Chapter 262: Settling the Cause and Effect
A legendary object of both immortal and demonic origin—if one could comprehend anything from it, that would be a tremendous fortune. Yet now, this great fortune was gone.
Even the three Nascent Soul True Lords of the Fenghua sect didn't know how such an item had disappeared. That kind of immortal-demonic artifact couldn't be stored in any storage treasure. They couldn't figure out how it had been taken away.
Nor did they understand how the thief had entered without the slightest sound. The sect's grand formation and restrictions hadn't been triggered at all.
This made the three Nascent Soul True Lords of the Fenghua sect suspect that the news of the item had leaked and drawn a top-level powerhouse.
So, regarding the loss of the bloodstained fingernail, apart from impotent fury, the three Fenghua sect True Lords dared not make any other move.
Whoever could silently take away that fingernail was someone they absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
"Oh? Still no reaction?"
Keeping a constant watch on the Fenghua sect's situation, Gu Mo saw that they had made no moves. He couldn't help but sigh at how truly forbearing those three True Lords were.
But then again, even if the Fenghua sect didn't want to endure, what could they do? They didn't even know who the thief was. Stirring up a commotion to search would only expose how empty and weak their sect currently was.
Seeing that the Fenghua sect had no follow-up actions, Gu Mo temporarily paid them no more mind and threw himself wholly into alchemy. Since he had publicly begun accepting commissions, the Nascent Soul True Lords of the Clear Harmony cultivation world all brought their spiritual herbs to him.
Gu Mo's record of producing a supreme-grade Condensed Nascent Pill had already proven his ability. With such a top-level alchemist accepting commissions, of course no Nascent Soul True Lord would miss the opportunity.
"City Lord Yun, I did not fail you!"
Gu Mo handed Yun Chen a high-grade Condensed Nascent Pill. Truthfully, he had the confidence to once again produce a supreme-grade pill, but it wasn't necessary. The last time, Gu Mo had gone all out only to bait the Fenghua sect into making a move.
That way, the supreme-grade pill's rarity would be emphasized, and it would highlight just how vile the Fenghua sect's destruction of it had been. Not only did they refuse to compensate afterward, they even dragged people away by force.
At this point, the Fenghua sect had almost become a public enemy, shouted down by all. This left Gu Mo with no worries about taking action against them.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Yun Chen accepted the pill with excitement. With this high-grade Condensed Nascent Pill, the highlight of the Immortal City Auction finally had a guarantee.
But when he thought of how the true centerpiece should have been a one-of-a-kind supreme-grade pill, Yun Chen couldn't help but gnash his teeth at the Fenghua sect.
Strangely though, during this time the Fenghua sect had suddenly grown quiet. Their Immortal City venture seemed to have stopped as well.
The truth was simple: their foundation had already been hollowed out by Gu Mo. What resources did they have left to invest in an Immortal City? They were now pulling back all their resources, or else they'd run out of food at home.
"It's about time to settle cause and effect."
When Gu Mo finished his last commission, his hands were full of high-grade tier-four pills. With his efficiency, his personal cut had reached about fifty percent.
In other words, if a client received one pill, Gu Mo got another of equal grade as commission.
And the clients were grateful for it, because Gu Mo's pills were of such high quality that a single high-grade could rival several middle-grades or a dozen low-grades.
On top of that, the yield never fell short. With both quantity and quality secured, the clients naturally thanked Gu Mo.
"Lingmei, from here on, no more commissions." Gu Mo called for Lu Lingmei, who had been managing them for him.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
She nodded. These days had been eye-opening for her, since all those who had come to commission work were Nascent Soul-level powerhouses.
And all those mighty figures treated her, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, with utmost politeness—because she represented Gu Mo.
From now on, in the Qinghe Realm, almost no one would dare provoke her. After all, she now personally knew most of the Nascent Soul True Lords.
After instructing her to guard the house, Gu Mo's figure flickered and vanished from Cloud Sky Immortal City.
In the next moment, he appeared at Qiuyue Sect. If he meant to strike at the Fenghua sect, he would of course lure their Nascent Soul True Lords out to kill them.
As for how to lure them out, it was simple: if word spread that Zhuo Suzhu was about to attempt a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul realm, the Fenghua sect would never ignore it.
"Patriarch Zhuo, are you ready?" Gu Mo found Zhuo Suzhu and asked.
"Anytime!"
She nodded, filled with confidence. Just now, Gu Mo had given her several high-grade tier-four pills—more than enough to see her through the Nascent Soul tribulation.
"Good."
Gu Mo nodded, and the plan began.
Very soon, through secret channels, the Fenghua sect learned of Zhuo Suzhu's impending breakthrough. They took the news extremely seriously.
The feud between Qinglu Sect and the Fenghua sect was one of life and death, utterly irreconcilable. How could the Fenghua sect ignore it if Qinglu Sect was about to produce a new Nascent Soul True Lord?
He Zhangcheng and the newly advanced Nascent Soul cultivator quickly left the sect to stop her. As for Tan Jingxing, the strongest among them, he remained behind to guard. After all, last time all three had left together, their home was robbed. This time, he refused to risk it.
Besides, two Nascent Souls against Zhuo Suzhu was more than enough.
At a wild spiritual vein, Zhuo Suzhu was making her final preparations. With this tier-four vein, her confidence in breaking through rose even higher.
Of course, no such thing as an unclaimed tier-four spiritual vein existed. Normally such places were long occupied by tier-four demon kings. But Gu Mo had rented this one from its owner.
At the moment, Dragonblood Kelp was still "negotiating" the rent with that demon king. Surprisingly, the demon king had proved honorable and agreed to lend it without charge.
Naturally, Gu Mo was an honorable man as well. He wouldn't seize by force. With a casual flick, he tossed over a tier-four pill, which immediately turned the demon king's hidden resentment into beaming delight.
"Begin."
Gu Mo called toward Zhuo Suzhu in the distance.
By now, enough time had passed that the Fenghua sect must already have made their move. Of course, they didn't know the exact location. But once Zhuo Suzhu began her breakthrough, the disturbance would be impossible to hide.
"Alright!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhuo Suzhu's gaze turned firm as she stepped into that critical moment.
Rumble!
In an instant, the heavens roared. Thunderclouds rolled, and bolts of lightning flickered within. The terrifying might made nearby lesser demons tremble in fright.
"Found her!"
The two Fenghua sect Nascent Souls searching for her received the report immediately. Without hesitation, they sped toward the location. Though it was a demon king's domain, their intelligence network had detected someone undergoing tribulation there.
"It's her!"
At the speed of a Nascent Soul True Lord, the two quickly arrived at their destination. Soon after, they saw Zhuo Suzhu beneath the thunder tribulation in the distance, and joy immediately filled their hearts.
Having confirmed their target, all they needed to do next was strike and ensure her failure in crossing the tribulation.
"Just the two of you?"
Just as He Zhangcheng and his companion were about to make their move, a voice rang out. Startled, they quickly retreated and assumed a battle stance.
"It's you!"
Suddenly, He Zhangcheng let out a cry of disbelief.
"Surprised to see me?"
Gu Mo stepped out at a leisurely pace, his appearance already restored to its original form.
"You're actually not dead!"
He Zhangcheng stared at Gu Mo. Back then, he had personally hunted him down, only for their chase to be blocked midway by the kelp of the Dragon Blood Sea. In his eyes, Gu Mo had only been a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator then. Surviving in an environment like the open ocean should have been near impossible.
And yet, here Gu Mo stood again before him—and he couldn't even discern his aura.
"No matter. Killing you now isn't too late."
After a brief shock, He Zhangcheng attacked ruthlessly. Though being unable to see through Gu Mo's cultivation left him uneasy, he assumed Gu Mo was merely using some secret technique to conceal his aura.
To him, even now Gu Mo was no more than an ant before a Nascent Soul True Lord.
"Hmm?"
But just as his strike was about to land on Gu Mo, a wave of inexplicable terror rose in He Zhangcheng's heart. The next instant, an aura of killing intent that froze his very soul enveloped him.
Then, a sword light that seemed to pierce heaven and earth filled his vision. It carried an overwhelming sword intent of slaughter, sweeping past him.
The next moment, the world spun, and he saw his own body—headless.
His awareness then dissolved into nothingness. With that single strike, Gu Mo annihilated both He Zhangcheng's body and Nascent Soul, leaving him no chance to escape with an infant form.
Normally, it was exceedingly difficult to kill a Nascent Soul True Lord, since they could escape with their soul. But when the gap in strength was too vast, and both body and Nascent Soul were obliterated in one blow, no method could save them.
Gu Mo's incarnation had already been capable of slaying late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. His true body was, of course, no weaker. Against someone like early-stage He Zhangcheng, one strike was enough.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing He Zhangcheng cut down in a single blow, the other new Nascent Soul from Fenghua Sect let out a roar of despair. His combat strength was even lower than He Zhangcheng's—if He Zhangcheng couldn't withstand the strike, how could he?
Almost without hesitation, he abandoned his body, letting his Nascent Soul flee.
But could he escape?
With a flash of golden light, that fleeing Nascent Soul was reduced to pure spiritual energy and scattered into the heavens and earth.
Two Nascent Soul True Lords of Fenghua Sect—Gu Mo felled one with each stroke, effortlessly.
The Nascent Soul True Lords who had rushed over to investigate froze when they saw this. They halted immediately, not daring to advance any further.
At that moment, their hearts were filled with shock. Without overwhelming power, killing a Nascent Soul True Lord was nearly impossible.
"Who is he?"
The question rippled through the onlookers. Yet back then, Gu Mo had only been a Foundation Establishment cultivator, far too insignificant to leave any impression in the minds of Nascent Soul experts.
But from this day forward, Gu Mo's figure would be forever branded into their hearts—especially the sight of him casually cutting down two Nascent Soul True Lords.
"That's the little girl from Qinglu Sect!"
Although they didn't know Gu Mo, quite a few Nascent Soul cultivators recognized Zhuo Suzhu.
"Qinglu Sect actually found such a powerful ally. Their rise is unstoppable now." Some Nascent Soul cultivators sighed.
Fenghua Sect had just lost two Nascent Soul True Lords in an instant. To call that a crippling blow was an understatement—it was practically half their foundation severed.
And with this mighty ally standing at Qinglu Sect's side, even the half that remained might not last. None could guess how Qinglu Sect had managed to form ties with such a figure.
"Oh? She did it!"
Gu Mo watched Zhuo Suzhu's tribulation calmly. He had to admit, her foundation was indeed strong. With his support, she crossed the Nascent Soul tribulation without issue.
Of course, Zhuo Suzhu's heavenly tribulation was the normal kind—no special variations appeared.
"Let's go congratulate her."
As Zhuo Suzhu completed her tribulation, the surrounding Nascent Soul True Lords came forward to offer congratulations. Naturally, many also used this chance to probe into Gu Mo's identity.
For such a formidable figure to suddenly appear placed immense pressure on them.
Fenghua Sect.
"Patriarch, terrible news!"
The current sect master of Fenghua Sect hurriedly sought out Tan Jingxing, panic written all over his face.
"What has you so flustered?"
Tan Jingxing frowned. Even he had been feeling a deep unease lately, though he couldn't pinpoint the source. Irritation simmered in his chest, and seeing his sect master in such disarray only worsened his temper.
"Patriarch, the soul lamps of Second Ancestor and Third Ancestor… have gone out!"
Speaking the words drained nearly all the sect master's strength.
Two Nascent Soul Ancestors of the sect, perishing at the same time—just imagining it was chilling.
"What!!"
Tan Jingxing shot to his feet, his eyes filled with disbelief and a trace of fear. Though his two junior brothers were weaker than him, killing them should not have been so easy.
He immediately moved to go check the situation, but then abruptly stopped. That ominous feeling in his heart was growing stronger by the second.
"Activate the grand formation. Prepare for battle!" Tan Jingxing ordered the already panic-stricken sect master. He knew Fenghua Sect now faced a life-and-death crisis.
"So, the relic treasure really is in Tan Jingxing's hands."
Gu Mo's gaze drifted toward Fenghua Sect's mountain gate. After slaying the two Nascent Soul True Lords, their storage treasures naturally fell into his possession. But upon inspection, he had found nothing unusual.
That meant the relic treasure must be with Fenghua Sect's strongest—Tan Jingxing himself.
Now that two of their Nascent Soul True Lords had fallen, it would be nearly impossible to lure the last one out.
"Come, let's put an end to this cause and effect." Gu Mo spoke to Zhuo Suzhu, who now exuded the aura of a Nascent Soul True Lord.
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