Chapter 95: Aftermath
White light faded around Xingluo as she stepped through the legacy gate.
The other survivors had already emerged and gathered across the open ground, many supporting injured companions or receiving treatment from the waiting healers. Behind her, the massive gate had begun closing, its surface dimming as the remaining energy withdrew.
Soldiers, university representatives and members of the contestants’ families waited nearby, their attention fixed upon the small group that had returned.
Nearly five hundred people had entered the Ninefold Legacy Realm, yet barely eighty stood before them now.
Most were covered in blood, damaged armour and wounds that made the fate of the missing contestants increasingly clear.
The military commander approached with several officers, Han Zhen immediately left the survivors and hurried toward them while Miao Tianhe and the others remained near the treatment area.
Ruan Mei came up beside Xingluo and glanced toward the closing gate. "Why did you come out later than everyone else?"
"I received another reward," Xingluo replied. "It took a little longer."
Ruan Mei examined her suspiciously, but before she could ask further, Wuxia noticed a faint black glint between the strands of Xingluo’s hair.
Several threads extended from his fingers and spread into a thin web and the moment they touched the object, the black drop contracted and tried to fold into itself.
Wuxia tightened the threads before it could escape and carefully pulled it free, the drop remained suspended before him no larger than a grain of rice but moving with the rhythm of something alive.
It was the same thing that had escaped from Cassian Varro before his destruction.
Wuxia activated Death Perception.
The surface resisted him briefly before the information beneath it became visible.
[Corrupted Divine Blood.]
[Current State: Severely Weakened.]
[Foreign soul detected.]
He forced his perception deeper and found a damaged soul compressed inside the blood, barely conscious beneath the corruption surrounding it.
Qin Haoran.
A slow smile appeared across Wuxia’s face.
What a convenient gift.
He bound the drop beneath several additional layers of threads and stored it within his soul space before it could struggle again.
Xingluo continued speaking with Ruan Mei unaware that anything had been removed from her hair. Nearby, Han Zhen had already begun reporting what happened inside the realm.
The officers listened without interrupting as he described the Church’s infiltration, the massacre inside the cathedral and Qin Haoran’s appearance as the Lesser Holy Son. Their expressions hardened further with every detail.
The Ninefold Legacy Gate released one final tremor before closing completely.
After Han Zhen finished, the military commander remained silent for several moments. He ordered the wounded treated and the identities of every survivor recorded, then walked toward the representatives waiting nearby.
The people gathered there belonged to the city’s universities, military divisions and most influential families. Many had already searched the returning challengers without finding the sons, daughters or students they expected to see.
The commander stopped before them.
"The Ninefold Legacy Realm was infiltrated by members of the Church," he announced. "They activated a sacrificial formation inside the trial and caused severe casualties among both the challengers and the realm’s inhabitants."
The gathered representatives fell silent.
A middle-aged man from one of the major families spoke first. "How many challengers survived?"
"Eighty-three have been confirmed."
The answer immediately changed the atmosphere, nearly five hundred young talents had entered the trial. Some were direct heirs of prestigious families, while others were promising students and children of high-ranking military personnel.
Several questions followed from different parts of the gathering.
"How did Church members enter a military-controlled trial?"
"Were the inspection formations compromised?"
"Who approved the final list of challengers?"
"Were their equipment and identities properly examined?"
The voices remained controlled, but none concealed the anger behind their questions.
"The investigation has already begun," the commander replied. "We possess statements from the survivors and the entry records are currently being reviewed."
A university representative looked toward the officers beside him. "The military controlled the gate, either the inspections failed or someone deliberately interfered with them."
Before the commander could answer, several members of the Qin family approached from among the gathered representatives.
Qin Haoran’s father walked at their centre, followed by family officials and guards. His eyes passed across the survivors before settling upon the commander.
"Where is Haoran?"
The commander did not answer immediately.
Qin’s father searched the returning contestants again, but his son was nowhere among them.
"My son entered the realm under military supervision," he continued. "If he was injured, tell me where he has been taken."
Han Zhen stepped forward from beside the officers. "Qin Haoran will not be returning."
Qin’s father turned toward him. "What did you say?"
Han Zhen gave a contemptuous scoff. "Qin Haoran? Your precious son was the Church’s Lesser Holy Son."
Every conversation around them stopped and several representatives turned toward the Qin family, while others looked at the survivors and waited for someone to deny the accusation.
Qin’s father’s expression darkened. "You should understand the weight of what you just said."
Pressure spread from his body and descended toward Han Zhen, but the military commander stepped between them and blocked it before it reached his son.
"He stated what he witnessed."
"He publicly accused my son of betraying humanity." Qin’s father looked past him toward Han Zhen. "That requires evidence, not the word of someone who has returned wounded and exhausted from a legacy realm."
Miao Tianhe stepped forward beside Han Zhen, his damaged sword still hanging at his side. "I witnessed it as well."
Qin’s father turned toward him.
"Qin Haoran revealed himself inside the cathedral," Tianhe continued. "He wore the Church’s mask, called himself the Lesser Holy Son and attempted to complete the sacrificial ritual."
Xingluo and several other survivors confirmed the account from behind them. "He slaughtered the civilians sheltering inside the cathedral."
"He killed Su Lan in front of us."
"He was Level 150 and possessed a complete set of Epic-grade equipment."
The final statement drew quiet discussion from the gathered representatives, Qin Haoran had never publicly revealed power anywhere near that level.
Strength and equipment of that scale could not have remained concealed for so long without considerable support.
Qin’s father looked across the survivors. "You expect me to believe that all of you suddenly discovered my son was serving the Church?"
"You do not need to believe us," Han Zhen said. "He admitted it himself."
"He could have been controlled, replaced or affected by something inside the realm."
"He recognised everyone present," Miao Tianhe replied. "He spoke clearly about his decision and defended the Church’s actions. Nothing suggested that anyone was controlling him."
One of the officers approached with a record tablet in his hands. "We have also discovered irregularities in the entry inspections."
The gathered representatives turned toward him.
"After receiving the survivors’ statements, we reviewed the final verification records for Qin Haoran and the other contestants suspected of entering with the Church."
He opened several marked entries upon the tablet.
"Their equipment scans were removed from the final report, their current levels were replaced with previously registered information and several objects they carried were exempted from inspection."
The commander examined the authorisation attached to the alterations.
"Who approved those exemptions?"
The officer hesitated briefly before answering.
"The Qin family."
The silence that followed became heavier.
Qin Haoran’s father narrowed his eyes. "The Qin family possesses the authority to simplify inspections for its direct members, that privilege has existed for years."
"This was not a simplified inspection," the officer replied. "The detection formations registered several abnormalities, but every warning was manually dismissed through Qin family authorisation."
He changed the display and revealed another list.
"The same authorisation was used for seven additional challengers and according to the survivors’ statements, several of them later revealed themselves as members of the Church."
The representatives around them turned toward the Qin family.
A military official spoke first. "Your authorisation allowed suspected traitors to bypass the inspection formations."
"We did not know they were traitors," Qin’s father answered.
A woman from another influential family looked at him coldly. "Your people removed the very checks that could have identified them."
Another representative followed. "Hundreds died after those contestants entered the realm. Whether your family knew their identities or not, its authority made the infiltration possible."
Qin’s father turned toward the commander. "You cannot hold my entire family responsible for authorisations issued by a few individuals."
"That will be determined by the investigation."
"You are already speaking as though we are guilty."
"I am stating what the records show," the commander replied. "Qin family authority interfered with military inspections and those alterations allowed several members of the Church to enter the Ninefold Legacy Realm."
He returned the tablet to the officer.
"Preserve every entry record and identify everyone who issued, approved or requested those exemptions, all personnel involved will be questioned before they are allowed to leave the city."
Qin’s father’s expression grew colder. "You intend to investigate my family based upon the statements of these survivors?"
"Based upon their statements, the altered records and the Church members who entered beneath Qin family authorisation."
The commander turned slightly toward the gathered representatives.
"Until the investigation is complete, the Qin family will answer for how those exemptions were issued and why Qin Haoran’s true level, equipment and allegiance remained hidden."
No one raised their voice afterward.
The confusion surrounding the survivors had changed into suspicion directed at the Qin representatives. Qin Haoran’s father looked once more toward Han Zhen, but the commander remained standing between them.