Wandering Swordsman |

"Young hero, please spare me!" Zeng Wei suddenly knelt on the ground, his voice tinged with pleading. "I promise I'll turn over a new leaf and become a good person!"

Seeing Zeng Wei pleading for mercy, Shen Mo's gaze remained cold and stern, but he did not immediately strike. He merely smiled coldly, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "When you were harming people, did you ever think of this day?" His words were concise and icy, like a biting wind that chilled one to the bone.

Upon seeing this, Zeng Wei's heart tightened, and he immediately changed his attitude, standing up and threatening in a rather forceful manner: "I am a member of the Blood Shadow Tower. If you kill me, the Blood Shadow Tower will definitely hunt you down!" As soon as he finished speaking, a cunning glint flashed in his eyes, as if he thought these words would make Shen Mo think twice.

Blood Shadow Tower? Shen Mo paused slightly upon hearing the name, feeling a sense of déjà vu. After a moment's recollection, he suddenly remembered—wasn't this the organization of the men in black who had rescued Murong Qing years ago? Shen Mo then recalled the perilous escape he and Murong Qing had made from Qiu Tianchan's watchful eye, and said with a hint of anger, "Blood Shadow Tower? Perfect! I still have a score to settle with Qiu Tianchan."

Seeing that his threats were ineffective, Zeng Wei panicked. He never dreamed that Shen Mo knew the Deputy Master Qiu Tianchan, and that they even seemed to have an unresolved grudge. Immediately, he knelt on the ground, clasped his hands together, and pleaded, "Young hero, spare my life! Young hero, spare my life! If you spare me, I'll take you to the Blood Shadow Tower to find Qiu Tianchan right away!"

Just as Zeng Wei bowed his head and begged for mercy, he suddenly and secretly took out a small handful of poisoned needles from his sleeve and flung them at Shen Mo. At the same time, he swiftly pulled out a bottle of highly poisonous powder and tossed it towards Shen Mo. All of this happened so fast, almost in the blink of an eye. Zeng Wei's fingers were nimble and swift, as if he had practiced countless times; the poisoned needles and powder flew out almost simultaneously, their target Shen Mo.

However, although Shen Mo was caught off guard, his martial arts skills had reached a level beyond the ordinary. Zeng Wei's small movements seemed to be slowed down several times in his eyes. In a flash, he dodged all the hidden weapons and poison powder like a ghost. He clearly captured the trajectory of every poison needle and every grain of poison powder, moving his body at an incredible speed and angle, easily avoiding Zeng Wei's sneak attack.

Immediately afterward, his longsword flashed like lightning, aiming straight for Zeng Wei's throat. Shen Mo's movements were too fast; Zeng Wei didn't even realize it before his throat was pierced by the sword.

The Tai'a sword was incredibly sharp, piercing Zeng Wei's throat in an instant. Zeng Wei's eyes widened in disbelief and fear, his lips parted slightly, but he could no longer utter a sound.

After killing Zeng Wei, Shen Mo stood there, his gaze calm as still water, as if everything that had just happened was nothing more than a casual breeze. His eyes revealed a hint of coldness, yet also a touch of helplessness. The grudges and affections of the martial world are always so complex and unavoidable. He also understood that the score with the Blood Shadow Tower would be settled sooner or later.

Yang Min watched Shen Mo kill Zeng Wei, his face filled with terror. He knew he was doomed. Then, as if grasping at a last straw, he suddenly remembered something and cried out, "Young hero, spare me! I'll tell you a secret about the Diancang Sect Leader!"

Shen Mo frowned slightly, signaling him to continue. His gaze was as cold as ice, sending a chill down Yang Min's spine.

"Young hero," Yang Min's voice trembled slightly, attempting to use this secret to buy a glimmer of hope, "not long ago, I discovered that the Diancang Sect Leader was exchanging secret letters with the Black Wind Gang. They seem to be searching for some treasure in Cangshan. I learned of this by chance myself, and it is absolutely true!"

Shen Mo's gaze softened slightly, but remained wary. "The Diancang Sect Leader and the Black Wind Gang? What's their connection? And what is this treasure?" His voice was deep and calm, each word seemingly carefully considered.

Yang Min swallowed hard and continued, "I don't know the specifics, but I did see their secret letter by chance. The letter mentioned some clues about the ancient ruins of Cangshan, which seemed to be some kind of powerful martial arts manual or treasure. The Diancang Sect Leader attached great importance to this and even went so far as to use a lot of manpower under the guise of pioneering to search all over Cangshan."

Shen Mo remained silent for a moment, pondering Yang Min's words. He knew that secrets in the martial world often involved far-reaching interests, and if such an important treasure truly existed, it would likely cause even greater turmoil. However, even so, he had no intention of letting Yang Min go.

"Are you done talking?" Shen Mo asked coldly, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes once again.

Yang Min's face turned deathly pale; he realized his fate still hung by a thread. "Young hero, I've told you everything I know. Are you still unwilling to let me go?"

Shen Mo shook his head, a cold glint in his eyes. "I never agreed to let you go." His tone was firm and unquestionable.

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Mo raised his hands, and a burst of black flames erupted from his palms. It was black flames formed from the energy of the Heavenly Demon, scorching and merciless, rapidly spreading to Yang Min and Zeng Wei's corpse. The flames burned fiercely, crackling and popping, as if devouring all evil.

Yang Min screamed in despair, but his voice was quickly drowned out by the engulfing black flames. Seconds later, the two were burned to ashes, along with the surrounding vegetation, leaving no trace. The air was thick with the scorching smell of burning, as if nothing had ever happened.

Shen Mo stood still, quietly gazing at everything before him. His heart remained unmoved, only his conviction strengthened: the world was treacherous, and no matter what kind of enemy he faced, he would uphold the principles of the martial world in his own way.

As the last wisp of demonic energy that had transformed into flames extinguished, Shen Mo turned and left, his figure gradually disappearing into the forest. At this moment, silence returned, broken only by the rustling of leaves in the wind, as if drawing a conclusion to this brief but intense duel.

The scene then returns to the temple fair. Thanks to Zhang Taixuan's timely intervention, the two poisoned disciples from the Huashan and Qingcheng sects are out of danger and their complexions are gradually regaining some color.

The five Diancang disciples who returned to the temple fair before Shen Mo also gave a detailed account of the situation, describing in detail everything from the collusion between Yang Min and Zeng Wei to how Shen Mo saved their lives.