63: Sowing discord

Lietian Sword Sect. Kaiyuan Hall.

Zhang Bufan burst in with an excited expression, clapping his hands and laughing: "Revered Master, everything with the plan is going smoothly. The Burial Heaven Demon Lord is like an old ox with a copper ring in its nose, letting us lead him around!"

"How is it? Has the Burial Heaven Demon Lord broken ties with that Sword Immortal?" Wu Qiong, who had been waiting anxiously, was the first to lean in and ask.

"Uh!" Zhang Bufan's smile faltered, and he said with some embarrassment: "Not yet!"

This was indeed a miscalculation. With so many meticulously designed layouts beforehand, according to his plan, the young girl should have turned against the Burial Heaven Demon Lord by now. Even if they didn't fight to the death, they should have at least battled until the sky turned dark.

Clearly, he had still underestimated the weight of the Demon Lord in Di Yan's heart.

"Still haven't broken ties? Kid Zhang, is your plan even reliable!" Wu Qiong was getting irritable; she was going crazy thinking about that peerless divine technique.

"Soon, very soon!" Zhang Bufan promised quickly, a hint of ruthlessness showing between his brows: "Since they refuse to turn against each other, I'm prepared to unleash a killing blow this time!"

"What killing blow?" Sword Absolute Dust interjected. In terms of cultivation Realm, Zhang Bufan couldn't even see her shadow, but when it came to strategy and scheming, she was far inferior to her own disciple.

"The killing blow is Di Yan's Heart Demon!" Speaking of this, Zhang Bufan couldn't help but let out a sinister laugh. A malicious light flickered in his eyes, as if he were about to see something that excited him.

"Then Revered Master, this disciple will head out now!"

...

The once prosperous and bustling capital of the Yanri Kingdom had now become a dead, silent ruin. Billions of living beings had been forcibly wiped out. The Burial Heaven Demon Lord was nowhere to be seen.

Only Di Yan remained, standing blankly in place, her mind echoing with the desperate wails and cries for help of countless beings before their deaths, as well as her Revered Master's cold and heartless back.

Her delicate body trembled violently, her hands clenched tightly, knuckles turning white, nails digging into her flesh.

She felt such hatred, hating her own weakness and incompetence in front of her Revered Master. Hating herself for not having the courage to draw her sword, watching helplessly as these billions of beings died.

In her heart, the tall and majestic figure of her Revered Master began to show cracks, which started to spread, as if it could completely shatter at any moment.

At this moment, a cyan sword light descended from the sky, landing beside the young girl. Zhang Bufan's fair face was filled with shock: "How could... how could this be?!"

"This is the Yanri Divine Kingdom! Billions upon billions of living beings, why did not a single one survive!"

Speaking of this, his fair face displayed intense grief and indignation, tears streaming down uncontrollably. He muttered painfully: "It's all my fault, it's all my fault for arriving a step late. I am a sinner; I have failed these innocent people who lost their lives!"

"Brother Bufan, today's events... are not your fault!" Di Yan's beautiful face was numb.

Hearing this, Zhang Bufan turned abruptly, hope and expectation flickering in his eyes: "Sister Di, since you are here, you must have saved many innocent people, right? That's great... Yanri won't be destroyed after all..."

Di Yan's lips trembled, her words filled with self-reproach: "I'm sorry, all this blame lies with me. It was I who lacked the courage to stand up!"

Zhang Bufan's face turned pale, and he took a step back in disbelief. Then, he showed relief and understanding, softly comforting her: "Sister Di, do not blame yourself too much; after all, he... is your Revered Master!"

"That's right, he is my Revered Master. How could I ever raise a hand against my Revered Master!"

Di Yan smiled miserably, holding her head in pain as the effect of the Dao Heart Heart Demon was pushed to its limit, as if it were about to burst.

Seeing that the timing was ripe, Zhang Bufan weighed his tone and said softly: "Sister Di, actually, there is something I don't know whether I should say or not!"

"What is it?" Di Yan looked up, her beautiful eyes bloodshot, appearing as if she were going mad.

"It's about your Revered Master. I haven't dared to tell you before, just because I was afraid you would misunderstand!" Zhang Bufan probed cautiously.

"It's fine, just speak freely. I won't blame you!" Di Yan's voice was hoarse.

"Then I will speak!" Zhang Bufan emphasized, then whispered with flickering eyes: "Sister Di, I heard that the actions of the Sword Forging Manor against your Di Family back then were actually instigated by the Demon Lord!"

"What did you say?!" Di Yan's pupils contracted sharply. This sentence was no less than a bolt from the blue for her.

A massive Sword Intent erupted, and she rushed to the man like lightning, gripping his shoulders tightly, and roared like a beast: "Say that again! Do you have proof?"

"Sister, you're hurting me!" Zhang Bufan gasped, feeling as if his shoulder bones were about to be crushed.

"Sorry, I was a bit out of control!" Di Yan immediately let go. She panted heavily, her blood-red gaze fixed on him, her voice cold and sharp: "Brother Bufan, do you have proof for what you said?"

"I do!" Zhang Bufan nodded forcefully, transforming into a streak of sword light and darting toward the extreme south: "Sister, follow me!"

...

Several days later. Above the Tianlan Kingdom, two strange Cultivators appeared.

The current Imperial Preceptor was a Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage. She felt a god-like, monstrous pressure from the sword-bearing female Cultivator and was so terrified that she grabbed her eighteenth brother-in-law and fled overnight.

Looking at the bustling town below, with people coming and going, Di Yan fell into a brief moment of trance.

This was her homeland, and also the place where the Di Family Legacy had lasted for hundreds of years, but all of this ended on that night.

"Sister, let's go down!" A subtle curve appeared on the corner of Zhang Bufan's mouth.

He landed straight in the northeast corner of the town. In front of him was a residence that had been abandoned for many years; the vermilion gates were rusted, still bearing the official government seals, and on the plaque above, the two characters "Di Mansion" were clearly written.

Di Yan's beautiful eyes were complex as she gently reached out, peeled off the seal, and then pushed open the gates with force. A scent of desolation mixed with a faint smell of blood rushed toward her.

The continuous buildings, the majestic scale, the elegant corridors, and the deep courtyards were enough to show how prosperous the Di Family had been back then; looking across the entire Tianlan Kingdom, they were a top-tier super Family.

In a trance, Di Yan seemed to see the scenes of the past again. Busy servant boys, rough female guards, her father's kind smile, her mother's doting caresses, and the laughter of her younger brother and sister.

Then the scene shattered, like a big dream. Before her, apart from waist-high dense weeds swaying in the wind, there was nothing else.

The young girl turned her head and asked seriously: "Speak, where is the evidence you can provide?"