Sovereign Divine eyes was having a telepathic discussion with the two sovereigns of the sword river sect. He looked over at Sun xiqiang who was fussing like a mother hen around Feng jia lin. Life had returned to her body, but she was still unconscious. He had in fact used a legendary secret art on her to return her soul back to life. She was safe, but the secret art was as dangerous as it was legendary. She would need years of care and precious herbs to return to her former state. He wasn't too concerned about her though. She had her father and her godfather to care for her. 

He sighed. When did he become a master willing to use such a dangerous secret art for someone he didn't even care about? 

"Hai long! You old snake!"

Bei yang, Sovereign Fated sword, was blaming him again for neglecting his duties.

"I told her to leave. I thought she'd heed my warning. How was I to know that she'd go back to the sect?"

He sighed.

"You sword mountain folk have always liked pawning off your duty to us."

"If i'm not wrong, she belongs to the Sword river sect. She was your problem in the first place, Bei yang. Don't put it on me."

"You two are like two men fighting over a woman. Were you two love rivals in a former life?"

The third sovereign interjected. 

"Ma hua, how dare you compare Hai long to me? Don't you know the meaning of solidarity among friends?"

Bei yang asked his Sword river comrade.

"Enough of that, Bei yang."

Sovereign Ma hua rebuked his junior sect brother. 

"Sovereign Divine eyes, tell me what you saw in the girl. Why did you let her go?"

"The sword skill isn't an ordinary one."

"Are you sure?"

"It's definitely a rare great legacy of some kind: of that I'm sure. It is simple and terrifying. It wasn't aimed at me, but even at my realm, I felt my soul tremble in fear. As to who left it behind, countless heroes have entered the Immortal sword Domain. I can't say."

"Then shouldn't we do everything in our power to keep her? She could be of great use to us."

Bei yang argued.

"She no longer holds the sect in her heart. Her grudge isn't something we can resolve without bloodshed."

"Can't we do something about it?"

Sovereign Ma hua asked after a while.

"I think that you should also know this: she is the culprit behind our current predicament."

"How is that possible?" 

Bei yang was puzzled. 

"How can that be? Wasn't she a mere student? Or had she entered the sect under pretense?" 

He looked at Ma hua who had also reached a similar conclusion. Some old and eccentric world weary cultivators had a penchant for entering sects under youthful disguises to relive their youth. They cultivated for years under their adopted personas and left when they felt the call of something new.

"Do you think she is one of those old monsters?"

"Possibly."

Sovereign Divine eyes answered. He wasn't sure at all, but it was better to be safe than sorry. At the moment he looked through the veil into her past, he'd sensed something. A presence that seemed aware of him. It could have stopped him but it allowed him to take a peek anyway. He still remembered the feeling. It was all encompassing and indescribable like an ant trying to describe an elephant when it couldn't grasp its entire form.

"So that is why you let her go."

Ma hua sighed.

"One of the reasons."

"Then you are saying that we allow her to run amok? How many people has she killed so far? How many more will have to die before she is content? If this gets out, we'll become a joke in the whole of the kingdom!"

Bei yang exclaimed. Among the three sovereigns, he was the youngest and the most concerned about worldly matters. For Sovereign Divine eyes and Sovereign Ma hua, the situation wasn't as yet severe enough to ruffle their feathers.

"I told you what I saw. What you do is up to you."

Meanwhile, Bai li yue stood in front of the Dawn court. Currently a muffled banging could be heard from within the walls. 

"Trying to escape? Why try? This will be your burial ground."

She sent an order to the onyx figurine to guard to return. Now that Meixiu was dead her figurine no longer had an owner. She would find time to place her mark on it. 

The master key opened an entryway through the barrier. It closed swiftly behind her once she stepped across the threshold.

Shen duyi was waiting for her. He'd already been given an account of the recent events by the remaining servants in the courtyard. He stopped his masked bodyguard with a gesture when she walked in.

"I always had a suspicion that i'd have to kill you myself one day. I thought it'd be because you tried leaving me. You've truly surprised me."

"I'll surprise you even more."

"You won't have a chance."

He spoke as he burst into action. The golden sheath of his sword met her sword with a dull ring. 

"Unsheathe your sword."

She growled and struck again in quick succession.

Protector Yuchen watched the first clash from the sideline. He respected his ward's instruction, but he was still prepared to intervene at a moment's notice. He could ask for forgiveness later.

He wasn't the only one watching the fight with rapt attention. The three Sovereigns were experiencing different emotions as they watched the two people battle in the courtyard. Ma hua knew how much resources had been invested into Shen duyi, by the two sect leaders currently imprisoned in their respective abodes under light shields. They couldn't interfere now even if they wished to. 

Hai long closed his eyes. He wasn't going to interfere a second time. Saving Feng jia lin had used up all of his resources and Bai li yue wouldn't take kindly to him interfering again. This was a grudge between Shen duyi and herself. After getting a glimpse into her past, he saw the grudge that was eating at her. It demanded blood and death. 

Ma hua closed his eyes after considering the scene. He returned to his seat where he'd been cultivating before the first explosion. Bei yang watched him, still baffled by his indifference. Hai long he could understand: the old geezer was close to turning into an eccentric. 

"Sovereign Ma hua, are you also closing your eyes to the ongoing atrocity? Shen duyi is the dao child of the Sword heaven sect. It is our duty to protect him." 

He said. Ma hua looked at him for a long minute before answering.

"If he can not survive even this, then do you think he is worthy?"

"Say what you want. You sound like a person making excuses to me."

Ma hua smiled, his eyes staying closed.

"Is that so? Sovereign Bei yang. I stand at the ready. Please guide me as you solve this problem. I promise to watch and learn."

Bei yang sank into silence. He could pretend just as much as the next person.

Humpf! He wants me to willingly place my neck on the chopping block? How old does he think I am? Three hundred years?

He firmly closed his eyes, ignoring Sovereign Ma hua's short chuckle. In the end, he had no choice but to leave the result up to the heavens. If Shen duyi was fated to win, then the sect wouldn't lose out. By so doing they would eliminate a future threat to themselves. If Shen duyi lost, there would be no other option but to accept the result. It would cost them but the Sword heaven sect had stood strong for more than two thousand years. They could get back up on their feet after falling. In another thousand years, Shen duyi would be long forgotten. That was life in the world of cultivation. That was the summary of life in cruel simplicity.