The Sect Master still appeared as a white-haired old woman, having not reverted to her previous dignified form.
However, her overall state was no longer as feeble as before. Her aura had grown far more stable.
"Sect Master, you..."
Chu Feng looked at the Sect Master before him and had already realized what was happening.
"This is what I left on the eleventh floor."
The Sect Master said, looking at the sphere of energy swirling around them.
Sure enough, just as Chu Feng had guessed, when the mysterious energy sphere was triggered, it was not a surge of power that would protect Chu Feng—it was a person who would protect him.
That person was the Sect Master.
But no matter what, Chu Feng had never expected this.
The Sect Master, who had been targeting him all along, would actually shield him.
Could it be that all the Sect Master's previous hostility toward him had been nothing more than an act?
"Sect Master, why? Why would you do this?"
"Chu Feng is the one who brought the Wolong Martial Sect to the brink of dissolution. Why would you still protect him?"
The Vice Sect Master stared at the Sect Master, his eyes filled with confusion.
"The great tribulation triggered by the Wolong Selection Formation was a mechanism left behind by our Founding Ancestor. It had nothing to do with Chu Feng."
"Chu Feng indeed failed to overcome the tribulation, but as the Sect Master of the Wolong Martial Sect, I likewise could not overcome it."
"When the sect stands at the precipice of life and death, the one who should step forward to protect the Wolong Martial Sect should not be a disciple—it should be me, the Sect Master."
"If anyone is at fault, then it is I who am incompetent."
The Sect Master said.
"How could this possibly be your fault?"
"Why are you defending him like this?"
"I thought you disliked him?"
The confusion in the Vice Sect Master's eyes deepened. His breathing grew heavier as he spoke, as though this revelation was a tremendous blow to him.
"When did I ever say I disliked Chu Feng?"
"With such an outstanding disciple entering our Wolong Martial Sect, as the Sect Master—unless I had no desire for the sect to become better—how could I possibly dislike a disciple of his caliber?"
The Sect Master countered.
"So it was I who was foolish."
The Vice Sect Master let out a bitter laugh. He knew that today, killing Chu Feng was no longer an option. The Sect Master had chosen to protect him, and there was nothing he could do about it.
"You were indeed foolish."
"I already warned you, yet you remained obstinate."
"Do you truly believe I didn't know about the things you've been doing in the shadows to protect your grandsons?"
"I never held it against you, because I valued what we once had."
"But you... what you've done today has deeply disappointed me."
"You should never have brought that creature back."
"Don't bother denying it. Though its form has changed, I can still recognize what appeared within the tribulation today."
The creature the Sect Master referred to was none other than the black aura.
"Sect Master, when I brought it back, I had no intention of harming you, nor of harming the Wolong Martial Sect."
"There are existences hidden within the Wolong Martial Sect that cannot be controlled."
"On the surface, we are the masters of the Wolong Martial Sect, but in truth... they are."
"That should not be so. Our Wolong Martial Sect should not be ruled by them."
"I brought that creature back because I wanted to harness its power to deal with those existences that loom over us."
"But Chu Feng killed two of my grandsons in succession, and hatred clouded my judgment. That was when I made a deal with the creature, asking it to help me eliminate Chu Feng."
"You saw it yourself—it went only after Chu Feng. It did not harm a single soul of the Wolong Martial Sect."
The Vice Sect Master explained.
"What your true purpose is, only you know."
"But regardless of your purpose, that creature must be fed. It requires the lives of countless martial cultivators to sustain itself."
"All these years—for the sake of feeding it, how many innocent lives have you taken?"
"You are the Vice Sect Master of the Wolong Martial Sect. Do you even realize what you've been doing?"
"Is our Wolong Martial Sect an evil sect?"
"Would you commit such heinous acts for your own selfish gain?"
The Sect Master's voice grew louder with every word. Her fury was something everyone could feel.
Thud— The Vice Sect Master suddenly dropped to his knees.
"Sect Master, I know I was wrong."
"But I truly never intended to use that creature against you."
"I was truly acting in the interests of our Wolong Martial Sect."
The Vice Sect Master explained.
"You have deeply disappointed me."
As she spoke, the Sect Master closed her eyes.
Whoosh— Then she pointed with her palm, and blood immediately sprayed forth.