Moqi was baffled. “?”
The gazes of everyone present shifted in unison, landing on the person beside Song Yao who wore a Daoist robe adorned with silver lotus patterns.
Wait.
When had he gotten there??
A cultivator beside Moqi squinted to take a closer look and whispered, “He's from the Wen family, Wen Wumian.”
Moqi's heart skipped a beat.
For some reason, the Wen family had been highly valued by Pavilion Master Ye lately. Rumor had it that the Wen siblings stayed by Young Master Ye's side at all times.
To make matters worse, Pavilion Master Ye was currently in the main hall of the Nine Saints Hall talking with the Sect Master. If the words he had just spoken reached his ears, their plan to secretly swallow up the Nine Saints Hall would likely be exposed.
If that happened, Pavilion Master Ye wouldn't let him off, and the Sect Master wouldn't spare him either.
Suppressing his panic in an instant, he suddenly pointed his finger at Wen Wumian, his harsh interrogation raining down like a torrent. “We are here on orders to capture the fleeing disciples of the Nine Saints Hall! Wen Wumian! You are mingling with the evil cultivators of the Nine Saints Hall, acting so close and behaving stealthily. Are you colluding with the remnants of the Nine Saints Hall, plotting to work together from the inside out?”
Without waiting for a response, he raised his hand and barked, “Seize this spy! Today, I shall clean up the sect on behalf of Pavilion Master Ye!”
The surrounding disciples moved instantly upon receiving the command, and several streams of spiritual energy shot toward Wen Wumian with sharp, whistling sounds.
Song Yao had originally only wanted to use Wen Wumian to draw some fire, hoping to make Moqi a bit wary so he wouldn't act too insolently.
She hadn't expected Moqi to have such a talent for shifting the blame.
Even less did she expect that even though Ye Chongguang had already arrived, Moqi would still dare to make a move against someone from the Taiqing Pavilion.
It seemed Feng Qing had plenty of confidence to go head-to-head with the Taiqing Pavilion.
Wen Wumian didn't seem surprised by their sudden attack. He remained silent from start to finish. His silver-lotus-patterned robe rustled loudly in the fierce wind as he was instantly forced back several yards.
But he was only one person, after all, and as a poison cultivator, direct confrontation was his greatest weakness. Within just a few exchanges, he began to show signs of defeat.
Watching from the side, Song Yao hesitated for a moment.
Wen Wumian had probably known that something major was going to happen in the Nine Saints Hall today and that a fierce battle was imminent. That was why he had sought her out earlier, asking if she wanted to leave and go to the Wen family with him.
Yet, she had turned around and sold him out.
She didn't consider herself a good person, but the current situation didn't seem to allow her to just stand by and do nothing.
Fine.
She would play along one last time.
She reached out, and the Bishui Sword instantly flew into her palm.
The Eleventh Elder immediately saw through her intentions. Her expression darkened, and she strictly ordered her via voice transmission, “Lin Mu! Do not engage! Fall back!”
The cultivation levels of the disciples here were only average. Moreover, Song Yao wasn't a unique talisman cultivator like Xie Zhou who could both attack and defend effectively. For now, none of them was a match for Moqi.
She was afraid she wouldn't be able to protect her!
But she was already too late.
With a light flick of her wrist, the cold blade buzzed as it left its scabbard. A green arc of light sliced through the oncoming turbulent spiritual energy, and in a flash, she plunged into the crowd.
With several sharp clangs, the long swords aimed at Wen Wumian's back were deflected all at once. The vibrating blades lodged diagonally into the rock walls on both sides, their echoes ringing through the valley.
Facing so many cultivators, Wen Wumian had already condensed poison mist in his hands, fully prepared to trade his life for theirs. Startled by the sudden commotion, he turned his head and locked eyes with a pair of clear, bright eyes.
She arched an eyebrow and landed beside him, sheathing her sword with a lazy smile. “With such mediocre skills, you actually wanted to take me to the Wen family?”
Wen Wumian froze for a moment. He clearly hadn't expected her to help him, much less that her swordplay would be so beautiful. For a moment, he forgot to argue back.
Song Yao swept her gaze across the surroundings, roughly estimating the number of Beiyao Sect cultivators present.
About a hundred. Not too many. Moqi was the only Nascent Soul expert.
Probably in the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.
Well.
It wasn't an impossible fight. At most, she'd lose a life.
If she could get Wen Wumian out of here and have him find a way to sow discord in front of Ye Chongguang, it would be well worth it.
She flicked her fingers, sending the Bishui Sword into the air as a careless curve formed on her lips. “Watch closely. I'll teach you how to be a hero.”
In the next instant, the Beiyao Sect cultivators raised their swords and lunged at them again, cold glints of steel enveloping the duo like a net.
Wen Wumian didn't even get a chance to make a move. In a blur, the shadow of the Bishui Sword fluttered as green waves of sword light surged forward. The cultivators only felt a dizzying array of sword light before them, and the wind from the blade whistled past their faces, forcing them to hastily raise their swords to parry.
The clashing of weapons was as dense as a torrential downpour, and for a time, they couldn't even graze a corner of the duo's robes.
Standing on the sidelines, Moqi's face suddenly darkened.
What was wrong with this pill cultivator?!
The cultivators under him were all elites of the sect. Capturing a single Wen Wumian and suppressing this crowd of useless Nine Saints Hall cowards who only knew how to run should have been simple. He hadn't planned on doing it himself at all.
What kind of swordplay was this girl using?
What style was this?
Why had he never seen it before?
He suddenly turned and signaled to the remaining cultivators behind him. Over a hundred cold blades unsheathed simultaneously, and a massive wave of spiritual energy wrapped in fierce winds pressed down toward Song Yao.
So many people.
He refused to believe they couldn't suppress a mere slip of a girl.
Wen Wumian's usually expressionless face finally changed, and he spoke with rare urgency, “No, there are too many of them. Leave first, don't worry about me! I'm from the Taiqing Pavilion, they wouldn't dare to actually do anything to me.”
The smile in Song Yao's eyes didn't fade. “We've barely even started.”
The more opponents there were, the faster her sword became.
Let alone a hundred people, she had faced thousands before.
It hadn't even reached the point where she needed to force open the seal on her spiritual energy.
She took a deep breath and formed a hand seal, her sword stance ready. But just then, a startled roar erupted from the direction of the cave: “My master is a pill cultivator! What kind of heroes are you, bullying her? If you've got the guts, come at me!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Ming Ran rushed out from behind the Eleventh Elder with her sword raised. She forced back two cultivators upon contact, her clear voice piercing through the noisy clash of weapons. “I only have one life anyway! Take it if you have the guts!”
The moment she made a move, the disciples of the Nine Saints Hall behind her began to stir restlessly.
Having been oppressed for so long, and now watching their senior sister being bullied as she fought against so many opponents alone, these hot-blooded youths couldn't hold back their anger.
In the next instant, someone rushed out right after her. “Seventh Senior Sister! I'll help you too!”
“At worst, it's just death! How can we let ourselves be bullied like this!”
“Ahhh! I'd rather die than be humiliated! I'm ready to die!”
“If you're dying, I'm dying too!”
“!!!”
Various colors of spiritual light lit up among the Nine Saints Hall disciples. One after another, figures charged forward, blocking the Beiyao Sect cultivators from reaching Song Yao.
Song Yao had been fully prepared to fight against the crowd alone. Caught off guard by the hundreds, even thousands, of people charging forward recklessly, she abruptly withdrew her sword technique, completely stunned for once.
This kind of scene...
...was indeed something she had never seen before.
The cultivators under Moqi's command were all carefully selected. They were at least at the Golden Core stage, with the vast majority being at the late stage of the Golden Core, and a few already having one foot in the Nascent Soul realm.
Rate on N.U.
