The Farce Ends

The sun shone brightly, and the wind blew as before.

Lin Heming's figure stood in the void, his hands behind his back, facing away from the crowd, gazing at the distant setting sun.

"The Ancestral Martial Mother is already dead."

"That thing just now was nothing more than an evil spirit using the name of the Ancestral Martial Mother, understood?"

"Understood."

The crowd nodded.

Everyone knew that the deceased spirit was indeed the Ancestral Martial Mother. Having spent day and night together, how could the Peak Masters not recognize the person they were once closest to? Impossible.

It was just to preserve that final shred of dignity.

The dead are gone.

Denying her current senility did not mean erasing her past achievements.

Even if the deceased was the Dao companion of the founding patriarch.

The many disciples below looked at Lin Heming with nothing but reverence and admiration, without a trace of doubt or fear.

Only those with guilty consciences would be afraid.

With such an elder—who clearly distinguished right from wrong, loyalty from treachery—watching over them, the Azure Profound Sect would never decline.

However, just when everyone thought the matter was over.

Lin Heming slowly turned around and looked at the remaining Peak Masters. "You all have also disappointed me greatly."

As soon as these words came out, the hearts of the Peak Masters leaped into their throats.

"Senior Brother Lin, we did put in the effort during the beast tide just now..." someone tried to bluff their way out.

"I do not deny your contributions," Lin Heming's voice was very calm. "But I also cannot accept your silence."

"If you were mortals, it would be fine."

"If you were rogue cultivators, it would be fine."

"But you are of the righteous path. You are role models for so many disciples, yet in the face of injustice, you chose to swallow your anger."

"Are you trying to tell these young disciples,"

"That in the face of seniority and hierarchy, right and wrong do not matter? Cultivating fate but not character is the greatest sickness in cultivation."

"Do you not understand the principle that if the upper beam is not straight, the lower ones will be crooked?"

The Peak Masters were left speechless.

They bowed their heads, deeply ashamed.

Seeing Lin Heming scolding the Peak Masters like they were his grandchildren, Ye Shu couldn't help but nudge Lin Qingxue with his elbow and whispered, "Your grandfather is so amazing, how come I've never heard you mention it before?"

Lin Qingxue froze, her eyes darting away.

Could she tell this heartless man that she actually didn't know her grandfather was this incredible either?

If she had known earlier in the Demonic Beast Mountain Range, what would she have been afraid of?

Thinking this in her heart, Lin Qingxue gave a soft snort on the surface: "Do you think everyone is a show-off like you? You'd better behave, and you aren't allowed to do anything that lets me... You have to keep your promise to me. My grandfather hates people who break their promises the most."

Ye Shu's mouth twitched.

Wait, why is Haji-Xue acting so possessive?

Meanwhile, Qin Ke'er, who was standing behind them, watched them acting all sweet and flirting, and suddenly felt a bit empty inside.

It felt as if something had been stolen from her.

"Sister Ke'er, why are you crying?"

Suddenly, a small hand pulled at the corner of her clothes. Qin Ke'er looked down and saw that it was Xiao Qingli looking up at her, her big eyes full of curiosity.

Qin Ke'er picked up Xiao Qingli and suddenly burst into tears.

"Sister woke up too late."

"Too late."

Xiao Qingli didn't understand why Qin Ke'er was crying. She just stared blankly at Ye Shu and Lin Qingxue holding hands in front of her, hoping in her heart that she would grow up quickly.

That way, she could marry Big Brother.

She could have lots and lots of children! She would live happily with Big Brother forever, um... and Sister Qingxue, Sister Ke'er, and many, many other sisters!

Thinking like this, Xiao Qingli couldn't help but smile, her eyes curving into crescents as she giggled silly.

On the other side, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.

There were still normal people in this world.

This life would just be like this.

What ten billion, whatever. After the Azure Profound Sect is destroyed, it would be quite nice to go to some small village and become a carefree rogue cultivator.

As for the system?

I'm done with it.

On another side, seeing his many junior brothers being scolded, Li Daoyuan couldn't help but take a step forward.

"Senior Brother Lin, they were also..."

"Also what?"

Lin Heming sharply turned his head back, staring intently at him.

"Afraid of death? Afraid of the old senior?"

"If cultivators don't even have this much courage, how can they break out of the shackles of the old ways? If I hadn't returned today, would you have really locked them all up?"

"And you, Junior Brother Li. In this Azure Profound Sect, are you the master, or am I the master?"

"Is there even a need to say?"

Li Daoyuan immediately raised his head, patted his chest, and said, "Naturally, Senior Brother is the master."

"..........."

Looking at the other party's sincere eyes, Lin Heming almost lost his breath and fainted on the spot. He was truly about to laugh out of anger at his own junior brother.

Li Daoyuan also had his own grievances to air.

He had never wanted to be the Sect Master in the first place. Back then, the candidate the patriarch favored for the position was Lin Heming. It was because Lin Heming himself refused that the patriarch had to force Li Daoyuan into the role.

"Senior Brother, if you want to be the Sect Master, I'm fine with it. Just give the word, and I'll pass the position to you on the spot."

"You!"

Lin Heming's mouth twitched. All the words he had wanted to say were completely choked back down by this.

"Never mind, never mind."

He waved his hand. "All Peak Masters are to walk the Dao Heart Trial left by the patriarch once again. Whenever you figure things out, that's when you can return to being Peak Masters."

Hearing this, the expressions of all the Peak Masters changed in unison, as traumatic memories surfaced in their minds.

But under the pressure, they still dared not speak.

Lin Heming withdrew his gaze, looked down at the many disciples waiting eagerly, and waved his large sleeve.

"Since the matter is over."

"I hope all disciples will take this as a warning and cultivate properly. This old man will not stay any longer."

A gust of wind blew past, and the old man's figure completely disappeared.

Li Daoyuan, who had just been acting submissive, immediately puffed out his chest, held his head high, and the expression on his face instantly became serious.

"What are you all looking at?"

"The All-Peak Grand Competition, continue!"