The second siege of Burial Mounds, had officially begun.

Wei Ying felt his temper rising as he clenched his jaw. His fists hung loosely at his sides, but his face was a mask of tension. 

Chants filled the air as a sea of people rallied against him. Reds and greys mixed with with blues and purples in agonizing harmony. Wei Ying scoffed. Hypocrites, the lot of them. The same people that used to praise and grovel at his feet, were now jumping and down at the opportunity to belittle him. The so called "leaders," that would snicker and scorn the Yunmeng Jiang Sect, were now the ones currying for favor. 

How frivolous. The cultivational world was filled with nothing more than selfish scumbags, each cantering for approval. 

Wei Ying snickered. That wasn't even the worst of it. The worst part was that they liked to pretend they were all righteous heroes, here to exorcise evil. When in reality- it was for nothing more than to soothe their own guilty conscience. The world was a harsh and bitter place. There was no real black or white, no real good or evil. There were only the strong and the weak. If you were strong, you were respected- praised for the mask you showed others. 

Wei Ying laughed bitterly. Just look at Jin Guangyao. The man had done unspeakable evil, yet here he was- still one of the most important figures in the cultivational world. Look at Jin Guangshan. He might've been a whoring scumbag, but he was powerful. Though his leching ways never went unnoticed, no one would've dared call him such in front of his face. And though both father and son were quite formidable in their own right, it was the backing of their sect- that made them so influential. 

Back in the day, no one dared upset the Qishan Wen Sect. Because they knew, they could never afford the consequences. They knew that Wen Ruohan was too strong, the Qishan Wen Sect to mighty. They knew that- so they kept themselves in check. But it was different when you were alone. When you were by yourself, with no sect to protect you- that's when the wolves pounced. On the surface, smiles and pleasantries were exchanged, and flattering words were spoken in awe. But as soon as you turned your back, the gossip would begin. Those scheming vultures would wait patiently in the shadows, greedily reaching for that perfect opportunity to strike. 

And strike they did. 

Wei Ying arched a brow at the accusations that hurtled past him. The whispers and indignant shouts. Some of them had every right to be mad, every right to seek their revenge. Some of them were like Jin Ling, their parents killed by the Yiling Patriarch. Others were simply there for glory, and the heroic tales that they could later spin for themselves. 

Wei Ying frowned. They were missing someone. Someone very, very important. "Where is Lian- Fang Zun?" he asked, the frown on his face deepening. He sighed. Of course Jin Guangyao wouldn't show up. This was his scheme after all. 

"His Excellency suffered heavy injuries, and is currently being tended to. He's sent his head disciple in his stead," a grave voice answered. 

Wei Ying made a face. The young man who answered had a stern face, and was wearing blue and white robes. He was confused for a moment. Judging from the color of his clothes, he was a disciple of the Gusu Lan Sect. Yet the way Lan Qiren looked at him with scornful eyes- made him think otherwise. He scratched his head, "Who the hell are you? And why are you wearing Gusu robes?" 

"You-" the man's eyes flashed with fury, "How dare you!" 

"This is our Sect Leader," a cold voice interrupted. 

Wei Ying's brows furrowed. "Isn't there only one Gusu Lan Sect?"

"Why you-" 

"Our Sect Leader is the Sect Leader of the Moling Su Sect." 

A look of confusion fluttered across Wei Ying's face. "What gutter did that sect crawl out of?" he asked, turning to Lan Qiren. To his surprise, there was a smug look on the old man's face, as he stroked his goatee approvingly. Beside him, Jingyi watched the exchange with glee, a look of barely contained amusement crossing his face. 

Wei Ying gaped. "What the fuck?" he asked, the question clear in his voice. 

Jingyi jumped up to explain. "The Moling Su Sect was a branch of the Gusu Lan Sect. Their Sect Leader was a foreign disciple of our sect, but he betrayed us, and left Gusu. But because he learned all of his techniques from us- the Moling Su Sect is basically the rundown, cheaper version of the Gusu Lan Sect. Even the Sect Leader's guqin is a replica of Han-Guang Jun's Wangji!" 

"Ahh I see," Wei Ying nodded in understanding. "So the Moling Su Sect copies all the Lan Sect's methods. But since their Sect Leader is an idiot, and his own cultivation isn't that high- the sect is basically an ongoing joke of the cultivational world?" 

"Exactly!" Jingyi beamed at him. He was enjoying this far to much. 

"How dare you," boomed Su She's thunderous voice. He narrowed his eyes. "How comical it is that the Yiling Patriarch- of all people, has the nerve to call us an ongoing joke!" 

"Well I was never a joke. I was a menace," Wei Ying bit back cheekily. 

An involuntary chuckle escaped from Lan Xichen's mouth, and Su She's face turned a shade darker. "Is this how the world renowned Lan Sect trains it's disciples?" he spat, voice brimming with outrage. 

"Nope! In fact, I've broken every single one of Gusu's 3000 rules!" 

"That's not something to brag about," Jiang Cheng snorted, crossing his arms in front of his chest. 

"Cheng Cheng! Don't be so grumpy!" Wei Ying pouted, mimicking Jiang Cheng's pose. 

"Cheng Cheng? Cheng Cheng?! Why you little-" 

"Sect Leader Jiang," Su She interrupted, cheeks still burning with rage. "Why waste your time on the Yiling Patriarch? We're going to kill him anyways." 

Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, "Since when was it your turn to question me?" he asked, sounding very much the fearsome Sandu Shengshou that he was. 

Su She gulped, cowering slightly. The cultivational world had an unspoken rule: no matter who you upset, never upset the Yunmeng Jiang Sect. And no matter who you bother, never bother Jiang Cheng. That rule was there for a reason, and it was easy to see why. Jiang Cheng had a ferocious temper, and his wrath knew no bounds. While Zidian could whip men into submission on the battlefield, his words could cut through their hearts, striking them where it hurt most. He was walking, ticking bomb. At any moment, he could snap and swear at you- beating you into a state of obedience. Jiang Cheng was always a brash and harsh man, the only exception being when he was with Lan Xichen. 

"Can I not argue with my own brother ?" he asked, much to shock of all those present. 

"Sect Leader Jiang?" came Su She's flustered reply. He was shocked. It was no secret how much Jiang Cheng hated Wei Wuxian. The former even going as far as to kill any and all demonic cultivators that were unlucky enough to land in his hands. His borderline obsession with finding the Yiling Patriarch was well know- and though they all admired him for it, they always thought he was a little insane. To see Jiang Cheng- of all people, defend Wei Wuxian? Su She was pretty sure that Sect Leader Jiang was possessed. "Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. 

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. "You mean besides the fact that we're stuck on a mountain, and I'm talking to an idiot? Nope, I'm just peachy."

Su She flushed, his face red from embarrassment. His eyes flickered back and forth, searching for a way out. To his relief, whatever Jiang Cheng was about to say next was cut off. 

There was a crackle of leaves, and dense, endless footsteps echoed across Burial Mounds. It was a wave of corpses, freshly made- ready to serve their new master.  

"Wei Ying?" Lan Zhan asked, confused by the puppets. 

"Not me," Wei Ying confirmed, meeting Jiang Cheng's wary gaze. 

The latter gave a short, brisk nod before turning towards his disciples. "Well what are you waiting for? This is the perfect opportunity! I've been training you knuckleheads for months now. Time to show me what you've got," he barked. 

A flash of purple dashed forward, moving together as one. White ribbons fluttered in the wind, as blue robes hurried to join the purple. 

Soon, Wei Wuxian was completely forgotten, as sects rushed to put out this new wave of corpses. They were blinded by greed as they charged ahead, hoping to make their names known. 

Up ahead, Sect Leader Yao was fighting a fierce corpse, when suddenly, his spiritual energy blinked out. He looked at his sword in confusion, not understanding what just happened. The gears in his mind raced as he tried to put two and two together. 

His split second of hesitation, though- was all it took for the remains he had grappled with, to claw a giant hole in his chest. He looked down in shock, the distress clear on his face. 

"Sect Leader!" one of the Yao Sect's disciples screamed, as their Sect Leader crumpled in a heap in front of them. "Sect Lead-" 

The disciple cut off, frowning as he glanced at his sword. A panicked look flitted across his face, "Why can't I feel my spiritual powers?" he screamed, voice filled with dread. 

Across him, Jiang Cheng looked up in alarm at Zidian. The whip's light flickered before going out. Jiang Cheng's eyes widened in dismay. He glanced down at Sandu, which suddenly felt a hundred times heavier. "Wei Wuxian!" he hollered, hoping to get his brother's attention. 

"Jiang Cheng?" Wei Ying yelled back, still dodging a corpse's attacks. "What happened?" 

"Zidian stopped working! My spiritual powers are gone!" Jiang Cheng called, unable to keep the panic out of his voice. Jiang Cheng had already experienced once what it felt without his core, and he wasn't looking forward to experiencing it again. 

"Inside now! Go inside the cave! There's an array on the ground. It's old, but it'll still hold!" 

Jiang Cheng sighed, signaling to his disciples, "RETREAT INSIDE!" he commanded, gesturing at Wei Wuxian's old home. 

Purple robes danced in the wind, as the Yunmeng Jiang Sect disciples made a mad dash for the entrance. The Gusu Lan Sect trailed after them, knowing their Sect Leader would never abandon Jiang Wanyin. 

"XICHEN!" Jiang Cheng screamed, meeting the Lan Sect Leader's gaze. "HURRY!" he bellowed, as they both ran after their disciples. 

Seeing both Yunmeng and Gusu go in, the rest of the sects followed suit. 

It wasn't until everyone was safe inside the Demon- Slaughtering Cave, and Lan Qiren had repaired the array- that they turned and gulped, fear flooding them. Sitting on the ground, twirling his bamboo flute- was the Yiling Patriarch. 

They swallowed. Their bravado had left the second their spiritual energy was gone.

Here they were, trapped in the Demon- Slaughtering Cave. Completely defenseless. If the Yiling Patriarch really wanted to attack- who would be able to stop him?