CHAPTER 95: CHAPTER 95: THE ASSISTANCE OF FELLOW DISCIPLES, STANDOFF_1

"CRACK!"

The man summoned from the black coffin was engulfed in an aura of Nirvana. He stood tall, emanating an endless murderous aura. A close observation of the man’s eyes would reveal his pupils were unfocused, completely devoid of life.

This man from the black coffin, called Dragon-Tiger, was a Ghoul exclusively refined by Xun Tian. Having undergone the Ghost Corpse School’s Celestial Sacrifice trial four times, his strength far surpassed that of an early-stage Qi Gathering Realm practitioner.

As this giant Ghoul, known as Dragon-Tiger, drew closer, Shen Mo immediately felt an overwhelming sense of pressure. This pressure was even more intense than what he had felt fighting Lu Ming on the Yuxu Altar.

Just as this Ghoul was about to step through the air and launch a punch at Shen Mo, Shen Mo met its fist head-on.

"BANG!"

The terrifying force of the punch made Shen Mo ache all over. Even with his Dragon Body, he struggled to match this Ghoul’s strength.

This battle must be decided quickly! Shen Mo thought.

Although the other Ghost Corpse School disciples had temporarily lost his trail and hadn’t caught up yet, he would soon be discovered if he lingered too long.

"He’s arrogant, coming to capture and kill me alone," Shen Mo murmured. "Although he’s formidable, I might still have a chance if I go all out!"

His gaze fell upon the composed Xun Tian behind and the Ghoul standing before him. He had locked onto his target!

Capture the leader first. The Ghoul is too strong; fighting it will lead to a stalemate. It’s better to defeat Xun Tian. Then he won’t be able to control the Ghoul anymore.

However, I need a way to hold off the Ghoul for a while.

"Soul Refining Flag, summon!" Shen Mo took out the Soul Refining Flag and instantly summoned the soul spirit. Vajra Ape!

This soul spirit wasn’t very strong, but augmented by the Soul Refining Flag, it could achieve near-immortality as long as Shen Mo was willing to pour Mana into it. It should be able to hold off the Ghoul for a moment!

"This is..." Xun Tian watched Shen Mo summon the Jinggang Ape Spirit, slightly taken aback.

But soon, seeing the ape spirit rush towards the Ghoul, he understood Shen Mo’s intentions.

"Trying for a two-on-two?" Xun Tian sneered. "You can’t win either way!"

Whether it was Shen Mo against him, or the Dragon-Tiger Ghoul against the Jinggang Ape Spirit, there seemed to be a vast disparity in strength. Thus, Xun Tian didn’t believe Shen Mo could turn the tables, considering it merely a desperate struggle.

However, he didn’t know this disparity was only superficial.

"Shangqing Swordplay!"

Thanks to the ape spirit engaging the Ghoul, Shen Mo finally seized a precious opportunity.

His first move was a killing technique! "Kill Life!" Then, "One Heaven-Splitting Sword!"

He unleashed several beams of sword Qi, all slashing towards Xun Tian simultaneously.

Sensing the fluctuations of this sword Qi, Xun Tian’s expression turned grave. "This power... it exceeds the normal standard for the first layer of the Qi Gathering Realm."

"But it can’t harm me!" He flicked his sleeve, and a blood-red bead emanating a gloomy aura emerged.

The Soul-binding Pearl, a middle-grade Profound-level magic artifact.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

The beams of sword Qi were effortlessly blocked by the Soul-binding Pearl.

"Is that all you’ve got?" Xun Tian, having used his magic treasure to block the sword Qi, wore a confident smile as he looked down at Shen Mo.

But as he looked at Shen Mo, his heart suddenly lurched.

"BANG!"

A palm strike hit empty air, shattering Shen Mo’s ’figure’ into pieces.

"As expected, a Substitution Talisman!" The ’Shen Mo’ below was merely a decoy created by a talisman.

If he wasn’t below, then where was he?

Before Xun Tian could ponder further, he suddenly sensed a terrifying aura from behind.

"PUFF!"

Blood spurted from Xun Tian’s body. He felt a chill run down his spine before collapsing heavily to the ground. It was Shen Mo.

From the start, Shen Mo had a clear plan. Xun Tian was very strong; a direct confrontation was likely unwinnable. So, he feigned a few attacks, using a pre-prepared Substitution Talisman as a diversion. Meanwhile, he had circled behind Xun Tian, held his breath, focused his spirit, and unleashed his most powerful strike.

He hadn’t held back at all with this strike. An ordinary cultivator at the first layer of the Qi Gathering Realm, even one protected by an inner armor magic artifact, would have found it difficult to escape death.

Since his opponent intended to kill him, Shen Mo felt no guilt in striking to kill.

But Xun Tian’s defenses were stronger than Shen Mo had imagined. He wasn’t dead.

Though severely injured, Xun Tian was still alive. The Ghoul, having lost its support, retreated into the black coffin. Xun Tian, lying in a pool of his own blood, struggled to get up.

Should I finish him off? Shen Mo, looking down at the man, hesitated.

Logically, they bore no deep-seated hatred or grudges against each other. But in the Mountain River Realm’s contest for treasures, his opponent had already intended to kill him; thus, killing Xun Tian would be justified.

But... what then? If I leave, will the Ghost Corpse School Elders let this go? Will they keep targeting me?

Before Shen Mo could decide, streaks of light rushed in from ahead. Damn it! They’ve arrived!

Shen Mo’s expression shifted slightly upon seeing the newcomers. It was the Ghost Corpse School disciples led by Li Chen. Although they had lost him earlier, they had quickly caught up by following his general direction.

"Senior Brother Xun?" Upon seeing Xun Tian’s grievous state, the expressions of Li Chen and the others changed. They then turned to Shen Mo, their faces filled with shock.

This guy fought Senior Brother Xun one-on-one and managed to injure him this badly?

All the Ghost Corpse School disciples knew Xun Tian’s strength. After all, he was ranked first among the new disciples of their sect; only Li Chen could be considered his peer.

"Surround him! He severely injured Senior Brother Xun. This cannot be overlooked!" After a brief moment of astonishment, Li Chen quickly issued the order.

Shen Mo’s brow twitched slightly, but he wasn’t worried. It had already been proven that only Xun Tian could catch him.

Xun Tian is seriously injured now. If I run again, no one can stop me.

Seeing the Ghost Corpse School disciples encircle him, Shen Mo, Dragon Sparrow Sword in hand, prepared to break through.

Just then, a voice thundered from the distant sky, "On my Riverside Sect’s home ground, more than twenty of you ganging up on a single Riverside Sect disciple? What a grand display of power!"

"If you have the guts, fight us instead!" As soon as the words fell, more than a dozen streaks of light, like shooting stars, flew in from the distance. It was Lu Ming, Yang Qingshan, and a group of Riverside Sect disciples who had rushed over.

"Are you alright?" Lu Ming asked, looking at Shen Mo.

"I’m fine." Shen Mo was quite surprised by the arrival of Lu Ming and the others; he had never expected reinforcements.

However, with Lu Ming’s group present, Shen Mo abandoned the thought of fleeing.

Their reinforcements arrived quickly.

Li Chen and the others’ faces darkened upon seeing so many from the Riverside Sect arrive.

"What exactly happened?" Lu Ming glanced at Shen Mo, asking why he had been surrounded and attacked by the Ghost Corpse School disciples.

Shen Mo briefly explained that he had found some items in ruins that others had already searched, without going into specifics. When he encountered the Ghost Corpse School disciples, they demanded he hand them over. Shen Mo refused, leading to the prolonged chase.

"You actually beat Xun Tian this badly?" Lu Ming was somewhat surprised, seeing Xun Tian’s severely wounded state.

As the leader of this contingent of Riverside Sect disciples, his Master had briefed him on certain matters beforehand, including an introduction to the current Ghost Corpse School disciples. Xun Tian’s strength was comparable to his own. If Shen Mo can defeat Xun Tian, he likely has the ability to contend with me too.

Although Lu Ming held Shen Mo in high regard, he had never imagined him to possess such strength.

"Just a fluke," Shen Mo said, unwilling to reveal too much and offering it as an excuse.

Knowing Shen Mo preferred to keep a low profile and wouldn’t elaborate, Lu Ming didn’t press further. He then turned his gaze to Li Chen and the other Ghost Corpse School disciples.

"You were hunting a disciple of my Riverside Sect. Xun Tian’s injuries are his own fault; he was outmatched, and no one else is to blame."

"Stop now, and our two sects can still coexist. But if you insist on pursuing this, the Riverside Sect will have no choice but to engage you."

As Lu Ming spoke, a purple thunderbolt wave coiled around his body, and a powerful aura surged from him. Simultaneously, Yang Qingshan, Lv Xu, and others also stepped forward. The Ghost Corpse School and the Riverside Sect disciples stood in a tense standoff.

"Hmph!" Li Chen and his companions’ expressions flickered with uncertainty.

After a moment, Li Chen snorted coldly and decided to back down. After all, the purpose of cultivating in the Mountain River Realm was to seek fortuitous encounters, not merely to engage in reckless brawls. If a fight broke out, even though the Ghost Corpse School had slightly more numbers, with Xun Tian severely injured, their victory wasn’t guaranteed. Li Chen knew he couldn’t defeat either Shen Mo or Lu Ming in a one-on-one fight. Moreover, if this escalated into a mutually destructive conflict, their chances in the remaining days of the Mountain River Realm trial would be ruined. If they then encountered the main Profound Moon School contingent, they might even lose all their accumulated gains.

"If you’re truly interested in treasure hunting, I know of a place," Lu Ming said, his aggressive aura softening slightly as he saw the Ghost Corpse School disciples appear to yield. He then extended an olive branch.

"Oh?" Li Chen raised an eyebrow. "What place?"

"The tomb of the Spirit Talisman Master. There’s plenty of treasure inside."

"If you’re willing to join, we should be able to break the Prohibition there."

"Then, any treasures found can be claimed by those capable enough to take them."

The tomb of the Spirit Talisman Master? Li Chen looked hesitant. If such a place existed, why would Lu Ming reveal it to them instead of exploring it exclusively with his Riverside Sect disciples?

"My Master gave me this information in advance."

"Disciples from the previous Mountain River Realm trial discovered the tomb. However, they couldn’t open it because the external Prohibition was too strong."

"By now, the Prohibition’s power has waned considerably. I’ve already shared this information with Xiao Ling’er of the Profound Moon School, and she has agreed to go."

"But even with much of the Prohibition’s power dissipated and the Profound Moon School’s help, our combined strength is still insufficient."

"We need another group of Qi Gathering Realm cultivators to join forces. Only then can we completely shatter the Prohibition."

If Lu Ming could have handled it alone, he certainly wouldn’t have invited them.

"Where is this tomb located?"

"At the northernmost tip of the Southern Zone. If you’re willing to go, you need to arrive by the ninth day."

After sharing this, Lu Ming didn’t wait for their reply and departed with his fellow sect disciples.