Chapter Sixty-Seven: I Want Him, Blood for Blood
"I'm still awake. Please don't hurt my family. They are innocent."
A deep voice suddenly broke the almost suffocating silence. The two demonic cultivators who were talking paused, each casting a malicious glance. On the high platform stood a stranger they had never seen before. The man had furrowed brows and a tall, imposing figure who seemed honest. The young demonic cultivator, however, didn't just look at him. His dark eyes casually swept over the man's location before he slowly spoke, his tone chilling: "Why are you there?"
As expected, something was still discovered to be wrong, wasn't it?
A bead of cold sweat gathered and slid down his forehead. Mo Huanchen pursed his thin lips, but fortunately, he had a naturally calm expression, so the two demonic cultivators didn't notice anything amiss. He took a deep breath, feigning innocence as a passerby who had stumbled upon the scene, as if none of this had anything to do with him: "I... I just left the venue, and when I came back, I saw everyone was asleep, so I instinctively hid..."
The demonic cultivator looked over. The location of the Qinglian Sect was indeed closest to the exit of the venue. Seeing the man's honest and simple demeanor, he didn't seem like someone with any ulterior motives, so he reluctantly accepted his explanation. The boy beside him, however, couldn't sit still. He had fallen silent the moment Mo Huanchen spoke, seemingly deep in thought. Now, any movement was clearly suspicious. Mo Huanchen, however, couldn't intervene. His current identity was that of an "ordinary citizen passing through," and he couldn't do anything suspicious in the eyes of the demonic cultivators. He could only watch helplessly as the two whispered secrets to each other, things he couldn't hear.
After the boy finished speaking, the young man put on a thoughtful expression. He didn't deliberately avoid Mo Huanchen, but simply asked vaguely, "Is this true?"
It was addressed to the young man. The young man nodded, and the two of them turned to look at him. Mo Huanchen felt his heart pounding like a drum. If someone were standing in front of him at that moment, they could probably hear his uncontrollable heartbeat. Cold sweat had soaked through his clothes, and his face was uncontrollably pale. Fortunately, his current appearance did indeed resemble the reaction of an innocent civilian encountering a demonic cultivator; otherwise, Mo Huanchen would probably have fainted by now.
In his past life, he simply stood beside Ya Feiyu. All he had to do was protect Ya Feiyu and his master. He didn't need to care about the safety of anyone else. He was used to navigating dangerous situations and knew how to escape from this predicament. But now, he had to protect not only Ya Feiyu, but all the vibrant lives in the entire venue.
This was the task assigned to him by Ya Feiyu. As the most loyal dog, all he had to do was carry out his master's orders.
"You—" the young man drawled, hissing like a venomous snake before its hunt, "What's your name?"
Mo Huanchen paused, then let out a long breath and said, "My surname is Mo, and my name is Mo Jin."
The young man paused slightly. He was dressed in a long black robe, the hood obscuring his vision, yet Mo Huanchen could still feel the intense gaze emanating from beneath the hood, almost scorching him. The young man pressed on, "Mo? Do you have any siblings?"
"He has a twin brother."
Where is he now?⑦⑥3②8⑥z
"Still working as a woodcutter at home."
The demonic cultivator fell silent, while the young man beside him adopted an intrigued expression, resting his hand on his chin, lightly touching his lips with his index finger, and smilingly asked, "What should we do with him?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the young man came to his senses, his thin lips slightly pursed, seemingly devoid of any extra emotion. The two men scrutinized Mo Huanchen, as if judging whether he should stay or not, and whether he should be killed. Through their hoods, their cold gazes sent chills down Mo Huanchen's spine.
"Kill him," the boy said, rubbing his forehead. "Keeping him is too much trouble."
As soon as he finished speaking, a cold light flashed by, carrying a powerful surge of spiritual energy. The two demonic cultivators were caught off guard and were shaken by the immense spiritual energy, causing them to stagger. When they regained their senses, the young man who called himself Mo Jinde had vanished without a trace, and the seat where Ya Feiyu had been was also empty.
The boy's face was ashen. The three words lingered on his lips for a moment before he finally spat them out with hatred, each word deliberate and forceful, as if he wanted to chew the man to pieces: "...Ya...fei...yu!"
The young demonic cultivator looked in the direction the sword light had gone, and he seemed quite pleased, a wicked smile playing on his thin lips.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said. “I have plenty of ways to handle this.”
The demonic cultivator seemed distrustful, staring at him warily with eyes like a small animal. The young man, however, was completely unconcerned, waving his hand with a lazy and leisurely demeanor: "Ya Feiyu and his disciple, along with that foolish little follower, won't go far."
The boy also stared at the leaden sky, his lips slightly pursed.
"I want Ya Feiyu back," he gritted his teeth. "What rightfully belongs to me."
The young man looked at him quietly, a smile on his lips, but beneath the hood, his dark eyes remained cold and indifferent.
...
A faint bird call drifted through the air. Strangely enough, the call wasn't near, nor far, but no matter where Ye Chi moved, the sound always remained a certain distance away, as if he couldn't escape it or get closer. He frowned slightly, his vigilance at its peak. Now that he possessed strength, under Ya Feiyu's urging, this anomaly naturally wouldn't escape his senses. Ye Chi secretly clenched the talisman in his hand—Ya Feiyu had slipped it into the brocade pouch before he left. It must be said, this villain was quite adept at planning ahead. The talisman contained Ya Feiyu's spiritual power. Its use was simple: in case of danger, he only needed to burn the talisman with fire-type spiritual power to access the stored spiritual power.
Suddenly, a strange rustling sound came from not far away, as if something was darting swiftly past the bushes. Ye Chi instantly sounded the alarm and assumed a fighting stance. To prevent disciples from accidentally injuring each other after entering the hunting grounds, they were not allowed to carry any weapons other than harmless bows and arrows, which put Ye Chi in a dilemma. He swallowed hard, his mind racing as he considered his next escape route, when he saw the bushes sway slightly, and a head peeked out from within.
"Tantai Wushuang?" Ye Chi blurted out.
The newcomer was covered in dust and dirt, with a green leaf on his head. If Ye Chi hadn't been familiar with his appearance, he might not have recognized him at a glance.
Clearly, Tantai Wushuang didn't want to be recognized at this juncture. When Ye Chi called his name, although he didn't show it on his face, his expression visibly stiffened. His refined upbringing from his noble family made him reluctant to wipe the dirt off his face with his sleeve in a disheveled manner, but it would be too impolite to meet people looking so grimy. After a moment's hesitation, he still wiped the dirt off his face with his sleeve, revealing a stunningly handsome face.
"You are... from the Qinglian Sect?" Tantai Wushuang asked with difficulty.
Ye Chi was secretly delighted, not expecting that this kid would actually recognize him. "Yes, I am Ye Chi from the Qinglian Sect."
"Ye Chi... the disciple of Immortal Venerable Tianxue?" A flicker of something seemed to cross his eyes as he spoke of Ya Feiyu. "Do you know what happened here?"
Even Tantai Wushuang doesn't know? A hint of confusion flashed across Ye Chi's face. He had thought that the local inhabitants might know something. He shook his head and honestly said, "To be honest, I'm also confused. Didn't Brother Tantai see anyone else on the way here?"
Tantai Wushuang's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He first shook his head, then paused and said, "I haven't seen any living people, but..."
The word "but" made Ye Chi's heart tighten. Connecting it to what he had said earlier... his Adam's apple bobbed, and a chill crept up his spine. He instinctively followed up with, "...Could it be..."
Tantai Wushuang nodded, “...a dead man.”
"How could someone die in the hunting grounds?" Ye Chi's head was buzzing. "The spirit beasts here shouldn't pose a threat to cultivators, so why would they..."
Tantai Wushuang frowned and interrupted him: "It was not the work of a spirit beast."
This vast hunting ground, besides spirit beasts, is only accessible to approved disciples like themselves. Hearing this, Ye Chi's eyes darkened. He composed himself, his brows furrowing, and he looked exceptionally serious: "...Was this done intentionally?"
"I'm afraid so."
Tantai Wushuang was also deeply saddened. Everyone in Qing Shen Pavilion was a saintly figure. Compared to Ya Feiyu, who was used to seeing life and death, Tantai Wushuang was indeed more sensitive to the pain of separation and death. At this moment, her tone lowered, and her voice became deep, like a sponge that had absorbed a lot of water. "When I came here, I passed by a lake. There were many disciples lying on the lakeside. Judging from their injuries... it doesn't seem like the work of a spirit beast. The wounds also have a strong spiritual energy."
He sighed heavily: "There's a treacherous person among us."
Ye Chi just couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried.
Although the Lingshan Sword Tournament is grand, it's not an event where victory is absolutely necessary. While each tournament produces a champion, ultimately, winning the title doesn't guarantee any significant benefits. Cultivation is about serendipitous encounters; even if you acquire rare treasures, what isn't yours will remain yours. Therefore, no matter how generous the prizes of the Lingshan Sword Tournament may be, most cultivators simply laugh it off and won't actually fight tooth and nail for them.
More like a seminar on cultivating immortality than a competition, its purpose is not to determine who is the best in the world, but to promote relations between different sects.
This is the first time someone has used such ruthlessness during a major conference.
Moreover, this scene never appeared in the original work.
Ye Chi lowered his eyelashes in thought, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts, when he heard Tantai Wushuang say, "Brother Ye, would you like to take a look? I was too flustered at the time and didn't get a good look."
Ye Chi snapped out of his reverie, swallowed his thoughts, and nodded slightly: "Well, then I'll trouble Brother Tantai to lead the way. We'll figure out how to contact the venue later."
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