Price

In the main hall of Tianyan Peak within the Tianyan Sect.

Chu Xingchen reached out and caught the silver coin he had flicked away earlier. Instead of opening his hand, he clenched it tightly.

Standing behind him, Yanyun observed Chu Xingchen’s calm yet resolute expression. To her, this demeanor wasn’t particularly surprising. She had her own judgment of him—a truly shameless person couldn’t have gathered such a group of prodigious talents and built a sect around himself as its core.

On the contrary, while Chu Xingchen could be a little unscrupulous at times, he had never made any major mistakes in his actions.

Yanyun’s gaze shifted to her master.

With Chu Xingchen’s deliberate control, the silver coin in his hand could land however he wished—heads, tails, or even standing upright.

The fact that Bai Xuanling hadn’t spoken to Chu Xingchen about it clearly meant she didn’t want him to know.

Lv Xuan stood firm, no longer paying attention to the silver coin in Chu Xingchen’s grip. Instead, he met Chu Xingchen’s eyes and said:

"Bai Xuanling may have a fiery temperament, but she is no indiscriminate killer."

"The legends about her are somewhat exaggerated. While her hands may be stained with the blood of the innocent, it shouldn’t be much."

"I won’t claim that killing the innocent is without fault, but Bai Xuanling’s ability to reach the Tribulation Transcendence realm proves the unshakable strength of her spirit. Those mistakes wouldn’t have tainted her with a murderous aura."

"Her current state was a choice she made herself."

"A choice she made when she was still only at the Great Ascension stage."

Lv Xuan sighed softly and raised his hand, summoning a faint purple illusionary artifact.

As spiritual energy flowed into it, the surroundings transformed.

The grand hall at the center slowly dissolved, its opulent structure dispersing into motes of light.

Lv Xuan gestured for Chu Xingchen to look outside.

Turning, Chu Xingchen saw that most of the Tianyan Sect had been reduced to ruins by the illusion.

The sect’s protective formation flickered weakly, on the verge of collapse.

Lv Xuan specialized in the Tianyan arts, with only a passing knowledge of illusions. He couldn’t alter Chu Xingchen’s spiritual perception—only convey the scene through the illusion.

Chu Xingchen’s gaze swept across the landscape. Beyond the formation were layers of blockades.

Lv Xuan’s eyes grew distant as he looked at the figures standing outside the formation—many of them long-gone familiar faces.

His voice remained steady as he spoke:

"The Tianyan Sect has only enjoyed peace for about five hundred years at most. Yet these centuries of stability were bought with countless years of bloodshed."

"Or perhaps, the world itself has only known peace for a hundred years."

"From the end of the Great Calamity to the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect’s dominance over one of the eighteen spiritual veins, the upheavals of this world have never ceased—only allowing people brief moments to catch their breath."

"There is no such thing as an era without strife. The only difference lies in what is fought over and how fiercely."

"When the calamity ended, the demons within men’s hearts arose instead."

"I won’t claim the Tianyan Sect is spotless. What we did was out of necessity."

"Once you set foot on the path of immortality, who would willingly become another’s prey, ready to be devoured at their whim?"

"In an era of great contention, survival favors the ruthless."

"The Tianyan Sect took root in the Southern Continent. During the Great Calamity, that land was a battlefield. The Tianyan arts may appear to be about divination and avoiding misfortune, but their true essence is—seizing others’ fortunes and claiming treasures first."

"All under heaven belongs to Tianyan."

"That was the foundation of the Tianyan Sect’s rise. In the beginning, those who walked this path were little different from bandits—but in the chaos of the calamity, no one could judge."

"There are only eighteen spiritual veins, yet occupying one doesn’t guarantee survival."

"The Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect was the foremost major sect from the start. Beyond its might, it had bestowed favors upon many others. When it moved to seize a spiritual vein, it initially had widespread support."

"At the very least, the Tianyan Sect was consulted beforehand and tacitly approved their actions."

"Moreover, the Mysterious Purity Heavenly Sect had always carried the Mandate of Heaven, safeguarding much of the mortal world’s fortune as well."

"Even so, the price they paid was devastating."

"The Tianyan Sect’s losses were even greater."

"Occupation doesn’t mean survival—only survival proves you’ve truly held your ground."

Lv Xuan pointed at the human-shaped formations outside the barrier, singling out the illusionary figure of Bai Xuanling at the forefront:

"During the era of great contention, some discovered that remnants of demons were fanning the flames. The more chaotic the world, the easier it was for them to recover."

"The existence of demons was known to all eighteen immortal sects."

"But at the time, the demons were no real threat. Even if they revived, it would take a thousand years—while the immediate gains were too tempting to resist."

"I don’t know how Bai Xuanling came to the Tianyan Sect, but what made me remember her was this battle."

Lv Xuan’s eyes were calm as he watched a streak of cyan light tear through the heavens.

"Back then, I was only a Unity Realm cultivator. Though somewhat talented, I was far from matching geniuses like Bai Xuanling."

Lv Xuan raised his hand but hesitated before finally lowering it.

In the next moment, the human formations shattered layer by layer.

In an instant, the entire Tianyan Sect was reduced to ruins.

Lv Xuan suddenly smiled.

"The Bai Xuanling of the past was much like Ling Yu—soft-spoken, aloof in appearance, but warm at heart."

"Later, she became cold in both appearance and heart."

"Her hatred for demons ran the deepest."

"Because the Tianyan Sect’s closest brush with annihilation came from being betrayed by demons."

"Somehow, demons infiltrated the sect and tore open a fatal breach during a critical assault."

"Only later did we learn that many other sects had met their end the same way. It was deliberate."

Lv Xuan sighed as the scene before him shifted once more.

Now, Bai Xuanling stood silently before a row of lonely graves, her robes half-soaked in blood.

Lv Xuan gazed at her back and murmured:

"Bai Xuanling’s last remaining blood relative—her younger sister—died in that battle."

"Her friends, her master, her comrades."

"At the Great Ascension stage, those closest to her were naturally powerful cultivators as well. And the strongest were often the ones who stayed behind to hold the line."

"Perhaps Bai Xuanling never wanted to kill. Perhaps the spiritual veins meant nothing to her. But she had no choice."

"The sect bound everything together—bound all the people she cared about."

"To Bai Xuanling, she was only protecting those she held dear."

"Just like you. If you died, your disciples—your eldest disciple, the rest—wouldn’t scatter. They’d avenge you."

"Bai Xuanling was the same. In death, there is no right or wrong."

"The demons must die. But so must those who come to kill."

"Bai Xuanling, who had lost everything, would dedicate all she had left to reclaim what was taken from her."

"She chose to embrace hatred and surrender to wrath."

"Perhaps she had always despised her past self for being too weak."

"She forged it all into an unrelenting blade in her grasp, transforming into the purest embodiment of malice."

Lv Xuan sighed softly, the illusions around him shifting once more.

Between Lv Xuan and Chu Xingchen stood two versions of Bai Xuanling—one clad in red, the other in white—facing each other with the sword Qingming in hand.

The white-clad Bai Xuanling wore a serene expression, her eyes gentle, radiating an aura of vitality.

The red-clad Bai Xuanling bore a vicious grin, her gaze seething with killing intent, shrouded in an air of decay.

Together, they drew their swords. Together, they swung.

Yet their blades did not clash—instead, they merged.

And from their fusion emerged the present Bai Xuanling: robed in white, a faint smile on her lips, but her eyes eerily calm, devoid of any emotion.

Lv Xuan’s expression darkened, his tone tinged with regret:

"She turned the wrath she should have rejected into the foundation for her ascension to transcendence."

"Into what the world now knows as the near-omnipotent slaughterer—the Living King of Hell."

"For this, she gained the power she had longed for."

"The price? She could no longer be herself."