Five men were gathered inside a dim, cramped room.
Qiao Qianzhi added a pair of chopsticks and a bowl for Zhao Xidong. The task of guardian was hard, so he deserved such treatment.
Zhao Xidong finally go to taste the coveted food of Elder Qiao and was almost moved to tears.
A big red ham in sauce slid into his stomach, and a glass of fine wine burned his throat.
“Cool!”
He heavily slammed the cup down on the tabletop, feeling a great sense of pride.
“Pah!”
There was a crunching sound that clearly hadn’t come from the tabletop.
The four people next to him froze and looked at Zhao Xidong and then behind him.
Zhao Xidong’s heart skipped a beat.
“No way, not again!”
He turned his head with difficulty and found that the bead above the “Twelve Beads Spiritual Curtain Plate,” which had lost its protective power of the barrier, was cracked and appeared dim.
“It can’t last long, as expected.” Xiao Qixiu let out a sigh.
Since the three layers of protective barrier could be broken through, he figured that the seal couldn’t stop the spy either.
“Perhaps it’s like what Elder Sang said, and they’ve sent someone in to intervene in the Tianxuan Gate?” Elder Qiao frowned.
Ye Xiaotian looked at Elder Sang. “What do you think?”
Elder Sang sucked his finger and said calmly, “Maybe what you said is true, and the current situation isn’t the worst yet.”
Everyone was startled. Even though they didn’t want to admit it, this could most likely be the case.
On the first day of the disciples entering the Tianxuan Gate, they’d already lost two of the treasures that protected the barrier. What would happen in the next two days?
“Don’t worry. Those people should have a sense of caution. After all, if more than four treasures are taken, the Tianxuan Gate will blow up, and they won’t be able to come out alive,” said Elder Sang.
The Tianxuan Gate might blow up?
Zhao Xidong was stunned. This was his first time hearing this, and it made him think of his earlier dream.
It was a possibility that his dream would come true.
Qiao Qianzhi was anxious. “Then it’s necessary that we intervene right away. Otherwise, what will happen to our disciples inside the Tianxuan Gate?”
Elder Sang calmly waved his hand. “Don’t worry. The Tianxuan Gate won’t blow up. No one will die.”
“Are you sure?” he thought. “I’m afraid there is a possibility!”
Ye Xiaotian found the old man was as stubborn as ever and couldn’t help but say, “Your two disciples are still inside!”
“Yes, they are still inside.” Elder Sang didn’t show the slightest hint of anxiety, which made the other four people feel worried.
As Ye Xiaotian was about to speak again, he saw the old man turn his head sideways, his thin eyebrows knitted as if he’d thought of something.
Elder Sang had a flash of inspiration.
If Xu Xiaoshou had followed the map he’d given Mu Zixi, then he should’ve reached the bottom of the Black Fallen Cliff. However, judging by the image they’d seen, he had already climbed to the top of the cliff.
Everyone was ignoring the fact that Xu Xiaoshou was in the air at that moment!
Moreover, when Elder Sang thought about it more carefully, he realized that he hadn’t actually seen that lad with the black sword under his feet.
Had he broken through to Master Level?
Elder Sang was a little surprised. He remembered that the last time he’d seen Xu Xiaoshou, he was merely at the ninth level.
The “going through fire and rebirth!”
Elder Sang thought of the steps he’d taken back in the day. The last step of the “Infernal Heavens” was to break through and develop.
He hadn’t waited until Xu Xiaoshou had broken through because he firmly believed this lad with amazing perseverance could come through, so he’d taken him as a disciple first.
Now Xu Xiaoshou should have reached this step and, as such, must have successfully broken through to Master Physique.
“You’re doing great, lad,” he thought. “You’re going to be better than your master.”
To think of himself back in the days. It’d taken him three days to break through to Master Physique!
Then…
Elder Sang looked at the crowd. “What is the cultivation level of that Leilei on top of the Black Fallen Cliff?”
“The Late Upper Spirit. She is the strongest among the thirty-three newly promoted people this time, and also the best qualified one too, with thunder attribute,” Ye Xiaotian replied. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“The Upper Spiritual Level,” Elder Sang murmured under his breath. “She shouldn’t be able to beat Xu Xiaoshou.”
The other four: “…”
Zhao Xidong was dumbfounded, and felt like his ears needed to be cleaned of earwax.
“What reason do you have to be so confident in this disciple Xu Xiaoshoui? He’s merely someone of the ninth level!” he thought.
Of course, he didn’t dare to speak his mind. All he could do was silently eat his meal, which was his show of stubbornness.
There was a hint of brightness in Elder Sang’s eyes. He reached out his chopsticks again and said, “This old man already knows who the spy probably is. There should be two of them; one is Leilei, and there is another one.”
The crowd looked at him expectantly.
“Well, he conceals himself very well. This old man doesn’t know either.”
“…”
The wind was blowing the snowflakes, which were as large as goose feathers, and there were few stars hanging in the sky.
In the whistling wind, a row of footprints faded into the distance amid the drifting snow.
Mo Mo looked rather calm, but although she looked ordinary, she had an elegant calmness about her. She looked like a pure white snow-lotus in this world, and it seemed that there was nothing in this world that could disturb her mood.
Her right hand still held the copper stove with sandalwood incense burning in it. The remaining ashes gave off a few wisps of immortal smoke.
Her left hand had a white stone not seen before. It was the size of a fist and didn’t show any spiritual energy.
“The Stone of Seal has been obtained. Are you awake?”
Her right hand quivered, and the smoke of the small copper stove grew thicker, which then converged into a fuzzy human face.
“I’m awake. I didn’t respond to you earlier because someone was eavesdropping on us. So, be careful.”
The voice was as fuzzy as the figure. One couldn’t judge whether the voice belonged to a man or woman, and it was even difficult to determine whether it spoke human words.
“Eavesdropping?” Mo Mo was a little surprised. She didn’t ask more questions and put it out of her mind. “I should have completed my task. When do I release it?”
“You’ve only completed half of the task!” the fuzzy voice interrupted her. “Moreover, my existence is more beneficial than harmful to you.”
Mo Mo clutched the stone. Though her voice was soft, a hint of stubbornness could be heard as she said, “I don’t need your protection.”
“Next, kill two people.”
Hearing the unquestionable tone, Mo Mo slowly closed her eyes. “Who?”
“Xu Xiaoshou!”
She abruptly opened her eyes, full of astonishment. “Why?”
“He’s discovered me.”
“Impossible!”
“Oh? You’re defending him?” The fuzzy voice had a little more emotion in it.
Mo Mo’s voice became calm. “Even the elders of the Tiansang Spiritual Palace failed to find out, so how could Xu Xiaoshou have discovered you?”
“You don’t need to know this; just carry out the mission.”
“I won’t kill Xu Xiaoshou,” Mo Mo said, a look of determination on her face.
“You like him?”
Mo Mo froze, a fleeting blush clouding her pretty face. She thought of the finals on the Competition Arena again, and the frisky guy who’d complimented her beauty.
“It’s not about liking; it’s just that I don’t want to kill him.”
“Why?”
Mo Mo thought of the black sword that had pierced the two of them, and the apprehension she’d felt when she’d fallen from the sky in his arms as she feigned being faint.
“He is very gentle.” A gentle smile came over her face. “There are always some people who don’t deserve to be hurt.”
The smoky human face was silent and then completely dissipated, seemingly respecting Mo Mo’s wishes.
However, the next second, the voice rang out emotionlessly, “The second person, Zhao Xidong.”
Mo Mo halted in her tracks. “What, the Law Enforcer Zhao?” she thought.
She’d only met him once in the Inner Yard.
“Why kill him?” she wanted to ask, but the smoky man had already dispersed.
“Ugh.”
The snow was falling, and Mo Mo had no choice but to continue onward, as her task was only half-completed.
What would happen later should be dealt with later!
She looked ahead in the direction of the “Secret Forest of Moro.”