Chapter 720: Mutual Slaughter Among Sect Members, Nascent-Forming Pill (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The person before them was none other than Wu Xiang, who had been the first to track the white-haired old man into the cave earlier.

However, at this moment, he was being pursued by a ball of fierce flames. Relying on a jade tablet magic treasure to resist, he was fleeing desperately forward. His magic robe had already been burned through with several large holes, looking utterly disheveled.

Having been trapped in this Yin-Yang Eight Extremes Array for so long, Song Qingming knew well the lethality of the Yin-Yang water and fire within. If not for the "Mystic Ice Bead" magic treasure belonging to Xia Mo and the "Heavenly Dipper Five Elements Array" he had set up, it would have been difficult for both of them to hold on until now.

He had assumed that Wu Xiang had long since run out of magic power and been swallowed by the Yin-Yang water and fire in the array, or had already been captured by the opponent. He truly had not expected that Wu Xiang, alone, could have held on until now, and a look of surprise could not help but appear on his face.

Before Song Qingming and the others could call out to him, Wu Xiang turned and discovered the "Heavenly Dipper Five Elements Array" where they were located. He immediately increased his escape speed and closed in toward Song Qingming’s side.

"Junior Sister Xia, Fellow Daoist Song, it is truly fortunate that you are both unharmed!"

Seeing Song Qingming and Xia Mo hiding within the "Heavenly Dipper Five Elements Array," a trace of joy instantly appeared on Wu Xiang's face.

Without waiting for him to continue speaking, Song Qingming, who was inside the grand array, immediately opened a corner of the formation and brought the exhausted Wu Xiang inside.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, I didn't expect you to be safe as well. After we entered, we didn't see your figure and thought you had met with misfortune." Seeing Wu Xiang walk in, Song Qingming immediately stepped forward and greeted him with a smile.

"Sigh! At the time, I wanted to pursue and capture the enemy, but I never expected to lose their trail shortly after entering the cave. When I turned back, I realized that you had also disappeared."

"I wandered in that cave for a long time without finding a way out, only then realizing that I had fallen into a trap set by the opponent. It is just a pity that I do not understand the way of arrays and could not find an exit after a long time."

"Later, this strange Yang fire appeared and kept chasing me. I only managed to escape to this place with great difficulty. Fortunately, the heavens did not abandon me, and I unexpectedly encountered you while being chased by this Yang fire. Otherwise, I fear my life would have been forfeit here today."

"This old fellow is truly insidious; he actually set up such a powerful magic array here, trapping us all inside. I don't know how Junior Sister Han is doing now."

Upon seeing Song Qingming and the other, Wu Xiang immediately recounted his recent experiences with some resentment, not forgetting to worry about Han Yutong, who was still alone outside.

"Oh! So that is how it is. Fellow Daoist Wu is indeed lucky. The two of us encountered this Yin-Yang water and fire shortly after entering the cave and have been unable to escape, only able to rely on the grand array to temporarily resist."

"This array is indeed quite powerful. Fellow Daoist Xia and I have studied it for a long time but still cannot think of a way to escape. For now, we can only remain trapped here." Seeing Wu Xiang still worrying about Han Yutong outside, Song Qingming also sighed helplessly.

Hearing this, Wu Xiang could not help but blame himself, saying: "Alas! It is all my fault for being impatient, which is why I fell into the opponent's trap. Who knew that old brat still had this trick up his sleeve."

"Now, not only have we failed to rescue Junior Sister He, but we are also trapped here, and Junior Sister Han's fate is unknown. If something happens to her as well, how will I answer to the Martial Uncle when I return?"

"Good people have their own heavenly protection; Senior Brother Wu need not blame yourself too much. Now that we are trapped in a cage ourselves, even if we wanted to go out and rescue Junior Sister Han, we would be powerless."

"It is better to first recover our state, and then discuss it once we find a way to escape!"

Hearing Xia Mo's comfort, Wu Xiang's face looked a bit better. He hurriedly found a corner, took out a mid-grade spirit stone, and began to meditate to recover his own spiritual power.

After the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Wu Xiang's magic power had finally recovered seven or eight-tenths, and his complexion was much better than before, gradually returning to normal.

"Junior Sister Xia, Fellow Daoist Song, the water and fire outside seem to have weakened significantly now. Should we go out and check the situation to see if we can find a way out?"

Hearing Wu Xiang's suggestion, Song Qingming glanced at him and immediately shook his head, saying: "This array is quite tricky; it is not something we can find a way to break easily."

"Moreover, the Yin-Yang water and fire outside the grand array are controlled by an array master. Once we go out and the opponent suddenly launches an attack, I fear it will not be so easy for us to return. Fellow Daoist Wu, it is best not to take this risk."

"Oh! This array is truly powerful. I do not understand arrays; I have let you see a joke." Hearing Song Qingming's explanation, Wu Xiang hurriedly cupped his hands to express his apology.

"Who is there?"

Just as Song Qingming and the other were speaking, a strange spiritual power suddenly appeared outside the grand array, startling Xia Mo, who was meditating with her eyes closed.

Hearing Xia Mo's voice, Song Qingming and Wu Xiang immediately turned their heads to look outside the grand array, only to see a strange purple light appearing out of nowhere outside the "Heavenly Dipper Five Elements Array" protective shield.

"Not good, someone wants to destroy the array eye!"

Song Qingming shouted and prepared to rush out of the array to stop the opponent, but Xia Mo's movements were faster than his. Her figure had already turned into an escape light, blocking in front of that purple light.

Seeing that Xia Mo's flower basket magic treasure had already been released and aimed at him, that somewhat strange purple light flashed and left its original position, turning into a mysterious person wrapped in a purple robe.

After the purple-robed person dodged Xia Mo's strike, he immediately cast a spell with both hands. A flying sword magic treasure had already appeared in front of him, and he launched a counterattack directly toward Xia Mo's position.

At the same time, the Yin-Yang water and fire, which had already become somewhat calm, suddenly became extremely fierce and attacked toward Xia Mo's side.

With the opponent's coordination with the array's Yin-Yang water and fire, Xia Mo was caught off guard for a moment and could only use a defensive magic treasure to resist desperately.

Seeing that Xia Mo was somewhat unable to defeat the opponent, Wu Xiang immediately said to Song Qingming beside him: "Fellow Daoist Song, you guard here, I will go help Junior Sister Xia."

Afterward, without waiting for Song Qingming's reply, the somewhat anxious Wu Xiang flew out of the array and used a golden flying knife magic treasure he had on him, beginning to accumulate power in mid-air.

A moment later, Wu Xiang, having poured most of his magic power into the magic treasure in his hand, launched a strenuous strike and threw the flying knife in his hand directly out.

However, what was somewhat unexpected was that under Wu Xiang's control, the target of this flying knife's attack was not the mysterious purple-robed person not far away, but an array eye of the "Heavenly Dipper Five Elements Array" located not far behind him.

With such a close-range strike accumulating power, Wu Xiang already had great confidence in destroying an array eye. Seeing that his magic treasure was about to attack the array eye position, a strange smile suddenly appeared on his face.

But before Wu Xiang could be happy for a moment, a huge bronze mirror suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of the array eye, blocking his desperately controlled flying knife magic treasure less than a zhang away from the array eye.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, what is your intention here?"

Earlier, when Song Qingming saw Wu Xiang suddenly appear in the "Five Elements Heavenly Dipper Array," seeing that the other could hold on for so long in this "Yin-Yang Eight Extremes Array," Song Qingming had actually been puzzled for a long time.

Especially when Wu Xiang later explained that it was because he was lucky and did not encounter the grand array's attack at the beginning, which allowed him to persist and find them, Song Qingming was even more suspicious of his words.

Nowadays, in this life-and-death battle, once the opponent makes a move, they will absolutely not leave any room for maneuver. Relying on such luck to survive, no matter how one looks at it, feels somewhat strange.

Therefore, just as Wu Xiang left the grand array, Song Qingming had already followed closely behind him out of the array, timely guarding against this strike from the opponent that wanted to destroy the array eye.

Seeing Song Qingming, who had also arrived outside the grand array, staring at him with a puzzled face, Wu Xiang realized that the other had clearly been on guard against him for a long time, which was why he could timely block his flying knife magic treasure.

"Fellow Daoist Song, what do you mean by this? Why are you attacking me?"

Before Song Qingming could speak of the opponent's strange actions just now, Wu Xiang suddenly bit back at Song Qingming and retreated directly to Xia Mo's side.

Xia Mo, who was wholeheartedly fighting the purple-robed person, also hurriedly disengaged from the battle and retreated, scanning Song Qingming and Wu Xiang not far away with some confusion.

"Junior Sister Xia, be careful! Song Qingming is the traitor among us. Earlier, when Junior Sister He suddenly went missing, I already suspected this brat. It turns out he really is in league with the opponent."

Seeing Wu Xiang slandering him in front of Xia Mo, Song Qingming just looked at the other with a smile and did not open his mouth to argue or explain a single word.

Xia Mo, who had just retreated, scanned Song Qingming and Wu Xiang, then looked at the purple-robed person not far away. Seeing this situation, a trace of sorrow could not help but reveal itself in her eyes.

"Junior Sister Xia, this place is truly too dangerous. I will cover you, you go first..."

"Senior Brother Wu, if you want to leave, then leave. I will not leave." Before Wu Xiang could finish speaking, Xia Mo suddenly opened her mouth to interrupt his words.

"Junior Sister Xia, what do you mean? Are you actually willing to believe this outsider surnamed Song rather than believe your Senior Brother's words?" Hearing Xia Mo's words, a look of surprise suddenly appeared on Wu Xiang's face, and he looked at her with some confusion.

"Senior Brother Wu, I will say it again. If you want to leave, then leave immediately. I will not stop you. This is your last chance to leave. I hope you can think clearly before making a decision."

Xia Mo's words were spoken for Wu Xiang to hear, but her eyes were always tightly fixed on the purple-robed person not far in front of her, seemingly not paying too much attention to Wu Xiang on the side.

Seeing this scene, Wu Xiang's face was still somewhat puzzled. Just as he was about to continue explaining, the purple-robed person not far away suddenly opened her mouth to interrupt his words.

"Enough! You don't need to continue acting anymore. She has long since seen through our identities. Now, even if we want to take a step back, there is no way out." The purple-robed person's voice carried a hint of gentleness; she was clearly a woman, and her voice sounded somewhat familiar to Song Qingming, clearly having been heard somewhere before.

Seeing the purple-robed person, who had been silent just now, suddenly speak, the expression of Wu Xiang, who was standing not far from Song Qingming and the others, suddenly changed. He immediately revealed a hint of ferocity, no longer having the "good person" appearance from just a moment ago.

Afterward, Wu Xiang suddenly flashed his escape light and moved away from Song Qingming and the other, arriving beside the purple-robed person not far away.

Xia Mo stared tightly at the two not far away and said softly: "Master had just entered seclusion to cultivate when Junior Sister He suddenly went missing. Immediately after, you, this Senior Sister, also happened to be away from the palace. Only I was left to come and investigate this matter. All these coincidences seem to be pushed by you in the dark."

"To deal with me alone, you spent so much effort to set up this trap here. Senior Brother Wu, Senior Sister Chen, if I am not mistaken, you must have been plotting this for a long time, right!"

"Hahaha, I have to say, that you could see through Junior Brother Wu's scheme and guess our identities so quickly is indeed beyond my expectations."

"It is said that Junior Sister Xia is as clever as ice and snow, and even Master is always praising you in front of me. How could we not plan carefully to deal with a clever person like you?"

After the purple-robed person chuckled, she immediately tore off the disguise covering her head, revealing a very mature woman's face.

At this moment, finally seeing the identity of the purple-robed person clearly, Song Qingming remembered that when he visited He Mengxin in the East Sea decades ago, he had also had a brief encounter with the purple-robed woman before him.

This purple-robed woman who was hiding behind the scenes and planning all of this was Chen Yurong, the Great Elder of the "Hundred Flowers Palace," who had participated in the exchange meeting at the nearby "Red Dragon Island" together with Song Qingming and He Mengxin back then.

Although it was their first meeting at the time, Chen Yurong's impression on Song Qingming was still quite good. As the Great Elder, she had also taken quite good care of He Mengxin and the other junior sisters at the exchange meeting.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Song Qingming would have found it hard to imagine that Chen Yurong, as a Golden Core Great Elder who had entered the core of power of the "Hundred Flowers Palace," would actually collude with Wu Xiang and outsiders to set a trap to deal with the sect's Saintess, Xia Mo.

Seeing the appearance of Chen Yurong, who was plotting all of this behind the scenes, Song Qingming, who had originally had a puzzled expression, finally saw the whole situation clearly.

And Xia Mo, standing beside him, seemed not to be too surprised by the appearance of Chen Yurong and Wu Xiang. Her face always maintained a very calm expression, and she even wanted to persuade Wu Xiang to stop in time.

However, Wu Xiang, standing beside Chen Yurong, did not pay too much attention to Xia Mo's previous words. Standing beside Chen Yurong, he now looked at Song Qingming and Xia Mo, his eyes filled only with ferocity.

Chen Yurong looked at Xia Mo with a light smile, seemingly somewhat displeased in her heart that she still had a calm expression after seeing her.

"Junior Sister Xia, although you have seen through our layout, a wise man will surely have a mistake in a thousand thoughts. You are now trapped here by us; don't you think it's a bit too late to discover these things?"

Xia Mo's gaze was still tightly fixed on Chen Yurong. After a long while, she asked earnestly: "Senior Sister Chen, although I have figured out these problems now, there is still one point I don't quite understand. Senior Sister, why are you doing this?"

"Since I entered the sect, I have always respected you for so many years. Even if Xia Mo has done something insufficient on weekdays, it is not worth you designing to harm me like this! Before coming to the Floating Cloud Mountain Range, I had long felt that someone was watching me behind my back, but I didn't expect that the person behind the scenes would be you, Senior Sister."

"Please, Senior Sister, explain to me now why you would rather betray the sect than choose to take action against me. Have you never thought about how sad Master would be if she knew about this?"

Facing Xia Mo's inquiry, Chen Yurong changed her previous dignified manner and revealed a fierce smile: "Junior Sister Xia, at this point, there is no need for you to continue pretending. Do you really not know why I am doing this?"

"Master and the others always feel that your cultivation talent is better than mine, and all good things must be left for you first. Now, even if it concerns my Dao path, I still need to make concessions for you, Junior Sister."

"Now, it is time for me to take back some things. Senior Sister will accept the Nascent-Forming Pill on your body first."

"Junior Sister, you can rest assured. After you die, I will not betray the sect. When I return, I will explain this matter to Master properly, and I will definitely not let her old self be sad."

"From now on, the Hundred Flowers Palace will just have one less Saintess like you, and a new Saintess will soon appear. It will not have much impact. Once I condense the Nascent Soul, the sect will be even more powerful in the East Sea cultivation world than before."

When Chen Yurong spoke to the end, there was already a hint of excitement in her eyes, as if she were about to become a Nascent Soul cultivator and stand at the top of the cultivation world.

Hearing Chen Yurong's confession, Xia Mo's face still did not change much, she just sighed slightly and said: "Although Master is more optimistic that I will be able to condense the Nascent Soul in the future, she has always been cultivating you with care, Senior Sister."

"Back then, you also obtained a Nascent-Forming Pill, but you still failed to break through your cultivation. Even if you get the pill on me, Senior Sister, do you think you can definitely succeed in advancing to the Nascent Soul realm? Moreover, I did not bring the Nascent-Forming Pill with me this time. I fear this will disappoint you, Senior Sister!"

"Hehe! You don't need to worry about that, Junior Sister. As long as you die, I will be the only one in the sect who can form the Nascent Soul now. Regardless of whether the Nascent-Forming Pill is on you or not, Master will support me in condensing the Nascent Soul at that time."

"I have a secret method in my hand that can increase the probability of advancing to the Nascent Soul. As long as there is another Nascent-Forming Pill, the probability of breaking through to the Nascent Soul will be at least 30% or more. It is already worth it for me to gamble on this."

"It's a pity that Master is unwilling to believe in me one more time and would rather pin all the hopes of condensing the Nascent Soul on you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to plan for many years and take this inferior strategy."

"Junior Sister Xia, if Master had two Nascent-Forming Pills in her hand now, I wouldn't want to be your enemy either."

"But in front of the Great Dao of cultivation, you and I only have this one chance to advance to the Nascent Soul. If I don't fight for it, I can only sit in the cave and wait for death for the rest of my life."

"Since ancient times in the cultivation world, how many so-called opportunities are destined by heaven? Don't the so-called struggles for the Great Dao all depend on one's own life to fight for them in the end? If you want to blame someone, blame this world for being too cruel!"

"This cultivation world is indeed very cruel, forcing people to slaughter each other among sect members."

"However, you said one thing wrong, Senior Sister. You only have this one chance to advance to the Nascent Soul, but even without this pill, I still have a chance to break through to the Nascent Soul."

"Perhaps you won't believe it, but if Master asked me to give up this Nascent-Forming Pill to you, I would definitely not have much hesitation."

"Senior Sister, you think you have a 30% probability of condensing the Nascent Soul, but what you don't know is that in Master's eyes, I fear your chance of breaking through to the Nascent Soul is not even half a percent."

"Even if I die here today, even if Master chooses to support other junior sisters to condense the Nascent Soul, she will definitely not choose to leave this Nascent-Forming Pill to you."

"Enough! Whether I can break through to the Nascent Soul realm is my business in the future. Anyway, you won't have a chance to see it. Today, you just need to die."

Hearing Xia Mo say that she had no hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul, Chen Yurong's face changed drastically, and she scolded angrily in a fit of pique.

However, Xia Mo's expression remained unchanged, and she continued to speak: "Senior Sister, I have long felt that someone in the sect was watching me these years, but I didn't expect it to be you and Senior Brother Wu."

"Since we have talked to this point today, I have one last word to tell you."

"If the two of you are willing to take a step back, leave the sect from now on, and stay far away from the East Sea cultivation world, perhaps there is still a glimmer of life. If you are still obsessed and don't realize your mistakes, then don't blame me for cleaning up the sect for Master."

After saying this, another transparent crystal ball appeared in Xia Mo's hand; it was the magic treasure "Mystic Ice Bead" she had used before.

Seeing Xia Mo still persuading her to stop, Chen Yurong suddenly let out a few chuckles and said with a mocking face: "Xia Mo, oh Xia Mo, I really don't know if you are too naive."

"It's already this point, and you still expect us to let you go? We have cultivated for hundreds of years longer than you, how could we be bluffed by a single sentence of yours."

"Junior Sister Xia, you underestimate us too much!"

After Chen Yurong finished speaking, she didn't say anything more. Her flying sword magic treasure had already been released and came directly to kill Xia Mo.

Wu Xiang, who was beside her, revealed a hint of ferocity in his eyes. His dual-blade magic treasure was also quickly sacrificed and followed Chen Yurong to force Xia Mo's position.

Following their actions were the Yin-Yang water and fire that had been surrounding everyone. At this moment, their momentum suddenly rose several times, and under the control of the white-haired old man controlling the grand array, they turned into two giant pythons and rolled directly toward Xia Mo.

However, facing the attacks of Chen Yurong and the other, as well as the Yin-Yang water and fire, Xia Mo was calm and unhurried, driving the "Mystic Ice Bead" magic treasure in her hand, directly freezing everything around her.

Afterward, she said to Song Qingming beside her: "Fellow Daoist Song, they are all members of our sect, so I won't trouble you. You can retreat and guard the grand array first."

"This... Fairy Xia, we only need to hide in the array and persist for a few days. When Siyuan and the sect's reinforcements arrive, they will definitely retreat in the face of difficulties."

"Now, there is no need to take risks outside and fight them for your life." Seeing Xia Mo wanting to take action outside the grand array and deal with Chen Yurong and the other alone, Song Qingming was also somewhat puzzled and hurriedly persuaded her.

Although Xia Mo's supernatural powers and means were extraordinary, and she had many magic treasures on her, her fighting ability was definitely top-notch among Golden Core cultivators.

However, the opponent had two Golden Core ninth-layer cultivators, who were also not weak. Coupled with the help of the Yin-Yang water and fire in the "Yin-Yang Eight Extremes Array," Xia Mo wanting to defeat them alone was, in Song Qingming's view, definitely a risky move.