Chapter 1258 - A Traitor
Shortly before reaching the back mountain, someone called out to Meng Changyun.
A red finch soared past and called out respectfully, “Martial Grand-Uncle, please change course and stop by the main hall.”
Meng Changyun was stunned. “Does the sect leader already know I’m back?”
A moment later, he ordered, “Go back and tell him that I’ll visit him as soon as I’ve greeted my master.”
Throughout the years, every time he returned, he went to greet his master before he did anything else. He’d maintained this habit since he was a young man.
Even though he’d since become a World King, this habit had never wavered.
“Martial Great-Uncle, the sect leader says you’re to see him immediately,” said the red finch.
Meng Changyun frowned; he could sense that something wasn’t right here. “Don’t tell me something happened?”
The red finch shook its head. “I don’t know.”
Meng Changyun snorted coldly, then proceeded toward the back mountain regardless.
“Martial Great-Uncle...” The red finch was stunned, but just as it was about to say something...
A dignified voice boomed through the air.
“Martial Uncle, please stop right there!”
Meng Changyun turned his head and saw a group flying right toward him. The leader was a middle-aged man in purple clothes.
This was none other than the leader of the Solar Transformation Courtyard, Wen Zhixin!
About a dozen elders accompanied him, and they’d obviously come in a hurry.
Meng Changyun was increasingly certain that something wasn’t right here, but his expression never wavered. “Martial Nephew, I only just returned to the sect, yet you’ve brought such a large group to welcome me? Don’t you think that’s a bit overly formal?”
Sect Leader Wen Zhixin looked at him, his expression complicated, and sighed. “Martial Uncle Meng, did you... really betray us?”
‘Betray?!’ Meng Changyun’s expression darkened. “What do you mean, Sect Leader? All I did was take a trip to the Dark and Gold Star Realm. Why am I suddenly a traitor?”
He swept his gaze across the sect’s higher-ups in displeasure.
One of them, a short fat man in yellow, said, “Martial Uncle, everyone in the Thousand Opportunities Star Realm knows of your betrayal, so why feign ignorance?”
“A year ago, the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect proclaimed you a traitor. You’re not saying they accused you unjustly, are you?” someone shouted.
“Martial Uncle Meng, you’re the High Elder of our Solar Transformation Courtyard! How could you have betrayed us? Do you have any idea how much criticism we’ve faced over the past year?” someone said with heart-wrenching pain.
“How could that possibly be the full extent of it? The Primordial Unity Daoist Sect said that if we don’t hand over Martial Uncle Meng, they’ll make us pay a devastating price!” someone said with righteous indignation. “Every faction in the Thousand Opportunities Star Realm is watching and waiting to see us make fools of ourselves!”
Their rebukes left Meng Changyun feeling stifled, and his expression was unsightly.
He’d come here with a heart full of delight, like a wandering son returning to his hometown, only to be greeted with judgment and accusations!
But Meng Changyun already understood that the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect was behind this disaster. The top faction of the Thousand Opportunities Star Realm had proclaimed him a traitor!
And their wrath extended to the entire Solar Transformation Courtyard!
This thought left him on the verge of exploding with anger. I’m not a cultivator of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, so what’s with this talk of betrayal?
They’ve obviously just seeking revenge against me!
“Martial Uncle Meng, do you... have anything you’d like to explain?” said Sect Leader Wen Zhixin.
The crowd’s voices instantly fell silent. By now, numerous others had heard the news and come running. The entire area was full of prominent members of the Solar Transformation Daoist Court.
When they looked at Meng Changyun, all of their gazes were full of disappointment and anger.
An indescribable sense of grief coursed through Meng Changyun’s heart, and he said in a raspy voice, “Do you think I’m a traitor just because the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect says I am?”
Many fell silent, but someone shouted, “Don’t tell me you aren’t?”
“Hah.” Meng Changyun laughed bleakly, then whispered, “I, Meng Changyun, have cultivated in this sect from a young age. I started as an outer-sect disciple, and advanced through the ranks one step at a time, becoming a legacy disciple, then a core disciple... until finally, I took on the post of high elder. I’ve already served for thirty-nine thousand years!”
His gaze suddenly turned ferocious, and his eyes blazed with anger. “But never mind my accomplishments, and never mind all my years of bitter toil. I’ll just ask you this. In all those years, have I ever done anything disadvantageous to the sect?”
Every word went off like a thunderclap.
The crowd fell silent, their expressions conflicted.
“It’s one thing for the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect to accuse me of treason, but now, even you’re accusing me of betrayal? How ludicrous! What a farce!” Meng Changyun’s face was ashen. He felt as if a knife were twisting in his heart.
His own sect saw him as a traitor. This cut far too deep.
“Martial Uncle Meng, please don’t make this difficult for us.” Wen Zhixin sighed. “Over the past year, this incident has done massive harm to everyone in the sect. Who knows how many factions are sharpening their knives in preparation to raid and plunder us once we’ve met with disaster?
“And the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect has already made its position clear. If we don’t give you up, they’ll wipe the Solar Transformation Courtyard from the face of the star realm!”
This declaration left Meng Changyun both alarmed and furious.
He finally understood. His so-called “betrayal” was just an excuse.
In truth, the Solar Transformation Daoist Court had caved to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect’s threats, abandoning him to save themselves!
Someone said gravely, “Martial Uncle Meng, a man ought to take responsibility for his own actions. You’re the high elder of our sect. Surely you won’t just watch as we’re implicated by the enormous disaster you created?”
Meng Changyun felt a chill in his hands and feet.
He scanned the crowd, taking in one familiar face after another. “Do all of you feel the same way?”
The crowd fell silent, avoiding his gaze.
Meng Changyun felt indescribable disappointment. This... is the sect I saw as my home?
He felt as if his heart had turned to ash, and he couldn’t even be bothered to argue any further. He just said woodenly, “Rest assured. I’ll naturally go to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect to end this.”
He was completely, utterly disappointed and unwilling to linger. He decided to visit his master and disciple, then leave.
And... he wouldn’t be coming back ever again!
Suddenly, a short, fat man in yellow robes said, “Martial Uncle Meng, you’d best let us escort you to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect to prevent anything expected from happening.”
Meng Changyun was briefly stunned, but a moment later, he understood. His expression turned extraordinarily unsightly. “Huang Yong, do you think I’m going to run away?”
His lungs were on the verge of exploding with anger.
They called it “escorting” him, but they were obviously just afraid he’d run away, leaving them unable to report to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect!
“Martial Uncle Meng, please consider the well-being of the Solar Transformation Daoist Court. Don’t make this difficult for us.” Wen Zhixin sighed deeply.
“If I refuse, will you attack me?” Meng Changyun was furious, and his face was ashen.
The crowd fell silent.
Meng Changyun felt even more thoroughly disappointed than before. He took a deep breath. “Once I’ve visited my master and disciple, I’ll go to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect. If you push me any further, don’t blame me for being impolite!”
His voice was full of suppressed fury. It would have been obvious to anyone that he was on the verge of losing it.
Wen Zhixin suddenly looked ashamed. He said in a low voice, “Martial Uncle, Ancestor Yue Hong and Bai He have already been invited to visit the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect.”
Boom!
It was as if Meng Changyun had been struck by lightning. His skull practically split.
Martial Uncle and Bai He... have already been captured?
Throughout the sect, he was closest to his master, Ancestor Yue Hong.
And he saw his closed-door disciple, Bai He, as his son.
But now, both of them were in danger!
These dire tidings left Meng Changyun seeing red. He could no longer suppress his qi, which became explosive and terrifying.
The crowd’s expressions shifted, and all of them were instantly on guard.
Wen Zhixin said hurriedly, “Martial Uncle Meng, please, calm down. So long as you visit the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, both of them will surely return alive!”
Suddenly, soft laughter emanated from afar. “So, you’re finally here, Meng Changyun.”
Two figures then shot over, a man in wide-sleeved robes and a hearty, spirited, white-haired elder.
Wen Zhixin and the other higher-ups instantly bowed to the man in wide sleeves, their expressions reverent.
Xue Changyi!
An elder of the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect, a powerhouse of the stars!
And the white-haired old man was the Solar Transformation Daoist Court’s Ancestor Jing Que!
There were five Oneness Realm old-timers in the Solar Transformation Daoist Court. All of them had long since ceased to heed worldly affairs, and they had no posts within the sect.
Ancestor Jing Que was one of the five.
Going by seniority, he was Meng Changyun’s martial uncle, and the senior apprentice brother of his master, Ancestor Yue Hong.
When Meng Changyun saw Ancestor Jing Que appear alongside the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect’s Xue Changyi, his anger cooled.
He’d realized that this didn’t bode well for him!
Before he did anything else, he had to find a way to escape. Only then would he have an opportunity to request aid from His Excellency the Temple Master.
“Changyun, heed your martial uncle’s advice. As your master’s disciple, and out of consideration for all of the Solar Transformation Daoist Court, please come quietly. Please, come with us to the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect and repent for your crimes,” Ancestor Jing Que said flatly. “If you refuse, don’t blame your martial uncle for his poor manners. I’ll have to suppress you immediately.”
The atmosphere was instantly stifled. All eyes turned toward Meng Changyun.
Meng Changyun’s expression was bleak. He muttered, “There’s no greater sorrow than the death of the heart. I didn’t understand before, but... I’m starting to get it...”
He slowly raised his head and looked at Wen Zhixin, Ancestor Jing Que, and the others. “I understand that you’re afraid I’ll implicate you, and that the Primordial Unity Daoist Sect is threatening you, but I still wouldn’t have thought you’d... disappoint me like this over and over again!”
Everyone’s expressions shifted. They looked a bit uncomfortable.
“You sure talk a lot.” Xue Changyi frowned, then directly issued orders. “Fellow Daoist Jing Que, please suppress this traitor right away.”
Ancestor Jing Que nodded, took a step forward, and gazed coldly at Meng Changyun. “My apologies, Martial Nephew.”
Boom!
His terrifying aura expanded around him as he raised his hand and struck Meng Changyun.
Meng Changyun dodged in a flash, avoiding this palm strike and soaring into the firmament.
“You cannot escape, Martial Nephew.”
As Ancestor Jing Que’s voice rang out, a bolt of lightning interwove, forming a massive palm imprint in midair. Its terrifying power suppressed Meng Changyun’s cultivation base, leaving him with no strength to dodge.
Meng Changyun’s pupils constricted.
The crowd couldn’t help but shake their heads. This is what it means for a mantis to attempt to block a chariot.
Ancestor Jing Que is in the Oneness Realm. Martial Uncle Meng is still only in the Heavenly Longevity Realm. His fate is already sealed.
Indeed, a moment later, Meng Changyun plummeted from the sky and slammed into the ground.
Bang!
The crowd couldn’t help but look conflicted. You know you’re going to bear the consequences of your betrayal, so why struggle?
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