The sword seller, dressed in red, deserves applause for the prankster.

Upon closer inspection, the shadow drawn by the black mist in front of him had a face so beautiful it was almost androgynous. It was clear-eyed yet possessed beautiful features, and its entire body exuded an aura of fear that sent chills down one's spine.

His eyes remained fixed straight ahead; clearly, this was not a real person, but a residual image of power.

This is a residual image of Rong Yue's power.

The first words that appeared alongside the afterimage were: "Chi Miao, seeing this image is like seeing me. Do you still remember the favor you owed me?"

One sentence was enough to bring all of Chi Miao's thoughts back to reality.

"I remember."

Of course she remembered that when she first entered Thunder Punishment Peak, Yan Ge imprisoned her in the dungeon because Rong Yue was there and seemed to have a way to help her prolong her life.

Rong Yue did not disappoint. He taught her the "Divine Demon Mind-Breaking Observation Method," which constantly tempered her mental strength. Even the curse extended her lifespan, which was originally less than two years, allowing her to live to this day and have more opportunities to improve her lifespan limit.

It can be said that without Rong Yue, there would be no Chi Miao as we know her today, and Chi Miao would never have lived past eighteen!

The deal made at the time was that Chi Miao would owe Rong Yue a favor, which he could ask for at any time.

Rong Yue: "Now is the time for you to fulfill your promise. I'm going to use this favor."

Chi Miao's face instantly became serious and earnest.

She would listen carefully to every word of Rong Yue's request, after all, her favor was well worth it!

When Rong Yue said this, it seemed that he had a lot of emotions bottled up inside, which caused him to not know where to start at first. He paused for a while before speaking:

"Do you still remember when my master, Yunmo, and I ventured outside the circle to search for the Xuan You Grass? After Yunmo was controlled by Wenren Yin and killed my master, she begged me to kill her the moment she regained her senses."

"Looking at my dying master and my junior sister, whom I grew up with and whom I killed with my own hands, I had no choice but to fall into the trap of a chance encounter I had once had—ghost cultivation."

"The souls of those I kill will not be reincarnated immediately, nor will they be completely destroyed. They will enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls Returning to Origin. As long as they have enough soul power to nourish them and find a suitable body, they will eventually be able to be resurrected."

"Therefore, I finished off my master with my own hands and disappeared for a long time. During the time I disappeared, I killed thousands of living beings to resurrect my master and bring him back to Nine Swords Mountain."

"After returning, having failed to find the Mysterious Nether Grass, we could only watch helplessly as our junior brothers and sisters perished tragically under the influence of that incomplete cultivation technique. I was unwilling to accept this, so I killed them with my own hands!"

"None of my junior brothers and sisters who I killed at Thunder Punishment Peak are truly dead. Their souls are still waiting to be nourished and rejuvenated within the Myriad Souls Returning to Origin Banner."

"After killing them, I was branded a traitor of Nine Swords Mountain, a disgrace to the cultivation world, and wanted by all cultivators in Miaohua Continent. My goal was achieved—now, whoever tries to kill me, I can do so openly and legitimately, using their souls to replenish the souls of my fellow disciples!"

"But before I could gather enough soul power, my master personally captured me and brought me back... Actually, I know that sending me back to the Thunder Punishment Peak prison was to protect me."

"So I stopped struggling, until you appeared... I've always wanted to wait for you to become strong enough to bring our brothers and sisters from Thunder Punishment Peak back to the mortal realm for me... for Nine Swords Mountain!"

When Chi Miao heard this, he felt deafened. He never expected that Rong Yue's madness back then had been brewing such a big scheme!

Is he a sinner?

He was, because she couldn't bring herself to say that all the living beings he killed when he resurrected Yan Ge deserved to die, that life shouldn't be so easily exchanged, nor should it be exploited in this way.

But did he really do something completely wrong?

not at all.

One wrong step leads to another. The nature of all living beings is selfish. As the most important thing in Rong Yue's bloodline, he would do anything for everyone on Thunder Punishment Peak of Nine Swords Mountain.

Even if it's infamous, even if everyone hates it!

Who is right and who is wrong? That's too naive—what Rong Yue wanted from beginning to end was for everyone on Thunder Punishment Peak to survive!

He didn't want to see his fellow disciples, whom he considered family, die from such an undeserved calamity as the incompleteness of their cultivation techniques!

For this, he bears all the sins!

For this, he was willing to ruin his own future and destroy that upright and outstanding top genius!

From the moment he made the decision.

There is no more sword cultivator Rong Yue in the world, only walking corpses who walk this world in order to revive their fellow disciples!

The others gasped in disbelief, their minds reeling. Jin Shengfei and Ying Wuhuo's eyes also turned red.

"I never imagined... that this was the reason he committed such a colossal mistake."

People criticize Rong Yue.

But aside from those who died innocently at Rong Yue's hands, who can truly condemn Rong Yue?

After the departure of an important person, and seeing other important people die one after another due to undeserved calamities, who can truly sit idly by and wait for death?

If they were in Rong Yue's shoes, would they necessarily have handled the situation better than Rong Yue?

Should I choose the world, or the person I love?

No one can make the choice for Rong Yue, and no one can put themselves in Rong Yue's shoes!

In particular... all of them owed some debt of gratitude to Rong Yue for saving them with great effort.

The truth was truly chilling. The children remained silent for a long time, and Chi Miao, with tears welling in her eyes, forced herself to look up at Rong Yue.

He must have been so tired, bearing all of this alone for so long.

Unfortunately, the Rong Yue before him was only an afterimage; his true form had probably already returned to the Myriad Souls Returning to Origin Banner. The afterimage could only mechanically perform the words and actions he left behind.

"You've seen the situation now. Nine Swords Mountain was destroyed. In the end, at my suggestion, the Supreme Elder used the Myriad Souls Returning Banner to collect all the souls of everyone."

"I've calculated that if you kill everyone in the Immortal Alliance, your soul power will be enough to revive them all, including my fellow disciples and brothers from Thunder Punishment Peak."

"They destroyed my homeland, annihilated my sect, and slaughtered my fellow citizens of Nine Swords Mountain. They are not innocent. Killing them will not stain your hands with sin. I know this is like a fantasy, and I understand that it far exceeds the favor I have done for you. So even if you refuse, it doesn't matter, but—"

thump!

Rong Yue's fading image knelt before Chi Miao, his eyes bloodshot, his expression contorted with grievance, his eyes reddening, and tears welling up in his eyes.

He shouted through gritted teeth:

"I still beg you, one day... remember Nine Swords Mountain, remember your sect, remember your compatriots!"

"I still beg you, save them! I will never forget your kindness!"

Snapped!

As soon as she finished speaking, Rong Yue kowtowed fiercely to the person in front of her.

He didn't want it anymore... dignity, life, strength, he didn't want anything.

He staked everything he had, humbly begging Chi Miao to grant him this outrageous request.

All he wanted was for everyone to survive!