PID Chapter 92

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Xiao Mo pushed open the final door of his memories. He concealed his Divided Spirit cultivation back into the aura of Golden Core stage and headed to the City Lord’s main hall to wait for Chu Jinglan along with the others.

 

As for Hidden City, Xiao Mo had guessed part of it correctly—Fenxiu had indeed killed the previous City Lord and taken their place. However, Xiao Mo had underestimated Fenxiu’s ruthlessness.

 

Fenxiu hadn’t just killed one person—he had killed everyone except Su Baimo.

 

The council hall was littered with corpses, one every three steps. There was no blood because it had all been absorbed by Fenxiu’s blade, turned into nourishment.

 

The cultivators in Hidden City weren’t particularly talented; they were mostly ordinary Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators. For them, a profound-grade artifact was a common tool. If someone possessed an earth-grade treasure, they’d treat it like a sacred relic—carefully hidden and rarely used.

 

Unlike disciples from wealthy sects who could afford to destroy artifacts to save their lives, these cultivators couldn’t even imagine such luxury. For them, losing an artifact was catastrophic.

 

It was reminiscent of how Chu Jinglan, before joining Yingyue Sect, didn’t even dare reveal Qiuqiu’s true species.

 

With such a disparity in cultivation and no exceptional means of defense, Fenxiu slaughtered them effortlessly.

 

Holding his blade with a smile, Fenxiu said mockingly: “Dragging me out in the middle of the night for a meeting—I thought they’d come up with some brilliant plan.”

 

If these people had been willing to risk their lives for their mission—like his death warriors who sacrificed themselves to break the protective seals of prodigies—Fenxiu would have been happy to let them continue. But since they were too cowardly, they were better off feeding his blade.

 

After finishing his musings, Fenxiu casually twirled his blade and grinned at Su Baimo, who was cowering in a corner. “What are you so scared of? I’m not planning to kill you—for now.”

 

Su Baimo’s voice was completely wrecked—overused in every sense. Earlier that night, he had cried out passionately during their intimacy, and just now, he had screamed himself hoarse during the massacre. His voice was unrecognizable.

 

He had watched Fenxiu slaughter everyone in the hall as if cutting through vegetables. From initial shock and disbelief to frantic attempts to escape, Su Baimo had made it as far as the hall’s entrance before he was grabbed from behind by someone who wrapped an arm around his waist.

 

Then a cold blade slowly pressed against his face.

 

The merciless demon whispered: “Don’t leave now—we were so close just a moment ago.”

 

After that, Su Baimo was thrown into a corner. The last corpse fell beside him, drained of blood, its hand landing on Su Baimo’s foot with a sickening thud. By then, Su Baimo couldn’t even scream anymore.

 

Now trembling uncontrollably and drenched in tears and snot, Su Baimo begged: “Don’t kill me… please don’t kill me…”

 

His entire body shook with fear as Fenxiu took another step closer. Each movement brought strange sounds from Su Baimo’s throat as he tried desperately to shrink away—but there was nowhere left to go; the wall behind him blocked any retreat.

 

“I said I wouldn’t kill you for now—and I won’t,” Fenxiu said with amusement as he waved his blade tip in front of Su Baimo’s face. Watching Su Baimo squeeze his eyes shut in terror only made Fenxiu laugh harder. “You’re too weak. Your furnace physique doesn’t work that well for me—but it’ll do.”

 

Su Baimo gasped for air and tried desperately to avoid the blade tip. Fenxiu grabbed his chin roughly and forced him to look up: “Open your eyes. You said you wanted to repay me—that you’d willingly offer yourself. What were you really thinking? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

 

“Climbing the social ladder—selfish and manipulative while pretending to be harmless—I’ve seen plenty like you.” Fenxiu’s tone turned both forceful and mocking as he rubbed Su Baimo’s chin with deliberate ambiguity. “You’re not even worth forming a blood contract over. If you don’t want to die, stay put and behave yourself. Got it?”

 

When Fenxiu released his grip, Su Baimo nodded frantically, tears streaming down his face in a chaotic mess. Fenxiu’s laughter echoed throughout the hall as he twirled the blade in his hand. “There are still cultivators from two cities waiting for me. Why wait three days? After I rest for a bit, I’ll go wipe them all out tomorrow.”

 

“Where should I start… Hmm, Qin City, of course. Chu Jinglan is there.”

 

Su Baimo curled into a ball, trembling. Hearing Chu Jinglan’s name made him widen his eyes slightly. Due to his past reliance on Chu Jinglan, a flicker of hope ignited in his heart—but it quickly faded. Even Chu Jinglan couldn’t possibly stand against Fenxiu, who was at peak Divided Spirit stage!

 

He wondered where the elders of Lingxiao Sect were—perhaps they were his only chance of survival.

 

The next morning, Fenxiu mounted a warhorse with Su Baimo held tightly in his arms and led Hidden City’s army of ten thousand soldiers in a grand march toward Qin City.

 

Of course, Fenxiu didn’t expect the ordinary people among his army to be of any use. He simply enjoyed the spectacle and grandeur—the overwhelming display of power that made him feel exhilarated. Instead of flying through the air, he rode on horseback, relishing the thunderous sound of hooves pounding the ground as they approached Qin City.

 

The gates of Qin City were tightly shut. On the city walls, sentries spotted the dark mass of troops approaching from afar and immediately sent word to report it. Fenxiu reined in his horse and infused his voice with spiritual energy, projecting it so forcefully that it knocked some of the sentries off the wall—

 

“Cultivators of Qin City! Come out and meet your deaths!”

 

His voice reverberated throughout the entire city. Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan exchanged glances and nodded lightly.

 

They had guessed correctly—Fenxiu had chosen to target them before Jiang City. With old grudges lingering, no one else held as much attraction for Fenxiu as Xiao Mo and Chu Jinglan did.

 

Since yesterday, after Chu Jinglan returned with news, several more cultivators had left Qin City. Now only fifteen cultivators remained. Together with Chu Jinglan, they ascended the city walls and saw Fenxiu below—relaxed and confident atop a tall warhorse.

 

Su Baimo was held firmly in Fenxiu’s arms on horseback, his face pale as a sheet.

 

When Su Baimo looked up and saw Chu Jinglan, his eyes stung with tears. Unable to control himself, he reached out a hand and called out: “Save—”

 

Before he could finish speaking, Fenxiu pressed down on his hand and sneered: “What’s the point of asking him for help? He’s going to die too.”

 

Fenxiu leaned closer to Su Baimo’s ear and whispered mockingly: “Standing with me like this—in these cultivators’ eyes—you’re an enemy too. You’re just as deserving of death.”

 

Su Baimo froze in shock as Fenxiu burst into laughter. Leaping off his horse, Fenxiu stopped mid-air and surveyed the group below with dissatisfaction: “Is this all?”

 

The cultivators of Qin City had already summoned their artifacts. Yue Ming, ever fearless, retorted immediately: “You only brought one cultivator yourself!”

 

Even at peak Divided Spirit stage, Fenxiu could dominate them single-handedly without needing reinforcements. Yue Ming’s remark was more out of defiance than expectation—but surprisingly, Fenxiu replied: “Well, what can I say? The others are dead—I couldn’t bring them along.”

 

The rest of Hidden City’s cultivators… were all dead?

 

Everyone shuddered at Fenxiu’s casual words, gripping their weapons even tighter. Fenxiu flicked his fingers and said, “Those hiding—come out now.”

 

As his words fell, the seemingly empty ground outside Qin City remained silent and still. Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Fenxiu drew his blade and casually slashed. A massive section of the city wall exploded, sending boulders tumbling down as dust and smoke filled the air. From within the chaos, a group of people was forced to reveal themselves.

 

It was Lie Ying from Tian Ge Sect and the cultivators from Jiang City.

 

After Chu Jinglan’s negotiations last night, some of Jiang City’s cultivators had fled in fear of facing a Divided Spirit cultivator. Only eleven remained willing to join forces with Qin City to confront the strongest enemy first. Together, the two cities had a total of twenty-six cultivators ready to fight Fenxiu.

 

Those who chose to take this risk were mostly disciples from major sects.

 

Fenxiu twirled his blade with a smirk. “Good, good. The numbers are small, but talent makes up for it. On the eighth floor, even if your protective seals are triggered, those Divided Spirit cultivators outside the secret realm won’t be able to teleport here. Let’s see how many seals you have and how long you can last.”

 

Lie Ying and his group had originally planned an ambush and used artifacts to conceal their presence. But since they’d been discovered, they had no choice but to attack directly.

 

“Charge!” Lie Ying shouted.

 

Jun Bushu led a group of cultivators skilled in formations: “Form the array!”

 

The grand formation they had been preparing since last night activated and surged into the sky. Chu Jinglan, wielding his sword like a streak of lightning, charged forward alongside other cultivators.

 

Xiao Mo stood atop the city wall with his flute pressed to his lips, playing a melody.

 

Though he couldn’t directly harm anyone, his flute music could stabilize the minds of those maintaining the formation and dispel any chaotic emotions they might have. This ensured that everyone’s spiritual consciousness remained clear and focused during combat.

 

The sound of Xiao Mo’s flute was both elegant and fierce—a melody filled with the clash of blades and the ferocity of battle.

 

The cultivators had taken pills that temporarily boosted their cultivation levels. Everyone’s aura had surged, especially Chu Jinglan’s—his energy skyrocketed to the point where it faintly resembled that of a Divided Spirit cultivator. If an ordinary Divided Spirit cultivator were present, they might not even be able to match him at this moment.

 

But Fenxiu wasn’t just any Divided Spirit cultivator—he was at peak Divided Spirit stage and had once been a terrifying Great Perfection-stage cultivator outside the secret realm.

 

The gap in cultivation levels was like an unbridgeable chasm—it wasn’t something that could be overcome easily.

 

Within three exchanges, Chu Jinglan already felt his blood boiling in his chest. Raising his hand casually, he wiped the corner of his mouth—and sure enough, there was blood.

 

Fenxiu deflected a combined attack from Lie Ying and Yue Ming with a single swing of his blade. His previously indifferent eyes gleamed with excitement as he said mockingly: “Not bad, not bad! Looks like my blade will have its fill today.”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Fenxiu swung his blade directly at Yue Ming. The sharp edge carried overwhelming force as it struck Yue Ming mid-air, sending him crashing into the ground with such force that it created a massive crater. The impact also shattered one of Yue Ming’s protective seals.

 

Yue Ming coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and couldn’t get up for quite some time.

 

Fear began spreading among the cultivators after their initial surge of adrenaline subsided. Sensing their trembling hands, Xiao Mo raised the pitch of his flute music to steady them once more.

 

Chu Jinglan let out a low shout as he clashed head-on with Fenxiu’s blade. His cold yet harmonious sword intent collided with Fenxiu’s wild and buzzing blade energy, causing waves of pressure that rippled through the air. The sheer force sent Su Baimo and Hidden City’s soldiers tumbling off their horses in unison—they collapsed into a heap on the ground.

 

Su Baimo had hoped to use the chaos as an opportunity to escape but found himself completely immobilized under the oppressive aura. He could barely breathe, let alone move.

 

Jun Bushu and the others gritted their teeth as their dazzling array of formations relentlessly attacked Fenxiu. Meanwhile, Fenxiu controlled several artifacts with his spiritual energy, which were bombarding the formation. Just as Jun Bushu switched to a new hand seal, a heaven-tier artifact shot out at lightning speed and exploded violently right in front of him.

 

The explosion was accompanied by cries of pain from those nearby. The golden formation was disrupted, and Jun Bushu collapsed to the ground, his vision darkened and his ears ringing from the blast. One of his protective seals had been broken.

 

…This is peak Divided Spirit stage, Jun Bushu thought hazily, truly a world apart from us. But hadn’t his divination yesterday foretold that he had a chance of survival? Where was that chance?

 

Was it what Chu Jinglan had said—that this demon’s weakness was in his left abdomen?

 

But so far, no one had been able to land a hit on Fenxiu’s left abdomen.

 

The clash between sword intent and blade aura continued fiercely. Xiao Mo’s flute music grew more urgent as the battlefield seemed to transform into a realm entirely dominated by blades and swords. Each strike of the blade and each thrust of the sword carried the weight of thousands—countless blades and swords clashing as if they were collapsing the very heavens and earth around them.

 

Chu Jinglan’s gaze remained fixed on Fenxiu. In an instant, amidst blinding light, a thunderous roar exploded in everyone’s minds—sword intent and blade aura collided in a devastating blast, causing the entire city wall to collapse with a deafening crash.

 

Amidst billowing dust clouds, Chu Jinglan coughed up blood as he struggled to rise from the ground. Another of his protective seals had shattered.

 

Ripping off his torn outer robe, Chu Jinglan retrieved a new protective artifact from his storage device. Keeping his sword firmly in hand, he stared unyieldingly at the figure standing intact amidst the dissipating dust.

 

Fenxiu lowered his gaze to examine his waist and abdomen where Chu Jinglan’s sword intent had grazed him—a minor surface wound, barely worth mentioning. Yet—

 

“You aimed for my left abdomen on purpose?” Fenxiu asked with narrowed eyes.

 

You know about my injury?

 

Fenxiu tilted his head slightly, an eerie glint flashing in his pitch-black eyes. “You wouldn’t know my true identity, would you? Is it you who knows—or… him?”

 

Chu Jinglan’s heart skipped heavily at Fenxiu’s words. In the next instant, Fenxiu’s figure vanished—and reappeared mere inches from Xiao Mo.

 

Xiao Mo instinctively raised his flute to block Fenxiu’s blade with a sharp clang. With a light step, Xiao Mo moved as if teleporting, instantly putting a hundred meters between them. Fenxiu flicked his blade casually and chuckled: “Golden Core?”

 

A Golden Core cultivator capable of dodging that strike? Even ghosts wouldn’t believe it.

 

What is this person—no, Fenxiu corrected himself internally, what is this demon’s true origin?

 

Yet before Fenxiu could unleash another strike toward Xiao Mo, it was intercepted mid-swing—by Chu Jinglan.

 

Bloodied but silent, Chu Jinglan’s eyes burned with cold fury as he blocked Fenxiu’s blade with his sword. His anger didn’t manifest in words but radiated powerfully through his icy gaze.

 

In such a short time, Chu Jinglan had taken another pill—this time pushing his cultivation directly to Divided Spirit stage.

 

Although Yingyue Sect’s pills for temporary cultivation boosts were designed to have no side effects under normal conditions, they weren’t meant to be consumed repeatedly. These rare emergency-use pills came with risks—overuse could push cultivation higher and higher but at the cost of immense physical strain. The pain of tearing through one’s limbs and meridians alone was enough to incapacitate most people.

 

But Chu Jinglan endured it. He always could.

 

Just moments ago, Chu Jinglan had managed to slightly injure Fenxiu. Now, having elevated his cultivation to Divided Spirit stage, Chu Jinglan’s aura had become even more terrifying.

 

Fenxiu’s previously relaxed demeanor was long gone. His face darkened like storm clouds as he fully grasped the magnitude of the threat Chu Jinglan posed. He could not allow this boy to leave the Nine Secret Treasure Tower alive!

 

With a thunderous roar, Fenxiu swung his blade forward with full force. Chu Jinglan’s bones creaked audibly under the pressure, and another protective seal began to glow as it detected extreme danger. Just as the second protective seal was on the verge of breaking, a massive soundwave infused with surging demonic energy came crashing down toward Fenxiu.

 

Fenxiu’s pupils contracted sharply. He immediately released Chu Jinglan and retreated to evade the attack.

 

Xiao Mo’s eyes glowed red as he caught Chu Jinglan, his gaze cold and unyielding as he stared at Fenxiu.

 

Fenxiu sneered: “…Peak Divided Spirit stage. Well, well—so you’re the one hiding the deepest.”

 

Chu Jinglan, now rescued, grabbed Xiao Mo’s hand tightly. Though his mind had remained steadfast during his battle with Fenxiu, he was now burning with urgency. His eyes stayed fixed on Fenxiu with intense vigilance, but his words were directed at Xiao Mo: “How could you—”

 

What if Fenxiu hadn’t dodged? If that attack had landed fully, wouldn’t Xiao Mo have suffered backlash?

 

Xiao Mo transmitted softly via voice: “Don’t worry—I knew he would likely dodge.”

 

This was a lie.

 

Whether Fenxiu dodged or not, Xiao Mo had been prepared to unleash that attack regardless.

 

Watching Chu Jinglan get injured right in front of him was unbearable—truly unbearable. Even if it meant suffering backlash himself, Xiao Mo would have accepted it without hesitation.

 

With a new Divided Spirit cultivator appearing on the battlefield, Fenxiu shifted his focus from killing Chu Jinglan to targeting Xiao Mo first. Among Divided Spirit cultivators, there were differences in strength—he needed to test Xiao Mo’s capabilities. Moreover, Xiao Mo had delayed taking action earlier, which suggested potential limitations that Fenxiu intended to probe one by one.

 

Fenxiu’s blade swept through the air with overwhelming force toward Xiao Mo. Chu Jinglan’s sword and Xiao Mo’s flute simultaneously crossed in front of them to block the strike. However, just before their spiritual energies collided, a shimmering golden door suddenly opened beneath their feet. Caught off guard, all three were pulled into the portal.

 

Not far away, Su Baimo let out a startled cry as another door opened beneath him, pulling him inside as well.

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter