Shen Yue’s lips trembled slightly. She opened her mouth, wanting to say she wasn't angry.
The next second, the body reeking of blood fell into her arms, utterly silent.
Shen Yue extended a fingertip to touch his face, finding that the smile at the corner of his mouth remained.
At a certain moment, her heart felt as if a piece of it had been hollowed out. Shen Yue closed her eyes, her hands trembling as she held the gradually cooling body tighter.
Her breathing felt heavy, and her once lustrous black hair had turned white overnight.
The barrier also slowly dissipated.
Xuan Cheng swiftly flew to Shen Yue's side. When he saw the three thousand strands of silver, his pupils constricted, and he shouted, "Xi Yu!"
The white-robed immortal, with her eyes closed, seemed not to hear, showing no reaction. Only when Xuan Cheng walked over to move the man's corpse did she open her eyes.
So abruptly, he met those pale red eyes. Xuan Cheng was stunned for a moment, his mind going blank. After a good while, he recovered and immediately picked up a white cloth from the side to cover her eyes.
By the time the disciples rushed over, Xuan Cheng had already tied the white cloth.
Xuan Cheng calmly observed the person beside him, confirming that no one besides himself had seen Shen Yue's eyes before he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Xi Yu, how do you explain this to us?" one of the elders challenged.
They absolutely refused to believe Shen Yue was unaware. The demonic energy had appeared once before, though faintly, and they hadn't pinpointed its location. Now, they realized it must have been in Qingxin Hall.
As the Sect Leader of Qingyun Sect, Shen Yue had failed to report it, concealing and shielding it. Fortunately, the matter was discovered early, averting a major disaster. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Xuan Cheng said, "Xi Yu has already extracted the demon bone and slain the demon god. This matter is concluded; there's no need to investigate further."
Xin Xi merely looked at Shen Yue with a complex expression. After a long pause, she turned her head away, saying nothing.
The elder from Lengfeng Pavilion, known for his straightforward nature and inability to tolerate wrongdoing, stated, "These are clearly two separate matters. Xi Yu, do you know you are playing with the lives of all beings? This makes it too disheartening for the disciples of Qingyun Sect to serve the people."
Xuan Cheng frowned, "Elder Lengfeng, you are exaggerating."
Elder Lengfeng snorted, "I am merely speaking the truth. If we hadn't discovered it in time, no one could have predicted the outcome. Do you recall Elder Xingyue's prophecy of the demon god's descent? This is a great omen of misfortune."
Shen Yue lowered her head. Her silver hair hung down, revealing a sliver of skin on her neck, as white and delicate as jade.
Just as Xuan Cheng was about to say more, the white-robed immortal, who had been silent, spoke first.
"I am guilty. I have failed the immortal sect, failed the elders, and even more so, failed the disciples of Qingyun Sect."
She opened her palm, and a jade-colored token appeared in the air.
"I cannot hold the position of Sect Leader."
"Xi Yu!"
Xuan Cheng's expression changed drastically. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Do you even know what you are doing?"
Shen Yue carefully laid the man's body flat. She stood up, her slender frame as straight as ever, as if nothing could break her.
She handed the jade token to Elder Lengfeng, then picked up Quehua. Her expression was aloof and indifferent, like a cold river under the moon, her voice hoarse, "Failing to teach is the father's fault. Insufficient discipline is the teacher's laziness. I thought I could suppress the demon bone alone, but ultimately, my teaching was inadequate, leading to this situation. It is also my fault. Today, I am willing to receive forty-six lashes from the Soul-Expelling Whip, relinquish my position as Sect Leader, and be imprisoned in Siguoya for one hundred years as a warning."
"Absolutely not!" Xuan Cheng's eyes widened, his brows knitted tightly. He grabbed Shen Yue's shoulder with unrestrained force, roaring in fury, "Xi Yu! You are mistaken! You have already killed the demon god, which counts as merit. Why must you endure such a severe punishment!"
Jiang Ling's heart also trembled. For cultivators, one lash of the Soul-Expelling Whip injured the skin and flesh, two lashes injured the bones and flesh, and three lashes injured the soul. Ordinary people could not withstand ten lashes; even if they survived, they would become cripples, let alone forty-six!
At this point, Jiang Ling could no longer hold back. He desperately pulled at Shen Yue's sleeve, pleading, "Master, it is not your fault at all. Why must you suffer?"
Bloodstains still marked Shen Yue's face. Her clear, cold eyes remained, but they seemed veiled, unlike their usual clarity, as if covered by a thin layer of gauze, hazy, dreamlike. She said softly, "My mind is made up. Elder Lin Feng, please administer the punishment."
Xuan Cheng's heart was shaken. He stubbornly pressed on Shen Yue's shoulders, biting his tongue. The taste of blood spread, and he said fiercely, "Is it worth it?"
For a dead person, was it worth it?
Why were you punishing yourself? Was it because you killed him? Because you felt guilty? So you chose this way to torment yourself.
Was it worth it to make yourself so disheveled, to stumble twice over the same matter?
Shen Yue's white robes were unstained, her attire as pure as snow. Now stained with blood, they were exceptionally striking. She brushed away Xuan Cheng's hands, which felt like burning iron, did not answer his question, and walked straight ahead.
Silence enveloped the surroundings, broken only by the sound of the whip striking flesh, each blow louder than the last, drawing blood with every lash, revealing bone.
Some disciples even dared not watch, closing their eyes. They had seen plenty of bloody scenes, yet this time, the blood seemed to sting their eyes.
She emitted no wails, not even a change in her expression. Kneeling on the ground, her shoulders and back remained straight, like proud, standing bamboo.
Her white robes were dyed red with blood, her face whiter than the snow in Qingxin Hall.
After forty-six lashes, Shen Yue endured them stoically. She did not fall. Her countenance remained like ice and snow under the moon. No one saw a trace of pain in her eyes. If not for her transparently pale face indicating something abnormal, one might have thought she felt no pain.
She slowly stood up. The three thousand strands of silver were now stained with blood, no longer clean.
As she was halfway through standing, her calf suddenly trembled, and she half-knelt again, her knees hitting the hard ground with a dull, heavy thud.
Xuan Cheng rushed to help her, but his touch met warm blood. His hand trembled. He tried to help her up, but Shen Yue refused.
This time, she stood steadily. She walked slowly, step by step, leaving behind bloody footprints and trails of blood falling from beneath her hem.
The silver strands were slightly disheveled by the wind. Her features were like glacial meltwater, or like fallen frost and snow, seemingly devoid of any human emotion.