Faith Collapsed

Currently within the Heavenly Demon Sect, the only place where one could find leisure and joy was Su Luo’s quarters.

Everyone else was still brooding over the defeat in the north.

The entire Heavenly Demon Sect was shrouded in gloom, a state that would persist for a month.

Now that the Left Envoy was dead, there were far fewer disturbances, and Su Luo could finally enjoy some peace.

There was also no urgency in impersonating the Left Envoy, as the sect had no major affairs to attend to at the moment.

The Left Envoy’s disappearance for a few days wasn’t a big issue.

The dynamics among Su Luo and her three companions remained largely unchanged, though with some subtle shifts.

Nangong Xiyun no longer maintained her disguise as "A-Yun" and no longer had to deliberately act like a subordinate when speaking.

Su Luo had accepted her, so it wasn’t a problem for her to be Nangong Xiyun.

Their conversations had also become much more equal.

Though occasionally, Nangong Xiyun still jokingly acted as Su Luo’s subordinate.

Meanwhile, Jiang Ningshu and Nangong Xiyun seemed to have fallen into some conflict, exchanging sarcastic remarks whenever they interacted.

Still, it wasn’t anything serious—just verbal sparring, no physical altercations.

Su Luo let them be. For people of their status, having friends who bickered without crossing the line was a rare thing.

When she had time, Jiang Ningshu also began restoring her strength to the third stage.

However, this third stage was proving troublesome, likely requiring some time to fully recover.

Little Yu continued to train diligently, striving to improve her cultivation as quickly as possible.

She had considered sneaking into Su Luo’s chambers at night, but no matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to take that step.

She kept cycling between mustering courage and retreating, stuck in an endless loop.

She even consoled herself, thinking she’d wait until her cultivation improved enough to become someone worthy of Su Luo.

Time passed quietly in the mundanity of each day.

A month went by—it was about time.

Su Luo took out her diary.

[At this point, Lin Xuan has already emerged from the Desolate Wildlands and begun his return to the south, meaning the next phase of the plot is about to unfold.]

[Meanwhile, I’ve completed my enhancements, reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul stage—a level of cultivation I’ve never attained before. Because of this, I’ve grown arrogant.]

[I started believing I was invincible again, thinking Lin Xuan was no longer a threat. The only problem was that I still assumed he was in the north, making it impossible to seek him out.]

[But if I couldn’t find him, I could target others—like his fellow disciples. I began wreaking havoc, provoking the Seven Stars Sword Sect.]

[Even that wasn’t enough. The longer I stayed in the Heavenly Demon Sect, the more I wanted to make a name for myself by committing greater atrocities. So I didn’t stop at the Seven Stars Sword Sect—I provoked other sects as well.]

[By this point, I had become the most prominent figure in the Heavenly Demon Sect. After a series of battles, I managed to salvage some of the sect’s dignity following the northern defeat.]

[This time, I had effectively become a pillar of the Heavenly Demon Sect—though part of the reason was that many titled Heavenly Demons had perished in the north, leaving room for me to rise.]

[However, drawing attention at this moment was far from wise.]

[At the height of my arrogance, I encountered Lin Xuan.]

[We fought again, and unsurprisingly, he defeated me effortlessly. I couldn’t accept it—why, after pushing myself to the limit, was I still no match for him?]

[After leaving the Desolate Wildlands, Lin Xuan’s killing intent had grown far heavier. When he unleashed it in full, I had no choice but to flee, weeping in terror.]

[To make matters worse, the sects I had previously provoked now came after me in pursuit.]

[The more glorious I had been before, the more pitiful I became now. Of course, I didn’t get captured—but my escape triggered a catastrophe for the Heavenly Demon Sect.]

[Originally, a large group, including Lin Xuan, should have been chasing me. But midway, Lin Xuan abruptly proposed the annihilation of the Heavenly Demon Sect.]

[His call was met with overwhelming support. Truly, there was no better time to strike the Heavenly Demon Sect, and this was something many sects had long desired—they just needed someone to take the lead.]

[Now that Lin Xuan had stepped forward, it was only natural for them to rally behind him. He wasn’t the same Lin Xuan from before—now, he had strength, status, and prestige.]

[His words carried weight.]

[Compounding this was the fact that the Heavenly Demon Sect’s recent actions had gone too far—especially the incident at the Northern Heavenly Gate, where they had disregarded human lives and even aided the demon beast army.]

[Thus, the Heavenly Demon Sect deserved extermination. One by one, the sects mobilized their forces, encircling and slaughtering the sect’s members.]

[A coalition of sects was formed once more, and this time, it succeeded because Lin Xuan led the charge, further elevating his prestige.]

[The siege against the Heavenly Demon Sect proceeded smoothly. Having suffered heavy losses in the north, the sect was a shadow of its former self, easily crushed by the united forces.]

[My role wasn’t over yet. Though I had initially evaded pursuit, I was eventually discovered again and forced into another desperate chase with Lin Xuan.]

[Only when we reached the sect’s headquarters, the Zongheng Valley, did I regain my confidence. I burst into maniacal laughter—this was the Heavenly Demon Sect’s stronghold, unlike the scattered forces outside. Lin Xuan had walked right into his doom.]

[Yet even under the sect’s combined assault, Lin Xuan cut through them like a war god, and I lost to him once more.]

[However, causing such a ruckus in the sect’s headquarters inevitably drew the attention of its top experts. The East Extreme Demon Lord arrived, his overwhelming power forcing Lin Xuan to flee.]

[Under normal circumstances, Lin Xuan shouldn’t have been able to escape the East Extreme Demon Lord’s grasp. But the Demon Lord had one defining trait—he was a slacker. He didn’t exert his full strength, treating the whole affair with indifference.]

[After exhausting every means of escape, Lin Xuan finally broke free. The East Extreme Demon Lord even remarked, "To flee from my hands will be the greatest honor of your life."]

[But Lin Xuan would return.]

[Though the Heavenly Demon Sect had been severely crippled by the united sects’ assault, a starved camel was still larger than a horse. Eliminating it entirely was still premature.]

[At this point, the Left Envoy finally took action. If he didn’t act now, the Heavenly Demon Sect would be no more—and this was the perfect opportunity.]

[Amidst the crisis, if he could save the sect, he would smoothly ascend to the position of Demon Sovereign without opposition.]

[So his first step was exposing the fact that the current Demon Sovereign had no real power.]

[The Demon Sovereign never could have imagined this—she had played her role flawlessly.]

[Just as she was scrambling for words, an even greater betrayal came—her closest friend, Luo Xinlan, stabbed her in the back, confirming that the Demon Sovereign had lost her cultivation.]

[Though Luo Xinlan was now dead, her absence didn’t matter. Jiang Ningshu had no interest in being the Demon Sovereign anyway—she could just play along when the time came.]

[The titled Heavenly Demons weren’t entirely convinced at first, but when the Left Envoy attacked the Demon Sovereign and she didn’t retaliate, they had no choice but to believe.]

[Their faith had shattered.]

[The figure they had once revered as the strongest among them was nothing but an empty shell.]