The grand hall was dead silent.
Everyone ignored Ye Qingyun, who had continued to hide behind a perfect façade yet was, in truth, the real mastermind behind everything. Now that the full sequence of events had been revealed, fury burned in every heart. Even the Sect Master, whose emotions hadn’t fluctuated in years, was visibly livid.
“In the end, it all started because you foolishly stole the companion plant of that demonic beast, which enraged it!”
“Gu Han was severely wounded and fell unconscious because he risked his life to protect you, yet the moment you woke up, your first instinct was to claim he fled and abandoned everyone!”
“Now that the truth is out, do you realize your mistake!?”
“I… I didn’t know…” Liu Ruyan, unable to control her emotions, clutched her head in agony as large tears fell from her eyes. “I was unconscious… I really didn’t know what happened later…”
Hearing this only made everyone even angrier.
Damn it, if you didn’t know what happened, how could you have confidently accused Gu Han of abandoning you?
You were adamant and assertive when providing false testimony, but now that the truth has surfaced, you pretend to know nothing. From beginning to end, all you’ve done is dodge responsibility!
The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall looked at Liu Ruyan with nothing but contempt. They had long known she was the type to avoid accountability. Back then, when she caused trouble, it had been Gu Han who took the blame for her. Not only did she accept it without guilt, but she even acted like she had done nothing wrong. People like her—who take others’ kindness for granted—were the most disgusting of all!
“Enough. There’s no need to keep blaming Ruyan…”
Mu Bailing, who had remained pale and silent throughout the entire ordeal, suddenly stepped forward and shielded the collapsing Liu Ruyan.
“After all, she has a mental condition… She often acts without proper judgment…”
Her true concern was clear. Gu Han had now entered the Demon Suppression Tower, his fate uncertain. As heartbroken as she was, she couldn’t bear to see her other disciple being crushed by waves of blame and sinking into overwhelming despair.
The elders of the sect knew how painful this situation was for Mu Bailing, who had once been Gu Han’s master. But even so, most of them were still filled with fury.
“Hmph! So now you want to protect her?”
“Everyone in the sect knows—there’s no one Gu Han respected more than you!”
“He saw you as a beacon of hope, yet you were the one who cast him into despair! You forced him into the Demon Suppression Tower, to die just to prove his innocence!”
“And now you stand there with this pathetic look on your face. I feel sick just looking at you!”
“The person you owe an apology to the most is Gu Han!”
The Grand Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall was a fiery-tempered man. Ignoring the attempts of the other elders to calm him, he lashed out at Mu Bailing with harsh, piercing words, every sentence cutting deep into her heart. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Especially when she thought about her disciple’s back—utterly hopeless as he walked into the Demon Suppression Tower—every breath brought her pain.
“Enough. What matters now is to publicly announce the truth and cause of this incident to all disciples.”
Sword Master Tai Xu’s voice also trembled with suppressed anger as he issued the order.
The elders understood the urgency of the situation and quickly left the main hall to personally deliver the announcement across the sect.
And as they passed by Liu Ruyan, who sat on the ground sobbing in shame, many of them wanted nothing more than to slap her across the face.
Not only was she the one who caused this mess, but after everything came to light, she still insisted she didn’t remember anything. Yet she had been the first to accuse Gu Han of abandoning them—without a shred of evidence. If it hadn’t been for this brainless idiot’s false testimony, Gu Han wouldn’t have ended up in such a terrible position.
Of course, when an avalanche comes, not a single snowflake is innocent.
There were also the other disciples—those who were ordered to retreat at the very beginning by Gu Han and who had survived the ordeal untouched.
Gu Han had saved them by acting swiftly, giving them the chance to escape the demonic beast. But when things turned sour, not one of them stood up to defend him. They all chose silence. A bunch of ungrateful fools!
…
Soon, under the direct announcement of the elders, the truth finally spread throughout the sect.
“I always said Senior Brother Gu wasn’t that kind of person! I once had the honor of accompanying him on a secret realm trial. He was gentle and principled—there’s no way he would abandon his fellow disciples in danger!”
“Honestly, you make me sick. Back when Senior Brother was in trouble, you were the one spreading rumors that he was a sanctimonious hypocrite. Where do you get the nerve to speak now?” The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
“I didn’t know either, alright? Who would’ve thought gentle and kind Junior Sister Liu would turn out like this? To slander Senior Brother without knowing the full story… it’s despicable!”
Of course, the disdain wasn’t only directed at Liu Ruyan. The other disciples—those who had been saved by Gu Han yet remained silent when he was being wronged—were just as detestable.
If only someone had stepped forward back then, this tragedy could’ve been avoided.
None of them were innocent.
“Today I’m going to demand an explanation from those traitorous fools! Ungrateful cowards!”
…
Meanwhile, Ye Qingyun, who was on his way back to his cultivation cave, had also heard whispers of the sect’s current situation.
Although the matter was related to him, his involvement had been so well hidden that almost no one suspected him. All the blame and consequences had been dumped onto Liu Ruyan. He merely reaped the rewards, sitting back as everything unfolded in his favor.
As for Liu Ruyan, he wasn’t worried. He had his ways to keep her under control.
He wasn’t worried about the other two Senior Sisters either. He had already prepared what to say if anything came up. From beginning to end, he had never left any evidence linking himself to the incident.
Still, some precautions were necessary. He would make sure this wouldn’t affect his reputation within the sect.
…
At that moment, deep within the Demon Suppression Tower, Gu Han was unaware of the storm raging outside.
Inside the tower, the ancient runes had fully awakened, intertwining to form unique divine patterns. At the very center of these countless runes, a hidden and inwardly-locking bronze gate slowly emerged.
“This must be the gate to the nineteenth floor…”
After taking a few deep breaths, Gu Han didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the bronze handle and gave it a powerful pull.