Gazing at the three who had drawn their Spirit Swords before him, Mo Xulin couldn’t help but feel a slight tension.
He silently wiped a cold sweat from his palm.
His opponents now were none other than the Sacred Maiden of the Moonshadow Sect, the Sacred Maiden of the White Feather Sect, and the true disciple (lover) of the Spirit Sword Sect’s patriarch.
If he made a move now, he would offend three of the Four Sects at once. Mo Xulin was no Qu You; he lacked such power, and he was far from foolish.
No.
At this moment, the Mo Clan leader was already trapped, caught between a rock and a hard place. Fighting was not an option, nor was standing down.
“Lord Bai, Gu Shenzhi attacked your Spirit Sword Sect’s Young Master with hidden weapons. How do you intend to handle this matter?”
He bowed respectfully towards the highest seat on the viewing platform, politely asking the question, and conveniently passing the difficult issue to his supposed ally.
However, Bai Qi habitually crossed her legs, her aura lazy yet tinged with a hint of charm, casually replying, “This trivial matter? As long as Clan Leader Mo follows the rules, why must you ask me?”
Her few words seemed to say everything yet nothing at all.
The issue circled back to Mo Xulin.
After a moment, Mo Xulin turned to the blue-clad girl and said, “You, honored as the Sacred Maiden of the White Feather Sect and future leader of the righteous path, should unite with us to oppose evil. How can you ally with these demons?!”
He thought that with this appeal to reason and sentiment, even if he couldn’t sway Nangong Yu to change her stance, he should at least cause her some hesitation and reflection. That way, he could smooth things over with the White Feather Sect.
As for offending the Moonshadow Sect, so be it. After all, with two major righteous sects protecting him, those demonic fiends wouldn’t dare do much… right?
“My affairs are none of your concern.”
Nangong Yu said coldly, and behind her, eight sharp ice spikes appeared.
With a light tap of her jade-like fingers, the eight ice spikes shot forth, swift as the wind, tracing pale blue streaks in the air—one aimed at each opponent.
Though it was just a probing attack, the [Dark Blade] assassins did not care.
These men had long danced on the edge of life and death, bloodthirsty by nature, their blades desperately craving the nourishment of fresh blood.
Had Mo Xulin not hesitated, they would have already unleashed a full-scale slaughter.
But since the prey struck first, they could hardly blame the hunters for taking independent action.
The lead Nascent Soul assassin stepped forward, palms dark as ink pressing together heavily.
A shockwave blasted out, deafening and fierce; even Nangong’s Sacred Maiden power, the Thousand-Year Cold Ice, shattered in an instant.
Then, without any order from Xulin, several assassins drew out the rare middle-grade mystic treasure—the Transposition Diagram.
As its name suggests, it could teleport both the user and a designated target to a random location within a hundred li, perfect for handling situations where too many bystanders were around the prey.
After a blinding flash, only Mo Xulin remained alone on the arena, disheveled by the wind.
Before he could react, four Mo Clan elders ascended the stage together, quickly forming a formation that sealed off his movements and locked him firmly within.
“You four actually dare to attack your own clan leader? According to clan rules, that is a capital offense punishable by death without pardon!”
“Hmph, you killed three elders without the clan’s trial—that too is an unpardonable capital crime. If anyone should die, it should be you first.”
Mo Zhe, the Second Elder, retorted bluntly.
“Those three elders brought it upon themselves. They colluded with the evil Moonshadow Sect—that’s a death sentence in itself. Even if it were judged by the clan assembly, the outcome would be the same.
By killing them myself, at least I preserved my reputation and ensured my family continued receiving clan support. Where is my fault in this?”
Mo Xulin’s Nascent Soul cultivation suddenly surged, exerting all his strength to break free from the formation’s restraints.
Yet under the combined efforts of the four elders, it was all in vain.
“Colluding with evil? Show me the proof!”
“The shadow stone in Lord Bai’s hand fully records the evidence of the third elder’s secret dealings with the Moonshadow Sect’s officials. Everyone has seen it.
In my opinion, you four are only pretending to clear the third elder’s name while actually seizing power for yourselves!”
Listening to Mo Xulin’s hoarse roar of anger, Mo Zhe sneered and countered, “A mere shadow stone of unknown origin—how could that prove the third elder’s collusion with the demon path?
By that logic, your daughter is also a Moonshadow disciple—wouldn’t that be the real proof of your collusion?”
Seeing that the elders were intent on eliminating him, Mo Xulin was not anxious.
He shouted loudly, “Lord Bai, save me!”
The next moment, Fairy Bai Qi appeared beside Mo Xulin like a ghost.
She whispered softly in his ear, “This is an internal matter of the Mo Clan; I will not interfere.”
Then, she extended a seemingly delicate finger and lightly touched his forehead.
At that instant, pressure of the Late Void stage surged forth, and the struggling Mo Xulin’s eyes darkened as he fainted on the spot.
“How pitiful,” Bai Qi sighed lightly, then cast her gaze to the left front where Mo Zhe, the Second Elder, stood, her tone turning sharp.
“I have fulfilled your request. Now it is time for you to repay me.”
Mo Zhe bowed deeply, his wide sleeves concealing the smile at the corner of his mouth.
“Please rest assured, Lord Bai. This old man and the Mo Clan will spill our blood and guts, never to betray you.”
To Bai Qi, who assumed control of the Spirit Sword Sect’s influence over the Mo Clan was irrelevant.
What mattered was that the pawn’s ambition could not be too great, nor his power too strong.
He must be dependent on the Spirit Sword Sect to become the Mo Clan leader, for an independent pawn could never be loyal.
Thus, the one Bai Qi had chosen from the start was Mo Zhe, not Mo Xulin.
All the support given to the clan leader before was merely an illusion, intended to push him to eliminate dissenters by any means, creating an excuse for his removal.
A blade flashed out from the gaps between leaves, its cold light shimmering as it pierced the shadows like moonlight breaking through clouds, aimed straight at Gu Shenzhi’s head.
At the same time, the ground beneath him suddenly cracked open, revealing a massive bloodthirsty maw snapping fiercely at him.
It was a Grade Five Fiendish Beast, the Earth-Rending Frenzied Python, roughly equivalent in power to a Nascent Soul human cultivator.
Among the assassins from Youyun Continent was one high-level beast tamer, who commanded four such Grade Five fiendish beasts.
Gu Shenzhi stepped onto the snake’s head and leapt high, his agile figure twisting and turning midair like lightning.
[Flowing Rainbow] drew, multiple intersecting sword auras slashed out, severing the python into seven segments in an instant.
Before his feet landed, two bone-piercing daggers spun into view, attacking from both sides like a wild gale.
Gu Shenzhi lightly flicked [Flowing Rainbow] with his right hand, redirecting one spinning dagger’s force back at the attacker.
His left hand formed a sword sign, and [Falling Plum] flew out from its sheath to block the other dagger.
Seizing a gap, he slipped into the dense forest while the two killers were off-guard.
But just as the young man in white passed through the thick leaves, a deafening shockwave tore through the entire forest.
The leaves that once offered concealment were obliterated in the blink of an eye.
The Nascent Soul cultivator leading the assassins was here as well.
The assassins from Youyun Continent were stronger than Gu Shenzhi had initially expected.
Not only were they individually powerful, far exceeding normal cultivators of their realm, but their teamwork was extremely coordinated.
With three striking together, deadly moves came one after another, leaving almost no room to breathe, let alone counterattack.
It could be said that if their target were any ordinary gifted Nascent Soul cultivator, that onslaught would have killed him three times over.
They just hadn’t chosen the right opponent.
Several dozen yards away, Gu Shenzhi grasped his black and white twin swords, his aura cold and murderous.
His stance was no longer defensive but offensive, exposing every vital point of his body.
He launched an all-out attack, throwing caution to the wind.
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