Mo Laoba was in a state of utter panic. He had been one of Qin Shisan's close associates—one of the only ones to escape with his life.
At this moment, his nerves were completely frayed, his soul still rattled from what he had witnessed. That woman's strength had not been greater than Qin Shisan's, but the devastating weapon she had suddenly deployed was simply too terrifying.
Every time he recalled that flash of light and the sight of heads rolling to the ground, his entire body trembled and his face drained of color.
Such a terrifying treasure—Mo Laoba had truly never heard of its like before.
He thought back to how, just a moment ago, they had been carousing within the sect gates, and the next, the Sect Master was dead, all his companions were dead, and he, Mo Laoba, had become a stray dog with no home to return to.
As he fled, he kept glancing behind him, terrified that dreadful weapon would appear before him in the blink of an eye.
"The Sect Master has fallen. Elder Qiu of the Tianhe Palace will certainly not let this rest. That little wench may be formidable, but Elder Qiu is a high-tier Emperor-realm powerhouse. In front of him, she won't be able to act so brazenly. Yes—I must bring this news to Elder Qiu at once!"
After several moments of panic, Mo Laoba's mind gradually regained its normal clarity.
"But wait—if I go to Elder Qiu now with this report, and he learns that of my entire squad I'm the only one who survived by the skin of my teeth, he might fly into a rage and kill me on the spot to be buried alongside the Sect Master. That would be the ultimate losing proposition!"
Mo Laoba had his own concerns to reckon with.
While he was still caught in this state of panic, a sweep of divine consciousness suddenly passed over him from the void above.
Then a cold, arrogant voice rang out: "Senior Brother, the fellow down there looks a bit familiar. I think I've seen him somewhere before!"
"Hmm? He does look rather familiar. Let's go down and have a look."
The two who spoke were young men dressed in sect robes that gave them an imposing, distinguished air—the kind that marked them as anything but ordinary.
The Senior Brother walking in front moved with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, carrying an extraordinary bearing that exuded a powerful sense of pressure.
The Junior Brother behind him appeared somewhat younger and more green, but his expression was equally haughty, as though very few things in this world were worthy of his attention.
The two descended from the clouds and appeared before Mo Laoba as silently as phantoms.
The moment Mo Laoba laid eyes on them, his face changed drastically. He recognized these two—they were none other than Elder Qiu's own disciples.
The distinguished-looking Senior Brother, in particular, had a truly impressive background. He was a true disciple of the Tianhe Palace, a first-rate sect. His cultivation was formidable and his status high—he was someone who ranked among the top of the younger generation throughout the entire Tianhe Palace.
All Mo Laoba wanted to do was turn and flee, but though the impulse surged through him, his feet seemed rooted to the ground, utterly immovable.
He knew that if he attempted to run, these two could crush him to death without the slightest effort.
"Senior Brother, this fellow seems to be one of Qin Shisan's subordinates." The cold, arrogant Junior Brother appeared to have identified Mo Laoba.
Mo Laoba forced a wretched expression and stepped forward to bow deeply. "This humble one is Mo Laoba. I pay my respects to the two geniuses of the Tianhe Palace."
"Mo Laoba? Right, that name does sound like one of Qin Shisan's men. Mo Laoba, is it? What are you skulking around here for? Where's Qin Shisan? Tell him to come greet us at once. Let him know that our esteemed master will also be gracing this place with his presence today, and he had better prepare a proper reception!" This Junior Brother was named Lu Yi, another of Elder Qiu's disciples. However, he was not a true disciple of the Tianhe Palace, and his status was far below that of the Senior Brother accompanying him.
Upon hearing this, Mo Laoba burst into loud wailing. "My lords—Sect Master Qin, he… he can no longer come to greet you! You arrived just a step too late!"
"What?" The Senior Brother's brow furrowed. His name was Zhao Mang. As a true disciple of the Tianhe Palace, he held an extremely elevated position within Elder Qiu's lineage—both in terms of rank and in the weight he carried in Elder Qiu's eyes, he far surpassed Qin Shisan, who was nothing more than a distant nephew.
"A woman broke into the Spirit Tree Sect today and went on a killing spree inside the sect! Sect Master Qin and many of our good brothers were all slain by her!" Mo Laoba wept. "That woman was incredibly powerful—she used some sort of evil treasure, and with a single flash of light, heads rolled to the ground…"
"What? Qin Shisan is dead?" Lu Yi's eyebrows shot up. "Mo Laoba, don't talk nonsense. In this backwater, who could possibly kill Qin Shisan?"
"My lord, how would someone like me dare lie to you in your presence? That woman didn't look like a local cultivator at all. Sect Master Qin tried to talk to her, but she seemed very strange. She had never even heard of the Tianhe Palace."
"Bullshit." Lu Yi's face flushed with fury at these words. "She said she hadn't heard of us, and you just believed her?"
Zhao Mang raised a hand. "Junior Brother Lu, don't get worked up. Let him finish."
"Mo Laoba, keep going. Tell us everything in detail—no hedging, no omissions." Zhao Mang's tone was calm and measured.
Mo Laoba stammered through his account. Though he was terrified, he recounted everything as faithfully as he could.
After hearing the full story, Zhao Mang's brow furrowed as well. "A young, beautiful woman? She fought Qin Shisan to a draw at first? If that's the case, she really doesn't seem like a genius from any major sect."
Zhao Mang himself was a genius from a major sect, so he knew precisely what caliber of power such a prodigy possessed. If she had merely fought evenly with Qin Shisan, who was at the fifth level of the Saint realm, then while that strength was hardly poor, it absolutely would not qualify her for the ranks of a first-rate sect's true disciples.
And if she was not a true disciple of a first-rate sect, how could she dare act so brazenly before his Tianhe Palace? To repeatedly claim she had never even heard of it?
Such words—no genius from any minor sect or small faction would dare utter them, not even if given ten times the courage.
"Could it be a sect that has a grudge against our Tianhe Palace? That would explain why she deliberately humiliated us like this," Lu Yi offered his theory.
Zhao Mang thought for a long moment, but could not arrive at any conclusion.