Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

Dong Xuan'er was furious after being rejected by Murong Fan several times. In the entire Yellow Maple Valley, with her background, experience, and seductive skills, almost no man could resist her allure. Murong Fan's charm and self-control gradually transformed her initial jealousy and teasing into attraction and affection. However, Murong Fan's rejections caused her to lose face in Yellow Maple Valley. Therefore, with the mentality of "If I can't have him, neither can you," she began her next plan.

She knew that she might not be able to completely defeat this meticulous junior brother who was making rapid progress in cultivation on her own, so she turned her attention to Lu Yunfeng, who also harbored resentment towards Murong Fan.

Lu Yunfeng already harbored deep hatred for Murong Fan because of the Foundation Establishment Pill he gave to Chen Qiaoqian. He was also jealous of Murong Fan's talent and the high regard that Elder Hongfu and Elder Linghu held for him. The two hit it off and secretly formed an alliance, vowing to ruin Murong Fan's reputation and ensure that he would never be able to recover.

Dong Xuan'er, quick-witted, soon devised a vicious plan. She whispered to Lu Yunfeng, "Murong Fan values ​​Master Hongfu's trust and reputation most. Let's attack those two points, and he'll be speechless!" A sinister glint flashed in Lu Yunfeng's eyes: "What brilliant plan do you have, Senior Sister?" Dong Xuan'er sneered and whispered her instructions in his ear. Lu Yunfeng nodded repeatedly, grinning maliciously, "Excellent! This plan is brilliant! Murong Fan is doomed this time!"

Having finalized their plan, the two began to act separately. Dong Xuan'er, using her identity as the daughter of Elder Hong Fu, frequently made subtle inquiries to Elder Hong Fu.

She first casually mentioned that Murong Fan's cultivation was progressing too quickly and that his foundation might be unstable, then "worriedly" said, "Mother, it is certainly gratifying that Junior Brother has such cultivation at such a young age, but he seems to be arrogant. A few days ago, some outer disciples complained that Junior Brother was stealing the cultivation resources they had worked so hard to obtain."

Elder Hongfu initially didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a childish squabble, and casually said, "Fan'er is calm and composed, he shouldn't be like this, it's probably a misunderstanding." Seeing that her mother didn't believe her, Dong Xuan'er stopped talking, only sneered inwardly, waiting for the right moment.

Meanwhile, Lu Yunfeng used his sect's connections to secretly spread rumors, claiming that Murong Fan's Foundation Establishment without the Golden Core technique was actually achieved by using evil forbidden arts, sacrificing his potential for a temporary boost, and even that his cultivation aura was strange, suggesting he might have fallen into the demonic path.

These rumors spread like a plague in Huangfeng Valley through private discussions among the disciples. Many disciples who originally admired Murong Fan gradually began to look at him with complicated feelings, filled with suspicion and wariness.

That day, Elder Hongfu was meditating in her quiet room when Dong Xuan'er rushed in, looking flustered. She knelt down with a thud and cried uncontrollably, "Mother! Help!" Elder Hongfu's heart tightened when she saw her beloved daughter like this. "Xuan'er, what happened?" Dong Xuan'er's eyes were filled with tears. "Mother, it's Junior Brother Murong Fan! He... he... he..." She broke down in tears as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Elder Hongfu's face darkened: "What did Fan'er do to you?" Dong Xuan'er sobbed: "Just now I went to the Tranquil Cave to persuade my junior brother not to use forbidden techniques, but who knew he would have such malicious intentions towards me, making lewd remarks and even trying to hit me! If I hadn't fought back with all my might, I would have lost my innocence today!" As she spoke, she revealed the faint scratches on her arm—"evidence" that she had prepared in advance. The scratches were fresh and realistically shaped.

Just then, Lu Yunfeng appeared outside the quiet room and shouted, "Elder Hongfu! This disciple has urgent news to report! It concerns Junior Brother Murong Fan practicing evil arts and harming fellow disciples!" Elder Hongfu, already troubled by Dong Xuan'er's cries, was even more enraged upon hearing Lu Yunfeng's shout and said in a deep voice, "Come in!"

Lu Yunfeng entered the quiet room and saw Dong Xuan'er kneeling and weeping. He said with grief and indignation, "Elder! What I said is true! Murong Fan not only practices forbidden techniques, but he is also wicked! A few days ago, I personally witnessed him secretly entering the forbidden area behind the mountain. When he came out, he exuded an evil aura. Outer disciples Zhao Hu and others were cruelly murdered and their bodies dumped in the wilderness simply because they caught him practicing forbidden techniques!"

"What?!" Elder Hongfu stood up abruptly, her anger blazing. The forbidden area in the back mountain was the ancestral master's place of seclusion, strictly forbidden for disciples to enter, let alone practice evil arts or harm fellow disciples! Dong Xuan'er cried, "Mother, what Junior Brother Lu Yunfeng said is true! Murong Fan is a demon! I almost..."

Seeing her weeping daughter and the "righteously indignant" Lu Yunfeng, Elder Hongfu, recalling the recent rumors and Dong Xuan'er's previous "warning," instantly shattered her trust in Murong Fan. She roared, "Outrageous! Issue my order: bring Murong Fan to the Hall of Enforcement immediately! I want to interrogate him personally!"

The atmosphere inside the Enforcement Hall was tense. Elder Hongfu sat in the main seat, her face ashen and her gaze piercing. The enforcement disciples on either side of her were solemn, holding their magical weapons, their aura imposing.

Murong Fan was "invited" into the hall by two law enforcement disciples. He remained calm and clear-eyed, showing no sign of panic in the face of such a scene.

"Murong Fan, do you know your crime?" Elder Hongfu's voice was icy, filled with barely suppressed anger.

Murong Fan bowed slightly: "This disciple does not know what crime I have committed, please enlighten me, Master."

"You don't know?" Elder Hongfu slammed her hand on the table, knocking over the teacup and splashing tea across the surface. "You dare say you don't know! Xuan'er, tell me what just happened again!"

Dong Xuan'er stepped out from behind Elder Hongfu, still with tears streaming down her face. Pointing at Murong Fan, she trembled as she recounted the ordeal of being "harassed" in the Tranquil Cave. Tears streamed down her face, and the scratches on her arms seemed like irrefutable evidence.

Murong Fan listened attentively to Dong Xuan'er's accusations, and calmly replied after she finished speaking: "Master, please understand. This disciple has been consolidating my cultivation in the Meditation Cave all day and has never met Senior Sister Dong before. How could you accuse me of having ulterior motives?"

"You still dare to deny it!" Dong Xuan'er's voice was shrill as she pointed to the wounds on her body. "Are these injuries fake? If you hadn't tried to take advantage of me, how could I have been injured?"

"I do not know the origin of Senior Sister's injuries," Murong Fan said calmly, "but I swear to heaven that I had no physical contact with Senior Sister today. If I am lying, I am willing to accept punishment according to the sect rules!"

Lu Yunfeng suddenly stepped forward: "Elder! This disciple testifies! Murong Fan's recent behavior has been strange; the rumors of him practicing forbidden techniques are not unfounded! This disciple personally witnessed him emerge from the forbidden area behind the mountain, his body radiating an extremely heavy evil aura! The deaths of outer sect disciples Zhao Hu and the others are definitely related to him!"

"The forbidden area in the back mountain? Murder of fellow disciples?" Murong Fan's eyes turned cold. "Senior Brother Lu needs evidence to back up his claims. When and where did you see this? Is there any corroborating evidence? Where are Zhao Hu and the others' bodies?"

Lu Yunfeng's eyes flickered, but he forced himself to remain calm: "I am the witness! That day, while gathering herbs in the back mountain, I personally saw him sneaking out from the direction of the forbidden area. Zhao Hu and the others must have already had their bodies disposed of!"

"Nonsense!" Murong Fan retorted. "The forbidden area is heavily guarded; how could a disciple sneak in? I have never met Zhao Hu and the others before; how could there be any talk of them harming me?"

Elder Hongfu's anger subsided slightly as both sides presented conflicting accounts. Murong Fan was usually calm and composed, but Xuan'er was crying bitterly, and Lu Yunfeng spoke with absolute certainty. She frowned, unable to make a decision for the moment.

"Master," Murong Fan stepped forward, "It's inevitable that my rapid progress in cultivation has attracted criticism, but I am utterly loyal to the sect and have never done anything to disgrace it. Senior Sister Dong and Senior Brother Lu are maliciously framing me; please investigate thoroughly!"

Dong Xuan'er cried out urgently, "Mother! He's just a smooth talker! If he wasn't guilty, why wouldn't he admit it? You must stand up for your daughter!"

Lu Yunfeng chimed in, "Elder! Murong Fan is a silver-tongued man. For the sake of the sect's safety, his cultivation should be immediately abolished and he should be expelled from the sect to prevent future troubles!"

Murong Fan coldly stared at the two: "Master! This disciple believes that the sect will have its own judgment! If this disciple has made a mistake, I am willing to accept punishment, but if they have maliciously framed me, I also ask Master to punish them!"

Seeing Murong Fan's openness and the anxious expressions of Dong and Lu, Elder Hongfu pondered, "This matter needs to be verified. Murong Fan, you said you were at the Tranquil Heart Cave, are there any witnesses?"

Just as Murong Fan was about to respond, a female voice came from outside the hall: "Disciple Chen Qiaoqian is willing to bear witness for Senior Brother Murong!"

As everyone looked, Chen Qiaoqian, dressed in a simple white dress, strode in and bowed gracefully to Elder Hongfu: "Disciple Chen Qiaoqian greets Senior Uncle."

Elder Hongfu frowned: "Qiaoqian, what evidence do you have?"

Chen Qiaoqian's gaze was firm: "At the end of the hour of Mao (5-7 AM) today, I went to the Tranquil Mind Cave to ask about cultivation difficulties. I saw my senior brother meditating, so I waited outside the cave, left a communication jade talisman, and left. I received a reply from my senior brother at the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) asking me to go again at noon. If my senior brother had done something improper to Senior Sister Dong at the hour of Chen, how could he have had time to reply to the message?"

She took out a communication jade talisman and presented it: "This is my senior brother's reply; the time of the spiritual energy fluctuation can be verified."

Dong Xuan'er's expression changed: "Junior Sister Qiaoqian, don't be fooled! He must be deliberately sending messages to create a false impression!"

Chen Qiaoqian shook her head: "Senior Sister Dong, Senior Brother Murong is an upright person, and his communication jade talisman will not lie."

Elder Hongfu handed the jade talisman to the steward for verification, and the time displayed on the bronze mirror was exactly the same as what Chen Qiaoqian had said.

Elder Hongfu's expression softened slightly, but she still scrutinized Murong Fan: "How do you explain the forbidden area and the matter of harming fellow disciples?"

Murong Fan said, "This disciple has never entered the forbidden area. My foundation-building without the elixir was entirely due to arduous cultivation and fortuitous encounters. I have not fallen into the demonic path. I have never met Zhao Hu and the others. Lu Yunfeng's accusations are baseless. I beg Master to investigate thoroughly!"

Lu Yunfeng said urgently, "Elder! The communication jade talisman was probably prepared in advance! All the disciples know that he practices evil arts! Zhao Hu and the others must have been silenced!"

"Hearsay? To silence them?" Murong Fan sneered. "Does Senior Brother Lu dare to have the so-called 'disciples' confront each other? Have you found the bodies of Zhao Hu and the others? Without evidence, it's slander!"

At this moment, a disciple rushed in: "Elder, outer sect disciples Zhao Hu and others request an audience. They have important matters to report!"

"What?!" Lu Yunfeng was struck dumb, his face turned deathly pale, and he almost collapsed—he never expected that Zhao Hu and the others were still alive!

A fierce glint flashed in Elder Hongfu's eyes: "Let them in!"

A moment later, Zhao Hu and the others, though disheveled but in good spirits, walked in. Seeing the array of the Enforcement Hall and Elder Hong Fu's ashen face, they all trembled with fear.

"Disciple Zhao Hu greets Elder!"

Elder Hongfu's gaze sharpened: "Weren't you all brutally murdered and your bodies dumped in the wilderness by Murong Fan? Why are you here?"

Zhao Hu said blankly, "Elder, please understand! We disciples went with Senior Brother Lu to the back mountain to search for spiritual herbs, but we got lost and encountered a demonic beast, which delayed us for several days. Today, upon returning to the mountain, we heard from Senior Brother Lu that we were harmed by Senior Brother Murong, so we have come to clarify the matter!"

Zhao Hu added, "We were able to return safely thanks to the protective talisman given to us by Senior Brother Lu. I don't know why he said we were harmed?"

The truth is obvious.

Lu Yunfeng was pale and trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Dong Xuan'er turned pale, never expecting the lie to be so easily refuted, with a witness standing right there!

Elder Hongfu's face was gloomy as she looked at Lu Yunfeng and the trembling Dong Xuan'er, her eyes filled with disappointment and anger—her daughter, whom she had painstakingly raised, had actually colluded with others to frame her fellow disciples for personal grudges!

"Dong! Xuan! Er! Lu! Yun! Feng!" Elder Hong Fu enunciated each word with fervor, her anger causing the Enforcement Hall to vibrate. "What else do you have to say?!"

Lu Yunfeng's lips trembled, his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "Elder, spare me! It was all Senior Sister Dong's fault! She bewitched me! I was confused for a moment and that's why..." He was eager to clear himself of any involvement and pushed all the blame onto Dong Xuan'er.

Dong Xuan'er was both shocked and furious. Pointing at Lu Yunfeng, she shouted, "You're talking nonsense! It was clearly you who was insanely jealous of Murong Fan and conspired with me! Now that your scheme has failed, you're trying to pin the blame on me!"

"Enough!" Elder Hongfu roared, her voice filled with exhaustion and heartache. "Even now, you're still shifting blame onto each other! For personal grudges, you've disregarded camaraderie, fabricated facts, framed loyal officials, and nearly destroyed the pillars of our sect! Do you know your crimes?!"

Looking into her mother's cold eyes, Dong Xuan'er felt a chill run down her spine, and tears welled up again, mixed with fear and despair: "Mother... I just like Junior Brother Murong too much... He has rejected me repeatedly, and I couldn't stand it for a moment..."

"Shut up!" Elder Hongfu interrupted her. "You like him? That's selfish! That's despicable!" She took a deep breath to calm herself, her gaze falling on Murong Fan, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "Fan'er, I'm sorry to have wronged you."

Murong Fan shook his head slightly: "Master, you are too kind. I am fine. I am only able to clear my name thanks to your keen insight, and I also thank Junior Sister Qiaoqian and Junior Brother Zhao Hu for speaking up for me." His tone was calm, as if he had not been the one who had just experienced this turmoil.

Elder Hongfu nodded, then turned to Dong Xuan'er and Lu Yunfeng, her eyes regaining their cold and authoritative tone: "Dong Xuan'er, Lu Yunfeng, you have maliciously framed your fellow disciples and violated the sect rules. The evidence is irrefutable! If you are not severely punished today, how can you serve as a warning to others?!"

She paused, then her voice was firm and resolute: "Enforcement Hall, heed my command!"

"Disciples are here!" the disciples on both sides responded in unison.

Lu Yunfeng was stripped of his Foundation Establishment Pill, punished by being made to guard the Hundred Herbs Garden, and forced to apologize to Murong Fan.

Dong Xuan'er spent half a year reflecting on her mistakes in seclusion and copied the rules of Huangfeng Valley a thousand times.

Lu Yunfeng and Dong Xuan'er were not satisfied with Master Hongfu's judgment. They exchanged a glance, as if a new conspiracy was about to brew.

Enjoy reading "A Mortal's Journey to Immortality: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I Prove My Dao Through Sacrifice".