The formation vanished, leaving behind a chaotic scene of groans and prone figures littering the ground. Li Muzhan glanced over them without a hint of pity and walked straight past.

His figure flashed like lightning, arriving at the Qinghe Sword Sect by evening. Even now, he meticulously concealed his instant movement ability—it was his ultimate trump card.

Arriving below the Qinghe Sword Sect grounds, he began setting up a new formation. One hundred and eight jade pieces—he cast them down. With the Eye of the Void observing the precise coordinates, setting up the array became twice as efficient. Soon finished, he ascended to the fork of a central tree, sat cross-legged, circulated his inner power, and activated the formation.

Mist slowly began to rise, the vital energy of heaven and earth swirling until it condensed into thin wisps, slowly drawing the surrounding spiritual energy inward, which then transformed into vapor.

The fog grew thicker and thicker, until eventually, nothing could be seen three steps away. It was like dense smoke, completely enveloping the entire expanse of trees.

Viewed from high above, the path necessarily taken by the Qinghe Sword Sect disciples was entirely submerged and occupied by the fog; passage was impossible without traversing this dense miasma.

Li Muzhan showed a satisfied smile. This was the Heaven and Earth Reversal Formation, seemingly similar to the previous Heaven and Earth Chaos Formation, yet fundamentally different.

The Chaos Formation used dense fog to blind the five senses; the Reversal Formation actively confused them. However, one took immediate effect, while the other required time to slowly accumulate its power—the longer it lasted, the stronger it became, truly borrowing the strength of the cosmos.

Li Muzhan set up this array to give them a taste of their own medicine. The Qinghe Sword Sect had sealed Tianyuan Pavilion; now he would seal the Qinghe Sword Sect.

With this grand array in place, once the Qinghe Sword Sect disciples stepped inside, breaking out would not be easy; their fate rested entirely in his hands.

In the days that followed, the Heaven and Earth Reversal Formation gradually exerted its power. Over a dozen Qinghe Sword Sect disciples fell into the trap, and Li Muzhan crippled their cultivation.

By now, the two sects were locked in a mortal feud. His restraint from outright killing them was already an immense kindness, a measure taken to avoid accumulating excessive karmic entanglement by slaughtering indiscriminately.

Half a month later, the Qinghe Sword Sect stopped sending disciples out, seemingly accepting their fate. Yet, Li Muzhan knew they were gathering strength. The Qinghe Sword Sect would never rely on just one path down the mountain. Just as Tianyuan Pavilion always maintained a contingency plan, these ancient, established sects would certainly have hidden avenues.

Li Muzhan guarded the area tirelessly for half a month. After crippling a dozen practitioners, his anger finally subsided somewhat, and he returned to the mountain.

The front of Tianyuan Pavilion was free of Qinghe Sword Sect disciples; it was perfectly tranquil. He nodded with satisfaction, glanced up at the midday sun, and drifted with a smile into the main hall of Tianyuan Pavilion.

Inside the hall sat Long Jingyue and Bai Mingqiu. The soft light lent their faces a layer of gentle luminescence, making them appear even more crystalline than jade.

"Wuji, where have you been!" Long Jingyue quickly beckoned, gesturing to the opposite seat.

Li Muzhan sat down and chuckled, "Master, is it finally quiet now?"

"You indeed," Long Jingyue shook her head. "You struck quite ruthlessly!" But it was satisfying. Well done, Wuji, you worked hard!"

Li Muzhan smiled sheepishly. He hadn't expected his Master to praise him directly; he thought he would be scolded for being too audacious and excessive in his methods.

Bai Mingqiu shot him a sidelong glance: "Master, spare the praise; he’ll float away!"

"Wuji performed a great service this time!" Long Jingyue waved her hand, laughing. "No praise is excessive. Without Wuji, we truly would have had no recourse!"

Bai Mingqiu’s expression darkened, and she bit her red lip, feeling an immense weight settle on her shoulders, her heart pressed down by a boulder, making it hard to breathe. Thinking of Tianyuan Pavilion’s weakness against their powerful enemies, despair welled up. Worse still, the Huaqing Sect proved useless at this critical moment; not only did they fail to support them, but they retreated. While the Qinghe Sword Sect was powerful, the Mingjing Sect was far more terrifying.

Her junior brother was formidable, capable of routing the Qinghe Sword Sect, but if the Mingjing Sect were truly provoked, the consequences were easily imagined—there would be no mercy. The harsher they attacked the Qinghe Sword Sect now, the more vicious the Mingjing Sect’s retaliation would be.

"Senior Sister, what is wrong?" Li Muzhan asked.

Bai Mingqiu glared at him: "Why must you act so recklessly strong!"

Li Muzhan looked at her bright eyes, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Bai Mingqiu was agitated, her temper flaring. She scoffed coldly, "No matter how capable you are, can you stop the Mingjing Sect? Forget it and hide inside Tianyuan quickly!"

"No rush," Li Muzhan shook his head. "If it truly comes to that, it won't be too late for me to retreat into Tianyuan!"

Long Jingyue interjected, "Wuji, don't overextend yourself or take unnecessary risks. If anything feels wrong, run back immediately. Once you flee into Tianyuan, no one can touch you!"

Li Muzhan smiled. "Master, I understand."

"Qiu'er is just worried about you," Long Jingyue smiled, shaking her head. Having raised Bai Mingqiu herself, she understood her feelings completely.

Li Muzhan continued, "I will be fine... this time, we should have crippled the Qinghe Sword Sect’s vitality enough that they won't dare provoke us again!"

"However, the crucial part is the Mingjing Sect!" Bai Mingqiu said coolly, showing no patience. "What good is it if you wipe out the entire Qinghe Sword Sect!?"

"Alright, Qiu'er, don't be so angry!" Long Jingyue patted her back and sighed. "Matters have reached this point; there is no turning back. If we fight, we fight! We might not need to fear the Mingjing Sect!"

"Master speaks grandly!" Bai Mingqiu turned and glared. "What do we have to fight the Mingjing Sect with?!"

"Little girl!" Long Jingyue cursed with a laugh. "Why are you throwing such a tantrum!"

Bai Mingqiu quieted down slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed, before finally sighing. "Master, we are too far behind the Mingjing Sect!"

Long Jingyue smiled. "We have Wuji, so we don't fear them!"

"Junior Brother is not an immortal!" Bai Mingqiu said helplessly. "He is only one person. Once the top masters of the Mingjing Sect appear, Junior Brother will only have a path of escape!"

Li Muzhan interjected, "Senior Sister, don't raise the enemy’s prestige while diminishing our own."

"Hmph, do you really think you can defeat the experts of the Mingjing Sect!?" Bai Mingqiu rolled her eyes at him and snorted impatiently. "You are still far too weak!"

Li Muzhan just shook his head and smiled. Bai Mingqiu huffed irritably, "Don't think I’m trying to scare you. The Mingjing Sect has experts as numerous as clouds, and numerous supreme masters. Even if you can defeat one, you cannot defeat a crowd!"

"Mmm, that is true," Long Jingyue nodded slightly. "They have superior numbers, something the Qinghe Sword Sect cannot compare to. Wuji, do not engage them head-on."

Li Muzhan replied, "Master, they might not actually intervene."

Long Jingyue shook her head. "The Qinghe Sword Sect has suffered a severe blow this time. Other sects will seize the opportunity to kick them while they are down, so the Mingjing Sect must step in."

Li Muzhan frowned. "Then there is no choice; I will have to gauge their strength!"

"Master!" Bai Mingqiu chided, frowning at Long Jingyue.

Long Jingyue elaborated, "Wuji, the Qinghe Sword Sect was founded by a disciple of the Mingjing Sect. Their sword techniques evolved from the Mingjing Sect’s style, but they are inferior by more than a small margin!"

Li Muzhan chuckled. "Then I must test it out all the more!"

"Bang!" A muffled thud suddenly sounded, and the ground seemed to vibrate momentarily.

Li Muzhan frowned. "I'll go take a look. Master and Senior Sister, wait here!"

Without waiting for the two women to speak, he instantly flashed out of the main hall, blinking several times until he was outside the Tianyuan Pavilion, stopping before a small path on the necessary route.

A thin, middle-aged man, dressed in a green robe, stood with his right hand behind his back. His left hand held a sword, which he slowly thrust forward, striking empty air—then another muffled "bang" echoed.

He took two steps back, scrutinizing the location of Tianyuan Pavilion with an interested gaze. (To be continued)