Her face was horrified as she lay prostrate before him.
Pale as frostbitten jade, her trembling countenance glistened with sweat and terror.
Her heartbeat thrashed faster than a wild horse, every pulse a desperate cry for survival.
"Speak not of innocence," came the elder's voice, hollow and vast, like a temple bell tolling for the forgotten dead.
"For even carrion birds wear white,"
Yanyu's forehead pressed harder against the cold tiles, her voice nearly drowned in fear. "This servant… dares not lie. The Holy Son… he was slain not by mine hand, but by a shadow veiled in illusions. It's Ye Chen… yeah, it's Ye Chen…"
The words tumbled out, senseless and instinctive, a lie birthed from panic and not cunningness.
She can't fathom on why she even said it but it doesn't matter nonetheless.
A flicker passed through Elder Wang's pupils; an ancient ripple of thought buried beneath cold fury.
He stepped forward.
Without a gesture, a talisman burst to life above her head, the Mind-Scouring Vision, blooming into a lotus of gold fire.
"Arghhh-" Yanyu's spine arched, her body convulsing, as light seared into her soul.
Visions flared into the space around them, playing like mirrored phantoms.
The tea tray.
The innocent laughter.
The swing.
The flattery.
Her life experience was being replayed like a projection in reverse.
Connecting the dots, within five breaths, his son's life was ended and She had no part in it.
Elder Wang's eyes narrowed as the memory unraveled before him.
"Good… good… good…"
The word echoed thrice; Too calm, too soft.
He stared at the spectral image of his son pausing mid-swing, knowing that his son had sensed something before sending the maid to bring tea.
"So swift," Elder Wang whispered, eyes gleaming with cold light.
"So agile. My son, reduced to a corpse in five breaths. He sensed them… and still…"
He shook his head slowly.
"Worthless."
Then...
With no warning, a violet DemonicHand surged into existence behind him. Formed from shadow-forged Qi and ancient resentment, it exuded an ominous, soul-scorching pressure.
Yanyu looked up.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came.
The hand struck.
CRACK.
One motion.
No ceremony and no hesitation.
Bones broke like porcelain. Her ribs folded inward. Flesh burst apart in violent bloom.
Her eyes widened before she went to meet Yama.
Blood painted the obsidian tiles, and for a moment, the silence was total.
Elder Wang did not spare her corpse a glance.
His expression was not of satisfaction but of disappointment.
"A bird that sings lies… should not sing again,"
The demonic hand dissolved. The floating talisman dimmed.
He turned to face the sky within his realm, which had begun to darken with the faint outlines of constellations; The Seeking stars used to divine karmic threads.
Behind him, Yanyu's broken form began to smolder, slowly erased, her existence consumed by flame-infused Qi.
Meeting Yama was too much of an honor for her, the lowly maid didn't deserve such grace.
"Ah, The mountain mourns and heavens weep, Find Ye Chen... It must have something to do with him," Elder roared.
A few of the disciple cupped their fist and left the scene.
While the dark sky had three stars silently watching everything.
---
Meanwhile,
Just a small walk away,
[Ding! The thirteen heavenly fortunes have aligned successfully, Ye Chen is gaining his protagonist halo back]
[Ding! Ye Chen has learned the news of his dao brother getting slaughtered, his weak heart has succumbed to heart demon ]
[Ding! Ye Chen has started absorbing the karma of his past lives, refining them to Qi Luck ]
[Ding! Ye Chen has regained 1000 of his Qi luck ]
[Ding! Ye Chen is taken over by his heart demon, the sacred vow to defeat the host will be carried on by the heart demon ]
[Calculating all 999 trillion, 69 billion, 420 million possibilities ]
[Calculation successful... The heart demon is bound to gain strength from the heavenly judgment, too many impacts from heavenly thunder can potentially damage Ye Chen's body,]
[Chances of Host's victory: 100%]
"Ooh, such a thing exists... Hmm, This Zhao is intrigued," Young Master Zhao said in a small tone, almost talking to himself while watching the east, where a calamity judgment was taking place.
The ominous clouds with crackling thunder were already there ready to strengthen the Ye Chen by leaps and bounds.
"The wine drowns the hermit, the Buddha cries the wine... This Ye Chen, he entertains me with his sheer existence,"
Saying that, the young master put down the jade cup, containing the ancient wine made from dragon blood.
"let's cleanse the heart of impurity and self-proclaimed righteousness, I have yet to show him the immoral projection of his mother, moaning in ecstasy, worshipping the Yang rod of this venerable one,"
Young Master said with a sinister smile.
[Ding! Elder Wang has issued a decree for hunting Ye Chen, host has obtained 2000 points. ]
[Ye Chen has lost his 100 Qi Luck from losing the support of the sect, even Fairy Li won't help him as it would anger the elder wang ]
"Ooh, Fairy Li? This Zhao can't help but sense the presence of bloom luck following my presence... Maidens after maidens, sigh, how long shall this one harness the limit of my Yand rod with the flesh of jade maidens..."
Unlike peach luck where one finds the Dao companion for the first time, experiencing that first ever in-depth connection, bloom luck refers to finding multiple companions in a short time.
The vastness of the universe is expanding, thus is his harem.
The greatness of Mount Tai is unfathomable, thus, is his harem.
Nevertheless, the foremost priority remains the holy mother of Ye Chen.
"System, use the points and tell me the whereabouts of Ye Chen's mother,"
[Ding! The demon cries and Buddha laughs, 30 years in the east, 30 years on the west, Ye Chen's mother, she remains hidden in the Azure Crest sect. ]
"Azure Crest sect? Interesting... "
Swoosh!
His figure vanished from his quarter.