Zhu Xuelian had to fly on Wu Yulan’s sword, tightly tucked behind her. She embraced her friend gently and warmly, even going as far as to enjoy the scent of her hair as the wind blew into their faces. She missed Wu Yulan, but more than that, she vaguely remembered the passage of time during her unconsciousness, and the lack of feeling, hearing, tasting, or smelling anything.

As though she were trapped in an eternal world of darkness, dreaming without dreams, sleeping without rest.

Wu Yulan did not seem to mind either, and, if anything, just scooted closer to Zhu Xuelian. They were closer than sisters, even though they were not born of the same blood. Jealously, Wu Yulan would even claim that they were closer than sworn sisters. This was simply the nature of their relationship.

Zhu Xuelian was not the only one to receive a new life, as she put it earlier. This mysterious stranger opened a door for Wu Yulan, and this was more precious than words could describe. A thousand people could’ve taken Wu Yulan to a thousand different places, each the most beautiful in the world, and it wouldn't be the same. Zhu Xuelian changed the way Wu Yulan saw even the most ordinary places, to the point that those other “beautiful places” could not even compare.

“I hope I wasn’t too much of a bother to take care of, Yulan,” Zhu Xuelian whispered.

Wu Yulan smiled. “Don't speak such nonsense. I would’ve taken care of you for the rest of eternity and not considered it a bother.”

Zhu Xuelian hummed happily at the reply.

“We tried everything we could think of, you know; we tried medicine, we took you out on trips and revisited old places. Yun Fei was even going to go ask Eternal Red for help.”

Hearing the name Eternal Red, Zhu Xuelian shuddered. “I am glad it did not come to that,” Zhu Xuelian said.

Yun Fei chuckled nervously, and even though she was flying far behind them, her relief was just that palpable.

“We first tried asking Yaoyue for help, but no matter how many times we tried, Yaoyue would not respond,” Wu Yulan explained.

Zhu Xuelian nodded. “It is strange; I can feel Yaoyue’s presence, but it is weak.”

“We think that Yaoyue was trying to maintain your cultivation for as long as possible. One day shortly after your duel, without warning, your cultivation started plummeting. Your body…” Wu Yulan trailed off here. “Something was happening to you and we were worried you wouldn't survive.”

Zhu Xuelian chuckled. “Well, about that…” She nodded to the three Arks in the sky above the sect hall. “This Zhu Xuelian admires their dedication. Bringing their entire sects to kill just one of me.”

The Arks belonged to the Galaxy Sword sect, the Seven Killing Swords sect, and the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion sect. That is to say, these three sects came here today for one purpose only. These three sects represented, roughly, most of the entire continent.

Who could possibly oppose the will of the entire continent?

“There’s probably not much point to it, now, but do you want to know what happened while you were asleep?” Wu Yulan offered.

Zhu Xuelian shook her head. “Seeing the Seven Killing Swords sect Ark makes things pretty obvious, but I want to hear it from them.”

Wu Yulan nodded. “This Wu Yulan thinks you might be disappointed, and hopes this is the case because she is excited at the prospect of learning something new today.”

Immediately understanding Wu Yulan’s implied meaning, Zhu Xuelian chuckled again. “Yulan, you can be so mean.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

They began to descend toward the Sect Hall, and due to the flying prohibition, they had to land some ways away. The streets leading up to the Sect Hall were filled with cultivators from all three of the sects present. They littered the street on either side, while a procession of Galaxy Sword cultivators led the three toward the Sect Hall.

Hushed murmurs filled the surroundings, though, unexpectedly, no one was rude to them. Most of them came to see Zhu Xuelian — the things they heard of her filled their minds with awe and wonder. In the current generation, many regarded her as the foremost cultivator, leaps and bounds ahead of the next.

By now, many have heard rumors of what happened at the Conference and the subsequent duel against the young master and future Patriarch of the Seven Killing Swords sect. Even the gruesome details were described in their entirety; from the sword that dimmed the sky and sun, and the fact that Zhu Xuelian's opponent didn't even leave an intact corpse behind.

On her side was the fact that everyone here hated the Seven Killing Swords sect, and Zhu Xuelian was the quintessential hero who was anathema of this sect. The rumors of her blood debt with the sect had been so exaggerated that it was rivaling myth, which was not that unexpected considering that all the major sects were at war with the Seven Killing Swords sect.

“They tortured her entire clan and fed them to demonic beasts…”

“She is the princess from another continent, and forced to be the concubine of the Patriarch…”

“She is a fairy from another world, and someone from the sect was unfortunate enough to see her naked…”

And though these outrageous rumors were born from their admiration of Zhu Xuelian and the lofty, unreachable ideal she represented, none of them dared to look at her. There was a prevailing atmosphere of shame and listlessness.

“I can’t believe they even crippled her cultivation…”

“Do you have to torture her too…”

“Cowards…”

“I walk my path straight and tall, and my heart bears no shameful secrets…!” someone in the crowd whispered, and Zhu Xuelian stopped suddenly, overhearing the words.

The Galaxy Sword disciple who spoke those words was staring at her feet, and she was trying her best to hold back tears.

“You… what’s your name?” Zhu Xuelian asked.

“J-Jing…”

“Like ‘Peace’?”

The girl nodded.

Zhu Xuelian smiled. “I said those words in the heat of the moment, back when I joined the Galaxy Sword sect. Do you like them?"

At this, Jing nodded but didn't make a sound.

"I am glad. Thank you, Jing, for remembering me," Zhu Xuelian said.

The girl burst into even more tears, and even the disciples next to her started to tear up. “D-don’t thank me… a c-coward like me… can’t live by the same principles… I don’t deserve…”

Zhu Xuelian's smile remained. "Don't cry, Jing. It's okay," she spoke softly. "It's enough for me that you remember me and admire my determination. Look," Zhu Xuelian spoke and continued onward. "I walk my path straight and tall, and my heart bears no shameful secrets..."

It was Zhu Xuelian's smile at that moment, unflinching, that would remain in Jing's mind forever.

"If I did not run back then and chose not to betray my Dao Heart, why would I do so now?" Zhu Xuelian asked.

Slowly, their heads rose as Zhu Xuelian spoke those words, similar to the ones she spoke before, back when she joined the Galaxy Sword sect, and this time, they truly felt them resonate in their heart. Their meaning was clear, and the question they all had in their minds was answered: Why did Zhu Xuelian come willingly?

If she did not run back then…

Slowly, a glimmer of pride appeared in the overall atmosphere of shame and listlessness. Zhu Xuelian really was different from them. They could not understand how someone could not feel fear, hopelessness, or rage. They all felt those things, but none of them were in her shoes. By their logic, she should feel all these things more than all of them put together.

Jing raised her head to look at Zhu Xuelian, and her nostrils flared. "Don't... don't go!"

And yet, it is exactly as she spoke; she lived by her words and walked toward the Sect Hall, proud and tall, with no shameful secrets in her heart, like the cowardice they desperately tried to bury in theirs. Maybe, they came not to see Zhu Xuelian, but to feel vindicated. If Zhu Xuelian looked as desperate and afraid as they were — if she were dragged in here against her will — perhaps they wouldn’t feel so bad for being helpless observers.

No. That is not quite correct.

They chose to be willing observers because they could only walk “straight and tall” when no one else was looking.

Reaching the Sect Hall, Wu Yulan pushed the doors open and let them swing into the walls with a bang, as her cold, determined aura poured into the main chamber of the Sect Hall, where hundreds of elite disciples from all three sects were gathered, including the numerous elders.

The biting cold of her presence gave everyone pause, and they all glared back at her with cold, determined expressions of their own as if trying to mimic the impact of her aura. Yet, even faced with this, Wu Yulan's icy gaze swept the crowd, relentless even against the hundreds of stares directed her way, and the disciples, one by one, looked away.

Their hearts thundered.