Chapter 982: Chapter 982

A thought secretly flickered through the minds of the onlookers: "Celestial Sovereign protects whoever he wants to protect. Who is this ugly old man to speak?"

It was impossible to deny—Siheng was simply too handsome. They couldn’t help but remember the earlier rumors, where it was said that Jifeng Celestial Sovereign had become horribly disfigured after suffering injuries.

But now, as they looked at Nanli, their gazes shifted, tinged with jealousy and resentment. Yet, remembering Nanli’s formidable cultivation and her fierce actions just moments ago, they quickly buried these emotions deep inside. "Don’t provoke her, don’t provoke her!" After all, she was pregnant, and this was clearly a pair made in heaven.

Siheng’s eyes were cold as ice. His presence radiated nobility, and even with the wounds on his body, he could not hide his regal aura. Slowly, he spoke, "I never desired to become the Supreme. From now on, you may choose whoever you want as Venerable Master. It’s none of my concern."

That way, he would be free of the burdens. The so-called Venerable Master was just a tiresome job anyway.

The crowd froze. The old man had not expected Siheng to renounce the Venerable Master title. But after a brief shock, he quickly recovered, his tone filled with urgency: "But you are a divine being, you have the divine mark! You should act on behalf of Heaven and uphold its will. If you refuse, you will be punished by Heaven!"

Siheng’s smile deepened, and with a single flick of his finger, the Sky-Tearing Sword flew toward the old man, its cold light cutting through the air.

"Clear skies, no clouds, Heaven is bright and clear. I don’t believe Heaven has any objections," Siheng said, his voice as calm as ever. "Perhaps I should sever your head to see if Heaven gets angry."

The Sky-Tearing Sword pressed against the old man’s neck, its power overwhelming. The old man, with his meager cultivation, had no way to resist or evade. His body went limp as he realized that Siheng was not just making empty threats.

"Celestial Sovereign... Please, no!" The old man could see the murderous intent in Siheng’s eyes, his life hanging by a thread. He quickly corrected himself, "What Celestial Sovereign said is true. Heaven has no objections, and us ordinary cultivators should not voice any."

Siheng chuckled lightly and withdrew the Sky-Tearing Sword. He glanced at the crowd and said, "I, Siheng, will no longer be Immortal World’s Venerable Master."

"Master Yun is now a member of Jialan. If anyone dares harm him, they better consider their strength carefully and prepare their coffins for themselves and their nine generations."

"Anyone dissatisfied can come challenge me at Jialan. Life or death, it’s up to you. I will be waiting there."

The cultivators’ faces turned awkward, and not a single person dared to speak up, let alone challenge him. Unless they were seeking death, there was no way they would go against his decree.

Seeing they couldn’t gain anything from the situation, many quickly took to their swords and fled. Those who hadn’t yet reached the foundation-building stage had no choice but to flee on foot.

The former subordinates of House Sima were terrified. Sima Yue hadn’t committed suicide, but he had died by Siheng’s hand.

One of them spoke nervously, "Celestial Sovereign! We were deceived by Sima Yue. We were also victims in this! Please, show mercy and give us a way out. From now on, we will do good deeds and avoid evil!"

Siheng replied coldly, "Swear an oath to Heaven."

The former subordinates quickly began swearing one by one that they would never harm others again. Only after that did Siheng let them go.

However, there were still elders from the Chi family tied up tightly.

They too pleaded for mercy, and without Siheng needing to speak, they began swearing their own oaths to save their lives.

Bai Hao winced in pain, bearing the injuries from earlier. As he thought of the enmity between the Bai and Chi families, he couldn’t help but harbor some ill intent. "Chi Yun managed to escape, right? We can’t let them go. It’s hard to say if they won’t one day help Chi Yun return in full force."

He made a gesture to cut his throat.

"Better to kill them cleanly!"

"Celestial Sovereign, if it’s inconvenient for you to act, let me do it!" he added with a malicious grin.

If he killed the Chi family, their power would be greatly reduced.

Nanli saw through his thoughts and shot him a glance. "Don’t try anything sly. You don’t know the full story, and they haven’t harmed anyone today. There’s no need to be so harsh."

Bai Hao muttered, "Nanli, you’re too merciful. If you truly want peace, you have to root out the problem completely. Leave no one behind."

Nanli replied, "That may be true, but if you kill them, I’ll lose merit. I don’t mind, but I don’t want it to affect my son."

Cinian, ever the voice of reason, praised her, "Indeed, spare them if possible. They’ve sworn an oath, and if they do wrong in the future, Heaven will punish them. Bai Hao, why go to such extremes?"

Sometimes, it was necessary to solve problems with strength, but occasionally, showing mercy could be just as effective.

Bai Hao saw he wasn’t getting any support and reluctantly gave up on the idea.

Eleven Shans untied the Chi family members, allowing them to leave.

But just as they were about to depart, Nanli stopped them.

Some of them stiffened, while others collapsed to their knees immediately.

"Nanli... What is it, Nanli Daoist?" one of the Chi family elders asked.

"Why isn’t your Ancestor with you?" Nanli inquired.

Since Chi Yun had collaborated with Shang Jue, the Chi family’s Ancestor should have been involved as well, right?

The Chi family elder fidgeted before answering, "Before we left, our patriarch—no, Chi Yun had initially intended for our Ancestor to come as well. But we don’t know what happened. The Ancestor suddenly became furious and scolded Chi Yun before leaving. He ordered Chi Yun to stay home, but Chi Yun didn’t listen and insisted on coming to Jialan Celestial Mountain with us."

Nanli could tell from their expressions that they had no idea where Ancestor Chi had gone. She waved her hand. "Alright, if you see Chi Yun again, make sure to report it."

"Thank you, Nanli Daoist. Thank you, Celestial Sovereign!" The Chi family members hurriedly bowed and left, eager to distance themselves from the situation.

Meanwhile, Yan Hu was still surrounded by many cultivators. They had already confirmed that Yan Hu was the one who had falsely impersonated Yun Yubai and killed their relatives and fellow disciples. Their hatred flared, and they drew their weapons and magic treasures, rushing at Yan Hu.

By the time Siheng finished negotiating with the cultivators, the killing had already begun. Even though Yan Hu had barely clung to life, it was too late for him.

One of the sect leaders took the final blow, severing Yan Hu’s head. With a cry, he said, "Disciple! Master has avenged you!"

The old sect leader had built his sect from the ground up over hundreds of years. He had taken in orphaned disciples and taught them with great care, only to have them all slaughtered by Yan Hu.

After avenging his disciples, he sat on the ground and wailed in grief.

The scene was heart-wrenching.

The onlookers, especially Yun Yubai, couldn’t help but feel sorrowful. Though his heart had once been carefree, knowing the truth of his identity and realizing the catastrophic consequences of his actions, he felt an overwhelming wave of guilt.

He wanted to approach, but before he could move, Siheng gave a subtle order to the Jialan Disciples, asking them to handle the aftermath and assist the wounded cultivators as much as possible.

"Everyone’s injured. Head back to Jialan Celestial Mountain to recover," Siheng said.

Yun Yubai understood the meaning behind his words—Siheng didn’t want him to get too close to anyone, for fear that something might happen.

The disciples of Seven Peaks Sect, although wounded, could still manage to fly back on their swords, the Jialan Celestial Mountain only a short distance away.