Chapter Ninety-Four: The Chaotic Sword Battle

“Master Mei?” The crowd echoed the name, shaking their heads in unison—it seemed no one had ever heard of him.

Li Jianren chuckled softly, discreetly winking at Lin Feng.

“Senior Mei commands great virtue and respect; he will surely uphold justice. Please, follow me.” Lin Feng mounted his sword, Moye, and led the group through countless mountains until they reached Meigu, the valley of the Little Sparrow Platform, nestled among the peaks.

“Everyone, wait here. I’ll scout ahead,” Lin Feng said, diving swiftly toward the plum forest on his sword.

Moments later, he returned, his face flushed with embarrassment. “Senior Mei is not at home. Sorry, everyone…”

“What! He’s not here?” Li Jianren’s expression darkened abruptly.

“Esteemed friend, surely you’re not playing us for fools?” Ye Wuchen sneered coldly.

Lin Feng forced a polite smile. “Senior, as disciples of the Hundred Flowers Sect, we dare not lightly violate sect laws. How could we deceive fellow cultivators?”

“If the witness is absent, how can anyone be convinced? There are two murders here, and the Six Sword Sect alliance meeting is imminent. If the killer isn’t found soon, it might sow disaster for our six sects!” Ye Wuchen’s face grew grave as he glanced around at the hundreds present.

“Exactly! What Senior Ye says is reasonable!” someone unknown chimed in, stirring the muddy waters further.

“Nonsense, the murderer isn’t necessarily Li Jianren!” a few dissenters retorted.

“If not him, then who else?”

“Without concrete evidence, I might as well be the killer! Anyone here could be the murderer!”

Within the Southern Sword Alliance, the Six Sword Sects, though ostensibly united like branches of the same tree, secretly harbored mutual distrust. They had banded together only to rival great sects like the Hanshan and Tianshan Sword Sects. In the cultivation world, they were considered a motley crew. Their complex relationships were hard to articulate.

Now, because of Li Jianren’s predicament, tensions flared. Above Meigu, the noise and quarrels intensified. Led by Ye Wuchen of the Lishan Sword Sect, together with the Wanghai Sword Sect and some from the Jade Sword Sect, they confronted the Chishan Sword Sect and the Cang Sword Sect. Sharp words flew like arrows between the two camps, while the more composed disciples of the Casting Sword Sect watched coldly from afar. The Casting Sword Sect was the weakest of the six and had held the alliance leader position only once in many years, remaining relatively uninvolved in disputes.

The three factions faced each other at a distance, poised in silent confrontation.

Notably, the disciples of the Jade Sword Sect, each as graceful as a phoenix, were sharp-tongued. With the help of the charming and provocative young master Ye Wuchen, these spirited women, led by their elder Chunyu Yan, chattered relentlessly, driving the Chishan and Cang Sword factions nearly to madness.

“Senior Wan, don’t argue with these women. In this world, it is said that only women and villains are hard to deal with!” said Hua Zhongxuan of the Cang Sword Sect, a slender figure clad in black robes, crowned with a tall headpiece. At his feet hovered a giant ink-colored flying sword. His eyes were piercing; a master of swordsmanship.

Wan Xueyuan nodded slightly, offering thanks.

“Hua Zhongxuan! Say that again! Your Cang Sword Sect’s reckless swordsmanship and underhanded tactics make you the true villains!” Chunyu Yan scolded sharply.

“Bah! And your Jade Sword Sect is so righteous? Haha, I bet Chunyu Yan has long since given herself to Ye Wuchen, haven’t you? Otherwise, why would you two be wearing the same trousers?” Hua Zhongxuan retorted smugly, drawing wild laughter.

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“This is bad. This won’t end peacefully; a fight among the six sects is inevitable…” On the sidelines, Lin Feng folded his arms, pondering silently but finding no solution.

Li Jianren frowned deeply, isolated and seemingly forgotten as the others ignored that he was the key figure.

“Senior Hua, your words are unfair. Whether Sister Chunyu and Junior Brother Ye are mutually affectionate is none of others’ concern. Are you just sour grapes because you can’t have it?” The handsome and carefree Yuan Jie stepped forward with a light laugh. “I heard Senior Hua once pursued a certain friend but was rejected. Is that true?”

“You villain, Yuan Jie!” Hua Zhongxuan was furious. With a wave of his hand, his flying sword shot forward, aiming at the opposing camp.

Hua Zhongxuan’s sword, named “Pan Hao,” was forged from the essence of Mount Pan’s stone. Entirely black, a heavy blade without a sharp edge, it was slow but unstoppable.

“You dare attack, Hua Zhongxuan!” Yuan Jie roared, releasing his white-glowing flying sword. Clang! The two swords clashed, bursting into dazzling sparks.

Yuan Jie’s sword, “Ding Guang,” was slender, sharp, and flexible, made of supple material with excellent extension. Both cultivators were late Foundation Establishment stage, evenly matched, but Pan Hao’s imposing force overwhelmed Ding Guang, deflecting it and sending sword energy surging toward Yuan Jie.

“Hmph!” Ye Wuchen flicked his feet, launching a golden sword from its sheath. With a crisp clang, the two sword tips met, weakening Pan Hao’s momentum and bouncing it back. Ye Wuchen’s golden sword then swiftly pursued.

At this moment, Wan Xueyuan intervened. His “Chen Shui” sword pointed at Ye Wuchen’s golden blade. Their swords met again as Yuan Jie, whose initial strike lacked strength, roared in anger and spun Ding Guang in a circle, chasing Pan Hao.

Four flying swords chased and clashed midair, electric sword qi flashing wildly, dazzling the eyes. In an instant, they had exchanged blows multiple times.

“What are you waiting for!” Hua Zhongxuan shouted furiously. Instantly, the Chishan Sword Sect and Cang Sword Sect unsheathed all their flying swords. Various colors filled the sky, sword qi raging like a deluge, rushing toward the other side.

“Kill!” Yuan Jie commanded. Lishan Sword Sect and Jade Sword Sect disciples simultaneously attacked, forming a sword tide of nearly a hundred sword beams surging forward.

Above Meigu, countless sword energies roared and exploded like divine thunder, petals scattered, snow and mist rising.

Over a hundred flying swords fired simultaneously. The resulting collisions sparked fires and sword qi like volcanic eruptions—chaotic and terrifying. The only sounds were howls and gasps, followed by successive screams.

Although the two sides were evenly matched in numbers, no one could fully control their flying swords amid the chaos. The sword tide became a jumbled massacre. Many flying swords shattered instantly, while a few uncontrollable ones veered unpredictably, piercing several terrified cultivators.

The Casting Sword Sect disciples, Lin Feng, and Li Jianren looked on in shock, unable to believe that four out of the six sects were fighting so fiercely here.

“Mu Yitian, why don’t you intervene?” Yuan Jie shouted to his ally in the Wanghai Sword Sect amid the chaos.

“Haha… You Lishan and Chishan sects fighting—what’s that got to do with us? We’re willing to support the formation, but you want the Wanghai Sword Sect to step in? Can you afford that price?” Mu Yitian had already withdrawn dozens of yards with his disciples as the brawl erupted.

“Shameless scoundrel!” Yuan Jie cursed helplessly. Clang! A silver flying sword shot right at him. Yuan Jie dodged just in time as his robe was sliced at the corner, cold sweat breaking out.

The sword tide unleashed continuous collisions and chaos, leaving no easy escape. The massive spherical sword energy resembled a chaotic school of fish in the depths, impossible to identify one’s own sword, forcing each to attack blindly.

“Brother Li, quickly retreat!” Seeing the situation worsen, Lin Feng decided to withdraw. The scene was out of control.

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“Go on! I cannot stand by while my fellow disciples suffer. This disaster is my doing alone!” Li Jianren roared, rushing forward. His twin swords soared into the raging sword tide.

“Don’t be afraid, just kill! If we wipe them out, the Southern Sword Alliance will be four factions at war!” Hua Zhongxuan shouted fiercely, fanning the flames.

“Indeed! Brother Hua, Brother Wan, we’ll support you!” Mu Yitian answered from afar. With a wave of his hand, the Wanghai Sword Sect attacked the Lishan and Jade Sword Sects.

Surrounded on all sides, within a breath’s time, Lishan and Jade Sword Sect disciples suffered dozens of casualties.

“How could this happen!” Lin Feng was stunned. Among the six Southern Sword Sects, only the Casting Sword Sect remained uninvolved. The once dominant Lishan and Jade Sword Sects rapidly lost ground, with many falling from the sky into Meigu, blood staining the air.

This madness dyed the snowy sky red. The wailing of swords echoed endlessly among the mountains.

“You! Mu Yitian! Hua Zhongxuan! You filthy wretches!” Chunyu Yan shouted furiously. She had never expected so many disciples to perish at the hands of allies.

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