Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Surrender, and You Shall Live; Resist, and Death Awaits
Chapter 194: Surrender, and You Shall Live; Resist, and Death Awaits
The whole crowd was shocked.
Each person felt the undisguised killing intent emanating from Shen Mo.
They also sensed his unwavering resolve.
More critically, Shen Mo was right.
Before Yao Yunluo officially arrived at the Shangqing Sect, he was not formally recognized as a Shangqing Sect Nascent Soul Elder.
The battle—and life-or-death struggle—between Shen Mo and Yao Yunluo was merely a factional conflict within the Xuanjing Prefecture.
Su Changqing suddenly stood up.
The energy of a Nascent Soul cultivator burst forth.
His voice was cold and commanding, "Shen Mo, take your foot off!"
"Yao Yunluo is an elder of my Shangqing Sect; I say he is, so he is!"
"Your victory is clear, but if you intend to kill him, I, Su Changqing, will not permit it, nor will the Shangqing Sect!"
The surrounding cultivators' hearts subtly shifted.
Particularly those from the Qingxuan and Verdant Vine Sects.
They understood deeply that the Shangqing Sect must not be dragged into this.
Otherwise, it would lead to endless trouble in the future.
A cold glint surfaced in Shen Mo's eyes.
He had come this far and had no intention of leaving a threat alive.
If he let Yao Yunluo go, and the man became a Shangqing Sect elder, he might not be able to target Shen Mo directly, but he would surely bring his wrath upon the Qingxuan Sect.
Shen Mo looked at Su Changqing, assessing the gap in their strengths.
He had already used his Nascent Soul technique.
Su Changqing, meanwhile, was at his peak.
And clearly, Su Changqing's cultivation level was above his own.
But if a confrontation was unavoidable, Shen Mo would not retreat.
At worst, he would burn his lifespan to use his Nascent Soul technique once more!
With the power of the Blazing Sun Origin, victory and defeat were far from certain!
Shen Mo's face was calm and unreadable.
He stated flatly, "The one I intend to kill, no one can save. That's my word."
Suddenly, he lifted his foot and stomped down hard as Yao Yunluo looked on in terror.
A wet squelch.
Yao Yunluo's head burst open like a melon.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere!
Then, a small, palm-sized white figure flew out, desperately trying to flee.
Shen Mo seized it and crushed it to dust on the spot.
The newly formed Nascent Soul was exceptionally fragile once separated from its host body, unable to defend itself at all.
Such a sight—Nascent Soul cultivators were figures who could shake the foundations of a prefecture, yet this one was squashed like a mere insect—left the entire gathering in dumbstruck silence.
Furious, Su Changqing's voice roared out, "You dare kill a Shangqing Sect elder? You're courting death!"
He gathered his spirit power, ready to strike at Shen Mo.
Shen Mo remained unfazed, his left hand bracing, building power.
A voice, mocking and playful, cut in.
"Hey, Su Changqing, I don't exactly agree with you."
Everyone turned to look.
It was the man who had been drinking fine wine earlier.
Su Changqing seethed with irritation.
Yes, Lü Dongxuan, you had defeated several Nascent Soul elders before you came here. Of course, Yao Yunluo wouldn't have been among them.
That was obvious.
"Lü Dongxuan, must you interfere?" Su Changqing growled, his voice frosty.
Lü Dongxuan shook his head. "I only have something to say."
He cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "Frankly, I'm very dissatisfied with this Nascent Soul celebration today."
"Sure, the drinks flowed freely, all top-notch. The appetizers were good too, but the atmosphere was lacking. There's no singing or dancing!"
"I, Lü Dongxuan, an elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect, attend your celebration, and you didn't even arrange a performance?"
"Are you looking down on me or the Jade Cauldron Sect?"
"I'm a reasonable person; I'll teach those who disrespect me some reason!"
As he said this, he rolled up his sleeves, revealing his fists.
Ready to talk sense, his way.
Su Changqing's heart skipped a beat as he instinctively took half a step back.
Realizing his own reaction, he was filled with both anger and embarrassment.
He hadn't expected to instinctively fear Lü Dongxuan so much.
The man's reputation truly preceded him!
"Elder of the Jade Cauldron Sect?"
"One of the three great sects of Yuzhou—the Jade Cauldron Sect! I didn't expect they'd send someone here."
"Did you all notice? Elder Su of the Shangqing Sect actually took half a step back instinctively. Just what kind of person is this Lü Dongxuan, to make even him feel fear?"
"I don't know about anything else, but from Lü Dongxuan's words, there's one clear message."
"What message?"
"He's here to cause trouble!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Mo also cast a glance toward Lü Dongxuan, finding himself taking a liking to the man.
Noticing Shen Mo's gaze, Lü Dongxuan gave a chuckle, acknowledging him with a casual nod.
Su Changqing's face darkened. "Lü Dongxuan, are you really going to help him?"
"Don't forget, Qingxuan Sect once aligned with the Danhe Sect, not your Jade Cauldron Sect!"
"You want to recruit him, but aren't you worried the Danhe Sect will turn on you?"
Lü Dongxuan let out a strange laugh. "Whether or not we recruit him is none of your concern."
"Anyway, I know two things: first, Yao Yunluo still isn't a Shangqing Sect Nascent Soul Elder, and second, this Nascent Soul celebration without any music and dancing has really put me in a foul mood. I'm here to stir things up!"
With that, he kicked back in his seat, crossing his legs with a relaxed air that made it clear he'd said his piece and would leave the rest to them.
The cultivators around looked on, stunned.
"Elder Su… Elder Su… please save us…"
Luo Chaotian and the other Shenjian Sect cultivators turned pleadingly to Su Changqing.
There was still a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
Now that Yao Yunluo was dead, they, as members of the Shenjian Sect, would also surely face death before long.
Su Changqing was the only one left who might save them!
Not only Luo Chaotian's group, but also defectors like Yang Tianxing cast anxious glances at Su Changqing.
When word had spread of Yao Yunluo's advance to the Nascent Soul stage, they had defected to the Shenjian Sect, effectively becoming traitors.
If Qingxuan Sect won, then they too would certainly face cleansing.
And… their deaths would likely be even more brutal and swift than that of Luo Chaotian and his companions!
Taking a deep breath, Su Changqing's face became as cold as ice.
Just when everyone thought he was about to strike, he spoke slowly.
"Shen Mo, I'll remember your name."
"If you ever appear in Tianshan Prefecture, I'll see to it you die by my sword!"
Tianshan Prefecture was the Shangqing Sect's ancestral domain, which it had governed for over three thousand years.
The entire region—every city and village—was under Shangqing Sect control.
It was impenetrable, like a nation within a nation.
With that, Su Changqing didn't spare another glance at Yao Yunluo's corpse and promptly rose into the air, disappearing into the horizon.
Any hope in Luo Chaotian's eyes vanished entirely.
In its place, there was only despair.
Yang Tianxing and others slumped to the ground, terror filling their eyes.
"Today's events were far beyond my expectations."
"Congratulations, it seems that Xuanjing Prefecture is destined to unify under Qingxuan Sect."
A voice suddenly echoed.
It was Ji Shilong, who had remained silent for some time.
He cupped his hands toward Shen Mo, his expression showing no anger—only a hint of resignation and acceptance.
Shen Mo glanced at his life panel but said nothing in response, merely returning a polite bow.
Ji Shilong waved a hand. "Shuanghan, let's go. It's time to return to the prefectural office."
"…Understood." Luo Shuanghan hesitated briefly before nodding in reply.
As Ji Shilong prepared to leave, no one tried to stop him.
He represented the imperial court, appointed by Emperor Jing as the magistrate of Yuzhou Prefecture, and not even Shen Mo would openly offend the court.
Shen Mo nodded toward Lü Dongxuan in acknowledgment, and Lü Dongxuan returned the gesture with a smile.
Then, Shen Mo turned to face the remaining cultivators.
His voice rang out, cold and resolute.
"Surrender, and you shall live!"
"Resist, and you shall die!"
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