CHAPTER 907: THE WEIGHT OF WORDS

"YOU!!!" Their faces darkened, fury barely held at bay.

"You assume our words carry weight only because we defeated you?" Shenlian Yingyue’s voice cut through the air like a honed blade. "How small your understanding is. We speak this way not from borrowed arrogance, but because truth needs no victory to stand."

Their silence was thick, choking. Crimson eyes burned with the embers of shattered pride, not just at their loss but at the realization that even before the battle, they had already been beneath notice.

The wind carried away the dust of their defiance, leaving only the raw, bleeding truth behind.

"This isn’t arrogance or ignorance. This is power." Shenlian Yingyue’s voice was calm, each syllable a blade. "Didn’t you claim that power speaks first? We rely on our own strength to protect ourselves, to take what we deserve, not the pity of others. And you?"

Her gaze swept over them, etching deeper than any wound. "Instead of tempering your wills and sharpening your skills so you’ll never taste defeat again, you waste breath on complaints and vengeance. Tell me, are you truly worthy of the name ’Eclipse Devouring Sect’? If I were your elders and masters, I’d burn the robes off my back before admitting I taught you. If I were you, I’d choke on the shame of wasting their years of guidance, their shelter, their resources, their faith, only to become this: weaklings who’d rather wallow in resentment than rise from it."

A pause. The air itself seemed to recoil.

"Your ambition is a corpse. Your pride is a delusion. And after all your ’hard work,’ the only thing you’ve cultivated is your own disgrace." Her voice didn’t sound loud, but it rang louder than the heavenly’s drum, echoing in their hearts and souls. She didn’t put pressure on them; yet every syllable was like a heavy mountain pressing their very sanity and being.

A heavy silence fell, choking and dense. Crimson eyes flickered with the pain of shattered pride, not just from the loss but from the bitter realization: they had never even been worthy of notice.

The wind stirred, brushing away the dust of their arrogance, exposing only the raw and bleeding truth.

"If I were you," Shenlian Yingyue said, her voice like a blade sheathed in ice, "I would ask myself and my opponents, one question: What did they endure to become who they are now?"

She let the silence linger, watching as her words carved into their pride.

"They stand unbroken. They face their enemies without flinching. They lose, yet they do not crumble, hate, or blame anyone. They rise, not for vengeance, but for strength. They emerged victorious, yet showed no arrogance. They remained calm, never looking down on those they had defeated. So tell me." Her gaze sharpened. "What will you do? Will you cling to your resentment like a child to a rotten toy? Or will you tear it out by the roots and prove to yourself, to the heavens, that you, too, can stand upon the clouds, fearless and unshaken?"

Then she turned and left with her companions.

A single step. A breath. And with it, a final sentence that would sear itself into the souls of all who heard it: "The weak blame others. The strong outgrow them."

She did not look back.

And she did not know then how many eyes had witnessed her battle. How many ears had caught her words. How many trembling hearts would carry them, like a spark, into the dark. What she did not know, what she could not yet imagine, was how many eyes had watched her, how many hearts had trembled at her words. A spark had been lit. And in many, it would burn for a long time.

Not far away.

A group from the Glass Lizard Clan, now in human form, had witnessed everything.

"Ancestor... That’s her. That’s Miss and her companions."

"Yes, it’s her! Look! The bracelets are glowing; they feel warm."

"Wow, that speech! Where did she learn to talk like that?"

Li Bing’s eyes gleamed with admiration. He felt pride swelling in his chest. Following her had been the right choice.

"Let’s finish our mission quickly," he said. "The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can return to her side."

His eldest brother hesitated. "But Xiao Bing, she’s far stronger than us. She doesn’t need our protection."

Li Bing paused, eyes darkening with thought.

"Then we’ll do what we can," he said quietly. "She said it herself: only by gaining strength can we shape our own fate. If she had lost today, they wouldn’t have listened, no matter what she said."

They fell silent, watching the immortal disciples still reeling from her words.

Nearby.

"Did she, change them?" Jingling Xiuli murmured.

"That’s her," Qilin Yu confirmed.

"I’m surprised she even bothered to speak to them. If it were me, I’d let them stew in their own failure." Jingling Xiuli rubbed his chin.

"Of course you would," Qilin Yu said with a roll of his eyes.

"Let’s go. We still have our task." Jingling Xiuli shook off the distraction and moved on. They hadn’t forgotten why they’d come.

Elsewhere, nearby.

Another group of immortals had watched from afar.

"We followed our juniors secretly to keep them from causing trouble," one muttered.

"And we ended up witnessing something amazing," another whispered. "That girl’s words, they cut deep. Even I feel changed."

"Weren’t you all furious earlier when she beat our juniors?"

There was a beat of silence.

"That, that was before the speech," someone muttered awkwardly. They avoided each other’s eyes. It was true, they’d felt nothing but anger before. Now, they felt, gratitude.

"She didn’t just humble them. She reminded them of who they’re supposed to be."

"So, are we still following her to steal the Omniscure Blossom and report this?"

"No need," said one, smirking. "I already recorded the whole thing and sent it to our elders."

"Wow, Senior Sister, you’re fast!"

"Follow her to rob? Are you crazy? Didn’t you see what she did? Unless you want to get flattened like the juniors, don’t even think about it."

They shuddered. Even with their own strength, none of them were eager to face her or her companions.

"I have a feeling we’ll meet them again someday," one murmured.

"Why not just follow now? They can’t wear masks and cloaks forever—OW! Why’d you slap me?"

"Idiot. We have our own mission here. Get moving."

Back with Shenlian Yingyue’s group.

"Our master is truly wise and kind," Xiao Yun said, giving her a thumbs-up.

Bing Xue smiled gently, watching her with quiet pride.

"This is my disciple!" Xiong Zi Ying beamed. "I’d announce it to the whole world if I could!"

"Tch. What’s so great about that?" Bu Si Shu muttered sourly. Maybe he didn’t like being outshone.

"I just hate trouble," Shenlian Yingyue said with a soft laugh. "If I can stop future problems here, it’s worth it."

Her words had been sharp, perhaps too sharp, but if they understood her real intent, she believed it would benefit them in the long run.

"Yeah, yeah, we know you don’t like troubles," Xiong Zi Ying said with a grin, ruffling her hair.

They continued their flight, heading in the direction Xiao Yun had pointed out toward the next part of their journey.