Inside the outer hall, Wangquan Sheng, who had already killed or trapped all the disciples, did not rashly enter the inner hall.
“Master, how much longer can the Nascent Soul cultivation you gave me last?”
The old man’s weak voice drifted from within the bone ring. “At most half a shichen. Move quickly. I’ll have to sleep for at least a year after this; you’ll be on your own during that time.”
“Understood!”
Wangquan Sheng’s brows knit. It would be a lie to say he wasn't grateful. He immediately moved to enter the inner hall.
The eight people inside the inner hall were already locked in a fierce battle with the Moon Soul Arrow. The 4th Elder of Seven Fiends Hall, the weakest among them at the Early-Stage Golden Core, had just dodged a long arrow when he accidentally touched a speck of the toxic blue flames. His pupils trembled with terror.
“Not good! Argh!!!”
He didn't even have time to say another word before his entire body was incinerated from head to toe in the next instant.
Within three breaths, only a pile of ash remained on the ground.
The remaining seven people, including Wangquan Gusui, were all injured to varying degrees. Seeing someone die, Wangquan Gusui realized he could no longer control the Moon Soul Arrow. He looked at the arrow and shouted sharply.
“Wait!”
“I’ll leave! I’ll leave right now! You can just kill these people as long as you let me go!”
As soon as these words left his mouth, the others looked at him with furious expressions.
Luo Yuntian cursed, “Wangquan Gusui, you shameless scoundrel! You were the one who begged us to come and help you seize the treasure!”
“Don't make it sound so unpleasant. Beg? Didn't you all come because you were greedy for my great-grandfather’s funerary objects?” Wangquan Gusui sneered.
Helian Zhou, who was also injured in the corner, wished he could step forward and slap Wangquan Gusui to death. He knew matters involving the royal family were never easy to handle. If the Moquan Sect didn't owe his father, Wangquan Qihuan, a favor, he never would have waded into these muddy waters.
While they were tearing into each other, the Young Villa Mistress of Huayan Villa, the white-clad masked woman named Bai Jinshui, noticed something was wrong.
“Stop arguing!”
Her gaze was fixed on the bow and arrow that sat motionless atop the coffin, its artifact soul nowhere to be seen. “Don't you notice the Moon Soul Arrow has stopped moving?”
At her words, everyone immediately turned to look. The Moon Soul Arrow, which had been unilaterally beating them for fifteen minutes, had indeed stopped. Was it tired?
Bai Jinshui immediately turned toward the exit. “Fifteen minutes is almost up, and the restriction is about to resume. Perhaps the Moon Soul Arrow has exhausted its energy and is going back to sleep. Let’s go!”
The group stopped their bickering and dashed toward the distant exit with all their might.
However...
“Li Yan, what are you doing? Get out of the way!”
The City Lord’s Estate butler, Li Yan, who had been submissive toward Wangquan Gusui the entire way, was now blocking the exit. He remained motionless no matter how Wangquan Gusui berated him.
Helian Zhou was the first to realize something was wrong. “He’s not Li Yan!”
Everyone immediately raised their magical artifacts in defense.
“Since you’ve all come this far, don't even think about leaving.” The fake Li Yan peeled off the human skin mask from his face, his voice carrying a deep, heavy pressure.
Wangquan Gusui’s pupils contracted. “Father!”
...
Wen Li’s group of three rushed back from the city gate.
Once again, they stepped into the pond area in front of the main hall. Ouyang Ao, who had been sitting in the pond, had already collapsed. The eerie Equinox Flower in his arms was also destroyed, and the water in the entire pond had turned black, emitting a foul stench.
Even as the three of them entered the pond’s perimeter and approached the spots where the other sect disciples had died, they encountered no danger.
“Master, Wangquan Sheng did this,” Zongzheng Huangyue remarked without a second thought.
Wen Li nodded casually. “It seems the old man in his bone ring is quite formidable after all.”
It wasn't in vain that she had sown discord and given Wangquan Sheng the time and space to use the old man as a cheat code. She couldn't beat the spiritual Equinox Flower, but Wangquan Sheng, the protagonist of this opportunity, certainly could. With him leading the way, any monsters or demons would be cleared, allowing them to simply reap the rewards in his wake.
Still, Wen Li wasn't entirely at ease. Instead of walking directly into the main hall, she threw out a talisman.
The talisman hit the ground and instantly transformed into a little paper figure. It waddled and swayed as it walked, looking quite adorable.
Boom!
Swish!
In the next second, the adorable little paper figure was cute to death.
No, its head was simply gone. It had been struck by sword qi fired from the very edge of the pond. And it wasn't just one; as soon as the head vanished, nine consecutive strikes of sharp sword qi followed, chopping the headless paper figure into ten segments like it was a radish!
Now it was truly dead.
“...” Oh, she had thought Wangquan Sheng was too green when he crawled through the dog hole to enter the tomb, but he had learned to play dirty quite quickly.
Wen Li reached out and covered the eyes of Hua Cishu, who was only waist-high, saying humorously, “Don't look, little one. It’s too bloody.”
“...” Tch, this wasn't even as bloody as one time he had been beaten.
Hua Cishu remained silent. Instead of calling her out, he cooperated by immediately hugging Wen Li’s leg, pressing his small face against her as he closed his eyes and said sweetly, “Whoa, that’s so scary! Please protect me, oh powerful, mighty, majestic Master who can kill humans and demons with just a flick of your hand!”
Wen Li raised an eyebrow and patted his small head, quite satisfied. “Since you’re so cute, I’ll consider it.”
Zongzheng Huangyue’s expression was bizarre. “...”
So, she had lost because she didn't know how to be thick-skinned and act like a high-pitched, clingy pet?
It had taken her two months by her Master’s side to figure out that she was immune to both the carrot and the stick but a total sucker for flattery. Hua Cishu hadn't even been her disciple for an hour, so how did he manage to hit her Master’s weird preference so accurately?
Or was he just a natural-born sycophant?
Still wary that Wangquan Sheng might have left more than one trap, Wen Li reached into her storage bag and rummaged around before pulling out fifty little paper figures and tossing them all onto the ground.
Flap, flap, flap...
Fifty little paper figures wiggled their butts and charged forward, making comical noises.
In the next second...
Bang!
Thud!
Swish!
A series of dazzling spiritual glows and muffled sounds erupted in front of the three of them as the traps Wangquan Sheng had set were triggered one by one.
The light from the spiritual energy was too piercing. It lasted for five seconds and wasn't over yet; that was only the second trap.
Wen Li yawned and rummaged through her storage bag again, pulling out three pairs of self-made “sunglasses.” After giving a pair to each of her two disciples, she enlarged Hold On. The three of them simply sat on Hold On, drinking tea from a thermal artifact and eating peaches while they waited for the little paper figures to finish triggering the traps.
As they say, students naturally tend to emulate their masters.
This behavior would directly lead to the future where her six disciples could casually grill meat and drink tea while killing and burning, behavior that could drive a half-dead enemy to die of sheer frustration.
Rate on N.U.
