Translator: CinderTL

"What’s the situation over there?" Song Wen asked.

"Their attacks have completely shattered the mountain valley, creating a crater tens of miles deep. Wait! A black barrier has appeared at the bottom of the crater, temporarily blocking their assault. Beneath the barrier, a figure has emerged..."

Through Shadow Void’s description, Song Wen gained a rough understanding of the situation in the mountain valley.

"Jian Xiao, you truly are persistent. It seems you won’t rest until you’ve killed me!" the figure within the barrier declared.

Though his voice was not loud, it cut through the thunderous roar of the five orthodox cultivators’ continuous attacks with remarkable clarity.

"Wei Gu, I care nothing for your life or death. From the beginning, my sole objective has been to eradicate the Six Fiends Hall and deter the Divine Blood Gate from ever setting foot on the Southern Nether Continent again. Your Six Fiends Hall’s corpse cultivators have slaughtered countless mortals and cultivators in pursuit of their twisted cultivation methods. Wherever you appear, mountains of bones pile high. I act on behalf of Heaven, to restore peace and order to the Southern Nether Continent!" Jian Xiao proclaimed with righteous fervor.

"Make the Divine Blood Gate never dare set foot on the Southern Nether Continent again?" Wei Gu suddenly burst into laughter.

He showed no concern whatsoever for the shimmering barrier before him.

"Jian Xiao, not even the Ancestors of your three great sects would dare utter such arrogant words, let alone you. Your repeated attempts to cause trouble for me stem from personal grudges and your covetousness of the Six Fiends Hall’s treasures and the Divine Blood Gate’s secret arts."

As he finished speaking, Wei Gu’s gaze shifted to the graceful figure standing beside Jian Xiao.

"Ying Wu, we have no grievances between us—in fact, we’ve shared some camaraderie. Why have you joined this siege against the Six Fiends Hall today?"

At these words, Jian Xiao and the others turned to stare at Ying Wu, their assault momentarily weakening.

Jian Xiao, in particular, was stunned. He had personally invited Ying Wu, his fellow disciple, to join the attack, yet he had never heard of any prior dealings between Ying Wu and the Six Fiends Hall.

Ying Wu remained unfazed by the scrutiny.

"Wei Gu, you took hundreds of thousands of high-grade spirit stones from me and promised me a Beauty Serpent, but it vanished without a trace! Shouldn’t I demand an explanation?"

"This matter is not my fault," Wei Gu said. "I had already sent my subordinates to track down a Beauty Serpent and intended to capture it myself. But then Jian Xiao and a group of cultivators stormed my stronghold, leaving both Gong Tianzong and me severely wounded, nearly killing us. I had no choice but to hide and recover. How could I possibly hunt for a Beauty Serpent in that state? By the time I healed, the creature had vanished without a trace. Over the years, I’ve dispatched search parties throughout the Primordial Qi Death Zone, but we haven’t found another Beauty Serpent yet."

"Wei Gu, your lies won’t fool me," Ying Wu retorted. "Your seventh-tier void demon’s sensory range in the Primordial Qi Death Zone extends over ten thousand miles. If you had truly wanted to find one, how could you have failed to locate even a single Beauty Serpent in all these years?"

"Ying Wu, we’ve been partners for years," Wei Gu countered. "Apart from this Beauty Serpent, I’ve always delivered the void fiends on time."

Ten thousand miles away, Song Wen’s face registered surprise.

"Shadow Void, you’re saying ’Ying Wu’ is a woman?"

"That’s correct," Shadow Void confirmed.

"It seems Ying Wu’s pursuit of the Beauty Serpent isn’t for some twisted pleasure, as Feng Youyou and the others speculated, but for some other purpose," Song Wen murmured to himself.

It was Feng Youyou’s speculation that had led Song Wen to believe Ying Wu was a man all along.

As Song Wen pondered this, new developments unfolded at the Six Fiends Hall.

Wei Gu spoke again, but this time his words weren’t directed at Ying Wu. Instead, his gaze shifted to Fan Kang.

"Fellow Daoist Fan Kang, you’ve profited handsomely from our transactions. We haven’t traded in the past twenty years, so I imagine you’ve accumulated quite a stockpile of Netherworld Sand, haven’t you?"

Jian Xiao’s pupils constricted sharply, his face once again betraying shock.

He had never imagined that Fan Kang, the man who daily proclaimed "Exterminate evil and uphold righteousness," would have dealings with Wei Gu.

"Wei Gu, cease this slander! My actions have always been upright and transparent. When have I ever associated with you? Let alone that so-called Netherworld Sand—how could I, an elder of righteous standing, possess such a vile substance?!" Fan Kang declared with righteous indignation.

"You righteous hypocrites are all the same," Wei Gu sneered, then turned his gaze to another female cultivator among the group of five. "Fellow Daoist, you must be Fellow Daoist Xuan Feng of Profound Sky Sect, correct? We’ve never had any grievances between us. Why have you come here today?"

"I’ve come to avenge my younger brother, Xuan Qu!" Xuan Feng’s voice carried an icy chill.

"Xuan Qu?" Wei Gu’s face showed genuine confusion. "Fellow Daoist, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I haven’t left the Primordial Qi Death Zone in over a decade. What could your brother’s death possibly have to do with me?"

Xuan Feng’s eyes widened, her gaze as sharp as daggers.

"Wei Gu, don’t try to weasel your way out of this! He died during the battle at Luyang City!"

Wei Gu countered, "Not a single member of the Orthodox Path fell during the Luyang City battle. Xuan Qu left before the battle even concluded. How could his death possibly be my fault?"

Xuan Feng retorted angrily, "He did leave early, but he never made it back to the Profound Sky Sect. He died before reaching home. If the Six Fiends Hall wasn’t responsible, then who else could it be?"

A mocking smile crept across Wei Gu’s face, as if ridiculing Xuan Feng’s foolishness.

"Jian Xiao wounded both Gong Tianzong and me. We barely escaped with our lives thanks to our subordinates’ desperate rescue efforts. How could we possibly have had the strength or inclination to chase down Xuan Qu? The true culprit behind your brother’s death is likely one of the orthodox cultivators who besieged the Six Fiends Hall. They were the ones with the power and opportunity to strike."

Xuan Feng’s furious expression suddenly froze.

If Wei Gu and Gong Tianzong were truly so gravely injured, it would indeed be impossible for them to pursue Xuan Qu. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Therefore, the most likely culprit would be one of the orthodox cultivators who had besieged the Six Fiends Hall.

As she sank into deep thought, the magic seal in her hand gradually ceased, and the thunderbolts that had been hurtling toward the black barrier abruptly stopped.

"Fellow Daoist Xuan Feng, you mustn’t believe Wei Gu’s lies," Jian Xiao said urgently. "None of those who attacked the Six Fiends Hall had any personal grudges against your younger brother. Why would they kill him?"

At that moment, Wei Gu turned to the remaining male cultivator among the five.

"Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar. Are you not affiliated with the three great sects?"

The male cultivator replied, "Fellow Daoist has sharp eyes. I am Ye Nan, merely a rogue cultivator."

"Since you’re a rogue cultivator, why involve yourself in this mess? Why not withdraw now or join the Six Fiends Hall? These orthodox cultivators may appear righteous on the surface, but they are utterly hypocritical. Aligning with them is extremely dangerous."

Before Ye Nan could respond, Jian Xiao’s face darkened, and he cut in sharply.

"Wei Gu, cease your demonic lies and stop misleading the masses! We orthodox cultivators may occasionally err in our judgment, but we stand irreconcilably opposed to your demonic path. Ye Nan would never join the Six Fiends Hall."

Jian Xiao’s voice carried a hint of anxiety.

Fan Kang and Ying Wu’s ambiguous relationship with Wei Gu, coupled with Xuan Feng’s lingering doubts about the true culprit behind Xuan Qu’s death, left Jian Xiao with no one he could fully trust if Ye Nan were to be swayed.

Before a single blow had been exchanged, Wei Gu’s mere words had already shaken his allies’ resolve, instantly turning the situation precarious. This left Jian Xiao deeply uneasy.

(End of the Chapter)

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