Li Muzhan was held around the waist by Abbess Zhuzhao as she ran, much like an adult restraining a disobedient child. Yet, since Abbess Zhuzhao was slender and petite, standing a head shorter than him, she looked more like the child holding the adult.

Li Muzhan paid no heed to his disheveled appearance, focusing all his attention on the Canghai Divine Sword. The Five Elders possessed profound internal energy and exquisite swordsmanship; a moment's lapse and the tiger would be unleashed.

He could discern that the Five Elders were employing secret techniques that heavily taxed their stamina; it wouldn't last long. Once this barrage of attacks was weathered, they would collapse without a fight.

Suddenly, Li Muzhan closed his eyes, his ten fingers weaving rapidly. Sword energy crisscrossed the air, forming a net that was sparse yet inescapable, tightly ensnaring the five figures.

He abruptly called out, "Master, let's head up the mountain."

Abbess Zhuzhao nodded, "Good!"

Wen Yinyue, whose heart was in perfect sync with hers, sharply changed direction. The two figures veered toward the vast, rugged mountains to the east—a range whose peaks were majestic and sheer as blades.

The Five Elders pursued relentlessly, their faces flushed crimson, almost drunkenly so… half from the secret arts, and the other half from holding their breath, desperate to let out a sky-rending roar and tear Li Muzhan into ten thousand pieces.

The mountain path was treacherous. The narrow track they occupied twisted upwards, with a sheer cliff face on one side and a precipice on the other. Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue, being slender, could manage while restraining Li Muzhan, but it was barely passable.

The five behind them fared worse. Even with their supreme Qinggong, they couldn't advance abreast. They were forced into a staggered line—two side-by-side, forming three distinct ranks.

This arrangement meant Li Muzhan only needed to contend with two opponents at any given time.

Abbess Zhuzhao let out an admiring sound, "Remarkable boy, utilizing the terrain to your advantage. But we can't stay on this hillside forever, can we?"

Li Muzhan chuckled, "We might as well slow down a little."

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue eased their pace. Under the pressure of the Canghai Divine Sword, the five behind them couldn't press closer and were forced to reduce speed, their frustration bordering on madness.

"Ah…" One Elder roared at the sky, his cry echoing into the clouds.

Li Muzhan laughed heartily, his voice clear and bright, washing over everything.

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue smiled subtly. With the local advantage, watching five top masters tie their own hands and halve their own power was truly exhilarating.

They experienced the wonder of Li Muzhan's abilities—transforming all circumstances into strength, relying on them as aids, capable of defeating many with few, and overcoming the strong with the weak.

Li Muzhan suddenly commanded, "Master, stop! Turn around and go back!"

Abbess Zhuzhao started, then swiftly spun around to face the Five Elders. Hesitating for a moment, Li Muzhan twisted his body, receding behind the two women.

"Meet them head-on!" Li Muzhan quipped.

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue exchanged a look of hesitation before gritting their teeth and charging forward.

…………

Li Muzhan directed his ten fingers, and interwoven streams of chilling sword energy descended, enveloping the two leading Elders.

His sword energy, propelled by the Dragon Slaying Hand technique, surpassed the Canghai Divine Skill by a notch. It was solid as substance, no different from the Azure Edge Sword, carrying immense inherent power.

The closer they got, the stronger and more agile the sword energy became.

The two Elders, faces flushed, their eyes shining like lightning, stubbornly held their ground, weaving their swords into a sphere of light, shielding themselves like a radiant barrier.

The two women no longer hesitated, advancing slowly, drawing nearer to the Five Elders.

"Hmph!" With a muffled grunt, one Elder's long sword faltered, the light shield vanished, and instantly, blood blossomed from his shoulder and chest as he pitched backward toward the sky.

"Old Feng!" An Elder behind him, seeing the imminent danger, grabbed his belt and swung him backward, exchanging positions. He then thrust his sword into a light shield before him.

Li Muzhan murmured softly, "A little slower."

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue moderated their steps, yet they still drew closer. Within twenty meters, the sweat on the faces of the Five Elders was clearly visible.

Abbess Zhuzhao suddenly declared, "Zhanran, they are almost exhausted!"

Li Muzhan smiled, "Master sees things with piercing clarity!"

Wen Yinyue suddenly chimed in, "Master, let's go now, let that junior support us!"

"Good idea!" Abbess Zhuzhao’s apricot eyes brightened. She shouted, "Go!"

The two women suddenly accelerated. Still holding hands, they floated lightly to the front of the two Elders, their sword light transforming into pinpricks of cold radiance, striking straight out.

The two Elders let out cold sneers, meeting the attack with their swords. The two Elders behind them were busy attending to their fallen comrade.

"Clang. Clang. Cling-clang…" The four long swords met. Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue’s internal energies overlapped, doubling their power, and the destructive force of their swords surged.

Furthermore, having recently meditated upon the Flying Immortal Sword Sutra, the two women had gained significant insight, rendering their swordsmanship sharp and subtle, subtly neutralizing the techniques of the Changbai Sword Sect.

The two Elders had profound internal strength and exquisite swordplay, but they had the misfortune of encountering Wen Yinyue's Flying Immortal Sword technique. They immediately became restricted, feeling awkward and off-balance, their entire repertoire of marvelous sword skills rendered useless.

Abbess Zhuzhao, being exceptionally intelligent, had also studied the sword technique alongside Wen Yinyue. Having observed Wen Yinyue execute it, combined with her own comprehension, a new iteration of the Flying Immortal Sword Art took shape.

Together, they managed to suppress the two Elders. Li Muzhan ceased his assault, watching leisurely, using the two Elders as whetstones for their newly refined Flying Immortal Sword Art.

"Old Feng won't last!" The two Elders who were fighting rose up, fire blazing in their eyes as they glared fixedly at Li Muzhan.

One Elder said in a deep voice, "Let's take him down!"

"Go!" The two leaped up fiercely, soaring past the four engaged in battle.

"Swish-swish-swish-swish…" Chilling sword energy descended like a flood, completely enveloping the four figures.

…………

"Clang-clang-clang-clang…" The sword light formed a luminous screen covering their bodies, emitting sounds of metal striking metal. The two were forced downward, about to step onto the carved light below.

They were too close; the sheer might of the Canghai Divine Sword was overwhelming.

Li Muzhan suddenly extended his little finger, lightly and silently.

"Hmph!" The Elder fighting Abbess Zhuzhao suddenly trembled; his movement lagged, then a cold light swept across his throat. He immediately fell backward toward the sky.

"Old Song!" The Elder beside him roared in shock and anger.

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue combined their swords, their power surging, instantly consuming the remaining Elder. The other two Elders, who were being forced slowly downward, saw this and were terrified. They quickly returned to their original positions—one moving to assist, the other lowering his head to check his companion's wound.

In that brief span, Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue had won their exchange. The wounded Elder had a shallow cut on his shoulder, instantly losing fighting capability, and the Elder aiding him was left fighting alone.

"Old Ma, hurry and help me!" he shouted, desperately waving his sword.

The Elder looking at his companion’s wound sprang up, stepped forward, and swung his sword. Joining forces with his comrade, the previously wounded Elder clutched his shoulder and retreated.

His injury was on his right shoulder; he could barely hold his sword, his face pale, but his eyes burned fiercely.

"Old Zhang, you go first, report back!" The two Elders engaged Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue while speaking in deep tones.

The wounded Elder shook his head, "It's pointless. Even if I flee, I won't get far. Better to fight to the death!"

The other two Elders fell silent, closing their lips tightly as they swung their swords. A moment later, they nodded heavily: "Fight to the death!"

The wounded Elder suddenly threw aside his sword, placing both palms against the chests of the other two. Precisely then, a finger force arrived silently. With a crisp pop, a spray of blood erupted from his chest.

He looked down at his chest, then glared at Li Muzhan, before tilting backward toward the sky in unwilling defeat.

The remaining two Elders glanced over, their expressions changing. Their swordsmanship instantly became frenzied, spurred by the will to die, ignoring their own safety, attacking only to destroy.

Li Muzhan directed his ten fingers, and chilling sword energy permeated the air. Splotches of blood burst out around the bodies of the two Elders. Their sword momentum faltered, and slowly, they collapsed.

Abbess Zhuzhao and Wen Yinyue stood near each other, glancing around, then meeting each other's eyes before turning to look at Li Muzhan.

"Little brat, is this real?…" Abbess Zhuzhao asked, frowning elegantly.

Killing five top masters with only three people—this was something she couldn't have dared to imagine before. Facing such experts alone, managing to survive would have been fortunate. If she faced them single-handedly, escaping would be hard. Working with Wen Yinyue, they could defend, but killing them seemed unrealistic.

Now, this had actually happened. She looked at the empty surroundings, feeling as if she were in a dream.

……………………

Li Muzhan smiled, "Master and Senior Sister are divinely potent, truly admirable!"

"Alas…" Abbess Zhuzhao suddenly sighed, filled with deep emotion. "To think such supreme experts would end up dead!"

"Master, if they hadn't died, we would have. ," Li Muzhan chuckled.

Even as the sect leader, firm and shrewd, his Master retained a touch of feminine sentimentality—melancholy.

Abbess Zhuzhao turned, fixing him with a glare from her apricot eyes, "Who said that? We only needed to run a little longer, and they would have exhausted themselves, unable to catch up."

Li Muzhan shook his head and laughed gently, "Master, they wouldn't wait until exhaustion; they would withdraw early, making a total annihilation difficult…"

Striking back while they still had the will to fight allows for a decisive kill. Otherwise, as their secret arts waned, they would flee desperately, making a complete wipeout unlikely.

"In short, you are a ruthless fellow!" Abbess Zhuzhao huffed softly.

Li Muzhan touched his nose, giving Wen Yinyue an innocent smile. Wen Yinyue glanced back with a slight smile before quickly turning her head away.

Li Muzhan said with a smile, "Master, how about I bury them, chant scriptures to deliver their souls, and send them to the Pure Land?"

"Hmph! They were also masters of their generation; is this the treatment they deserve?" Abbess Zhuzhao gave him a sidelong glance.

Li Muzhan hurriedly nodded, "Yes, yes, it is proper."

He quickly silenced himself, daring not to speak further lest he be severely reprimanded by his Master.

He pressed his Dragon Slaying Hand against the nearby moss-covered cliff face. It sank in as if into mire, and stones crumbled away, revealing a cave entrance in an instant.

Li Muzhan placed the five bodies in the cave and sealed the entrance. Beside it, he wrote a few large characters: "The Five Elders of the Changbai Sword Sect are interred here…"

"Master, how is this?" Li Muzhan dusted off his hands and turned with a smile.

Abbess Zhuzhao gave him a look, bowed three times toward the cliff face, stared at the large characters Li Muzhan had written, then sighed faintly and said, "Let's go!"

She floated forward. Li Muzhan and Wen Yinyue followed shoulder-to-shoulder. The sleeves of the three fluttered as they swiftly descended the mountain. They retraced their steps and found the eight horses waiting.

The horses were scarce in Dayanzuan, and each one was precious. Although Canghai Mountain was wealthy, Abbess Zhuzhao was not wasteful; she took all eight horses. The three changed mounts and rode quickly, returning to Canghai Mountain in just a few days.

On Canghai Mountain, Yang Chong, the Pavilion Master of Penglai Pavilion, had been waiting for many days. Wang Xiaoyao’s injuries had also nearly healed; the blow from Li Muzhan had seemed severe, but his recovery was swift.

As the contingent from Penglai Pavilion was preparing to depart, news arrived that shattered Abbess Zhuzhao's good mood.

PS: I cannot guarantee the next update; please do not wait for it. (To be continued)

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