Chapter 656: Hand Over the Sacred Artifact and I'll Spare Your Life
The blue faction consisted of the cultivators intercepting the red side.
Though fewer in number, their individual strength was formidable.
However, the red faction had sheer numbers on their side.
Even with full effort, the blue faction couldn't fully block them.
As Shen Mo had expected, several streaks of red light soon broke away from the main group, rushing swiftly toward the nest.
He smacked his lips.
Looks like he'd have to step in after all.
"The Douxuan Sect somehow got wind of our plan to steal the Yun Que's eggs. Heh, but with just their declining strength, they think they can stop our Shaoyang Manor? Ridiculous!"
"Heh heh, Douxuan Sect is well aware they're in decline. They just wanted to sabotage our egg heist—our patriarch saw this coming long ago!"
"Enough chatter. Get into the nest and grab the eggs. The Supreme from the Thunder Prison Clan is only stalling the Yun Que for half an hour!"
Two men and one woman—three cultivators from Shaoyang Manor—quickly reached the edge of the nest.
As the intel had reported, three giant eggs lay inside the nest.
Over a hundred years ago, Shaoyang Manor's patriarch had accidentally stumbled into the Mangcang Mountains and discovered the Yun Que laying these three eggs.
After a century of planning, the operation to steal them had finally begun.
What surprised the trio even more was that one egg had already hatched—a small head was poking out.
Its eyes were still closed.
That was when they noticed a black-robed youth inside the nest.
A long wound ran across his chest. He was lying within the nest, watching them with amusement.
The gaunt cultivator sneered, "Looks like some low-level brat who wandered into the Mangcang Mountains and got treated as prey by the Yun Que."
"Courting death, really. These mountains are crawling with ancient beasts and nearly void of humans—yet he dared to enter alone."
The female cultivator strode directly toward the eggs. "Ignore him. Leave him here. We're not here to play savior."
But the tall and burly cultivator glanced at Shen Mo a few more times, then suddenly his eyes gleamed with greed. "Wait... Look at his armor. It's incredibly unique—radiating layered dragon might, with tightly interlocked dragon scales!"
The gaunt cultivator and the woman gave him another look—then couldn't tear their eyes away.
Dragon scales. Dragon might.
This armor was undoubtedly of high grade.
At the very least—a low-grade sacred artifact!
Their greed surged instantly.
A sacred artifact!
As Nirvana Realm cultivators who weren't even Shaoyang Manor's top talents, they knew they'd never touch one in their lifetimes.
Yet now, one lay before them.
And the youth wearing it was severely wounded—clearly powerless to resist.
He was theirs for the taking.
"Kid, hand over the sacred artifact, and I might spare your life," the tall cultivator chuckled sinisterly.
The female cultivator frowned. "Why waste words? Kill him and take it."
With that, she summoned a long whip, lashing out with blazing flames!
From that strike alone, it was clear she had the strength of thirty Dao markings within the Nirvana Realm.
Shen Mo simply smiled faintly.
Thirty-mark Nirvana Realm—back when he first arrived in the Sacred Profound World, that was still a dominant level of power.
But now?
Even with lingering wounds left by the Yun Que...
A mere thirty-mark Nirvana Realm couldn't even scratch him.
He didn't need to activate any spirit power or defensive martial art.
The Gilded Dragonmight Armor would defend on its own.
Roar!
A dragon's roar shook the heavens.
The blazing whip shattered instantly into burning embers before it could even come within thirty zhang of Shen Mo.
The female cultivator froze in disbelief.
Staring at Shen Mo's mocking expression, she felt a strong sense of unease.
Meanwhile, the gaunt and tall cultivators only grew more ravenous.
Auto-defense.
Definitely a sacred artifact!
"Even if his realm is above ours, if we strike together, he won't stand a chance!"
The tall cultivator shouted, immediately swallowing a crimson pill. He burned his blood essence, summoned his dharma image, and launched a martial art.
The gaunt cultivator and the female followed suit.
They had realized Shen Mo's realm was likely higher than theirs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, three overwhelming attacks surged straight toward him.
Scorching Fire Whip!
Savage Fire Wolf!
Blazing Fireball!
Three techniques struck in unison—talismans, spirit tools, secret arts, and martial skills all unleashed at once, determined to kill Shen Mo on the spot!
Yet Shen Mo's expression remained one of pure mockery.
His total Dao markings had already reached 250.
Facing the attacks of these three minor cultivators, he didn't even need to defend himself.
Clang!
A piercing sword cry rang out.
The trio's strongest attacks, launched with full force and every trump card, were instantly obliterated.
They froze in disbelief.
Before they could react, a chill pierced their chests.
Lowering their heads, they saw with horror that gaping holes had appeared in the middle of their chests.
Darkness and cold surged up and swallowed them.
Thud.
All three fell lifelessly to the ground.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh.
Two more figures arrived immediately after.
On the left, a tall, handsome young male cultivator.
On the right, a round-faced female cultivator—curvaceous, slender-waisted, and full of youthful vitality.
"Brother, those three are dead!" The round-faced girl, slightly faster, took in the scene inside the nest and gasped in shock.
The male cultivator followed closely. Seeing the corpses, his expression was a mix of astonishment and dread.
The Douxuan Sect and Shaoyang Manor had been locked in conflict for a thousand years, their grudges too many to count.
He knew those three all too well.
They were among the top Nirvana Realm experts in their generation.
Yet here they lay—dead so easily.
Judging from the wounds, all three had been killed in a single strike.
The girl quickly noticed the black-robed youth lying among the three giant eggs, surprise in her eyes.
"Who are you… Why are you lying here?"
The handsome male quickly pulled her back, eyes sharp. "Did you kill those three?"
Shen Mo said calmly, "What, are you planning to avenge them?"
The man's face changed slightly. He hurriedly shook his head and bowed respectfully. "No, no, senior. We're from the Douxuan Sect. They were from Shaoyang Manor."
"Shaoyang Manor came to steal the Yun Que's eggs. We received early intel and came to intercept them."
"For killing them, senior, our Douxuan Sect is deeply grateful."
With just a glance, he could tell Shen Mo was far beyond their level.
So he respectfully addressed him as senior without hesitation.
"Douxuan Sect? Nice name."
Shen Mo tasted the words and gave a faint chuckle.
The young man bowed and said, "Senior, I'm Chen Nanxuan. This is my younger sister, Chen Ling."
"You seem injured, senior. Our Douxuan Sect would be honored to help you heal."
Shen Mo smiled subtly.
This young man had good judgment.
Chen Ling, meanwhile, kept blinking her large, bright eyes.
She couldn't understand why her usually discerning brother held such respect for this black-clothed stranger—even calling him senior.
Shen Mo shook his head calmly. "Wait a little longer."
Just as the words left his mouth, the distant cry of the Yun Que rang out in fury.
Winds and thunder surged, blasting the Supreme Realm cultivator back.
That cultivator did not resume the fight. After casting a distant glance toward the nest, he shook his head and stepped away into the air, vanishing as a streak of light.
The Yun Que let out a sharp cry and swiftly flew toward the nest.
Upon returning and seeing all three eggs unharmed, it relaxed at once.
But Chen Nanxuan and Chen Ling were not so lucky.
The Yun Que was a genuine Tier Ten beast, equivalent to a Supreme-level powerhouse.
They were merely Nirvana Realm cultivators with twenty or thirty Dao markings—utterly incapable of withstanding the Yun Que's pressure.
They dropped to their knees on the spot.
With a thud, blood spilled from both knees.
The crushing weight on their shoulders made them feel like they'd be flattened into meat paste at any moment.
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