Chapter 1175: Cleaning Up (I)

Daoist Master Ling Mei spoke bluntly, and even with rebuke in his tone. Chengyan did not dare to show the slightest displeasure and stood there with bowed eyes and a meek manner.

Ling Mei sat upright with his sword on his back, as if scolding a junior, "Changxiao is treacherous. I always suspected him of plotting poison and cruelty, and he even failed to keep someone like you in line."

Chengyan could sit there and acknowledge it. Ling Mei continued coldly, "Do not try to defend yourselves. You outsiders from the outer sea are unscrupulous, making a great commotion and taking spirit artifacts one after another. The Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord belongs to Situ Huo. How did it end up in your hands?"

Chengyan shook his head and replied, "Senior, that spirit artifact was either given by Situ Huo or found by the Situ Family somewhere. It truly has nothing to do with my gate. How could it be a spirit artifact from Changxiao..."

"Who can say?" Ling Mei sneered, "The Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord is not like the Yongjing Profound Ring, which is Changxiao's trademark. If it truly came from you, who would know? What are you going to do with it now?"

Chengyan looked at him awkwardly for a moment and said quietly, "Daoist Master Tianhuo should now retrieve the item. After all, it was meant to be handed over to others."

The moment the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord appeared, it fell into the hands of the Golden Feather Sect. If it had indeed been obtained by Changxiao Gate, it would be a serious loss.

Ling Mei, however, remembered clearly and said, "Changxiao made quite the bargain. Years ago, Situ Huo pawned the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord to the Golden Feather Sect. Later he was driven away by Yuan Su, failed to keep his appointment, and stayed to recuperate, so the spirit artifact remained in his possession...

"Perhaps Changxiao was entrusted with it, profited from it, and planned to return it later. The item cannot be used more than once while held, and associating it with Situ Huo would invite many questions. Tossing it to Situ Mo cleared their hands while still letting them use it for a time..."

Although Daoist Master Ling Mei belonged to the conservative Sword Gate, he was not rigid in thought and was rather shrewd. What he said was conjecture, but likely true.

Still, he dared to say it, while Chengyan did not dare to respond and only replied, "Senior, you jest. This matter is so complicated. Our Daoist Master has not returned from the Eastern Sea and his whereabouts are unknown, how could we have arranged such a scheme..."

Seeing him play dumb, Ling Mei snorted. "I will not speak further. I fear you will simply linger and then get killed by Hengli. Then the blame falls on my Sword Gate. This matter ends here. Do not stir trouble near my Sword Gate again."

Chengyan felt like he had been pardoned and immediately took his leave. Ling Mei resumed sitting in the great void, feeling somewhat relieved as he thought,

Li Zhouwei provided a convenient pretext and was not truly implicated, yet he now owes a favor. It was merely a show of deterrence. As long as Chengyan is contained, others will be less inclined to fan the flames. Li Ximing has given me face. With that, this group's obligations and reputations are satisfied.

He rose with some satisfaction, drew the treasured sword from his back and held it in his arms, smiling inwardly,

Now I want to see if the old men of your gate can still preach moral orthodoxy to me. They call me heterodox and say I have abandoned the sword heart. If you hide behind the rules of the Immortal Mansion, how would you save Li Zhouwei? When rules and morality conflict, I want to see what you will say then.

————

Moongaze Lake.

The sky was heavy with gloom. Lightning wove across the heavens as a fine, endless drizzle drifted through the air, blurring the vast sky.

The pale-golden radiance of the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord hung frozen in the air. The fierce Radiant Fire beneath it was suppressed, replaced by a rising stream of golden light. A white-haired elder in a gilt Daoist robe channeled his art with both hands forming seals.

"Situ Biao!"

The woman in the red dress and several others were trapped within the spirit artifact, unable to advance or retreat. The Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord, a tool of Earth and Metal Virtues, was difficult to counter as it scattered a tangle of pale-golden light that repeatedly forced them back.

The Golden Tang Gate held the upper hand, yet Situ Biao's expression was ghastly and bordering on despair. Situ Biao was one of the few surviving elders of his gate, distant from the main bloodline but strong enough to endure wave after wave of purges. He was not a fool; though he could not discern the full scheme behind this affair, he could sense enough to know what was coming.

Situ Mo had clearly intended to use him as a pawn. Situ Biao, whose remaining lifespan was short, had already resolved that sacrificing his own cheap life to help Situ Mo escape would be worth it. With a spirit artifact in hand, he could at least deceive himself with that thought. But as the battle raged, an immense, familiar fiendish golden light suddenly rose from the east and soared into the heavens.

Crack...

The jade talisman within his sleeve shattered. The old man's fingers slackened on the spell talisman he had been clutching. After a long moment of hesitation, he refrained from throwing it and instead tucked it back into his storage pouch.

With Situ Mo dead, there was no point in holding out any longer.

Puh.

Not far away, Li Minggong spat a mouthful of blood, then lifted her eyes toward the surging golden light in the distance. Tears welled anew as she realized through the blur that the cursed glow of the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord had frozen in place.

All the spells in the air had been frozen. Even the rolling Radiant Fire hung motionless like a sculpture. The mountain-and-river patterns on the cord dimmed, and a single hand and half a sleeve extended out of midair.

The sleeve was embroidered with patterns of golden flame, its cuff stitched with motifs of stone and sand. The hand itself was pale and smooth, and its fingers long and slender. The hand gently pinched the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord. The once-arrogant gray cord twitched like a dead snake, then vanished before the stone-still gazes of all who watched.

It was a full breath later that the flowing patterns of mountains and rivers faded from the sky. Beside Situ Biao, everything vanished. The old man now trembled in midair like a plucked chicken.

Clang!

Tears glimmered in Li Minggong's eyes. One hand held her lamp as she summoned the Capital Dao Bell; the other drew the sword at her waist as she shouted, "Even the Daoist Master cannot bear to watch your Golden Tang treachery!"

Situ Biao's scalp prickled as the wind howled beneath his feet. He hastily pulled out his talisman again, clutching it close as he shouted amid the surging Radiant Fire rushing toward him, "Go!"

The Chongming Profound Insight Screen still hovered above. Without the Mountain-Dimming Peak-Moving Cord to support them, the Golden Tang Gate's spell arts were half-crippled. There was no fight left to give.

The old man raised his talisman high and roared, "Li Minggong! Don't force me!"

Li Minggong quickly called out tearfully for the others to stop, allowing Situ Biao to retreat several miles away. Still wreathed in True Fire, she cast him a furious glare but then froze in surprise.

It was not just her. Even the white ape, Li Wen, and the others paused midair. In the distance, Situ Biao had frozen in place as the light around him stilled once again.

From the great void, that same hand, sleeved in golden flame and stone-colored fabric, emerged once more. The fingers spread lightly, and with a soft whoosh, it plucked the talisman straight from Situ Biao's grasp.

This...

Despair spread across every face of the Golden Tang Gate cultivators, yet the frozen world around them remained unchanged. Then, that Daoist Master, his robes gleaming with gold, stone, flame, and flowing light, stepped out from the great void. He stood around two meters tall, with refined brows and bright, clear eyes, his hair neatly tied behind him.

The Daoist Master turned the talisman in his hand and asked, "Any more?"

Situ Biao trembled all over and shook his head repeatedly. The Daoist Master uttered a faint "Oh," turned calmly, and stepped back into the great void.

Only then did Situ Biao and his followers flee in a panic, drenched in sweat. The members of the Li Family dared not approach the Daoist Master and could only let them escape.