On this night, the moonlight was exceptionally clear and bright.
The high-hanging full moon turned a blind eye to the bloodshed on the earth below.
The flames of sandalwood gold flickered like the eyes of demons, as nearly a hundred people surrounded two injured individuals in the middle.
"How come, being from Sheng Prefecture, you don't unite against outsiders, but instead fight amongst yourselves?"
"We've already given you the Insect Essence Crystals, why won't you let us go?"
The encircled man and woman shouted almost hysterically, their faces filled with the sorrow and unwillingness of being at their wits' end.
Bai Zhuchuan, leader of the group surrounding them, was also shouting, "Bian Weiying, take action! Didn't you hear me tell you to move?"
Bian Weiying, standing among the crowd, looked stiff as if she hadn't heard a thing. Instead of following orders, she gave a signal to Gantangyu and Xiang Lan'er beside her and quietly retreated with them from the encirclement.
Publicly defying orders like this in plain view made Bai Zhuchuan feel deeply humiliated; his face looked twisted under the sandalwood-gold-lit night. He waved his hand, "All together now!"
Bai Zhuchuan led the charge, and nearly a hundred people surged forward.
After a brief clash of swords, the man and woman who were besieged now lay on the ground, blood pooling around them, dead with their eyes wide open.
Bai Zhuchuan, emerging from the crowd, led a few others, fuming with anger, directly to catch up with Bian Weiying and her group.
Blocking Bian Weiying’s path, Bai Zhuchuan scolded angrily, "We agreed to follow my orders unified. Why does your Wukang Mountain go back on its word?"
Bian Weiying calmly retorted, "Those are our own people from Sheng Prefecture. You want to rob them, I won't stop you; you want to kill them, I also won't stop you. But I, a disciple of Wukang Mountain, cannot do such a thing as killing our own. Bai Zhuchuan, what's the necessity of taking someone's things and then killing them?"
Her unwillingness to kill her own from Sheng Prefecture was one reason. Another realization dawned on her about Bai Zhuchuan's sinister intentions of dragging Wukang Mountain down with him. Moreover, Bai often called on her Wukang Mountain to initiate attacks using Immobilization Talismans under the guise of reducing casualties for everyone.
Xiang Lan’er had long warned her that if they continued down this path, their cause for self-preservation would be lost.
Initially, she didn't heed the warning, swayed by the praise from various sects that painted vivid promises of her triumphant return. Desires can confuse one's mind.
When her talisman stock began to deplete, affected her restriction on using them coinciding with changing attitudes from neighboring sects, she finally awoke to the truth: without utility, you'd quickly become a burden, and alliances would not credit Wukang Mountain for significant contributions.
Upon sobering up, this realization became apparent to her.
Bai Zhuchuan let out an angry laugh, nearly pressing his face against hers, gritting his teeth, "You think we can let him go and report us for robbing him once he returns? Everyone knows there are things that are better left unspoken here; don't pretend to be merciful!"
He didn't want to kill people from Sheng Prefecture either, but he was driven to desperation. Over a month had passed in this three-month-long Heavenly Rain Meteor Conference, and they'd only collected about forty Insect Essence Crystals, mostly by theft.
Meanwhile, proper search efforts only brought in less than one crystal per day on average over a hundred people.
Stone Cloud Mountain is Sheng Prefecture's first sect. Even if Stone Cloud Mountain fails to take first in the Shengshen Continent, Sheng Prefecture might too; however, Stone Cloud Mountain must remain Sheng Prefecture's first. Otherwise, it'd reflect poorly on him as team leader, and his career path would be over.
Not only he but also leaders of top-ranked sects from each region were also under immense pressure. The difficulty of collecting Insect Essence Crystals far exceeded their expectations.
Considering this, Bai Zhuchuan was feeling frantic. As long as there were Insect Essence Crystals, he would rob them, regardless of who held them.
Bian Weiying didn’t bother arguing over killing members of the Sheng Prefecture. Instead, she asked, "White brother, don’t you feel Wukang Mountain hasn’t contributed enough this entire way?"
At this moment she said this with conviction.
Having governed a city once, Bai Zhuchuan found himself speechless.
Zhao Shanqi, leader of the Divine Light Sect and closely aligned with Bai Zhuchuan, played peacemaker, forcibly dragging Bai Zhuchuan aside.
Away from prying ears, Zhao Shanqi advised softly, "Arguing with her now does us no favor."
Bai Zhuchuan replied in frustration, "It's infuriating. If only Wukang Mountain’s hands are clean by the end of this conference, everyone would be anxious afterward."
Zhao Shanqi reasoned, "The talismans she has still serve us. She’ll deplete her stock eventually. Once there’s nothing left, you can do whatever you will. Personally, I find Bian Weiying more intriguing; I like her resilience. White brother, don’t fight me on this."
"Ah, haha, sure thing," Bai Zhuchuan said, patting his back warmly, bonding over their shared dislike.
Once the laughter faded, concern clouded Bai Zhuchuan’s face again. "The real issue now is how scarce Insect Essence Crystals are. The vastness of the Western Extremes makes finding people to rob as difficult as finding the crystals themselves. We could scatter all hundred-plus people and still miss each other. I’m contemplating heading to the Moon Sea. It’s said to be a favored place for Insect Essence Crystals. A single encounter with a Meteor Shower could solve everything."
Zhao Shanqi frowned in thought, "Moon Sea; that’s marked as a dangerous zone on the map..."
Elsewhere, Xiang Lan'er also pulled Bian Weiying and Gantangyu aside, to speak privately.
"Weiying, if this continues, they might turn against us. We might be in danger. Let’s find a chance to leave."
Xiang Lan’er didn’t beat around the bush, expressing her intention directly.
Gantangyu looked to Bian Weiying upon hearing this.
Bian Weiying fell silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head, "It's too late. We shouldn’t have joined in the first place. To retreat now would enable Bai Zhuchuan to pin failure on us if things go wrong. The sect couldn’t bear that blame. Alas, in hindsight, Brother Chun’s advice may have been right from the start. My own stubbornness leads to no way back."
Xiang Lan'er remained silent. As the situation soured, she considered early warnings from Brother Chun and the suspicious nature of his disappearance. Could it have been foresight prompting him to avoid collaborating? His disappearance wasn’t just a coincidence but a cautious escape.
Thinking too much about the past often doesn’t hold up under scrutiny; reflection brings doubt about Brother Chun’s unforeseen disappearance being just an accident but rather strategic foresight.
Her mind kept circling back to Sun Shigang's equally vanished status, linking both disappearing factions to a single origin.
She spoke softly after a pause, "Weiying, they indeed bear signs of looming danger against us. If you won't leave, I must go. Once I'm gone, I'll find a place to hide until the conference ends."
Sun Shigang's disappearance made her cautious, unable to reach the twelve teams under her command. Without their support, a change would force her to act personally, inevitably exposing her identity.
Unlike her anticipated farewell speech, Bian Weiying surprisingly agreed with a light nod, "Very well, take care," and handed her two Third-Grade Immobilization Talismans. "These are scarce; better to have than not."
Keenly aware of Bai Zhuchuan's gaze toward her ‘sister-in-law,’ she wanted to ensure her safety in any way possible.
Accepting the talismans, Xiang Lan’er implored once more, "Come with me, Weiying. Let’s leave together."
Bian Weiying shook her head, "You don't understand, Sheng Prefecture Domain Lord holds deep grudges against Wukang Mountain. Give him a scapegoat opportunity, the entire sect would suffer irreparable consequences. Should I fall, the burden remains individual and spares the sect."
She then questioned Gantangyu, "Will you join her? If you wish, leave together."
Gantangyu calmly shook his head.
Foreseeing his choice, Bian Weiying sighed heavily, “We’ll cover your escape,” she told Xiang Lan’er.
Seeing their stance, Xiang Lan’er decided against further persuasion.
However, despite Bian Weiying and Gantangyu’s seemingly successful diversion, someone watched them intently.
Witnessing Xiang Lan’er depart alone, three men with malicious intent followed, but never returned...
In the vast campsite, small fires dotted the landscape, a picturesque view under the night sky.
On a small hill within the campsite, Mulan Qingqing, in garments as white as snow, gazed skyward with arms folded. Her sword, draped across her side, tangled with the fluttering fabric in the breeze. Her beauty was otherworldly and unmatched; moonlight softened the harsh features of her face, emanating a gentle charm.
Shadows shifted below the hill. Foursome brothers in immaculate white clothes swiftly ascended, greeting her in unison, "Senior Sister."
According to their ages, they were named Yan Ji, Guan Wen, Guan Yingjie, and Chao Zhilin. It was uncertain if the Primordial Origin Sect recruited good-looking disciples intentionally or if it was mere coincidence, but each one was notably handsome.
The gaze they cast toward their Senior Sister bore respect and admiration. With her beauty acclaimed throughout the Primordial Origin Sect’s current disciples, revered for having unmatched strength among her peers and maintaining high virtues with no suitors yet, which junior wouldn’t make her the object of their affection unless blind or foolish?
(End of Chapter)