If I stay in the Hehuan Sect, I'll live off the pampered daughters of the Heavenly Pride Sect.

"This thing is naturally suited for making battle flags!"

"Just cut it into thirty-six pieces and carve the 'Mini Sumeru Vajra Array' on them."

"Just stick it into the ground then."

"Heh heh, even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator's full-force attack won't be able to break through my tortoise shell!"

Just do it.

Mo Chengyue picked up a specially made carving knife and began to carve intricate patterns on the ebony wood.

His expression was focused and fervent.

Every strike was precise to the finest degree.

At this moment, he was nowhere to be seen in his usual timid and submissive manner.

This is clearly a master craftsman immersed in creation!

or……

A terrorist who is manufacturing weapons of mass destruction.

Time passed by, second by second.

Until the moon reaches the zenith.

Mo Chengyue then stopped what he was doing.

He looked at the thirty-six small array flags neatly arranged in front of him and nodded in satisfaction.

"We have the defense, and we also have the means to take each other down with us."

"One more attack is needed..."

"Only defense without counterattack makes you a sitting duck."

"The best defense is to turn the enemy into a dead man."

Mo Chengyue's gaze fell on a pile of scattered parts in the corner.

There lay several sharp war puppet fingers and a few sharp-edged fragments of a breastplate.

"If it's a head-on confrontation, I definitely can't beat those freakish geniuses."

"For example, Xiao Fan's protagonist script is overpowered, and Ye Changfeng is a 'protagonist template' sword genius."

Mo Chengyue was very self-aware.

He never engages in bayonet fighting.

"Therefore, my method of attack must be..."

"silent."

"Without a sound."

"A single, decisive blow."

Mo Chengyue stroked his chin, and the image of a hidden weapon called "Rain of Pear Blossom Needles" that he had seen in his previous life surfaced in his mind.

"If you ground the fingers of these war puppets into needles..."

"And then temper it with the 'cold poison' that that madwoman Leng Yuexin ruined..."

"To complement my 'Nine Heavens Thunder Control True Technique'..."

hiss--!

Mo Chengyue himself gasped.

That's so insidious!

If that hit you, even if you didn't die, you'd be badly injured!

"but……"

Mo Chengyue glanced in the direction of the cave entrance, and it seemed that through the thick rocks, he could see the bloody battlefield that was about to begin.

"To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself."

"I just want to live."

"I want to go back to lying on the chair in the library, drinking tea, reading books, and listening to gossip."

"I'm willing to use any means necessary to achieve this."

Mo Chengyue's eyes hardened, and he picked up the hammer again.

This time, his movements were more forceful and more resolute.

……

Life at Qingquan Peak remained peaceful yet eerily strange.

Senior Brother Xie Buci continued his life of debauchery and decadence.

No one noticed that the "Qingming Bell" on his waist was swaying less and less frequently.

But the number of times he drew his sword increased.

It was often late at night, in the peach blossom grove.

Sword energy crisscrossed, and petals fell in profusion.

Each peach blossom that was cut off had a smooth, mirror-like cut.

Second Senior Sister Qin Wanzhuang has become even more obsessive about cleanliness.

She began to practice the "Purple Sun Body Protection Technique" frantically.

For no other reason than that.

It was all because of the sect leader's words, "Untainted by dust."

She must become stronger to avoid getting her clothes dirty.

She was so strong that nothing could get close to her.

As for Junior Brother Wenren Ji…

This child has become somewhat withdrawn lately.

There is no other reason.

These past few nights, Mo Chengyue has been mysteriously pulling him to the back mountain.

They euphemistically call it: "Your senior brother will guide you in practical application."

The results of it?

The first time, Mo Chengyue threw out a screaming iron lump, which almost made Wenren Jijian's heart waver.

The second time, Mo Chengyue set up a formation full of mud pits, forcing Wenren Ji to learn "sword control without touching the ground".

the third time……

That is, tonight.

On the open ground behind the mountain.

Wenren Ji held the ancient sword in his arms, his dead fish eyes full of vigilance.

"Senior brother."

"I don't want to train anymore."

"I want to go back to sleep."

The boy's intuition told him that nothing good was going to happen tonight.

"Oh dear, little Jiji, don't be so cold."

Mo Chengyue rubbed his hands together and leaned closer with a mischievous grin.

Behind him followed a creature about half a person's height...

How to describe it?

It looks like a giant iron spider.

But this spider had a bald head of reddish-copper color, legs made of black wood, and several tubes emitting green light inserted into its abdomen.

Ox.

It's uniquely ugly.

It's so ugly that just looking at it makes you want to have nightmares.

"This is my newly developed... um, codenamed 'Compassionate Father No. 1'."

Mo Chengyue patted the iron spider's head, producing a dull metallic clang.

"Come, use your strongest sword to cut it."

Wenren Ji frowned.

"It will break."

He was a Core Formation sword cultivator. Although this iron lump looked quite hard, it couldn't stop his Annihilation Sword Intent.

"It's okay, I'll take care of it if it breaks."

Mo Chengyue was full of confidence.

"Come on, don't hold back, hack and slash!"

Wenren Ji sighed.

Since my senior brother is looking for trouble, let's grant his wish.

"Zheng—"

The longsword was drawn.

An aura of utter stillness instantly enveloped the entire back mountain.

The grass and trees withered and turned yellow, and the chirping of insects ceased.

This is the sword intent of annihilation.

Deprived of life, all things return to nothingness.

"cut."

Wenren Ji let out a soft rebuke.

A gray sword aura, like the scythe of death, lightly swept across the night sky, slashing towards the ugly iron spider.

There was no sound.

Wherever the sword energy passed, the air was cut in two.

Mo Chengyue's pupils contracted slightly.

Is this the junior brother's strength?

That's really weird!

but……

"rise!"

Mo Chengyue's mind raced, and he formed a hand seal.

The iron spider, which had been standing still, suddenly moved.

Its eight blackwood legs plunged into the ground, and a layer of earthy yellow light instantly shone from its body.

Followed by.

Suddenly, a huge mouth opened on its copper-colored bald head.

"puff--!"

A cloud of black smoke burst forth instantly, enveloping an area of ​​ten feet in radius.

The smoke not only obstructed vision but also carried a pungent, dizzying stench.

That was a specially made "enhanced skunk bullet" by Mo Chengyue.

Wenren Ji's sword energy slashed into the smoke, but it disappeared without a trace, like a mud ox entering the sea, only making a dull impact sound.

"What?"

Wenren Ji was taken aback.

Before he could react...

Under the cover of the smoke, the iron spider rushed towards him with an incredibly fast speed.

Eight legs shot out like sharp blades, directly blocking all of Wenren Ji's escape routes.

And on its abdomen.

A poisoned needle, crackling with lightning, was aimed directly at Wenren Ji…

Areas that cannot be described.

Wenren Ji: "..."

His face turned red instantly.

I'm so angry.

It's also embarrassing.

"Senior brother!"

"You...you're disgusting!"

As a sword cultivator, one should uphold righteousness and be able to break through all laws with a single sword strike.

How can they release poison gas and launch sneak attacks on the lower body like this?

"Hehe, all's fair in war."

Mo Chengyue waved his hand to disperse the smoke, allowing "Compassionate Father No. 1" to put away its poison needles.

He patted Wenren Ji on the shoulder with a smug look on his face.

"Junior brother, you must remember this."

"Once you reach the battlefield between immortals and demons, the enemy won't talk to you about swordsmanship or spirit."

"As long as we can win, eye-gouging, throat-locking, and groin-kicking are all the best moves."

Wenren Ji bit his lip, holding his sword, and remained silent for a long time.

Although I really want to refute it.

But he had to admit it.

If that had been a real enemy, he might have been dead in that instant.

That stench... it really affected Kenshin.

"Alright, alright, go back, wash up, and go to bed."

Mo Chengyue put away the iron spider, and a huge weight was finally lifted from his heart.

Even Wenren Ji, who was at the Core Formation stage, could be tricked.

It seems that the first stage of preparation has been successful.