M49S Vol 1 Chapter 59. The Split Between Righteous and Demonic Paths

A single stone stirred up a thousand ripples. The entire surface of Mochou Lake seemed to erupt with waves of shock, unable to calm for a long while. A sword master so admired, so righteous, turned out to be the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian’s own father. If such news were to spread, it would surely shake the entire cultivation world.

Countless eyes turned to Gu Shutong, hoping he would deny it. Yet Gu Shutong kept his lips tightly shut, showing not the slightest intent to refute it.

“Cultivator Gu, is what she said true?” asked the man in the coir raincoat.

“Brother Gu, you must think carefully. Don’t let yourself be deceived,” Wang Changlin could not help but speak up in warning. He had no doubt the Holy Sovereign was telling the truth, but Gu Shutong could not acknowledge it. If he did, his reputation would be ruined. Even if elders like the one in the straw hat did not condemn him over his wife and daughter, the mere identity of being the Holy Sovereign’s father would still leave Gu Shutong unable to take a single step forward in the cultivation world.

Lu Yunting also could not bear to see Gu Shutong fall into such a situation. He said, “There may be some misunderstanding in all this. Why not let me speak with Brother Gu in detail before passing judgment?”

As soon as his voice fell, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from behind him. “Since when did you become so reasonable, Big Ox Lu?”

Lu Yunting did not need to turn around to know who had spoken. His face darkened at once as he retorted, “And what business is it of yours?”

Jin Man strolled forward unhurriedly. “Then how is this family matter between Gu Shutong and that little Holy Sovereign girl any business of yours?”

“Don’t twist words and force logic. Gu and I are friends. Can I not even say a word?”

“Oh? Since when were you two so close?” Jin Man chuckled. That flippant, careless attitude of his, as if nothing in the world mattered, was exactly what infuriated Lu Yunting the most.

But Lu Yunting knew he could never win in a war of words. Years of rivalry had taught him the only way to deal with Jin Man was to keep quiet.

Seeing him fall silent again, Jin Man quickly lost interest.

Wang Changlin said, “Lord Jin, this matter is of great importance. What you said just now may have been inappropriate.”

Jin Man shrugged, clearly indifferent. Wang Changlin only hoped he would stop stirring up trouble, so he turned his gaze back to the Holy Sovereign and spoke clearly. “Holy Sovereign, you came here alone, and your courage is admirable. But trying to drive a wedge between Brother Gu and the rest of us with just a few words may not be appropriate.”

The Holy Sovereign sneered and was about to speak, but Gu Shutong, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly opened his mouth. “That’s enough. All of you, stop talking.”

A sudden sense of unease crept into Wang Changlin’s chest. “Brother Gu—”

“She is my daughter.”

Gu Shutong did not allow anyone to interrupt. He turned to face everyone present. His gaze swept past Meng Qiqi, the elder in the straw hat, Lu Yunting, and the rest. All the pain was buried deep in his eyes, replaced by a trace of finality.
“Back then, I married a cultivator of the demonic path. I only feared she would not be accepted among the righteous, so I never gave her a proper name. Later, she left me, and only then did I regret it. It was my fault. If I had had the courage to keep her by my side and protect her well, this tragedy would never have happened.”

As he finished speaking, a sense of release flickered through his heart. Perhaps he should have spoken the truth long ago. All these years, he still carried the reputation of a righteous cultivator, yet not a single person had understood the sorrow he bore.

Every word of praise, whether genuine or perfunctory, had felt like a knife stabbing into his heart.

“You were wrong? No, you do not even know what you were wrong about.”

The Holy Sovereign’s voice grew colder, her tone sharp and hard. In her voice seemed to linger the snow shaken loose by sword qi on that winter night. The scent of blood that rushed at her face had clogged her throat and nose, making her tremble, torn apart from within.

“You were with my mother, yet you never dared tell anyone. You were afraid of failing your master’s expectations, afraid of failing the world. But the only one you could afford to fail was my mother. Isn’t that right?”

“No, Luo’er, I never thought that way…”
Gu Shutong looked at that familiar yet unfamiliar face, and could not help but reach out toward her.

But the Holy Sovereign stepped back. Her voice was steeped in hatred that would not fade.

“You went around saving others and made a name for yourself across the land. But when my mother was in danger and cried out to you for help, you did not come. Why? Because you were off saving someone else, saving the lives of strangers, your so-called people of the world.”

With each word she spoke, Gu Shutong’s face grew paler. In this moment, he looked like a damned soul whose sins had finally caught up to him, plunged layer by layer into the deepest depths of hell.

Lu Yunting tried to argue on principle.
“If he truly left to save others, then even if he was wrong, there is room for forgiveness.”

“Then let me ask you.”The Holy Sovereign met his eyes. “What crime had the people of the world committed, and what crime had my mother committed? Just because my mother walked the demonic path, she no longer counted among the people you claim to protect?”

Lu Yunting was struck speechless.
He instinctively wanted to argue back, but no matter how hard he searched, he could not find the words.

The Holy Sovereign’s voice turned even colder. Her every question came with unrelenting force.

“You righteous cultivators are always full of talk about virtue, about saving the world. Yet just to deal with Gu Shutong, you struck at my mother in secret. Are you going to tell me this too was for Gu Shutong’s sake? That a woman of the demonic path like her deserved to die?”

If Lu Yunting had only been at a loss for words a moment ago, now he was both ashamed and angry.

“I never thought that way.”

“You didn’t, but someone did.” The Holy Sovereign’s voice was laced with mockery, yet utterly cold. “A piece of scum who walks the righteous path is still scum. A dog in human skin is still a dog.”

She seemed to smile as she spoke, but there was no trace of warmth in her expression. It was cruel and merciless. In that moment, no one dared meet her eyes. Though they were the eyes of a young and beautiful woman, they looked as if they had been steeped in poison.

A heavy silence settled over the crowd.

There were many young cultivators on the terrace who had long revered Gu Shutong. Yet now, none of them knew how to face him.

As for the Holy Sovereign, had she done anything wrong?

Perhaps she had only been an innocent woman, persecuted because of her lineage. But now, she had become the Holy Sovereign.

The Holy Sovereign of Cangtian. What kind of person did she have to be to carry that title?

She spoke of all living beings. But who had the right to decide who counted among them?

The elder in the straw hat and Master Kongming both let out quiet sighs.

Wang Changlin, however, spoke in a steady voice.

“You, as the Holy Sovereign of Cangtian, come here to speak to us of virtue, justice, and all living beings. Do you not find that a little ridiculous?”

The Holy Sovereign suddenly laughed.

“That is why I came here today to settle things with Gu Shutong, once and for all. So you can all see for yourselves, I have no use for your so-called virtue and justice. From this day forward, Gu Shutong and I are no longer connected in any way. And you, Clan Leader Wang, can stop looking down on people with those dog eyes of yours.”

“You—” Wang Changlin’s face changed sharply. But before he could say more, someone nearby burst out in applause.

“Well said. Brilliantly said.”

The voice came from a man standing on a small flat boat. No one was paddling, yet the boat glided steadily across the water.

Wang Changlin narrowed his eyes. “Who goes there?”

The man looked up. “Your father.”

Meng Qiqi could not help but snort with laughter. The others might not recognize him, but he knew at a glance. Anyone who dared call himself Wang Changlin’s father in public could only be one man.

Guiluoluo.

But why had Guiluoluo come here?

Meng Qiqi tried to suppress his laughter as he instinctively took a step closer to Chen Boyan.

Chen Boyan did not understand what was going on, but still stepped in front of him to shield him. When Guiluoluo saw that, his temper flared.

“Mad Dog, have you still learned nothing after all these years? Still hiding behind your little sweetheart?”

Shit.

Meng Qiqi had not expected him to call out “Mad Dog” so loudly. Who knew if Chen Wujie still remembered that name?

But then again, when had Meng Qiqi ever been afraid of anything?

He spat and said, “And what business is it of yours?”

While the two of them bickered, Wang Changlin was already fuming. His fists clenched tightly, and he wished he could make all of them vanish on the spot. Why were so many people showing up one after another? Had none of the guards he stationed along the shore stopped a single one?

Failing to block the Holy Sovereign was at least understandable. But who was this man, and where had he come from? Why did everyone seem determined to stand against him? Frustration and fury surged in Wang Changlin’s chest. He looked as though he might spit blood on the spot, just like Jiang Xie had not long ago.

As for Guiluoluo, he had only come to stir up some chaos. But the moment he arrived, he caught wind of something astonishing. His mood lifted instantly.

He laughed and cupped his hands toward the Holy Sovereign. “I’ve long heard of your reputation, Holy Sovereign. Seeing you today, you truly live up to it.”

But the Holy Sovereign showed no interest in him. “I’ve said what I came to say. I’ll be taking my leave.”

She turned around and walked away. Before Meng Qiqi could scold her for burning the bridge before the task was even done, two of the Wang clan’s stewards stepped forward and blocked her path.

Wang Changlin said, “Did you think Jinling is a place you can come and go as you please?”

The Holy Sovereign raised a brow. “Did you think you could stop me?”

Gu Shutong stepped directly in front of her.
“Let her go.”

“Brother Gu!” Wang Changlin called out in alarm.

Gu Shutong shook his head. “I will not make the same mistake twice. Let her leave this place safely, and I will accept whatever punishment you see fit.”

The two sides stood at an impasse.

Suddenly, the elder in the straw hat turned pale.

“Where is Yu Yao? Why hasn’t he resurfaced?”

Yu Yao had disappeared. He had fallen into the water some time ago, yet even now he had not reappeared.

Everyone turned to look at Meng Qiqi. He said nothing, but Chen Boyan spoke up.

“This has nothing to do with my Little Martial Uncle. Even if Yu Yao was wounded by Lotus Bloom, that should not have caused him to vanish entirely.”

“Amitabha. What Cultivator Chen said is reasonable.”

Master Kongming stepped forward and said, “Clan Leader Wang, I ask that you send someone to search for Elder Yu immediately. As for the Holy Sovereign… let her go.”

Wang Changlin was stunned. “Master Kongming, you—”

“Cangtian and the righteous path have not clashed for many years. Why spill more blood?” Master Kongming spoke with calm gravity. “Killing arises from the hearts of men. It has nothing to do with whether one walks the righteous or demonic path.”

As he spoke, he turned to the Holy Sovereign.

“I only hope that once you return, you will carry compassion with you. Do not let hatred blind your eyes to the beauty of the Three Thousand Worlds.”

The Holy Sovereign disliked bald monks, yet she did not find this one unpleasant. Gu Shutong also felt a quiet sense of gratitude.

But Wang Changlin could not accept it.

Everything had unraveled.

All the carefully laid plans had fallen apart. Whether it was arranging for Wang Ziqian to take Gu Shutong as his master, or using the Knock upon the Immortal Gate to build prestige for himself, every thread had snapped.

He had thought Gushan Sword was already in decline and would make the perfect stepping stone. Beidou’s rivalry with them only made things smoother. Everything had seemed to fall into place.

So how had it come to this?

He could not accept it. He refused to accept it.

“Father!”

A sudden cry tore through his thoughts.

He turned his head and saw Wang Ziqian flying in on his sword. His face, usually calm, was now twisted with panic.

Wang Changlin grabbed him by the arm.

“What has you so flustered?”

Wang Ziqian winced in pain. Only then did he realize how rattled he had been. But this was no time to ease into things.

“Father, the Third Elder is here!”