Almost as soon as Su Mo returned to his original spot, a group of people appeared at the entrance of the water dungeon. Leading them was a woman wearing a fox mask, possessing a curvaceous and alluring figure. Given the respectful demeanor of the others, she had to be the Sect Leader of the Nantian Sect!
Although Su Mo could not see her face, he felt an inexplicably familiar sense from her.
The woman did not look at him, but instead stared intently at the madman whose shoulder blades were pierced by the iron spikes. Seeing that his wounds had been bandaged, she seemed displeased, and her eyes, hidden behind the mask, swept coldly toward Su Mo.
“Uh… I saw that his injuries were quite severe. If they weren’t bandaged, I was afraid the wounds would become infected,” Su Mo explained, scratching his head in embarrassment as he felt uncomfortable under her gaze.
His subconscious gesture made the woman freeze. After a long pause, she let out a scoff: “Do you even know who he is? With such an overflowing sense of sympathy, aren’t you afraid of being bitten back? This madman doesn’t recognize anyone.”
The moment the woman spoke, Su Mo’s eyes widened.
Similar.
It’s too similar! Her voice was incredibly like that of Ye Lin.
A millennium was a lifetime ago, and Su Mo did not dare to step forward to verify her identity just yet. He still had many questions unanswered, and before he was certain, it was best not to invite unnecessary trouble.
“Take him away first; I will interrogate him personally later.” The woman no longer focused her attention on Su Mo, waving her hand to signal the sect disciples to take him away.
Su Mo kept looking back as he walked, his curiosity piqued.
“Are you looking to die? You dare to meddle in the Sect Leader’s affairs? Keep moving,” a disciple behind him pushed him, urging him impatiently.
Su Mo frowned but did not hesitate, leaving the area. He saw out of the corner of his eye that the woman drew a long whip from her waist. After channeling her spiritual energy, she swung it without hesitation at the madman imprisoned in the water dungeon.
“I’ll be good… I’ll be good… Momo… Momo…”
The madman’s body convulsed under the lashes, but his eyes remained fixed unblinkingly in the direction Su Mo had left, muttering in a trance-like state. His endurance only earned him even more vicious lashes from the woman.
It was too cruel to watch; Su Mo dared not look again and quickened his pace. If he had stayed a moment longer, he would have heard words that would have shattered his worldview. He would have realized that the madman whose life he had just saved was none other than the once-spirited… Human Emperor, Wen Muli!
“Shut up! You are not worthy to call the Master’s name!” Ye Lin’s eyes were filled with deep-seated hatred, and her strikes became increasingly ruthless. Wen Muli’s old wounds were torn open, and new ones were added; his flesh split open entirely, and the water dungeon filled with the thick scent of blood.
Only when she had beaten the man into unconsciousness did she pull back her whip in satisfaction and spit on him with utter disdain.
“There are only a few days left until the full moon. By then, he will have completely succumbed to demonic possession. You don’t need to guard the water dungeon for the next few days to avoid unnecessary casualties,” Ye Lin said, exhaling a breath of murky air as she gave instructions to the disciples behind her.
“Sect Leader, how should we handle that fool?” the disciple asked after bowing.
“Are you sure he is a fool?” Ye Lin countered with a cold laugh. The disciple prudently shut his mouth.
“Let’s go. Follow me to properly interrogate that fool. I want to see what kind of destiny he stumbled upon to recover his clarity overnight and even break through to the Golden Core stage in one stroke!” With a flash of cunning in her eyes, Ye Lin walked out of the water dungeon.
“Momo… don’t go… I’ll be good… please… don’t go…” Even in his coma, Wen Muli continued to murmur. Unfortunately, not a single soul would take the words of a madman seriously!
In the reception hall of the Nantian Sect, Su Mo sat anxiously in a chair, waiting for the woman’s arrival. About fifteen minutes later, she finally appeared.
“Tell me, why did you kill Elder Hong and his son, and how did you recover your clarity?” The woman took a sip of hot tea, her tone languid.
Su Mo had already prepared his story. Almost as soon as she finished speaking, he denied everything enthusiastically.
“I didn’t kill Junior Brother Liyun! They were the ones who provoked me first… they blocked my path while I was sweeping, cut off my long hair with scissors, and when I resisted, they beat me and chased me all the way into the forest… I tripped over a mound and fell, and then it was as if I suddenly achieved enlightenment and woke up… I didn’t kill them, I just gave them a beating!”
He acted a bit foolishly on purpose, gesturing excitedly.
Could he have received a stroke of destiny from that fall? The crowd was skeptical; the timing seemed a bit too convenient, didn’t it?!
Others might have believed Su Mo’s story, but Ye Lin was a shrewd person who had lived for a thousand years; she would never trust his one-sided account.
“Even if what you say is true, you were a fool who didn’t understand cultivation. How did you kill Elder Hong? He was a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator!” Ye Lin stared at him coldly, demanding an answer.
“I, I don’t know. I just took a broken sword I had hidden away and stabbed him. I didn’t expect to be able to kill him… I didn’t intend to kill anyone. If I hadn’t fought back, I would be the one who died!” Su Mo stammered, unable to provide a better explanation.
“What a convenient ‘didn’t expect.’ I’ll see if you truly didn’t expect it!” Ye Lin scoffed and suddenly drew her whip, swinging it toward him. She seemed to be testing him, as it was an empty strike with no spiritual energy gathered.
Su Mo could not gauge her cultivation, but he knew this was only a test. If she intended to kill him, he would have no way to fight back. He put on an expression of fear, raised his hands to block, and took the opportunity to circulate the Heavenly Fiend Prison-Suppressing Method.
Although he had only mastered the first layer, it was enough to withstand this strike. A layer of Heaven-Fiend Qi, like an eggshell, quickly wrapped around him. Ye Lin’s whip struck, but while the Qi was dispersed, it failed to harm Su Mo.
Heavenly Fiend Prison-Suppressing Method!
Ye Lin’s eyes widened. She sprang up from her chair and rushed to Su Mo’s side, gripping his collar tightly and demanding, “Who exactly are you!”
“I, I don’t know what you’re talking about… let—let go of me…” Even though Su Mo was now certain of her identity, he continued to play the fool.
Ye Lin steeled herself and attacked him with a blast of concentrated spiritual energy. Su Mo turned pale and squeezed his eyes shut, shielding his head. At the critical moment, Ye Lin forcibly withdrew ninety percent of her spiritual energy. The impact of the remaining blast sent Su Mo flying, while she herself staggered back two steps, vomiting a mouthful of blood from the backlash of her own power.
“Sect Leader!” The others cried out in alarm.
“Cough, cough… I’m fine… but… how could you be him? He couldn’t be this weak…” Ye Lin waved her hand to stop the others, her eyes filled with disappointment, whispering in a daze.
“Speak truthfully, why do you know the Heavenly Fiend Prison-Suppressing Method? If you dare to withhold even a fraction of the truth, I will take your life!” Coughing up more blood, she shouted her question at Su Mo, who was sitting on the ground unable to stand up.
After hesitating for a long while, Su Mo finally brought out the scale. Upon seeing it, Ye Lin trembled, and tears immediately streamed down her face.