In the dead of night, two monks clad in crimson robes escorted a delicate and charming young girl along the path to the City Lord’s Mansion.
“I understand the reasoning, but why am I the one playing Mu’er? Isn’t Junior Sister Mo a more suitable choice?”
Gu Shenzhi, transformed into a different appearance by Yin Xiangchen, asked in despair.
The revealing short black skirt was, for a man of this world, a bit too avant-garde.
“Stop complaining. This was the result of a fair draw.”
Watching Gu Shenzhi, now transformed into a loli girl, Yue Xi was in high spirits, a smile playing on her lips.
“Senior Sister Yue Xi, if it was a fair draw, I should at least have drawn my own lot. There was no need for you to ‘kindly’ draw it for me.”
Gu Shenzhi deliberately emphasized the word “fair,” strongly suspecting foul play.
Yue Xi didn’t respond, tacitly admitting it.
At this moment, she was inwardly delighted.
Failing to trick Gu Shenzhi during the last sect competition was a fluke; this time was her true performance.
No matter how many times she “kindly” drew for him, the one disguised as Mu’er would always be Gu Shenzhi.
As long as the beast who took Ling Huang was still her junior brother, such schemes would only increase in the future.
“Besides, as the senior brother, shouldn’t you take some responsibility? What if Wei Xingfeng suddenly goes berserk and something happens to Junior Sister Mo?”
“Then you didn’t consider that something might happen to me, your junior brother? A frail and vulnerable boy could easily be taken advantage of too.”
Their argument shifted from who was more likely to be harmed, male or female, to Wei Xingfeng’s sexual orientation, and then from sexual orientation to the fairness of the draw.
Along the way, their playful bickering resembled that of a young couple, almost making Mo Xiaonian think they were husband and wife.
In her eyes, Senior Sister Yue Xi was the classic type—warm on the outside, cold on the inside.
Though she was polite to everyone, she always maintained a certain distance, letting no one into her heart.
Only in front of Senior Brother Gu did she let down her guard, revealing her true self.
But what would Saintess Su think, seeing her husband so intimate with her best friend?
After traveling about three or four miles, they arrived at the main gate of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Its stone walls stood seven zhang tall, built on a foundation of massive stone slabs, with molten bronze and iron sealing the joints—a veritable city within a city.
“We’ve found a new one. Open the gate quickly, or you’ll bear the consequences if the City Lord grows impatient.”
Despite Yue Xi’s intimidation, the two guards remained unfazed.
Verifying the identity of every person entering the mansion was their primary duty, as personally instructed by City Lord Wei.
Letting suspicious individuals slip through would mean certain death.
Just as the guards prepared to scrutinize them, a strange mental force suddenly struck, domineeringly controlling the two.
In the face of that unfathomable power, their Foundation Establishment-level divine sense couldn’t even muster resistance.
The guards obediently opened the gate, their eyes vacant.
With the power of double pupils, mental manipulation could be achieved without eye contact, using divine sense as a medium.
It was silent, swift, and far faster than even the most advanced divine sense techniques.
As long as the wielder’s divine sense was strong enough, they could erase a person’s consciousness in an instant.
The City Lord’s Mansion was eerily silent.
On the empty roads, only a few pairs of crimson-robed monks escorted young girls, all cautiously heading in the same direction—an unusual sight.
After a moment’s hesitation, Yue Xi decided to follow that direction.
Though an uneasy premonition stirred in her heart, it was the only way to uncover the truth.
While Yue Xi was mired in confusion, Gu Shenzhi had already seen through the situation clearly.
His double-pupil vision pierced through layers of obstacles, locking onto Wei Xingfeng in a hidden chamber.
If Gu Shenzhi wished, he could use [Falling Plum] to take Wei Xingfeng’s head right now.
Neither the dark chamber forged from black iron nor the multiple layers of mysterious defensive spirit arrays could withstand his perfected crisscrossing sword qi.
Passing through layers of gates, they came upon a massive underground passage.
Only the bound girls were allowed to enter, while the crimson-robed monks of the City Lord’s Mansion stopped at the entrance.
“Senior Sister, why don’t I go down alone? A surprise attack with an Earth-tier spirit sword has a decent chance of defeating a Core Formation cultivator,” Gu Shenzhi said sincerely, using a technique to transmit his voice directly.
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, you must not risk your life. I’m your senior sister and Ling Huang’s friend. If something happens to you, how could I face her?”
Yue Xi firmly rejected his proposal, leaving no room for negotiation.
“Why not go all out? There are only a few dozen Qi Refining cultivators here. Taking them all out wouldn’t take much effort.”
“Then we’ll do as you say, Senior Sister.”
Gu Shenzhi reluctantly agreed.
Wei Xingfeng himself was easy to deal with, but the evil artifact he had crafted was quite troublesome.
That thing forcibly stitched together the souls and bodies of thousands through cruel means.
Its resentment and malevolent aura were unlike anything Gu Shenzhi had ever seen—a worthy opponent for his full strength.
“Three.”
“Two.”
“One.”
“Strike!” With Yue Xi’s sharp cry, Gu Shenzhi instantly drew [Falling Plum] from beneath his skirt.
The cold gleam sliced through the night, his figure swift and unpredictable like a phantom, fast as lightning.
Seven guards, the closest to Foundation Establishment, fell instantly, blood staining their robes.
A small hole pierced each of their throats—not large, but lethal.
[Shadow Thorn], a forbidden technique of the Spirit Sword Sect.
When Gu Shenzhi found it in the scripture pavilion, the ancient bamboo slips were covered in an inch of dust.
Fortunately, the superior sword scripture inside was still intact, allowing this technique, created by an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect a thousand years ago, to see the light of day again.
As for why it was sealed, Gu Shenzhi could guess.
Both its name and effects were too similar to demonic sect techniques, which could negatively impact the Spirit Sword Sect’s status as a righteous leader.
Yue Xi brandished her purple jade whip, infusing it with spiritual energy to amplify its power.
Like a venomous snake striking its prey, it hit the vital points of four enemies in an instant, leaving them dead or crippled.
Mo Xiaonian, wielding [Fish Dance], summoned the sword’s spirit—a koi yet to transform into a dragon.
It swayed its somewhat clumsy body, swallowing two Qi Refining cultivators whole.
Within ten breaths, all the guards of the City Lord’s Mansion had lost their ability to resist—some dead, others wounded.
All of this was witnessed by a spirit cicada perched on a tree branch, Wei Xingfeng’s spy.
Its eyes were his eyes.
In the hidden chamber, Wei Xingfeng was thrown into chaos.
The refinement of his “artifact” was missing a critical step, and he never expected his plans to be discovered at this moment!
He had people in both the righteous and demonic paths!
In the righteous path, he had spent years in the Spirit Sword Sect, expending countless spirit stones to cultivate so many allies—it was impossible for something to go wrong.
As for the demonic path, it went without saying.
After learning of his plan, Sect Leader Mu Zhonghua of the Moon Shadow Sect immediately expressed support, even personally writing a secret letter promising to send three inner disciples to aid his cause.
He never expected that before his reinforcements arrived, obstacles would come first.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”
Wei Xingfeng furiously smashed everything in sight, flipping an entire rosewood table.
Ink, brushes, and paper scattered across the floor in disarray.
His bulging eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted with rage.
Like a wild beast, he vented his anger and frustration.
Suddenly, his gaze fell on a crimson wooden box on the floor, exquisitely crafted with a golden skull so lifelike it seemed to echo the wails and cries of the dying.
“Lord Grudge, save me! Save me!” Wei Xingfeng lunged forward, clutching the crimson box tightly.
He carefully opened it, retrieving a pitch-black page.
His eyes gleamed with longing and madness, but above all, reverence—a devout worship of a divine being.
As if hearing the guidance of a god, Wei Xingfeng hurriedly knelt, listening to the will of “Lord Grudge.”
“Merge with the Dao through my body?”
“Yes, I can still merge with the Dao!”
Wei Xingfeng muttered to himself, his pupils entirely black, his body stiff as a walking corpse.
At this moment, he seemed like a different person, plunging headlong into the blood-refining pool that stitched together flesh and souls.