Chapter 610

Chapter 610: Awkward Escape

Though it appeared Fang Lie had captured the veteran Semi-Immortal, he contributed little to the fight. The victory belonged entirely to Mo Sect’s two Ninth-Rank treasures, barely involving him.

In reality, ten thousand Fang Lies wouldn’t last against that stubborn old man in direct combat. Fang Lie’s only role was serving as bait—nothing more.

He stood no chance of keeping the spoils. The old bird confiscated the Ninth-Rank treasure for Mo Sect’s public vault, where it would remain sealed away. Fang Lie wouldn’t glimpse it again.

Yet Fang Lie didn’t care. His wealth made acquiring Ninth-Rank treasures feasible. He’d already won the Ming Yue Disk during the Celestial Platform Competition, though its supportive nature made it useless in battle.

After succeeding, Fang Lie stayed clear-headed. He immediately recalled Mo City and fled toward Mo Sect with his clone, pushing his limits to return swiftly.

They disguised themselves while escaping, ready to self-destruct at the first hint of danger. Dying to return home beat risking ambush.

Fang Lie’s caution stemmed from knowing he’d provoked catastrophe. Semi-Immortals served as pillars securing a sect’s Fate. Losing one crippled combat power and invited decline.

Zhu Xian—the shadowy Assassin Organization—boasted over five Semi-Immortals, though only two handled daily operations. Losing one seemed minor, but their secrecy was their lifeline. Hated more than demonic sects, their survival relied on hiding their Secret Realm headquarters.

If exposed, major sects would unite against them. Nearly a hundred Semi-Immortals existed in the Great Thousand World, most wielding Ninth-Rank treasures. Even Mo Sect’s defenses—billions of Law Enforcement Heavenly Soldiers, five great tokens at Ninth-Rank peak, and an immense protective array—couldn’t withstand dozens of Semi-Immortals assaulting together.

Zhu Xian’s Secret Realm coordinates were known only to their Semi-Immortals, including captured Old Skull. Mo Sect’s ancient torture chambers might extract this secret via Soul Search formations, dooming Zhu Xian.

Zhu Xian would mobilize like rabid dogs to retrieve or kill Old Skull. Fang Lie anticipated this, hence his caution. Only the cost of reviving blood clones with Nirvana True Seeds stopped him from self-destructing to return instantly.

The Wisdom Token’s Guiding Mark Art had already sent his location home, allowing him to risk fleeing instead of dying.

Events unfolded as predicted. When Fang Lie escaped with Mo City, observers found the battlefield empty except for Immortal Kumo. Fang Lie’s victory became obvious—had he lost, Zhu Xian would’ve reclaimed their laughingstock.

Traces of Mo City’s presence suggested Old Skull’s defeat. With the Wisdom Token, even a fool could capture a Semi-Immortal.

News exploded across the world. Flying Swords carried the tale like meteors. Within hours, all knew Fang Lie used the Wisdom Token to capture a Zhu Xian Semi-Immortal.

People realized Fang Lie hadn’t recklessly picked fights—he’d baited Zhu Xian deliberately. Mo Sect’s Higher-ups were clearly involved, as the Wisdom Token belonged to Mo Qianxun.

After reaching this conclusion, everyone couldn’t help but silently marvel at Mo Sect’s boldness while pitying the Zhu Xian Organization. The world’s strongest Assassin Organization had been manipulated by a mere Qi Sea cultivator – not only was their reputation completely destroyed, but they’d even had a Semi-Immortal captured alive, reduced to near extinction. How utterly humiliating!

Zhu Xian’s reaction proved even more intense. Combining old grudges with fresh hatred, they swore to tear Fang Lie apart with their bare teeth. When Zhu Xian fully unleashed its firepower, the true might of this Assassin Organization finally became apparent.

Despite Fang Lie and his clones traveling in disguise, none could escape their relentless pursuit. Clones kept getting exposed and destroyed, while Fang Lie’s main body suffered ambush after eight days of fleeing. This time, Zhu Xian had learned their lesson – aware of Fang Lie’s Ninth-Rank Treasure, they abandoned direct confrontations and embraced stealth attacks befitting true assassins.

Fang Lie’s defeat proved unavoidable. Traveling via third rank Flying Boat, he encountered a beautiful sword cultivator radiating icy majesty – frost swirling around her pristine figure that repelled all approaches. Observing her Purple Palace-level cultivation from afar, Fang Lie dismissed her as harmless.

But when they closed within hundreds of yards, she suddenly smiled and struck. Her Sword Ray flashed like glacial moonlight, silently splitting the void itself. This was no Purple Palace cultivator’s power – clearly a late-stage Thunder Tribulation expert!

Caught unprepared, Fang Lie got bisected at the waist before he could react. As the woman lunged for his corpse, Old Bird urgently activated his true seed’s Nirvana fire, incinerating his body to ash just in time.

This harsh lesson deepened Fang Lie’s understanding of Zhu Xian’s divine skills. Rather than deterring him, it strengthened his resolve to eradicate them completely!

Reborn through the Cycle of Fire, Fang Lie’s first words were: "Bird Bro, did the Soul search succeed?"

"Not that easy!" Old Bird sighed. "This Semi-Immortal’s body may be decrepit, but his soul rivals ancient cultivators with ten thousand years’ experience. Extracting memories proves extremely difficult."

"Ten thousand years?" Fang Lie gasped. "How?"

"Zhu Xian’s Semi-Immortals can!" Old Bird explained. "As Left Dao remnants, they can’t ascend properly – they’d become hunted pariahs in the Immortal Realm. While other sects’ Semi-Immortals ascend after millennia, Zhu Xian’s cling to life through dark arts, some surviving twenty to thirty thousand years. That’s why they have so many."

"Understood." Fang Lie’s eyes hardened. "But this changes nothing. They’ll pay dearly!"

"Forget them for now," Old Bird urged. "Visit the Sect Leader first! By capturing Zhu Xian’s Semi-Immortal with Mo City, you’ve put him in a volcanic predicament. Were it not for Zhu Xian’s espionage crossing Mo Sect’s red lines, the Elders might’ve surrendered you for peace!"

"Those clan-prioritizing bastards!" Fang Lie spat. "Sometimes I think Mo Sect would thrive without them!"

*Ahem!* Old Bird coughed pointedly. "This crisis demands restraint. However corrupt their actions, now isn’t the time for purges."

"I know." Fang Lie nodded grimly. "But once this storm passes, if they still value clans over sect…" He vanished mid-sentence, flashing toward the Mo family through the Cycle of Fire.