Everyone had set out at the same time, but they could only watch helplessly as Chu Mo's ship quickly raced away and disappeared into the vast sea. Before landing, many were hoping maliciously for Chu Mo's ship to be destroyed in a sea storm.

Their own journey had been plagued by terrifying storms too, with two of their large ships lost and many members of their crew killed.

However, upon seeing Chu Mo and his companions in the town, the only thing they could do was curse silently, "A curse that lives a thousand years!"

Indeed, in the minds of many, Chu Mo had become a real plague, a fear-inducing disaster for which they had no remedy.

Not everyone felt this way though. Xiao Ya from One Sword faction was delighted to see Miao Yi Niang, Shen Xingxue, Huang Hui, and the other women, and even complained a little about not being brought along originally.

Miao Yi Niang could only laugh helplessly. Xiao Ya, as well as her parents, He Feng and Hua Sanniang, certainly seemed well-meaning on the surface.

But what about the One Sword faction behind them? What were their true intentions?

Some things were beyond the decision making of these individuals. Even though they were of purest lineage in One Sword, many things were not under their control. Therefore, it was wise to keep some distance. Otherwise, if anything were to happen, they would all be placed in a difficult situation.

Xiao Ya naturally understood this, but she was reluctant to accept it. In her view, it would have been much better to befriend Chu Mo than to plot against him. But she was equally powerless to change certain things.

This is the world of martial arts.

Among these late arrivals, the most composed of them was Qin Xiao.

After he swallowed a mysterious object, his power increased dramatically, to the point where he felt invincible!

That sensation was simply too wonderful, almost addictive, and he craved to consume more of those items.

Unfortunately, the sect leader had only given him one.

"What exactly was that thing... it's truly captivating," Qin Xiao thought. He was no longer interested in Chu Mo's intentions, and he believed that once they arrived at the ruins, he would have Chu Mo at his mercy.

Now that everyone had arrived, this small town composed entirely of sect members became extremely lively like never before.

There was a large crowd, including many who were not qualified to enter the ruins, yet they had come along to witness this grand event with their own eyes.

Li Zhu, the young master of Beyond Heaven, looked at the beautiful women beside Chu Mo from a distance, and a glint of greed flashed in his eyes. He thought to himself, "With the treasure given to me by that person, I can show my prowess in the ruins! Chu Mo, even though we have no grievance or enmity, you've drawn too much attention to yourself. You have so many beautiful women with you. Once you're dead, they will all be mine!"

Li Zhu's father, the leader of Beyond Heaven, was standing next to him, looking like an ascetic. Dressed in the plainest clothes, his face held an expression of disinterested serenity. Seeing the way his son looked at Chu Mo, he whispered to him, "Restrain your emotions; don't let him sense anything unusual! This is a critical mission, and you're not the only one who wants him dead."

Li Zhu nodded and replied, "Don't worry, Father. I won't let you down."

On One Sword's side, Hua Sanniang and her husband He Feng also met with some elders from One Sword. They went straight to their residence without much small talk, intending to stay away from the others.

An elder who looked over a hundred years old, skinny with countless wrinkles on his face, looked at both Hua Sanniang and He Feng intently and asked, "The object... Have you taken it?"

Hua Sanniang and He Feng, both under fifty, were also qualified to enter the ruins.

After exchanging a glance, Hua Sanniang responded to the elder, "Elder, we couldn't recognize what it was. We could smell a strong scent of blood from it and decided not to take it."

"Nonsense!" The elder appeared to be outraged, "There are many elixirs in this world that you simply can't understand. So what if it has a bloody smell? That's just obtuse! That person, who could invoke the divine punishment, is incredibly powerful... do I need to elaborate on that? It's your fortune that he has his eyes on you."

"We're sorry, Elder, but we don't think of it that way." Hua Sanniang's tone wasn't harsh, but her refusal was clear.

"You... you'll be the death of me!" The elder took a deep breath to calm himself, before continuing, "What about Xiao Ya? Has she taken it? Even if you don't want this opportunity, you can't deprive the kid of it!"

"We told her about it, she refused." Hua Sanniang said nonchalantly.

"What?" The elder was genuinely angry now. He glared at Hua Sanniang with icy eyes, "Are you planning on disobeying orders?"

At this point, He Feng, a middle-aged man with a full beard who had remained silent until then, finally spoke. He began with a laugh.

"Elder, please calm down, please..."

"Calm down? You're driving me to my grave! Do you realize, this time, that great person has directly approached our Four Great Sects. This is an incredible opportunity! You've seen how strong he is, even divine punishment...couldn't fully kill him. He could split into four clones, come to each of our Four Great Sects' ancestral grounds, and find us elders directly. This is an opportunity for all of us!" The elder became emotional and disappointedly glaring at the two in front of him: "All we need to do... is one simple thing! Kill that kid! Is that so hard?"

The elder paused, sighing, "That girl Xiao Ya... Can't you just control her? She just arrived, and already she's mixing with that kid. Don't you understand what this means? Or is it that our One Sword... plans to be mavericks and go against that person? Where do you get the courage?"

Hua Sanniang looked at the emotional elder somewhat helplessly and said, "Elder, truth be told, that great person who suddenly appeared in our ancestral grounds exhibited incredible divine abilities. Yet, he ultimately couldn't escape the divine punishment and died in our world. He claimed that he could ensure our entrance into the Spirit Realm and even guide us into the Immortal Realm and the Heavenly Realm. But could his words be trusted?"

"Why not?" said the elder. "That great person is an unimaginable being. With just a wave of his hand, he could destroy a city filled with millions! Such power... It's unimaginable! Who else in this world can achieve that?"

Hua Sanniang sighed, "Yes, he is very powerful, including his last stand against the divine punishment and the bloody words he left in the sky. But elder, have you ever considered this?"

The elder, full of irritation, silently glared at the couple.

Hua Sanniang calmly said, "He is that powerful, yet Chu Mo is still alive."

The elder was stunned into silence, speechless. (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to come to qidian.com and cast your recommendation or monthly pass. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

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