95: Chapter 96 The Mastermind Behind the Scenes

"Who? Who wants to kill me?"

Shen Moyan pondered, he hadn't offended many people in this life.

Six Hells Demon Venerable?

It's highly possible, but if he wanted to act, I would have died long ago, especially since the Star River Brightening Fate Controller is stopping him.

But this line lacked the oppressive feeling that the Six Hells Demon Venerable brought, and its thickness was comparable to the Karma lines of True Lords.

Gao Sheng?

Impossible. Shen Moyan used a Clone when interacting with him; he couldn't possibly find my main body.

Watching the Karma Killing Calamity line grow thicker and thicker, Shen Moyan quickly left the cave.

Action Accumulation: A Step of a Hundred Miles.

While flying, Shen Moyan approached the area ravaged by Demonic Fiends, using the breath concealing talisman and the cover of Devilish Qi to disguise himself as a Demonic Fiend.

But no matter how he concealed himself, the Karma Killing Calamity line did not fade; instead, it grew redder.

"There is no avoiding it, no delaying it. Is this killing calamity truly destined to fall upon me?"

Shen Moyan was deeply alarmed.

He immediately took out the Teleportation Formation Plate he had made, setting the coordinates for the barren region of Feiguang Prefecture.

In the years he spent studying Formation, his scope was no longer limited to two-prefecture teleportation. His paper figures Clone also had Teleportation Formation Plates set up throughout the vast territory of Feiguang Prefecture.

Mojin City.

The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the Star River was brilliant.

This was a small Mortal city, exceptionally peaceful.

Smoke curled up, and the marketplace was bustling—it felt like a world away from the cruel Cultivation World.

East of the city, a three-story tea house built by the river was named Listening Rain Pavilion.

In a quiet private room on the innermost side of the top floor, Shen Moyan sat facing the window.

He had been sitting quietly here for three days.

On the table sat a pot of coarse tea that was still warm.

Outside the window was the hustle and bustle of the Mortal world—children playing, vendors hawking their wares... These sounds filtered through the Formation, carrying an unreal, blurred sensation.

Shen Moyan's gaze was not directed toward the commotion outside the window.

No matter how he changed his location or what kind of Concealment Secret Technique he used, he could not shake off the killing calamity. Instead, the Karma line grew increasingly solid as time passed.

Since it couldn't be avoided, he would face the calamity head-on.

He needed to seize the initiative, create an advantage, and establish a battlefield favorable to himself.

This way, even if he couldn't defeat the opponent, he would know why they wanted to kill him, making it easier to prepare for the next Reincarnation.

Coincidentally, Shen Moyan also needed actual combat to gauge his current fighting strength.

Shen Moyan lowered his eyes, focusing his entire mind on the long sword and Formation Plate resting horizontally across his knees.

"Heavenly Gang Absolute Killing Formation: using Fifth-Grade Heavenly Gang Qi to manifest all things, materializing hundreds of weapons, like an army of thousands, fighting the enemy with Sword and Saber Aura."

"Dark Nether Shadow Extinction Formation: using Third-Grade Dark Nether Qi to transform into hidden weapons, following the target like a torrential rain of pear blossoms."

"And the Illusionary Traces Maze Array, blurring my main body and concealing my moves during combat... these standard killing formations from the Formation Masters Pavilion should be enough to give him trouble."

The long sword across his knees was over three feet long.

The body of the sword was restrained and dark, and along the spine was an extremely fine, flowing, and unstable startling swan phantom image.

This was the sword he personally forged, using the Biyang First Rising Art as the foundation, integrating his own comprehension of the Sword Dao, and referencing Artifact Refining methods such as "Divine Artifact Self-Concealment" and "Dao Rhyme Internal Storage" from the Records of All Artifacts—

The startling swan sword.

At this moment, Shen Moyan was not regulating his breathing or practicing Qi, but was... honing his sword.

Not with a Mortal whetstone, but using his spirit as the anvil, Qi as the hammer, and Dao Rhyme as the grit.

His index and middle fingers on his right hand were pressed together, his fingertips wrapped in a wisp of extremely pure Biyang mana. Like a fine whetstone, he slowly and repeatedly scraped and sharpened along the spine of the startling swan sword with a unique rhythm.

Shen Moyan's expression was focused and calm, as if he wasn't awaiting a life-or-death killing calamity, but merely performing a routine cultivation exercise.

But in the deepest part of his eyes, there was a frozen lake surface, beneath which lay highly concentrated vigilance and killing intent.

Suddenly, outside the city, the Biyang Burning Killing Formation he had prepared was broken.

"He's here."

Shen Moyan muttered inwardly. His fingertips swept across the sword body, causing an almost inaudible hum.

The next moment, the curtain of the private room moved without wind, gently lifting.

Shen Moyan abruptly raised his head, his gaze like two bolts of cold lightning shooting toward the wooden door of the private room.

Standing at the doorway was an old man dressed in a short jacket of coarse cloth, wearing a bamboo hat, and with a gourd tied to his waist, looking like a common traveling merchant.

His face was ordinary, instantly forgettable if tossed into a crowd, but the pair of eyes he raised to look at Shen Moyan were hollow and indifferent, with the phantom image of a star chart slowly rotating in their depths.

Shen Moyan noticed the faint nine songs seal mark on the back of his hand.

It seems he is a member of the Holy Court.

"Young friend, this old man had quite a search for you."

The old man spoke, his voice flat.

"Hand over the Emperor Lord's token and seal your cultivation, and perhaps your soul can be spared Reincarnation."

Shen Moyan: ?

Emperor Lord's token?

He wants my death exemption gold plaque!?

Which Holy Court member would dare covet the Jiang Family's Gold Token?

"He's not a Holy Court member!"

Shen Moyan's mind focused instantly.

The old man's seemingly indifferent gaze swept over Shen Moyan's body.

Finally, as if unintentionally, his gaze lingered momentarily on the seemingly unremarkable yellow-skinned gourd hanging from Shen Moyan's waist.

From Shen Moyan's Xiyi Perspective, that glance was definitely not accidental!

Alarm bells rang in Shen Moyan's heart. Did the opponent recognize the yi mo gourd?

"Junior, to be able to refine this gourd to such an extent, you must have some Opportunity."

The old man showed delight, and the red gourd on his waist trembled.

The yi mo gourd on Shen Moyan's waist began to tremble violently and uncontrollably. The gourd body became scorching hot, and its internal space fluctuated intensely, as if trying to escape his control.

Shen Moyan suppressed it with his own Dao Rhyme, and under the old man's surprised expression, he finally managed to subdue the yi mo gourd.

In a flash of lightning, countless clues collided wildly in Shen Moyan's mind.

The incomplete volume of the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art found on Ni Gaoyuan had a suspicious origin.

Ni Gaoyuan was able to scheme against Dongshan City. Without the Demonic Seed Opportunity, how could a Half-Yao Loose Cultivator stir up such trouble?

After Ni Gaoyuan died, his yi mo gourd fell into my hands, and the extent of this person's current knowledge about the gourd... Looking at it from a higher level, Ni Gaoyuan messed up Dongshan City, causing Jiang Zhiqiu to die during his investigation, leading to a Human-Yao war, which ultimately involved Jiang Qingshui and resulted in the consumption of the Jiang Family's Holy Court Gold Token... And now, this person has come to demand the death exemption gold plaque from me... "I don't know which Cultivator in the Holy Court posted the dead dog Inspector's appearance on the Nine Songs Net forum, adding fuel to the fire and causing a huge uproar, which the Holy Court officials couldn't control even when trying to ban the comments."

Xu Mingxuan's words from the previous life surfaced in Shen Moyan's mind... "Many fellow Disciples, like me, joined the Holy Court and were forced into Reincarnation, but they kept a backup plan, not cleansing their past life's Karma and memories, and still harbor resentment toward the Xuanhuang Emperor Lord."

"Since you, Milord, have returned, with your strength, as long as you extend an olive branch to the Immortal Lineages and raise your arm, Orthodoxies will naturally follow you."

Zheng Quan meticulously explained the stakes to the Six Hells Demon Venerable... "Young friend, you are not suited to stay in the Biyang Sword Sect. I presume you and those old fogeys of the Tianji Divine Sect must have common interests."

Gao Sheng's words, filled with killing intent, echoed in his ears... "So that's it..."

Shen Moyan's eyes flickered uncertainly.

This person before him, or rather the power behind him, was the true mastermind who planned the Dongshan City incident and instigated the great chaos in Langya Prefecture in the previous life!

Ni Gaoyuan, a mere Half-Yao, who could contact the Mythical Bird clan and act as a link to bridge the conflict between the Yao Race and the Human Race, was a pawn in their hands, used to incur Karma and muddy the waters!

Furthermore, with the Demonic Seed and the incomplete Heavenly Demon Transformation Art left behind, the Heavenly Demon Ritual could be performed at any time!

Lowering the Heavenly Demon's will and igniting a war between the two races!

Their goal was either to fish in troubled waters and seize a nascent soul dao fruit, or to cause heavy casualties to the Jiang Family during the great war, thereby creating an Opportunity to acquire the Holy Court Gold Token!

And now, the yi mo gourd given to Ni Gaoyuan, as well as the death exemption gold plaque, are both on me.

I cannot conceal the aura of the death exemption gold plaque.

Thus, it would be difficult for the opponent not to catch me.

So that is the Karma Killing Calamity!

Shen Moyan gripped his sword and slowly rose. All the killing formations he had set up were ready to be deployed.

With a behind-the-scenes style, poor at frontal assault, and skilled in using external objects like the yi mo gourd, only one of the Twenty-One Immortal Orthodoxies fits the description.

Shen Moyan faced the old man, a friendly expression on his face, and while honing his sword, he smiled and said:

"So it's an esteemed guest from the Tianji Divine Sect! Please forgive me for not coming out to greet you!"

Hearing this, the old man's smile stiffened.

Inside the private room, killing intent was taut, like a string ready to snap.