After Baili Xukong departed, Wuma Hanshuang immediately summoned her trusted subordinates and briefed them on the matter of Wen Xue.
She personally devised a plan and method for locating Wen Xue.
That took up some of her time.
As for the Ancestral Martial World Sect's ruins, the inheritance had already been seized — there was no longer any point in standing guard.
So Wuma Hanshuang did not head back there. Instead, she came to a private domain.
At this moment, Wuma Hanshuang looked utterly exhausted. She had genuinely seen promise in Wen Xue, and never expected things to turn out this way.
But the moment she pushed open the palace doors, her eyes lit up.
The hall, which should have been completely empty, actually held a figure.
Wen Xue.
Wuma Hanshuang thought her eyes were deceiving her.
Wen Xue had fled — so how could she be here?
Wen Xue bowed respectfully to her: "Master."
Whoosh — But the instant Wen Xue spoke, a powerful hand seized her by the throat.
It was Wuma Hanshuang, who had closed the distance in a flash, lifting Wen Xue off the ground with one hand.
"You still dare to come back?"
Wuma Hanshuang's eyes blazed with fury and killing intent.
But looking at Wen Xue's twisted face, twisted in agony, her grip loosened slightly.
She was also thinking — the fact that Wen Xue actually dared to seek her out likely meant there were hidden circumstances.
Besides, Jie Tianran's account alone was hardly credible.
"Wen Xue, what exactly happened? Why did Jie Tianran claim that you allied with Chu Feng and seized the inheritance?"
Wuma Hanshuang asked in a stern voice.
"Master, Jie Tianran's words cannot be trusted. That's not how it happened."
Wen Xue's face was full of grievance.
Hearing this, Wuma Hanshuang immediately released Wen Xue and said through gritted teeth: "So that Jie Tianran really is untrustworthy."
But at that moment, Wen Xue spoke again: "Although Chu Feng did share part of the inheritance with me, I wasn't the one who seized it. Chu Feng took it himself. That Jie Tianran really can spin a tale."
Hearing Wen Xue's words, Wuma Hanshuang froze completely.
She could hardly believe her ears.
"What did you say?" Wuma Hanshuang asked.
"The inheritance wasn't taken by me and Chu Feng together. Chu Feng took it alone," Wen Xue said.
"You mean to say you really did ally with Chu Feng?" Wuma Hanshuang pressed.
"We did ally, but I wasn't the one who seized the inheritance," Wen Xue said.
Pfft — Blood sprayed. Wuma Hanshuang's palm had pierced clean through Wen Xue's body.
And the fury in her eyes burned even hotter than before.
After all, Wen Xue had been playing her for a fool.
"Wen Xue, I treated you well. Why do this to me?"
Wuma Hanshuang asked viciously.
"Master has indeed been good to this disciple, but the bonds between people have their depths and shallows."
"I'm sorry, Master, but my bond with Chu Feng runs deeper. Of course I had to help him."
"Besides, there was something I wanted in there. Without Chu Feng's help, I couldn't have obtained it."
Wen Xue's body had been pierced through, blood gushing forth, yet her expression remained perfectly calm — eerily so.
But Wuma Hanshuang was beyond caring about that. She was already consumed by rage.
"So from the very beginning, you were using me? Using the Prison Sect?"
Wuma Hanshuang asked.
"Isn't that what people always do to each other? Why did Master choose me as a disciple and not someone else?"
"If I were an ordinary person, would Master still have chosen me?" Wen Xue asked.
"I chose you because of your talent — that's true enough. But have I treated you poorly?" Wuma Hanshuang asked.
"Precisely because Master treated this disciple well, I came to find Master," Wen Xue said.
And those words snapped Wuma Hanshuang back to clarity a little.
Wen Xue had already left. So why come back?
At first she thought Wen Xue wanted to clear her name, but instead she had confessed everything.
Then what reason could Wen Xue possibly have for seeking her out?
Was it truly just to mock her?
That would be courting death.
"What exactly is your purpose?" Wuma Hanshuang asked.
"This disciple would like to ask a favor of Master. My junior brother, Chu Feng, wishes to enter the Immortal Star Domain. I would ask Master to show us the way," Wen Xue said.
Hearing this, killing intent surged wildly in Wuma Hanshuang's eyes once more.