Chapter 1889 — 1889: Exposing Bai Zhan's Crimes(2)

Although Elder Bai was already certain that Bai Zhan was behind the disappearance and deaths of these disciples, he needed more evidence and information before exposing his grandson's crimes to the world. Accusing his own blood was not a decision to be taken lightly, but Elder Bai was a man of unwavering principles. He would not protect evil, even if it came from his own family.

This was why Yuan remained calm despite his situation. He knew Elder Bai's sense of justice would not allow personal ties to cloud his judgment.

After carefully placing the corpses back into Bai Zhan's spatial ring, Elder Bai began investigating everyone who had once been close to him. The deeper their ties to Bai Zhan, the greater the pressure he placed on them.

Thus, over the next several days, Elder Bai would summon disciple after disciple for questioning.

Meanwhile, Yuan returned to his living quarters.

"Y-Yuan!"

Xi Meili and the others immediately rushed to his side after seeing him return.

"It's been two years. How have you all been?" Yuan greeted them with a calm smile, acting as if nothing had happened.

"We should be asking you that! Are you okay? What's the situation like now?" Xi Meili said.

"I should be fine. I don't think that elder will come after me anymore."

"What makes you so confident?"

"I know that elder very well. He's one of the most righteous individuals in this sect."

Ji Ran then spoke, "Young Master, I must ask, why did you kill that disciple? You even ended up losing two years of progress because of him."

"I killed him because he was a despicable person. As for his crimes… they should be revealed soon."

"What are you going to do now?" Lan Yingying then asked.

"I'll continue what I was doing before. How's everyone's progress in the last two years?" Yuan then asked.

Xi Meili scratched her head in a somewhat embarrassed manner and said, "Honestly, not much. Although our progress as Spirit Apprentices was quite fast, it's much harder to progress as Spirit Warrior. In two years, we've only managed to increase our cultivation by six to seven levels, so we're just catching up to you."

"I'm the only one who's managed to surpass you, Young Master." Ji Ran said, revealing his cultivation to be at the 5th level of Spirit Master. "I'm only lacking a few more contribution points to take the Inner Court examination."

Meanwhile, Lan Yingying had reached the 7th level of Spirit Warrior, with Xi Meili at the 5th level of Spirit Warrior.

"Sister Songyun is also at the peak of Spirit Warrior like you," Xi Meili added.

"I see… What about Yingzi?" Yuan asked with a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Oh, right. You don't have to worry about Yingzi. She made it to the Immortal Monastery," Lan Yingying said. "However, she only arrived last month."

"Last month? Where is she right now?"

"She's training at the Hunting Grounds. Also, you won't believe why it took her this long to come here," Xi Meili answered.

"Why?" Yuan curiously raised his eyebrows.

"I think it'd be best if you heard it directly from her," Xi Meili chuckled.

"Is that so? I'll ask her later then."

Sometime later, Yuan had to visit the Disciplinary Hall to retrieve the spatial rings that were confiscated from him right before he entered confinement.

Yuan anticipated that some of his stuff would be stolen, but to his surprise, none of his items were touched.

In the past, his belongings would always mysteriously disappear after coming out of confinement. Of course, they were all stolen by the sect elders, and there was nothing he, a mere disciple, could do about it.

'Even if they wanted to steal my things, I don't have much for them to steal,' he thought to himself.

Besides the spirit stones he got as an allowance, Yuan had sold all of his monster cores and materials for points before the tournament.

After regaining his spatial rings, Yuan made his way to the Hunting Grounds, where he remained for two weeks straight.

During Yuan's time in the Hunting Grounds, Elder Bai presented all the evidence he had gathered about Bai Zhan to the Sect Leader before making it known to the rest of the sect.

Standing before his fellow sect elders, his expression was solemn as he spoke, "Because of my own shortcomings, my grandson, Bai Zhan, has committed many unforgivable crimes within the sect."

When the other sect elders learned of Bai Zhan's crimes, they were all left speechless. They were also angry that they had been supporting a monster this entire time without knowing.

Before long, the news reached the rest of the sect. When the Outer Court disciples heard of it, they were left in utter disbelief. Bai Zhan, a figure most had respected and admired, was now revealed as a serial killer who also defiled corpses.

"What? Bai Zhan was responsible for those missing disciples? One of them was my friend!"

"I heard he defiled their corpses, even dressing them up like dolls… How sick was Bai Zhan in the head to do such things?"

"Fuck! I cannot believe I admired a bastard like him!"

It was revealed that Bai Zhan had exploited his status and reputation to deceive unsuspecting victims. His esteemed position within the sect allowed him to gain trust effortlessly, making it all too easy to lure others into his grasp.

Under the guise of friendship or mentorship, Bai Zhan would invite the victims into his home, where he would mercilessly end their lives, and not wanting to damage the bodies, he would often resort to using poison or strangulation. Once dead, Bai Zhan would transport their corpses to his Immortal Cave, where he would defile them.

Although the exact number of Bai Zhan's victims remained uncertain, the estimated count was around a hundred. The true scale of his crimes might never be fully uncovered, but the sheer number was enough to send chills throughout the sect.

Fortunately, Bai Zhan had no accomplices, or they would've faced Elder Bai's wrath.

As for Yuan, who had once been the most despised individual in the sect for killing Bai Zhan, the truth had completely shifted his reputation. What was once seen as a heinous act was now hailed as justice. The very people who had condemned him now praised him as a hero, recognizing that his actions had rid the sect of a monster hiding in plain sight.