shi Zhenlin must have battled over the Heavenly Spiritual Root. So why was it Shi Zhuoyue who emerged victorious?

Even if Shi Zhenlin’s cultivation had dropped, he was still at the Golden Core Realm. Surely he couldn’t have lost to Shi Zhuoyue?

After a moment’s thought, Chou Qianling decided to go back and investigate.

She pushed the door open, carefully glanced around, and noticed that it was unusually quiet outside, with no sound even from the square.

Chou Qianling hurried to the side hall. The door was slightly ajar. Peering inside, she saw that the once-lavishly decorated walls were now covered in scorch marks and cracks. In the center of the hall, bright red blood flowed across the smooth glazed tiles.

Lying in the pool of blood was Shi Zhenlin, the father who had just threatened and tempted her to seize her Heavenly Spiritual Root.

A strange sense of satisfaction surged in Chou Qianling’s heart. Retribution truly was swift—even heaven always leaves a door open.

She walked over quietly. Shi Zhenlin lay motionless on the ground like a broken, old doll, a fist-sized hole in his chest still oozing blood.

Was he dead?

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, he seemed to sense her approach. A blue light flashed between his eyebrows, and his eyes suddenly snapped open.

Chou Qianling was startled and instinctively took half a step back. After observing him for a moment and seeing no further movement, she relaxed.

As the Sect Leader of the Golden Gate Immortal Sect, Shi Zhenlin naturally had life-saving magical artifacts. When Shi Zhuoyue dealt him the fatal blow, he had secretly activated his heart-protecting scale armor, barely managing to cling to life.

Seeing that it was Chou Qianling, his dim eyes lit up. Indeed, heaven never seals off all exits—Qianling was so soft-hearted, she surely couldn’t bear to watch him die.

His broken fingers trembled but ultimately failed to lift. In a hoarse, blurred voice, he pleaded, "Qianling, s-save me..."

Chou Qianling looked at him coldly. "I can save you, but I want you to tell me the truth."

Shi Zhenlin nodded with difficulty, his cloudy eyes filled with a desperate longing for life. He would even agree to hand over the position of Sect Leader to her, let alone just tell her the truth!

Chou Qianling crouched down, examining the shattered hole in his chest and the faintly visible white bone.

She asked softly, "Did you know that Xie Yuqing was the one who killed my mother?"

"W-what?" Shi Zhenlin was stunned for a moment before processing her words. "It was actually she who killed your mother... Qianling, don’t worry... As long as I survive, I will definitely kill her to avenge your mother!"

"I see." As she spoke, Chou Qianling reached out to help Shi Zhenlin up, a calm smile on her face. Seeing this, Shi Zhenlin grew even more eager.

But before he could urge her further, Chou Qianling had already extended her hand above his wound. A red light flashed in her palm, and a sharp blood blade formed, carrying a chilling coldness as it precisely pierced his heart through the wound.

Shi Zhenlin’s eyes widened in disbelief. He opened his mouth but could only emit ragged, gasping sounds.

He looked at Chou Qianling, only to see the cold hatred in her eyes. Why? he screamed inwardly, unable to comprehend why she would betray him.

He was her biological father!

Besides, he wasn’t the one who took her spiritual root—why did she hate him so much?

Chou Qianling looked at him expressionlessly. "No need for you to worry. I will avenge my mother myself."

As she finished speaking, she felt a tug on her clothes. Looking down, she saw a bloody finger trembling as it clutched the hem of her garment.

Shi Zhenlin gasped weakly, "Xie Yuqing... not Xie Yuqing..."

With that, his fingers loosened, and he breathed his last.

Chou Qianling frowned. What did he mean by that? Was he trying to say that Xie Yuqing wasn’t the one who killed her mother?

How absurd. Even at death’s door, he was still protecting that vile woman.

Her face cold, she swiftly withdrew the blood blade and reabsorbed it. The remaining spiritual energy from Shi Zhenlin immediately gathered in her dantian, bringing a wave of comfort and healing the injuries she had sustained earlier.

Chou Qianling checked her cultivation and smiled faintly. She had already reached mid-Foundation Establishment. Indeed, demonic methods were effective—even without a spiritual root, she could still cultivate.

Compared to the hypocritical Immortal Clan, the Demon Lord, who was upfront, seemed more trustworthy.

However, the other party was only trying to use her, so she couldn’t drop her guard.

But that could wait. For now, she needed to deal with Shi Zhenlin’s body.

The Sect Leader had died a brutal death, she had lost her Heavenly Spiritual Root, and Shi Zhuoyue had regained his cultivation.

Anyone who saw the body would understand what had happened, right?

With all the sect’s cultivators present, this was the perfect opportunity to expose Shi Zhuoyue’s hypocrisy.

Thinking this, Chou Qianling picked up Shi Zhenlin’s body and walked toward the square.

As she reached the entrance, she heard loud shouting coming from the square, with a recording of the side hall playing in the air at the center.

Her heart sank—had her actions just been exposed?

After listening for a moment, she realized the image had frozen, and everyone was debating whether Shi Zhuoyue had truly killed Shi Zhenlin.

So, after Yu Yixian finished speaking, she immediately stepped forward with Shi Zhenlin’s body and announced clearly, "No need. I’ve brought Shi Zhenlin’s body here."

Everyone was shocked and turned to look at her. Her eyes were red, her face pale-faced, and she looked like a tragic victim. The body of Shi Zhenlin in her arms was even more mangled and horrifying.

Everyone was convinced that Shi Zhuoyue was the killer. The crowd erupted in outrage, and a wave of curses poured down on Shi Zhuoyue, immediately drowning him out.

"Are you even human? You pretend to be righteous on the surface but are filthy underneath. How could you bring yourself to rip out the spiritual root of someone as gentle as Little Junior Sister?"

"You don’t deserve to live in this world, you shameless bastard! Soulless monster! Just go die already!"

"That’s right! How dare you still stand here? You’re not fit to be the Eldest Senior Brother! Hurry up and die to atone!"

"You’re nothing but an ungrateful backstabber! A cold-hearted monster! Stop pretending to be innocent—why aren’t you dead yet!"

Listening to these curses, Shi Zhuoyue felt his dignity and facade ripped away. Furious and enraged, his heart ached, and he wished he could kill Chou Qianling, who had stirred up trouble, and all the cultivators who were cursing him.

But even though his eyes were red with anger and his fists were clenched so tightly they bled, he didn’t dare lash out.

Why? Why was heaven so unfair to him?

Just when hope was within reach, why did he have to watch it crumble before him?

Finally, he couldn’t hold back anymore and roared, "Stop pretending! If any of you lost your spiritual roots, you’d do worse than I did! What right do you trash have to curse me?"