Chapter 597

Chapter 597: Furious Old Bird

Fang Lie also discovered another issue. The Man in Black had actually deceived him. Zhu Xian didn’t consider cultivation levels when accepting contracts—they’d kill even mortals if paid enough.

Records here showed multiple successful assassinations of mortal emperors. Using Curse Technique, they made deaths appear like sudden illnesses, leaving no trace. Thus, they flawlessly fulfilled their employers’ requests.

Hiring them demanded high prices. Beyond treasures from heaven and earth, employers had to leverage their mortal positions to aid Zhu Xian—gathering information, scouting Talents, or hiding rare mineral deposits for Zhu Xian’s covert mining.

Such actions violated cultivation world norms. Cultivators weren’t supposed to meddle in mortal conflicts, especially harming emperors, as mortal royalty often had ties to major sects through sect elders’ descendants.

Zhu Xian’s covert manipulation of mortal affairs essentially stole from other sects. Exposure would spark massive scandals.

Fang Lie also noted something intriguing: Zhu Xian truly killed without restraint. Though major sect disciples were targeted less than scattered cultivators, the absolute numbers remained significant.

Reviewing records, he saw eight righteous sects, ten Demonic Path sects, and a dozen neutral factions comprised all major powers. This single outpost’s logs showed three to five such disciples assassinated yearly.

Per sect, this meant roughly one death every decade—insignificant compared to millions of disciples. Yet this was merely one of Zhu Xian’s many outposts. Fang Lie estimated dozens existed, implying each major sect lost three to five disciples annually to Zhu Xian.

For massive sects recruiting tens of thousands every three years, losing three to five yearly seemed trivial—thousands perished annually during cultivation, with only one in ten reaching Golden Pool realm.

But over ten years, this became thirty to fifty deaths; over centuries, three to five hundred. With Zhu Xian operating for millennia, total casualties likely neared a hundred thousand across all sects.

Any major sect would rage at such losses. Victims weren’t commoners but Talents or high-status heirs—Zhu Xian only accepted valuable targets.

Even Fang Lie burned with anger upon seeing Mo Sect inner gate disciples listed. Records here spanned only fifty years, older files destroyed. Yet this glimpse revealed Zhu Xian’s horrifying blood debt.

"Hmph!" Fang Lie glared at Old Bird after reading. "See? This is Zhu Xian. I wanted justice, yet you resisted! Mo Sect lost countless inner gate disciples. As Benevolence Token’s guardian, how could you allow this?"

"Allow my ass!" Old Bird roared. "Those oath-breaking dogs! I thought they honored our pact, never guessed they’d betray us!"

Earlier, after surviving Zhu Xian and Shi Shen’s ambush, Fang Lie sought vengeance. Old Bird, fearing the Two Assassin Organizations, had refused aid. But Fang Lie insisted—even abandoning Constructed Wood Nascent Fetus absorption—to reclaim Li Qingshi’s Spoils of War.

Truthfully, Fang Lie sought more than loot or revenge: he aimed to trade the spoils to Abbot Mountain for information about his missing mother.

Yet his sudden death left the spoils undelivered, seized by the assassins. Having finally learned his mother’s trail, Fang Lie’s fiery temper couldn’t endure this injustice.

Therefore, Fang Lie came to stir up trouble with Zhu Xian, while Old Bird reluctantly helped despite himself.

He knew Fang Lie’s stubbornness all too well—the boy would charge through the South Wall rather than turn back. If denied vengeance, Fang Lie would never rest.

As the sole successor of the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Scripture, any harm befalling Fang Lie would mean the Unity Divine Power—a singular inheritance—would vanish from Mo Sect forever. Who knew where it might resurface next?

Thus Old Bird had no choice but to humor Fang Lie. But after seizing the Zhu Xian Outpost, they uncovered damning evidence: records showed six Mo Sect inner gate disciples had been murdered through Zhu Xian’s schemes in fifty years.

What infuriated Old Bird most was five victims being exceptionally talented commoners recruited externally, while the conspirators were all Mo Sect family disciples. One even bore the Mo surname—Mo Lanyun’s own cousin!

Clearly, these privileged family disciples had hired assassins to eliminate common-born talents threatening their positions. That Mo Sect’s internal conflicts required outside mercenaries made Old Bird’s fury burn hotter.

He raged at the family disciples’ incompetence—talentless schemers who’d rather kill than improve themselves, explaining Mo Sect’s declining geniuses. He equally despised Zhu Xian Organization for brazenly meddling in sect affairs, crossing every faction’s red line.

Most shocking was a record revealing Zhu Xian had demanded blueprints for Seventh-rank mechanical puppets—containing Mo Sect’s guarded secrets—as payment from the Mo-named conspirator. Against all protocols, the family disciple had leaked these classified designs.

Old Bird’s rage erupted. "From this moment," he told Fang Lie, "you have my full authority. Cause whatever chaos you want—I’ve other matters to attend."

"What matters?" Fang Lie asked.

"Killing people!" Old Bird snarled before severing their divine sense link. Fang Lie knew the old spirit was likely storming off to punish Mo Sect’s wayward disciples.

At Mo Sect headquarters, the tranquil cultivation grounds suddenly turned ominous. Though midday, darkness fell as starry rivers materialized overhead—the protective array activating, sealing the sect completely.

Endless Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers mobilized, dividing into five legions targeting major family clan compounds. The largest force—millions strong—surrounded the Mo family’s mountain gate, sealing it tighter than a drum.

The Mo family, descendants of sect founder Mo Ancestor, had produced every Sect Leader. Yet now even their estate lay besieged. When Sect Leader Mo Qianxun soared skyward demanding answers, a foot-tall Giant Rooster materialized, radiating contempt.

"Who dares order this?!" Mo Qianxun thundered.

"I do!" clucked the rooster.

Mo Qianxun’s arrogance vanished. He bowed deeply. "Bird Bro! What warrants your involvement?"

"By the Token Lord’s decree," the bird spat, "I arrest your grandson Mo Lanfeng!"

Despite his dignified facade, Mo Qianxun maintained five wives and over a hundred concubines. Though powerful cultivators rarely sired many offspring, his relentless efforts produced twenty children and hundreds of grandchildren across generations—some deceased from lacking spiritual roots, others like High-grade Spiritual Root holder Mo Lanfeng still thriving. Mo Lanyun remained his most celebrated descendant, but Mo Lanfeng’s notoriety now eclipsed hers.