Chapter 228 – Don't Disturb My Low Profile
"Another image has appeared—where did Lin Wu just go?"
As Lin Wu picked up his identity token again, his figure reappeared on the water screen. Everyone was puzzled by his sudden disappearance just now.
Only those from the Demonic Sect knew exactly what Gu Mo had been doing.
"Stay farther away from that Lin Wu," one of the Demonic Sect's high-ranking figures instructed the genius disciple who possessed the puppet avatar. They hadn't expected that even at such a great distance, he could still be discovered.
But abandoning their surveillance of Gu Mo was absolutely impossible. Apart from helping other Demonic Sect geniuses avoid this fierce god, the more important reason was that once their true disciples had grown strong enough, they needed to be able to locate him immediately and eliminate him.
"Yes."
The Demonic Sect genius with the puppet avatar nodded.
Just now, he had been badly startled. He had concealed himself to the utmost of his ability, yet he had still been discovered. Fortunately, capturing him would not be so easy for Lin Wu.
After all, every move of Lin Wu's was displayed on the water screen. Ambushing him was impossible unless Lin Wu discarded his identity token—but the moment his image vanished from the screen, the puppet avatar would immediately retreat.
"Lin Wu isn't going to strike?"
When Gu Mo's avatar reappeared on the water screen, he was shown sitting cross-legged beside the silver treasure chest, not intending to attack the Demonic Sect genius. This left the onlookers puzzled.
"Didn't you see that the little girl from Yin-Yang Sword Sect is already about to finish off that Demonic Sect brat? Lin Wu doesn't need to lift a finger." At this moment, someone shifted the projection to Ming Yueyue.
"No one would have thought that the Yin-Yang Sword Sect's seemingly frail little girl could fight with such madness." As more and more images switched over to Ming Yueyue, her frenzied battle style left the crowd clicking their tongues in amazement.
"Damn it!"
Forced into retreat again and again by Ming Yueyue, the Demonic Sect genius was filled with frustration. By rights, his strength and foundation were no weaker than hers. Unfortunately, he had no proper weapon in hand, while she possessed a flying sword.
When two cultivators were evenly matched in strength and foundation, the quality of their treasures and equipment became the decisive factor.
"I'm done playing with you!"
Realizing that if he continued, he would be hacked to death by this lunatic girl, the Demonic Sect genius decisively took out his identity token, intending to withdraw from the Heavenly Chosen Battle.
There might be many treasures in this competition, but no treasure was worth more than one's life.
Buzz!
Yet just as he produced the token, a brilliant sword light flashed by and cut him down instantly—Lin Wu had acted.
Gu Mo had no intention of letting a Demonic Sect genius walk away. Since he was marked for death by the Demonic Sect, then naturally, every one of their geniuses was marked for death by him.
"Outrageous—he really leaves no one alive!"
Outside the battlefield, the Demonic Sect cultivators were enraged. Some roared out immediately: "Our geniuses must kill every single one of the righteous sect brats as well!"
"How laughable. Didn't everyone enter this Heavenly Chosen Battle with the very same intention—to wipe the other side out?" a righteous sect cultivator sneered in reply.
"Hmph, once our true disciples have the time to act, you'll be the ones crying." The Demonic Sect refused to back down. They couldn't fight here, but trading insults was fair game.
While the outside world erupted in noise, Gu Mo's avatar remained calm. After he killed that Demonic Sect genius, no one else dared come near.
When one full hour passed, the glow on the silver chest vanished, and the chest opened on its own.
Gu Mo was curious to see what treasures it held. He had heard that for this Heavenly Chosen Battle, both the righteous and demonic sides had put up many valuable items.
Click!
As Gu Mo opened the chest, a rush of dense spiritual energy surged out. Inside was a fourth-rank spiritual herb—none other than a principal ingredient for refining the Nascent Soul Pill.
This was no ordinary find. A primary material for the Nascent Soul Pill was worth several times more than any other fourth-rank spiritual herb. Any Golden Core cultivator who saw it would be ecstatic.
Of course, Gu Mo was an exception. His breakthrough did not require a Nascent Soul Pill. Besides, he already had a full set of ingredients for one.
Aside from that main herb, the chest also contained a few other treasures, but none came close in value.
"Take the rest."
Gu Mo glanced at the remaining items—there were a flying sword, talismans, and a few pills. Their grade wasn't high, but the collection was complete enough to quickly arm a cultivator.
His avatar already carried far better things from his true body, so naturally, he had no interest.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin!"
Ming Yueyue beamed as she collected the treasures. With these, she could now bring out her full combat power.
"Senior Brother Lin, where are we going next?" she asked after stowing everything.
"Don't follow me. It'll be too dangerous." Gu Mo shook his head. He had no intention of taking her along. Though the girl's strength was decent, what he might soon face were the Demonic Sect's true disciples—and that would be far too dangerous for her.
"I'm not afraid of danger. As a sword cultivator, how could I shrink back because of risk?" Ming Yueyue's eyes glowed with fervor; clearly, her streak of madness had flared up again.
"Senior Brother Lin, if anything happens, you don't need to worry about me," she said earnestly. "I won't be your burden."
"As you wish."
Since she insisted, Gu Mo didn't press further. If a battle came that demanded his full attention, he certainly wouldn't risk himself to save her.
"This little girl might truly stumble upon a great chance."
The sight of Ming Yueyue following Lin Wu was broadcast clearly on the water screen. Many outside felt that she had indeed encountered a great opportunity.
After all, in the Heavenly Chosen Battle, having a powerhouse lead the way meant that even the crumbs they left behind were enough to fill one's belly.
Of course, following a powerhouse also meant facing much greater dangers.
"Forget Lin Wu for now. Find Gu Mo as quickly as possible!"
On the Demonic Sect's side, realizing they could do nothing about this Lin Wu of the Grand Yan Sword Sect in the short term, they switched to another task: killing Gu Mo and seizing his soul.
With that, they hoped to lure out his master, Qi Chunde—the very one who had drawn down a unique heavenly tribulation—and test exactly what hidden means he possessed.
If they could ambush him and kill him outright, that would be best.
Meanwhile, in a cave on the island—
Gu Mo stretched lazily, looking at the pills in his hand with satisfaction. The medicinal herbs he had gathered from ordinary chests earlier had all been refined into pills.
Such tedious alchemy was hardly worth anyone's attention, so Gu Mo casually tossed his identity token into the Black Mist Space, preparing to relocate.
He had no intention of staying in one spot long enough for the Demonic Sect to track him down. Though he did not fear them, one avatar flaunting his power outside was already more than enough.
"Hm?"
Gu Mo had just tossed his identity token into the black mist space when he sharply sensed an aura rapidly closing in—and it was coming straight for him.
Clearly, the target was him.
For now, the distance was still too far, so Gu Mo couldn't confirm the intruder's identity. Without hesitation, he activated his Concealment Technique, slipped out of the cave, and merged into a nearby tree using the Wood Movement Technique.
Ever since he had begun cultivating the Hundred Herbs Scripture, Gu Mo's mastery of the Wood Movement Technique had advanced by leaps and bounds; he was already close to perfection. Coupled with the frequent observation of Xiao Hua's Wood Escape Technique, Gu Mo, with the scripture's refined pill power, had actually managed to achieve the ability to merge himself into plants.
This was a level of comprehension that normally only came with a perfected Wood Movement Technique. Yet, by relying on a supreme scripture and witnessing Xiao Hua's Wood Escape, Gu Mo had grasped it ahead of time.
Granted, what he had was only the superficial level of Wood Escape—he could hide within plants but not move through them. But that alone was enough. With this technique, Gu Mo could slip into nearby vegetation and remain completely undetectable.
After waiting silently within the tree for a moment, Gu Mo finally saw the owner of that aura. At once, he canceled the technique and retrieved his identity token from the black mist space.
Because the newcomer was Ding Shiyan.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo!"
Seeing him, Ding Shiyan let out a long sigh of relief. Her mission in this Heavenly Pride Battle was to ensure that Gu Mo and Du Jinping both returned alive. The treasures inside were of secondary importance.
As for Shennong Valley's two true disciples, she couldn't manage them—even if she wanted to.
"Senior Sister Ding, what brings you here?"
Gu Mo was genuinely surprised by her appearance.
"I came across someone with a way to communicate with the outside world and asked about your location. That's how I found you," Ding Shiyan explained.
If the demonic sect had their puppet avatars, the righteous sects naturally had their own means of contact as well.
Her presence was certainly a complication to Gu Mo's plan of lying low, but he could feel the sincerity in her concern. Since that was the case, he resolved to look after her for the rest of this trial.
"Let's go. I also learned where Junior Brother Du is, but unlike you, he hasn't been hiding in one place. Finding him will be harder." Ding Shiyan beckoned Gu Mo to set out.
But they had barely walked a short distance before two figures blocked their path—demonic sect prodigies who had been dispatched specifically to target Gu Mo.
Sending two demonic sect elites against a so-called powerless spirit planter showed just how cautious the sect was.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, fall back. If things look dire, activate your token immediately and withdraw." Ding Shiyan drew a flying sword she had acquired along the way.
"Alright."
Gu Mo nodded.
The two sides wasted no words. As soon as they met, battle erupted. But Ding Shiyan quickly fell into disadvantage. Though she was a prodigy, so were her two opponents, and she was fighting alone against both.
At this moment, she was relying solely on the defensive sword forms of the Green Lotus Sword Canon, unable to launch any counterattacks.
"That girl from Shennong Valley is in trouble."
Naturally, her fight drew attention from outside as well. With only two hundred contestants in total and countless spectators watching, almost every clash became a focal point.
"Mhm…"
The Valley Master of Shennong Valley himself watched intently, his gaze fixed on the water screen. After all, this involved two of his sect's prodigies. Losing even one would be painful.
"Pfft!"
As the saying goes, long defense leads to defeat. Caught off guard, Ding Shiyan was struck by one of the demonic prodigies, and demonic energy immediately began eroding her body.
"It's over."
The onlookers sighed. This would likely be the first righteous-sect prodigy to fall.
But before they could even finish sighing, a surge of brilliant green light descended onto Ding Shiyan. In the next instant, her wounds healed completely, and even the demonic energy was cleansed.
"Huh?"
Everyone froze at the sight. They had all seen healing spells before, but never one this powerful.
"It's that Gu Mo. Who would've thought he'd have such formidable healing arts. This fight might not be decided yet."
That Gu Mo knew healing arts surprised no one—his profile clearly marked him as a true spirit planter. A spirit planter having restorative spells was perfectly natural. That his spells were stronger than expected? Well, he was a prodigy. If his healing was no different from an ordinary planter, would he even qualify as one?
While outsiders praised Gu Mo's astonishing technique, Ding Shiyan, the one receiving it, understood better. That was no ordinary Rejuvenation Spell. Within it pulsed two distinct forces: one brimming with boundless vitality, the other blazing like the sun.
The former mended her injuries with speed beyond belief, while the latter burned away the demonic corruption.
"Impossible! That was the Corpse-Rotting Curse—how could it be dispelled so easily?"
The demonic prodigy who had struck her turned grim. As a proud disciple of the Corpse Sect, he cultivated a supreme art, and the Corpse-Rotting Curse was one of its innate offensive methods.
Anyone struck by it would rapidly rot away, ultimately becoming a corpse slave under his control.
Even against cultivators of equal rank, the curse would weaken them severely. Yet here, it had been instantly wiped out.
"I'll hold off that Shennong Valley girl. You kill Gu Mo!" said the other demonic prodigy. The root of the problem was obvious—their target was Gu Mo. As long as he died, it was over.
"Got it!"
At once, the two split their focus.
Ding Shiyan was dragged into a duel and clearly had no chance to rush to Gu Mo's aid in time.
"Sigh… Why is it so hard to just stay low-key?"
Watching the demonic prodigy charging at him, Gu Mo could only feel helpless.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, run!"
Seeing one of the enemies lunging at him, Ding Shiyan panicked and shouted for him to activate his token and escape.
"Too late!"
The demonic cultivator sneered. Since they had chosen to target Gu Mo, of course they had already prepared a way to prevent him from using his token.
But as his gaze locked on Gu Mo's calm expression, his grin faltered. There was no fear in Gu Mo's eyes, no sign he was reaching for his token to flee. He only stood there, staring back with a placid look.
And that serene gaze sent a chill crawling over the demonic cultivator's skin.
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