Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

After Yu Zitong and Mo Juren were executed, Shenshou Valley returned to peace. Three days later, Murong Fan came to "divide the spoils." While sorting through Mo Juren's belongings, they discovered a letter left for Han Li.

Han Li unfolded the yellowed letter. Mo Juren's handwriting was thin and bony, yet it revealed a rare blend of warmth and calculation. In the letter, Doctor Mo entrusted family affairs, then revealed Han Li's antidote—the Warm Sun Jade. Finally, he turned his attention to Yu Zitong with disdain.

"That old fox!" Murong Fan chuckled. "He was acting until his death."

Han Li took the letter, remained silent for a long time, burned it, and then looked indifferent, as if nothing had happened.

After killing Doctor Mo and Yu Zitong, Murong Fan gained a deeper understanding and pursuit of the cultivation of immortality.

With the pills given to them by Han Li and useful supplies from Shenshou Valley, they exchanged them for four bottles of Peiyuan Pills through a sacrifice.

Murong Fan lay back in Doctor Mo's armchair, his feet propped up on the corner of the table, watching Han Li busily tidy up the bottles and jars. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the fragrance of tobacco outside!

"This Valley of Reaching Hands is indeed a good place for cultivation, no less so than the cultivation grounds of the sect's vice sect leaders and elders," Murong Fan said to Han Li with a wicked grin and a sarcastic tone.

"If Senior Brother Murong likes it, feel free to move in permanently. Doctor Mo's place is spacious and suitable for you, but I'm still used to living in my own room." Han Li said as he continued to collect the items.

Murong Fan didn't reply, his mind racing. He and Han Li seemed to share a similar, harmonious understanding, yet each harbored their own secrets. These secrets bound them tightly together, yet also kept them at a distance, neither too close nor too distant.

"Uh, Junior Brother Han is a disciple of Doctor Mo, and his whereabouts are always shrouded in mystery. I live with you, aren't you afraid that I'll find out your secrets?" Murong Fan teased softly.

"What secrets could I possibly have? You know about alchemy and the Everlasting Spring Technique, and Doctor Mo even showed you the letter. I have no secrets left to tell you," Han Li replied with a grin.

The two were joking around when they were suddenly interrupted by a loud blast of a bugle.

"Woo woo..." The powerful and resounding sound of the horn echoed through every valley of the Seven Mysteries Sect.

"Could it be that the Seven Mysteries Sect is in trouble, and the Flying Bird Hall is sending a message to gather its forces?" Murong Fan pondered to himself upon hearing the horn sound.

A moment later, a messenger with a hurried expression stepped forward and reported: "Reporting to Senior Brother Murong and Senior Brother Han! The Wild Wolf Gang has suddenly attacked, and a great battle is about to break out. Please return to the council hall immediately to participate in the deployment of the battle against the Wild Wolf Gang."

Inside the council hall, after Sect Leader Wang Juechu and several elders finalized the plan to fight the Wild Wolf Gang, he then kept Murong Fan behind alone.

"Fan'er, the sect is in peril. You should fight with all your might, but you are my most prized disciple. Quickly lead the younger disciples and women and children to evacuate through the secret passage. Remember, as long as we're alive, we can fight again! If I perish in this battle, you will have to shoulder the heavy responsibility of restoring the sect in the future!"

"Master, you flatter me. I am used to a life of leisure and have never had such a thought. Please, Master, choose another worthy person." Murong Fan knelt down, lifting his robe, and said humbly.

"That's settled then! Fan'er, don't try to back out!" Wang Juechu left slowly, filled with guilt over the sect's decline. "Master, please don't worry too much. Our Seven Mysteries Sect is full of experts. The Wild Wolf Gang is nothing but a bunch of clowns, not worth a thought. We've weathered countless storms over the past two hundred years and still stand strong. How much trouble can the Wild Wolf Gang cause with this attack? Rest assured! Your disciple will fight to the death and defend Sunset Peak to the death." Indeed, Murong Fan's heart was set on the vast world of cultivation outside—not to mention the Seven Mysteries Sect, he didn't even care about the entire Mirror Continent.

"This time it's different!" Wang Juechu slammed his hand on the table, shattering the teacup. Boiling tea mixed with ink exploded on the yellowed map, staining it with large, glaringly dark patches. "The pre-battle negotiations fell into the Duanshuimen's trap! More than half of the Seven Absolutes Hall's three hundred elite troops were lost, and Hall Master Li Hu died in battle!"

He grabbed the blood-stained communication talisman from the table, the paper already deformed from his grip. "A message just arrived by carrier pigeon—Caixia Mountain fell half an hour ago, none of the disciples guarding the mountain survived, and below the mountain… corpses piled up like mountains, blood flowed like rivers!" Before he finished speaking, a heart-wrenching scream suddenly came from outside the council hall. A rocket, trailing a scarlet tail, crashed into the carved eaves, and sparks from the explosion rained down like a storm. The pillars instantly burst into flames, casting flickering light on Wang Juechu's face.

"It's over...it's over...it's all over!" Wang Juechu slumped in his chair, his black robe soaked with cold sweat. His hands gripped the corner of the table tightly, his knuckles white as paper. "The entrance to the secret passage was blown up last night. We...we're trapped like rats in a barrel!"

"The Wild Wolf Gang's large-scale attack this time was obviously premeditated, and there must be a traitor within our ranks, otherwise they would never have acted so rashly and openly," Murong Fan said calmly.

"Fan'er's analysis is excellent. Do you have any good ideas?" Wang Juechu immediately perked up and sat up straight.

"The Wild Wolf Gang is definitely besieging the other peaks without attacking them this time. Their main goal is to move their main force to the foot of Sunset Peak and concentrate their forces to break through in one fell swoop. Since they dare to come, they must have something to rely on. Perhaps they have already bribed some of our people, or they may even have invited outside help."

Murong Fan glanced at the faint firelight visible outside the hall, his voice as steady as ever, "Master, Sunset Peak is a strategically important location, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but if there are people inside to provide support, even the most strategically important location is useless."

Wang Juechu's face was ashen, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "You mean... there's a traitor within the sect?"

"Not just an inside man." Murong Fan walked slowly to the window, looking at the clouds in the distance that were reddened by the firelight. "Although I have never met Jia Tianlong, the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, as far as I know, he is always cautious in his actions. He would never go out in full force unless he was absolutely certain of success."

"The reason they dared to launch a direct attack on the Seven Mysteries Sect this time is either because they received some incredible assistance, or..." He paused, then turned to look at Wang Juechu, "or because they know some potentially fatal secrets of the sect."

Wang Juechu's pupils suddenly contracted, clearly indicating that he had thought of something, but he hesitated to speak.

Murong Fan didn't press further, but continued, "There are four urgent matters that must be addressed immediately. First, seal off all the secret passages leading down the mountain, and assign trusted confidants to guard them rigorously; better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. Second, gather all martial arts disciples and deploy them in layers according to their strength—the experts should concentrate on guarding the summit of Sunset Peak, the mid-level disciples should guard the key passages on the mountainside, and the rest should defend the various passes with rolling logs, rocks, and arrows. Third, arrange for reliable confidants to capture the traitor. Fourth—his voice deepened slightly—" He added, "The Wild Wolf Gang's large-scale attack suggests that other gangs are secretly following them. Last time, the Broken Water Sect colluded with them; even the best alliances have cracks. If this is indeed the case, we must find a way to sow discord among them and defeat them one by one!"

"Good! Good! Good!" Wang Juechu nodded repeatedly, hope rekindling in his eyes. "Fan'er is indeed far-sighted. I will now issue the order!"

Using his Qi Refining Level 11 insensitivity and magic, Murong Fan quickly located the two men in black. After Li Feiyu's brutal interrogation, the two men confessed everything.

Just as Murong Fan had predicted: "The Wild Wolf Gang has indeed surrounded the other peaks without attacking them, and their target is Sunset Peak. Moreover, Sunset Peak has already lost several checkpoints. In addition, Jia Tianlong has gathered a number of gangs, large and small, including the Iron Spear Society and the Broken Water Gate."

Upon hearing the report, Wang Juechu's face grew even more gloomy, his knuckles turning white from the force: "Damn it! The Iron Spear Society, the Broken Water Gate... these clowns dare to try and get a piece of the pie?"

"Master," Murong Fan said in a deep voice, "the most urgent task is to stabilize the situation. Although Sunset Peak has lost several checkpoints, the main peak is heavily fortified and the Wild Wolf Gang will find it difficult to break through in a short time. I recommend someone to lead the elite troops to recapture the key passage on the mountainside and buy time for the defense."

"Who could be so brave?" Wang Juechu asked.

"Li Feiyu!" Murong Fan said.

Although Li Feiyu was extremely unwilling, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and go through with it, her face full of resentment and confusion.

"Aren't you trying to ruin me? If we could take this checkpoint back, we would have done it already! I treated you like a friend, and you did this to me? How could you be so treacherous? What will happen to Zhang Xiu'er if anything happens to me?!" Li Feiyu pinched Murong Fan's arm and said angrily in a low voice.

"You're the sect leader's favorite now. You're the butcher and I'm the fish on the chopping block. You call the shots! So let me ask you, we're all fighting to the death, so what is Han Li supposed to do?" Li Feiyu said impatiently in a low voice.

"He's preparing poison to fight off the enemy, he won't be idle, don't worry! And remember, I will never harm you, and I will never let your Zhang Xiu'er be a widow. You will soon understand my intentions." Li Feiyu looked at Murong Fan's face and saw that his eyes were full of sincerity, so she felt relieved and left.