Chapter 672 - Truth Revealed

Once everyone had left, Liu Wuxie and Xu Lingxue were left alone. Xu Lingxue's face turned dark, replaced by a frosty gaze as she looked at Liu Wuxie.

The sudden change in Xu Lingxue's facial expression surprised Liu Wuxie. After all, she had been a gentle and thoughtful wife a moment ago, making him wonder if it was all an act.

"Now that no one else is around, be honest with me. What exactly is your relationship with her?" Xu Lingxue asked, her voice carrying an edge of interrogation.

Though they hadn't consummated their marriage, they were still husband and wife in name. Thus, she had every right to demand answers and know about it.

"I already told you—we're fellow disciples," Liu Wuxie said. He didn't tell Xu Lingxue everything as he wanted to wait for the right moment.

"Are you still refusing to tell me the truth?" Xu Lingxue's face grew darker. If Liu Wuxie continued to evade her, this would be the end of their relationship, and they would part as strangers should they ever meet again. The tension between them thickened, and it was clear Xu Lingxue wasn’t making an idle threat.

"It’s a long story..." Liu Wuxie sighed. He realized he couldn't avoid the subject any longer.

"I have plenty of time," Xu Lingxue replied firmly. With several days left until the conclusion of the Ten Grand Ceremony, she was determined to hear the truth about what had transpired in the years they had been apart. Their fleeting encounter on the first day of the Heavenly Mountain had left much unsaid, and she wasn’t willing to leave it that way.

Liu Wuxie sighed and began recounting what had happened in Serene Sea City. He explained how Murong Yi had joined the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to seek his help in saving her parents and used it to get close to him.

As Liu Wuxie revealed Murong Yi's plight, Xu Lingxue’s stern expression softened into one of quiet sympathy. The thought of a child forced to wander the True Martial Continent with only a few remaining clansmen was heart-wrenching. She couldn’t help but admire Murong Yi's resilience—her unwavering belief that she could save her father, even after twenty long years, earned Xu Lingxue’s respect.

"She has fallen for you," Xu Lingxue suddenly interjected before Liu Wuxie could explain what had happened between him and Murong Yi.

"What?" Liu Wuxie stammered and looked up at Xu Lingxue in confusion.

"Don’t tell me you haven’t realized it yet?" Xu Lingxue scoffed, rolling her eyes at Liu Wuxie, who was utterly clueless when it came to relationships.

Liu Wuxie fell silent, unsure of how to respond. He couldn't entirely deny his feelings with everything that had happened between him and Murong Yi. Murong Yi’s extraordinary beauty and unwavering loyalty had left a mark on him, and denying it would be a lie.

"You're angry?" Liu Wuxie asked hesitantly as he scrutinized Xu Lingxue's expression. Judging from her tone, it felt like she was jealous, or she wouldn't have spoken so much.

"Of course I'm angry! It's been less than two years, and you're already flirting with other women. Give it a few more years. Am I going to see your children with other women running around?" Xu Lingxue snapped. Her sneers sent shivers down Liu Wuxie's spine.

Liu Wuxie had never seen this side of Xu Lingxue before, and this was the first. She usually appeared aloof with a faint smile hanging on her lips.

"I-It's not that serious!" Liu Wuxie coughed, trying to break the awkward atmosphere.

"Heroes attract women, just like beauties attract men," Xu Lingxue said coldly, her voice softening yet still laced with frustration. "We’re only husband and wife in name. I have no right to interfere with your choices. But I hope you’ll manage your affairs wisely." With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.

Liu Wuxie sat by himself, dumbfounded. He could only shake his head and mutter to himself, "Women..."

Women were mythical beings, and Liu Wuxie couldn't fully understand them. Xu Lingxue was jealous, but she pretended to be indifferent.

Clearing his mind of distractions, Liu Wuxie concentrated on his recovery with the aid of the Transcendent Cloud Pill. The pill accelerated his healing, and his condition improved daily as he circulated the Desolate Devouring Art, utilizing high-grade spirit stones.

After killing Bai Yuan and Deng Yong, Liu Wuxie naturally hadn't forgetten to loot their resources. The resources he had looted were enough for him to cultivate for some time.

......

Five days passed in the blink of an eye, and the Ten Grand Ceremony ended. The last five days passed peacefully. Everyone patiently waited for the final battle to end to inform those outside of what had happened inside.

A cold ray flashed when Liu Wuxie opened his eyes. He had healed from all his injuries, and his soul sea had also recovered. His cultivation had advanced rapidly, nearing the fifth level of the Astral River Realm. He only needed an opportunity to make that breakthrough.

"Junior Brother Liu, the Ten Grand Ceremony has ended officially, and it's time for us to depart," said Lan Ling, walking over excitedly.

If there were no surprises, the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion had secured first place in the Ten Grand Ceremony, claiming the top spot among the ten major sects.

"Let's go!" Liu Wuxie stood up, and a ferocious shockwave of energy erupted from him, causing the surrounding space to tremble.

The commotion caused by Liu Wuxie shocked all the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples in the surroundings.

He soon masked his aura, appearing unassuming as before. If everyone hadn't witnessed Liu Wuxie's strength, his appearance would have fooled them.

As the group approached the exit, they saw that participants from the other sects had already gathered there, waiting to leave promptly once the barrier opened.

Liu Wuxie observed Xu Lingxue and Murong Yi chatting and smiling. He couldn't sense any tension between them.

This left him puzzled. He realized he truly didn’t understand women. He had assumed Xu Lingxue would be hostile toward Murong Yi, yet here they were, seemingly closer than ever.

"This has to be a ploy!" Liu Wuxie murmured to himself.

About eight to nine hundred people were gathered at the exit, and their conversations stopped when the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples arrived. They kept their distance and isolated themselves.

"Why are they so fearful of us?" Many Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples were baffled. It wasn't like this before, as they would exchange pleasantries when they met in the past. But they had been wholly isolated after what had happened in the Thorn Peak Valley.

"That's because they don't want to get involved with the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. Do you think the three sects will let us go when we go out?" Lan Ling explained.

The three sects had lost all their disciples and could not let this matter slide. The other sects' disciples didn't want to get too close to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion until everything had cleared up.

They chose to neither align with nor offend the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples, which ensured their survival regardless of the outcome.

When the restriction was lifted, everyone quickly left through the exit.

......

The higher echelons of the ten major sects had already been waiting outside, anxious to know what had happened in the final battle.

The ten sect's leaders stood at the entrance and swiftly gathered their disciples.

"Let's go over there!" Mu Tianli commanded, gesturing for the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion disciples to follow him as he led them to a secure spot.

Bai Jin, Feng Gaoqiu, and Xu Yanghui quietly looked at the exit, hoping for a miracle. They clung to the hope that their disciples might still be alive.

Their hopes crumbled when five minutes passed, with no more participants appearing.

Bai Jin’s fists tightened, and his murderous intent radiated outward in a wave that unsettled everyone nearby.

When the other sects' disciples came out and shared what had happened in the final battle, especially the battle that took place in the Thorn Peak Valley, the various sects' leaders all had disbelief on their faces when they heard how Liu Wuxie had killed over four hundred people by himself.

The Misty Sect's sect master was a middle-aged woman. She was particularly outraged when she learned how Bai Yuan had led the three sects to capture the Misty Sect's disciples.

Bai Jin reached out and pulled over a Divine Sun Palace disciple, who was powerless before him.

"Talk! What exactly happened inside, and how did my son die?!" Bai Jin questioned, seething with rage as the murderous intent he released caused that unfortunate disciple to wet his pants.

"Bai Jin, what are you trying to do here? How dare you lay your hands on one of my disciples. Do I look like a pushover to you?!" Deng Lei was enraged. He had just learned what had happened in the Heavenly Mountain, and Bai Yuan’s actions were utterly despicable.

He didn't expect the Heavenly Origin Sect's young master to stoop so low, who had to be partly blamed for the death of the Divine Sun Palace's disciples. The deaths were uncalled for, and those disciples were caught in the crossfire between Bai Yuan and Liu Wuxie.

"My apologies for my impulsive behavior, Sect Master Deng. I merely wish to know what happened inside, and I meant no harm to your disciple," Bai Jin said, softening his tone. He gently placed that Divine Sun Palace disciple down and inquired about what had happened in the Heavenly Mountain.

This unfortunate disciple still had fear lingering on his face and his legs trembling. Fortunately, he had only peed his pants, facing the full-blown aura of a powerhouse in the True Profound Realm. He didn't dare to hide anything as he shared everything he knew.

Xu Yanghui and Feng Gaoqiu were standing beside Bai Jin; they also wanted to know what had happened in the final battle that resulted in the total annihilation of all their disciples.

When they learned how Liu Wuxie had fought over four hundred people by himself and killed both Deng Yong and Bai Yuan, they froze in place from the shock.

They had considered countless possibilities, but the thought of Liu Wuxie killing everyone had never crossed their minds.

The nearby second-tier sects had yet to go far, and they naturally heard the explanation provided by Divine Sun Palace disciple.

"What?! Liu Wuxie killed over four hundred people by himself, including Bai Yuan?!" the Grand Banner Gate's sect master exclaimed with his voice trembling.

The disciples of the second-tier sects were so shocked that they forgot to gasp for breath. Their first reaction was to turn and look at Liu Wuxie with awe and fear.

"He's a monster!" Many people hammered their chests in frustration. They couldn't accept the injustice of the heavens to produce such a heaven-defying prodigy like Liu Wuxie.

Even Dugu Shan remained silent when he learned that Liu Wuxie had killed Dugu Yan. He had received the full story, including how Dugu Yan had launched an assault when Liu Wuxie was in seclusion and paid the price with her life.

He couldn't blame Liu Wuxie for it, nor did he have any excuse to act against the latter. But he would be glad if Bai Jin and the other two sect masters took revenge for him against Liu Wuxie.

The story unraveled over ten minutes, shedding light on some of the past month's mysteries. Though Liu Wuxie was also responsible for the initial casualties of the three sects' disciples, he had meticulously concealed his involvement, leaving no traceable evidence behind.

"Liu Wuxie, give me my son's life back!" Bai Jin roared, his voice reverberating through the air. The sound waves were so powerful that they made those in the low levels of the Astral River Realm bleed from their five orifices.

"Your Heavenly Origin Sect allied with the other sects, attempting to destroy my Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, and you have the cheeks to say that? You deserved it!" Mu Tianli refuted, protecting Liu Wuxie and the other disciples behind him. He had already instructed them to board the warship, making preparations to leave at any moment.

"No one from the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion will leave this place alive! You will pay for our losses with your deaths!" Feng Gaoqiu declared. The three sect masters stepped forward, unleashing their combined aura in the True Profound Realm and shattering the surrounding space.

On the contrary, Mu Tianli was the only one in the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion's faction who had reached the True Profound Realm and was outnumbered.