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

The severed head of the Elder tumbled along the cold stone surface, tracing a narrow trail of blood before halting beside the base of a damaged testing platform.

His form stayed in a kneeling position for just a moment more—

Before it toppled over.

Thud!

Dark, viscous blood spread gradually, seeping into the cracks amid the stone slabs.

The room fell silent, devoid of any cries.

Just the soft drip... drip... drip of blood punctuating the quiet.

Jin Yuanzhan shook his sword lightly.

The crimson droplets fell away from the blade's surface.

Behind the pair—

The young ones gazed intently.

None let out a scream.

None shed tears.

Not even the smallest among them.

Their stares locked onto the detached head sprawled on the ground. That visage.

The very visage that had observed their agony in flames.

The very visage that had labeled them as "materials."

The very lips that had grinned amid their torment.

Now it rested contorted in astonishment, eyes bulging open, mouth agape in an unfinished cry.

No terror showed on the children's faces.

Just a sense of ease and contentment.

Yet, the children refrained from shouting in joy.

They held back from celebrating.

They merely lingered there, watching, as though etching the scene 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 garments.

"Come with me if you want to escape this hell," Bai Zihan stated.

Aware that these youngsters served as undeniable proof of the Azure Sun Holy Sect's atrocities, he knew the Sect would block any attempt for them to depart.

"If not, you can stay behind."

His glance flicked momentarily to the gore-covered ritual array.

"Or seek your own path out."

He avoided compelling them. Yet, with the exterior overrun by Azure Sun Holy Sect forces, escape seemed impossible without his guidance.

Still, ultimately, the choice rested with them.

Jin Yuanzhan eyed the children silently but said nothing, simply trailing after Bai Zihan.

Behind the two—

The children traded hesitant looks.

Trust came hard for them now.

But the lifeless form on the ground provided sufficient evidence.

The tormentor who had plagued them lay slain.

Slain without a second thought.

Slain without any bargaining.

Had the Elder survived, suspicion might have lingered.

They might have viewed this as yet another ordeal.

Another scheme.

Another vicious ploy.

But he was gone.

Eliminated at the command of the one extending a route to freedom.

They realized there was at least a chance that Bai Zihan truly intended to aid them.

Furthermore—

What alternatives existed?

They lacked knowledge of an 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 this nightmare.

Wiser to wager on what could be their final shot at liberty.

Wiser to ally with the foe of their foe.

Moments later, the group started shifting, pursuing Bai Zihan and Jin

Yuanzhan.

Small feet pattered gently over the rock.

Frail shapes formed a queue after the duo of cultivators.

Not a single one wandered off.

Not a single one glanced backward.

As Bai Zihan felt their footsteps clustering in his wake, he kept facing forward.

He pressed on without pause.

Though a subtle grin touched his features.

***

Beyond the walls—

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

Bursts of spiritual energy collided fiercely in the heavens.

Swords gleamed.

Charms burst into flames.

The Azure Sun Holy Sect had mobilized swiftly upon detecting the breach.

At present—

The garden transformed into a warzone.

A disciple from the Bai Clan sliced apart an incoming fire art, his hand thrusting ahead with devastating power.

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

Even so, fresh waves of disciples charged to challenge him.

"Maintain the array!"

"Prevent those scum from pulling back!"

"Eliminate them!"

Commands echoed relentlessly.

The Azure Sun Holy Sect Leader positioned himself on the grand hall's steps, his attire fluttering from the clashing spiritual flows.

His face bore a grim, icy rage.

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

His hands clenched at his sides.

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

His stare intensified.

Long before, when Jin Yuanzhan shattered his Sun Dao Fragment to surge his power forcibly, he deemed him as dead.

Although the Elder couldn't dispatch Jin Yuanzhan due to Bai Zihan's interference, he dismissed it as minor.

Even should Jin Yuanzhan reveal the Sect's hidden sins to Bai Zihan, lacking hard proof rendered it insignificant.

Not even the Bai Clan could assail their Sect without firm validation. Mere claims from Jin Yuanzhan fell short.

He ceased viewing Jin Yuanzhan as a key threat thereafter.

One factor involved was reclaiming Jin Yuanzhan requiring outright clash with the Bai Clan.

Back then, such inaction proved prudent.

Now—

Remorse sparked in his eyes.

He had misjudged their resolve.

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

The instant reports indicated the Bai Clan's advance on the testing site, he acted without delay.

He gave a clear directive. "Assemble all forces."

And he enforced it fully.

Core disciples.

Inner elders.

Discipline teams.

Even those in retreat were alerted.

Their concealed shame must remain buried. The testing room—

The Sun Dao Fragment studies— The abduction of the youths— Nothing could emerge.

Should a sliver leak to improper channels, the Sect wouldn't just battle the Bai Clan.

The entire Empire would descend upon them.

"I should have slain that betrayer."

His eyes turned to the barred subterranean portal.

Then—

A Bai Clan elder at the vanguard halted his assault abruptly.

"Young Master..."

Across the garden—

The cover stone over the hidden descent blasted apart.

Shards flew wildly.

Dust billowed upward.

And amid that fog—

A pair of silhouettes emerged leading.

Bai Zihan.

Jin Yuanzhan.

Trailing them—

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

The garden plunged into an eerie hush.

Mid-conflict—

Gazes swiveled.

The Sect Leader's eyes narrowed faintly upon spotting the children.

Exposed to 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 park rather than infiltrating a taboo lab.

(Even he has arrived?)

The Sect Leader's countenance grew even stormier.

"So."

His words boomed over the fray, laced with spiritual might.

"You have the audacity to storm my Azure Sun Holy Sect? You, a cripple?"

Bai Zihan's eyes locked with his.

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

A stir passed through the Azure Sun followers.

Some tensed up.

Some averted their eyes from the children. Others displayed true bewilderment, as not all disciples knew their sect's shadowy dealings.

The Sect Leader's eyes tightened.

"Slander!"

He advanced a step.

The crushing presence of a top-tier master enveloped the garden like a scorching sun.

The air grew warmer.

"Bai Zihan, you lead your clan here with groundless claims, slay my elders, and seize my disciples—"

Jin Yuanzhan uttered a brief, mirthless chuckle.

"Disciples?"

He motioned lightly toward his rear.

"Are you certain they count as your disciples? Why not let them speak?"

The Sect Leader's stare grew steely.

"That's not your affair!"

A low whisper spread among both factions.

The Sect Leader ignored it.

He fixed on Bai Zihan alone.

"You believe you can depart?"

His voice lowered. Ominous and grave.

"You've entered my domain. Don't imagine you'll exit unscathed. Bai Clan ties won't spare you the repercussions!"

Bai Zihan's mouth quirked slightly.

"You think too highly of your power. It's you who must brace for the fallout."

The Bai Clan elders in his support shifted positions.

The Sect Leader scowled at Bai Zihan. Slaying him would ignite a major conflict, forcing a showdown with the Bai Clan's might.

But should Bai Zihan survive and depart—

All would collapse.

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

Not even the Li-Zhao Alliance could shield him.

His eyes pierced sharper.

"Lock down the boundaries! Ensure not one slips away."

Suddenly, array spires at the garden's rims flared to life.

A vault of radiant golden energy started materializing above.

No escape for anyone.

Not for the Bai Clan. Not for the children.

Not for the turncoat.

He would entomb the secret here. And afterward—

He would dismantle them with his own hands.

This round—

He vowed to avoid repeating the error.