Chapter 303 Exposed

Why would Yue Hongling think that if she desperately revealed the truth, Lu Ye would blame her along with it?

Clearly, in the matter of Bai Qiulan using the Nine Larceny Soul Art on her, she bore no fault—all the blame lay with Bai Qiulan.

But would it really turn out that way if she spoke up?

If she stood before Lu Ye and poured out everything—how Bai Qiulan abused her, how hypocritical and cruel she was—what would Bai Qiulan’s reaction be?

She would feel utterly ashamed, then descend into hysteria, clawing and biting at Yue Hongling like a madwoman.

At that point, the two would undoubtedly engage in a vicious brawl.

How would Lu Ye feel, watching them tear into each other right before his eyes?

Yue Hongling already understood Bai Qiulan all too well.

Her hatred for Bai Qiulan would certainly be repaid—but not now.

That was why she had lied.

She wanted dignity.

She knew Lu Ye wanted dignity too.

"Senior brother, what deception? How have I deceived you?" Yue Hongling asked, her face paling.

"Husband, there’s no deception at all. Hong Ling and I have always stood together through thick and thin. Though we’ve had minor disagreements, they were never anything major."

The two hurriedly explained.

Lu Ye’s eyes were full of disappointment.

Shen Xitong spoke up then.

"Ex-wife Yue, Master Bai, no need to rush with explanations. Let me lay out the facts, and you can judge whether I’m right."

Her address had shifted from "elder sisters" to "Ex-wife Yue" and "Master Bai."

"First, though the Nine Larceny Soul Art is difficult to cast—failing easily if resisted—once successful, the caster can undo it with ease. Why didn’t you undo it?" Shen Xitong asked.

Bai Qiulan took a deep breath, her gaze sharpening.

This was a confrontation between her and Shen Xitong.

"Though the Nine Larceny Soul Art is a dark art, Hong Ling’s Fearless Dao was weakening day by day. I used it to guide her cultivation—what’s wrong with that?"

"Then what is the Fearless Dao? How did you guide her?" Shen Xitong pressed.

"The Fearless Dao means fearing nothing. I needed to change Yue Hongling’s fearful mindset, to make her fearless—wasn’t I helping her cultivation?"

"Where does the essence of the Fearless Dao lie?"

Bai Qiulan...

"I don’t cultivate the Fearless Dao myself—I merely provided guidance."

"And what of Ex-wife Yue’s *Eon Chaos Canon*?"

Bai Qiulan's face changed drastically.

"The Eon Chaos Canon... the Eon Chaos Canon... It's because Yue Hongling felt her path of fearlessness was collapsing, so she became disheartened and unwilling to continue cultivating the Eon Chaos Canon..."

"Master!"

Yue Hongling's voice suddenly rose sharply.

Her face was flushed, her anxiety reaching its peak—wrong, she had said it all wrong!

Yet Shen Xitong merely chuckled softly.

"Master Bai, have you ever read the contents of the Eon Chaos Canon?"

Bai Qiulan fell silent for a moment.

"No..."

"Then did you know that the Eon Chaos Canon itself strengthens the path of fearlessness? 'Eons in chaos, yet the heart remains unshaken; ages in turmoil, yet the path stands firm.' The weaker Yue Hongling's path of fearlessness became, the more urgently she would seek to cultivate the Eon Chaos Canon."

"When you told her to abandon the Eon Chaos Canon, did she not tell you this?"

A trace of confusion flickered in Bai Qiulan's eyes.

"Or perhaps, you never even asked Yue Hongling if she was willing to give up the Eon Chaos Canon—you simply forced her to stop cultivating it!"

"Is this what you call 'appropriate guidance'?"

Shen Xitong's eyes gleamed with cold mockery. Though she stood at only 1.7 meters tall, her presence in that moment seemed to tower ten thousand meters high!

In Bai Qiulan's eyes, alongside the confusion, there now lay a hint of despair.

She...

She had never imagined that forcing Yue Hongling to abandon the Eon Chaos Canon would, at this very moment, become her fatal flaw.

"Your 'appropriate guidance' led to Yue Hongling's internal energy spiraling into chaos?"

"Your 'appropriate guidance' caused Yue Hongling's physical vitality to wither?"

"Your 'appropriate guidance' made Yue Hongling discard the cultivation method her brother specially sought out for her?"

"Your 'appropriate guidance' severed Yue Hongling's path, turning her into nothing more than a vessel for your Chaos Venom from this day forward—is this what you call 'appropriate guidance'?"

"Bai Qiulan, you truly are a hypocrite!"

At these words, Bai Qiulan staggered backward.

Unsteady, she even collapsed onto the ground.

"No, no, no... It's not like this..."

Shen Xitong's gaze shifted to Yue Hongling.

"I'm curious, ex-wife Yue. The Chanu's Extreme Yin Manual I gave you—as long as you supported each other, with you absorbing some Chaos Venom and Master Bai absorbing a little as well, you could have lasted a very long time, even making it to the Sixth Heaven without issue. How did things collapse so quickly?" Shen Xitong asked.

Yue Hongling had never expected this. She had thought that by enduring humiliation, pretending to get along harmoniously with her master, she could reassure Lu Ye, earn his forgiveness, and regain his acceptance.

And now, just as she was about to speak...

Shen Xitong simply waved her hand.

"Enough, Yue Hongling. No one has ever told you this before, but I'll tell you now—when you lie, your eyes flicker, and your expression shifts constantly. Even an ordinary person can tell you're lying without even needing to think. Are you sure you still want to keep lying?"

Yue Hongling stiffened.

"Is that so?"

She turned to Lu Ye, as if waiting for something.

And Lu Ye nodded gently.

It was true.

Yue Hongling began to laugh—first softly, then wildly.

Her laughter turned manic, hysterical.

"Is this my fault? Can this really be blamed on me?"

"Bai Qiulan, every time I practiced the *Chanu's Extreme Yin Manual*, she would frantically pour *Chaos Venom* into my body—pouring it relentlessly. She didn’t want to endure even a sliver of pain, pushing all of it onto others."

"If I dared complain, I was branded as disloyal and unfilial. She always loved weaving a web in the name of love, trapping me tightly within it."

"When I couldn’t take it anymore, it became my fault. She was never at fault!"

"Finally, I went mad. And after I lost my mind, what did Bai Qiulan do?"

"She grew even more frenzied, more unrestrained in guiding me to use the *Chanu's Extreme Yin Manual*. Even in my madness, I could still feel that indescribable agony!"

"She used the *Nine Larceny Soul Art* on me, manipulating me, turning me into her most loyal servant—her vessel for *Chaos Venom*!"

"She even made me abandon the *Eon Chaos Canon*, forcing me to become her complete puppet, a mere extension of herself!"

"And despite all this, she still paraded around every day, claiming it was for my own good!"

"Hahaha, hahaha..."

"Bai Qiulan, you are the most hypocritical, the most selfish, the most despicable person who deserves the scorn of all beings across the Nine Heavens! Even the most vile demonic cultivators in this world are not as wicked as you!"

"Bai Qiulan!"

"Bai Qiulan!"