Chapter 276 Surprise Attack
With a flick of her finger, Sang Wanyue conjured ice flowers all around her.
She doesn't care about the background of those who are innocent or not; as long as they hurt Jianjian, she will deal with them.
Mu Jianjian noticed her unusual movement, stepped forward and took her right hand, dispelling the frost and coldness on it, then lowered her eyes to look at the pink-clad woman who was pretending to be strong.
She said, "I remember you weren't like this when you were facing Ouyang Wenjin."
The woman in pink lowered her head even further, clenching her teeth to hide her unease. "You must be mistaken, young lady."
She cautiously took out the knife, but in the blink of an eye, Ouyang Wenjin noticed and grabbed her by the neck. The time between these actions was less than two breaths, yet the other party was able to notice.
Xiao Fen took a deep breath, weighing the pros and cons of speaking or not speaking in her mind.
“You’re carrying a knife in your sleeve, and above…” Mu Jianjian paused for a moment, as if thinking about something, “...there’s the aura of ‘Manluo’ on it.”
She approached the woman in pink and slowly squatted down. "Why do you want to kill Ouyang Wenjin with a knife?"
In that situation, the intense killing intent emanating from the human body was no less than that emanating from her, and it even made people ignore the difference in cultivation level, pointing directly at Ouyang Wenjin's neck.
Little Pink lay on the ground, a drop of cold sweat seeping from her forehead and dripping into the soil. She heard the girl in front of her speak again.
“You’re a smart person. You know your cultivation level isn’t very high, so you approached Xiong Guangze. On the surface, he’s using you and exploiting your value, but aren’t you also using him to eliminate the monsters on the way and smoothly reach the ‘Panmen’?”
Mu Jianjian's voice was slow but clear. Xiong Guang, who was standing to the side, was furious when he heard this. He reached out to grab the woman in pink by the neck, but was pushed away by a burst of true energy.
"Aaaaah! You bitch, how dare you use me!"
The man's insults and shouts reached Xiao Fen's ears. At this moment, her lowered head and pitiful gaze gradually turned into indifference and resentment.
Was this woman deliberately saying this to provoke conflict between her and Xiong Guangze?
How did she figure that out?!
Now that things had come to this, Xiao Fen knew that hiding it any longer was pointless, so she looked up and met Mu Jianjian's gaze. "Yes, you're right. What do you want?"
Bringing the previously hidden information into the open also eliminated any possibility of her using underhanded tactics or schemes.
“You shouldn’t ask me what I want,” Mu Jianjian smiled. She enjoyed talking to intelligent people. “The key question is, what can you give me?”
Seeing the two women start chatting, Xiong Guangze felt both angry and regretful. Just as he was about to speak, a cold light pierced through his neck, leaving a thin bloodstain. The blood was black mixed with crimson, instantly robbing him of his life.
Linghu Zhuoyu put away the silver needles in his hand, glanced around the scene with an ordinary expression, and finally fixed his eyes on the girl's back, as if nothing had happened.
He had wanted to kill this man for a long time, but using a poisoned needle to kill him with a single blow would be too lenient.
Wan Xing witnessed all of this, and when she saw Xiong Guang die silently, she swallowed hard.
That's terrifying! Jianjian, what kind of friends have you made?!
Surprised, she felt a pang of melancholy. After leaving the Xuan Tian Secret Realm, she had grown up alone by accepting the reward order, then met and fell in love with Xiong Guangze, and finally was betrayed and sold to the Du Yun Fang Red Brothel.
It seems like a distant dream to her now, but thankfully she escaped the nightmare, made a close friend, and returned to reality.
The woman in pink stood up straight, her demeanor neither humble nor arrogant, and said, "If I tell you everything, there's no guarantee you won't settle scores later and kill me."
"Didn't you just say that we saved your life and it wouldn't matter if we killed you?" Wan Xing raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing.
The woman in pink looked flustered for a moment after hearing this, but then she heard another woman in the room say something.
“You have no right to negotiate with us,” Sang Wanyue said indifferently. If it weren’t for Jianjian holding her hand, she probably would have killed this woman already. “Don’t forget, we haven’t settled the score with you for taking out that bracelet to harm people before.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine too,” Ye Wuluo’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “We have many ways to make you talk obediently.”
If their previous persuasion was tinged with sweet words, now the two have laid bare their threats.
Everyone says that the Holy Son of the Holy Lotus Pavilion is kind and benevolent, but unexpectedly he is cruel and cold-hearted...
The woman in pink sneered inwardly, but then said on the surface, "I can tell you everything I know."
After listening to her fragmented recollections, Mu Jianjian finally gained a general understanding of the initial construction of "Panmen".
Just as she had guessed, and just as the dragon had said before beneath the lava, the people of the Upper Realm's Longevity Pavilion had used magical artifacts soaked in "Manluo" to entice cultivators from the lower realms to build the mountain scenery here.
They used the true energy within the "Panmen" to feed the demonic beasts they had encountered before, thus preventing outsiders from entering.
“…My old lady was one of the cultivators who came to build it. The people above kept the purpose of these things a secret, and most of the cultivators were just doing their jobs for money and didn’t bother to investigate, so no one knew why they did it…” A small knife fell out from her pink sleeve, and pain showed between her brows.
"But after those people finished building 'Panmen,' they didn't intend to keep their promise. The final finishing touches, ostensibly, were to seal 'Panmen' shut, but in reality, they were to trap all the cultivators involved and use their blood to irrigate the land. Meanwhile, the old woman secretly ran away with the magical artifacts she had brought, handed them to me, and said she was going to hide outside for a while..."
"But who knew that would be the last time I saw her. I searched for a long, long time, thinking that she might have gone to hide somewhere. When I got there, all I saw was a pool of blood," Xiao Fen laughed self-deprecatingly. "The people above will not let anyone go. I wanted to go to 'Panmen' to avenge the old woman, but at that time 'Panmen' was sealed off, so I had no choice but to return. Until one day I heard news about the secret treasures and rare herbs that had been circulating here."
"So you took the magical artifact your grandmother gave you, sided with Xiong Guangze, and used him to enter 'Panmen' in order to avenge your grandmother?"
After listening, Sang Wanyue nodded slightly and asked.
“Yes! My grandma told me that although the people who gave them instructions didn’t show their faces, she remembered the characteristics of their secret techniques!” Little Pink’s tone became more and more urgent. “For example, the man from before, when he used his true energy, there would be faint black specks appearing around him, that was a clear sign!”
“I know I’m not strong enough to fight them, but I still want to try. What if… what if I can do it…” Little Pink recalled how her grandmother looked when she received the reward order. Back then, she didn’t have such a casual and unpleasant name as “Little Pink”.
"Xiao Nan, I've received a very rewarding order! All you have to do is help build a stone gate in the mountains, and you'll get a lot of high-grade magic artifacts. Once I get them and sell them, your illness will be cured!"
"A high-grade magic artifact... Could it be a scam?"
"Many cultivators went to rob it. With so many people watching, it can't be a scam, right? Besides, it's just building a stone gate, there won't be any danger. Xiao Nan, you just wait for me at home."
"good."
Little Pink closed her eyes and gave a self-deprecating smile.
If she had the chance to do it all over again, she would definitely stop the old woman from going, so that she wouldn't die, and their family... wouldn't fall apart.
"Since there were other people at the time, did your grandmother tell you what the characteristics of the other cultivators' secret techniques were?" Mu Jianjian didn't let go of any opportunity.
After all, Ouyang Wenjin's "Otherworld Annihilation" had already caused the attacked spirit to lose consciousness, which was absurd enough. If there were other people further ahead, who knows what kind of trouble might arise.
Now that they are in the open while the enemy is in the shadows, they must seize every opportunity to gather intelligence.
“There was another person, a woman,” Xiao Fen added, her head throbbing slightly for some reason. “A woman with a strong floral scent. As for the others… I can’t remember.”
She glanced around at the people around her. "Now that I've told you everything I know, are you going to kill me?"
Linghu Zhuoyu frowned but didn't move. He glanced at the people around him.
Although he had murderous intent, he did not want to kill in front of his sister, but it was obvious that the two people around him thought the same way.
Mu Jianjian, preoccupied with the "fragrance of flowers" mentioned by the woman, didn't notice the commotion around her. It was Wan Xing who broke the silence first, saying, "Although you indirectly caused our deaths, I understand your situation and difficulties. If you swear a solemn oath with your Dao heart that you will not harm us, and then give us the remaining magical artifacts, we will let you leave. How about that?"
The main reason Wan Xing was soft-hearted was not because the other party was avenging their family, but because of her courage to risk her life even though she knew she couldn't win.
Sang Wanyue glanced at Wan Xing and said, "Without strength to rely on, courage will only be called arrogance and blindness."
But after saying that, he obviously didn't say anything more, and his attitude was clearly one of tacit approval.
But Xiao Fen clenched her fists and suddenly looked up at her, "What do you know! A ruthless person like you can easily get everything you want. There are endless pills and opportunities on the path of cultivation. Even the cultivators who accompany you are all extremely talented. Naturally, you don't need to have any 'courage'!"
Ruthless?
Mu Jianjian frowned when she heard the description of Sang Wanyue. Why did she describe Yueyue like that?
"You have no idea what she's been through, what right do you have to talk like that?" She stepped in front of Sang Wanyue first.
She had no idea how much suffering Yueyue had endured in her previous life, nor did she know that her cultivation and strength in this life were built up through countless dangers.
"If I'm not mistaken, you are Mu Jianjian from the Xuan Shuang Sect, right? You have no idea that while you were missing—" The woman in pink's expression grew increasingly crazed, and her fingernails began to grow long and dig fiercely into the ground. Just as she was about to blurt out the words, a red light flashed, and a bloodstain appeared on her neck.
"Sizzle—"
The woman in pink fell to the ground.
Mu Jianjian wasn't surprised that Ye Wuluo's flamboyant appearance led to her recognition; what she cared about was the content of the woman's words.
Turning her head to glance at Ye Wuluo who had made the move, she finally looked at Sang Wanyue, "Yueyue, she just mentioned the Xuanshuang Sect... What happened to my father and Master Chang?"
Although her senior brother would tell her if anything happened, she was still feeling uneasy and wanted to ask for reassurance.
"No, Jianjian, don't worry." Sang Wanyue concealed the gloom in her eyes and raised the corners of her lips to comfort her.
Seeing the girl's complete trust in her, she felt a pang of reluctance, but it vanished in an instant.
I will always remember what Jianjian said in the secret realm: she will always believe in her and stay with her, right?
“She was acting strangely just now, like she was being controlled by something,” Sang Wanyue tried to change the subject. “Ever since we entered ‘Panmen’, I’ve felt that something was wrong.”
“It’s not just mind control that causes her emotional fluctuations; it seems to be affecting her physical functions as well.” Ye Wuluo fixed his gaze on her longer fingernails.
"Sister, walk with me, I'll protect you." Linghu Zhuoyu strode up behind Mu Jianjian.
Wan Xing noticed the girl's look, which was signaling her to be careful, and secretly felt smug.
These people are familiar with Jianjian, but Jianjian cares about her the most!
"Fellow cultivators, please spare us!" The caravan cultivators, who had witnessed the two men die one after the other in the corner, finally couldn't help but beg for mercy.
His words drew the attention of the surrounding cultivators, drawing everyone's attention to him.
Mu Jianjian then noticed that there were other people around. She found it somewhat amusing, "Aren't you going to avenge your young master?"
Hmm, it seems Xiong Guangze's reputation among caravans is nothing special.
"No, no," a cultivator lowered his head, his voice mournful. "We only came here hoping to make a little profit from the rare treasures in 'Panmen,' but we really don't want to risk our lives!"
"Yes, yes, Brother Lin is right. To be frank, we joined the caravan just to collect some rewards to make a living. Besides, we won't tell the leader anything about you and the young master!"
The cultivator bowed his head and clasped his hands in a fist salute, muttering to himself.
Even if word got out, given these people's status, they probably wouldn't be afraid of any retaliation from the team leader... Besides, it was the young master who provoked others first.
"Please, sirs, let us leave! We have no desire to stay in this awful place any longer. We swear on our conscience that if we utter a single lie, may we be struck by lightning!"
"..."
Once one speaks, another follows, and dozens of cultivators chime in, but Mu Jianjian's attention is diverted.
She released phantom butterflies around her, then suddenly said, "Everyone be careful, it seems like... another scent has been added here."
Because he mastered the art of using pungent odors, he is extremely sensitive to smells.
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