Descending the Mountain

"Hidden Sword Villa once joined our Shen Family in the crusade against the Blood Garment Sect. Three months ago, someone suddenly discovered that the entire villa had been slaughtered, with corpses littering the ground. Only their young master, Liu Jing, escaped the catastrophe because he was away visiting friends."

"The Green Mountain Sect was also a main force in the crusade against the Blood Garment Sect back then. Two months ago, the sect leader suddenly died of a sudden illness. On that same day, witnesses saw remnants of the Blood Garment Sect storming the Green Mountain Sect. Subsequently, not one of the one hundred and two people in the sect survived."

These sudden, unexpected changes left everyone in Tianyou City in a state of panic.

The remnants of the demonic sect were no longer fleeing like stray dogs; they were openly and brazenly regrouping.

They even dared to wantonly slaughter prestigious righteous sects.

When Shen Zhou learned of this, as the martial arts alliance leader elected by the masses, he naturally could not sit idly by.

He took in the young master of the Hidden Sword Villa and the others who had suffered the tragedy of their sect's destruction.

He issued a kill order and once again invited the heroes to join him in suppressing the demonic sect.

He swore to completely eradicate the Blood Garment Sect to restore the clear, bright heavens of the Tianyou City martial arts world.

Relying on Shen Zhou's prestige, the call was met with an overwhelming response.

Soon, a large number of martial arts heroes gathered.

"After searching, our Shen Family has finally found the lair where the Blood Garment Sect is hiding." Shen Zhiyun said with a heavy tone, "In just a few short months, the Blood Garment Sect, which had been wiped out, has gathered thousands of followers. Their momentum is no less than it was during their peak years."

"And the one leading the Blood Garment Sect's comeback is actually a common disciple named Gu Ming, who managed to escape back then."

Mentioning this news, he still found it somewhat unbelievable.

"A common disciple of the Blood Garment Sect, in five years, has the power to revitalize a destroyed sect?" Shen Mo looked astonished.

That's practically the script for a web novel protagonist.

"Indeed. That Gu Ming was just an inconspicuous, ordinary disciple of the Blood Garment Sect in the past. Back then, our Shen Family only executed the ringleaders and didn't even bother to kill him." Shen Zhiyun gave a bitter smile. "I never imagined we had buried the seeds of disaster!"

"After this person returned, he styled himself as King Ming. I don't know where he found a group of experts, but every one of them has supreme cultivation."

"Our Shen Family gathered many martial arts experts from Tianyou City, originally thinking that this battle would successfully and completely eradicate the resurrected Blood Garment demonic sect."

"Who would have expected that we would return in a crushing defeat?"

"A crushing defeat?" Shen Mo frowned slightly.

"Yes, a crushing defeat." Shen Zhiyun gave a bitter laugh and said, "We didn't even get to see the face of King Ming before we were forced back by the four hall masters of the Blood Garment Sect and their followers."

"According to my father, the four hall masters under King Ming are all supreme experts. If even the hall masters are so formidable, then King Ming has likely already stepped into the realm of an Innate Grandmaster."

Innate Grandmaster?

Shen Mo did not understand the martial arts realms he spoke of, but he did not interrupt him, letting him continue.

"After forcing us back, the Blood Garment Sect leader released a message: in fifteen days, on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he will lead his followers to slaughter our entire Shen Family to avenge the grudges of the past!"

After the probing of that battle, everyone in Tianyou City was horrified to discover that the momentum and strength of the Blood Garment Sect were even greater than during their peak years.

Therefore, in addition to the shock, every righteous martial artist in Tianyou City felt that their own lives were in danger.

The entire Shen Family was also thrown into chaos.

"Since you aren't a match for them, why don't you run?" Shen Mo asked curiously.

The enemy had given them fifteen days; if they wanted to flee, that was more than enough time.

"Run?" Shen Zhiyun had not expected Shen Mo to ask such a question. He was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "Our Shen Family has been building our business in Tianyou City for over a hundred years to have the foundation and achievements we have today. How could we just abandon it?"

"Furthermore, as the martial arts alliance leader of Tianyou City, if my father were to be cowardly and flee into hiding, he would inevitably be mocked by the whole world thereafter."

"The way King Ming of the Blood Garment Sect is acting, it is clear he wants to see our Shen Family flee in a panic. If we really ran, we would be falling right into their trap."

For a martial artist like Shen Zhou, who prided himself on being a pillar of the righteous path, losing face to flee for his life was more painful than death.

Useless pride.

Shen Mo always found it difficult to understand people who valued their reputation over their lives. In his view, staying alive was more precious than anything else. Only by surviving could one have the chance to fight back and turn the tables.

"Although my father is determined not to leave, he still knows that the demonic sect is powerful and our Shen Family will likely not escape this calamity."

"Therefore, he gathered us juniors and demanded that we leave the family to seek our own futures. If the Shen Family is truly wiped out, at least the line won't be broken, and there will still be blood descendants left in this world."

Speaking of this, Shen Zhiyun's eyes turned red, and he murmured, "I wanted to stay and guard the family, unwilling to leave, but my father's attitude was firm."

"On the way away from the family, you remembered the cousin who you heard was cultivating in some immortal sect, to whom you had sent letters in the past?"

After hearing his narration, Shen Mo had a general understanding of the ins and outs of the matter.

"Exactly." Shen Zhiyun nodded. "I thought that if my cousin had truly achieved success in his immortal cultivation and was willing to return to the family, perhaps he could save our Shen Family from this death trap."

But he did not know that Shen Yuanchang had already been dead for many years.

The only one before him who could provide reinforcements was this nephew who was an immortal master.

"I only hope that you, Immortal Master, might consider our shared bloodline and lend the Shen Family a helping hand!"

Shen Zhiyun gritted his teeth and made to kneel, but Shen Mo caught him, holding him upright.

"Since I still have worldly ties to the Shen Family, it is no trouble to offer some assistance."

He looked at Shen Zhiyun and spoke indifferently.

The original owner's lingering obsession clearly wished to help.

If he were to sit idly by and forcibly go against his own heart, he feared it would cloud his Daoist heart and hinder his future cultivation.

However, there was still one question that needed to be clarified.

"This Innate Grandmaster you speak of—what kind of strength does he truly possess?"

Although Shen Mo knew that in this world of immortals, mortal martial artists were as weak and insignificant as ants before a cultivator, he was still lingering at the very bottom of the cultivation world. Out of caution, he decided to ask for details regarding the strength of these mortal warriors.

Better to be safe than sorry.

"An Innate Grandmaster is the pinnacle of the martial path. It is said that a warrior at this stage possesses a strength of two thousand catties, with vast true qi within their body; they can pluck leaves or petals and use them to wound others."

Two thousand catties of strength?

That meant their physical power was equivalent to that of an ordinary cultivator at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo no longer had any reservations.

His own strength at this moment far exceeded that level.

Coupled with his various hidden trump cards of immortal arts, slaying an Innate Grandmaster—who was viewed as a titan in the eyes of mortals—would be as easy as reaching into his own pocket to retrieve an object.

"I can easily capture or kill someone of that strength. However, since this person was able to rise so rapidly in just five years, there must be something suspicious about it. Either he has encountered a fortuitous opportunity, or he has an expert behind the scenes guiding and assisting him."

"I must still be cautious."

With a shift in his thoughts, Shen Mo pondered for a moment before finally deciding: "Let us go and see for ourselves!"