Chapter 43 If we had found her sooner, she wouldn't have died.
It was a blood-stained inner core, radiating the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Sensing the familiar spiritual energy, Lu Ziting was filled with shock, his mouth agape but unable to utter a single word.
This is, this is...
Mo Hannian was equally devastated. He pointed at Wen Yao and exclaimed, "How did Senior Sister's inner core end up with you?!"
He suddenly grabbed Wen Yao by the collar, his eyes bloodshot. "Where did you get this from? Tell me!"
Yuan Ce furiously pounded on Wen Yao, yelling, "Why did you dig out Ye Li's inner core! Don't you know she's finished without it!"
"..."
Amidst the arguing, Ye Li was pulled back to that day.
She was a cultivator, and she was not completely dead when her neck was broken.
Until the masked man cut open her dantian, stirred her abdomen with a knife, and dug out her inner core.
She was being disemboweled while fully conscious.
He was fully aware of the inner core that he had cultivated for decades being separated from his body.
Watching yourself die while fully conscious...
Upon seeing the inner core again, Ye Li's abdomen seemed to still linger with the pain of impending death.
"Speak! Speak up!"
"What happened to my senior sister?!"
On the other side, Mo Hannian and Yuan Ce were interrogating Wen Yao like madmen.
No matter how much they shook Wen Yao, he didn't say a word.
Just as they were about to seize the golden elixir, Wen Yao suddenly shook off his hand and took two steps back.
He looked at them, burst into laughter, a laughter filled with sorrow, and as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.
"Now you're in a hurry? What were you doing when I told you to come with me to find Ah Li?"
Mo Hannian remained silent.
Fearing she would be exposed, Su Ying'er tentatively asked, "Third Senior Brother, what exactly happened? Why is Senior Sister's inner core with you?"
"..."
It turned out that Wen Yao had sent people to search for Ye Li in the Mist Camphor Forest that day. They split into two teams: one team searched the forest, and the other team searched for clues in the back mountain.
The team that went in disappeared just like the other trial disciples from the Heavenly Gate Sect; the inner core was discovered by the team outside.
The inner elixir can be said to be the lifeblood of a cultivator; Wen Yao almost went mad the moment he saw it.
Those terrible guesses have come true; Ye Li has really been in trouble...
Wen Yao's eyes were glazed over as he muttered to himself, "If I had found her sooner, she wouldn't have died."
"shut up!"
Mo Hannian interrupted him, his expression gloomy and terrifying, "Who said she's dead? She's already formed her Nascent Soul; even without her inner core, she might not die. What right do you have to curse my senior sister!"
Yuan Ce, who usually hated Ye Li the most, looked blank. "How could that old hag be dead? Wasn't she hiding and watching me make a fool of myself? No, this can't be right!"
Wen Yao curled his lips, "Yuan Ce, didn't you say before that A Li tormented you for ten years and disappeared on your birthday as a deliberate act of revenge?"
"Now you know why? She didn't show up because she's dead! She can't help you anymore!"
Yuan Ce instinctively retorted, "Then why didn't she tell me sooner? If she had told me earlier, I could have asked my master for help."
"Ha, do you think Tianmen Sect is some kind of charity? Do you know how other disciples who were found to have rebellious bones were dealt with?"
Wen Yao said slowly and deliberately, "Go to the outer sect and become a nominal disciple."
He pointed at Yuan Ce, "You've only reached the late Qi Refining stage as a direct disciple of the Lotus Sect. How far do you think you can go if you go to the outer sect?"
The direct disciples have the best cultivation techniques and resources, not to mention Ye Li's daily teachings and the pills that help them improve their cultivation. It's a world of difference compared to the outer disciples.
If he couldn't break through in the Lotus Gate, then forget about it in the Outer Gate.
Yuan Ce was stunned.
So, Ye Li kept all this a secret to protect him?
Was she strict with him for his future?
And what did he do?
He hated his senior sister because of her strictness and often badmouthed her to others. He even deliberately attacked her with a knife, just so he could get some rest.
His senior sister never blamed him. She taught him cultivation techniques day after day for ten years without asking for anything in return, just so that he could establish his foundation as soon as possible...
Wen Yao said coldly, "Yuan Ce, you have always blamed A Li for delaying you, but have you ever thought about what obligation A Li has to help you? She has been training you for ten years. If you had any ambition or drive, you could have worked hard to build your foundation in this last month."
"But you didn't. You were only interested in having fun and missed your last chance in life. You deserve to be a useless person!"
Yuan Ce was deeply shocked and could no longer utter a word of defense. He muttered to himself, "I deserve to be a useless person..."
He had previously blamed everything on Ye Li, but now he realized that the one who had harmed him was not someone else, but himself.
After Ye Li left, he indulged in pleasure, celebrating that he would no longer be under her control.
Little did he know that this was the beginning of his downfall.
If he had listened to his senior sister, he would have already successfully established his foundation and had a bright future ahead of him.
But now, he's ruined it all...
He will never have another chance, and he will never have another senior sister.
Yuan Ce collapsed to the ground, pounding his fist and weeping bitterly.
"Senior sister, I was wrong, I regret it."
"Senior sister, please come back. I'll do whatever you say. Please come back..."
"Senior sister, come back!"
Pain and regret made Yuan Ce roll on the ground like a child, his heart breaking, screaming Ye Li's name with all his might.
Ye Li watched numbly, her heart no longer stirred by anything.
Su Ying'er stepped forward to comfort him, just like before, "Sixth Senior Brother, Senior Sister's body hasn't been found yet, it doesn't necessarily mean something bad has happened to her. Besides, you've already tried your best, it's not your fault that you haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage..."
"Get away!"
Yuan Ce's face was covered in tears, and he gritted his teeth, "It's all your fault. You kept stopping me from cultivating. You said I was a genius and didn't need to cultivate. You also said that my senior sister was too strict with me and told me to rebel."
"Su Ying'er, what exactly are you up to!"
Su Ying'er never expected that Yuan Ce, who had always been on her side, would say such a thing. She felt wronged and burst into tears, "Sixth Senior Brother, how could you say such a thing? I just feel sorry for you. How could I possibly harm you?"
"I don't need your pity. I have a senior sister, and I want a senior sister!"
"Yuan Ce!"
Mo Hannian's face darkened. "Junior Sister was just trying to comfort you. You've gone too far."
Lu Ziting suppressed his grief and said, "That's right, A-Li's life or death is uncertain, we should cherish the person in front of us even more. How can you take your anger out on Ying'er? Quickly apologize to Ying'er."
Yuan Ce, who was always rebellious, was roused by their words and declared, "I won't apologize! I'm going to find my senior sister, I'm going to bring her back!"
"Yuan Ce!"
Lu Ziting couldn't stop him, nor did he have the strength to do so.
He took a deep breath and looked at Wen Yao, "Until we find A Li, I will keep her inner core safe."
As he reached out to take it, Wen Yao shook off his hand, saying, "You and A-Li have already broken off your engagement, so what right do you have to keep A-Li's inner core?"
Lu Ziting's face darkened. "I haven't told her in person yet, so I'm still her fiancé. No one is more qualified than me to safeguard her inner core!"
"Oh, fiancé?"
Wen Yao laughed, staring intently at Lu Ziting. "Do you remember me saying I saw Ah Li's ghost?"
"Do you think she might be right here among us, right in front of you, looking at you?"
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