Mo Ashi, in one sudden, shocking move, had brought down nearly everyone in the Fox Zen Sect. No one present could process what had just happened.

Ruan Hongling, caught in the crowd, gasped and nudged Ziyuan’s arm. She whispered urgently, "Sister Ziyuan, look—isn't that the Luo Mu Soul-Separating Hairpin that struck you that night?"

Ziyuan’s gaze sharpened as she fixed it on the scene. Her elegant brows were tightly drawn together as she stated firmly, "It is!"

Ruan Hongling asked, confused, "But isn't she the Senior Disciple of the Fox Zen Sect? Why would she attack the Sect Master and Ye Yu?"

Ziyuan raised a hand, signaling Ruan Hongling to silence herself. Her eyes flickered as she replied, "I don't know yet, but I trust we will have our answer soon enough!"

Mo Ashi stood in the center of the clearing, looking down upon everyone present. The young cultivators from the various major sects mostly stared at her with expressions of sheer shock, as if regarding a madwoman.

Ye Yu, pierced in her Gao Huang acupoint on her back by the Luo Mu Soul-Separating Hairpin, did not immediately collapse. She trembled, eyes wide as saucers, staring at Mo Ashi. She choked out, "Are you insane? Why are you striking me!"

Mo Ashi threw back her head and laughed wildly. Her previously dignified and gentle expression contorted into something utterly malicious. She shrieked, "Insane? Yes, I am insane! But I think you people are just fools!"

With that, her form blurred, and she darted swiftly before Ye Yu, bringing her palm down violently onto Ye Yu’s head!

Ye Yu managed to raise her arm just in time to block, but with a sickening crack, her arm snapped. The blow glanced off her forehead, and she erupted in a violent spray of blood. Unable to maintain her True Essence any longer, all her vital energy was rapidly siphoned away by the Luo Mu Soul-Separating Hairpin. In moments, Ye Yu, who had been so imposing just moments before, was sucked dry into a withered husk—not even her three souls and seven spirits managed to escape!

The cultivators from the other sects witnessed this and turned deathly pale; some female disciples covered their mouths, dry-heaving in terror.

A particularly righteous cultivator roared out, "You demoness! How could you not spare even your own kin? Such cruelty!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Ashi snapped her head around, glaring ferociously at the speaker. Her gaze was so fierce, like a honed sword, that it instantly struck the speaker’s heart. He staggered as if hammered by a sledgehammer, vomiting a huge mouthful of blood, his spirit immediately flagging, daring not to look at Mo Ashi again.

The surrounding cultivators erupted into an uproar, glaring at Mo Ashi with resentment, yet none dared to utter another word!

Zhang Tianhe’s shock intensified. He thought to himself: This glare—without the deep, authentic True Essence cultivation methods of the orthodox sects, it’s impossible to wield such power! While the Fox Zen Sect’s spells and powers are formidable, a mere glance shouldn't possess this force! Who on earth is this person?

Liu Ye, knocked to the ground by Mo Ashi’s strike, struggled to turn around, his voice a mixture of anger and surprise. "Mo Ashi, what are you doing?"

Mo Ashi strolled toward Liu Ye, sneering, "Hmph, Martial Uncle Sect Master, what? You still haven’t recognized who I am even now? Ah, yes, after all these years, I’ve become so used to calling you Martial Uncle Sect Master—it’s hard to break the habit!"

Liu Ye’s face twisted in astonishment. He stammered, "You—you aren't Mo Ashi? Who—who are you?"

Mo Ashi threw her head back and roared with laughter. "Liu Ye, Liu Ye! You, who pride yourself on being the Peerless Divine Fox and being cunningly strategic, never expected this, did you? The person closest to you has deceived you for nine full years, and you noticed nothing! Hahahaha! It’s time for you to die with your eyes closed!"

With a sharp cry, she declared, "Die, you old wretch! If it weren't for you back then, how would I have ended up in this neither-human-nor-ghost state!"

Mo Ashi lunged instantly, her five fingers curved like hooks, aiming to plunge directly into the Tian Ling Gai (crown of the head) of Liu Ye!

But at that very moment, Liu Ye’s body dissolved into a wisp of pale smoke and shot rapidly into Mo Ashi’s embrace. His fingers flicked with incredible speed, tapping precisely at the Qi Hai acupoint on Mo Ashi’s lower abdomen!

Mo Ashi had never imagined that after she struck Liu Ye’s Gao Huang acupoint—a vital death point—he could counterattack like this. Caught completely off guard, she was struck, letting out a sharp cry as she violently recoiled, attempting to flee!

But Liu Ye would not allow her to escape. His form pursued her like a shadow, striking her lower abdomen Dan Tian with a solid palm, while his other hand forcefully jabbed at her Hua Gai acupoint on her chest!

Qi Hai, Dan Tian, Hua Gai—these were the three major vital centers on the front of the human torso. To be struck here throws the body’s vital breath into chaos, rendering even those with world-shaking divine abilities unable to act.

With her three primary vital points struck, even if Mo Ashi were made of iron, she should have softened into a puddle of mud!

Mo Ashi never expected the situation to reverse so abruptly. Fallen to the ground, she glared at Liu Ye, a mixture of shock and fury, hissing with resentment, "Impossible! I clearly hit your Gao Huang point—that is a fatal spot! Even if you didn't die immediately, you couldn't have counterattacked!"

Liu Ye narrowed his eyes, watching Mo Ashi, taking a deep breath before speaking slowly, "Though I don't know who you are, I deeply admire your methods and your endurance. I truly never suspected that such a terrifying opponent had been lurking by my side! It wasn't until you said Ao Wushuang escaped on her own that I began to grow wary and guarded!"

Liu Ye stood with his hands clasped behind his back, seeming entirely oblivious to the numerous cultivators nearby. He continued speaking to himself, "You concealed yourself for nine years, and I never found your flaw. But you never imagined that you shouldn't have claimed Ao Wushuang fled on her own! She is a child I watched grow up; I know her temperament intimately! Among women loyal to their affections, few can surpass her. Therefore, anything she promises, she will fulfill, even in death. Anyone else might run away, but never her!"

Mo Ashi lay on the ground, glaring venomously at Liu Ye: "Even so, how could you appear unharmed after I struck your Gao Huang point?"

Liu Ye let out a cold chuckle. "I was already on guard against you; how could I be unprepared? Furthermore, although you infiltrated our Fox Zen Sect for nine long years, you never suspected the greatest characteristic of us foxes once we cultivate into human form: our acupoints are transferable!"

Mo Ashi’s face instantly turned ugly, and she curled her lips into a sinister grin. "Good, good, Liu Ye, you old fox, you are cunning! But don't celebrate yet. Ao Wushuang is in my hands. I have sealed her away. Even if you die, you cannot save her! And soon, your fate will not be much better than hers!"

Hearing that Ao Wushuang was captured, Liu Ye’s face changed drastically. He roared, "Where did you take her! Tell me quickly, who are you really, or I will shatter your body and soul, condemning you to eternal non-existence!"

Mo Ashi threw her head back and let out a piercing, maniacal laugh. "Based on you? Who do you think you are! I am a core disciple of the esteemed Orthodox Sect; why would I fear threats from a commoner like you? You are far too naive!"

"What? You are a core disciple of the Orthodox Sect? You—you must be..." Liu Ye’s heart skipped a beat. Startled, he recoiled two steps, crying out in shock.

Not far away, Zhang Tianhe also clapped his hands together and said gravely, "Indeed, as I suspected. This person is one of our own kind. Before I arrived, I heard rumors that a senior master was planning this siege against the Fox Zen Sect. I never realized it was a deep-cover operative from within the sect itself! She planned this alone for nine years; her forbearance and patience are truly worthy of respect and awe—remarkable! I only wonder which sect this senior belongs to!"

As he spoke gravely, Mo Ashi suddenly threw back her head, her mouth agape, emitting a terrifying, piercing howl. A plume of azure energy shot from her mouth, rapidly ascending to the heavens, coalescing into the luminous Yang Spirit of a devastatingly beautiful woman, her robes fluttering ethereally.

The woman’s face was etched with malice. "Liu Ye, don't celebrate too soon. I will never rest until your Fox Zen Sect is utterly destroyed!"

Cultivators who did not recognize the woman gasped in shock. "A Yang Spirit! This person has actually cultivated to the Yang Spirit Realm!"

Ziyuan and Ruan Hongling, recognizing the Yang Spirit, simultaneously cried out in horror, "Second Martial Aunt!!"

Liu Ye was equally stunned to see the woman. He shouted, "You—you are Yan Fang of the Spirit Palace Sect of the Zhengyi Sect! Nine years ago, you came to my sect fighting fiercely, demanding Ao Wushuang’s whereabouts, and I drove you out! I never imagined you would assume Mo Ashi’s form and lie hidden by my side all this time!! Good skill, remarkable skill! What have you done to Mo Ashi!"

Yan Fang laughed wildly in the air. "Her? She reincarnated long ago. Who knows if she’s a person or a beast in this life!"

Liu Ye was enraged and bellowed, "Our sect has no enmity with you; why this relentless slaughter!"

Yan Fang shrieked, "No enmity? If your sect’s slut Ao Wushuang hadn't stolen my Eldest Martial Brother, would I have ended up in this wretched state? Hmph, I tell you, I will make Ao Wushuang taste the suffering I have endured. I will make it so she can neither live nor die!"

Liu Ye was furious and about to move when he saw Zhang Tianhe shift his position. The Seven Star Precious Sword in his hand hummed with the sound of a dragon’s roar. Zhang Tianhe offered a slight bow and said calmly, "My apologies, Elder Liu. This is a senior of our Zhengyi Sect; please forgive me if I cannot allow you to offend her."

Li Yundong, who had been hiding in the shadows, finally snapped back to reality with profound shock. He instantly pieced together almost everything; all his past doubts suddenly made sense.

However, what utterly baffled Li Yundong was why this Yan Fang of the Zhengyi Sect’s Spirit Palace Sect would target him? By all rights, he held no grudge against her; why seek him out for trouble?

This thought cycled relentlessly in Li Yundong’s mind just as he watched Yan Fang, laughing boisterously, transform into a streak of azure light and swiftly glide over Mo Ashi’s corpse, snatching up a small, purple bell before vanishing quickly.

Seeing this small bell, Liu Ye’s body shook violently. He roared, "Put down the Li Tian Pan Huang Bell!" With that, he launched himself, chasing upward into the sky, only to feel a sudden surge of sword energy stab fiercely from behind him.

Liu Ye abruptly halted his movement, drawing a jade-stemmed smoke pipe from his sleeve and tapping it against the incoming long sword.

With a sharp clang, the sword vibrated violently, rebounding far away with a resonant hum. Liu Ye was momentarily numbed by the vast, surging aura of the Orthodox Sect emanating from the sword. In the next instant, Zhang Tianhe appeared before him, delivering a palm strike and shouting, "Go down!"

Liu Ye was forced to meet the attack with his own palm, and his body was immediately hammered downward. Zhang Tianhe, too, was driven back a great distance, soaring backward in the air for a long time before checking his momentum.

Zhang Tianhe secretly marveled: This old monster is truly formidable. He took a direct clash with the Seven Star Precious Sword and then met my palm strike, yet he still managed to blast me this far!

Liu Ye was propelled back to the ground. Looking up toward the sky, he saw that Yan Fang’s figure was gone. Realizing he couldn't catch her now, he erupted in fury. His hair stood on end, and white vapor steamed from his crown, manifesting a terrifying, fierce visage of a Seven-Tailed Divine Fox in the air.

Zhang Tianhe flew back to his original spot and boomed sternly, "Everyone be careful! This old fellow is about to fight for his life!"

==================================================== Group 12345 are full. Please do not join them. Students wishing to join a group should add Group 6: 126362328. Cough, those who already have a spot in the other groups, please do not rejoin; leave some space for the newcomers~F