Wandering Swordsman |

Shen Mo's gaze slowly shifted to Situ Changkong, a half-smile suddenly appearing on his face, his tone carrying a hint of "sincere" doubt:

"Brother Situ... I really can't understand what I did to offend you. Why did you frame me when I was at the Elite Academy?"

His tone was calm, as if he were genuinely seeking an answer. But ever since Shen Mo reached a level of martial arts that transcended its limits, he had long since become disdainful of such matters. He asked the question deliberately, not for the truth, but to provoke Situ Changkong.

"Shut up!" Situ Changkong roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

Without further hesitation, he drew his longsword, its light flashing like lightning, accompanied by a piercing sound as it pierced the air, aiming straight for Shen Mo's throat!

"Azure Dragon Saint Lord! Red Lotus! Attack together!" he shouted sternly.

In an instant, the three men, like three black shadows, pounced on Shen Mo simultaneously! The Azure Dragon Saint Lord's palm wind was like a raging torrent, Situ Changkong's sword light was like a thunderclap, and the Red Lotus Demon's cold needles in his sleeve were like the spitting tongue of a venomous snake, silently aiming straight for Shen Mo's eyes!

Three murderous intents intertwined, seemingly intent on utterly annihilating Shen Mo!

However, there was no fear in Shen Mo's eyes. He knew clearly that he absolutely could not reveal his true strength at this moment. He was merely a "young master of the Martial Alliance," not the "master of the Heavenly Demon Sect." If he defeated his enemy in one move, it might backfire and expose his identity.

Therefore—he is destined to "defeat".

He deliberately made his internal energy flow slightly sluggish, and his body was caught in the triple attack, his sleeves were torn by the sword energy, and his shoulder was hit by the palm wind. He groaned and staggered backward.

"Good! He's done for!" The Azure Dragon Saint Lord was overjoyed at the sight and launched an even fiercer attack.

Shen Mo sneered inwardly, "That's enough, it's time to wrap this up."

Just as Situ Changkong slashed horizontally with his sword and Qinglong Shengjun struck with his palm, Shen Mo suddenly let out a long roar and his figure retreated rapidly like a startled swan!

He used the momentum to leap onto a huge rock next to the mountain gate, and with a light touch of his toes, he soared into the air like a roc spreading its wings.

"Farewell for now!" His voice was clear, tinged with a hint of resentment and bitterness. "I will report the Black Wind Gang's actions to the Martial Alliance truthfully!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already retreated like a shooting star, his figure quickly disappearing into the vast mountains and forests.

Standing in front of the mountain gate, the three of them stood frozen, watching the disappearing figure, and for a moment no one spoke.

The Crimson Lotus Demon gently wiped the cold needles off her sleeve and whispered, "His escape technique is truly fast."

Situ Changkong stared intently in the direction where Shen Mo had disappeared, his long sword in his hand seemingly burning with anger at his failure to capture Shen Mo.

After a long silence, the Azure Dragon Saint Lord slowly said, "It will take some time for Shen Mo to bring the news back to the Martial Alliance. We should head to Dali immediately to lend the leader a hand. Let's try to obtain the martial arts techniques from the Tomb of the Martial God before the Martial Alliance attacks us."

In fact, at the same time that Shen Mo left Dali for the Black Wind Gang, the Black Wind Gang's inside agent within the Diancang Sect quickly informed the gang leader Ding Chengfeng, who was far away in Black Wind Mountain.

Upon learning of this, Ding Chengfeng frowned, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He immediately summoned the three Holy Lords—Xuanwu, Baihu, and Zhuque—and the four of them hurriedly headed to Dali. Before departing, he specifically left the Azure Dragon Holy Lord to oversee the headquarters and instructed him to go to Dali to support him after handling matters concerning Shen Mo's upcoming visit.

On the other hand, just yesterday evening, the Red Lotus Demon brought Situ Changkong back quietly to the Black Wind Gang, which served as a secret stronghold for overseas evil cultivators.

When Situ Changkong realized with shock that the secret stronghold of the overseas evil cultivators was actually located within the Black Wind Gang, a wave of emotion washed over him. No wonder the Martial Alliance had been unable to track down the overseas evil cultivators; it turned out they had been hiding within the Black Wind Gang all along.

Later, when he learned from the Red Lotus demon that her true identity was an evil cultivator from overseas, Situ Changkong was not greatly disturbed, as if he had already known that 'Wei Honglian' was no benevolent person. However, faced with the current situation, he had no way out.

Especially when he heard about the existence of the "Tomb of the Martial God" and the unparalleled martial arts it might contain from the Red Lotus Demon, a burning light flashed in his eyes. In that instant, he seemed to see the glimmer of hope to reclaim his former glory.

Situ Changkong knew that if he could enter the Tomb of the God of War and obtain the mysterious martial arts techniques hidden within, he might be able to regroup and reclaim everything he had lost.

Therefore, he decided to take advantage of the complicated situation to achieve his own goals.

To Situ Changkong at this moment, Wei Honglian and the Black Wind Gang were nothing more than stepping stones to the Tomb of the God of Martial Arts, stepping stones to reach the pinnacle of martial arts and reclaim everything he had lost!

......

However, what the three didn't know was that Shen Mo hadn't truly escaped. Instead, he had concealed his presence using the Heavenly Demon Qi and then silently infiltrated the Black Wind Gang.

His figure moved like a shadow, and with the aid of the demonic energy, his lightness skill had surpassed the limits of martial arts. The night was as dark as ink, the wind whispered, and Shen Mo's figure appeared and disappeared in the moonlight, like a black lightning bolt.

When Shen Mo arrived at the northwest corner of the Black Wind Gang again, he found that there was no trace of any overseas evil cultivators there.

Silence reigned all around, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects in the distance. A chill ran through him, and he quickly searched for the gang leader, Ding Chengfeng, but he couldn't find him anywhere in the Black Wind Gang. He realized that Ding Chengfeng and the overseas evil cultivators probably already knew that the Diancang Sect was planning to monopolize the 'Martial God's Tomb,' so they had all gone to Dali.

After confirming this, Shen Mo immediately left the Black Wind Gang and sped towards Dali.

This time, he used all his strength and cleverly concealed his whereabouts.

In just half an hour, he arrived outside Dali City from the Black Wind Gang. Dali City was exceptionally quiet under the cover of night. The streets were deserted, with only the white moonlight shining on the stone slabs, as if telling the story of the silence.

Meanwhile, Duan Qianya, the leader of the Diancang Sect, had already led seven elders and many elite disciples to wait on the shore of Erhai Lake.

The moonlight spilled onto the lake, creating a shimmering effect, like a giant silver mirror.

The figures of the crowd appeared particularly solemn under the moonlight. They quietly awaited Duan Qianya's command, preparing to meet the upcoming challenge.

Duan Qianya sat atop a large rock by the lake, his long black robe fluttering gently in the night breeze, his gaze deep and unfathomable. The seven elders standing beside him all wore solemn expressions, clearly wary of what was about to unfold. The lake water lapped against the shore, making a soft sound, like nature's overture to the grand spectacle to come.

Shen Mo quickly located Duan Qianya and the others' auras. Then, he found a distant hill, took advantage of the darkness, and stood there quietly, waiting for the show to begin.