Grudge Breaker

Chapter 374 Split Operations -
The hundreds of people who were originally crowded on the mountain road rushed into Goddess Peak, and then disappeared like a handful of rice scattered on the beach. Not only were there no shadows, but the smell of people could not be detected at all.

Under the crescent moon, a black dot appeared in the empty forest as if it had teleported, and wherever it went, a faint scream, distorted by the wind, could be heard.

"Ahhh!"

"Mr. Mo, are you fleeing a disaster or running for your life? Slow down, I'm getting carsick!"

On the sword, Mo Tingfeng ignored Song Weichen's "wailing" and flew extremely fast, but it didn't seem to have a clear destination. It just darted around Goddess Peak. Song Weichen's face was stinging from the flying hair and the wind. She couldn't break free and could only curse all the way.

They finally stopped in front of a secluded cave that had been protected by a barrier. Before Song Weichen could even stand up, he was pulled into the cave.

Everything finally returned to calm.

"Angry?"

Mo Tingfeng was clearly suppressing a laugh as he gently smoothed Song Weichen's messy hair.

Actually, he wasn't just flying around randomly; he was using the Sky Escape Technique. Using this technique, not only cultivators, but even gods and ghosts couldn't find his whereabouts. Before the ranking trial ended, he would inevitably use the Sky Escape Technique frequently at the Goddess Summit. Mo Tingfeng deliberately didn't tell her beforehand, wanting to test Song Weichen's tolerance—and good, the fact that she could curse and grumble the whole way meant she was perfectly fine.

“There are many eyes and ears here. Before we and you disguised our identities, everything was in the open, so we had no choice but to do this, which caused you to suffer.”

"Ah."

Song Weichen crossed his arms and sneered.
"Before you desperately fled, Cang Yue clearly wanted to talk to me, why did you pretend you didn't see her?"

"This one……"

Mo Tingfeng seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.
“Cang Yue’s trip was too high-profile. I’m worried that too much contact with her under the current circumstances might be detrimental to you.”

"Moreover, Hua Zhezhan was nearby at the time. I always felt that her motives for suddenly agreeing to participate in this trial as an observer from the Lord's Mansion were questionable, especially for you... It's better to be careful."

Song Weichen clearly didn't buy Mo Tingfeng's explanation. Gu Cangyue wasn't a newcomer to being a hotshot; it would be abnormal for him to suddenly become low-key! And what's with this talk about Hua Zhezhan being suspicious? She did help her at the Lord's Mansion, so it's normal for Xiao Hua to have feelings for her!

"I think the person who should be most careful is you, Mr. Mo. Have you become a spirit of West Lake Vinegar Fish? Jealousy doesn't discriminate between men and women. You damn controlling dog of a man."

Seeing that the conversation between the two was about to turn sour, Ding Heran, who had been waiting in the corner, glanced at Ye Wujiu, who seemed to be in a trance beside her, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and step in to smooth things over.

"Ahem, sir, Brother Wei and Madam Jing are waiting, they're in a hurry...why don't you change your clothes?"

This cave was a temporary base that Ding Heran and Ye Wujiu had set up in advance when they came here before. It contained the things that the four of them needed for this trip.

Mo Tingfeng had carefully considered the matter beforehand. During the trial, Song Weichen must not appear in the white robe identity. Otherwise, due to the previous white robe's bad reputation in the martial arts world, she would most likely be targeted and attacked.

Therefore, she was dressed in women's clothing suitable for traversing the mountains and forests, just like an ordinary participating sorcerer, which was the safest option. As for Mo Tingfeng himself, although he took off his black robe and put on ordinary close-fitting clothes, everyone was familiar with his face, and his aura was undeniable, so there was no need for him to deliberately conceal his identity.

This means that Song Weichen cannot be with him all the time on this trip, otherwise his identity will probably be exposed soon.

……

Seeing Song Weichen come out after changing her clothes and straightening her sleeves, Mo Tingfeng looked at her with a thousand and one worries.

"Weiwei, summon Xiaobiezhi."

"Huh? Oh."

"father!"

As soon as Xiao Biezhi was summoned, it pounced on Mo Tingfeng, but the latter used magic to freeze it in mid-air, and a golden sand-like substance entered its mouth.

"Al?"

The little paw touched the pink and plump mouth, and it seemed that something was different?

"Little Chic, do you know my name?"

"Hey... Daddy's dad is called Grandpa... Hey, wrong. What's your name, Daddy?"

"Remember this, my name is Mo Tingfeng."

"After two cups of tea, you called my name."

After Mo Tingfeng finished speaking, he vanished in a flash, leaving Xiao Biezhi completely bewildered. However, Song Weichen understood that he had also set a summoning restriction for Xiao Biezhi.

Sure enough, with a sweet, childlike voice calling "Motingfeng," he appeared, then patted the little guinea pig's head approvingly.

"You're very clever, little one."

"Remember, if the boss is in danger, you must call my name immediately."

"Okay, Dad! Honestly, this trick really works! Can I try it again, Mo—"

Before the little meatball could finish calling its name, Song Weichen took it back into the Puppet Realm. "Why did you set a name-summoning restriction on it? The little meatball is unreliable. What if it calls for you in the Puppet Realm? I don't know how to get you out."

"It won't."

Mo Tingfeng gently took Song Weichen's hand.

"Xiao Biezhi is a lot like you; she may be mischievous, but she would never do anything reckless."

“Weiwei… what happened at the Ghost Market must never happen again. I can’t bear to think about what would happen if you were in danger and couldn’t speak up, or if you were in an even worse situation and I wasn’t there for you. I… just having that thought makes me feel like I’ll go crazy.”

"Promise me that you will summon Little Biezhi when I am not around. Don't worry about wasting puppet energy. Goddess Peak will definitely not be peaceful for the next half month. I believe you will have a chance to replenish your puppet energy."

Mo Tingfeng wanted to give further instructions, but Song Weichen forcibly interrupted his spellcasting.

"Okay, okay, I heard you with both ears. Don't worry, I value my life and will take good care of myself."

"Although I have no interest in saving Lao Longjing, I can understand Madam Jing's feelings very well. You should go see her quickly."

Song Weichen looked around. The cave was brightly lit, making it an ideal place to lie down and relax.

"Actually... if you're really worried, I can hide here for half a month until the trial is over, and then go out as a white-robed person. Anyway, there's a barrier, so it's perfectly safe."

Mo Tingfeng remained silent, but Ding Heran spoke up instead.

“Brother Wei, this won’t do. We’ve already thought of this method.”

"The barrier at the cave entrance is only a temporary expedient. It won't be long before other sorcerers discover it. If a Class A sorcerer—especially that man in black—sets his sights on you and leaves you here, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Therefore, during our time at Goddess Peak, we must constantly change our base and never stay in one place."

Song Weichen understood. In other words, even if she didn't want to participate in the mission to rescue Lao Longjing, she would still need to go to different posts on her own and either way, she would have to do some hunting in the wilderness at Shennv Peak.

"My lord, we have received another targeted message from Madam Jing."

Ye Wujiu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, clearly Jing Lan was desperate to see Mo Tingfeng.

"Okay, let's go."

Mo Tingfeng gave Song Weichen a deep look, then used his magic to tap between her eyebrows, imprinting a specific image of Goddess Peak into her mind, even including the route to reach it—it was even better than Gaode Maps.

“Weiwei, this is the cave where we will be stationed tomorrow. You can stay here for a few hours. The barrier will disappear on its own when it is almost dawn. Then you can go to the new camp and we will meet there.”

"Okay, Mr. Mo, don't worry, I, Xiao Song, guarantee to complete the task."

"Also, Gu Cangyue is definitely being watched by all sides right now. I originally wanted him to protect you, but after thinking it over, I felt it was not appropriate. I should give him at least two days to clear the obstacles. After that... I would feel much more at ease with him by your side."

It must have been quite a challenge for Mo Tingfeng to suggest that Gu Cangyue protect Song Weichen, which gives a glimpse into the perilous nature of this journey.

Song Weichen felt a warmth in his heart but a slight embarrassment on his face. He realized that his earlier insult, calling him "a spirit of West Lake vinegar fish," was somewhat petty and prejudiced.

"Go ahead, don't worry about me. Xiao Song is at least a C-level or even near-B-level magic user. He may not be the best, but he's more than capable of anything. I'll take good care of myself, and you should take good care of yourself too."
.
After Mo Tingfeng and the others left, the temperature inside the cave dropped rapidly. At first, Song Weichen thought it was just psychological, a psychological distortion caused by the absence of people. It wasn't until he started breathing that he realized the astonishing temperature difference at Goddess Peak.

To avoid losing body temperature and not wanting to waste her magical energy, she decided to practice breathing exercises until dawn.

Following the mental cultivation method taught by Mo Tingfeng, Song Weichen quickly entered a meditative state. His Huangting (a point on his body) felt warm, and his whole body was filled with warmth. He could even feel that there seemed to be a new puppet spirit embryo stirring within the puppet he controlled... However, this feeling only lasted for half an incense stick's time.

Suddenly, Song Weichen felt the hairs on the back of his head stand up uncontrollably. Even though he was still in a meditative state, the warm orange light around him disappeared in an instant, as if his higher-dimensional self had been blasted away by an external force.

She was forced to open her eyes, only to find that all the candles and torches in the cave had gone out at some point, leaving her in complete darkness. Something seemed to be stirring in the darkness.

"Crack, crack-crack—"

A strange sound echoed from the depths of the cave behind her. Song Weichen's forehead instantly became damp with sweat. She was sure she had heard this sound somewhere before!

"Click—"

The sound was getting closer.

For some reason, the sound made Song Weichen want to scream, get up, and run away as fast as she could, but in reality, she couldn't move at all. Suddenly! She realized that she was being forcibly turned by some external force—clearly trying to make her look at the source of the sound.

"Crack, crack crack crack—"

Song Weichen saw it clearly.

The thing emanated wisps of red, malevolent energy, making it especially conspicuous in the pitch-black cave.

Her eyes were bloodshot, one eye on her forehead was dripping with bloody tears, and her head was adorned with five skull-shaped hair buns. Her monstrous face had four fangs bared in a gaping maw, and it was snickering at her!

Lord Shida!