The improved female villains regained their memories.

Just as she thought that, a beam of light shot straight into the sky!

The girl stared blankly at the light that tore through the flock of crows; it was the last glimmer of light belonging to the righteous path.

The light shone brightly, piercing the heavens and the earth, dispelling the darkness and halting the charge of the lord of the crows.

"Who is it!?" The light and aura were overwhelming, and the Lord of the Crows was terrified. He never expected that there would be such a master in the city lord's mansion.

“Master, you once said that this move is a forbidden technique and should never be used except at the critical moment. I asked you what the critical moment was, and you said I would know when the time came.” Zhi Xinghan gripped the sword in his hand tightly: “Now I know.”

The critical moment is the time to sacrifice for the righteous path.

Zhi Xinghan's master was a strange man with pink hair. He had a serious illness and was already very weak when he found Zhi Xinghan.

Despite his physical limitations, he raised Zhi Xinghan to adulthood. On his deathbed, looking at Zhi Xinghan, who was weeping beside him, he said:

"The forbidden killing move that your master taught you - Righteousness Endures Forever - is a killing move that sacrifices one's own life force to improve one's realm. It must never be used unless it is absolutely necessary."

"Master, what is a critical moment?"

You'll find out later.

The light grew brighter and brighter, and the crows cried out in agony as they turned to ashes. The cultivators from the affected cultivation center momentarily forgot their panic and stared in shock at the scene before them.

No one expected this man to step forward.

The city lord's mansion was a mixed bag, and Zhi Xinghan was not well-liked there. The city lord disliked him, his colleagues ostracized him, and apart from a few followers who had received favors from him, everyone thought he was rigid, stubborn, and lacked social skills.

"The city lord hinted that he should do something, but he didn't. I really don't know if he's genuinely unaware or just pretending."

"There are only a few spots available for recommending someone to the Kongling Sect. If he doesn't cherish them, this is probably where he'll end up."

"Being too stubborn won't get you far."

Those past voices echoed in his memories. Zhi Xinghan chuckled softly, bathed in light, and slowly rose, clad in white, his sword pointing at the Lord of the Crows: "Junior Zhi Xinghan, I request to fight."

The battlefield was silent.

The young girl was also moved.

She looked at Zhi Xinghan and, for some reason, felt as if she were seeing another version of herself.

"Hahahaha, I sense your life force is decreasing. So that's it. You're relying on some kind of forbidden killing technique to increase your strength." The Lord of the Crows laughed: "Aren't forbidden killing techniques universally despised in the righteous path? How could someone like you actually know them?"

He opened his large hand, and the crows surged out again, rushing towards Zhi Xinghan.

With a single swing of his sword, Zhi Xinghan annihilated them all.

"What!" The Lord of the Crows was shocked. He had never seen a forbidden killing move before; this was the first time he had ever seen one.

This move exhausted all of Zhi Xinghan's life force, but it also gave him the strength of a Celestial Immortal.

Moreover, since he was already dead, Zhi Xinghan could ignore any injury, no matter how serious.

The Lord of the Crows was both shocked and furious, unleashing all his deadly moves, which Zhi Xinghan gritted his teeth and endured.

He gripped the sword tightly, waiting for the final moment when the light would gather.

Finally, the light was compressed to its limit and concentrated entirely within the blade.

"Walking the righteous path brings no regrets, a gentle breeze caresses my face. The lamp of my heart illuminates the road ahead, I rely on this frail body to forge ahead." Zhi Xinghan smiled slightly, reciting the poem calmly.

His life, his ideals, his ambitions—all were condensed into the next sword strike.

The next moment, sword energy soared into the sky.

This terrifying sword strike was earth-shattering, and even contained a trace of Dao.

The traces of the righteous path.

"The Great Dao's Mark? How is that possible? The righteous path can also create the Great Dao's Mark!" The Lord of the Crows was almost driven mad. That was the Great Dao's Mark; even a single trace of it was enough to make a celestial being's soul fly away.

The sword energy tore through the sky, causing mountains to collapse and the earth to split, before entering the body of the Lord of the Crows.

Then, a burst of light erupted!

The City Lord's Mansion, Yunxi City, the righteous path, the demonic path, all people and things were submerged in light.

Lan Xiu scooped up the girl in his arms at top speed and entered the secret passage at the last moment.

Devastating!

After the light faded, the City Lord's Mansion and Yunxi City were completely reduced to ruins.

Zhi Xinghan's body dissipated in the air and shattered completely.

"Hahahaha, I'm still alive! I'm still alive! My life means your deaths!" From the ruins and rubble, the Lord of the Crows emerged, half his body obliterated, covered in blood, laughing maniacally: "The Mark of the Great Dao, indeed the Mark of the Great Dao! It's just a pity your original strength was too weak, not even a true Earth Immortal. The forcibly enhanced power was ultimately lacking. But you annihilated most of my soul, that's enough, you've had your fill!"

His gaze swept over the remaining righteous people and women, children and the elderly in the ruins, and he opened his arms.

"Since you care so much about these people, then let them all die!"

The secret passage of the city lord's mansion leads to a dense forest on the outskirts of the city. After Lan Xiu and the girl came out, they ran away desperately.

Unfortunately, the place was already surrounded by the Demonic Cult. The secret passage of the City Lord's Mansion was no secret at all, and they were surrounded as soon as they came out.

“That girl looks exactly like the portrait; she is the person the cult leader wants.”

"Grab them!"

More and more members of the demonic cult surrounded them, gradually forming an encirclement.

Knowing she couldn't escape, the girl glanced at Lan Xiu and made up her mind: "Sister Lan Xiu, they're looking for me. If we split up, our chances of escaping will be much greater."

"How can this be!" Lan Xiu said, still not giving up hope even in dire straits: "You know they're after you. If we split up, they'll all be drawn to you."

"That's perfect, Sister Lanxiu. It's time to repay your kindness to me." With that, the girl stopped running away.

"What nonsense are you talking about now!" Seeing the girl stop, Lan Xiu also stopped. She was both surprised and angry, and said, "When did you ever owe me a favor?"

"On the first day we met, you gave me food."

"What kind of favor is that? I just did it on a whim!"

“That’s enough, boss,” the girl said softly.

Ten years can change many people, but the girl hasn't changed.

Perhaps the girl and Zhi Xinghan were the same kind of people: stubborn and obstinate.

Tears welled up in Lan Xiu's eyes as he cursed, "You and Zhi Xinghan are both the same kind of bastards."

She cursed, but then her voice trembled: "You have to live."

“I know.” The girl nodded. “Boss, you too.”

She wanted to tell Lan Xiu the truth about what happened back then, the real killer in that murder case, but now, the girl couldn't say it.

"Let the truth remain buried," the girl thought, watching Lan Xiu's retreating figure.

She gripped her sword tightly and turned to face the pursuing demonic cultivator.

She repaid Lan Xiu's kindness.

There's one more person who hasn't reported yet.

"Master," she murmured.

Whether she lives or dies, she will go find him.

-------------

The sunlight shone down on this devastated land.

The stone steps leading to the Kongling Sect were covered in blood. From Yunxi City to the Kongling Sect, the aftermath of the great battle left behind a scene of utter carnage.

From then on, a scar was left on the earth.

The girl, covered in wounds, was being carried by the demonic cultivators as they walked step by step toward the Kongling Sect.

The winding stone steps lead straight to the top of the mountain. On both sides of the steps, the ancient pines and cypresses have all been broken and burned. Several crows perch on the charred branches. Occasionally, a mountain breeze blows by, but it can no longer bring people that sense of tranquility and peace. All that remains is a chilling feeling.

All the buildings on the mountaintop were destroyed—the main hall, side rooms, lecture hall, and so on. Thick black smoke rose into the sky, obscuring the sun.

The statue of the ancestor still stands there, but it is covered with corpses, and the pool below it is stained red and smells of decay.

In the square, all the members of the Demonic Cult had gathered, including Xiao Qitian, Song Ming, and the Lord of the Crows... The center of the square was surrounded by the Demonic Cult members in a circle, like a fighting arena.

After the girl was brought here, the demonic cultivators who were escorting her untied her and then pushed her so that she stood in this circle.

What is this for?

She looked around. She recognized Xiao Qitian, who was her master's eldest disciple. She had also met the Lord of the Crows. After looking around, she realized that many of the familiar faces were former disciples of the Void Spirit Sect.

...Have they all betrayed us?

Her gaze fell on Xiao Qitian, who was being supported by the crowd in the center; clearly, he was the mastermind behind it all.

What does he want to do?

Boom!

The girl felt her heart skip a beat.

A bad feeling, a very bad feeling.

She looked at Xiao Qitian, who noticed her looking at him, chuckled, and pointed upwards.

........above?

above.......

She stared blankly for a moment, then slowly raised her head.

Thick black smoke rose, forming dark clouds that obscured the sun and everything else in the world. Once the sun disappeared, darkness would descend upon the world.

...The sun has indeed disappeared.

A chill spread through the girl's body, a gust of wind rose, her pupils dilated involuntarily, and her heart and blood stopped flowing simultaneously.

The statue of the patriarch was covered with corpses—the corpses of the Kongling Sect's leader and his wife, the corpses of various elders of the Kongling Sect, and...

...The master's corpse.

He hung at the very top, his skin empty beneath; when the wind blew, he looked hollow, like a teru teru bozu (a Japanese doll shaped like a sunny day).

All sound disappeared, and darkness enveloped the girl.

The sun disappeared.