Yun Jin acted as if she hadn't noticed the shock on everyone's faces.
She raised her brows slightly and let the Heart Testing Mirror continue playing a recording of Duan Yiwei.
Duan Yiwei, the rising star of Qingxiao Pavilion's current generation, was more ruthless and fanatical than the others. His methods were brutal, and in the illusion realm, he took pleasure in torturing mortals. In the end, when faced with the demon race, he even chose to collaborate with them. Without seeing this footage, who would have guessed that someone like him was a disciple of Qingxiao Pavilion?
Qingxiao Pavilion.
Just moments ago, the crowd from Qingxiao Pavilion had been hurling curses, shouting that they would hold Yun Jin accountable.
But now—
As Duan Yiwei's recording played, the square fell into an eerie silence.
Everyone turned toward Lin Xiao in unison.
No one had expected Wushuang Sect's Heart Testing Stairway to suddenly include this additional trial. No one had expected Yun Jin to reveal all of these recordings to the public.
All five disciples from Qingxiao Pavilion had issues. This was no longer something that could be dismissed as coincidence. The other three Holy Lands were certain to demand an explanation. What were they supposed to do now?
Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. A faint black aura curled around him. The disciples of Qingxiao Pavilion acted as though they didn't see it—or perhaps they were already used to it.
"Sect Master, I'm afraid this matter won't end peacefully," someone said, their eyes glinting with something sinister.
From top to bottom, every member of Qingxiao Pavilion had a faintly hostile glint in their eyes.
If one looked closely—
They would notice a nearly imperceptible trace of black energy coiling around each of them. Somehow, at some unknown point in time, Qingxiao Pavilion as a whole had become tainted with demonic energy.
Lin Xiao's gaze turned cold.
Right now, these were just recordings.
None of these things had actually occurred in the real world.
He could still claim Yun Jin tampered with the Heart Testing Mirror.
There was still room to maneuver.
They must not act recklessly.
"Do not panic," Lin Xiao said coolly. "I have a plan."
His composed demeanor helped settle the rest of the disciples.
Lin Xiao stared at Yun Jin's face in the recording, his eyes full of disgust.
Yun Jin.
Very well.
He had well and truly engraved her into his bones this time.
If he had known things would turn out like this, he would have killed her back when he visited Tianxing Sect. One slap would have solved everything and saved him from today's disaster.
But who could have predicted—
That a mere disciple from a mid-tier sect would go on to find Wushuang Sect's true inheritance and inherit everything from the sect?
Wan Dao, and Wushuang Sect.
That damned sect still wouldn't let him rest in peace even after its destruction!
Canglan Kingdom, Imperial Capital
The projection hovered high above, and every citizen in the capital craned their necks to watch.
At first, it was nothing more than awe and envy.
But then—
The Heart Testing Mirror began to reveal everything.
The four Holy Lands didn't care much about how their disciples performed in the first two trials. Even if they acted a little inappropriately, it was no big deal. After all, they never considered mortals or low-level cultivators worth their attention. What they cared about most was performance in the third trial.
But here—
Most of the audience was made up of mortals and low-level loose cultivators. They watched the disciples of Qingxiao Pavilion ruthlessly slaughter the people in the illusion realm during the first two trials.
Those may not have been real people—
But to them, the illusion realm felt real.
For years—
They had revered the four Holy Lands as sacred. The disciples were seen as divine beings.
But now—
The very ones they saw as gods had never once looked at them as people.
To those disciples, what were they?
Pigs and dogs? Tools? Ants?
Grief and indignation flickered through many eyes.
They felt humiliated.
But in a world where the strong devour the weak, humiliation changed nothing. The next time they saw these disciples, they would still have to bow and scrape. Still, something deep in their hearts had shifted.
This territory was under Qingxiao Pavilion's control. And yet, this was what the disciples of Qingxiao Pavilion truly were. Slaughterers of innocents. Collaborators with demons.
Shouldn't they be punished?
Or were they above reproach simply because they came from a Holy Land?
The once-bustling capital had grown eerily quiet.
Everyone had so much they wanted to say—
But it was Qingxiao Pavilion.
What could they possibly do?
Even speaking up was something they didn't dare attempt.
Many people glanced toward the image of Yun Jin with worry.
This woman had exposed Qingxiao Pavilion's ugliness. Would she be in danger now?
Wushuang Sect
Yun Jin raised her hand.
The Heart Testing Mirror obediently flew back to her. She tucked it away casually and asked, calm and composed, "Now tell me. Do these people deserve to kneel or not?"
Jin Yu snorted and answered without hesitation, "Of course they do."
He gave a frosty glare to the disciple from Kunlun Sword Sect.
Yun Jin had only made the man kneel.
If it were up to him—
He would have gladly killed the man on the spot.
Colluding with demons.
What a disgrace.
How could Kunlun Sword Sect produce such filth?
Even if he wasn't killed here, Jin Yu was determined to report the matter to the sect master and see the man executed.
"Junior Sister Yun need not worry—" Ye Liuqin was just beginning to speak when a voice interrupted.
An Tong poked his head out. "My Young Master has completed the ceremony. You may address her as Sect Master now."
Ye Liuqin paused, then smoothly corrected himself. "Sect Master Yun, regarding those two disciples, Xuandan Gate will certainly handle it. You can rest assured."
Cheng Su added, "My Beastmaster Sect will never cover for anyone who colludes with demons."
As for the Qingxiao Pavilion disciples...
Yun Jin smiled faintly and suddenly released the seals placed on Duan Yiwei and the others. They broke free and, without a moment's hesitation, launched a deadly strike at her.
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
Clearly, they hadn't realized she had already reached the peak of Divine Transformation.
If she were still at Nascent Soul stage—
This might have been a real problem.
But now...
Yun Jin smiled coldly.
She didn't even draw Tai'a Sword. Just one frosty glance was enough.
The aura of intimidation surged.
Their movements froze in midair.
Yun Jin raised her hand.
A bolt of azure lightning crashed down.
Panic flickered across their faces.
The thunder struck.
Their bodies and souls were annihilated, and from each of them, a strand of dark mist floated upward.
This was... demonic energy.
Jin Yu and the others' expressions changed instantly.
Yun Jin was taken aback as well.
She had thought Qingxiao Pavilion might be under the influence of some demonic artifact, its long-term effects warping their personalities.
But if it was merely influence, how could there be actual demonic energy in their bodies?
And so well hidden, at that—completely undetectable unless they were killed.
Could it be—
That there were actual demons within Qingxiao Pavilion?
Perhaps they had lived among the sect for years, and some kind of ritual or technique had been used to instill a deep, silent understanding among them.
Yun Jin furrowed her brows.
She still knew far too little about the truth of this world.
There was no way to draw a clear conclusion now. She could only collect these traces of demonic energy and store them as evidence for later.