The black smoke lasted for the time it takes to burn an incense stick until the bones of those people were reduced to ashes, which drifted down onto the square.
Everyone stared in disbelief! No one had lit a fire; they were simply exposed to the sun, yet they had turned into ashes.
"Clean up the ashes and bury them in the herb fields," Song Jinyu said nonchalantly. She waved her hand and calmly watched as the servants did as she bid.
The ancient sacred pillar, which was over a hundred years old, was left with an indelible black mark after this punishment. "This is a century - old disgrace for Tianmen Mountain. Now... the mark will serve as a reminder to future generations to always abide by the rules of Tianmen Mountain. It's actually a good thing," she said in a cold and clear voice, sending shivers down everyone's spines.
Who could believe that this young girl had just come of age?
Ouyang Jinse had watched Du Zhouli turn into ashes right before her eyes. At this moment, she couldn't deny the fear that welled up inside her. She had never seen this side of Song Jinyu before.
The poison that Song Jinyu casually took out could turn a living person into ashes.
Even in death, the bodies were to be used as fertilizer for the herb fields.
"Long live the young leader! Long live the young leader!" Suddenly, everyone below knelt down.
The eighteen masters of the herb halls on Tianmen Mountain, who had been skeptical before, were so shocked by this terrifying scene that they involuntarily knelt down.
Lin Wan collapsed on the ground and fainted completely.
Zhongli Mingye looked at the young girl. Her eyes were no longer as clear as before; they were filled with determination and sorrow.
Today's arrangement was probably for establishing her authority.
She was definitely not an ordinary young lady. Her strategies and courage were comparable to those of a man. He shook his head. If possible, Zhongli Mingye didn't want her to change and bear all these burdens.
But... he couldn't stop her, because Song Jinyu was willing to sacrifice their relationship to avenge Miao Yunshen and Yan Fei.
She might not care about the future of Tianmen Mountain, but she definitely cared about Miao Yunshen and Yan Fei.
After all the burial arrangements for Miao Yunshen were settled, the entire Tianmen Mountain was bustling with preparations for the new leader.
Only the young girl was hiding in the base at the foot of the mountain, silently contemplating her future.
Zhongli Mingye found her after a whole day had passed.
"You're really going to be the leader?"
"What else?" Song Jinyu seemed indifferent. She had deliberately been cruel these days to let Zhongli Mingye see the real her.
"Okay..."
This answer was expected. He wanted to bring up their wedding next month, but at this moment, Zhongli Mingye didn't know what to say.
He hoped Song Jinyu would say something, but judging from her personality, she would probably give up the wedding, either for the sake of revenge or for his own good. In any case, it wouldn't be because of their feelings.
Unexpectedly, no matter how hard Zhongli Mingye thought, he didn't expect Song Jinyu not to mention the wedding at all. "Your Highness, you've stayed on Tianmen Mountain for quite a while. Why don't you choose a day to go down the mountain?"
He forced a bitter smile and shook his head.
At this moment, Zhongli Mingye was deeply hurt. He felt more pain than when she had threatened him with an arrow, because Song Jinyu didn't seem to care about their wedding at all.
The atmosphere became a bit awkward. He looked around, recalling the time when Song Jinyu had brought him here and he had eaten a bowl of millet porridge she had cooked with her own hands.
He was afraid he would never have such an opportunity again.
Song Jinyu got up and walked past him. "Mingye... I've brought you too much trouble and annoyance."
"Now... although Master has been buried, the enemy is still at large."
"I... must avenge them."
She said these words with no other intention. In their relationship, she was actually reluctant to let go of Zhongli Mingye, but... at present, Song Jinyu felt that she didn't deserve him, so her words actually hoped that Zhongli Mingye would abandon her heartlessly.
Unfortunately... Zhongli Mingye didn't notice anything amiss. He sighed and took her hand, leading her out of the "secret base".
"They're waiting. Today is your big day!"
Lin Wan had been completely devastated by the recent blows, but she still managed to hold herself up and came to the main hall to attend the ceremony.
Ouyang Jinse, after being severely injured by Prince Yu, also stayed on Tianmen Mountain to recuperate.
Today, the gates of Tianmen Mountain were closed. Song Jinyu didn't want any commotion in the Jianghu during this leader - enthronement ceremony.
In her room, Niaoniao helped her change into a special ink - blue robe with gold trim for the leader. Her hair was coiled up into a high bun.
The bun was fixed firmly on her head with an ancient jade hairpin.
"Leader, you're the only female leader of Tianmen Mountain," Niaoniao said with a sigh as she helped Song Jinyu put on the grand and ancient outer robe. Their young mistress was so beautiful that she looked good in any clothes.
"What does it matter whether the leader is male or female? Only those who care about such things will pay attention to gender," Song Jinyu said expressionlessly as she looked at herself in the mirror. Was this what she wanted?
What exactly did she want? She herself was confused. The bronze mirror was a bit hazy, just like her heart, making it hard to see clearly.
The sound of ancient chimes slowly echoed in the main hall. Wen Sirong led the former disciples, including Zhong Yuanliu and Cheng Song, and respectfully welcomed her in.
Zhongli Mingye was too far away to see the young girl's expression clearly. But he knew that Song Jinyu wasn't happy.
She didn't show a single trace of a smile from beginning to end; in fact, she didn't show any expression at all.
After everyone had paid their respects, Zhong Yuanliu and Cheng Song knelt down in front of everyone and announced that the three sects would be united and would always submit to Song Jinyu.
After witnessing that terrifying scene, the other masters of the herb halls had no objections. Among the elder council, which used to have a say on Tianmen Mountain, apart from Lin Wan, no other elders showed up!
Everyone was confused but didn't dare to say a word.
They had seen Song Jinyu's tough methods and didn't dare to doubt anything. As Song Jinyu had said, "In troubled times, harsh measures must be taken. Right now, we don't need to find the real culprit."
"Instead, we need to intimidate Tianmen Mountain. Otherwise, there will be a second Du Zhouli!"
Therefore, the elder council was blamed for murdering the former leader and the leader's favorite disciple. Ouyang Jinse looked at the majestic young girl in the hall. At this moment, he finally believed that Song Jinyu was a born strong - willed person.
Even he couldn't match her aura.
No wonder Miao Yunshen had insisted on making Song Jinyu the young leader regardless of her gender.
Song Jinyu took the tokens of the leaders of Tianying Sect and Tianqian Sect from their hands. After more than a century of division, the three sects were finally united because of her.
She played with the two tokens, lost in thought.
Suddenly, she stood up and stared coldly at the whole audience. "From this day forward, I shall ascend to the position of the leader."
"All of you shall obey my orders..."
"The elder council is hereby abolished forever. All the administrative power of Tianmen Mountain shall be in the hands of the leader."
Everyone knelt down and shouted in unison, "We shall obey the leader's order!"
Lin Wan watched all this sadly. She was happy that Song Jinyu had become the leader, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel sad when she thought of the recent experiences of Tianmen Mountain.