"Yihai Prefecture! Ten years ago, the Sect Leader caught up with the wounded and fleeing Kou Ni there and personally beheaded that traitor in front of several Daoist Officials of the Dragon Court and Zhao Pijiang!"

In the Inner Sect’s upper courtyard, where it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop, a voice suddenly rang out.

Amid seven or eight surprised looks, the thick-browed young man wearing a Silver Ears Longsword appeared calm.

Facing his fellow disciples with righteous indignation and spirited vigor, he spoke:

"I am Yuan Haoran from Cangwu Peak! Kou Ni’s rebellion caused countless deaths and injuries, dragging our sect’s reputation down to the abyss. In recent years, Zhao Pijiang’s cultivated faction has grown rampant, almost trampling over us, with Senior Brother Qiu being ambushed, yet no official conclusion has been reached to this day!

I, Yuan Mou, entered the sect late and lack the qualifications of my fellow senior brothers, but the name Kou Ni was decreed by the Sect Leader! Has it been that, even ten years later, the Inner Sect brothers still regard him as Daoist, and dare not call him by name?"

Yuan Haoran’s words were like needles piercing the hearts of the Inner Sect members, causing a faint pain.

Kou Qiuyue used to be revered like a deity among the disciples of the Meridian Sword Sect’s Nine Peaks, admired by all.

Even though he had fallen into the Turbid Tide and was branded as "Evil Demon" and "Great Traitor," many Inner Sect members and true disciples still call him "Kou Daozi" or "Senior Brother Kou" to this day.

"Cangwu Peak... the lineage that Daozi extinguished."

"No wonder, including the head seat and true disciples, a total of one hundred and thirty people were all slain!"

"Deep hatred! Even the waters of the Nu Yun River can’t wash it away!"

"But I’ve heard that Cangwu Peak colluded with the Four Reversals Demon Sect... they brought it upon themselves!"

In the upper courtyard, the gaze of the Inner Sect members intersected as they secretly thought.

"Why are you making such a scene, what kind of conduct is this! You were admitted to the Inner Sect to be pillars and models of the sect! Every move you make reflects on our sect!

I am aware of this matter and will report to the Sect Leader, seeking his decision."

A woman in a white dress, wearing a Golden Ears Longsword, walked into the inner courtyard, her black hair falling to her waist, lips thinly pressed, exuding a cold and fierce air.

"Instead of futile arguments, why not practice swordsmanship more diligently, aiming to one day ascend the Simurgh Platform and bring fame and honor to the sect? Disperse now!"

Each word from the woman in the white dress was as cold as frost, containing endless murderous intent, instantly causing the Inner Sect disciples to lower their heads and avert their gaze, not daring to breathe.

The upper courtyard is indeed the backbone of the Meridian Sword Sect, but in terms of esteemed status, it is far less than those who lead their peak and are imparted ultimate teachings as true disciples.

Especially ten years ago when Daozi Kou Qiuyue died on the Nu Yun Riverfront.

Ten years later, the only candidate likely to ascend the Simurgh Platform, representing the Meridian Sword Sect, is none other than Senior Sister Mu before our eyes.

About half an hour later, the woman in the white dress reached the back mountain of the Sword Sect unimpeded.

As is well known, after the Sect Leader personally cleaned the house by exterminating Daozi.

He secluded himself and stopped seeing outsiders, leaving sect affairs entirely to the five lineages’ heads.

However, Mu Zhao Yang is an exception.

She can hold the Sword Order and step into the Ancestor Hall to meet the Sect Leader outside the door.

"Zhi Xin Temple in Yihai Prefecture sends word that the White Sun Sect is reappearing, suspected to be led by someone at an Elder level."

Mu Zhao Yang reported.

The doorway to the Ancestor Hall remained shut.

Only after a long time did an elderly voice emerge:

"Let your master make a journey."

Mu Zhao Yang nodded.

"Zhaoyang obeys."

... 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

...

Inside the Ancestor Hall, on a jade platform nine levels high, sat an old man, none other than Yan Xin, the Sect Leader of the Meridian Sword Sect.

His entire body seemed cut by a thread of sword qi so faint it was almost illusory, making him appear split in half, his wistful gaze sometimes hazy and muddled, sometimes clear and bright.

Curiously, the withered brow beneath his frost-white hair showed no signs of senility, but instead a kind of innocent and childlike nature.

"Taiyuan... Jiuchen... Daoist Monarch! To witness this sword, to die without regrets!"