Severing Ties: The Sect Regrets My Departure

Chapter 219: Could It Be… Master?

“Where is it?”

“How could it just vanish?”

“I clearly put it into my Storage Ring. How can it disappear into thin air?”

In the quiet of her chambers, Xu Wanqing was unraveling.

Moments ago, she had been caught in a deadly dilemma: defy her Master’s order, or stand by and watch a patient die. Both paths led to the curse’s punishment. After frantic deliberation, she had chosen to save the person—desperately, maniacally using every resource available.

She hadn’t done it out of kindness. She did it purely because she couldn’t withstand another round of that terrifying torture.

Defying her Master would incur a penalty—Heart-Rending Agony was inevitable. But if she had stood by and watched him die? Or worse, pretended to treat him, giving him hope only to snuff it out?

The penalty for that… she dared not even imagine.

As for her Master’s displeasure, Xu Wanqing knew it would be severe, but she had no choice. She had barely recovered enough Wish Power to offset the penalty for disobedience. She didn’t have enough to survive the penalty for “Evil Negligence.”

Besides, she had a backup plan.

She had obtained her Junior Sister’s Mountain River Remnant World.

She believed that once she entered that isolated dimension, she could find a way to lift the curse. Once she was free of the Void Stone Wax’s influence, explaining herself to her Master would be simple.

But now…

The Mountain River Remnant World was gone.

She emptied every Storage Ring she owned. She searched every inch of the treatment room, crawling on the floor, checking under furniture.

Nothing.

There was no trace of the broken porcelain shard, as if she had never possessed it in the first place.

Xu Wanqing felt as if she had been plunged into an icy abyss. Her limbs went numb with terror.

Without the Remnant World, her only hope was gone. Did this mean she would be enslaved by this boundless, terrifying curse forever?

And that wasn’t the only problem. The Remnant World was her Junior Sister’s most precious treasure. It was lost in her possession. What would happen when her Junior Sister found out? Would she demand the return of the White Jade Fan?

“I am a renowned Divine Physician! A Living Bodhisattva! I have treated countless patients in my life! I am the most meritorious, benevolent soul in the entire Azure Mystic Sacred Land!”

“Why?”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

Xu Wanqing’s face twisted in grief and indignation. She was a good person. She didn’t deserve this torture.

However…

“DETECTED: HOST IS A PARAGON OF VIRTUE. YET YOU REFUSE TO ADMIT YOUR EVIL DEEDS AND DECEIVE EVEN YOURSELF.”

“PUNISHMENT DUE! PUNISHMENT DUE!”

The cold, mechanical voice thundered in her mind, sending a violent tremor through her heart.

CRACK.

The boundless Heart-Rending Agony struck again.

It was agony beyond endurance. Xu Wanqing didn’t hesitate; she grabbed a bottle of pills and swallowed them dry, but they offered only the faintest relief. The pain tearing through her heart was absolute.

She gasped for air, tears streaming down her face. Desolation filled her soul.

She was finished. She would never escape this pain. It would entangle her until her dying breath.

“Master… I must find Master. I must beg for her help. She is a Mahayana cultivator; she will surely have a way to save me!”

Finally, amidst the torment, Xu Wanqing made a decision. She had hidden her condition because she didn’t want to reveal her weakness, especially to her Master. But she had no cards left to play.

Her Wish Power was exhausted. The Remnant World was gone. She couldn’t wait any longer.

But after struggling to take two steps, she froze. A horrifying suspicion took root in her mind, chilling her to the bone.

“The Mountain River Remnant World…”

“Could it have been… taken by Master?”

The thought made her shudder violently. But once the seed of doubt was planted, it grew rapidly, branching out to include another suspect.

“Junior Sister is also a possibility!”

“She is the Master of the Remnant World. Although she dissolved the ownership bond in front of me, what if she left a backdoor? What if she used a secret technique to recall it?”

Xu Wanqing felt the blood drain from her face.

This wasn’t baseless paranoia. From the moment she touched the shard, she had only interacted with two people: her Junior Sister and Guan Xuelan.

Her Junior Sister had possessed the item for five hundred years. It was entirely possible she had a way to retrieve it remotely.

As for Guan Xuelan… that went without saying. She was a Mahayana Supreme with heaven-reaching methods. Stealing a ring’s contents without making a sound would be child’s play for her.

But… why?

Once the heart fixates on a suspicion, the mind rushes to provide the evidence.

“Junior Sister has coveted my White Jade Fan for years. She must have used the Remnant World as bait to trick me into handing over the fan, then stole the world back!”

“She discovered the fan’s true value, got greedy, and scammed me!”

“As for Master…”

“Master is a Supreme. She might have coveted the Remnant World but couldn’t lower herself to snatch it openly. When she saw me with it, she pretended not to care, but secretly stole it… intending to make me the scapegoat for its loss!”

Xu Wanqing squeezed her eyes shut, but the thoughts wouldn’t stop. The more she analyzed it, the more she felt she was right.

If she were in their shoes, she would have done the exact same thing.

Now, she was truly trapped.

What should she do?

Panic gnawed at her, amplified by the relentless throbbing pain in her heart. She couldn’t live like this, but she dared not die.

“Master! You’ve finally returned!”

Just then, a disciple rushed into the courtyard, breathless. But instead of relief, he brought news that pushed Xu Wanqing further into the abyss.

“Physician Xu! Urgent news from Sacred Heart City arrived days ago!”

“The Xu Clan Ancestral Land… has fallen!”

…

Azure Mystic Sacred Land. Main Hall.

While Xu Wanqing drowned in bad news, a different kind of confrontation was unfolding in the Sect’s Great Hall.

Guan Xuelan sat on the main throne, her expression cold and imperious. She looked down at the figure standing in the center of the hall—a man clad in white battle robes, with sharp brows and eyes like cold stars.

“Ye Wentian. I recognize you.”

“General of the North Mansion of Tiance Mansion. Commander of the Mystic Spear Thousand Cavalry. You possess high prestige and are being groomed as the next Grand Marshal. They say your cavalry is invincible in battle, unconquerable in attack.”

“It is this junior’s honor to be recognized by Supreme Guan.”

The white-robed general clasped his fists in a respectful salute.

Guan Xuelan remained impassive. “My Azure Mystic and your Tiance Mansion have never had much interaction. Speak. What brings the future Young General of the North Mansion to my sect?”

“This junior has come for two reasons.”

“Speak.”

“First,” Ye Wentian said, his voice steady, “This junior heard rumors that Gu Xiu has abandoned Azure Mystic. I have come specifically to seek confirmation from the Supreme.”

Guan Xuelan’s expression instantly turned frosty.

“Whether Gu Xiu has abandoned the sect or not… what business is that of Tiance Mansion? Does your military intend to meddle in the internal affairs of my Azure Mystic?”

“This matter has nothing to do with Tiance Mansion. It is merely this junior’s personal obsession. I hope the Supreme will clarify.”

Ye Wentian immediately untied his official waist token and removed his helmet, placing them on the floor. He clasped his fists again, bowing not as a general, but as a fellow cultivator.

It was clear he was genuinely asking.

Meeting his earnest gaze, Guan Xuelan frowned with impatience. But remembering his status and the famous boast he had made five hundred years ago, she nodded curtly.

“Correct.”

“Gu Xiu has indeed left. From this day forth, he shares no destiny with Azure Mystic. We have severed all ties.”

Hearing this, Ye Wentian stood frozen. Even though he had heard the rumors, hearing it from the Sect Leader herself hit him like a physical blow.

It’s true…

The man who grew stronger solely for the sake of his sect… has actually abandoned it!

“I heard that five hundred years ago, you vowed to wait for Gu Xiu’s return to duel him fair and square,” Guan Xuelan said dismissively. “You even suppressed your cultivation realm for five centuries for this purpose.”

“If you came here looking for that duel, let me save you the time.”

“Forget it.”

“Since returning from the Forbidden Realm, Gu Xiu’s Dantian and Qi Sea have been completely destroyed. His cultivation is abolished. He is a mortal now, with no possibility of recovery.”

“For three years, I used every method available to help him, but he is beyond saving.”

“He is crippled.”

Guan Xuelan spoke without a trace of emotion. The word “crippled” fell from her lips like she was discarding a broken tool, not speaking of a disciple who had served the sect for centuries.

Ye Wentian snapped back to reality. But strangely, there was no disappointment on his face. Instead, his eyes burned with a sudden, intense light.

He murmured softly, “No breaking, no standing… Could he really be walking that path?”

“What are you muttering about?” Guan Xuelan frowned.

“Thank you, Supreme Guan, for the answer.”

Ye Wentian bowed deeply again, leaving Guan Xuelan baffled.

But then, the atmosphere shifted.

Ye Wentian picked up his helmet and placed it back on his head. He reattached the heavy Tiance waist token to his belt. His posture straightened, transforming from a curious cultivator back into the iron-willed General of the North.

His expression turned grave.

“Next is the second matter of this junior’s visit.”

“In my capacity as the Young General of Tiance North Mansion, I wish to verify a matter with Supreme Guan.”

“What matter?” Guan Xuelan’s eyes narrowed, sensing a trap.

Ye Wentian looked up, his gaze neither humble nor arrogant, piercing straight toward the throne.

“This junior wishes to know Supreme Guan’s stance regarding your third disciple, Xu Wanqing.”

“Specifically, regarding her support of the Awakening Spirit Valley.”

His voice grew harder, echoing in the silent hall.

“Regarding the luring of mortals to be sacrificed alive.”

“Regarding the hunting of cultivators from various sects to be refined into evil drugs.”

“What is your explanation for these atrocities?”