Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

"Senior Brother Liu!" A disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect cried out in horror as he watched his senior brother, who had always been kind to him, be pierced through the chest by a Yin Sha Shuttle and fall to the ground, lifeless. He roared and, disregarding his own defense, charged at the Xuan Yin Sect cultivator with his sword, a desperate move that would result in mutual destruction.

"Kill! Avenge our fallen brothers!" The Heavenly Sword Sect disciples' eyes were bloodshot, and their sword light grew increasingly fierce.

The Xuan Yin Sect cultivators were equally bloodthirsty, unleashing a torrent of Yin Soul Banners, bone nails, and putrid blood mist. "Those scum from the Heavenly Sword Sect, trying to monopolize the secret realm? Dream on! Kill them all!"

Hatred fermented and escalated rapidly amidst bloodshed. What could have been a small-scale conflict controlled locally is now spiraling out of control due to the intervention of high-level officials on both sides and the already accumulated contradictions.

The mastermind behind all this, Shi Tie of the Qingyun Sect, and his disguised squad had already traveled thousands of miles along the predetermined route, erasing all traces, and quietly returned to the sect. They brought back news of their success, but also the stench of blood from afar.

Qingyun Mountain, entrance to the Flowing Clouds Secret Realm.

The ten-man team, including Shi Tie, Sun Hao, and Xiong Meng, staggered out from the white jade archway. Everyone was injured, their clothes were tattered, and they were exhausted, but their eyes were unusually bright, even carrying a hint of excitement from surviving a disaster and a sharp, murderous aura.

In the "Raging Waves" difficulty level, they endured several days of non-stop life-or-death battles, fighting against powerful illusionary monsters and harsh natural environments. Everyone was pushed to their limits, but they also gained tremendous experience.

"Damn it! Finally out!" Shi Tie plopped down on the ground, panting heavily. A deep, bone-revealing wound on his left arm was still bleeding; it was inflicted by a "Golden Stone Golem" equivalent to a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator. "This 'Raging Waves' difficulty level is no place for a human! It almost broke my bones inside!"

Sun Hao and Xiong Meng weren't in much better shape. One was as pale as a sheet, clearly exhausted of his spiritual energy, while the other had a charred palm print on his chest, radiating a chilling aura. However, their cultivation levels had both become much more solid than before they entered, especially Sun Hao, who had reached the peak of the ninth level of Qi Refining, just one step away from Foundation Establishment.

"Uncle Shi, we... we succeeded this time, right?" Sun Hao wiped the blood off his face and asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with anticipation. After completing the "Falling Eagle's Beak" mission, they were directly ordered by Shen Mo to enter the most dangerous area of ​​the secret realm for training, and they knew nothing about what was happening outside.

Shi Tie grinned widely, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace, and patted Sun Hao's shoulder heavily: "We did it! Kids! You guys did a great job! We put on a fantastic show! Those bastards from the Xuan Yin Sect are probably fighting tooth and nail with the Tian Jian Sect right now! They don't have time to bother with us!"

"Really?!" Xiong Meng roared, so excited he almost jumped up, which aggravated his wounds, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Hahaha! Of course it's true! Senior Brother Sect Leader is a genius!" Shi Tie laughed heartily, though his whole body ached, he felt incredibly relieved. "Hurry back and heal! I also need to find Junior Sister Xiaocao for some good medicine, this arm is almost ruined!"

Upon hearing this, the disciples' spirits lifted, and their fatigue seemed to lessen considerably. Supporting each other, they headed towards the alchemy room and their respective cave dwellings. The results of their life-or-death struggle had finally shown their value.

Deep within the herb garden, A-Yuan carefully collected the dewdrops condensed on the leaves of the "Moonlight Grass" using a jade bowl. These dewdrops contained pure Yin essence, serving as an auxiliary ingredient for refining several high-grade elixirs.

Suddenly, the few moonflowers that her fingertips touched trembled slightly, and the dew on their leaves rippled with an extremely faint, almost imperceptible pale red color.

A-Yuan's hand trembled violently, almost slipping from her grasp. Her face instantly turned pale, a strong sense of unease washing over her. This feeling... was clearer, more... bloody than it had been a few days ago!

It was as if countless lives were wailing and vanishing! The slaughter in the distance had already begun! And on a scale far exceeding her imagination!

She subconsciously looked up towards the direction of the Black Wind Mountains. Although she couldn't see anything across the vast distance, she could almost smell the faint scent of blood carried by the wind.

"It's...it's happening again...this time, it's so strong..." she murmured to herself, hugging the somewhat wilted evening primrose in her arms tightly, as if only in this way could she gain a sense of security.

She hesitated for a moment, then finally put down the jade bowl and hurried towards the main hall of the sect leader on the main peak. Although her senior brother, the sect leader, probably already knew, she felt she should still go and tell him.

Inside the sect leader's hall, Shen Mo had just finished listening to Su Xiao's urgent report on the escalation of the conflict in the Black Wind Mountains.

"Both the Blazing Sun Sword and the Blood Butcher have made their moves, with over a hundred casualties on both sides. The battle is escalating. The Heavenly Sword Sect has requested reinforcements from our main sect, while the Profound Yin Sect has yet to make any further moves. However, Venerable Ghost Yin and his group are rushing towards the Black Wind Mountains at full speed." Su Xiao spoke quickly, his face filled with worry. "Sect Leader, judging by this trend, I'm afraid... even Golden Core cultivators will be alerted!"

Shen Mo remained silent for a moment, just as he was about to speak, when the disciple on duty outside the cave announced: "Sect Leader, Junior Sister A Yuan requests an audience, saying she has important matters to report."

"Let her in."

A Yuan entered the cave and saw Su Xiao there as well. She quickly bowed and then nervously said to Shen Mo, "Sect Leader, I... I sensed a very strong aura of bloodlust in the herb garden just now... much stronger than a few days ago... It seems... many people have died..."

Her voice trembled slightly.

Su Xiao looked at A Yuan in surprise, then at Shen Mo. The news from the Black Wind Mountains had just arrived through the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's secret channels; how could A Yuan have sensed it in the herb garden?

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Shen Mo's eyes as he said gently, "Yes, I understand. There is indeed fighting in the distance, which matches your perception. There's no need to panic; the sect is safe. Go back and take care of the herb garden."

"Yes... this disciple takes his leave." Seeing that her senior brother, the sect leader, knew as expected, A Yuan felt somewhat relieved and bowed as she withdrew.

After A-Yuan left, Su Xiao couldn't help but ask, "Sect Leader, what about A-Yuan...?"

"He is exceptionally gifted, with an extremely keen sense of the emotions of living beings and the malevolent energy of heaven and earth. He is a rough gem." Shen Mo explained simply before bringing the topic back to the main point, "The fire in the Black Wind Mountains has already started. What we need to do now is add fuel and fan the flames, but we must not let the flames splash on ourselves."

He looked at Su Xiao, his gaze deep: "Junior Sister Xiao, the 'secret realm clues' we've been asked to spread can be made a little more 'realistic.' For example... there's a 'suspected' rogue cultivator who found a 'fragment of an ancient treasure' imbued with pure Xuan Yin energy at the edge of the battlefield? Or, we've 'heard' that the Heavenly Sword Sect has made a 'startling discovery' deep within the sealed-off area?"

Su Xiao understood immediately; this was meant to further fuel the already intense anger between the two sides, making them utterly irreconcilable enemies! "Yes! I understand what to do!"

"In addition," Shen Mo pondered, "have Chen Hao keep an eye out for which forces in the surrounding area are dissatisfied with the Heavenly Sword Sect or the Profound Yin Sect, or... in which places a power vacuum has emerged."

Su Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Was her sect leader... considering taking a risky gamble, or even laying the groundwork for the aftermath of the war? She nodded emphatically, "Yes!"

Shortly after Su Xiao left to carry out his orders, an extremely secretive communication talisman pierced through the protective array of Qingyun Mountain and silently landed in Shen Mo's hand. The talisman bore the highest level of encryption from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

Shen Mo's consciousness sank into the depths, and after a moment, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

The message was sent personally by Chen Hao. It was brief but earth-shattering: "According to unreliable sources, there seems to be unusual activity at the Xuan Yin Sect's headquarters. The aura of a Golden Core cultivator is faintly visible, but their movements are unclear. Also, at the Heavenly Sword Sect's main mountain, the 'Lingxiao Sword' has emerged from seclusion."

Shen Mo slowly put away the communication talisman, walked to the cave entrance, and looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back. The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the clouds on the horizon a tragic blood red, like a tragedy unfolding in the distance.

"Is the Golden Core cultivator finally going to make his appearance?" he murmured to himself, a cold smile curving his lips. "This pool is getting muddier and muddier. Well... muddier waters are easier to fish in."