In the Taoist temple, Mu Zixuan's heart skipped a beat when he suddenly met an old acquaintance. He was heavily injured and his perception had declined, so he did not notice that Hu Li had appeared in the temple.
But even so, Mu Zixuan did not panic. He forced himself to calm down and said with a chuckle, "Ha, I didn't expect to meet Second Young Master Hu in the middle of the night in an abandoned temple."
Hu Li stepped forward and picked up a few remaining incense sticks from the incense burner in the Taoist temple and lit them up again. He said, "Since I've come to Shu, I must pay my respects to my relatives who have died in a foreign land. But I didn't expect to meet Brother Mu again and find that Brother Mu has fallen to such a state."
Mu Zixuan naturally did not believe that it was a pure coincidence. During the battle with the Hungry Ghost Sect seven days ago, Huo Zhiwei and the others from the Five Senses Sect had found traces of Hu Li and Hu Yan in the camp of the Hungry Ghost Sect. On the other hand, Hu Yan possessed the Demon Eye, and his ability to see through the minutest details was above that of the Five Senses Sect. With him observing the entire situation from a high vantage point, it was not difficult for him to find Mu Zixuan's whereabouts and report it to Hu Li.
So although Hu Li's appearance was unexpected, it was also reasonable. Mu Zixuan said calmly, "Hu Yu died not far from the Taoist temple, and Hu Bugui died in Shu County. If Second Young Master Hu wants to pay his respects, I can point you in the direction."
"There's no need …" Hu Li bowed from afar and inserted the incense in his hand into the incense burner. "The most important thing isn't the location, but the offerings. As long as the offerings are sufficient, Second Uncle and Third Brother won't care about anything else."
"That's right!" A soft and charming female voice came, and a pair of jade legs hung down from the dirty beam, but not a single speck of dust could be seen. It was already autumn, but her feet were still wearing frivolous sandals, and her toenails were stained with clove juice, like fresh and tender cardamom, stirring people's hearts. "Although Great Alliance Master Mu Da is handsome, and is the type that little sister likes the most, but since you killed Second Uncle and Third Brother, then there is no other way. I can only use you as a sacrifice, to honor Second Uncle and Third Brother's souls!"
Although he couldn't see her appearance clearly, he could tell from her alluring voice that it was Hu Mei Er, who was ranked seventh in the Hu Clan.
Mu Zixuan said, "Seventh Young Lady wants to kill me, but I'm afraid your Second Brother doesn't think so."
As soon as he said this, the jade legs on the roof stiffened and no longer swayed. Hu Li then opened his mouth and said something shocking, "Brother Mu, are you willing to pledge allegiance to our Emperor Bei Long Tian?"
"Second Brother!" Hu Mei Er immediately protested. However, Hu Li continued, "Now, Brother Mu has enemies everywhere in the human race, and good and evil do not tolerate each other. Only by pledging allegiance to the Demon World of the Northern Region will you have a place to live, and Brother Mu's talent is also what our Emperor needs. As long as Brother Mu is willing to pledge allegiance to our Emperor, the Demon Race's Three Venerables will become Four Venerables, and when our Emperor Bei Long unifies the world, he can even make Brother Mu the ruler of the human race, and help our Emperor rule the people of the human race. Isn't that perfect?"
Mu Zixuan was not affected by Hu Li's bewitching words, and laughed lightly, "Ha, I don't know whether Bei Long Tian wants me or the half scroll of the Tomes of Arcane that records the positions of the Nine Cauldrons?"
Hu Li said lightly, "Since Brother Mu has pledged allegiance to our Emperor, he has to show his loyalty. Offering half a scroll of the Tomes of Arcane is only a part of his loyalty, and it can also be used as a sacrifice for my Second Uncle and Third Brother. Our Emperor Bei Long will not mistreat loyal people."
Mu Zixuan revealed a mocking expression, "Won't mistreat? Including Hu Bugui who has done his best for the Emperor Bei Long? But now, it seems that Hu Bugui's nephew is offering a high position to recruit the enemy who killed Hu Bugui! "
"Zeng!"
A demonic aura overflowed from Hu Li's body, shaking the Three Pure Ones statues behind him. This was the uncontrollable release of his anger. However, Hu Li's expression did not change. "Brother Mu, provocation will not change your predicament. Brother Mu, you are a smart man. You should know that although I am recruiting you, you have no choice!"
Hu Li took a step forward, and his body emitted a huge demonic aura. He was born with a body lacking in both heaven and earth, so he could not cultivate demonic aura. However, he could use the Boundless Chapter of the Celestial Fox's Ruyi Technique to temporarily borrow the demonic aura of other demons and store it in his body.
Since he only brought his two sisters-in-law on this trip, it proved that he came prepared. Before he set off, he had fully borrowed vital Qi from the Taoists of the Hungry Ghost Realm. The current Hu Li was an expert worthy of the title of Three Venerables!
Meanwhile, Mu Zixuan was also thinking. His mockery was just to test Hu Li's attitude. The Emperor Bei Long only wanted the Tomes of Arcane. As for whether he wanted Hu Li or not? He guessed that Hu Li did not want him, and did not dare to want him.
If he followed Hu Li to the Demon Realm of the North, he would most likely die. The reason why Hu Li spent so much time and effort to recruit him was most likely because he did not want to make a move directly. He did not want to alarm the people of the Righteous Path and increase the variables. However, if he refused now, with his injuries, he would not be able to fight Hu Li head-on. If he were to alarm the people of the Righteous Path, he would definitely die.
Perhaps he should pretend to agree? This seemed to be the only choice. Or perhaps he could wait until his reinforcements arrived …
"Or, he can choose to die here." At this moment, another voice came from outside the temple. Along with the voice was a young man in black Confucian robes, holding a pocket-sized chessboard in his hand. He was Shen Yizhi, the son of the Confucian Sect. After Shen Yizhi entered, he looked sideways at Mu Zixuan. "Or do you want to wait for reinforcements? But your reinforcements won't be coming! "
As soon as Shen Yizhi finished speaking, he took out a bloodstained cloth and threw it on the ground. The patterns on the cloth stung Mu Zixuan's eyes. This was the secret communication mark of the Imperial Starry Sky. Now that it had fallen into Shen Yizhi's hands, it meant that the mark had been seen through. The marks he left along the way had instead become a talisman that hastened her death.
Looking at the top of the wall outside the Daoist temple, she saw a row of Confucian disciples standing with Luo Xiaoyi at the center. Each of them had their bowstrings drawn, and the arrowheads reflected a cold light in the moonlight.
The two sides confronted each other, instantly forming a three-way battle. The already treacherous situation became even more unpredictable, and the atmosphere became stagnant for a moment.
Mu Zixuan was seriously injured, but she had the Heavenly Book in her possession. She was their target.
Hu Li's cultivation was overwhelming, and the Confucian Sect had the advantage in numbers. The two sides were temporarily balanced, but they were in the hinterland of the Righteous Path. As the Confucian Sect's reinforcements continued to arrive, the balance would be broken.
"Brother Mu, it seems that you don't have time to hesitate." Hu Li spoke first. The Righteous Path had no room to negotiate with Mu Zixuan. If Mu Zixuan wanted to break out of the encirclement, she had to join forces with him. As for him, should he sneak attack Mu Zixuan first, seize the Heavenly Book, and break out of the encirclement alone? Or should he join forces with Mu Zixuan?
"Second Young Master Hu, you don't seem to have time to relax here. Are you still not going to give up?" Shen Yizhi glanced sideways at Hu Li. At this time, he still needed to be wary of Hu Li's unpredictable cultivation. Should he delay until the reinforcements arrived, and then kill both of them together? Or should he persuade Hu Li to leave first to ensure that the encirclement and killing of Mu Zixuan would be foolproof?
The confrontation of words and the probing of eyes had unknowingly gone on for thousands of rounds.
At this time, he heard Mu Zixuan's clear laughter. "Ha, aren't my reinforcements right here!"
As she spoke, Mu Zixuan exerted all her remaining strength. As the weakest side, she actually took the initiative to attack Shen Yizhi with her palm.
"Release the arrows!" Luo Xiaoyi, the leader of the archery world, immediately shot an arrow when he saw Mu Zixuan attack Shen Yizhi. The long arrow cut off Mu Zixuan's palm energy. At the same time, he gave an order. In an instant, the Confucian Sect's disciples shot out in unison. Arrows rained down on Mu Zixuan inside the Taoist temple.
Mu Zixuan was forced to withdraw her palm energy by Luo Xiaoyi's arrows. However, she immediately put her hands behind her back and completely ignored the rain of arrows. Even if she was about to be riddled with holes in the next moment, she did not resist at all.
"Ai!" Seeing that Mu Zixuan was as still as a mountain, Hu Li let out a sigh. Demonic essence gushed out of his body and transformed into the head of a fox, swallowing the rain of arrows for Mu Zixuan.
The moment Hu Li made his move, Mu Zixuan immediately pushed off the ground and broke through the roof of the Taoist temple.
Mu Zixuan had already calculated that if Shen Yizhi continued to wait, the Confucian Sect's reinforcements would only increase. Thus, he had to act immediately.
And if he died, Hu Li would have no time to search for the Heavenly Tomes, much less escape from the rain of arrows with his corpse. Thus, Mu Zixuan gambled with his life on the line, forcing Hu Li to save him. The moment Hu Li and the Confucian Sect attacked, Mu Zixuan fled without hesitation. With a few leaps, he disappeared into the night.
And with Mu Zixuan's departure, Hu Li and the Confucian Sect stopped fighting. With Mu Zixuan's escape, there was no point in continuing to fight when the two sides were evenly matched.
Hu Li withdrew his demonic essence and smiled at Shen Yizhi. "Young Master Shen, this is the third time we've met. Do you want to chat a bit more, or do you want to go after Mu Zixuan first?"
Shen Yizhi remained expressionless. "The key to surrounding and killing is not to kill, but to surround and kill. As long as the encirclement is not broken, killing is inevitable. I'm not in a hurry, but your brothers seem to be even more anxious than I am!"
When Hu Li heard this, the smile on his face disappeared. He immediately said, "Seventh Sister, let's go!"
With that, he led Hu Mei 'er out of the temple. Shen Yizhi didn't stop them. He held the pocket-sized chessboard in one hand and watched Hu Li's departing figure. "The wise are emotionless. Too much emotion leads to insanity. Hu Li, don't let your brothers drag you down to your death!"
- = -
The moment Hu Li left the temple, he cast his gaze towards the distant peak and saw that Hu Yan's figure was nowhere to be seen.
Before they set off, he had given Hu Yan repeated orders. Hu Yan only needed to find Mu Zixuan's whereabouts and inform him. He must not be impatient for revenge and chase after Mu Zixuan alone.
But he still underestimated Hu Yan's hatred towards Mu Zixuan. After all, even he himself almost couldn't suppress the urge to tear Mu Zixuan into a thousand pieces.
But he was the Demon World's brain. He had to be calm and not be affected by his emotions. He had to maximize the benefits of the Demon Race. For this, he could use the deaths of his Second Uncle and Third Brother as bargaining chips. He could talk and laugh with the blood feud. But these … Hu Yan couldn't do them.
His younger brother, Hu Yan, Hu Xiaojiu, who was the most talkative, could no longer speak since he accepted the Demon Race's mission from the dead Third Brother Hu Yu. He could only suppress the hatred in his heart and let it accumulate. He had nowhere to vent it. He could only wait for the day of revenge that he had promised him. Day after day, Hu Yan finally couldn't wait any longer. His hatred exploded!
Hu Li's heart was filled with a rare sense of anxiety. He knew that Mu Zixuan was injured. He also knew that Hu Yan's cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds in recent years. But even so, Mu Zixuan wasn't someone that Hu Yan could easily deal with. Although the tiger and leopard were injured, they were even more ferocious. Moreover, Mu Zixuan was far stronger than the tiger and leopard.
He sprinted, his heart beating wildly, but he forced himself to calm down. His eyes imprinted everything around him in his heart. He observed, analyzed, speculated, and tried his best to find all traces of Hu Yan …
Finally, in the messy forest, he found Hu Yan kneeling on the ground. Obviously, a battle had broken out in front of him and ended in a short moment. But fortunately, Hu Yan was still alive.
Hu Yan's hair was draped over his shoulders. Under the cover of his hair, tears secretly dripped from his chin. Since the death of his uncle and brother, he had been practicing day and night, forgetting to eat and sleep. His gifted magical power, Emerald Flame Evil Eyes, had been fully developed. He had also inherited the Demon Race from his Third Brother Hu Yu. He felt that his progress was very fast, but … but that Mu Zixuan had also made such progress!
Even though she was injured, she could still defeat him easily!
Hu Yan wasn't afraid of being inferior to others. He could try his best to catch up and make up for the time he had wasted in the past. But looking at him, he was afraid. Even if he tried his best to catch up, the distance between the two of them was still expanding, expanding into an insurmountable gap that made him despair …
Seeing that Hu Yan had only suffered some injuries and was still safe, Hu Li unconsciously let out a sigh of relief. Then, his face darkened, pretending that he didn't see Hu Yan's tears. "Not listening to orders and acting rashly, no matter if it's military law or family rules, you have already committed a capital offense!"
"Second Brother, don't scare me. Little Jiu was just impatient for revenge!" Hu Mei Er saw that Hu Li's words were serious and her beautiful face paled. She hurriedly pressed down on Hu Yan's head and said, "Little Jiu, quickly apologize to Second Brother. Aiya, you don't know how to speak. You should know how to kowtow, quickly beg for Second Brother's forgiveness!"
Hu Yan was so stupefied that his head was pressed down. His face was stuck in the mud and his tears mixed with the mud, sticking to his face.
However, Hu Li changed the topic and said, "However, this crime is on me. I am the one who can no longer gain your trust. I once promised you that I would take revenge for Second Uncle and Third Brother sooner or later, but time and time again, I always told you to endure and then cooperate with the murderer. I even used their deaths as a bargaining chip to obtain more favorable conditions … Not to mention you, even I don't believe that I really have the heart to take revenge for them …"
"Therefore, you can no longer believe in me, but you must believe in yourself. Recognize the difference between you and your enemy. Then, you must improve your cultivation. There is no one in this world who is flawless. The next time you make a move, you must succeed. I will leave the blood feud of my family to you!"
After saying this, Hu Li turned around and left.
"Let's go! Why are you still kneeling? From now on, I can't do without you! "Seeing that, Hu Mei Er kicked Hu Yan.
However, Hu Yan didn't immediately get up. Instead, he kowtowed in the direction of Hu Li, thanking his older brother for his protection and guidance …
- =
After escaping from the Daoist temple, Mu Zixuan once again encountered Hu Yan, who was trying to kill her.
Fortunately, there was only one opponent, and Mu Zixuan didn't have the time to tangle with him. First, she pretended to be weak, and then she exchanged injuries for injuries. In the end, she defeated Hu Yan in a flash, but she also added new injuries to his body.
There was no time to slowly treat his injuries, so he randomly sprinkled the medicinal powder he had taken from the Daoist temple on the wounds on his shoulder and back. Then, he swallowed several medicinal pills. Although he didn't have the time to digest the medicinal power, he felt that the scattered true qi in his dantian had already gathered together, and it could be said that there was some effect.
However, he knew that the situation hadn't improved, but had instead become even more serious!
The appearance of the Confucian Sect proved that his whereabouts had already been discovered. Next, the spread out search net would shrink, and the enemy would come from all directions, constantly consuming his physical strength and true qi, and aggravating his injuries. Under the continuous encirclement and interception, the direction he could run would be controlled, and when his essence, qi, and spirit were exhausted to the extreme, the net would completely tighten, binding him to death.
It was the same at this time.
He was like a lonely pawn, under the encirclement of the enemy, unconsciously being led to the direction the enemy wanted him to go.
So, he escaped into a bamboo forest.
Mu Zixuan suddenly realized that he knew this place. This place was called the Leisurely Bamboo Forest, which was the road from the center of Sichuan to the Way of Heaven. Because it was connected to the Cave, it was full of Spiritual Aura, and it was suitable … for setting a tactical formation!
Mu Zixuan's heart sank, and he was about to leave this place, but he saw that the surrounding forest of bamboos were like stars in the sky, each moving in an unpredictable trajectory, like the rotation of Yin and Yang, and the rotation of the five elements. How could he distinguish the direction?
With the movement of the bamboo forest, a figure who had been waiting for a long time also appeared in the bamboo forest.
Seeing this, Mu Zixuan didn't try to escape anymore. He gathered all his true qi, pushed it to the limit, and slowly walked forward. In front of him was the most difficult battle. "Sure enough, it's you, and it should've been you long ago. Bird Chirping!"
In front of him, Ji Fengming was standing with a fan in her hand, looking up at the moon in the secluded bamboo, as if she was reminiscing. "Month after month, it's the full moon again. Tonight's moon, isn't it the same as thirteen years ago when we first met?"
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