Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

The secret of the sworn brotherhood of the thirty-six men, arranged by Zhang Huaiyi, was revealed at a small inn, and with telegrams and telephones as the medium of communication, it spread throughout the country in just one day.

That evening, when the leaders of the various sects that were implicated received this devastating news, their minds went blank, followed by extreme anger.

In the Tang Clan's council hall, Tang Bingwen, usually so composed, now had a livid face, with even more ferocious veins appearing on his aged face, and his right hand, holding the letter, trembled violently.

Looking at the names of the thirty-six people on the list, especially the two disciples he had painstakingly cultivated who might inherit the position of sect leader in the future, Tang Bingwen was filled with rage, and his single eye was filled with a terrifying fierce light.

Especially Dong Chang, who told him to rest assured before leaving, but now he has become sworn brothers with the assassination target.

This absurd outcome will not only drive many members of the sect who have a grudge against Quanxing crazy, but if word gets out, the reputation that the Tang Sect's ancestors have built with their lives will likely become a laughing stock and be condemned by everyone.

Hong Ye, Tang Jian, and Yang Lie, who were drinking tea with them, were seeing their sect leader's out-of-control expression for the first time. They all felt a chill in their hearts and knew that something was wrong.

"Master, what's wrong?"

Master Hong was a generation older than Tang Bingwen, and when the other younger generation dared not ask, he inquired about the details.

"Two traitors have emerged from within our sect..."

When Tang Bingwen said those words, his heart was breaking.

The news came from Xiaozhan, so it's reliable. Given the current situation, all the other sects should know by now. Xu Xin and Dong Chang have caused a huge mess, and he's so worried about how to resolve it.

When Master Hong took the letter from Tang Bingwen, his face darkened as he read the contents, his expression as oppressive as the clouds before a storm.

"......"

"Master Hong?"

Tang Jian asked tentatively, but the barely suppressed anger of his two elders intensified his unease.

"Xu Xin, Dong Chang... those two bastards have gone and become sworn brothers with Wugensheng of Quanxing. What about those fellow disciples who died at the hands of Quanxing? What have they done with them?"

"boom!"

Master Hong was so angry that he slapped the mahogany tea table hard, making the teacups make a crisp sound.

"what?!"

Tang Jian and Yang Lie both had solemn expressions, almost unable to believe it, but the two elders' murderous gazes made them realize that things had reached a point of no return.

Their senior and junior brothers have joined forces with the Quanxing sect.

Chapter 186 Breaking off friendship and righteousness

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely solemn, as if time had stood still.

Yang Lie's first thought was that the two men's actions were tantamount to an open declaration of war against the San Yi Sect.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that the feud between Wugensheng, Quanxing, and Sanyimen has reached a point of no return. How will outsiders view the sworn brotherhood between Xu Xin and Dong Chang? Does this represent the intentions of the Tang Clan?

The Shadow Bamboo Society, Sinful Sand, and Myriad Thoughts Hand, which had expanded rapidly in previous years, were almost completely uprooted after getting into a conflict with the Trinity Sect. All the leaders died, and now they have been removed from the mainland.

With the Tang Clan's current strength, it is far inferior to the combined strength of these three assassination forces. If the Sanyi Sect were to hold them accountable, the Tang Clan would likely be unable to withstand the immense pressure.

"There's a reason for this, Sect Leader..."

Tang Jian wanted to speak up for his two junior brothers, but his heart was heavy.

Even without anyone intervening, he felt as if his throat was blocked by a heavy object, making it difficult to speak up in their defense. In the end, he had no choice but to change the subject:

"Please allow me to go and detain these two men, and interrogate them thoroughly."

Before Tang Bingwen could respond, Master Hong immediately frowned and rejected the idea:

"Foolish! How can you go alone?!"

"Leaving aside the two wicked ones, what is the current situation? If they are colluding with other demons, do you think they will let you take the person away so easily?"

Yang Lie slowly analyzed: "Uncle Jian, you really can't go on this. Now we should think of a way to bring the two of them back and discuss it further."

"The forces involved are not just ours, but also the Huode Sect, Yanwu Hall, Tianshi Mansion... They all have good relations with the Sanyi Sect, not to mention they have all joined the wartime alliance."

"If we talk things out properly, there should be room for maneuver."

"Let's see how these sects handle this first. We'll try our best to imprison Xu Xin and Dong Chang before the results are out. We need to find out whether to kill them or let them live. The most important thing is to find out what happened. If they were tricked by some demon and forced to form a sworn brotherhood to survive, then it's understandable."

Yang Lie's mind was frighteningly calm. He wasn't speaking up for the two men, but rather offering his suggestions from the perspective of protecting the best interests of the Tang Clan.

Tang Bingwen felt deeply disappointed, as if all his strength had been drained. Rather than becoming sworn brothers with the demon, the old man would rather his two disciples had died accidentally during the cultivation of the Pill Devouring Technique.

“Tang Jian..…”

"Send out carrier pigeons, make sure to find them, and say... I'm seriously ill and want to see them."

Tang Bingwen felt utterly exhausted, and as he closed his eyes slightly, he thought of the many disciples who had died because of Quanxing. Those familiar faces filled him with shame.

As the head of the sect and as the master, he failed in his duty by not properly supervising his disciples...

"Yes, I'll go right away." Tang Jian nodded, stood up, left the hall, and went to arrange the carrier pigeons for communication.

A sense of frustration welled up in Tang Bingwen's chest, causing him to remain silent for a long time.

At that moment, he vaguely understood what had caused his unease six months ago.

From beginning to end, we should never have let those two wicked children out, causing such a disaster that has implicated our disciples.

.......

Inside a study at Jishetang, the lights were bright.

A beautifully dressed figure was kneeling on the ground, head bowed, her face silent and haggard, not uttering a word.

On the maple bench in front of him sat a middle-aged man with thinning hair and an overweight figure. His usual amiable demeanor was gone, and his cold gaze fell on the creed he was holding, then suddenly turned to Duanmu Ying kneeling on the ground, his teeth almost grinding in hatred.

"Was this your own choice, or were you coerced by the devil?"

Master Liu suppressed the anger threatening to spiral out of control within him, still giving this wicked disciple one last chance, hoping she could confess the truth and repent, as it was not too late.

As a master, even when his disciple gets into trouble, he remains soft-hearted and tries to protect him even if it means gritting his teeth. He would even kneel down on the stone steps of the Sanyi Sect to beg for forgiveness and find a glimmer of hope for this rebellious disciple. He would be willing to do so.

"No one forced me... it was my own choice."

Duanmu Ying remained kneeling, her bangs obscuring her face, her expression solemn yet unwavering.

Upon hearing this disobedient remark, Master Liu felt a sharp pain in his chest and flew into a rage. He grabbed the inkstone beside him and angrily threw it at Duanmu Ying.

"boom!"

A dull thud rang out, and the hard, heavy corner of the inkstone smashed into the woman's head, causing her to bleed profusely. She neither dodged nor reacted.

"You are hereby confined for a year. Cut off all contact with these sorcerers."

Master Liu roared angrily, his face turning ashen.

He regretted letting this disciple go too far. First, he went abroad to study in secret, and now he has become sworn brothers with the devil. If this continues, he will drag Jishetang and the Duanmu family into the abyss sooner or later.

“Master, please forgive your disciple for being unable to comply.”

Duanmu Ying tilted her head slightly, and dark red blood slid down her cheeks. She did not resent Master Liu, but patiently recounted what had happened and the reasons, and begged for forgiveness.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"So you think you did nothing wrong? Even now, you're still arguing!"

Master Liu was so angry that he was practically fuming, his voice trembling and devoid of any semblance of kindness.

"Stop using righteousness as an excuse. Let me tell you, no matter what medical skills you get from the devil in the future, or how many people you save, a mistake is a mistake. What's the use if you can't uphold your bottom line?"

"Your father and I painstakingly taught you these skills, only for you to do evil!"

Duanmu Ying was rebellious and disobedient from a young age. Under repeated scolding, she finally couldn't help but retort:

"Fourth Brother has left Quanxing. He is his own person. Does a person not even have the right to turn back after making mistakes in the past?"

"This is a basic human right!"

"Why are you making such a fuss? I didn't do anything wrong, and neither did he, it's just that..."

Halfway through his sentence, Hall Master Liu completely lost his temper, raising his broad hand and slapping Duanmu Ying across the face.

"Snapped!"

The resounding slap, so powerful, knocked Duanmu Ying to the ground. The burning pain filled her with shock, as if her self-esteem had been brutally trampled in that instant.

Before she could react, another roar erupted: "Get out—!"

"Does a beast have the right to talk about human rights?"

"I think your overseas education has ruined your brain. Since you call that devilish fourth brother, fine, I'll grant your wish!"

"From this day forward, we, master and disciple, are estranged and shall become strangers."

Master Liu's decisiveness was beyond Duanmu Ying's expectations. She could not have imagined or understood that her usually kind and tolerant master would be so out of control and obstinate.

Immediately, Duanmu Ying opened her mouth, as if to say something, but Liu, the head of the hall, grabbed her collar and pulled her out.

"Get out! There's no place for you here."

"Master, please let me explain!!"

Completely ignoring Duanmu Ying's pleas, Master Liu pushed her out the door and angrily locked the main entrance.

Immediately afterwards, many disciples, hearing the commotion, rushed over, bewildered. The pleas outside the door were quite jarring. Some were about to step forward to plead for mercy when they were sternly rebuked by Hall Master Liu.

"No need to ask questions, no pleading allowed. Anyone who dares to let her in will be expelled from Jishetang."

Master Liu dispersed the disciples who were watching.

In an instant, he staggered, overcome with rage, and fell to the ground. His vision blurred, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. He trembled as he grabbed a nearby pillar, and it took him a long time to recover.

The night was long, and he stayed there the whole time. The knocking at the door gradually stopped, and in its place came helpless sobs.

Each sound was like a knife, as if it were the cruel torture of being slowly sliced ​​to death, shaking Master Liu's resolve time and time again.

He sat on the steps, turning back several times, forcefully suppressing the impulse in his heart.

He thought of his deceased master...

He thought of the third person who was close to him and his brother Duanmu...

He recalled a disciple from many years ago...

All those close to him died because of Quanxing. All sorts of pressures came crashing down on him like waves. Master Liu sat there, lost and lamenting, leaving the woman outside the door to fend for herself.

........

Tianshi Mansion.

Zhang Jingqing was furious. Looking at the list of thirty-six names, including Zhang Huaiyi, he wished he could kill this wretched child immediately.

"Master, what's wrong?"

The young Taoist boy who was pouring tea for the old man noticed his distress and offered words of concern.

"Master...it's alright..."

Zhang Jingqing suppressed her anger, stroked the young Taoist boy's head, and said, "Xiaoyan, you go down first. Your master wants to be alone for a while."

However, this is also something to fool children with.

If it were disciples like Zhang Zhiwei or Tian Jinzhong present, they would have already seen the old Celestial Master's gloomy expression, his brows furrowed with thunderous anger, yet he had no way to vent it and could only digest it alone.

Dao Tong was still young, with a simple personality and was not good at reading people's expressions.

Hearing the advisor's instructions, he stopped massaging the old man's back and obediently said:

"Okay, I'll boil some water in the kitchen first, and then bring a basin of hot water over so you can soak your feet and relax."

"Yes, go ahead."

Zhang Jingqing smiled with difficulty, her rough hands pinching the boy's chubby cheeks. She watched the little fellow leave before a look of desolation crossed her face, and she softly reproached herself:

"Did I fail to properly assess you, Huaiyi? How could things have come to this..."

"Brother Guo... I have failed you..."

Zhang Jingqing sighed repeatedly in distress. Huaiyi was the descendant of his old friend. His original surname was Guo. Because of his youthful arrogance, he made a grave mistake that led to the destruction of his entire clan. The Celestial Master could not bear to see him wandering and destitute, so he took him back to the mountains to raise him and treated him as his own son.

Unexpectedly, in a moment of carelessness, the child was kidnapped by the devil, and Zhang Jingqing felt very bad.

Years ago, when he tested Zhang Huaiyi and taught him the Thunder Technique, he thought that the sincerity between master and disciple would resolve the child's inner conflict. Little did he know that the boy had been hiding it all this time.

What exactly forced you to make this choice?

Zhang Jingqing understood Zhang Huaiyi's character extremely well, knowing that he was outwardly weak but inwardly strong, suspicious, competitive, ambitious yet afraid of death.