185: Chapter 185 Good advice is useless against this damned devil; Xiao Nianyin remains obstinate.

"Xiao Nianyin," Granny Liu addressed her by name, no longer using the somewhat affectionate term "lass." "You are the Sect Master, bearing the burden of the Hehuan Sect's thousand-year Foundation and the future of ten thousand Disciples.

Every decision you make could affect the Sect's Luck."

Her gaze swept over the crack-ridden jade pendant on Xu Ruyu's chest, and a trace of extremely complex emotion flashed deep in her eyes—there was reminiscence, sighing, and a faint, imperceptible hint of expectation.

"Today, I, an old woman, am risking my dignity to come out and say these words. It is not to shield anyone, nor is it to question your authority."

Granny Liu's voice regained its calmness, yet it carried an unquestionable resolve.

"I only wish to remind you, and everyone present who is still clear-headed—"

"Hatred, suspicion, greed, and that so-called 'Sect Master's reputation'... these things that cloud one's eyes might grant you a moment of satisfaction or uphold your outward dignity.

But they cannot bring about a true Legacy, much less the prosperity of the Sect."

She paused for a moment.

Then, she spoke slowly, "Perhaps, adopt a different attitude toward this boy and this heaven-sent Opportunity.

No longer with a mindset of plunder, imprisonment, and extermination, but with one of guidance, protection, and even... cooperation.

You, Xiao Nianyin, or our entire Hehuan Sect, would see a completely different and far broader path."

"I have said my piece."

Granny Liu's desolate and pointed words were like stones cast into a deep pool; after creating ripples in everyone's hearts, the lingering echoes gradually faded into the frozen air.

Her hunched figure, leaning on that smooth Ebony Cane, had slowly stepped onto the edge of the Law Execution Platform, about to vanish into the quiet path leading toward the Hall of Power Transmission.

Everyone's eyes closely followed that aged back, each harboring their own thoughts.

Many Elders, especially several with deep seniority, had eyes flashing with shock and uncertainty.

Although Martial Aunt Liu's words were cryptic, the amount of information revealed was immense—the Ancestral Master's Legacy's 'Fated Method,' 'that person,' and even the questioning of the Sect Master's decisions... every sentence struck heavily on the most sensitive strings of power and Legacy within the Hehuan Sect.

Simultaneously, they turned their gazes toward the center of the area, at the ice-blue figure who decided the direction of everything.

Xiao Nianyin stood still, the phantom image of an Ice Lotus beneath her bare feet slowly rotating, emitting a bone-chilling cold.

She lowered her eyelids, her long, thick lashes casting faint shadows on her jade-white cheeks, masking all the surging emotions in her eyes.

Granny Liu's words, every single one, she had heard clearly. Those exhortations regarding Opportunity, Karma, and the Sect's future, even that nearly blunt warning, echoed repeatedly within her powerful Divine Soul as a Saint Realm Cultivator.

However—

Naturally haughty and cold, having ruled the Hehuan Sect for decades with absolute authority and never having her decisions questioned, what rose in Xiao Nianyin's heart was not reflection or alertness, but a surge of offended indignation.

Martial Aunt? High seniority? So what?

That Xiao Nianyin could reach where she was today, returning to the Saint Realm against the heavens after her cultivation was completely destroyed, was never due to listening to others' suggestions, but due to her own judgment, tactics, and when necessary... absolute ruthlessness!

The secrets on Xu Ruyu? The Legacy Opportunity of the One Sword of Emotional Heaven? How could she not know of these?

But precisely because she knew, she could not let go even more!

Such a Heaven-Defying Legacy could only be truly secure if held in her own hands and transformed into a part of her own strength!

Guidance, cooperation, waiting for the Opportunity to ripen? Simply laughable!

In this Cultivation World where the strong prey on the weak, Opportunities are always snatched, not waited for!

Moreover... this man, Xu Ruyu, knew her most disgraceful secrets and had witnessed her most vulnerable moments.

For that alone, he had to die!

It was just that before he died, his value had to be thoroughly squeezed dry.

Martial Aunt's appearance merely meant that this process needed to be a bit more cautious and discreet.

As for 'that person' implied in Martial Aunt's words... an extremely cold glint flashed in the depths of Xiao Nianyin's eyes.

Regardless of who stood behind Xu Ruyu, now that he was in the Hehuan Sect, trapped within this Spirit-Locking Great Array and the Nine Nether Array, he was a turtle in a jar!

As long as it was handled cleanly and all traces of Karma were severed, who could possibly find out afterward?

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Nianyin had already made her decision.

At the very moment Granny Liu's figure was about to completely vanish at the boundary between the Formation's light and the building's shadows, Xiao Nianyin raised her head.

In her ice-blue eyes, all hesitation, struggle, and even the last shred of respect for her Elder had vanished, leaving only ice frozen for eternity and unquestionable majesty.

"Martial Aunt is of advanced age and has lived in the Forbidden Ground for a long time; perhaps she has become somewhat unfamiliar with the current affairs of the Sect."

Xiao Nianyin spoke; her voice was not loud, yet it clearly spread across the silent Law Execution Platform and certainly reached the ears of Granny Liu, who had not yet walked far.

"The Sect's laws and the safety of the Legacy are the Foundation of a Sect; they do not allow for the slightest ambiguity or compromise."

Her tone was flat, yet every word was like iron, completely negating the stance of Granny Liu's earlier exhortation.

"Xu Ruyu is a spy for external enemies who has stolen the Sect's supreme Legacy; the evidence is conclusive, and his crime is unpardonable.

Furthermore, he previously engaged in acts of bewitching fellow Disciples and disrupting the Sect's order.

If such a scourge is not thoroughly eradicated, how can we uphold the Sect rules? How can we reassure the hearts of the masses?"

Her gaze swept over the Disciples below whose expressions were still dazed, across the Elders with their varying looks, and finally fell back onto the dying Xu Ruyu, as she said resolutely:

"As the Sect Master, I bear the rise and fall of the Sect. If I were to show leniency to a spy today because of a few ethereal words about 'Opportunity,' how could I lead the Sect in the future? How could I face the Ancestral Masters of past generations?"

"Therefore—" Xiao Nianyin's voice suddenly turned sharp, carrying a decisive aura of slaughter, "The previous sentence remains unchanged! All Elders, hear my command!"

"This old one is here!" The Grand Elder's heart jolted, and he hurriedly bowed.

"The Nine Nether Soul-Locking Grand Array is to be operated at full power; there must be no mistakes!

The Spirit-Locking Great Array is to be bolstered to its limit!"

Xiao Nianyin waved her jade-like hand, her ice-blue wide sleeves bringing a biting cold wind. "Thoroughly suppress this scoundrel for me, obliterate the life force of his Physical Body, and lock away his Divine Soul!

I will personally perform the 'Soul Searching and Spirit Refining' technique to completely... strip away the One Sword of Emotional Heaven Legacy and all the secrets behind it!"

"We respectfully obey the Sect Master's decree!"

The nine Elders presiding over the Formation responded in unison. Although they were murmuring in their hearts due to Granny Liu's appearance, the Sect Master's authority was at its peak, and her orders were clear; no one dared to show the slightest disobedience.