118: Chapter 118 The Unpredictability of Human Hearts

Facing the five streaks of bone-corroding black light that rushed toward him, Moyuan's movements were as elusive as a ghost, easily dodging every attack.

If he were to draw his sword now, he could either slay Senior Blood Fiend or assist Old Master Xie!

Yet, he stopped!

The sword momentum in his hand was held in check, his gaze indifferent as he watched everything about to unfold.

"Puff! Puff! Puff!"

Following that came a muffled grunt from Xie Xinxuan.

His formidable Geng Metal Body seemed to be a bit weak against the black light, as several wounds were torn into his shoulder and ribs!

More importantly, the external injuries were secondary; the Evil Qi contained within the black light had entered his body, and if not purged with effort, it would inevitably damage his foundation!

At this moment, how could Xie Xinxuan not realize he had been schemed against!

"Chen Qingyuan's hidden cards are unfathomable, and being able to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator alone clearly exceeded Moyuan's calculations. If I were to remain unscathed, and we were to join forces to turn on him later, Moyuan, being alone, would inevitably be at a disadvantage."

"Causing me to be injured and unable to fight again now, creating a mutual check, is the prudent path!"

"As for the retaliation faced after letting Senior Blood Fiend escape, Moyuan is a rootless duckweed, drifting without a trace, so what does it have to do with him?"

"On the contrary, the Chen Family and Xie Family rooted here cannot run. He just needs to throw this hot potato to the two families. A trapped beast is especially fierce when dying; as long as his goal is achieved, there is no need to take risks!"

In almost the blink of an eye, Old Master Xie had unraveled the logic behind Moyuan's calculations!

But he had no other choice. This was an open conspiracy, and at this moment, his only path was to risk his life to keep Senior Blood Fiend here!

Therefore, his gaze toward Moyuan became increasingly icy!

Moyuan accepted it calmly and flicked his wrist!

The Qingying Sword moved!

In an instant, a wisp of cyan Sword Qi formed into a thread, unexpectedly possessing a hint of Sword Intent. It turned out he had been holding back all along!

The sword thread seemed to possess life, winding and swimming through the air, tricky and unpredictable.

Before it even reached him, that chilling sensation had already caused Senior Blood Fiend to break out in a fine cold sweat!

"No—!"

He twisted his body desperately, avoiding his vital points.

The sword thread finally circled his left shoulder gently.

With only a soft "chi" sound, a line of whiteness first appeared at the smooth-as-a-mirror severance, and then blood gushed out violently!

Senior Blood Fiend's left arm had been severed at the shoulder!

As blood sprayed, his Storage Ring was worn on the fingers of that severed arm!

"Ah—! My ring!"

The heart-piercing pain of the severed arm and the loss of his treasure made Senior Blood Fiend let out a heart-rending roar, but he knew he no longer had the capital to hesitate, so he glared viciously at the two of them.

Immediately, he burned his essence blood regardless of the cost, turning his escape light into a rainbow, and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

Moyuan did not pursue, just watching him escape, and only then did he expressionlessly reach out and beckon, pulling the severed arm and the Storage Ring into his hand.

On the other side, Xie Xinxuan had already sat cross-legged, spiritual energy surging around his body, fully focused on expelling the Evil Qi from within.

Seeing Moyuan pick up the severed arm, when he raised his eyes, his gaze was like a knife, his voice like frost, "Your Excellency, that is quite a calculation."

Moyuan did not shy away, "No choice, who told that kid to be so unexpected? If you remained unscathed, Old Master, I would not be at ease."

As he spoke, he tossed the Storage Ring in his hand, "Rest assured, I will only take one item from this ring; the remaining resources will all belong to you, counting as my compensation. How about that?"

Xie Xinxuan snorted coldly and said nothing more; there was no chance of winning if they turned on him now.

"Old Master!" Just at this moment, Chen Qingyuan's figure flew into the valley.

When he saw the Evil Qi entwined around Old Master Xie and his pale complexion, his expression changed abruptly.

At this moment, Xie Xinxuan's voice transmission had already sounded in his mind, briefly explaining everything that had just happened.

Chen Qingyuan's expression grew cold as the transmission continued!

He looked at Moyuan silently, not speaking, but his killing intent was surging!

Moyuan, who had originally been unconcerned, felt a chill under this gaze for some reason, and finally was no longer as calm and composed!

He frowned imperceptibly and spoke first, his tone softening a bit, "Kid, Old Master Xie's injuries look messy, but they haven't actually damaged his foundation. After resting for a few days and purging the Evil Qi, he will be fine. Do not lose the big for the small, wasting all this hard work, and... wasting the excellent situation before us."

A cold glint flashed in Chen Qingyuan's eyes, but he felt his sleeve being gently tugged.

Turning to look, he met Old Master Xie's meaningful gaze and a slight shake of the head.

Chen Qingyuan's heart stirred, and he suppressed his surging emotions, "Fine. Since Senior Moyuan has started this, if you want to let this pass, you must help me do one more thing."

Hearing this, Moyuan's expression relaxed slightly; if he was willing to negotiate terms, it would be easy to handle. "What is it?"

"Arrange for Heaven-Reaching Sand to meet me at Luzhou Mountain; we need to have a proper talk with him."

"Can do." Moyuan answered readily, but immediately added, "However, I am only responsible for delivering the message and providing support for you during the meeting. But if a fight actually breaks out, I will not participate."

Although he did not participate in that day's battle, he had witnessed the entire thing, and the mighty power of Heaven-Reaching Sand suppressing both of them was still fresh in his mind; he was unwilling to court disaster!

"That is enough." Chen Qingyuan nodded, "Then... I will have to trouble you, Senior Moyuan."

Immediately, his gaze fell on the Storage Ring in Moyuan's hand, "However, before you leave, Senior, I hope you will leave this ring behind."

This time, Moyuan did not object. A green light flashed at his fingertip, and a Divine Sense mark was imprinted into the ring before he tossed it back to Chen Qingyuan.

With this mark, if anyone else tried to force it open, it would inevitably leave traces! Neither side trusted the other!

Chen Qingyuan took the ring and put it away without even looking at it. "Very well. Two days later, we meet at Luzhou Mountain."

Moyuan did not say anything more, stepped on his Qingying Sword, turned into a long cyan rainbow, broke through the air, and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

After that escape light completely disappeared, Chen Qingyuan immediately turned around and looked at Old Master Xie with concern, "Old Master, your injuries..."

Yet he saw that Old Master Xie's originally pale complexion had returned to a rosy hue, and the aura around his body was steady and heavy; where was there any trace of the previous weakness?

He lightly brushed the dust off his robes and stood up from the ground nimbly, "It's fine, just some superficial wounds. I have been tempering my body with Geng Metal Evil Qi for decades; this little bit of Demonic Evil Qi cannot hurt me. If I didn't leave some flaws, he is so calculating, how could he be at ease?"

"Besides, do you really think this old man has lived for so many years in vain, to suffer such a big loss for nothing?"

Chen Qingyuan smiled helplessly, but sincerely gave a thumbs up, "High! It still has to be you, Old Master..."

Old Master Xie waved his hand, interrupting him, his gaze looking toward the direction Moyuan had left, his eyes suddenly becoming a bit dim, "Kid, you must remember, on the path of cultivation, the most sinister things are never blades or swords, but the human heart."

"Interacting with people should be like watching a chess game; showing weakness is not cowardice, it is leaving space; hiding one's edge is not fear, it is gathering momentum. Today, we exchanged three parts of concession for seven parts of leeway; you must think clearly about the pros and cons of this."