Human Skin Lantern 11

"The leader of the Demonic Cult!" Jiang Ai exclaimed in surprise.

Yang Yanshu slowly narrowed his eyes as he watched the newcomer. He hadn't attended Xu Tan's daughter's coming-of-age ceremony that day, but his master had relayed that the Demonic Sect leader was a young man with unfathomable inner strength. Now that he had met the real person, he would definitely test his abilities himself if the timing wasn't wrong.

Xu Tan pointed his sword at Xie Mowen and shouted, "Why is the leader of the Demonic Sect here?"

"Could they be accomplices?!" Yun Shaocheng chimed in from the side.

Xie Mowen didn't look at Xu Tan, remaining calm and composed: "Since you all have pinned the blame for this person's actions on my Demonic Sect, I am naturally here to kill the real culprit."

Qian Lin's face was extremely ugly. He clenched his fists, not understanding why the leader of the Demonic Sect was here. At the coming-of-age ceremony that day, this person had shown great strength... With such a variable, he couldn't be sure if a lantern could deal with everyone present.

"The most urgent thing is to deal with Qian Lin together." Xiao Congzhi took a few steps forward, and he appeared to be standing next to Xie Mowen.

Ji didn't hesitate before speaking, "Young Master Xiao..."

"I ran into Leader Xie on my way here. Since we all share the same goal, there's no need for infighting."

Jiang Ai disagreed: "But how can we be sure that after we deal with Qian Lin, he won't come after us?"

Xie Mowen replied with a smile, "Even if I could, do you have any other choice now?"

"you!"

"Sect Leader Jiang, don't panic," Yang Yanshu said calmly. "At this time, it is Alliance Leader Xu's turn to make the decision."

Xu Tan frowned and stared at Xie Mowen for a long time, then looked at Qian Lin, who had a face full of resentment, and said dejectedly, "Although it may be like dealing with a tiger for its skin, we really have no other choice."

With that final decision, the two sides temporarily cooperated, and Qian Lin's expression on the other side worsened.

Without further hesitation, Qian Lin crushed the eyeball in his hand and launched his first attack on Xie Mowen.

A white light rushed towards Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen. The white light that the Emei disciples spoke of was, in their eyes, a blade formed from countless internal energies.

"Sect Leader Ji!" Xiao Congzhi shouted as he unleashed his inner force.

Ji Buyu reacted extremely quickly, circulating his internal energy as he ran towards Xiao Congzhi and Xie Mowen.

Both of them were also circulating their internal energy, trying to condense it into a blade in an attempt to block the overwhelming attack.

Ji Bu followed suit and unleashed his inner force at Qian Lin's attack.

Standing beside Xiao Congzhi, Ji Buyu asked meaningfully, "Young Master Xiao, you and Master Xie have a close relationship, don't you?"

Xiao Congzhi didn't have time to spare a glance for Ji Buyu, and only replied: "Does Sect Leader Ji still have the leisure to chat right now?"

This white light was truly difficult to deal with, and Ji Buyu quickly found himself overwhelmed and unable to answer Xiao Congzhi's question.

Just as the three blocked Qian Lin's first attack, Qian Lin swung his second attack at Xu Tan. It was also a dazzling white light that swept over everything, but upon closer inspection, it was slightly inferior to the first attack.

Xu Tan unleashed his internal energy first, followed by Jiang Ai and Yang Yanshu filling in the gaps left by Xu Tan.

Xu Tanxian shouted to Xu Shuyan, "Shuyan, hide behind the boulder!"

Although Xu Shuyan had tears in her eyes, she quickly hid herself so as not to cause trouble for the people present.

Then Xu Tanchao said to Shao Cheng, "Shao Cheng, seize the opportunity."

Yun Shaocheng nodded, focused on the gap created by the collision of internal forces, and flashed to Qian Lin's side. He slashed down with his long sword, the blade sharp and the internal force formidable, not inferior to the attack of the nine sect leaders.

Qian Lin initially thought Yun Shaocheng was just a young man who followed Xu Tan around and relied on his verbal skills. He underestimated Yun Shaocheng and casually blocked with his curved sword. Unexpectedly, he was sent flying and crashed hard against the stone wall.

"Bang!" The loud noise echoed in the cave.

Xiao Congzhi and the other two barely managed to deflect Qian Lin's first attack, but their internal energy circulation was temporarily disrupted, and all three were slightly out of breath.

Ji Buyu asked in a low voice, "Master Xie, what trick did you use at your coming-of-age ceremony?"

After fighting together, Ji Buyu naturally realized that Xie Mowen's internal strength was far less powerful than it had been on the day of his coming-of-age ceremony.

Xie Mowen, who had already calmed the shock of his internal energy, coldly mocked, "Sect Leader Ji, you should catch your breath first."

Ji Buyu somehow gleaned something from those words and leaned closer to Xiao Congzhi to ask, "Where is Brother Mo?"

Upon hearing the question, Xiao Congzhi knew that Ji Buyu had noticed something amiss. Just as he was pondering how to answer, Xie Mowen stepped forward, draped his arm over Ji Buyu's shoulder, and said flippantly, "Since you've recognized him, don't bother testing me. Brother Ji~"

!!

Ji Buyi was shocked; he hadn't recognized him! He had only guessed! So Mo Huan really was the leader of the Demonic Cult? Oh! What should he do now, expose him?

A hundred thoughts surged forth in a chaotic jumble, leaving Ji Buyu completely bewildered. His eyes widened, and he asked Xiao Congzhi in a daze, "Now is the right time to tell me about this?"

Xiao Congzhi was also somewhat helpless. He walked over and pulled Xie Mowen's hand off Ji Buyu's shoulder, then smiled gently at Ji Buyu and threatened, "The timing is indeed not very appropriate, but I believe that Sect Leader Ji will not make a decision that he will regret."

Ji Buyu stared at Xiao Congzhi in horror, clearly finding it hard to believe that such threatening words would come from the usually elegant Xiao Congzhi.

At this point, Xu Tan and the other two on the other side had finally neutralized Qian Lin's attack, and were in the same state as those on the other side, slightly out of breath.

Seeing this, Ji Buyu wanted to move away from the two bad guys whose true faces he couldn't see.

"Qian Lin used the attack he just used twice when dealing with the Emei Sect Leader, but we don't know how much power he has left," Xie Mowen whispered to Ji Buyu.

Ji Buyu frowned and walked towards Xu Tan, pondering how to deal with Qian Lin next.

Qian Lin's condition was difficult to gauge, and they were all close to exhausting their internal energy. If the attack from before were to come again...

"Why would you go and help the leader of the Demonic Cult?" Jiang Ai looked at Ji Buyu with disapproval.

"We alone cannot stop those two attacks."

“But…” Jiang Ai was about to say something more when he interrupted Yun Shaocheng, who was being slashed away by Qian Lin.

"Qian Lin still has power."

Everyone immediately looked at the stone wall, where Qian Lin was slowly getting up, without a drop of blood on his body.

Xu Tan lowered his voice so that Xie Mowen wouldn't hear: "My internal energy is almost exhausted."

"Me too," Jiang Ai reluctantly admitted.

Yang Yanshu nodded in agreement.

Xu Tan nodded and instructed, "Shao Cheng will lead the charge, and we'll attack together. Perhaps we can seriously injure Qian Lin."

Jiang Ai asked, "Where is the leader of the Demonic Sect?"

“We can’t really cooperate with them. What I’m thinking is that if we exhaust Qian Lin’s strength, they won’t give up on delivering the final blow, and after that, they will also be exhausted.”

Qian Lin, who was not far away, had already stood up completely, holding a curved sword, his expression inscrutable. There was really no more time to discuss things, so they had no choice but to do as Xu Tan had said.

Qian Lin approached Xu Tan step by step. He was almost exhausted of the power of the lantern, so his only target was Xu Shuyan, who was being protected by Xu Tan.

As long as Xu Shuyan is dead, Qian Lin's life will not have been in vain!

"Now!" Xu Tan gave the order.

Yun Shaocheng charged forward, long sword in hand.

Having learned his lesson once, Qian Lin was no longer careless. He slashed out with his curved blade infused with immense internal force. Yun Shaocheng circulated his internal force to switch from offense to defense, but was still shaken so badly that he vomited blood and knelt on the ground, unable to move.

Xu Tan and the others followed closely behind, attacking Qian Lin's vital points as he swung his sword, using all their remaining strength.

With a flick of his sleeve, Qian Lin sent white light catching the attack wherever it struck. He then turned his blade, using the curved sword to deflect Xu Tan's sword, sending all four of them flying.

Qian Lin continued walking towards where Xu Shuyan was hiding.

Xu Tan collapsed not far from Xie Mowen, coughing up blood as he pleaded, "Save...save my daughter..."

Xie Mowen neither responded nor refused, but simply placed his hand lightly on Xiao Congzhi's wrist and whispered, "He's almost out of strength."

Xiao Congzhi nodded. The white light had clearly weakened when Qian Lin withstood the attacks. However, Qian Lin was also the leader of one of the nine major sects, and the two of them had already expended a considerable amount of their internal energy.

However, they couldn't just stand by and watch Qian Lin deal with a woman who was powerless.

Xie Mowen drew a long knife from his boots, assembled it with two quick movements, then tapped the ground with his toes to gather strength and flew towards Qian Lin with a "whoosh," with Xiao Congzhi following closely behind.

"Bang!"

Xie Mowen's blade met Qian Lin's curved blade head-on, and their internal forces collided with a deafening roar!

From the side, Xuan Tie's folding fan spun toward Qian Lin's neck. Qian Lin exerted his strength, deflecting Xie Mowen's knife, and then turned his curved blade to meet Xiao Congzhi's folding fan.

Xiao Congzhi immediately closed his fan, and with a twist of the fan handle around his curved sword, he neutralized the attack.

At the same moment, Xie Mowen's long sword slashed down from above. Qian Lin ducked to dodge, then slashed and turned his leg downwards, attacking Xie Mowen from below.

Xie Mowen stepped back and instantly drew his dagger from his waist, stabbing it fiercely at Qian Lin's throat. At the same time, Xiao Congzhi's fan arrived.

Qian Lin glared resentfully at Xie Mowen, then waved his hand, unleashing another beam of white light, mixed with a blade of internal energy. Although weaker than before, it still carried an irresistible force as it hurtled toward Xie Mowen's face.

Xiao Congzhi grabbed Xie Mowen, closed his fan, clasped his hands together, and used all his strength to catch the last move that Qian Lin had obtained through spiritual refinement.

With the help of Xiao Congzhi, Xie Mowen flipped behind Qian Lin and slashed at Qian Lin's lower back with his long sword.

The moment Xiao Congzhi was blasted away by the white light, Qian Lin was nearly cleaved in two.

Xie Mowen, holding a blood-dripping longsword, pursed his lips and looked at Qian Lin with a gloomy expression and unfathomable eyes.

Qian Lin was speechless. Two-thirds of his waist had been severed, and all his internal organs had fallen out. Blood was gushing out, and he had lost all awareness of the world due to the excruciating pain.

With his death imminent, Qian Lin stared at Xu Shuyan, who was leaning out from behind Xie Mowen. He wanted to throw his curved blade, but he didn't even have the strength to move a finger.

Xie Mowen's gaze was indifferent. He raised his hand, and the long sword slashed through the darkness and fell, causing Qian Lin's eyeball to fly out.

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

The sharp pain and the sudden darkness caused Qian Lin to scream uncontrollably, and in that scream, he fell silent.

Xie Mowen sheathed his sword and ran quickly to Xiao Congzhi. Exhausted, he staggered and knelt down in front of Xiao Congzhi.

"Xiao Congzhi!"

"Xiao Congzhi!"

"Xiao Congzhi!"

Xiao Congzhi's eyes were closed, and his breathing was very light.

Xie Mowen reached out with trembling hands to take Xiao Cong's pulse, which was weak and thready, indicating the severity of Xiao Cong's internal injuries.

Xie Mowen panicked immediately. He hurriedly took out the Qilin blood from his pocket and was about to give it to Xiao Congzhi when the man moved. Xiao Congzhi barely opened his eyes and whispered, "Xie Mowen, don't panic."

……..

Later, those who hadn't died gradually woke up from their coma.

Xie Mowen transferred his last remaining internal energy to Xiao Congzhi, but kept his eyes open and stayed by Xiao Congzhi's side the whole time.

When Xu Tan and the others woke up, they watched as the people obediently left one by one.

Of course, this group of people couldn't be completely dishonest. Even Yun Shaocheng, who was the least injured among them, would need ten days to half a month to recover most of his injuries.

Before leaving, Ji Buyu sneaked up to Xie Mowen's side and thuggishly whispered, "The Snow Mountain Sect has medicine. You can come find me when you get out."

Xie Mowen gave him an approving look, but said nothing more.

After everyone had left, quite some time passed before Xiao Congzhi finally woke up. Just as he was about to circulate his inner energy, Xie Mowen raised his hand to stop him.

Xie Mowen said with obvious fatigue, "Your internal injuries are too severe. Don't practice your internal energy for the next few days."

After they finished speaking, the two helped each other to their feet. The atmosphere was a bit somber and strange, but neither of them said anything. They walked out of the cave in tacit silence.

Outside the cave, the sky was just before dawn, around sunrise, and the air was still chilly in the morning.

Xie Mowen gazed at the horizon gradually turning red in the distance and said coldly, "I don't need you to risk your life to save me."

Xiao Congzhi glanced at Xie Mowen, but did not respond immediately. He remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, his tone even colder than Xie Mowen's: "I don't need you to use Qilin blood to save me."

Xie Mowen did not respond.

The sky in the distance grew brighter, and the layered mountains and forests were bathed in a golden light, as if they were from another world.

In the silent stillness, they were probably thinking about the same thing.

Whether it's lust at first sight or mutual admiration, having someone to date is nothing to them.

Whether it's risking their lives to save people or offering up the blood of the Qilin, for them, it's not a big deal when it comes to matters of the heart.

But for people like them, who hold high positions and have their own burdens, it is quite risky and impulsive to ask someone to be someone they are willing to give up their own interests or even their lives for.

The sun had fully risen, leaving only a faint blush of dawn. Xie Mowen turned to the side and gently stroked Xiao Congzhi's eyebrows and eyes. The skin around his eyes was very delicate, and when he caressed him, his eyelashes would lightly brush against his fingertips.

Xiao Congzhi opened his eyes wide and looked at Xie Mowen in front of him. They were so close that their breaths mingled, and he could feel the other's hot and nervous breath.

Xiao Congzhi raised his hand and placed it on Xie Mowen's arm. Like him, the person in front of him was also trembling slightly.

"Xiao... will comply."

"Um."

"Let me formally introduce myself. I am Xie Mowen, the leader of the Demonic Sect of Youheng Mountain."

Xie Mowen succumbed to his youthful impulsiveness, and in the soft morning light and breeze, disregarding the many considerations and calculations involved, handed over both his weakness and the initiative to Xiao Congzhi.

Xiao Congzhi gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, took Xie Mowen's hand and pressed it down, responding earnestly and solemnly: "Zhao Sheng, courtesy name Congzhi, is the emperor of the Sheng Dynasty."

Xie Mowen laughed lightly: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty the Emperor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Master."

Xiao Congzhi laughed freely. The wind rustled through the trees, and at that moment, everything outside the forest seemed to vanish from sight.

It's unclear who started it, but by the time they realized what was happening, their lips and tongues were already entwined, inseparable.