Chapter 430: Nailed to the Pillar of Shame!

Chapter 430: Nailed to the Pillar of Shame!

Yun Xiao rose to his feet and pushed the door open. By then, Liu Yingying had already left, leaving only Lian Xi guarding the doorway alone.

"Are you spying on me?" Yun Xiao asked with a smile.

"Not at all," Lian Xi huffed.

"We've already kissed; why the shyness?" Yun Xiao chuckled.

"It's you who played the rogue, tarnishing my image," Lian Xi retorted.

With little time to spare, Yun Xiao stopped teasing her and instead inquired about materials related to metals and ores.

"Why do you need these? These are for cultivating the path of a Martial Immortal..." Lian Xi looked at him oddly. The key was, the materials he requested felt eerily familiar to her!

"Don't worry about it, I just need them. Do you have any?"

Yun Xiao's request was the epitome of a freeloader's mantra, the kind that asserted dominance for those who used it.

"I don't have any right now," Lian Xi pondered before explaining, "In the Primordial Ruins, the path of the Martial Immortal is held in high regard, consuming a vast amount of such metals and ores. For anything above the Yin grade, you might have to check the Jade Immortal Tower."

"The Jade Immortal Tower?" Yun Xiao asked.

"It's one of the largest trading houses in the Primordial Ruins, mainly dealing in metals, ores, and magic treasures, with mining operations across various worlds," Lian Xi explained.

"It's not run by the descendants of the Three Immortals?" Yun Xiao inquired.

"No, it isn't," Lian Xi looked at Yun Xiao and continued, "Whether outside or inside the Primordial Academy, the descendants of the Three Immortals are only a part of it. Most people in the Primordial Ruins are natives who have inherited their lineage from the era of the Martial Emperor, with ancestors from various worlds. The Jade Immortal Tower belongs to one of those clans."

"I see." Yun Xiao nodded.

"However," Lian Xi continued, "the original powers outside the Primordial Academy, compared to those inside, tend to submit more to the Three Immortals. Many have even integrated into the Three Great Ruins."

This was quite normal.

"Are the rumors about the Martial Emperor Clan true? You know, that by using the hearts of young girls for cultivation, they courted divine retribution, changing the Five Tribulations Realm to the Five Decays Realm. So, now half of all cultivators die at each decline, and without exceptional talent, most would perish. And that's why the legacy of the Martial Emperor Clan is held in such disdain in the Primordial Ruins..." Yun Xiao looked into Lian Xi's eyes as he spoke.

"Mhm..." Lian Xi lowered her head, her voice trembling, looking as if she wanted to say more.

Yun Xiao said no more. He changed the subject and took her hand, "Come, take me to the Jade Immortal Tower."

"Now? But this Blood Bat Curse..." Lian Xi looked worriedly at his palm.

"It's fine, the Temple Head is monitoring my location, but hasn't restricted my travels," Yun Xiao said.

"But, buying these materials requires Immortal Jade. Do you have any?" Lian Xi asked.

"You having them is enough," Yun Xiao said with a smile.

"Alright..." Lian Xi couldn't help but smile through her frustration.

As they were about to leave, an elder in a white robe appeared beside them, speaking softly, "Young miss, we advise you not to leave the Primordial Academy in the next few days."

"Why?" Lian Xi asked.

These infuriated words buzzed around the young pair like mosquitoes.

"It seems the people hate us even more than the last time we went out," Yun Xiao said flatly.

"There's no helping it. Whoever holds the power of speech dictates right and wrong. In this world, proving one's innocence is the hardest thing. Even if one were to commit suicide in protest, they'd still slander the corpse." Lian Xi sighed.

"Are you saying, then, that the fault lies with those who stir the pot and slander? That the common folk, who join in the uproar without discerning right from wrong, and pin people to the pillar of shame, are blameless?" Yun Xiao stopped and looked down at her to ask.

Lian Xi paused. "If beings in cultivation are hindered, their eyes clouded, misled by evil demons, what fault do they bear? The fault lies with the saviors who failed to eliminate the evil, failing to create a golden age for all."

Yun Xiao smiled, "So, a person who wants to save everything must fight demons on one hand and be severely wounded by the very people he wishes to protect on the other, shouldering everything to build a golden age for all. That's correct?"

"What else? The world is a vast sea of suffering, and all beings suffer within it. We, who are uniquely blessed, must take up the mantle of salvation, even if the demons are strong and the slander vicious. We should bear no resentment, offering our lives in gratitude to the heavens..." As Lian Xi spoke, white flames ignited in her eyes—a flame of belief in her destiny that no one could extinguish.

Yun Xiao watched her, spellbound. It was as if he saw everything that Chen Xi had said to him on that night, seated upon the dragon throne.

Once, Yun Xiao thought the same. To achieve true greatness, one had to withstand everything, even if those one wished to protect stabbed them in the back. They had to accept it. And so, he set out like a madman to eradicate all demons.

But now, along this journey, he had witnessed far too many human hearts. In this regard, he was no longer as steadfast as Lian Xi. This wasn't a wavering of his Dao Heart. It was the birth of his new Worldly Dao Heart!

He wasn't that noble; he was selfish, greedy, angry, and foolish. So, when he killed in the Mystic Zenith Temple to save girls like Lil Xiu, and then heard these unimaginable yet accepted as true accusations, Lian Xi might not get angry, but he did.

"Murderer, child of disaster, vile couple! Kill me too, then!"

"I curse your parents, children, and descendants to die miserably! Their souls to scatter, doomed to be pigs and dogs for a hundred generations!"

The young girl in front of the tavern, seeing many joining in the uproar, shouted the loudest. Her words had barely fallen when a streak of azure light pierced through her throat!

THUD! Her body fell, and the entire street instantly fell silent.

"W-what are you doing?" Lian Xi stared at him, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why would you kill someone so defenseless..."

"Defenseless?" Yun Xiao pointed at the girl. "A teenager at the Heaven Sanctuary Realm, in my hometown, is considered a supreme talent, an Overseer-level powerhouse."

"Uh." Lian Xi was stunned.

Yun Xiao grabbed her arm, his voice deep, "You need to understand, this is the Primordial Ruins. Everyone standing here is a talent of the Immortal path from thousands of worlds and peak powerhouses. There are no so-called commoners or ordinary beings. They, like you, are blessed by the heavens. Not everyone can claim the moral high ground by labeling themselves as common folk and justify murder and arson."

"Uh." Lian Xi was even more at a loss for words.

"Lastly, I can't stand being slighted. I don't want the person I care about to be slighted either."

After saying this, Yun Xiao pulled her along, walking away from the silent street.

"Yun Xiao..." Lian Xi looked at him, then tremulously asked, "If one day, everyone in the Primordial Ruins wants me dead, and I can't blame them, what would you do?"

Yun Xiao looked ahead. This was a world where beings were like ghosts under a golden celestial mist. Dark corners teemed with crawling serpents and laughing demons and devils. This was both the ruins and a den of monsters.

"Ah." Yun Xiao took a breath, then smiled at Lian Xi. "Kill them all! No explanations needed!"

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