Chapter 149: He is very gentle

In the dim and cramped room, five men sat together.

Qiao Qianzhi added an extra set of bowls and chopsticks for Zhao Xidong. The guarding task had been grueling, so it warranted a little encouragement.

Zhao Xidong finally got to taste the exquisite cuisine prepared by Elder Qiao, nearly moved to tears by the experience.

After devouring a large braised pork knuckle and downing a cup of strong wine that burned his throat,

"Satisfying!"

He slammed the cup down on the table, feeling an overwhelming surge of boldness.

"Smack!"

The sharp sound clearly didn't come from the table.

The other four men stared blankly at Zhao Xidong, then turned their gazes to what was behind him.

Zhao Xidong's heart skipped a beat.

"No way, it's not happening again, is it?"

He slowly turned his head and saw that on the "Shier Zhu Linglian Pan," the bead that had lost its protective barrier was now cracked and dull.

"As expected, it couldn't hold up for long." Xiao Qixiu sighed.

Since the three layers of protective barriers had been breached, the seal probably wouldn't stop the infiltrator either.

"Maybe we really should follow what Old Sang said and forcibly intervene in Tianxuan Men, sending people inside." Elder Qiao frowned.

Ye Xiaotian looked at Sang Lao. "What do you think?"

Sang Lao sucked on his fingers, calm as ever. "Maybe it's just as you said—things aren't at their worst yet?"

Everyone froze, though they didn't want to admit it, this was indeed a possibility.

On the very first day inside Tianxuan Men, two of the boundary treasures were already gone. What about the next two days?

"Don't worry, those people should know their limits. If more than four treasures are taken, Tianxuan Men will explode, and they won't make it out alive." Sang Lao said.

Tianxuan Men would explode?

Zhao Xidong was stunned; this was the first time he'd heard this. He quickly recalled his earlier dream.

This... could it actually come true?

"That makes it even more urgent to intervene, or else what about our own disciples inside Tianxuan Men?" Qiao Qianzhi grew anxious.

Sang Lao waved his hand dismissively. "Relax, it definitely won't explode. No one will die."

Definitely?

What if it did, though?

Ye Xiaotian saw that the old man still had his usual temperament and couldn't help but say, "Your two disciples are still in there!"

"Yes, they're both in there..." Sang Lao showed no sign of worry at all, which frustrated the other four.

Ye Xiaotian was about to speak again when he noticed the old man tilt his head, furrowing his sparse eyebrows as if something had occurred to him.

Sang Lao had a sudden flash of insight.

According to the map he'd given to Mu Zixi, Xu Xiaoshou should have reached the bottom of Heiluo Cliff, but in the scene he'd just glimpsed, Xu Xiaoshou was already at the top.

Everyone had overlooked that moment... Xu Xiaoshou had leaped into the air!

And upon closer reflection, Sang Lao realized he hadn't seen the black sword under Xu Xiaoshou's feet.

Had he broken through to the Xiantian realm?!

Sang Lao was somewhat surprised. The last time he'd seen Xu Xiaoshou, the young man was barely at the tenth realm...

"Baptism of fire and rebirth!"

Soon, Sang Lao recalled the steps from his own past: the final stage of "Jinzhao Tianfen" was to break down and rebuild.

He had never waited for Xu Xiaoshou's Xiantian body to shatter, but he had faith that this tenacious young man could pull through, so he'd taken him as a disciple.

Now, Xu Xiaoshou must have reached that stage—his Xiantian body had shattered, and he'd successfully advanced to the Zongshi realm.

Not bad, the student has surpassed the master.

Back in the day, it had taken Sang Lao three whole days to break through to the Zongshi realm!

So...

Sang Lao turned to the group: "That one at the top of Heiluo Cliff... Lei Lei? What's his cultivation level?"

"Late Upper Spirit realm. He's the strongest and most talented among the new thirty-three entrants, with lightning attributes." Ye Xiaotian replied. "Why?"

"Upper Spirit realm..." Sang Lao murmured to himself, "Then he probably can't beat Xu Xiaoshou..."

The four others: ...

Zhao Xidong was completely baffled by what he was hearing; he felt like his ears needed cleaning.

What on earth made you so confident in Xu Xiaoshou? That guy was just at the ninth realm!

Of course, he didn't dare say it out loud and just quietly ate his meat—that was his silent defiance.

A spark appeared in Sang Lao's eyes as he reached for his chopsticks again. "I have a rough idea who the infiltrators are. There should be two: one is Lei Lei, and the other..."

Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"Hmm, he's well hidden—I don't know who it is."

The wind howled, scattering snowflakes like goose down, with stars faintly twinkling in the sparse night sky.

In the rustling wind, a trail of footprints faded from heavy to light, gradually vanishing into the swirling spiritual snow.

Mo Mo's expression was serene, her ordinary features exuding an elegant demeanor, like a pure white snow lotus standing apart from the world, untouched by its troubles.

In her right hand, she still held the bronze furnace, where purple sandalwood incense burned faintly, its embers rising in wisps of ethereal vapor.

In her left hand, however, was a white stone that hadn't been there before—about the size of a fist, completely devoid of spiritual energy.

"The 'Fengyin Zhishi' is already in hand. Have you... awakened?"

Her right hand trembled slightly, and the smoke from the small bronze furnace thickened, coalescing into a vague human face.

"I'm awake. I didn't respond earlier because someone was spying on this space—be careful."

The voice was equally vague, impossible to tell if it was male or female, or even if it was human speech.

"Spying?" Mo Mo was a bit surprised but didn't press further and let it go.

"My task should be complete. When will you..."

"Only half done! Besides, my existence brings you only benefits and no harm."

The vague voice interrupted her.

Mo Mo gripped the stone tightly, her voice soft but firm: "I don't need it."

"The next step: kill two people."

Hearing that unyielding tone, Mo Mo slowly closed her eyes. "Who?"

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

She abruptly opened her eyes, her gaze full of shock. "Why?"

"He's discovered me."

"Impossible!"

"Oh? Are you defending him?"

The vague voice took on a hint of emotion.

"The elders of Tiansang Linggong couldn't detect you—how could Xu Xiaoshou?" Mo Mo's voice returned to its calm state.

"You don't need to know that. Just carry out the task."

Mo Mo's face showed resolve: "I won't kill Xu Xiaoshou."

"Do you like him?"

Mo Mo froze, a faint blush crossing her fair face as she recalled the scene on the final tournament stage, where that unreliable guy had complimented her beauty.

"It's not about liking him; I just don't want to kill him."

"Why?"

Mo Mo thought of the black sword that connected them, the unease of falling into his arms from the sky, and her reluctant feigned faint...

"He's very gentle." A faint smile appeared on her face. "Some people just shouldn't be hurt."

The smoky face fell silent, then dissipated entirely, as if respecting Mo Mo's will.

But the next second, a voice devoid of emotion echoed:

"The second one: Zhao Xidong."

Mo Mo paused mid-step. Zhao Xidong?

She had only crossed paths with him briefly in the inner courtyard—why kill him?

She wanted to ask, but the smoky figure had already vanished.

"Sigh."

With snowflakes swirling around her, Mo Mo had no choice but to keep moving forward. Her task was only half complete, after all.

She'd deal with the rest later.

She looked ahead...

That was the direction of "Senluo Milin."