Chapter 2

After a full half moment, Zhang Xin, whose strength had recovered, still lay on the ground. The difference was that before, he was lying there to recover his strength, but now he was trying to calm the unusual condition below his body.

At this moment, 'Ruo'er' had already changed back to her catgirl form and said with a hint of curiosity, "Master, I don't know what that person used on you just now. Ruo'er felt it was very powerful, capable of repairing brain waves, but unfortunately, it couldn't scan the components. If you have the chance, you can collect a drop or two. In the future, if you bring it back to Earth, the Federation Science Academy will surely reward you."

"That's 'Spirit Immortal Dew,' a very expensive spiritual substance. Only the true disciples of the Sun Moon Mystic Sect have a supply—"

Zhang Xin casually answered, but just as he was explaining to Ruo'er, he felt someone poking his shoulder.

Zhang Xin turned his head in surprise and saw a young, plump boy in a green robe, with a round face, standing beside him, holding a sword in his hand and smiling, "Brother Zhang! I am Wang Feng. By the order of the examination official, I am to guide Brother Zhang to the martial arts arena."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xin hurriedly got up. In fact, he knew the way; the martial arts arena was not far behind the mountain gate, specifically set up for the martial arts examination.

However, the problem was that his current identity had never been to Tianzhu Mountain, so he had no need to show any unusual behavior.

Following Wang Feng step by step, Zhang Xin entered the mountain gate and then crossed a canyon that seemed to have been split by an axe.

When Zhang Xin walked out of the canyon, he couldn't help but squint his eyes, a glint appearing in them.

This was a flat area opened up on the mountaintop, spanning over twenty miles. At a glance, one could see magnificent and splendid buildings and platforms everywhere.

Even more shocking was that there were over forty small floating islands in the sky. Looking up, one could see hundreds of figures entering and exiting the floating islands.

If it were an ordinary person, they would surely feel as if they had entered a different world. However, Zhang Xin was extremely familiar with this place and didn't feel particularly surprised.

At this moment, he was only filled with emotion, thinking that after more than thirty years, he had once again come here as a new disciple.

"Quite impressive, right? I was also shocked the first time I came here."

Wang Feng looked somewhat proud, "You haven't been to the main academy of Sun Moon Mountain. The grandeur there is hundreds of times greater than here..."

However, he then noticed that Zhang Xin's attention was not on the world behind the mountain gate, nor was he listening to him much. Instead, he was looking at the twelve iron statues kneeling by the canyon entrance with a complex expression.

"Those are the twelve most heinous criminals of our Sun Moon Mystic Sect, cast as iron statues by the Discipline Hall and made to kneel here permanently!"

As he spoke, Wang Feng thought of Zhang Xin's identity and assumed he understood the thoughts of the person beside him. He sighed, "Look at the one on the far left. This is Shangguan Xuanhao, the mastermind behind the disaster in Guanglin Mountain three years ago. He colluded with demons and evil beings, causing 270 high-ranking spirit masters of our Sun Moon Mystic Sect to be defeated and 16 divine masters to perish in Guanglin Mountain. The Discipline Hall judged him as a traitor, expelled him from the sect, and stripped him of his cultivation, sentencing him to the Nine Fires of Punishment. However, since his whereabouts are unknown, this kneeling statue was erected to symbolize his punishment."

Zhang Xin didn't listen carefully, only staring blankly, thinking that there was nothing more helpless and unjust than fighting to the death for one's sect, only to be regarded as a traitor and cast as a kneeling statue for public display.

About three years ago, when Zhang Xin was still 'Shangguan Xuanhao,' he was ordered to lead a group of fellow disciples to rescue Guanglin Mountain, which was under attack by demons and evil beings. However, he was betrayed there, and not only did they fail to save Guanglin Mountain, but they were all wiped out.

As the leader, 'Shangguan Xuanhao' was also in a desperate situation and could only use the 'Soul Separation Technique,' which he had not yet fully mastered, to escape. Not to save his life, but to return his soul to Sun Moon Mountain to warn the elders.

However, for some unknown reason, he woke up in a crystal coffin underground, with his body replaced by the one he now had, and with 'Yeruo,' who claimed to be an intelligent terminal but seemed more like a spirit entity to him.

Then, after he finally managed to escape from the steel warship buried deep underground, which resembled a demon palace, he was found by the disciples of Guanglin Mountain and mistaken for one of the survivors. It was then that he learned he had been deemed the mastermind behind the disaster in Guanglin Mountain and the most heinous traitor in the 500-year history of the Sun Moon Mystic Sect!

With no choice, he had to assume the identity of 'Zhang Xin,' the son of a martial arts hall master in Guanglin Mountain. For the past three years, 'Zhang Xin' had been mostly unconscious due to his weak soul, only gradually recovering recently. He then eagerly participated in the biennial mountain gate examination.

—After three years, Zhang Xin thought he could face it calmly. But when he saw his own iron statue, a wave of anger and hatred surged in his chest.

Sadness, anger, depression, injustice, and helplessness—various emotions welled up in his heart, a mix of bitter feelings that he couldn't vent!

However, he still remembered that he was now 'Zhang Xin' and managed to control his expression, not showing these emotions.

Fortunately, he was naturally open-minded and optimistic, and it didn't take long for him to recover, thinking that the heavens were still kind to him, right? Although this body's cultivation potential was poor, it still gave him a chance to start over, to find the truth and clear his name.

At this moment, he heard Wang Feng say, "Don't be too sad! Although Shangguan Xuanhao's soul lamp is still lit and his whereabouts are unknown, the sect will eventually find him and bring him to justice. And those demons and evil beings, the Sun Moon Mystic Sect will not let them off."

Zhang Xin felt a strange emotion and then shook his head, curious, "Senior Brother Wang, I see this kneeling statue was cast not long ago. Wasn't Shangguan Xuanhao's crime determined three years ago?"

Wang Feng, hearing this, couldn't help but grit his teeth, looking furious, "It's those troublemakers in the sect..."

Before he could finish, a white light suddenly descended from the sky, like a bolt of lightning. Before Wang Feng could react, the sharp sword energy landed ten zhang away, shattering the statue of Shangguan Xuanhao into pieces!

The two of them looked up in shock and saw a figure shrouded in a black robe floating in the air at a height of three hundred zhang.

Zhang Xin could vaguely make out that it was a woman, but he couldn't see her face. Then he heard the black-robed woman shout in a hoarse voice, "Everyone in Tianzhu Mountain, listen clearly! Three years ago, the Discipline Hall made a hasty judgment without sufficient evidence, causing Brother Shangguan to suffer an unjust fate! The Xuanhao Party will not accept this and will fight to the end! Justice lies in the hearts of the people, and the Discipline Hall cannot distort the truth and frame him. The sect must reopen the case and review it, or we will never give up!"

As she finished speaking, she waved her sleeves, scattering countless papers over the twenty-mile area, especially toward the martial arts arena.

"Those Xuanhao Party bastards again!"

Wang Feng was furious, his face turning green, "A bunch of cowards, they're just waiting for today to rebel..."

Zhang Xin clenched his fists and continued watching. The black-robed woman, after scattering the papers, flew toward a nearby floating island.

However, the patrolling disciples of the mountain hall were already on alert. At this moment, several nets flew over from all directions, completely sealing the sky and the ground.

Just as Zhang Xin thought the woman would surely be captured, several beams of light descended from the clouds. His eyesight was limited, and he couldn't see what kind of magical tools they were. But when these beams of light struck, they instantly broke most of the nets. The black-robed woman took the opportunity to escape, her figure disappearing into the nearby floating island in an instant.

Then the sky became a chaotic mess, with countless blue-robed patrolling disciples flying out from all directions, surrounding the floating island. Inside the island, there were screams and chaos.

After a while, a high-ranking spirit master cast a spell to summon clouds and mist, completely obscuring the scene above.

Zhang Xin couldn't see what happened next, but he was relieved and instead picked up a flyer that had fallen nearby.

After a quick glance, Zhang Xin's face turned slightly red. The first part of the flyer listed various doubts about the Guanglin Mountain tragedy, which was somewhat reasonable. However, the latter part was all praise for Shangguan Xuanhao, saying he had done many good deeds, guided many fellow disciples, and saved many people, benefiting millions. In short, Shangguan Xuanhao was indeed a great person! So he could not possibly be the culprit behind the collapse of Guanglin Mountain.

The words were so flattering that Zhang Xin felt embarrassed, thinking, "Is this living saint really me? It feels so exaggerated."

Wang Feng, misunderstanding his anger, snatched the flyer, "These are all lies, fabricated to mislead those who don't know the truth. There's nothing to see. Don't be angry, Zhang Xin! The Discipline Hall and the Mountain Hall will eventually root them out."

Zhang Xin actually wanted to read more, but when he saw many blue-robed disciples flying down to collect the flyers, he gave up and instead asked, "What's the deal with this Xuanhao Party? With so many fellow disciples in the Discipline Hall and the Mountain Hall, can't they figure it out?"

"They are a group of fellow disciples who have been misled by Shangguan Xuanhao. There are quite a few of them. It's said that just in our Tianzhu Mountain branch, there are four or five hundred people."

Wang Feng frowned, his eyes full of helplessness, "We've caught some of the Xuanhao Party before, but they all refused to betray their comrades. The key is that their crimes are not serious, and they can only be punished with a few years of wall-facing. We can't search their souls or anything. As you saw today, there must be insiders in the Mountain Hall. Today, they will likely get away with nothing."

Zhang Xin indeed saw that there were insiders in the Mountain Hall, and some were clearly letting them go. The floating island where the black-robed woman escaped was the residence of the female disciples of the Tianzhu Mountain branch, with a bathhouse on it. Even if the Mountain Hall sealed the island, they couldn't find out the identity of the black-robed woman.