Chapter 0002: The Sinner Xuanhao
After a full quarter of an hour, Zhang Xin, whose strength had been restored, still lay on the ground. The difference was that previously he was lying down to recover his energy, but now he was doing so in an effort to calm the unusual sensations beneath him.
Zhang Xin actually wanted to take a look, but when he saw that many disciples in blue robes were already descending from the sky, collecting the flyers, he gave up on that plan and instead asked: "What exactly is this Xuanhao Sect? With so many senior brothers in the Discipline Hall and the Mountain Patrol Hall, can't they find out?"
Zhang Xin indeed noticed that among the disciples of the Mountain Patrol Hall, there were not only insiders, but also several individuals who were clearly letting things slide. Moreover, the empty island where the woman in black escaped to is precisely the dwelling place of the female cultivators from the Tianzhushan branch, which even has a bathhouse. Even if the Mountain Patrol Hall seals off this empty island, they will find it impossible to uncover the identity of the woman in black
It is a group of disciples who have been enchanted by that Shangguan Xuanhao, and there are quite a number of them. It is said that in our Tianzhushan branch alone, there are about four to five hundred people.
At this moment, "Ruo'er" had transformed back into the form of a cat girl and was speaking with a hint of curiosity: "Master, what that person just used on you, I wonder what it really is? I feel it is quite powerful, capable of repairing brain waves, but unfortunately, it cannot scan the components. If you have the opportunity, you could collect a drop or two. When you bring it back to Earth, the Federal Academy of Sciences will surely reward you."
That is 'Lingxian Dew', a very precious spiritual item, which is only supplied to the true disciples within the Sun and Moon Mystical Sect
For reasons unknown, he ultimately awakened in a crystal coffin located underground, his body having been replaced by the current one. Beside him was "Ye Ruo," who claimed to be a terminal intelligence, yet in his eyes, she resembled more of a spirit-like existence.
Even more astonishing is that there are over 40 small floating islands in the sky. Looking up, one can also see hundreds of lights and shadows moving in and out of these islands
Such flattering words made Zhang Xin feel shy, thinking to himself, is this truly someone like me, a figure akin to a living saint? It feels so exaggerated
Brother Zhang! I am Wang Feng, and I have been instructed by the supervising official to bring you to the training platform.
Zhang Xin was taken aback and turned his head, only to see a chubby young boy in a blue robe, with a round face, standing beside him with a sword resting on his hand, grinning widely.
Those are twelve heinous criminals from our Sun and Moon Mystical Sect, cast into iron statues by the Discipline Hall, and they are to kneel here perpetually
Sadness, indignation, depression, grievance, and helplessness—various emotions accumulate in the heart, a mixture of feelings, yet unable to be expressed
If a common person were to change here, they would undoubtedly feel as if they had entered a completely different world. However, for Zhang Xin, this place was exceedingly familiar, and he did not feel particularly surprised.
Just when Zhang Xin believed that the woman would surely be captured, several beams of precious light suddenly descended from the sky. His vision was limited, and he could not discern what kind of magical artifacts they were. However, as these rays of light struck down, they instantly tore apart most of the net. Taking advantage of the gap, the woman in black escaped, and her figure vanished in an instant from the nearby floating island
However, the disciples of the Mountain Patrol in this courtyard were already on guard. At this moment, more than ten nets were flying in from all directions, completely sealing off both the sky and the ground
As the leader among the masses, "Shangguan Xuanhao" also found himself in a dire situation, forced to utilize the incompletely mastered "Escape Technique" to flee. Not for the sake of survival, but to ensure that his primordial spirit could return to the original mountain of the sun and moon, to alert the elders within the sect
Then, when he finally emerged from the steel ship, which was buried deep underground and resembled a palace of magic, he was found by the disciples of Guanglin Mountain, who mistakenly identified him as one of the survivors of Guanglin Mountain. It was at that moment that he was shocked to learn that he had been recognized by the sect as the instigator of Guanglin Mountain and was also deemed the most heinous traitor of the Sun and Moon Mystical Sect in five hundred years
Zhang Xin, upon hearing this, hurriedly got up. In fact, he was familiar with the route; the training ground was not far behind the mountain gate, specifically established by the Tianzhushan Branch for martial examinations
Then the sky became a chaotic mess, as countless disciples of the Blue Robe Patrol flew in from all directions, surrounding the empty island. Inside the island, there was a chorus of women's screams, accompanied by a scene of chaos akin to chickens flying and dogs jumping.
As Zhang Xin walked out of the gorge, he couldn't help but squint his eyes, a faint glimmer appearing in his gaze
In the following circumstances, Zhang Xin could no longer see, but he had put his mind at ease and turned to grasp a flyer that had fallen nearby in his hand
The issue is that his current identity, having come from Mount Tianzhu, does not necessitate him to display any traits that are different from the ordinary
With no other choice, he could only impersonate the identity of "Zhang Xin," the son of a martial arts school master from Guanglin Mountain. For the next three years, due to the weakness of his soul and body, "Zhang Xin" remained in a state of coma for most of the time, only gradually recovering recently. Subsequently, he eagerly participated in the mountain gate examination held once every two years.
Zhang Xin could vaguely discern that this was a woman, but her features were not visible. Then he heard the woman in black shout in a hoarse voice: "Everyone in and around Tianzhushan, listen carefully! Three years ago, the Discipline Hall lacked sufficient evidence, yet acted arbitrarily and abused its power, hastily passing judgment, causing Senior Brother Shangguan to suffer an unjust grievance! Our Xuanhao Party will never accept this and will fight to the end! Justice lies in the hearts of the people; this matter cannot be distorted by the Discipline Hall, nor can they frame and slander us. Three years ago, the Discipline Hall lacked sufficient evidence, yet acted arbitrarily and abused its power, hastily passing judgment, causing Senior Brother Shangguan to suffer an unjust grievance! Our Xuanhao Party will never accept this and will fight to the end! Justice lies in the hearts of the people; this matter cannot be distorted by the Discipline Hall, nor can they frame and slander us. If the sect does not reopen the case for retrial, we vow not to rest!"
Zhang Xin casually replied, but just as he was explaining this to Ruo'er, he felt someone poke him in the shoulder
Wang Feng, however, misunderstood that he was angry, and snatched it away: "These are all nonsensical words, fabrications and slanders, intended to mislead those who are unaware of the truth; there is nothing worth seeing. Zhang Xin, do not be angry! The Discipline Hall and the Patrol Hall will eventually uproot them completely."
Wang Feng furrowed his brows, his eyes filled with helplessness: "It’s not that we haven’t captured members of the Xuanhao faction before, but they all stubbornly refuse to betray their accomplices. The key issue is that the crimes of these individuals are not severe; at most, they face a few years of wall-facing punishment, and we cannot extract their souls or memories. As you saw today, there must be an insider in the Mountain Patrol Hall, and today we are likely to gain nothing again."
Zhang Xinzhe clenched his fists tightly and continued to watch. He saw the woman in black fly towards a nearby deserted island as soon as the paper was scattered.
At this moment, he could not help but feel emotional, as more than thirty years had passed, and he had returned here once again in the capacity of a novice disciple.
Before he finished speaking, a sudden flash of white light struck down from the sky, resembling a thunderclap. Before Wang Feng could react, he saw this incredibly sharp sword energy land ten zhang away, shattering the statue of Shangguan Xuanhao into pieces
However, he soon noticed that Zhang Xin's attention was not on the world behind the mountain gate, nor was he really listening to what he was saying; instead, he had a complex expression as he gazed at the twelve iron kneeling statues beside the gorge.
This is a flat area developed at the summit of a mountain, spanning over 20 miles. At a glance, one can see towering, magnificent buildings and platforms in all directions.
The two individuals looked up in astonishment, only to see a figure shrouded in a black robe, hovering in mid-air at an altitude of three hundred zhang.
Fortunately, he was naturally open-minded and cheerful, and in just a moment, he had already recovered. He thought to himself that the heavens had indeed been very kind to him, hadn't they? Although the cultivation aptitude of this body was poor, it ultimately granted him a chance to start anew, to seek the truth and clear his name.
Isn't it shocking? I was also taken aback the first time I came here
As the voice faded, the woman waved her sleeve again, scattering countless sheets of paper, which rustled and spread across the twenty-mile radius, especially towards the direction of the training ground
Wang Feng's expression was somewhat smug: "You have never been to the main academy of Riyue Mountain; the atmosphere there is several hundred times that of here..."
While speaking, Wang Feng thought of "Zhang Xin"'s identity and mistakenly believed he understood the thoughts of the person beside him. With a light sigh, he said: "Look at the one on the far left; this is the culprit from three years ago, Shangguan Xuanhao of Guanglin Mountain. This person colluded with evil demons, causing the loss of 2,700 high-level spiritual masters of the Sun and Moon Xuan Sect, and led to the fall of 396 divine masters' thrones within Guanglin Mountain. The Discipline Hall has judged him as a great traitor, and he is to be expelled from the sect, have his cultivation abolished, and be subjected to the Nine Flames Refinement. Since this person has gone missing, this kneeling statue has been erected in place of his punishment." This person colluded with evil demons, causing the loss of 2,700 high-level spiritual masters of the Sun and Moon Xuan Sect, and led to the fall of 396 divine masters' thrones within Guanglin Mountain. The Discipline Hall has judged him as a great traitor, and he is to be expelled from the sect, have his cultivation abolished, and be subjected to the Nine Flames Refinement. Since this person has gone missing, this kneeling statue has been erected in place of his punishment.
Once again, it is those bastards from the Xuanhao faction
Wang Feng, upon hearing these words, could not help but bare his teeth, his expression filled with indignation: "Isn't it those troublemakers inside the door..."
About three years ago, when Zhang Xin was still known as "Shangguan Xuanhao," he was ordered to lead a group of fellow disciples to rescue Guanglin Mountain, which was under attack by evil forces. However, they were betrayed there, and not only did they fail to protect Guanglin Mountain, but they also suffered total annihilation.
Three years have passed, and Zhang Xin believed he could respond calmly. However, upon seeing his own iron statue, his heart was still filled with a tide of anger and hatred
Wang Feng was exasperated, his face ashen: "A group of scheming individuals, they are just waiting to rebel today..."
After just a brief glance, Zhang Xin's face turned slightly red. The first half of the paper lists various doubts regarding the Guanglin Mountain tragedy, which is somewhat reasonable and substantiated. However, the latter part is filled with flattery towards Shangguan Xuanhao, stating that he has done many good deeds, guided numerous fellow disciples, and helped many people, benefiting millions of lives, and so on. In summary, it can be said that Shangguan Xuanhao is indeed a very good person. Therefore, he could never be the culprit behind the collapse of Guanglin Mountain.
At this moment, he heard Wang Feng say: "Do not be too heartbroken! Although Shangguan Xuanhao's soul lamp has not been extinguished and his whereabouts are unknown, the sect will eventually track him down and bring him to justice. As for those demonic and evil beings, the Sun and Moon Mystical Sect will certainly not let them go either"
However, he still remembered that he was now "Zhang Xin", and he managed to maintain his composure, not revealing these emotions.
Zhang Xinzhe did not listen carefully, but was lost in thought, pondering that in this world, there could be nothing more helpless and unjust than fighting and struggling to the death for one's master, only to be regarded as a traitor by the entire sect, and to have a kneeling statue made to display to the public.
After a prolonged commotion, a high-ranking spirit master finally cast a spell to summon clouds and mist, completely obscuring the scene above.
Zhang Xinxin felt strange and then shook his head, asking with some curiosity: "Brother Wang, I see that this kneeling statue was only recently cast. Wasn't the crime of Shangguan Xuanhao already determined three years ago?"
Following closely behind Wang Feng, Zhang Xin entered the mountain gate, moving in tandem with him, and traversed a gorge that appeared to have been cleaved by an axe