Chapter 345: Internal Conflict Translator: Tim Editor: Fish Creek

“Brother, you need to be careful,” Tang Beiwei said, resisting the urge to flee the gruesome scene. She’d wanted to accompany Ye Mo, but knew she’d be more hindrance than help.

Jing Xian stopped the Serenity disciples from approaching. Since witnessing Ye Mo’s sword flight days ago, she knew his power far surpassed theirs. She kept this secret, aware of the ensuing chaos its revelation would cause.

“Beiwei, wait here. I’ll be back soon,” Ye Mo reassured Tang Beiwei before following Huo Nuoping and leaving Serenity.

Huo Nuoping sneered inwardly at Ye Mo’s words. Return after killing Dian Cang members? He was dreaming!

Ye Mo followed the two to the Serenity cliff, surprised to see their method of transport: a balloon flotation device—a rudimentary helicopter, complete with generator and propeller.

Ye Mo sneered. So the hidden sects weren’t so hidden after all; they kept pace with the times.

Zhong Dan glared furiously at Ye Mo but dared not attack, only initiating the balloon device. If he could defeat Ye Mo, a hundred Ye Mos would be dead.

Once airborne, the balloon helicopter quickly disappeared into the misty Wuliang mountains.

Ye Mo used his spirit sense, but only perceived foggy valleys, offering no sense of direction.

Huo Nuoping coldly eyed Ye Mo, silent, viewing him as a dead man, destined to die at Dian Cang. The balloon helicopter traversed the mist for over an hour before landing on a mountain-ringed platform containing a small brick temple. Fog obscured everything, making their location uncertain, even within the Wuliang mountains. Ye Mo marveled at China’s many inaccessible mountains.

Zhong Dan emerged, coldly sneering at Ye Mo: “After you die, I’ll comfort your family. I promise to make them so happy, they’ll wish they couldn't die. Every Ye woman will be proud of me.”

Ye Mo replied flatly, “Pity, you won't have that chance.” He raised his hand, unleashing another wind blade. Zhong Dan was bisected, falling with wide, shocked eyes.

“You—dare kill at our sect's foot?” Huo Nuoping looked ready to devour Ye Mo, yet hesitated to attack, his shock evident in his shaky tone. He’d initially believed Ye Mo possessed an impossibly fast blade, but now saw clearly that he'd used no sword, only a hand swipe. Was this the legendary chi-blade? His face paled. If Tang Beiwei's brother was this terrifying, what price would Dian Cang pay for killing him? He dared not imagine.

Ye Mo stated plainly, “Huo Nuoping, another word, and I'll kill you. My patience is limited.”

Huo Nuoping shivered, turning to leave. He dared not anger Ye Mo. In a short time, he’d grasped Ye Mo's nature: a demon. Even Dian Cang, an overlord, was a mere vegetable-eating old woman in comparison.

Before departing, Ye Mo waved a hand, launching two fireballs that consumed the temple and hot air balloon.

Huo Nuoping watched the fire, his mouth twitching, but walked faster.

Ye Mo followed Huo Nuoping across dozens of meters of metal chains and valley paths, reaching ancient buildings preceded by a fifty-meter mountain staircase, culminating in a towering monolith inscribed with two large characters: Dian Cang.

Ye Mo sighed. Dian Cang surpassed Serenity in both atmosphere and environment. Its ancient, elegant buildings were incomparable.

“Elder Hu…” Huo Nuoping approached the monolith, greeted by a sect guard.

Ye Mo scanned his spirit sense, marveling at the heavenly realm hidden within the mountains. The sect seemed sparsely populated; he detected only about a hundred people.

Huo Nuoping rushed to the huge bell outside the main hall, pulling the rope repeatedly.

Dang… Dang… The deep, resonant sound reverberated through the sect. Ye Mo, understanding Huo Nuoping's actions, watched coldly, unmoved.

“Hu Nuoping, what are you doing?” An old man with a white beard stormed from the hall, angrily pointing at Huo Nuoping.

Before Huo Nuoping could respond, dozens emerged from the hall, some wounded. Ye Mo's spirit sense revealed at least five seriously injured, clearly divided into factions.

“Brother Hu, why the alarm? Is someone attacking Dian Cang?” another unhappy old man emerged.

Huo Nuoping hadn’t anticipated Dian Cang’s assembled presence, but lacked time for reflection. He approached a middle-aged man, bowing and pointing at Ye Mo: “Sect Master, this man killed many of our sect members, followed me to Dian Cang to annihilate us. Order his immediate execution.”

At Huo Nuoping's words, dozens of Dian Cang members surrounded Ye Mo without the sect leader's command, their inter-sect rivalries momentarily forgotten.

The middle-aged sect leader studied Ye Mo for a long time before asking, “Elder Hu, I only see you among the Serenity survivors. Are you saying this man, along with Serenity, killed everyone else?”

“Yes, Sect Master. This man, Tang Beiwei’s brother, killed three of us before we even reached Serenity. Then, Zhong Dan was killed on the way back. He also burned the Dian Cang temple at the mountain’s foot,” Huo Nuoping gritted out.

Before the sect leader could respond, a bearded man drew his sword and lunged at Ye Mo, believing his youth and killing spree to be due to trickery.

Clang. The man’s sword was stopped by a middle-aged man wielding a long sword.

“Yu Xianlin, why stop me? He killed many Dian Cang members. Are you aiding him?” the bearded man roared.

The middle-aged man calmly stated, “Brother Bian Feng, he must die, but should we not investigate why he killed our members? If not for Bian Chao’s arrogance, why would he be killing our members?”

Seeing Wang Xianling halt Bian Feng, the sect leader showed anger, “Wang Xianling, will you aid this outsider?”

“Sect Master Bian, he must die, but if not for Bian Chao, why did this happen? Why did our members go to Serenity? Plus, his ability to kill our members implies Serenity’s involvement. If not for Bian Chao, why would Serenity conflict with us? While Brother Hu brought him for punishment, I urge fair judgment. Punish Bian Chao severely, remove him as sect leader; otherwise, offending Serenity is one thing, but what if we offend a major sect next time?” This was the old man who’d rebuked Huo Nuoping.

Ye Mo understood. These elders believed Huo Nuoping had brought him; his arrival coincided with Dian Cang’s internal strife, a power struggle for the sect leadership, disrupted by him and Huo Nuoping.

This elder’s faction opposed the sect leader. They fought for leadership, interrupted by their arrival.

Huo Nuoping began to explain Serenity's non-involvement, but recognized Dian Cang's internal conflict.

Ye Mo sneered, “Silence! Bring out Bian Chao. Before the slaughter, I’ll sever this scum’s legs. I journeyed far, yet haven't seen the pig I came to kill.”

Ye Mo’s enraged yell silenced the entire place. All stared at him. What right did this youth have to such arrogance? Facing all of Dian Cang, he dared to be so cocky. Had he lived long enough?