On that night, an extreme crisis flooded the cultivational world.
At midnight, in the Golden Pavilion on Koi Tower sat over fifty sect leaders from sects of all sizes. Jin GuangShan sat in the foremost seat. Jin ZiXuan was away, while Jin ZiXun didn't have enough experience, so Jin GuangYao was the only one who stood beside him. In the front row sat sect leaders and famed cultivators like Nie MingJue, Jiang Cheng, Lan XiChen, and Lan WangJi. All of their expressions were solemn. The next row sat sect leaders of lesser importance.
They seemed as if they were confronted with a formidable enemy, at times whispering things like, "I knew it."
"It would've been like this sooner or later."
"Let's see how they intend on dealing with this."
Jiang Cheng was the center of everyone's gaze. Sitting in the front, his face was clouded. Along with the others, he was listening to Jin GuangYao explaining things, his expression respectful and his tone soft.
"... Four inspectors were harmed. Around fifty of the remaining Wen Sect members escaped. After Wei WuXian led them into Burial Mound, he summoned hundreds of fierce corpses to patrol the base of the mountain. Our people still can't get any further."
When he finished, silence filled Golden Pavilion.
Jiang Cheng only spoke after a few moments, "What he did was indeed a bit too much. Sect Leader Jin, I apologize to you in place of him. If there's any way at all to help the situation, please let me know. I'll definitely compensate for things however I can."
What Jin GuangShan wanted, however, wasn't his apology or his compensation, "Sect Leader Jiang, at first, for your sake, the LanlingJin Sect didn't intend on saying anything. However, some of these inspectors weren't from the Jin Sect. There were a few from other sects as well. This makes it..."
Jiang Cheng's brows were knitted. He rubbed the vein that throbbed at his temple and soundlessly took in a deep breath, "... I apologize to all of the Sect Leaders. Everyone, I'm afraid you don't know that the Wen cultivator whom Wei WuXian wanted to save was called Wen Ning. We owe him and his sister Wen Qing gratitude for what happened during the Sunshot Campaign."
Nie MingJue, "You owe them gratitude? Isn't the QishanWen Sect the ones who caused the YunmengJiang Sect's annihilation?"
Within these few years, Jiang Cheng insisted on working late into the night every day. That day, just as he decided to rest early, he had to rush to Koi Tower overnight because of the thundering news. He'd been suppressing some anger under his fatigue since the beginning. With his natural competitiveness, he was already quite agitated since he had to apologize to other people. When he heard Nie MingJue mention the incident of his sect again, hatred sprouted within him.
The hatred was directed at not only everyone who was seated in this room, but also Wei WuXian.
Lan XiChen responded a moment later, "I have heard of Wen Qing's name a few of times. I do not remember her having participated in any of the Sunshot Campaign's crimes."
Nie MingJue, "But she's never stopped them either."
Lan XiChen, "Wen Qing was one of Wen RuoHan's most trusted people. How could she have stopped them?"
Nie MingJue spoke coldly, "If she responded with only silence and not opposition when the Wen Sect was causing mayhem, it's the same as indifference. She shouldn't have been so disillusioned as to hope that she could be treated with respect when the Wen Sect was doing evil and be unwilling to suffer the consequences and pay the price when the Wen Sect was wiped out."
