Chapter 485

Shen Ge gritted his teeth and growled: "Grand Elder Gu Sansheng, late Tiangong Realm, ranks second only to the sect leader in Yaoyue Sect. His time is up."

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow slightly.

Tiangong Realm cultivators live five hundred years; Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivators live eight hundred.

Gu Sansheng, having risen to Grand Elder in Yaoyue Sect, must be at least three or four hundred years old.

Approaching the end of one's lifespan is a reality many strong cultivators cannot accept.

"He doesn't want to die."

Shen Ge's voice grew lower, yet colder, "The Longevity Cult learned of his plight from some unknown source, sent agents to secretly contact him, and gave him the 'Longevity Pill'."

"Longevity Pill?" Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

"Heh, Brother Chen also thinks it's ridiculous, right?"

Shen Ge sneered, "But some people actually believe it extends life by sixty years—unaware that defying Heaven's will carries an even higher price! From the moment they swallow the first pill, there's no turning back."

Chen Mu fell silent.

"That beast!"

Shen Ge continued, fists clenched until his knuckles cracked, "Three years ago, he began poisoning the sect leader. The poison was colorless and tasteless, with an extremely long incubation period—each dose minuscule, accumulating over three years until the sect leader was deeply poisoned."

"On the day of the battle, the sect leader collapsed the moment he unleashed his power—his true energy shattered. The Longevity Cult's experts struck him down on the spot. Had it not been for the Grand Elders fighting to protect him, he wouldn't have escaped alive."

Chen Mu frowned: "What about the sect's protective array? Yaoyue Sect's protective array is said to withstand a full-force strike from a Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator—how could it be broken so easily?"

Shen Ge gave a bitter smile: "Because the core nexus of the array was in Grand Elder's hands."

Chen Mu's gaze sharpened.

"That beast tampered with it!"

Shen Ge's voice brimmed with suppressed rage: "On the day the Longevity Cult attacked, the array activated for less than a cup of tea's time before suddenly failing. That barrier, said to block a Myriad Manifestations Realm strike, shattered like paper under the combined blow of the Longevity Cult's two Supreme Elders."

"Only afterward did we realize: Grand Elder had shut off the array's core seals at the critical moment."

Chen Mu fell silent.

A traitor within is always the most terrifying, the most hateful.

"What about the Yaoyue Ancestor?"

Chen Mu asked again, "A Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator—even if the array fell—could have escaped unimpeded. Why was he surrounded and killed?"

Shen Ge closed his eyes, then opened them after a long while, his eyes filled with grief.

"Because of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword."

"Yaoyue Sect's sect-defining divine weapon?" Chen Mu raised an eyebrow. "Did that Earth-grade weapon also fail?"

"Yes."

Shen Ge's eyes burned with hatred: "The spirit of the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword is bound to the Ancestor's life. Half the reason the Ancestor broke through to Myriad Manifestations was because of that sword. As long as the sword lives, he lives; if the sword dies, he dies."

He paused, voice hoarse: "Gu Sansheng, that beast, used a special artifact provided by the Longevity Cult to sneak into the Sword Pool before the battle and corrupt the Earth-grade weapon."

"That artifact's origin is unknown, yet it could invade the sword's spirit. Once tainted, the spirit fell into slumber—the Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword became a lifeless blade."

"The Ancestor, bound to the sword by life, was immediately counterattacked—his soul damaged, his power reduced to at most three-tenths."

Chen Mu drew a deep breath.

A Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator at three-tenths power, facing two opponents of the same realm—outcome was inevitable.

"It's all because of Gu Sansheng!"

Shen Ge gnashed his teeth, hatred in his eyes nearly solidifying, each word forced through clenched jaws.

"That beast, for his own selfish desires, betrayed the sect, poisoned the leader, destroyed the array, corrupted the divine weapon, and killed the Ancestor!"

"Yaoyue Sect's millennia-long foundation, thousands of disciples—all destroyed by one man!!"

His body trembled slightly, fists clenched so tightly his nails pierced his palms, blood dripping between his fingers.

Chen Mu said nothing, only stood quietly.

He knew, at this moment, any comfort was hollow.

Yaoyue Sect's destruction was a blood-deep vengeance etched into the bones of every surviving disciple.

This vengeance must be washed in the blood of the enemy.

After a long while, Shen Ge finally calmed, unclenched his fists, stared at the deep indentations in his palms, and let out a bitter laugh.

"Forgive me for showing you this, Brother Chen."

Chen Mu shook his head: "It's only human."

Shen Ge gazed at the moon and whispered: "I won't forget. Every Yaoyue disciple won't forget. But now, my first duty is to protect Ranran and the others—to keep them alive. As for revenge..."

He paused, voice chillingly calm: "One day, I will kill him myself."

Chen Mu looked at him—under the moonlight, his pale face held no fury, no madness, only a near-frozen stillness.

That was the stillness of hatred buried deep, transformed into drive.

"How do you plan to kill him?"

Chen Mu asked, as if casually.

Shen Ge blurted out: "Find the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword,' and fuse with it—"

The rest of his words cut off abruptly.

But Chen Mu understood. He snapped his head toward Shen Ge, eyes sharp as blades, voice low and nearly stifled: "You intend to fuse with the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword'—become a Sword Puppet?"

Shen Ge did not answer—but his silence was answer enough.

Chen Mu's expression changed.

Sword Puppet—that was a forbidden technique long lost, sacrificing oneself to an Earth-grade weapon to gain power rivaling a Myriad Manifestations Realm cultivator.

But that power lasts only one strike.

After that one strike, body and soul are bound by the weapon, becoming neither human nor weapon.

Over time, the mind would be corroded by the Earth Soldier, eventually becoming a mindless machine driven only by slaughter.

"Are you mad?"

Chen Mu stared at Shen Ge, his voice low but brimming with unmasked anger: "I know you want revenge, but if you're gone, how long can Xue Shimei and the others hold on? Do you really want Yaoyue Sect to be wiped out completely—not even a single seed left?"

Shen Ge remained silent, eyes lowered, staring at the broken stones beneath his feet.

Moonlight fell on his face; his already pale complexion now looked ghastly, lips pressed into a thin line, jaw clenched tightly.

He offered no rebuttal, no explanation—just stood there, like a withered log.

"Snap!"

Chen Mu raised his hand and slapped him.

He held back his strength; otherwise, with his Heavenly Palace Realm cultivation, he could have turned Shen Ge's head into a pulp.

Even so, Shen Ge staggered backward, half his face swelling instantly, blood streaming from his lip, a back molar spattered with saliva and blood onto the ground.

Shen Ge turned his head aside, slowly raised his hand to wipe his lip, glanced at the blood on his palm, spat out a mouthful of blood, and said nothing.

Chen Mu pointed at him, his finger trembling in midair, then finally swung it down sharply and shook his head.

"Fine, do whatever you want."

He took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, then asked: "But wasn't the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword' taken by the Longlife Cult? Do you know where it is?"

"I know."

Shen Ge finally spoke, his voice hoarse yet carrying an unsettling calm.

Chen Mu stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly waved his hand irritably.

"Alright, I'll be a good man to the end—I'll accompany you to find the 'Moon Shadow Flowing Light Sword' and see you off on your final journey!"