171: Chapter 171 Xiao Nianyin: Kill Xu Ruyu first, then deal with you all.

Discussions surged like a tide, mixed with incredulous exclamations, murmurs of sudden realization, and... a flash of understanding in the eyes of certain Disciples.

No wonder the Sect Master suddenly accepted a male Disciple.

No wonder Xu Ruyu could live in Ningyin Hall.

No wonder the Sect Master's attitude changed abruptly after Xu Ruyu defeated the Meiying Sect crowd; it turns out she was afraid Xu Ruyu's wings were growing too strong and she wouldn't be able to handle him herself...

Now, everything had an explanation.

While the crowd was buzzing with discussion, inside the suspended pavilion of Ningyin Hall, Xiao Nianyin's originally frozen expression flickered for the first time.

In those ice-blue eyes that looked down upon all living beings, a stormy wave of rage and bone-chilling coldness suddenly erupted.

What did she just hear? Leng Ningshuang... the blade she considered the sharpest and most obedient among the Hehuan Sect Disciples, not only learned her unspeakable secret from Xu Ruyu but actually dared... actually dared to speak it out in public?!

All the painstaking schemes she had made—firstly to recover her Saint Realm cultivation, and secondly to maintain her high and inviolable image—everything she did was to cover up the humiliating accident that happened in Ningyin Hall that night...

And now, all of it was teetering on the brink of collapse because of Leng Ningshuang's words, about to vanish into nothingness!

Shame, anger, and a trace of panic she was unwilling to admit even to herself instantly overwhelmed her.

No, this secret must never be leaked; she could never let anyone know that she, Xiao Nianyin, had once been... by a Qi Refinement Stage Disciple.

Her gaze swept over the dense crowd of Disciples below, over the various expressions of the Elders, and finally fixed on the hatefully calm Xu Ruyu on the platform.

It was him; he must have been the one who told Leng Ningshuang!

This source of calamity!

Deep within her ice-blue eyes, a fierce light flashed like something tangible.

An invisible, intangible, and vast Saint Realm Divine Thought silently spread out like the finest net, instantly enveloping the entire Hehuan Sect mountain gate.

Space slightly solidified as all means of communication were quietly severed, and internal and external connections were completely blocked—today's events must not spread a single step beyond this mountain gate!

If it cannot be forgotten... then let everyone shut their mouths forever.

Simultaneously, a transmission containing unquestionable killing intent entered Lin Feng's Sea of Consciousness on the Law Execution Platform: "Slay Xu Ruyu. Immediately."

On the platform, Xu Ruyu stood quietly, listening to Senior Sister Leng speak the truth in public, his face devoid of any expression.

There was neither the relief of being saved nor the panic of a secret being exposed.

He just looked at Senior Sister Leng, watching the price she paid for speaking those words—a shattered Dao Heart, backlash from her cultivation, and being abandoned by everyone.

Then, he spoke softly, his voice calm:

"Senior Sister Leng, why bother?"

Leng Ningshuang looked back at him, the blood on the corners of her mouth not yet dry.

Xu Ruyu's gaze was indifferent, without gratitude or his previous gentleness: "Telling the truth brings me no benefit; instead, it puts you in a desperate situation.

You were her blade. When the blade turns against its wielder, the first thing to break is always the blade itself."

"But not saying it would mean continuing to live in a lie, continuing to be that blade that hurts others," Leng Ningshuang gave a tragic smile, yet there was a hint of liberation in her eyes.

"That was your choice." Xu Ruyu looked away, no longer watching her, and turned instead toward the Six Harmonies Immortal Slaying Array which was beginning to gather terrifying fluctuations. "And my situation will not change because of it."

His heart was cold.

Leng Ningshuang was once Xiao Nianyin's most steadfast executor, a sharp blade aimed at him.

Even if she turned traitor now, it couldn't erase her previous killing intent.

To sympathize with an enemy is to be cruel to oneself.

He could understand her struggle, but that didn't mean he would view her as a companion.

At this moment, the Grand Elder looked at Leng Ningshuang in silence, then at the silent Xu Ruyu on the platform. Finally, his gaze seemingly unintentionally swept over the high suspended pavilion; feeling the subtle pressure permeating heaven and earth, he already understood in his heart.

He withdrew his gaze and slowly closed his eyes.

Three breaths later, he opened them again, his eyes filled with a complex resolve—as a Sect Elder, he knew whose side he had to take now.

"Martial Niece Leng," he spoke slowly, his voice carrying a stern authority, "the matter you speak of is of great importance. Without solid evidence, it is mere slander."

He paused and continued:

"However, today's events are indeed strange. Since you have raised doubts, then..."

He hadn't finished his sentence.

Because on the platform, another change occurred.

Six figures moved.

It was Senior Brother Lin and the other five Senior Brothers.

From the moment Leng Ningshuang turned against them, they had been standing silently in the back, forming a defensive Formation.

And now, the Sect Master's bone-chilling kill order echoed in Lin Feng's Sea of Consciousness, causing the last trace of doubt in his eyes to vanish completely.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In those eyes, sharp as an eagle's, there was only the absolute coldness of executing a mission.

"Senior Brother Lin?"

Chen Yun, in his black robes, asked in a low voice. He had also felt the anomaly of the Sect being invisibly locked down, as well as the suffocating oppression in the air.

"Execute the order." Lin Feng interrupted him, his voice decisive. "The Sect Master orders: Slay Xu Ruyu.

Form the 'Six Harmonies Immortal Slaying Array'."

"Yes!"

Hearing Lin Feng say this, the five others including Chen Yun and Fang Yue cast aside their last bit of hesitation, answered in unison, and stepped forward together!

The six-man Formation instantly shifted!

Lin Feng in green was in the center, Chen Yun in black was on the left, Fang Yue in gray was on the right, and the other three stood in a triangle at the rear.

The auras of the six suddenly merged into one, their spiritual power surging like a river, forming a perfect closed loop!

The next moment, the six raised their hands simultaneously, palms upward!

"Six Harmonies Immortal Slaying—Activate!"

Buzz—!!!

A piercing hum exploded!

Six pillars of spiritual power of different colors soared into the sky!

They converged at a height of thirty zhang, transforming into a massive, slowly rotating six-colored light wheel that cast down terrifying pressure!

The ground of the Martial Arts Arena cracked, and floating rubble turned to dust!

The Disciples in the front rows turned pale and retreated repeatedly!

"Not good! The Six Harmonies Immortal Slaying Array! They really mean to kill him!"

Zhao Yan exclaimed.

The veins on Ning Caihe's hand holding his sword finally bulged, and Qingyan covered her mouth, her eyes filled with worry for Xu Ruyu.

She thought for a moment and was about to step forward while clutching the Void Escape Talisman in her hand, but she was stopped by Ning Caihe: "It's not time yet!"

On the platform, Xu Ruyu looked up at the six-colored light wheel in the sky that was locking onto his "existence," his eyes as sharp as blades.

He felt the invisible lockdown enveloping the entire Sect, which was even more terrifying than the Formation, along with that faint trace of Saint Realm killing intent.

He knew that Xiao Nianyin was finally no longer hiding it and wanted to completely erase everything.

He glanced at Leng Ningshuang, who was kneeling at the edge of the platform with a withered aura, his gaze indifferent.

Whether she lived or died no longer had anything to do with him.

What he had to face now was a true life-and-death struggle.

"Senior Sister Leng," Xu Ruyu spoke, his voice devoid of warmth, only a calm statement, "The Formation has locked down space, and its reach is broad.

If you don't want to be shaken to death by the aftershocks, retreat to the remnants of the barrier yourself."

Hearing this, Leng Ningshuang's body trembled slightly. She looked up at Xu Ruyu's cold profile, her heart full of bitterness.

She struggled, using all her strength to move toward the remnants of the barrier at the edge.

At this moment, the six-colored light wheel in the sky had rotated to its limit, and the aura of destruction felt tangible, enveloping the entire Law Execution Platform!

A cold light flashed in Lin Feng's eyes as he pointed his sword at Xu Ruyu:

"Slay!"