Human skin lantern 6
The news of the death of the Emei Sect Leader quickly spread throughout the martial arts world. Everyone in the Central Plains knew how skilled Liao Heyun was, and therefore everyone was shocked that Liao Heyun had died after being defeated in a fight with a masked man.
According to the surviving members of Emei Sect, they stayed in a neighboring county of Xiacheng that night. In the middle of the night, they heard a loud noise coming from the roof. They rushed to check and found their sect leader locked in a fierce battle with a man wearing a white mask.
The disciples of the Emei Sect were not flustered at all. There were very few people in the vast martial arts world who could defeat their sect leader. These people all had close ties with their sect leader and would never come to challenge him in the middle of the night.
but……
"The moment their internal forces collided, everything went white before my eyes. I couldn't help but close them, and when I opened them again, my master had already fallen," said an Emei disciple.
Another Emei disciple, choking back tears, continued, "Several of my fellow disciples rushed forward when they saw it, but the masked man just waved his robe, just waved his robe... My fellow disciples also..."
“This…this is just like the Demonic Sect back then…” As soon as the last surviving Emei disciple finished speaking, the entire place fell silent, and everyone felt a chill in the spreading fear.
Two hundred years later, the martial arts world of the Central Plains is still under the shadow of the evil cult of yesteryear.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became tense, rumors spread like wildfire, and everyone in the martial arts world felt insecure.
"The bodies of Liao Heyun and the murdered Emei disciples were quite bloody, cut into thousands of pieces, and their flesh was mangled."
Yun Shaocheng was communicating with Mo Huan in Mo Huan's room, while Xiao Congzhi sat beside him, listening with great interest.
After Yun Shaocheng finished speaking, he looked at Xiao Congzhi, then at Mo Huan, and sighed softly in his heart.
Mo Huan took a sip of tea and calmly commented, "No wonder everyone in the martial arts world is talking about it so vividly, saying that the leader of the Demonic Sect from a hundred years ago has been resurrected..."
Xiao Congzhi said, "The method of 'cutting into a thousand pieces' was the way the leader of the Demonic Sect used to massacre sects when he intimidated the martial arts world."
"Oh, Brother Xiao, you are truly knowledgeable and well-traveled," Mo Huan said insincerely.
"..."
"Does Xu Tan still want to hold his coming-of-age ceremony tomorrow?" Mo Huan asked Yun Shaocheng.
"Yes, as soon as the news from Emei came, Xu Tan was eager to hold his coming-of-age ceremony."
Xiao Congzhi asked curiously, "Which family has the engagement been arranged with?"
Seeing that Xiao Congzhi was almost sitting in Mo Huan's lap, Yun Shaocheng had no choice but to lower his head and honestly answer, "Hua Nanzhou, the eldest disciple of the Diancang Sect."
"Miss Xu doesn't mind at all?"
"Xu Shuyan is currently locked in her room, and Xu Tan has even sent a team to guard her. Speaking of which, didn't Young Master Xiao go to the Diancang Sect and give Huanan Prefecture a beating a few days ago?"
Upon hearing this, Mo Huan looked at Xiao Congzhi, somewhat surprised.
Xiao Cong subconsciously rubbed his fingers together and replied in a subtle tone, "Yes, so I can go and test Qian Lin's martial arts skills."
Mo Huan gave a meaningful "Oh~", and then said in a good mood: "Xu Tan's move will definitely displease the Emei Sect, but nowadays only the Martial Alliance has the ability to deal with that force that is suspected to be a demonic sect."
"Then... what's our plan?" Yun Shaocheng wondered how far he could go in front of Xiao Congzhi.
Mo Huan was happy to play the riddle-maker: "Let's do it tomorrow. All sorts of people from the martial arts world will be gathered here, which is perfect for our opening ceremony."
"But now, regarding Liao Heyun's matter..."
"It's alright."
After Yun Shaocheng left, Xiao Congzhi asked Mo Huan, "What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"You'll see when you get there; I guarantee you'll witness a great show."
Xiao Congzhi almost rolled his eyes, and asked helplessly, "Liao Heyun's death was framed by the Demonic Sect, what do you think...?"
"Wait a minute," Mo Huan interrupted, asking, "How are you sure this is a frame-up?"
Xiao Congzhi looked at Mo Huan with a puzzled expression, not understanding what Mo Huan meant.
Mo Huan then put away his smile and said seriously, "The reason why the Demonic Sect is called the Demonic Sect is not because of what Xing Feng did a hundred years ago, but because the Demonic Sect's martial arts and mental techniques are different from those of the righteous path in the Central Plains martial arts world, and its behavior is not bound by the rules of the righteous path."
Xiao Congzhi remained silent for a while while looking at Mo Huan, then said calmly, "I understand. So, Brother Mo, what are your thoughts on the death of Liao Heyun?"
Xiao Congzhi was being sarcastic, so Mo Huan retorted with a question to Xiao Congzhi.
Xiao Congzhi replied good-naturedly, "Liao Heyun is highly skilled in martial arts and has hardly been involved in the affairs of the martial world in recent years. Logically speaking, it is unlikely that she is being targeted for revenge."
Mo Huan said, "Liao Heyun was kind to others and made many friends in her early years. It is said that Xu Tan became the leader of the martial arts alliance because she did not participate."
"Therefore, I would speculate that it was not the work of the Demonic Cult, but rather that the mastermind behind the disappearances wanted to frame the Demonic Cult."
"Then let's follow your line of thinking and consider why you chose the Emei Sect?"
Xiao Congzhi had a well-thought-out plan: "I'm afraid they're not targeting Emei, but Liao Heyun herself. The fact that a peerless master who had almost retired from the martial world was brutally murdered in the middle of the night is what could cause the current association and fear with the Demonic Sect."
"Yes, the same principle applies to the Demonic Sect. If the Demonic Sect wants to regain control of the Central Plains, targeting Liao Heyun would be the best deterrent."
Xiao Congzhi did not deny that Liao Heyun's death undoubtedly plunged the already chaotic martial arts world into an even deeper vortex. The disappearance case was still unsolved, and then the Emei Sect leader died en route, also bringing to light a demonic sect that vanished from the Central Plains a century ago…
The next day, Xu Shuyan's coming-of-age ceremony would be held in the evening. All the sects in the martial arts world were invited. Although the death of the Emei Sect leader made the ceremony less public, Xu Tan, due to the curse, dared not neglect the ceremony. All nine major sects, except for Emei which had some reservations, would be present, not to mention the smaller sects that dared not disrespect Xu Tan.
Xiao Congzhi and Mo Huan, who are currently staying at the Martial Alliance, were naturally invited. However, Mo Huan is still "seriously injured and has not yet recovered," so his friend Xiao Congzhi can attend the ceremony on his behalf.
Before leaving, Xiao Congzhi looked at Mo Huan, who was burying himself in the blankets and pretending to be sick, and pondered the possibility of pulling him out to extract the plan. In the end, he sighed and gave up on the matter.
After listening to Xiao Congzhi walk away, Mo Huan peeked out from under the covers, staring thoughtfully ahead for a long time before finally lifting the covers and getting up to prepare.
When Xiao Congzhi arrived at the banquet, he didn't greet Xu Tan politely as he had last time. Instead, he went straight to a seat with a good view and sat down.
Standing on high ground, Xu Tan caught a glimpse of Xiao Congzhi out of the corner of his eye, and he frowned. Xu Tan was of course aware that Xiao Congzhi had gone to the Diancang Sect to seriously injure Huananzhou; otherwise, Huananzhou wouldn't be lying in the backyard now, only making a brief appearance at the engagement ceremony.
Xu Tan was naturally dissatisfied and unwilling to invite Xiao Congzhi. However, Xiao Congzhi's identity was unknown, his behavior was eccentric, and he was currently living in the Martial Alliance. If he was not invited, it would be a loss if he caused trouble during the ceremony.
Xiao Congzhi neither knew nor cared what Xu Tan was thinking. He sat in the upper middle position, expressionless, watching the righteous martial artists exchanging pleasantries not far away.
Xu Tan was introducing Yun Shaocheng to the various sect leaders with a smile on his face. Yun Shaocheng looked humble, which was completely different from his cunning and calculating demeanor when he was with Mo Huan.
Xiao Congzhi found it amusing when a strange voice suddenly came from beside him: "Who are you?"
The voice was extremely rude, so Xiao Congzhi had no choice but to shift his gaze away from Yun Shaocheng, who had already begun to chat with Ji Buyu, the leader of the Snow Mountain Sect.
Standing in front of Xiao Congzhi were three people, all dressed very elegantly. Two carried swords and one carried a knife. From their clothing and weapons, Xiao Congzhi could easily determine which sect they belonged to.
Fortunately, the only man carrying a knife spoke up and introduced them: "These are the second disciple of the Huashan Sect and the eldest disciple of the Kunlun Sect. You should be sitting in their seats."
The man was young, but his tone was full of arrogance and audacity.
In fact, when people in the martial arts world hold banquets, they don't usually arrange seating openly to show their carefree attitude. However, each person who is invited will calculate their approximate seat based on the strength of their sect and the name of the person who will be invited. Before sitting down, they will also politely decline each other's seats.
Xiao Congzhi had heard of this ridiculous formalism before. He used to be willing to play around with it, but not today. He didn't know what Mo Huan was planning, so he had to keep a close eye on him.
Therefore, Xiao Congzhi's tone was somewhat cold and hard: "No seating arrangements have been made today."
Before the disciples of the Huashan and Kunlun sects could speak, the man who was using the tiger's power to intimidate others said, "This isn't your first time at a banquet of this scale, is it? Although there is no set seating arrangement, you are not affiliated with any sect, so how can you sit here? The seats in front and behind are reserved for disciples of the nine major sects."
After the man finished speaking, the second disciple of the Huashan Sect sensed something was amiss, tugged at the man's sleeve, and whispered, "You can't say that."
However, the eldest disciple of the Kunlun Sect did not see anything wrong with it. He frowned and stared at Xiao Congzhi, clearly dissatisfied with Xiao Congzhi sitting there.
Xiao Congzhi caught a glimpse of Yun Shaocheng handing something to Ji Buyu out of the corner of his eye, and felt inexplicably irritated. He said coldly, "I wonder what sect you belong to, that you're so willing to be someone's dog?"
"You!" The man drew his sword with a "whoosh" and slashed at Xiao Congzhi's shoulder without pausing.
Xiao Congzhi easily used the fan handle to block the long sword. The long sword was drawn, revealing its gleam. Xiao Congzhi had some impression of it; this should be a disciple of the Jianghu Duan Shui Sect.
Although it is a small sect, its sword-forging techniques are exquisite. The folding longsword that Mo Huan gave to Xiao Congzhi for self-defense in Qilin Village was made by Duanshui Sect.
But that knife, if Xiao Congzhi wasn't mistaken, was the most outstanding work of the Broken Water Sect in the past hundred years, the Hengshuang.
Compared to this, the knife in front of us can only be described as crudely made. No wonder the Broken Water Sect has almost disappeared from the martial arts world in recent years.
With a forceful pull from Xiao Congzhi, the man felt his hand go numb, and the knife fell uncontrollably to the ground with a crisp sound, bringing the second disciple of the Huashan Sect to his senses.
He quickly bowed and said, "Brother, we were impolite."
Although it was an apology, it contained no real remorse.
At this moment, Yun Shaocheng, who had been maneuvering around, walked over, his face slightly dark: "Who's making a scene here? Today is the coming-of-age ceremony for the Alliance Leader's only daughter, Miss Xu. No mistakes can be tolerated!"
The disciples of the Broken Water Sect were about to complain when the Kunlun Sect's chief disciple interrupted them.
The man spoke politely, but his words concealed a hidden meaning: "We apologize for disturbing Young Hero Yun. We just saw some unfamiliar faces here and wanted to exchange a few words, but this young hero doesn't seem to be very good with words."
Yun Shaocheng frowned as he looked at Xiao Congzhi, who remained calmly seated, his face darkening further. The Kunlun Sect's eldest disciple chuckled inwardly; he had planned for Yun Shaocheng to personally drive away this self-aware young man.
But how could Yun Shaocheng dare to offend Xiao Congzhi? He simply said, "Since you are not good with words, then let's not chat. Please take your seats quickly, the ceremony will begin soon."
After saying that, Yun Shaocheng hurriedly left, leaving the Kunlun Sect disciples dumbfounded.
Since Yun Shaocheng had personally spoken within the territory of the Martial Alliance, these individuals, however unwilling, had no choice but to give up and sit to the left of Xiao Congzhi.
Xiao Congzhi noticed the indignant looks on the faces of the Broken Water Sect disciples as they left, and the venomous expression on the faces of the Kunlun Sect's chief disciple as he sat down, but he didn't care. He was now more interested in what Mo Huan was going to do during this ceremony, and whether the masked man would do anything.
……
As night fell, no amount of drama could shake Xu Tan's determination to hold her coming-of-age ceremony.
Xu Tan was dressed very smartly and spoke at length on the stage. Immediately afterwards, Xu Shuyan, dressed in formal attire, was escorted to the center of the stage by a group of people.
However, calling it an escort is a bit of an exaggeration; "escorting" would be a more accurate description.
Xu Shuyan looked unwilling, her eyes were red, and her face was still streaked with tears, but Xu Tan ignored her and said loudly to the guests: "Today is not only my daughter's coming-of-age ceremony, but also the day she is engaged to Hua Shaoxia of Huanan Prefecture, the eldest disciple of Diancang Sect."
As soon as he finished speaking, thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall. The leaders and disciples of various sects took turns offering their congratulations, and everyone's face was beaming with smiles.
Suddenly, a voice abruptly asked, "Tomorrow is the seventh day after the death of the Emei Sect Leader. Is it really appropriate to discuss marriage today?"
It was Ji Buyu, the leader of the Snow Mountain Sect, whose words at this moment revealed a touch of naive cruelty.
The room fell silent for a moment, then began to murmur among the whispers.
"I've heard that the Demonic Sect was behind the Emei Sect's leadership?"
"pretty close…"
"Is the Demonic Sect going to... again?"
"Hush! Be careful!"
"What exactly is Leader Xu thinking? At this crucial moment, she's both coming of age and engaged."
"Who knows? The Demonic Sect is no joke."
Xu Tan stood on the stage, his face solemn, completely unable to control the whispers of the crowd below. Originally, Hua Nanzhou should have taken the stage at this moment to complete the ceremony, but now it was no longer the right time.
At that moment, a dart suddenly came flying through the air with overwhelming force, splitting the low table at the head of the table and carving it into the stone wall behind it.
For a moment, the entire room fell silent, and everyone unconsciously lowered their breathing.
Xu Tan's eyes widened as he slowly turned his head to look at the dart.
The person who could throw that dart must have boundless inner strength. No one dared to think too much about who it could be.
As the leader of the martial arts alliance, Xu Tan had no choice but to step forward and take the dart.
The dart was scarlet, and a piece of white paper was even attached to it. Xu Tan glanced at it quickly, his expression even more shocked, and his first reaction was to hide the paper.
But a voice came from the void: "Alliance Leader Xu, you should tell everyone what you saw, lest you disappoint me."
!
Although the voice was disguised, Xiao Congzhi recognized it immediately.
The only one left who dared to speak was Ji Buyu, who casually remarked, "Sound transmission through the void, this person's internal strength is incredibly high."
Xiao Congzhi glanced at Ji Buyu, somewhat unsure of the relationship between this person and Mo Huan.
Xu Tan looked into the void and spoke in a steady voice: "May I ask who you are, and why you do not show yourself?"
"Alliance Leader Xu, why don't you read the contents of the paper first?"
"..."
What exactly is written on this paper?
Curiosity ultimately prevailed over fear, and the guests began to whisper among themselves again. The leader of the Qingcheng Sect even took the initiative to ask, "Brother Xu, what exactly is it?"
Xu Tan was still hesitating when Xu Shuyan snatched it away. At this moment, she was willing to risk anything to ruin her engagement.
"Having received no reply from Alliance Leader Xu, let's wait for your arrival in Anling City on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. Demonic Sect Leader... Xie Mowen."
After Xu Shuyan finished reading, she suddenly realized what was happening and looked at Xu Tan in horror.
Xu Tan looked helpless, letting the whole room erupt in an uproar.
"!!!"
"Did I hear that right?"
"The leader of the Demonic Cult... what was it again?"
"Thanks…"
"Thanks……"
"Is it really a demonic cult?"
"Was that the leader of the Demonic Sect just now?"
"My God, that internal energy? That Emei Sect Leader?"
"No, what do you mean by 'not receiving a reply from Alliance Leader Xu'?"
Xiao Congzhi frowned and looked in Yun Shaocheng's direction. He didn't think Mo Huan would leave after just throwing out a bombshell. After all, Yun Shaocheng pretended to be part of the conversation, but his hands were always hidden in his sleeves.
"!"
A sudden gust of wind arose, carrying with it an extremely powerful and oppressive internal force. Looking towards the source of the wind...
A black robe with dark patterns and red trim, the most recognizable attire of the Demonic Cult a hundred years ago.
The newcomer wore a black bamboo hat, his face obscured by the darkness. His robes billowed wildly in the wind. He walked step by step toward Xu Tan at the front, the wind growing stronger with each step.
Just as everyone was beginning to recover from their shock and fear, Xie Mowen, the leader of the Demonic Sect, had already approached.
Xu Tan pressed his thumb against the hilt of his sword and asked with relative composure, "What brings you here, sir?"
Xie Mowen laughed, a sinister smile seeping into the air. He replied, "Half a month ago, I wrote a letter to Alliance Leader Xu, but received no reply, so I came to see for myself."
"Your Excellency need not sow discord. After today, I will surely inform everyone about that thing."
"Alliance Leader Xu, you misunderstand." Xie Mowen stopped in his tracks as he spoke.
"Are you the leader of the Demonic Sect?" The Qingcheng Sect leader stood up and also touched his weapon.
"Indeed."
"The Demonic Sect is utterly wicked and was driven out of the Central Plains by the righteous path. Now they want to..."
Before the man could finish speaking, he was sent flying. No one saw how Xie Mowen made his move; they only saw the man cough up blood and lose consciousness instantly. Whether he was dead or alive was unknown.
The one who flew out was none other than the Duanshui Sect disciple who had just been acting arrogantly. Xiao Congzhi couldn't help but wonder if the people in this sect were not quite right in the head.
As a result, the leaders of the nine major sects were all provoked to stand up and unleash their inner force on Xie Mowen.
"Thank you, Master. This is, after all, the martial arts world of the Central Plains," the Wudang Sect Leader said in a deep voice.
Xie Mowen laughed again, as if he could easily deal with the pressure from the inner force of the nine sect leaders.
Suddenly, Xie Mowen flashed forward and attacked the Wudang Sect Leader directly. The Wudang Sect Leader struck out with a palm, and the two exchanged three blows in an instant. Seeing this, the Huashan Sect Leader hurriedly drew his sword to meet the attack. Xie Mowen ducked down, drew a short knife from his waist, and sent the Huashan Sect Leader flying.
Thus, the other sect leaders no longer held back and attacked together.
A hundred years ago, Xing Feng, the leader of the Demonic Sect, could single-handedly slaughter countless masters in the righteous martial arts world. Now, the leaders of the nine major sects will certainly not be careless. What they fear is that this seemingly young leader of the Demonic Sect will massacre the martial arts alliance.
Xie Mowen moved swiftly among the various sect leaders, his moves and counters were extremely swift, and he had already passed a hundred moves in a short time.
"The Demonic Sect." A voice descended from the void. Xie Mowen said while exchanging blows, "We will once again take over the Central Plains on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. We hope that all the sect leaders will attend the ceremony."
After he finished speaking, the wind stopped, and the person disappeared.
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