Chapter 42: Ten Thousand Swords Through the Heart

"So, you still want to duel me?" Yun Zimo raised an eyebrow and sneered. "I'm not like Fourth Brother. I won't suppress my cultivation. When dealing with someone as arrogant and disrespectful as you, who bullies their fellow disciples, I won't feel ashamed even if I crush you with my higher cultivation level!"

Yun Zimo was also at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, but he had more treasures than Zhang Hanxiao. While Zhang Hanxiao would spend his spirit stones as soon as he earned them, Yun Zimo would save them. Additionally, he knew a bit about crafting and formations, making him a tough opponent for ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"Third Senior Brother, are you scared?" Li Qingran stared calmly at Yun Zimo.

"Don't try to provoke me. I won't fall for it." He took out a flying sword from his storage bag, his gaze lingering on the Su Xian sword. "Your sword is impressive, but I won't suffer the same fate as Fourth Brother. I have plenty of flying swords!"

Li Qingran didn't respond. Instead, she bowed to Sect Leader Wu Duantian and said loudly, "Sect Leader Wu, the Qingyun Sect upholds the principle that 'good must not be slandered, and evil must not be tolerated.' Slandering others and conspiring to harm fellow disciples are serious crimes. Is this correct?"

Wu Duantian, who had been preoccupied with thoughts of the dantian-restoring pill, was caught off guard by Li Qingran's sudden question. It took him a moment to react. "That is correct."

"Li Qingran, what are you trying to say?! I've never slandered you!" A flicker of panic flashed in Yun Zimo's eyes, though it was barely noticeable.

But he thought he had handled the matter cleanly. Even if questioned, he could simply deny it.

What evidence could Li Qingran possibly have?

Li Qingran glanced at Yun Zimo and continued, "What is the punishment for such crimes?"

Wu Duantian narrowed his eyes and stroked his beard. "For slander and defamation, if the circumstances are minor, the offender will receive a verbal warning from the Enforcement Hall. If the offense is repeated, they will be sent to the Reflection Cliff. For conspiring to harm fellow disciples, if the circumstances are severe and verified, the punishment will be having their tongue cut out, eyes gouged, and molten iron poured into their ears. They will not receive treatment for a month as a warning!"

For cultivators, having their tongue cut out, eyes gouged, and molten iron poured into their ears wasn't an irreversible injury, but the pain was excruciating. Add to that a month of being unable to hear, speak, or see, spending every day in darkness and silence, and it was nothing short of extreme punishment.

After hearing this, Li Qingran bowed again. "The third personal disciple of Chixiao Peak, Yun Zimo, conspired with an outer sect elder to slander and harm a fellow disciple. As a renowned sect, the Qingyun Sect surely won't turn a blind eye to such a matter, will it?"

As soon as these words were spoken, many people's expressions changed. Although Li Qingran didn't explicitly say it, everyone knew what she was implying.

On the surface, Yun Zimo was furious, but his clenched fists betrayed his inner tension. Outer Sect Elder Wang Chuanhe glared at Li Qingran with a venomous look, wishing he could devour her alive. Several outer sect disciples also avoided eye contact, instinctively hiding behind the crowd.

"Scoundrel, you actually did such a thing?!" Daoist Qingxuan slammed the table and stood up, drawing his sword and pointing it at Yun Zimo. His eyes were wide with rage, and his half-black, half-white hair was blown back by the spiritual pressure emanating from his body, making him look like a furious lion.

**[Tsk, I told you to sit down!]**​

From the void, the spiritual sense swept over again, carrying an undeniable authority.

Daoist Qingxuan gritted his teeth, taking three deep breaths before sheathing his sword.

The mysterious cultivator who had helped Li Qingran restore her dantian must have been the one who refined the divine pill. Such a person was at least at the Unity Realm or higher. He couldn't afford to provoke them, nor could all the elders present combined, unless the sect's founder emerged from seclusion…

But the sect's founder was in seclusion to break through his bottleneck. Disturbing him rashly wasn't an option.

He had to endure.

Daoist Qingxuan did his best to suppress the anger in his heart.

Wu Duantian's expression turned serious. As the saying goes, "If the people don't complain, the officials won't investigate." If Li Qingran hadn't spoken up, he would never have known about this matter. But since she had, the situation had become serious.

Under normal circumstances, out of respect for Daoist Qingxuan, he would have chosen to mediate or settle the matter privately.

But today, Li Qingran had an ancient monster standing behind her, whose exact location was still unknown.

Did he dare to brush this off?

Moreover, this was ultimately a headache for Chixiao Peak and Daoist Qingxuan.

Usually, Daoist Qingxuan didn't pay much attention to him as the sect leader.

Today was a perfect opportunity to give Daoist Qingxuan a hard time while also showing goodwill to the powerful figure behind Li Qingran.

He was still hoping to help his personal disciple, Zhao Lingtian, restore his dantian!

"Yun Zimo, is what Li Qingran said true?" Wu Duantian coldly stared at Yun Zimo, his late-stage Nascent Soul aura locking onto him.

Facing that piercing gaze, Yun Zimo felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the consequences if this matter came to light, but he stubbornly insisted, "Sect Leader, please be fair. I've never done such a thing. Li Qingran is slandering me!"

From Yun Zimo's bravado, Wu Duantian could already guess the truth. He then turned to Li Qingran. "As the sect leader of the Qingyun Sect, if you were expelled from the sect because of this matter, I will naturally seek justice for you. But everything requires evidence. Do you have proof?"

Justice?

Li Qingran found it laughable.

Was the justice in Wu Duantian's mouth really for her? No, it was for the senior standing behind her.

Without the senior's protection, she would have gained nothing today.

"This junior naturally has evidence. Before I was expelled from the sect and was packing my things to leave, I found a fellow disciple involved in the matter and offered him one thousand low-grade spirit stones to reveal the mastermind behind it. He thought I was no longer a disciple of the Qingyun Sect and, tempted by the spirit stones, told me everything. That disciple also made me swear to the heavens never to reveal this matter, or else…"

Li Qingran's gaze sharpened as she looked directly at Wu Duantian and the people of Chixiao Peak.

In truth, she could have exposed Yun Zimo before being expelled. But back then, she had still held onto a sliver of hope—hope for the camaraderie of her fellow disciples, hope that one day they would reconcile and she could return to Chixiao Peak. It wasn't until Zhang Hanxiao threw her into that dilapidated hut that she realized—the people of Chixiao Peak were no longer worth her expectations.

**[Senior, Qingran will not let you down!]**​

Her eyes darkened as she silently vowed.

The pain of the past poured out with each word: "...or else, I would suffer the torment of ten thousand swords through my heart!"

As soon as she finished speaking,

Clang—! A phantom sword pierced through her body from behind.

Li Qingran's face turned deathly pale, and a line of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, dripping onto the ground with a soft patter.

Her trembling hand reached up, passing through the phantom sword to clutch her chest. Her body swayed unsteadily, and she could only barely stand by leaning on her sword with her right hand.

Clang, clang, clang—!

More swords materialized from the void and stabbed into her body.

The intense pain felt like countless insects gnawing at her nerves.

"Ugh…"

Large amounts of blood gushed from her mouth and spilled from her seven orifices, leaving shocking stains on the ground.

Yet, she didn't make a sound.

The square in front of the Qingyun Sect's main hall fell into complete silence.

Everyone stared in stunned silence, their hearts trembling.

In less than two breaths, Li Qingran's body was pierced by countless phantom swords, turning her into a living pincushion! The weight of the swords seemed to press her down, her long hair spilling onto the ground, mingling with the blood. She knelt on one knee, her frail body barely able to stay upright.

Mysterious Daoist scriptures swirled around the swords.

Ten thousand swords through the heart.

The Daoist oath had been fulfilled before everyone's eyes.