Betrayal by all, separation from family and friends, master and disciple

Seven days later, in Liuyun Town.

This is a small town where cultivators gather, located thousands of miles away from the Qingyun Sect, on a major road leading southeast. The town is small, but it is quite lively due to the comings and goings of merchants and cultivators.

Xie Yunzhi and Mo Xiaoyu concealed their auras, dressed in inconspicuous gray cloaks, and mingled in the crowd, preparing to purchase some necessary supplies. The continuous journey and sleeping outdoors had left Mo Xiaoyu with obvious fatigue; even with Xie Yunzhi's spiritual energy protecting her, the physical exhaustion was real.

A crowd had gathered in front of the notice board in the town center, pointing and discussing among themselves.

"Tsk tsk, you can never truly know a person's heart! Xie Yunzhi, that genius disciple of the Qingyun Sect, has actually become a traitor!"

"I heard he colluded with a witch, trespassed into forbidden territory, and even killed his fellow disciple!"

"Look at this bounty! The person who captures and kills him will receive a hundred top-grade spirit stones and a choice of any cultivation technique from the Azure Cloud Secret Realm! They've really gone all out!"

"A hundred top-grade spirit stones... that's enough for me to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage..."

Hearing the surrounding chatter, Mo Xiaoyu's face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively gripped Xie Yunzhi's sleeve. Xie Yunzhi's eyes narrowed beneath his hood, and he pulled her closer without making a sound.

On the notice board, two lifelike portraits were prominently displayed. One depicted Xie Yunzhi's aloof and handsome face, while the other was a strikingly similar image of Mo Xiaoyu before her disguise—a delicate and youthful appearance! Beside the portraits were lists of their "crimes," identical to what Su Qingqing had said in the Lingxiao Palace, each word piercing to the heart. At the bottom were the personal seal of Su Hao, the sect leader of the Qingyun Sect, and the chillingly generous reward.

"They...they even forgot what I originally looked like..." Mo Xiaoyu's voice trembled, her heart turning ice-cold. This meant that the Qingyun Sect had completely erased any possibility of explanation for them, confirming their guilt. From now on, there would probably be nowhere for them to hide in the entire cultivation world.

Xie Yunzhi clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white. He stared at Mo Xiaoyu's real face in the portrait, his eyes filled with chilling coldness. Su Qingqing's actions were intended to drive them to a complete dead end.

"Let's go." He lowered his voice and pulled Mo Xiaoyu away from this place of trouble.

However, just as they turned around, a slightly surprised voice rang out from the side:

"Thank... thank you, Senior Brother?"

Xie Yunzhi paused, slowly turning around. He saw a young man dressed in the outer disciple's robes of the Qingyun Sect staring at him with wide eyes, his face filled with disbelief. He vaguely remembered this disciple, having received instruction in swordsmanship from him a few times.

The disciple recognized the blurry silhouette under the hood, and Mo Xiaoyu, who was also wearing a hood, beside him. His expression changed drastically, and he instinctively took a step back, his voice trembling: "It really is you! Xie Yunzhi! And that witch! How dare you come here!"

This exclamation was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around!

"What? Xie Yunzhi?"

"Where? Where is that traitor?"

"Catch them!"

The crowd, which had been buzzing with discussion moments before, instantly erupted into a commotion! Countless gazes, filled with greed, wariness, or disgust, shot towards the two like sharp arrows. Several rogue cultivators with considerable strength had already subtly moved their feet, forming a de facto encirclement.

The allure of a hundred top-grade spirit stones and the secret cultivation techniques of Qingyun is enough to tempt many people to take the risk.

The atmosphere instantly became tense!

Xie Yunzhi shielded Mo Xiaoyu completely behind him. Under his hood, his sharp, eagle-like eyes scanned the restless crowd. He didn't release any pressure, but the chilling aura he naturally exuded after experiencing life-or-death battles and the baptism of the dragon soul made the few rogue cultivators who wanted to make the first move tremble and dare not act rashly for a moment.

“Junior Brother Wang,” Xie Yunzhi looked at the outer disciple who recognized him, his voice calm and even, yet carrying an invisible pressure, “what the sect says is not the truth. I, Xie Yunzhi, have a clear conscience.”

The junior brother Wang was intimidated by his gaze, his face turned pale, and his lips trembled, but he still forced himself to shout, "The jade slip recording the scene is proof! Senior Sister Lin died tragically! You still dare to argue! Fellow Daoists, don't listen to his nonsense, capture this scourge and rid the cultivation world of this menace!"

These words further fueled the crowd's greed and sense of "justice."

Just as the conflict was about to erupt, a powerful divine sense suddenly swept across the entire area, carrying the unique pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator, making everyone gasp for breath.

"What's all this commotion?" a deep, authoritative voice asked.

The crowd parted, revealing an elderly man dressed in the robes of a Qingyun Sect elder, his face stern and solemn, slowly approaching, surrounded by a group of discipline disciples. It was none other than Elder Xuan Shi of the Discipline Hall!

He was clearly leading a patrol here, searching for Xie Yunzhi's whereabouts.

Upon seeing Elder Xuanshi, Junior Brother Wang rushed forward as if he had seen a savior, reporting, "Elder Xuanshi! We have discovered the traitor Xie Yunzhi and his accomplice Mo Xiaoyu!"

Elder Xuan Shi's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on the two hooded figures. His eyes were incredibly complex, containing regret, disappointment, and a hint of barely perceptible inquiry.

Xie Yunzhi slowly pulled down his hood, revealing his face, which had now become famous throughout the cultivation world. He didn't look at anyone else, but calmly gazed at Elder Xuanshi, the master who had once placed high hopes on him and had guided his cultivation many times.

Their eyes met, and a silent heaviness filled the air.

“Yun Zhi,” Elder Xuan Shi spoke slowly, his voice slightly hoarse, “the sect has treated you well, why… did you choose to go astray?”

Xie Yunzhi looked at his always upright and incorruptible teacher, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He took a deep breath and bowed to Elder Xuanshi in a standard disciple's salute.

Then, he straightened up, his gaze clear and firm: "Elder Xuan Shi, your disciple Xie Yunzhi will call you Master one last time. The sect's nurturing grace and the teachings it has imparted to me will be forever etched in my heart, and I will never forget them."

His voice echoed clearly through the silent street: "However, there are other hidden circumstances surrounding the forbidden area. Junior Sister Lin's death was not my doing either. Yun Zhi denies all the charges brought against him by the sect!"

Elder Xuan Shi frowned: "The image jade slip is here. What else do you have to say?"

"What you see may not be the truth." Xie Yunzhi shook his head. "The reasons behind this are far-reaching and concern the very survival of this world. I cannot explain in detail at this moment, and I know that words alone are insufficient. I only ask that the elders believe me this once. When the truth comes to light, I will return to the sect and accept all punishments."

Elder Xuan Shi remained silent, his hand trembling slightly within his sleeve. He looked into Xie Yunzhi's eyes; there was no madness, no ferocity, only a frank sincerity and a profound helplessness. With his centuries of experience, he could sense that this disciple was not lying. However, the jade slip containing the image, the sect leader's decree, the sect's regulations…

"Elder Xuan Shi! Don't listen to his lies!" a disciple beside him cried out urgently. "This scoundrel is all talk and no action; seize him at once!"

The surrounding rogue cultivators, who had been eyeing them covetously, could no longer contain themselves and began to slowly approach.

Xie Yunzhi knew he couldn't stay any longer. He bowed deeply to Elder Xuanshi once more, performing the grand ceremony of three bows and nine kowtows. Every movement was slow and solemn, filled with the meaning of farewell.

After the ceremony, he stood up, his eyes now cold and resolute. He abruptly drew his sword (not the Abyss-Slaying Sword, but an ordinary magic sword) from his waist, and with a flash of light, severed a corner of his blue robe!

The cloth fluttered down, as if the last thread of connection between them and the Qingyun Sect had been severed.

"From this day forward, all ties are severed!" Xie Yunzhi's voice rang out, carrying a resolute determination to cut off all ties. "The road ahead is long; whether you are friend or foe is up to you! But those who obstruct my path—"

His gaze swept over the crowd with lightning speed. Although the Zhan Yuan Sword was not yet drawn, its chilling sword intent soared into the sky, mixed with a trace of terrifying dragon might: "—Slay without mercy!"

Before he finished speaking, he wrapped his arms around Mo Xiaoyu's waist, and his figure transformed into a streak of light. Before anyone could react, he had already broken through the roof and disappeared into the distant horizon in an instant!

"Chase!" A rogue cultivator reacted and hurriedly tried to give chase by activating his weapon.

"No need." Elder Xuan Shi raised his hand to stop him, gazing at the disappearing horizon, and sighed deeply, as if he had aged considerably in an instant. He bent down, picked up the torn piece of his robe from the ground, and clutched it tightly in his palm. In his old eyes, a trace of indescribable turbidity finally appeared.

In the end, he failed to protect the disciple he had the highest hopes for.

Betrayed by all, and estranged from his master.

This scene, like a cold carving knife, was deeply imprinted in the hearts of everyone present, and it also foreshadowed that a storm sweeping across the entire cultivation world was about to arrive.