Inside Lizheng Hall, Yun Liyue couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her face as she looked over the reports and evidence.
She finally knew the truth behind her master’s disappearance. She also understood why, all those years ago, her master had forbidden her from returning to Xuan Nu Palace. It wasn’t just because of the incident with the Crown Prince; it was because Xuan Nu Palace itself had changed.
’Master... I will get justice for you!’
Yun Liyue clenched her fists, her eyes filled with determination. At the same time, she was filled with gratitude for the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.
’Based on what I know of Elder Yuheng, she would never do something like this. Besides, I just injured her that night. How could she possibly have been in the mood to invite a friend for drinks, let alone intentionally reveal so many horrifying truths?’
’It’s obvious someone orchestrated this to force Elder Yuheng to speak out. This person is standing up for me and Master... Could it be the same one who sent me the Eight Hundred Year-Old Monkey Wine?’
’It’s highly likely. Who else around me has this kind of power?’
’Who could it be? Why are they helping me like this?’ Yun Liyue was puzzled, but she knew this person bore her no ill will. On the contrary, they were constantly protecting her.
Yun Liyue couldn’t resist investigating this mysterious person, but she made little headway.
Meanwhile, at Xuan Nu Palace, Palace Master Bing Qing Fairy was so enraged she shattered her most cherished Jade Ruyi. The incident had destroyed Xuan Nu Palace’s thousand-year reputation in an instant, turning them into the laughingstock of the Jianghu.
She, the great Bing Qing Fairy, was now a sullied she-devil. The rumors were vile, painting her as something lower than even a Courtesan in a brothel.
You had to pay to sleep with a Courtesan, but sleeping with her was free—in fact, you could even make a profit. Her three hundred concubines were all making a fortune.
Though she wanted to refute the claims, when she really thought about it... it was true.
And she didn’t just have three hundred concubines. Elder Yuheng only knew about some of them. In truth, she had others stashed away elsewhere.
’Besides, I am the Palace Master of Xuan Nu Palace, a Super Grade Middle Stage Celestial Human! After working so hard for the Palace for so many years, can’t I enjoy myself a little in my old age?’
’It’s not as if those concubines are sleeping with me; I am sleeping with *them*. How dare they say such disgusting things!’
"Bring Elder Yuheng back here at once! I want to know what in the world she thinks she’s doing! Does she have a death wish?"
Bing Qing Fairy roared at the Elder under her command. What enraged her further was that many powers aligned with Xuan Nu Palace were beginning to waver. Disciples were also scrambling to flee, terrified of being associated with the Palace and branded as one of its "wanton she-devils."
As a result of this affair, Xuan Nu Palace’s power and influence were severely diminished.
For Yun Liyue, the greatest benefit of this incident was the immense pressure it took off her.
The people who had suspected her of secretly possessing the Sword Control Skill manual no longer did, even though she did, in fact, have it.
Many factions now viewed her with more sympathy and less covetousness and hostility.
Xuan Nu Palace was too preoccupied to deal with its own problems, let alone trouble her. Now, she could focus on her cultivation and prepare for the Palace’s inevitable retaliation.
She knew that with things having escalated this far, Xuan Nu Palace would not let the matter rest, whether it was to eliminate the problem at its root or simply to get revenge on her.
As a behemoth that had stood for over a thousand years in the Great Xia Dynasty, Xuan Nu Palace’s power was immense. It would not be so easily defeated.
Once the Palace freed itself up and failed to find the true mastermind, it would certainly come after her.
Before that happened, she had to become strong enough to face the experts of Xuan Nu Palace.
However, Xia Wuyang was even more invested in this matter than she was. ’If Xuan Nu Palace’s experts stay away, fine. But if they dare to make a move on Yun Liyue, they can’t blame me for being ruthless.’
As long as Xuan Nu Palace did not have a True Monarch of the Extraordinary Level, it posed no threat to Xia Wuyang.
When the time was right, even if Xuan Nu Palace didn’t come knocking, Xia Wuyang planned to pay them a visit.
It wasn’t just about getting justice for himself; it was also about getting revenge for Yun Liyue.
The incident back then was just as the rumors described. He had indeed forced Yun Liyue and Elder Qing Yin to demand Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from Xuan Nu Palace, but honestly, there was nothing inherently wrong with that.
Xuan Nu Palace had married their Saintess, Yun Liyue, to him in the first place to borrow his power as the Crown Prince and overcome a crisis.
Xia Wuyang had helped them then, and on multiple occasions afterward, allowing Xuan Nu Palace to grow even more powerful.
He never expected that the moment he was deposed, Xuan Nu Palace would be the first to distance themselves. It was in a fit of rage that Xia Wuyang had demanded the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures from them.
But his methods had been too harsh, and he had hurt Yun Liyue and Elder Qing Yin, who genuinely cared for him. He hadn’t needed to force them; they had already pleaded with the Palace for Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that could save him. Unfortunately, Xuan Nu Palace had refused.
Xia Wuyang only learned of this later, but by then, the mistake had been made. His reason for ignoring Yun Liyue all these years wasn’t just resentment; it was mostly shame.
After being deposed, his life was turned upside down. In truth, Xia Wuyang couldn’t handle it.
After all, in his previous life, he hadn’t been anyone special—just an ordinary young man working a nine-to-five job, day in and day out.
If not for the memories of his past life, he never would have been able to distinguish himself and achieve such glory after transmigrating.
He was fine when things were going his way, but the moment he faced a setback, he crumbled. He became someone he didn’t even recognize, a person he was now ashamed to remember. How much more so for those around him?
The subsequent death of his beloved mother, the Empress, drove Xia Wuyang to the brink of madness, and he ended up hurting too many people.
Now that he had a chance to make amends, Xia Wuyang was determined to do so—not just for the sake of those around him, but for his own peace of mind.
During a recent epiphany, he had vaguely sensed that breaking through past the Qi Refining Stage to what he speculated was the Refining God Stage, would require an exceptionally stable state of mind.
’If my heart isn’t at peace, if there are still unresolved issues, I’ll be vulnerable to a Heart Demon’s invasion. It will be nearly impossible to break through to the next level, and could even lead to my death.’
Therefore, whether for his own sake or for theirs, Xia Wuyang would make amends.
Only by doing so could his path forward be smoother and free of regrets.
Yun Liyue, Yan Jiuge, Princess Xiang Yun, Pan Mo... He had to make amends to all the people he had so deeply hurt, one by one. Only then could Xia Wuyang find peace.
「At that very moment」
In a cell in the Shuntian Prefecture of White Jade City, Elder Yuheng—who had turned herself in—finally "sobered up." In the cells around her, many inmates were staring at her strangely, quite a few with expressions of sheer admiration.

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