Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan! Chapter 473 Azure Sun Holy Sect Surrounds the Intruders

The Elder's head tumbled across the rocky ground, trailing a slender trail of crimson behind it before halting next to the base of a shattered lab bench.

His form lingered in a kneeling pose for just one more breath—

Before it toppled over.

Thump!

A pool of blood spread gradually, dark and viscous, seeping into the cracks amid the stone slabs.

The room no longer resounded with cries.

Just the soft patter... patter... patter of droplets falling into the quiet.

Jin Yuanzhan shook his sword lightly.

The blood dripped neatly from the blade.

Behind them—

The kids were gazing intently.

None let out a scream.

None shed tears.

Not even the tiniest one.

Their stares locked onto the decapitated head resting on the ground. That visage.

That identical visage that had observed them suffering in flames.

That identical visage that had labeled them "materials."

That identical mouth that had grinned as they howled.

Now it rested contorted in surprise, eyes stuck open wide, lips agape in an unfinished cry.

No terror showed on the children's faces.

Just ease and contentment.

Still, the children avoided loud celebrations.

They refrained from cheering.

They merely remained standing, watching, as though etching the sight into their minds.

The horror was finally over.

Bai Zihan faced them.

His eyes scanned their slender bodies, their sunken faces, the grime embedded in their robes.

"Come with me if you want to escape this spot," Bai Zihan declared.

Aware that these kids served as undeniable proof of the Azure Sun Holy Sect's atrocities, the Sect was bound to prevent their departure.

"Otherwise, you can stay behind."

His glance flicked momentarily to the bloodied ritual array.

"Or seek your own path out."

He avoided pressuring them. Yet, given the swarm of Azure Sun Holy Sect followers outside, escape without his aid seemed impossible.

Ultimately, though, the choice belonged to them.

Jin Yuanzhan eyed the children but stayed silent, simply trailing after Bai Zihan.

Behind them—

The children traded hesitant looks.

Trust came hard to them now.

But the body sprawled on the floor proved everything.

The tormentor was gone.

Slain without pause.

Slain without bargaining.

Had the Elder survived, doubt might have lingered.

They might have seen it as just another trial.

Another scheme.

Another vicious ploy.

Yet he was truly dead.

Eliminated at the command of the one extending an escape route.

They realized at least a chance existed that Bai Zihan could genuinely aid them.

Besides—

What alternatives remained?

They lacked knowledge of the exit.

Staying put meant another arrival soon enough.

Another cloaked silhouette.

Another steady tone proclaiming:

"Another failure!"

It proved wiser to trail Bai Zihan and flee.

Wiser to risk what could be their final shot at freedom from this nightmare.

Wiser to ally with the foe of their foe.

After mere moments, all started shifting, pursuing Bai Zihan and Jin Yuanzhan.

Bare soles softly slapped against the stone.

Slim shapes formed a queue trailing the pair of cultivators.

Not a single one wandered off.

Not a single one glanced rearward.

As Bai Zihan felt their approach clustering at his back, he kept moving forward without turning.

A subtle grin touched his features.

***

Outdoors—

The concealed yard of the Azure Sun Holy Sect lost its peace.

Spiritual energies collided fiercely in the heavens.

Swords gleamed.

Talismans burst into flames.

The Azure Sun Holy Sect reacted swiftly upon detecting the intrusion.

Now—

The yard transformed into a warzone.

A Bai Clan follower sliced through an incoming fire art, his hand thrusting ahead with devastating power.

A surge of pale qi billowed forth, hurling three Azure Sun core disciples against columns.

Even so, more disciples charged in to challenge him.

"Maintain the array!"

"Don't allow those scum to withdraw!"

"Slaughter them!"

Commands echoed repeatedly.

The Azure Sun Holy Sect Leader positioned himself at the top of the central pavilion steps, garments fluttering amid the clashing spiritual flows.

His face appeared grim, icy, and raging.

He had swiftly chosen to deploy every force on hand against the intruders, aware of their path.

His hands clenched at his rear.

"Bai Clan... That renegade Jin must have guided them."

His stare intensified.

Long ago, when Jin Yuanzhan exploded his Sun Dao Fragment to boost his power by force, he had deemed him as dead meat.

Although the Elder couldn't eliminate Jin Yuanzhan due to Bai Zihan's interference, he hadn't viewed it as a major problem.

Should Jin Yuanzhan reveal the Sect's hidden sins to Bai Zihan, it wouldn't amount to much absent firm proof.

Not even the Bai Clan could challenge their Sect substantially without hard evidence. Jin Yuanzhan's testimony alone fell short.

He had dismissed Jin Yuanzhan as a key threat thereafter.

One factor was that retrieving Jin Yuanzhan would provoke direct conflict with the Bai Clan.

Back then, ignoring it had been prudent.

Now—

Remorse flashed in his eyes.

He had misjudged their resolve.

Who could have foreseen the Bai Clan launching an assault based on Jin Yuanzhan's intel with scant support?

The instant news arrived of the Bai Clan approaching the lab site, he acted without delay.

He gave one order: "Assemble all forces."

He intended full commitment.

Core disciples.

Inner elders.

Enforcer teams.

Even those in retreat were alerted.

Their concealed shame must stay buried. The lab room—

The Sun Dao Fragment studies— The abduction of the youths— None could emerge.

Should any portion leak to improper listeners, the Sect wouldn't just contend with the Bai Clan.

They would confront the entire Empire.

"I should have executed that betrayer."

His eyes turned toward the blocked subterranean access.

Then—

A Bai Clan elder up front halted his attack abruptly.

"Young Master..."

Across the yard—

The rock cover over the underground passage burst apart.

Shards flew everywhere.

Dust billowed up.

And from that cloud—

A pair of silhouettes emerged first.

Bai Zihan.

Jin Yuanzhan.

Following them—

A row of frail, quivering children stepped into the brightness.

The yard plunged into an odd hush.

Right amid the clash—

Gazes shifted.

The Sect Leader's pupils shrank a bit upon spotting the children.

Exposed in view.

Breathing witnesses.

His focus then moved to Jin Yuanzhan.

And at last—

Bai Zihan!

Serene as always.

As if he had only wandered a pleasant path rather than storming a taboo workshop.

(He's present too?)

The Sect Leader's face grew even stormier.

"So."

His words boomed over the field, empowered by spiritual energy.

"You have the audacity to assault my Azure Sun Holy Sect? A disabled one?"

Bai Zihan's eyes locked with his.

"So? What will you do? Subject me to experiments like those kids?"

A stir swept through the Azure Sun followers.

A few tensed up.

A few shunned the sight of the children. Some seemed truly baffled, as not all disciples knew the Sect's shadowy truths.

The Sect Leader's eyes slitted.

"Lies!"

He advanced.

The crushing presence of a top-tier master blanketed the yard like a scorching star.

The air felt warmer.

"Bai Zihan, you lead your clan here on false claims, slay my elders, and kidnap my pupils—"

Jin Yuanzhan uttered a brief, mirthless chuckle.

"Pupils?"

He motioned lightly rearward.

"Certain they count as your pupils? Why not inquire of them?"

The Sect Leader's stare toughened.

"That's not your affair!"

A quiet buzz spread among both factions.

The Sect Leader ignored it.

He fixed on Bai Zihan.

"You believe you can depart?"

His voice lowered. Ominous and menacing.

"You've entered my domain. Don't expect a safe exit. Clan or not, you'll suffer the repercussions!"

Bai Zihan's mouth quirked slightly.

"You rate yourself too highly. It's you who must brace for the fallout."

The Bai Clan elders at his rear shifted positions.

The Sect Leader scowled at Bai Zihan. Ending him would spark major trouble, forcing a clash with the Bai Clan's might.

But letting Bai Zihan depart alive—

All would collapse.

The Empire itself would pursue him, beyond just the Bai Clan.

Not even the Li-Zhao Alliance could save him.

His eyes pierced sharper.

"Lock down the borders! Let none slip away."

Suddenly, array spires at the yard's rims flared.

A vault of searing golden radiance started shaping above.

No escape for anyone.

Not for the Bai Clan. Not for the children.

Not for the deserter.

He would entomb the reality right here. And afterward—

He would dismantle them himself.

This round—

He refused to repeat the error.