What is the right path What is the right path

Black clouds pressed down upon the city, threatening to crush it.

Above the Azure Mystic Sect, even the dark clouds hung lower than usual, weighing heavily on everyone's hearts.

“Young Master, this is the Azure Mystic Sect.”

The steward stood beside Mo Yu, pointing at the mountain gate below as he spoke in a low voice.

“Mm.”

Mo Yu nodded lightly, his gaze cold.

Urged by the Soul-Sealing Hall Master, he had reluctantly abandoned the idea of bringing the entire Soul-Sealing Hall along. After all, making too big a scene might alert the Zhao family to the Mo family’s shady dealings, causing them to unite with other families ahead of time and ruin everything.

So he only brought cultivators at the Return to Void stage and above.

Troops are valued for quality, not quantity.

The group behind him numbered no more than ten, yet none were below the late Return to Void stage.

Among them were even great powerhouses at the Unity and Tribulation Transcendence stages!

With such a formation, they could sweep any major force in the Central Region, let alone a mere sect in the Eastern Wastelands.

As for why he hadn’t summoned a Mahayana stage cultivator...

Because a fighter of that level no longer had to take orders from anyone. Even if the young master were kicked around like a dog, there was nothing he could do—he simply didn’t have the authority to command them.

But this was enough.

Mo Yu turned his gaze to Ye Shu at the mountain gate, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

“Nascent Soul? Shouldn’t it be Foundation Establishment?”

“Ah, whatever. It doesn’t matter. In the face of absolute power, Nascent Soul and Foundation Establishment are the same. You might leap a major realm, but can you leap four?”

His gaze shifted slightly, landing on Lin Qingxue and little Qingli beside Ye Shu. A thrill stirred within him.

So this was the peerless proud beauty Lin Qingxue from the original story?

A true beauty, beyond a doubt.

And that half-serpent little girl—that must be Qingli. Though still young, one could already see the makings of a stunning woman.

No wonder he was the child of destiny—he ate well.

But soon, all of this would be mine!

Mo Yu’s eyes burned with desire, so intense that even from a thousand meters away, Lin Qingxue and Qingli felt a chill run down their spines.

“Big brother, Qingli is scared...” Little Qingli cowered into Ye Shu’s arms, not daring to lift her head.

“Don’t be afraid.”

Ye Shu patted her back gently, speaking softly. “Big brother will protect you.”

The arrival of Mo Yu and his group, so blatant and imposing, naturally drew the attention of others in the Azure Mystic Sect.

The first to arrive was Li Daoyuan.

He tore through the void, appearing directly in midair. Frowning deeply, he looked at the black-robed figures before him.

“Fellow cultivators, may I ask what business you have at the Azure Mystic Sect?”

“Business?”

Mo Yu sneered, waving his hand at the steward.

A great villain was nothing without his lackeys, and the steward was the finest lackey around.

The steward stepped forward, pulling out a scroll resembling an imperial edict. With a flick, he unrolled it.

The scroll unfurled with the wind, spreading across the sky in an instant, covering the heavens. Golden characters gleamed brilliantly, casting light across thousands of miles. The entire Azure Mystic Sect could see them.

“It has come to light that demonic arts run rampant in the Eastern Wastelands, harming life and poisoning the living. The Azure Mystic Sect has been found colluding with these demonic forces. Its disciple Ye Shu has secretly consorted with a demonic witch—the evidence is ironclad, and the crime is unforgivable!”

“By this proclamation, we hereby announce to all: we have come to arrest him.”

“Those who resist will be killed without mercy!”

Rolling waves of sound spread from the scroll, sweeping through the Azure Mystic Sect. At the same time, a light screen appeared in the void, showing a scene from the disciple recruitment ceremony—a woman in purple calling Ye Shu her husband.

The steward clasped his hands behind his back, his expression arrogant.

“Sect Leader Li, we have come only to apprehend the demonic criminal. This has nothing to do with the Azure Mystic Sect. I hope you do not make a grave mistake, or else... do not blame us for being merciless!”

As he spoke, the black-robed figures stepped forward in unison, unleashing a terrifying pressure. Even the dark clouds sank lower, and the entire Azure Mystic Sect trembled!

The peak masters who had rushed over turned pale.

Li Daoyuan, facing the pressure head-on, nearly fell from the sky. Steadying himself with difficulty, he stared at the light screen in the void, his face dark.

The screen showed only the woman’s accusation, not Ye Shu’s rebuttal. What a masterful piece of selective editing.

They were clearly targeting Ye Shu.

“Sect Leader!”

“Sect Leader.”

More peak masters and nearby disciples arrived, only to see the overwhelming scroll in the sky and the terrifying auras of the black-robed figures.

“What... what is happening?”

Some disciples were stunned, completely baffled.

“Disciple Ye colluding with demonic arts? These people are here to arrest him?” They stared at the light screen in the sky, muttering in disbelief.

Who would have thought the Central Region would suddenly strike like this? The weaker disciples’ legs were already trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing their expressions, Mo Yu sneered coldly.

“We act on official authority, with irrefutable evidence! Hand over the criminal now!”

“Otherwise, today will mark the end of the Azure Mystic Sect!”

At these words, the expressions of the peak masters and disciples changed drastically. They hadn’t expected the intruders to be so uncompromising.

Li Daoyuan’s face was as dark as water.

He looked at the disciples behind him, then at Ye Shu below, who remained expressionless. His heart was torn with conflict.

Ye Shu was undoubtedly innocent.

But the problem was, the enemy was no pushover. One wrong move, and the Azure Mystic Sect would face annihilation. He himself wasn’t afraid to die, but what about these children behind him?

What would happen to them?

Were they all supposed to die just to protect Ye Shu?

That would be simply too...

“Sect Leader.”

“Sect Leader.”

Just then, the peak masters and disciples behind him spoke up: “We cannot hand over Senior Brother Ye. He has not colluded with demonic arts.”

“What?”

Li Daoyuan turned around, seemingly surprised by their words.

“Sect Leader, aren’t we the righteous path?”

A newly initiated disciple clenched his fists, his gaze resolute. “Since Senior Brother Ye is innocent, how could we hand him over?”

“Should we cower just because the enemy is stronger?”

“Is that how all of you feel?”

Li Daoyuan’s eyes swept over the young faces, a myriad of emotions stirring within him.

He really was getting old.

Being old made one hesitate, become timid, forgetting that these young lives had yet to learn what it meant to compromise, to bow to pressure.

“Well said! These are true disciples of the Azure Mystic Sect!”

“The righteous path means standing guard over justice in one’s heart, even at the cost of one’s life. In time, you all will become the pillars of this world.”

An aged voice rang through the void.

Lin Heming appeared midair, a gratified smile on his face.

“Senior Lin!”

The moment Lin Heming appeared, joy spread across everyone’s faces. Though no one quite knew why, his presence felt like an anchor in the storm.

Even Ye Shu felt a wave of reassurance.

As for the opposite side...

The steward, who had been arrogant moments before, narrowed his eyes at the sight of Lin Heming. His face twisted in disbelief as he muttered, almost inaudibly.

“Lin Heming?! How is that possible?”