130, The Strife of Two Factions

  "Wan Hong'an! You and I are both disciples of the Seven Great Sects. Why do you set an ambush for me?!" Ye Jingwen glared at the three cultivators in front of him, his anger bursting forth.

  The leader was about thirty or forty years old, with a fairly decent face, but he had a small mustache, which made him look somewhat shifty.

  "This man gazed at Ye Jingwen with a cold smile: 'The Seven Great Sects? Humph, don't talk so grandly. Your Xuanqingmen people haven't been few in taking advantage of the fire to loot either. Now that the demonic beast's chaos has just subsided, who isn't taking the opportunity to grab a share?"

  "You——" Ye Jingwen's face turned white and then red, he naturally knew that the seven factions were not harmonious. He himself hadn't done these things, but as a fellow disciple, he was aware of them. Although the Seven Great Factions claimed to be righteous, there were always some unscrupulous individuals who would take advantage of the situation to do something. The sects prioritized the bigger picture and turned a blind eye, saying that in the end, no matter which faction, none of them had clean hands.

  He looked up and down at Ye Jingwen, stroking his small mustache, and chuckled to his fellow disciple: "After we're done with this job today, let's call it a day. This kid has quite some good stuff on him!"

  "That's right," someone gazed at Ye Jingwen with an unkind expression, "These past few days this kid has killed quite a number of demonic beasts. I reckon he's got so many materials on him that they can't all fit. How about we help him out and take them off his hands?"

  "That's right! We're so kind-hearted, haha..."

  The three people walked closer and closer, drawing out their swords from their bodies.

  Ye Jingwen saw it at a glance, his fingertips moved slightly, and the sword on his back had already been unsheathed.

  That monk named Wan Hong'an, seeing this, turned his head and laughed loudly at his companion: "Look at him - our Gujian Sect is indeed a true sword cultivator sect, yet he still wants to draw his sword in front of us!"

  Three people burst out laughing together.

  Ye Jingwen's face remained still, his hand grasping a few more talismans. The cultivation method of the Xuanqing Gate was that of the Taoist school, but its combat techniques were not limited to one style, and there were various schools of talismanic, medical, sword, and other cultivations. Ye Jingwen was a disciple of the Sword Cultivation School. However, the ancient sword sect was the largest sword cultivation school, gathering the top swordsmen from Kunwu. Pure sword cultivation was more difficult to advance than ordinary cultivators, but their combat techniques were stronger than those of the same level, not to mention that the ancient sword sect had its own secret techniques passed down through generations, and Ye Jingwen did not dare to underestimate them.

  In front of him, the three ancient swordsmen, one in the middle period of foundation building and two in the early period of foundation building. He roughly estimated in his heart that this mid-term foundation builder was older than him. Naturally, he had more experience, if there were any secret techniques to cultivate, he might have a lower chance of winning. As for those two early-stage foundation builders, it was possible to fight them head-on.

  In an instant, Ye Jingwen had a plan in mind. He wasn't arrogant enough to think he could take them down, but he was fairly certain he could break through the encirclement and escape with his life. As long as he made it back to the Qianmen Ridge camp, these few people wouldn't dare make a move - after all, the one in charge here was Kuang Zhuo, an elder brother who rarely took action but was a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and when combined with other Foundation Establishment fellow disciples, they would be enough to intimidate these few.

  With this thought in mind, he didn't wait for the three to surround him. His sword suddenly appeared in his hand and stabbed straight at Wan Hong'an. At the same time, with a flip of his wrist, a talisman was thrown out without any consideration for cost.

  The three monks were originally smiling, but as soon as he made his move, they revealed a solemn expression. Wan Hong'an drew his sword and began to fight Ye Jingwen, while the other two monks quickly stood up together. The two men each raised their swords, grasped the hilt, and suddenly saw that the swords emitted a light shield, instantly enveloping them. The talismans that were thrown at them were bounced back by this light shield.

  Ye Jingwen secretly felt a pang of regret. The technique of controlling the talisman was quite difficult, and most of the talismans used by their foundation-building disciples were bestowed upon them by their masters. This particular talisman had at least three to five layers, yet these two foundation-building disciples managed to dodge it with ease - the strength of the Gujian Sect truly lived up to its reputation.

  However, he also acknowledges that he is not a pushover. From a young age, he has been practicing diligently, from being an ordinary disciple to becoming an inner disciple, and then to a core disciple. He has made tremendous efforts in his cultivation, progressing from the foundation-building stage to the intermediate level of foundation-building in a short period. At this point, even if they want to take him down, it won't be that easy!

  After several exchanges, Wan Hong'an was somewhat disheveled. In the same camp, he had naturally seen Ye Jingwen take action before, but he never expected that this kid would be so strong, completely not inferior to their Gujianpai's elite swordsmen! He retrieved his flying sword and shouted sternly: "Kid, quickly hand over your things, and we'll spare your life!"

  Upon hearing this, Ye Jingwen, who had just been cut off by the sleeve of his garment, smiled miserably and said: "What, are you afraid to die?" If he really couldn't escape, he would stake his life on it, and Wan Hong'an might not be able to come out alive!

  He has reached such a state, yet he still refuses to lower his head even slightly. Wan Hong'an's anger surged up, and he glanced at the two companions beside him.

  Those two disciples of the ancient sword sect received his eye signal and immediately changed direction, treading on several directions.

  Ye Jingwen's face stiffened, and he heard Wan Hong'an coldly laugh: "If you don't drink the toast, you'll be punished with a penalty cup! Let me show you our Gujian Sect's Wàn Xiàng Xīng Chén Zhèn!"

  Three people stood in a triangular formation around Ye Jingwen, each holding their sword and closing their eyes as they began to chant an incantation.

  Ye Jingwen saw the situation and immediately recalled his flying sword, cautiously looking around. The Wanxiang Star Array is an ultimate technique of the ancient sword array, requiring at least three people and at most a million people. Once set up, it is filled with killing intent, but this array is not easy to set up either, requiring spiritual energy beyond imagination. These three people must not be easy to deal with!

  Before the three of them could set up their sword formation, Ye Jingwen flicked his hand and his sword flew out, seemingly shooting towards Wan Hong'an. Just as they were about to dodge, he clapped a talisman in his hand and instantly disappeared into the ground.

  "Earth Escape! It's the Earth Escape Seal!" Wan Hong'an shouted, waving his hand, a sword energy shot out and flew into the ground. Then, a visible spiritual energy was seen rapidly escaping into the distance.

  "Chase!"

  Mo Tian Ge stood on the white silk cloth, with Fei Tian Chuo in hand. No longer holding back his aura, the prestige of a foundation-establishing cultivator burst forth instantly. At the same time, Fei Tian Chuo struck out, directly taking the head of the leader.

  "That man shouted: 'Who!' He turned around and barely avoided the flying dart, saw a few strands of hair floating down, and was shocked into a cold sweat."

  "Meng Tian Ge coldly said: 'Who are you people, daring to surround and attack my fellow senior of the Xuan Qing Men sect?'"

  These three people took a clear look at her appearance and exchanged glances with each other, in the middle of building their foundation.

  Ye Jingwen had just emerged from the ground and exclaimed in surprise: "Tian Ge!"

  Seeing that the three of them were about to leave, Mo Tian Ge hummed a tune and Flying Heaven Needle made another move. Several flying needles were hidden in the golden light, while on the other hand, his true divine sense had quietly snuck out.

  Ye Jingwen reacted extremely quickly, with a wave of her hand, the flying sword shot out once again, combining with her Flying Heaven Dart to block the counterattacks of those two Foundation Building initial stage cultivators.

  All this happened in an instant, their Wanxiang Star Array didn't even have time to be deployed, and Wan Hong'an only had time to dodge sideways. He heard a cry of "ah" as one of his companions fell to the ground. He turned his head to see another companion pale-faced, barely blocking Ye Jingwen's flying sword.

  Wan Hong'an was also slapped with a talisman on his waist, and he instantly disappeared without a trace, completely ignoring his companions as he fled.

  Mo Tian Ge and Ye Jing Wen did not give chase, instead they once again struck out to intercept and kill the Foundation Building cultivators. The two Mid-stage cultivators simultaneously made their move, catching the enemy off guard and leaving them no room for resistance, and so they were annihilated on the spot.

  Ending the fight, Ye Jingwen glanced at the direction where Wan Hongan escaped, sheathed his sword and turned to Mo Tian Ge: "Tian Ge, how did you end up here? I heard that you went missing during the Dan Ding Gate war two years ago. Are you alright?"

  Mo Tian Ge smiled and nodded towards him: "Ye Da Ge, looking at me like this, does it seem like I have something on my mind?"

  Ye Jingwen was taken aback and looked her up and down in surprise: "You've reached the middle stage of your promotion?"

  He shouted like this, and Mo Tian Ge was surprised: "I have been promoted to the middle stage two years ago, Brother Ye, you don't know?"

  "What?" Ye Jingwen was confused, what's going on?

  Mo Tian Ge swept a glance over the ground and said, "Ye Da Ge, let's head back and talk slowly."

  "Alright."

  The two of them handled the corpses of the two ancient sword sect disciples and slowly flew back together.

  "Tian Ge, you first tell me what's going on with you? I remember that your foundation building was just three years ago, how did it reach the middle stage two years ago? And what happened when you disappeared?"

  "Hmm... I encountered some opportunities two years ago, so I directly advanced to the middle stage. This matter was known by all my senior sisters at Luoyan Cliff back then, and I thought you knew too..."

  "I was with Master at the time, and when I returned, you had already left with Master Xuan Yin. The opportunity you encountered actually allowed you to advance directly to the middle stage? This is no ordinary opportunity!"

  The stranger smiled and said, "Two years ago, I was being chased by a fifth-grade demon beast. Luckily, I had an escape tool on me, which allowed me to narrowly escape with my life. Afterwards, because of the injuries on my body, I didn't dare to appear in public, so I found a secret place to heal my wounds. Just a few days ago, when my injuries were healed, I finally dared to come out."

  "It's really like this... you've spent two years recovering from your injuries, your wounds must have been quite severe, right?"

  Mo Tian Ge said: "It's okay, I was unconscious for several months, fortunately didn't encounter any danger. Ye Da Ge, what are you doing here?"

  Ye Jingwen's face floated with a bitter smile: "These two years have been too miserable, our sect has suffered greatly due to the early issuance of the mountain closure order. The Qi refining disciples were unaffected, but the impact on the foundation building disciples was huge, nearly one-third of them fell, shaking the foundations of the sect."

  One-third, that is, at least 70-80 disciples - so many foundation-building disciples, it will take at least a hundred years to recover their vitality. And thinking about other sects, the losses of various sects in Kunwu this time can be said to be extremely heavy.

  "We, the elite disciples, initially followed our master to battle, but later due to various tasks or crises, were scattered all over. I ended up in Tianhuo Mountain because two years ago, after that big war, I was sent out to support Dandan Gate and never managed to return..."

  The two of them talked about what happened in the Luàn of the demonic beasts, and Mó Tiān Gē learned that later on, three more Jīnguì cultivators from the Xuán Qīng Gate fell. The first elder of the sect, the Taishang Elder, was enraged, and five Yuányīng cultivators were dispatched to battle, which finally stabilized the situation around the Xuán Qīng Gate.

  After three years, the chaos of the demon beasts has been basically calmed down. The forest is no longer filled with countless demon beasts, and the strength of various sects in Kunwu has also been consumed to a certain extent. Ye Jingwen said that this war exceeded the previous scale, and it's estimated that there won't be another battle between humans and demon beasts within a hundred years.

  For this, Mo Tian Ge secretly rejoiced in her heart. Fortunately, she had hidden in the Void Sky Realm for two years; otherwise, it wouldn't be a matter of whether she could keep her life or not, but rather, like her three senior sisters, she would likely suffer extreme injuries within a few years, and her cultivation would probably stagnate within those few years as well.

  "Tian Ge, you're really lucky. You haven't even reached thirty yet and you've already established a mid-stage foundation. It's truly enviable."

  Mo Tian Ge shook his head: "It's just fate."

  "Opportunity is also part of one's ability, you don't have to be so modest."

  “……”

  Two people chatted all the way and went to the front of the mountain pass.

  On the way, Ye Jingwen shared with her the insights he gained after building his foundation in the middle period, and also reminded her of many things to pay attention to, making Mo Tian Ge receive his nagging for the first time. Unknowingly, it was probably because she saw that little ancient child yesterday, looking at Ye Jingwen who would often repeat one thing several times, Mo Tian Ge couldn't help but overlap the images of the two people in her mind and secretly found it amusing.

  The two had not yet entered the front gate of the mountain stronghold when a man rushed over: "Two masters!"

  Moy Tian Ge fixed his eyes and took a closer look, it was that little Guzi from yesterday. The child grabbed the two of them with one hand and exclaimed: "Two masters, something's wrong!"

  Mo Tian Ge and Ye Jing Wen exchanged a glance, then Ye Jing Wen reached out to grab his arm, asking: "What's wrong?"

  Xiao Guzi pulled the two of them aside and whispered: "Did you guys have a conflict with the Gujian Sect disciples?"

  Ye Jingwen nodded, his eyebrows raised: "What's going on? Is that Wàn guy daring to come and tattle again?"

  Xiao Guzi's face was filled with helplessness: "Isn't that right? We can tell what's going on just by listening, but this guy surnamed Wan has called over all the Gujian Sect members. He insists that it's you, Ye Shifu, who wants to kill and steal treasure. When he couldn't beat them, he called in his fellow disciples. Of course, Zhang Cheng wouldn't believe him, but this guy is clearly trying to use his power to bully people!"

  Ye Jingwen snorted coldly: "This place, the Front Gate Ridge, is where my Xuanqing Sect is in charge. If we're talking about building foundations and cultivating disciples, we have a few more than the ancient sword sect. How dare they do this!"

  Xiao Guzi's face turned sullen, and he reluctantly agreed: "Yes! They just took advantage of Master Kuang Zhu not being in charge. Besides, even if something happened, Master Kuang Zhu as the person in charge would be the one to take the blame!"

  Mo Tian Ge sneered, "I'm afraid they're just guilty and afraid we'll deal with them, so they've taken the initiative to strike first. Now, who's right or wrong is no longer important. That surnamed Wan has clearly set up a confrontation between Gujian Sect and our Xuanqing Gate, escalating it to a sect-level conflict. Others won't care if he wants to kill people and steal treasures!"

  "It's indeed what I meant..." Ye Jingwen pondered for a moment, looking at Xiao Guzi, "What attitude does Shuang Shifu have?"

  Xiao Guzi helplessly said: "Since Shizun doesn't want to bother with them, but they won't let it go..."

  "In that case, let's take action!" Ye Jingwen glanced at Mo Tian Ge and saw that she didn't object, so he continued, "Xiao Gu Zi, go tell Kuang Shixiong that this matter can't be settled amicably, it's better to use force!"

  Xiao Guzi was startled and subconsciously looked at Mo Tian Ge: "This..."

  Mò Tiān Gē knew that although Yè Jǐng Wén was gentle with her, when they first met he had killed the one who had taken her hostage, Li Yù Shān, with a single blow. This showed that he was a decisive and ruthless person. Moreover, she herself had also thought of this, so she smiled at Xiǎo Gǔ Zǐ: "How many people do they have? What is their cultivation level?"

  Xiao Guzi looked at the two of them with an air of nonchalance, swallowed hard and dryly said: "There are five people in total, two are in the middle stage of foundation building, three are in the initial stage of foundation building, and there are also some Qi refining disciples..."

  "Five people dare to take action?" Meng Tian Ge was somewhat puzzled, "What about us? I and Ye Da Ge are in the middle of the foundation building stage, Kuang Zhu Shixiong is in the late foundation building stage, Bai Shidi is in the early foundation building stage——are there other foundation building cultivators?"

  "Hmm, there are also two Shifu uncles here, but they haven't been around lately..." Xiaoguzi carefully looked around, "Two Shifu uncles, Kuang Zhu Shixiong and Bai Shixiong aren't afraid of us, but now that we're supposedly allies, how can we justify taking action?"

  "What are you waiting for?" Ye Jingwen hummed, "They're all dead, of course we'll take care of it!"

  "This..." Xiao Guzi followed the door, and then went with Kuang Zhu Shixiong Zhan Bai and Little Sister together. Kuang Zhu and Zhan Bai, apart from cultivation, focused on studying alchemy and healing techniques. He had rarely experienced fighting with Xiao Zui, even in these few years of demon beast wars, they were always at the back. Now hearing Ye Jingwen and Mo Tian Ge mention killing other cultivators without changing their faces, he couldn't help but feel shocked and fearful.

  He looked at him and couldn't help but reach out to touch his head: "Little Gu, you go inform Master Kuang Zhu, then I'll pretend to have just returned with Brother Ye. When the time comes, quietly remind us what to do."

  "Alright." Xia Guzi gritted his teeth, "Since both of you masters said so, I'll go inform Kuang Zhuo Shixiong then." He had to get used to this kind of thing.

  Ye Jingwen nodded with a smile: "Thanks."

  As Xiao Guzi walked into the barracks, Mo Tian Ge and Ye Jingwen exchanged a glance, both seeing murderous intent in each other's eyes.

  After the recent collaboration, Ye Jingwen had a new understanding of Mo Tian Ge. The Mo Tian Ge in front of him was now a genuine mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. His accuracy and decisiveness were far beyond that of the little girl he had saved all those years ago. He couldn't help but feel emotional, thinking that it had only been seventeen years since then. When he had rescued her back then, he never thought that this day would come so soon, and she had grown up to be able to fight alongside him.

  "Tian Ge, you'd better be careful later. The Wansheng Xingchen formation of the Gujian sect is not easy to deal with. It's best to kill them before they set up their sword formation, otherwise it will interfere with us. If we wait until they set up their sword formation, we'll have no choice but to retreat immediately."

  "Uh-huh, Brother Ye, you be careful too."

  The two of them waited silently for a while, gave each other a glance, and walked into the barracks together.

  His divine sense spread out into the past, and immediately collided with someone else's divine sense. Unaware of whose divine sense it was, she neither provoked nor avoided it.

  Crossing into the grand hall, inside was a piece of quietness. The wounded had already been moved away, several Gujianpai cultivators stood together, gazing at them with hostility, Xiao Guzi and Xiao Zui were at the very back, Xian Bai blocked in front of them, while Kuang Zhuo sat at the table, as if everything else did not exist, concocting some kind of medicinal paste.

  Moy Tian Ge looked at Xiao Gu Zi and saw that the child had glanced at the ancient sword sect's cultivator, then winked.

  She exchanged a glance with Ye Jingwen, it seems that Kuang Zhu Shixiong has agreed.

  Thank you for celrer's reward. The holiday is so busy, why are there so many things...