"Sixth Junior Brother..." Liu Qingyue's voice was terribly hoarse, each word seeming to be squeezed from the depths of his chest, "It was...all of us... who killed her..."

These words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

In an instant, fragments of memory surged forth like a tidal wave—

Scenes flashed before Su Yu's eyes: he repeatedly listened to Ruan Xinrou during sect meetings, repeatedly berated Bai Ying for doing such despicable things to win favor when she tried to explain, and even... he whipped her with a rattan cane more than once.

Gu Qingzhou's hands trembled uncontrollably. He recalled the harsh words he had spoken to Bai Ying while drunk, her slightly reddened eyes as she silently endured it, and even more so... that rainy night when he personally kicked her out of their party, and the broken light in her eyes.

Liu Qingyue's hand unconsciously went to his dantian. The spiritual root there, which should have been withered, had been nurtured by Bai Ying time and again with her own spiritual power. Ironically, he had always believed... he was the one transferring spiritual power to her. The girl in his memory always smiled and said, "Thank you, Senior Brother, otherwise I would have been in big trouble." It turned out... it was all a lie... Without Bai Ying, he himself had become a cripple...

Qin Zijing's tears fell to the ground in large drops. He remembered how he had repeatedly followed Ruan Xinrou in criticizing Bai Ying, remembered those vicious words, and even more so... the resolute figure of Bai Ying's back when she left for the last time.

He could have clearly... clearly found out the truth. Ruan Xinrou's tricks weren't sophisticated at all, but he never bothered to find out. He only chose to believe Ruan Xinrou... Even when he learned that Ruan Xinrou and Xiao Yu had teamed up to deceive Bai Ying, he was happy to see Bai Ying make a fool of herself... How could he be so vicious!

"No—!" Qin Zijing suddenly let out a heart-wrenching wail and collapsed to her knees.

The fifth senior sister who would gently pat his back when he had nightmares, the fifth senior sister who would always secretly stuff the best snacks into his mouth... was pushed to death by his own hands, time and time again, due to his favoritism.

"Senior sister..."

Qin Zijin thought Bai Ying would come back eventually. He had thought about how he would apologize to her when she returned, but he never imagined that he would never have the chance to see her again in this life!

"Waaaaah..."

The night wind howled, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground, making a rustling sound, as if telling an unfinished story. Five figures knelt or stood before the crimson array, each immersed in their own regret.

Yan Chiling stared intently at the dried blood that had flowed from Bai Ying on the ground, his knuckles turning white. He wished time could turn back, to the day the ancestor ordered him to set up the formation... He would have stood by Bai Ying's side without hesitation, even if it meant going against the whole world.

Unfortunately, it's all too late to turn back...

Su Yu looked up at the dark night sky, rain mingling with tears as he streamed down his face. He finally understood that his junior sister, who always gave so quietly, would never return. There would never be anyone again to secretly bring him warm spiritual tea while he stayed up all night drawing talismans; there would never be anyone again to bandage his wounds with red eyes...

—

The group knelt on the scorched earth for a long time, their clothes soaked by the cold rain mixed with their tears.

With trembling hands, they scooped up handfuls of scorched earth soaked in the blood of Bai Ying.

"Xiao Wu..." Su Yu's voice was choked and almost inaudible. He carefully put the blood-stained soil into the jade box, as if he were handling some rare treasure.

This was the only thing they could find that was related to Bai Ying.

Qin Zijing's fingernails dug deep into his palms, and blood dripped from between his fingers. He recalled Bai Ying's resolute figure as she left, and her words, "From now on, we owe each other nothing," which had now become a self-fulfilling prophecy. They didn't even have the right to build her a cenotaph.

They couldn't find anything related to Bai Ying. Not to mention her body, they couldn't even find a piece of her clothing or a strand of her hair.

They could only bury her in the soil stained with her blood.

"Fifth Senior Sister..." Qin Zijing suddenly collapsed onto the scorched earth, wailing like a child, "Come back... I'll never hurt you again... I know I was wrong..."

Su Yu silently carved the tombstone, each stroke deeply etched. When he reached the characters "Bai Ying," his hand suddenly trembled violently—how many times had he carved this name on the sect's disciplinary tablet? Each time, it was a record of him as a sinner...

Liu Qingyue knelt before the monument and slowly poured a pot of spiritual wine. This was his treasured peach blossom wine, which he had kept for many years, originally intended for celebration when Bai Ying returned. The wine seeped into the scorched earth, emitting a faint spiritual light that vanished in an instant.

Yan Chiling took one last look at the simple tombstone, his fingers gripping the hilt of the Qingfeng sword tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.

The sword emitted a piercing hum under his raging spiritual power, as if it would shatter at any moment.

He stared at the grave, the churning pain in his chest almost tearing him apart.

The moment he regained his memories, he desperately wanted to commit suicide on the spot and follow Bai Ying in death.

But now... he slowly stood up, the tears in his eyes long since dried by overwhelming hatred. He still had very important things to do, and he couldn't die yet!

Ruan Xinrou—this name coiled around Yan Chiling's heart like a venomous snake.

This vicious woman was able to repeatedly strip away his memories, even twisting his purest love for Bai Ying into an obsession with her.

Yan Chiling recalled how he had combed her hair and drawn her eyebrows, searched for rare treasures all over the world for her, and even... hurt Bai Ying for her sake.

His stomach churned violently, and he bent over and began to dry heave, as if he needed to vomit up all his internal organs to feel better.

"I'm going to kill her." Yan Chiling's voice was as cold as the ice of the deepest hell. He lifted his foot and was about to walk towards Huayang Sect. Each step he took was extremely heavy, and the bluestone ground cracked under his feet.

"Fourth Brother!" Su Yu lunged forward and grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?"

"Kill Ruan Xinrou!" Yan Chiling abruptly flung Su Yu's hand away, his eyes surging with bloodlust, demonic markings uncontrollably spreading from his neck to his cheeks. "If it weren't for her, how could Bai Ying have—"

"I'm going too!" Qin Zijing rushed forward with red eyes, but Su Yu stopped her.

Yan Chiling's sword tip pointed directly at the crowd, and as the sword energy surged, the surrounding rubble turned to dust: "Whoever stands in my way, I will kill!"