Chapter 540 - 264: Hey, Where Did Mother Go?

Chapter 540: Chapter 264: Hey, Where Did Mother Go?

Once all the external enemies within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect were captured and imprisoned, a purge of the internal traitors began.

And the first target of this purge, unsurprisingly, was the chief culprit behind the rebellion.

First Elder Song Zhe.

Had it not been for his secret collusion with external enemies and his betrayal of the sect, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect’s Tier Four Mountain Protection Array—a legacy of hundreds of years—could never have been broken so easily.

It was his meticulous scheming that ignited the fury of every elder and disciple in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

To be fair, there were certainly those within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect who grumbled about the Ouyang Clan’s hereditary hold on power.

The few elders of other surnames who had previously sided with Song Zhe all harbored similar sentiments, to one degree or another.

But that by no means meant they were willing to betray the sect.

And so, the moment Song Zhe truly raised the banner of rebellion and led external enemies through the gates, everyone else—save for one Mystic Realm elder deeply tied to his cause and a few of his closest disciples—chose to stand with the sect and fight the invaders to the death.

After the brutal melee that followed, the faction Song Zhe had cultivated for years was largely wiped out.

Ultimately, amid furious public outcry and in accordance with the iron laws of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, Song Zhe was sentenced to the most extreme punishment.

His Mystic Realm Cultivation was utterly destroyed, the Meridians and acupoints throughout his body were ruined, and he was reduced to a mere mortal.

He was then cast into the Poison Flame Cave, the sect’s forbidden grounds, to become feed for its countless venomous creatures.

In the wake of this battle, Lan Yufei acted with an iron fist, thoroughly purging the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect from top to bottom.

However, such a thorough cleansing came at a grievous price.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Sect once boasted seven Mystic Realm masters. After this battle, it had lost a staggering four of them.

Two were executed for treason, and two fell in the battle to defend the sect.

Now, only three Mystic Realm experts remained in the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect.

Sect Leader Lan Yufei, Young Master Ouyang Ke, and a gravely wounded elder of another surname who had stood steadfastly with the sect during the melee.

In comparison, the losses among Innate and Foundation Establishment Realm deacons and core disciples were relatively minor. But without the backing of most of its top-tier experts, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect could no longer uphold its grand status as the foremost sect in Nanzhao.

Given the circumstances, it was all but certain that the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect would lose its dominant position in Nanzhao.

"Ke’Er, you need to prepare yourself."

In the dim Grand Hall of the sect, Lan Yufei sat upon the main seat. Though her voice was calm, it was tinged with an undeniable exhaustion and gravity:

"In a few days, once the situation in the sect has stabilized, I will formally pass the title of Sect Leader to you.

The factions of other surnames have been thoroughly purged. Though the sect’s power has been crippled, this has, in a way, removed your greatest obstacle... From now on, the path you walk is your own."

"Mother, I..."

Ouyang Ke opened his mouth, his throat suddenly dry.

Though he had long known this day would come, as the heavy burden was about to truly fall upon his shoulders, he still felt a sudden, disquieting sense of pressure and apprehension.

But as his gaze fell upon the weariness she could not hide in her eyes, he thought of the hardships she had endured supporting the sect alone for so many years. All his words of refusal and hesitation died in his throat, replaced by a silent swallow.

"You were badly injured in today’s battle, and your True Qi is depleted. Go back and recuperate."

Lan Yufei’s tone softened, soothingly:

"It’s late. We can discuss the remaining trivialities tomorrow."

The melee between Mystic Realm Cultivators was perilous and unpredictable.

Though Ouyang Ke was exceptionally talented, he had only just reached this realm. He had been severely injured in the fierce battle. A gash on his left shoulder, deep to the bone, had stopped bleeding, but his internal organs had suffered a shock and needed time to heal.

"Then... Please get some rest as well, Mother."

Ouyang Ke took a deep breath, bowed solemnly, and then slowly withdrew from the Grand Hall.

The heavy doors of the hall swung shut behind him, sealing off the light and shadow within.

Lan Yufei sat alone on the main seat of the vast, empty hall. After a moment of silence, she gently stretched her graceful, slightly stiff body.

A complex, inscrutable smile, tinged with a hint of relief, quietly touched her lips.

Lady Lan did not call for a handmaiden to attend to her. Instead, she rose by herself and entered the rear hall.

A moment later, a figure wrapped in a wide black robe that concealed their form and face slipped quietly out of a hidden side door in the Sect Leader’s rear courtyard. Melting into the deepening night, they headed towards the guest courtyard.

She was going to find Chen Sheng.

Previously, though the Yin-Yang Gu King had forced Lady Lan and Chen Sheng into an intimacy that made them husband and wife in deed, in her heart, she had always maintained her own calculations and reservations.

Her sharp confrontations and verbal spars with Sun Yuzhi were simply an outward manifestation of her own uncertainty and her attempts to probe his position.

However, after today’s earth-shattering events which nearly toppled the sect, Lan Yufei came to a sudden, startling realization.

Without realizing it, Chen Sheng had become her pillar of emotional support.

Without Chen Sheng today, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect could never have survived this crisis. She and Ouyang Ke would have surely perished, and the sect’s foundation would have fallen into other hands.

She had to thank him.

And more... she had to reward him.

And for cultivators, what better reward could there be... than helping with one’s Cultivation?

...

"Why are you here again?"

Sun Yuzhi’s gaze turned cold, her voice filled with undisguised disgust:

"The sect is in turmoil after today’s events, the casualties are heavy, and everything is in disarray. You’re the Sect Leader. Instead of comforting the disciples and restoring order, you come here night after night to cause trouble... Hmph. You truly have... no sense of priority."

A soft sigh escaped from beneath the black robe. Then, a slender, pale hand rose and slowly pushed back the hood, revealing Lan Yufei’s face, looking all the more enchanting under the candlelight.