The nationwide wanted man storm is in full swing.
Life at Starfall Lake was like a pearl forgotten by time, flowing with a tranquil and peaceful rhythm. Under the tireless guidance of Granny Mo Sang and her clansmen, Mo Xiaoyu not only fully recovered from her injuries but also, as a stroke of good fortune, broke through her cultivation bottleneck and stabilized at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. Her comprehension of the Guardian's legacy progressed rapidly, reaching a level of perfect harmony with the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl on her chest. She could even vaguely sense other fragments of the Sealing Spirit Tablets scattered throughout the vast world through the sleeping "Star Core" at the bottom of the lake. They were like stars scattered across the sky, unreachable yet their locations clearly reflected in her mind.
However, this idyllic paradise could not completely isolate itself from the bloodshed and violence of the outside world.
That afternoon, Mo Lin, a member of the clan responsible for regularly traveling to a large cultivation market a thousand miles away to purchase essential supplies, hurriedly returned to Starfall Lake, covered in dust and with a somber expression that seemed almost tangible. He didn't even bother to wipe the sweat and dust from his brow before going straight to Granny Mo Sang, who was teaching Mo Xiaoyu to identify ancient array patterns under an ancient tree by the lake.
"Grandma, Miss Xiaoyu, something terrible has happened!" Mo Lin's voice was hoarse from his long journey and filled with barely concealed anxiety. He presented a seemingly ordinary but actually inscribed cyan jade slip containing the latest information from the outside world to Grandma Mo Sang with both hands, his tone quick and urgent, "The Qingyun Sect's wanted notice has spread like a plague throughout the entire Southeast Region! Now it's not just the Qingyun Sect; even the Heavenly Sword Sect, the Profound Heart Sect, and the Flowing Cloud Pavilion, which have always been closely allied with the Qingyun Sect, have jointly issued the highest-level kill order!"
Granny Mo Sang took the jade slip with her wrinkled hands, immersing her consciousness into it. The peaceful kindness on her weathered face vanished instantly, replaced by a thick, unyielding gloom and anger. Mo Xiaoyu's heart sank; a sense of foreboding gripped her. She took the jade slip from her grandmother, took a deep breath, and cautiously probed it with her consciousness.
The information within the jade slip was like the most biting ice water in the dead of winter, poured over her head and face, instantly chilling her limbs and making her blood seem to freeze.
Inside were not only lifelike portraits of her and Xie Yunzhi, capturing even the smallest details of their eyes, but also a list of shocking crimes that would make any righteous cultivator utterly vengeful: "Betrayal of the sect, collusion with the demonic path, trespassing into forbidden areas, harming fellow disciples, stealing treasures, releasing ancient evil creatures, attempting to overthrow the cultivation world..." Each crime was enough to warrant their death ten times over. And the bounty offered was so high it was insane, enough to tempt even a Nascent Soul stage expert!
What's even more chilling is that the wanted poster deliberately obscures the specifics of the "evil entity," while using extremely inflammatory language to exaggerate its terror and harm. Xie Yunzhi is portrayed as a peerless demon completely possessed by the remnant soul of an ancient demon, devoid of humanity, with a bizarrely increased power, wielding ominous demonic weapons, and causing bloodshed wherever he goes, with the intention of destroying the world. Mo Xiaoyu, on the other hand, is depicted as a mysterious spy with strange charms, adept at bewitching people, of unknown origin, and a key agent meticulously sent by the demonic path to assist and control Xie Yunzhi—a femme fatale, a sorceress aiding and abetting evil!
"According to multiple investigations, the traitor Xie Yunzhi has been corrupted in mind by the remnant soul of the ancient demon 'Blood Prison Dragon Lord,' making him ferocious and tyrannical, with bizarre and unparalleled cultivation techniques. He is suspected of having slaughtered dozens of rogue cultivators in Black Wind Ridge, absorbing their essence and blood to cultivate his demonic arts, posing a great threat..."
"The enchantress Mo Xiaoyu is skilled in ancient bewitching arts, capable of corrupting people's minds and controlling their souls. She is suspected of having ties with the 'Bewitching Heart Sect,' a demonic cult in the Western Regions, and is a key pawn in the demonic path's century-long scheme..."
"Any of my righteous comrades who see these two fiends shall not hold back and kill them without mercy! Anyone who takes their heads or captures them alive and hands them over to any sect shall, in addition to the original rewards of spirit stones and cultivation techniques, be jointly presented by all sects with a Nascent Soul level secret manual, three sixth-grade breakthrough pills, and become an honored guest of each sect!"
Every word was like a knife, every sentence poisoned! This has far exceeded the scope of an ordinary wanted notice. This is a meticulously planned media campaign to nail them to the pillar of shame in the cultivation world, so that they can never rise again. It is also intended to incite the entire righteous path and even all self-proclaimed righteous people to carry out a relentless and comprehensive siege against them!
"How could they...how could they do this! To so distort the truth and slander us like this!" Mo Xiaoyu trembled violently with rage. Her fingers, gripping the jade slip, turned white from the force, and the hard jade slip even made a faint "crack" sound, as if she would crush it at any moment. She could endure being slandered and cursed, but she could never tolerate them defaming Xie Yunzhi, the man who had protected her time and time again in times of danger, the man with clear and firm eyes, the man who bore the heavy responsibility of saving the world, as a demon deserving of everyone's wrath!
Seeing Mo Xiaoyu's face turn deathly pale and her eyes practically spitting fire, Mo Lin added worriedly, lowering his voice as if afraid of disturbing something: "Miss Xiaoyu, this is only what's out in the open. Now, all sorts of even more vile rumors are circulating outside, with detailed accounts. Some say that Senior Brother Xie, in order to cultivate some kind of quick-fix, peerless demonic art, slaughtered all the rogue cultivators of Black Wind Ridge and a small cultivation family overnight, sparing neither men nor women, young nor old, draining their life essence and souls with cruel and heinous methods... Others say that you, Miss Mo... you used evil magic to bewitch and control the elite disciples of several small sects, causing them to suddenly go mad during the sect's grand competition, killing each other and causing the sect's vitality to be severely damaged... Still others confidently declare that your next plan is to select a prosperous cultivation town and conduct a large-scale blood sacrifice, using tens of thousands of souls to sacrifice to the demon behind you in exchange for greater power..."
"Enough!" Granny Mo slammed her ancient wooden cane heavily on the ground, the sound echoing with a dull thud that seemed to strike everyone's heart. Her face was ashen, her chest heaving slightly, and suppressed rage burned in her cloudy old eyes. "What vicious methods! What a Su family! They not only want your lives, but also want to completely tarnish your reputation, ensuring you won't find peace even in death, leaving you with a legacy of infamy! They want to utterly isolate you, leaving you with nowhere to hide in the entire world!"
“Grandma, we’ve heard some even worse news,” Mo Lin’s voice carried a barely perceptible fear. He glanced around to make sure no one was watching before continuing in a low voice, “It seems… it seems it’s not just these righteous sects that are active. Some demonic forces that were previously lying low and hadn’t been active on a large scale for a long time, such as ‘Ten Thousand Souls Valley’ and ‘Yin Sha Sect,’ and… some demon tribes that rarely appear in the human world and whose whereabouts are mysterious, have suddenly become more active recently. There are secret rumors circulating that… they are also using various channels to secretly search for Senior Brother Xie and Miss Mo’s whereabouts, for reasons unknown.”
"What?" Mo Xiaoyu looked up in astonishment, her clear eyes filled with disbelief. The joint attack by the righteous sects had already suffocated her, so why would even the demonic sects, who had always been at odds with the righteous, and the mysterious demon race, get involved at this time? What did they want from her and Yun Zhi?
A glint of worldly wisdom flashed in Granny Mo Sang's cloudy eyes. She looked at the pale-faced Mo Xiaoyu, her voice heavy as a mountain: "Child, it seems things are far more complicated and dangerous than we imagined. The Dream-Tracing Jade and the Ancestral Dragon's inheritance are entangled in far too many causes and effects. Some in the righteous path want it to atone for their past 'mistakes' or to satisfy their own desires; the demonic path and those who have been sealed and suppressed for hundreds of years probably also want to take advantage of the loosening of the Heavenly River's seal, the disorder of the world's energy, and the impending chaos to stir up trouble and get a share, or... they have deeper motives that we don't yet know. Now, the two of you are like pearls suddenly appearing in the eye of a storm, attracting the attention of all forces, openly and secretly, good and evil..."
Leaning on her cane, she slowly walked to the window of the stone house, gazing at the seemingly calm, shimmering, invisible barrier above Starfall Lake. Her face was filled with worry: "The tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Starfall Lake has a long history, protected by a barrier set up by our ancestors, isolated from the world, but it is not absolutely safe. Those spies outside, those hyenas that come smelling blood, will sooner or later find their way to the vicinity through various clues. The tranquility here, I'm afraid... will not last much longer."
The pressure, like invisible yet incredibly heavy leaden clouds surging from all directions, pressed in layer upon layer, almost suffocating Mo Xiaoyu. Ahead lay the relentless, all-consuming manhunt and slander from the righteous path; behind, the demonic path and monsters lurked, their motives unclear, constantly watching and searching. Meanwhile, the seal on the Heavenly River was weakening, and the countdown to the impending cataclysm was on the verge of destruction, like a cold, venomous snake coiled around her neck, ready to tighten at any moment. A suffocating sense of despair, like a chilling winter's wave, instantly spread to every limb and bone of her body.
She instinctively walked to the ancient water mirror in the room, used to observe the blurry movements outside. Ripples spread across the mirror's surface, reflecting fragments of images maliciously distorted and edited, transmitted through special channels from the outside world—images of Xie Yunzhi during the Black Wind Ridge battle, covered in blood, his eyes cold with determination, standing tall with his sword, deliberately rendered as a bloodthirsty demon returned from the deepest hell, filled with violence and foreboding; and her delicate, youthful, and somewhat stubborn appearance before her disguise, depicted as a seductive, alluring enchantress, full of malevolent energy. She could almost hear the curses and spittle of countless uninformed people, and the deafening shouts of cultivators driven mad by the bounty…
The world is vast and the land boundless, yet at this moment it seems there is no place left for them to stand. The whole world is their enemy, and every step is fraught with danger.
Just as this gloom of despair was about to completely engulf her—
Buzz!
Without warning, the Soul-Stabilizing Pearl on her chest suddenly emitted an unprecedented, rapid, and clear warmth! This feeling was so intense, like the beating of war drums, that it instantly pierced through her skin and reached her heart! It was more vivid than any other sensation she had ever experienced, even carrying a hint of indescribable anxiety and a calling, and it pointed firmly to the southeast!
It's Xie Yunzhi! He's still alive! And in that direction, he seems to be... experiencing great danger, or his emotions are generating intense fluctuations powerful enough to shake this space-transcending perception!
This sudden and incredibly intense sensation was like a blazing lightning bolt tearing through thick dark clouds, carrying an unstoppable force that instantly cleaved through the almost solidified gloom and despair in Mo Xiaoyu's heart!
She abruptly raised her head, her eyes, previously shrouded in bewilderment, grievance, and hesitation, instantly becoming as sharp as a drawn sword and as resolute as a rock eroded over millions of years! All the fear, all the grievances, all the helplessness and confusion, were completely replaced and crushed at this moment by her intense worry for Xie Yunzhi, her unwavering commitment to the bond between them that transcended life and death, and the heavy mission that demanded no retreat and concerned millions of lives!
She whirled around, her gaze sweeping over Granny Mo Sang, whose face was etched with deep worry, then over the surrounding clansmen, their brows furrowed and expressions of concern. Finally, her gaze returned to the distorted, murderous image reflected in the water mirror. Her voice, though not loud, carried immense power, a resolute determination to cut off all escape routes. It echoed clearly, word by word, in the silent stone house, striking the hearts of everyone present.
“Grandma, fellow clansmen, I am aware of the storms outside and the filth of the world.”
She took a deep breath, the air carrying the unique coolness and purity of Starfall Lake, yet it could not extinguish the flame that had suddenly ignited within her chest. Her gaze was sharp as a hawk's, as if it could pierce through stone walls, traverse mountains and rivers, and be firmly locked on the unknown danger and the place of her beloved in the southeast.
"Since this world has already declared us demons, it will not allow us to exist—"
She clenched her fists tightly, her knuckles cracking slightly from the force. Her eyes were resolute, like a lone eagle about to crash off a cliff, burning with an indomitable will. Every word seemed to burst forth from the depths of her soul.
"Then let us overturn this filthy sky! Let us shatter this absurd earth! With the sword in my hand and the thought in my heart, let us forge a path to survival that belongs to us! Let this world see what the true—Dao—is!"
Inside the stone house, a deathly silence fell. Only her words, like a stone thrown into an ancient well, stirred up ripples, carrying with them a fierce and indomitable courage and a resolute and aloof defiance against the entire world, echoing for a long time, refusing to dissipate.
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