Madam Hua was about to speak when two beams of light descended from the sky. It turned out that Shangguan Yuan and Luo Guiyuan had arrived.
"Sect Master."
Yan Jiaojiao and Jiang Yiling stepped forward to greet them.
Shangguan Yuan took in the scene of devastation and raised an eyebrow. "You eliminated the Night Ghost Demon? It's unbelievable."
Jiang Yiling nodded, looking at Yan Jiaojiao's embrace. "Yes, thanks to Junior Sister Yan's spirit beast. Huh? Where is that little black dog?"
The little black dog in Yan Jiaojiao's arms had vanished the moment the two sect masters appeared, never crossing paths with them.
Yan Jiaojiao also shrugged innocently, not understanding. "This is a companion beast I summoned by chance. It's indeed stronger than me, and I can't control it."
Fortunately, they had never seen the little black dog before and assumed it was just an ordinary, powerful demonic beast, so they didn't pay much attention. Instead, the remnants left by the Purple Star Formation caught Luo Guiyuan's attention.
"What formation is this that annihilated the Night Ghost Demon? I don't seem to have seen it before." Luo Guiyuan poked at the residual ashes, which still held the starlight of the Purple Star Formation's spiritual power.
Shangguan Yuan also walked over, frowning as he examined it closely. After a moment's thought, he said, "Could it be the Purple Star Formation passed down from ancient times?"
"Now that you mention it, it does resemble it." Luo Guiyuan looked back at Yan Jiaojiao and Jiang Yiling. "Did you cast this formation?"
Jiang Yiling had never heard of the Purple Star Formation and shook his head blankly. He had clearly seen the little black dog shatter the Night Ghost Demon with a single palm strike.
Yan Jiaojiao, even more deliberately, put on an innocent expression. After all, no one would believe she could cast the Purple Star Formation.
At this moment, Madam Hua also walked over. Without a word, she squatted down and began gathering the ashes on the ground, scooping them up handful by handful and wrapping them in her skirt hem.
"Madam, what is the meaning of this?" Luo Guiyuan asked displeasurably. Who collects the remains of a demonic creature?
Jiang Yiling explained, "Sect Master, this Night Ghost Demon was likely lured here by this Madam Hua."
"Human and demon in love?" Shangguan Yuan, perhaps thinking of some ethical drama, exclaimed in surprise. "Colluding with demons to harm all living beings is also a capital offense!"
Yan Jiaojiao almost burst out laughing.
Luo Guiyuan also awkwardly stood up and coughed. "Junior Brother, watch your words."
Madam Hua, however, did not seem angered. While continuing to collect the ashes, she slowly said, "He was my younger brother."
"Your brother died of illness and harbored such great resentment that he turned into a vengeful spirit?" Jiang Yiling found it hard to believe. People who died of illness were generally frail, and their weakened bodies made it difficult to transform into powerful vengeful spirits or demons.
Yan Jiaojiao then added, "So Madam Hua was lying to us before. Her brother didn't die of illness, but because he died unjustly, he turned into a vengeful spirit."
Madam Hua kept her head down, slowly sweeping the ashes with her hands. Upon hearing this, she let out a light laugh, as if mocking them or perhaps herself. "Yes, I lied. He didn't die of illness. I had people torture him to death."
"You!" Jiang Yiling was greatly shocked.
Yan Jiaojiao and the two sect masters merely frowned slightly. Having traveled the martial world for many years, they had seen such acts of fratricide.
Yan Jiaojiao couldn't help but recall Madam Hua's earlier statement about having a difficult childhood. "Then were your parents not also victims of illness?"
Madam Hua's hand, scooping ashes, paused for a moment before she looked up at Yan Jiaojiao. "I said you were very much like me. You've guessed even this thought of mine."
Jiang Yiling no longer wished to speak, his eyes clearly conveying: this woman is terrifying.
Madam Hua, however, didn't wait for Yan Jiaojiao to ask further and continued, "I told you before that my parents favored my brother, didn't I? They took it to the extreme. When I was young and the family was poor, I wasn't like his sister, but his servant. He would scold and beat me frequently, and sometimes he would even drive me out of the house."
"Even when I grew up and had the means to support the family single-handedly, he became so greedy. He pestered me for money every day, but later he even wanted me to hand over my businesses and the position of village chief! Hah! I was just a tool for the Hua family, his stepping stone!"
Madam Hua clenched a handful of ashes, exerting force with both palms. The ashes were slowly squeezed out from between her fingers, revealing the anger and unwillingness within her heart.
Jiang Yiling asked again, puzzled, "Then if you hated him so much that you killed him, why are you collecting his ashes now?"
Madam Hua let out a deep sigh, suppressing her emotions, and gathered another handful of ashes. "Yes, why? He was so adorable when he was born. He was the treasure I held in my hands every day. He would smile sweetly at me and touch my face with his little hands. I truly doted on him. Why didn't he cherish his sister?"
"So you tortured him to death," Yan Jiaojiao stated.
"Yes. He was already consumed by deep obsession. After he turned into a vengeful spirit, he caused disturbances in the Hua manor every night. I had no choice but to invite a master to exorcise him. Who knew that he wouldn't be able to enter the Hua manor and would develop a inner demon? The next time I saw him, he was already the Night Ghost Demon."
"So you knew all along that he entered the demonic path as a ghost, and you lied to us that he was a night demon. How detestable," Jiang Yiling said, feeling annoyed at having nearly lost his life there.
Madam Hua gathered the last handful of ashes, stood up, and gazed at the dawn breaking on the horizon. "He was never a good person, and he remained no better after death. He insisted on causing trouble and killing all the women in the village. How could I let him have his way? So I agreed to his demands, deceiving a few cultivators to let him devour them, and in return, he would leave this village."
Yan Jiaojiao could no longer tolerate it. This Madam Hua was truly hypocritical. For the peace of the village, she had calculated to use them as a favor. If she hadn't been here, Jiang Yiling and Sheng Mobai would have truly been sacrificed.
The two sect masters could not tolerate their esteemed Ge Nan Academy being manipulated by a mere woman. Luo Guiyuan immediately declared, "You wicked woman, you are no different from your brother. What is there to distinguish between you? Day is about to break, so surrender yourself to prison immediately!"
If Madam Hua were not a living person, Luo Guiyuan would have likely struck her down directly instead of telling her to turn herself in to the authorities.
Madam Hua, however, looked utterly exhausted, still gazing at the sky. "I have watched them die again and again. That heart-wrenching pain interwoven with satisfaction has always tormented me. Now, everything is finally over. He won't be back, will he?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Hua spat out a mouthful of black blood. Her body slumped to the ground, and she instantly lost consciousness, her hands still tightly clutching the skirt hem filled with ashes.
Jiang Yiling exclaimed, "She's poisoned herself!"
Yan Jiaojiao pursed her lips. Madam Hua harbored both love and hatred for her family, craving their warmth but resenting them for not receiving it. The suffering she endured was real, and her cruelty was also real. But in the end, she hadn't let go. She had merely given up...