WBICDPH Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Awakening from a Dream

“… ”

Jiang Zhenfeng held San Zongyu’s gaze for a brief moment. She saw the certainty in his eyes, then swept her glance across the rest of the crowd.

Dozens upon dozens of eyes were fixed on her. Most of them carried visible doubt. Clearly, they weren’t convinced that this newly appointed leader—who had taken the position less than half an hour ago and was also the disciple of a traitor—had the ability or authority to lead them against the demonic cultivators.

Jiang Zhenfeng didn’t waste time. She immediately took out the sect leader’s jade token she had obtained from Mu Shan earlier.

Lifting a brow, she said calmly, “The sect leader’s token is here. From this moment on, I, Jiang Zhenfeng, will assume the position of Pavilion Master of Piaomiao Pavilion and hold full authority over Mount Penglai. You all have traveled a long way to come here, and it is our failure to properly receive you and guard against danger that has put you in this situation. I take full responsibility for that.

“Now that you are here and we must face this crisis together, I ask that you follow my command so we can get through this. After all, no one here knows Mount Penglai better than I do.”

Without giving anyone time to object, she continued:

“Junior Brother Eighteen, gather all disciples who are not currently on the front lines. All alchemists and artifact refiners, both from our sect and others, as well as anyone below the Foundation Establishment stage, are not to participate in combat. Take them to the Dengwen Sword Pavilion, the area farthest from the battlefield, to shelter temporarily.

“All medical cultivators, gather at Qiuyun Valley, ten miles from the front line, so you can provide immediate treatment for the wounded.

“The rest: martial cultivators will go to the front lines to engage the enemy. Talisman and formation cultivators will provide midline support. Music cultivators will remain in the rear.

“The Qingxin Sect is known for defense—please work with our disciples to guard the main gate. The Baixue Sect’s music cultivators excel at amplification—support Qingxin Sect from behind. Luoyang Sect specializes in healing—assisting on the battlefield and evacuating the injured to Qiuyun Valley. The Jianxin Sect is strong in both offense and defense—you are best suited to hold the southern mountain path leading to the rear. As for Yanyu Mountain, your cultivators are versatile—please move between fronts and provide flexible support as needed. And also…”

Jiang Zhenfeng seemed to know every sect’s specialties and combat style by heart, assigning each one with precision to maximize their strengths within Piaomiao Pavilion.

In just a few short sentences, she arranged everyone’s roles. By the time she finished, the doubt in their eyes had vanished, replaced with genuine admiration.

After organizing the sects, she lifted her gaze toward the back of the hall, where someone leaned lazily against a pillar, yawning.

“Xiao Lanqi.”

“?”

Mid-yawn, Xiao Lanqi raised a brow in confusion.

At the sound of his name, all eyes turned toward him, and whispers began to ripple through the room.

It wasn’t surprising. Everyone knew that “Xiao Lan” was a rare and prestigious surname among demons—names like Xiao Lanyue, the former lord of Mingzhutian, and Xiao Lancheng, the current one, were well-known. But no one had ever heard of a demon named Xiao Lanqi.

“Cheng” and “Qi”… could they be brothers? If so, why was this one standing among humans? Demons were known to disdain human alliances, yet he seemed to have a close relationship with Jiang Zhenfeng.

“What is it?” Xiao Lanqi asked, clearly uncomfortable under so many stares.

“Stay with Lin Jin. Wherever he goes, you go. I won’t ask much of you—during battle, release your inherited pressure when appropriate to clear out low-level enemies who can’t withstand it.”

“…?”

He scratched his ear with his pinky. “I’m not human. What does the survival of your pavilion have to do with me?”

Jiang Zhenfeng had expected this. She smiled faintly.

“I’ll owe you a favor.”

“Deal.” He agreed immediately.

With the strategy set, everyone dispersed to their assigned positions. The hall quickly emptied.

As he left, an elder from the Jianxin Sect paused, casting a strange look back at Fang Yunzi, who still sat calmly in the main seat.

“I acknowledge your plan, but… what about the traitor? You’re not just going to let her roam free in the rear, are you?”

“I’ll set up a barrier shortly to restrict her movement. There’s no need to worry,” Jiang Zhenfeng replied evenly, gesturing for him to go.

The elder nodded and left.

Soon, the hall was empty.

Jiang Zhenfeng clasped her hands behind her back and glanced down at Fang Yunzi, who sat with her eyes closed. Without a word, she formed a seal and inscribed a formation beneath her feet.

Fang Yunzi slowly opened her eyes, her expression unreadable.

From the moment she shattered Dengwen until now, Jiang Zhenfeng had been unusually calm—but then again, that had always been her nature.

What surprised Fang Yunzi more was Yanyu Mountain’s stance.

Liu Xun had stopped the argument earlier but didn’t seize leadership. Instead, San Zongyu had deliberately handed that role to Jiang Zhenfeng, drawing everyone’s attention to her.

He was giving her a chance.

This battle would determine the fate of the cultivation world for centuries. It was dangerous—but with great risk came great reward.

If Yanyu Mountain had led them to victory, they would become the undisputed leader among all sects. But San Zongyu gave that opportunity away—to establish Jiang Zhenfeng’s authority.

Fang Yunzi watched quietly.

This child… was far luckier than she had been.

At such a critical moment, she had met the right people.

The formation beneath Fang Yunzi was nearly complete—a one-way barrier meant to trap her inside.

She raised her eyes and finally asked, “Zhenfeng… do you regret it?”

“Regret what?” Jiang Zhenfeng asked.

“Giving me Dengwen. Trusting me and bringing Piaomiao Pavilion to this state. Do you… feel disappointed in your master?”

“What is there to regret?” Jiang Zhenfeng replied calmly.

“Once I gave it to you, it became yours. What you chose to do with it was your decision, not mine. Whether you betrayed us or destroyed Dengwen, those were your choices, and you will bear the consequences. None of that has anything to do with me.”

Fang Yunzi fell silent for a long moment.

Finally, she nodded. “That makes sense.”

She sighed softly. “Zhenfeng… you really are more suited to be Pavilion Master than I am.”

“There’s no such thing as ‘suited’ or not. You taught me well,” Jiang Zhenfeng said.

She met Fang Yunzi’s gaze—and for the first time, noticed how aged and weary the woman looked.

Once, she had been radiant and unyielding, standing in azure robes beneath a courtyard wall, her eyes calm and all-seeing. That was the image Jiang Zhenfeng had once admired most.

But somewhere along the way, that clarity had faded.

Fatigue had worn her down. Strands of gray had crept into her hair. Fine lines marked her face. The woman who once vowed to uphold justice had abandoned everything she believed in.

Jiang Zhenfeng felt no sorrow.

Everyone in this world was just a passerby. Walking together for a time meant nothing in the end. Betrayal and separation were inevitable—each person made their own choices.

All she could do was follow her own path, and bid farewell with dignity.

She still called her “Master” only because of what she once meant to her.

But in the end, even a guide could lose their way.

“If the heart is unbound, one is free. Thank you for your teachings, Master. I will remember them for life. I only hope… you can find true freedom as well.”

“What I’m doing now… isn’t that freedom?” Fang Yunzi asked quietly.

“In my view, no.”

Jiang Zhenfeng drew her plain white iron sword. Before leaving, she said one last thing:

“I’ve seen the prejudice and pressure you endured over the years. I know how much you’ve borne. So what you’ve done today doesn’t surprise me—I understand it.

“But what I don’t understand is this: if someone stood in your way, why did you keep yielding? Why abandon your path because of them, and even join hands with the enemy, dragging everyone into ruin?

“That doesn’t seem like a worthwhile trade.”

She turned and walked out of the hall, her robes swaying lightly behind her.

“Why suffer like this? If someone is in your way, just kill them from the start.

“Rules are rigid. People can be too.”

With that, she left.

The vast hall fell silent, leaving only Fang Yunzi trapped within the barrier.

She thought about those final words for a long time.

Then suddenly, she burst into laughter.

She laughed freely, shoulders shaking, until it finally subsided.

And then, everything about her seemed to fade into gray.

“…So that’s how it is.”

Such a simple truth—yet she had only just understood it now.

All those ideals, all those so-called righteous principles… because of them, she had tolerated petty villains, endured endless suffering, and ultimately caused a catastrophe.

When Dengwen shattered, she hadn’t felt the satisfaction she expected.

She had spent her life chasing “freedom,” never realizing she had always been bound by the very idea of righteousness.

Even her final act—what she thought was freedom—was nothing more than a petty act of revenge.

She thought she had broken free of constraints.

But in truth, she had never escaped them.

She had believed she was striving upward for herself, never noticing how much she had compromised, how much of herself she had lost along the way.

Only now, through Jiang Zhenfeng, did she truly understand what “freedom” meant.

To have no attachments. To care for nothing.

Those who walk with me become my blade. Those who oppose me become the stones beneath my feet.

Fang Yunzi felt deep regret—but also a strange sense of relief.

She had lost.

But her path… someone else would carry it forward.

And she knew—

Jiang Zhenfeng would win.

Because she was ruthless enough.

A natural cultivator of the ruthless path.