Wandering Swordsman |

Ding Chengfeng frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "You also think that doing this can divert the Martial Alliance's attention?"

Li Fanglin nodded: "Chief, although those overseas martial artists are cunning, with our support, they would never dare to disobey orders. As long as they create some big commotion in Dali, the Martial Alliance's attention will be drawn to them, buying us more time to find the 'Tomb of the Martial God'."

Ding Chengfeng sneered: "Fine, then we'll do it your way. Go find the leader of the overseas martial arts community and bring him to me right now."

Li Fanglin respectfully replied, "I will make the arrangements immediately." He turned and walked out of the main hall with steady and powerful steps, heading towards the northwest of the main hall.

Shen Mo hid behind a pillar, holding his breath, trying his best not to reveal his presence. His deep, dark eyes gleamed faintly in the dim light, as if they could pierce through the darkness and see every subtle movement.

After Li Fanglin left, he did not hesitate. He lightly touched the ground with his toes and rose into the air like a leaf in the wind. His clothes fluttered lightly, without making a sound.

His movements were light and fluid, as if he had become one with the night. Every rise and fall was precise, perfectly avoiding the patrolling guards. His figure was like a wisp of smoke in the night, quickly disappearing into the darkness, leaving only a faint, chilling aura in the air.

Shen Mo secretly followed Li Fanglin through several deep corridors, around two mottled vermilion wooden doors, and finally stopped in front of a secluded courtyard.

This courtyard was located in the northwest corner of the Black Wind Gang's territory, in an extremely secluded spot. It was surrounded by towering walls, atop which grew several withered plum trees, their branches gnarled and twisted, as if bent over by the weight of time. A solitary lamp hung in front of the courtyard gate, its wick nearly extinguished, its dim yellow light flickering like a will-o'-the-wisp, illuminating a deathly stillness.

Shen Mo quietly landed on an old locust tree outside the courtyard wall, using the branches and leaves as cover to quietly observe every detail of the courtyard.

Although the courtyard was secluded, it was meticulously constructed, clearly built specifically to house the Black Wind Gang's "distinguished guests"—overseas evil cultivators. From the outside, the courtyard was not small, but its layout was extremely compact, square, like a closed cage.

Inside the courtyard, a blue stone path winds forward, with several exotic flowers and plants planted on both sides, their leaves long and narrow, as if they could absorb the moonlight.

At the end of the path stood a three-story wooden building with a black tiled roof and copper bells hanging from the eaves. When the wind blew, they made a soft tinkling sound, like some kind of whisper.

In front of the building is a pond with deep, still water. A few withered leaves float on the surface, like a sleeping mirror.

A black stone stood by the pool, with a line of foreign characters carved on it. Although Shen Mo did not understand its meaning, the strokes exuded a chilling aura.

The entire courtyard was eerily silent, as if even the wind dared not approach. Occasionally, an owl would fly by in the distance, letting out a mournful cry that broke the deathly silence.

Li Fanglin stood at the door, raised his hand, and knocked three times lightly, the rhythm slow and regular, like some kind of code. A moment later, soft footsteps came from inside, followed by a deep voice from behind the door: "Who is it?"

"It is I, Xuanwu Saint Lord," Li Fanglin replied in a low voice.

The door creaked open slowly, revealing a narrow crack. Shen Mo held his breath and peered through the crack. He saw a short man standing behind the door, his skin color no different from that of an ordinary person, his mustache below his nose meticulously trimmed, and he wore an exotic robe with gold patterns embroidered on the cuffs. In his hand, he held a samurai sword, the blade gleaming with a ghostly light.

"Your Majesty, please come in." The man bowed slightly, his tone humble and polite, showing no trace of the dignity one would expect from a master.

Li Fanglin nodded and stepped inside. The door slowly closed behind him, once again isolating the courtyard from the outside world.

He thought to himself, "This courtyard, though small, is meticulously arranged, clearly to conceal some secret. It seems those overseas heretical cultivators are not as simple as they appear."

He gently closed his eyes, channeled his demonic energy, and slowly spread his senses throughout the courtyard. A moment later, he was shocked—there were nineteen powerful auras within the courtyard. If these people attacked together, even the Martial Alliance might not be able to stop them.

Not long after, Li Fanglin walked out of the middle building of the three-story building, followed by a warrior wearing exotic armor.

The armor was entirely black, carved with intricate golden patterns, resembling some kind of ancient totem, exuding an eerie and chilling aura.

The shoulders of the armor were raised high, resembling two crows about to take flight, and a dark red gem was inlaid on the breastplate, faintly gleaming with an eerie light.

He wore a samurai helmet that partially covered his face, revealing a pale complexion. His eyes were sharp as a hawk's, yet carried an unfathomable calmness. He wore a pair of wooden high boots, which tapped on the ground with each step, producing a crisp "tap-tap" sound, as if telling the rhythm of some ancient ritual.

The leader of the heretical cultivators was exquisitely dressed, with a slender curved sword at his waist, its scabbard inlaid with several black gems. Even before the blade was drawn, its sharpness could be felt. His aura was faint, seemingly blending into the night, yet it carried a chilling sense of oppression.

Shen Mo secretly observed everything. He noticed that the overseas evil cultivator leader was unusually humble, completely lacking the demeanor expected of a top expert.

He followed behind Li Fanglin with light steps and respectful movements, like a docile kitten. Just like the overseas martial artist who opened the door for Li Fanglin earlier, he showed no arrogance that a martial arts master should have.

Seeing this, Shen Mo felt a sense of unease: "Since even the evil cultivators overseas know that they should be humble when living under someone else's roof, it seems that they are not just arrogant fools, but rather well-versed in the ways of power and strategy."

He continued to ponder: "If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who could believe that such a master would follow Li Fanglin so humbly? What exactly is in the 'Tomb of the Martial God' that would make these overseas heretical cultivators do this?"

However, Shen Mo quickly sensed, using the perception granted by the Heavenly Demon Qi, that the leader was deliberately concealing his inner strength. This led him to a new discovery: the evil cultivator leader's power was actually comparable to that of Juechenzi of the Heavenly Demon Sect. It should be noted that such strength would make him virtually invincible in the Central Plains martial arts world.

Shen Mo was shocked: "If my cultivation level weren't higher than his, I probably wouldn't even be able to see his true strength."

He secretly rejoiced that he had discovered the disguise of the overseas evil cultivator leader. This made Shen Mo even more curious about what the overseas evil cultivators were plotting.