The elder of the Five Hidden Sword Sect met his demise and his dao dissipated in a dramatic fashion.
In a certain sense, it was simply reaping what he had sown.
Li Mo’s eyebrows twitched as he retrieved a jar of Corpse Wine from his robe and threw it towards Feihong, silently transmitting his thoughts to Tang Wu and the others to flee.
Tang Wu stood in a daze for a long moment. Instead of holding their ground in Five Temples Town, why did it feel like they were about to destroy it?
Li Mo flickered and disappeared, taking the corpse of Xinfang Hermit along to the Melting Furnace in the process.
Feihong spiraled out of control, not merely targeting Li Mo—every cultivator felt the bone-chilling killing intent radiating from the flying sword.
While they clutched their heads and scrambled to escape, the wine jar shattered as it approached Feihong.
A rich aroma of wine spread, accompanied by an unpleasant metallic smell of rust. Yet, it somewhat restrained the overwhelming heat released by Feihong.
Bathed in the Corpse Wine, Feihong’s escalating aura finally began to stabilize.
The Corpse Wine, named "Sword Washing Wine," was something Li Mo had specially prepared for sword cultivators.
[Using the blood of Nascent Soul cultivators as the medicine base, adding three taels of Bright Eyes Tears, and leaving it inside a corpse belly for fifty years produces wine pulp. Its medicinal properties cleanse impurities on flying swords and enhance their cultivation.]
However, as the Corpse Wine Li Mo brewed was done hurriedly, the effects of the Sword Washing Wine were limited. Quelling Feihong’s rage was undoubtedly impossible.
Nonetheless, the time bought was sufficient. Li Mo returned to the wine shop, inserting his arm directly into the ground, and uprooted the entire shop, intending to flee.
As Li Mo hoisted the wine shop onto his shoulder, his gaze instinctively shifted towards the West City Gate.
"Xinfang, oh Xinfang, was it worth it?"
Another elder of the Five Hidden Sword Sect appeared, his forehead covered with an exposed pulsing heart, releasing his Divine Sense to communicate with Feihong, floating above.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his cultivation falling from the Nascent Soul Stage to the Dead Baby Stage.
Feihong instantly calmed down.
All cultivators exchanged confused looks, temporarily choosing to observe the situation from afar.
"I am Elder Fen Xin of the Five Hidden Sword Sect. I apologize for Xinfang’s reckless behavior. Please rest assured, it will not impact the True Word Secret Realm."
Elder Fen Xin let out a long sigh.
The thing Five Hidden Sword Sect feared the most had happened anyway—they could no longer suppress the factions involved in the True Word Secret Realm, yet they had to rely on these factions to accelerate the sword refining process.
But there was no alternative. The Five Hidden Sword Sect faced life and death; Heavenly Sword Sect hadn’t given them much time. If they couldn’t forge the sword, they would be stripped of their qualification to wield the Sword Sheath.
"From now on, the Five Hidden Sword Sect will voluntarily offer three blood sacrifices daily to appease Feihong."
Elder Fen Xin respectfully bowed towards Li Mo and said, "Thank you, Mr. Qing Shan from the Four Seas Commerce. Without the Corpse Wine you provided, I’m afraid I’d have had to give up my life."
Li Mo tossed the wine shop back to its original position, resuming the guise of an ordinary old man.
"Mr. Qing Shan, no need to worry. The outburst from Feihong was instigated by Xinfang, and he deserved his fate."
"Heh, our Four Seas Commerce came to Five Temples Town to conduct business. Harmony breeds wealth—we hope your Immortal Sect also remembers that harmony breeds wealth."
"Mr. Qing Shan, your words are a lesson indeed."
Li Mo waved dismissively and said no more.
Had it not been for his even match against Feihong, Elder Fen Xin’s demeanor would have been far less courteous. The Five Hidden Sword Sect was utterly shameless.
Even if Elder Fen Xin hadn’t known about Xinfang Hermit’s ambush on him, there were plenty of opportunities to intervene—with the first or second sword alone.
"How exactly is Heavenly Sword Sect arranging the True Word Secret Realm? If I let Sword Tongue Sect get involved, what consequences will arise?"
Sword Tongue Sect was essentially under the temple priest of the No-Life Sect’s control, and Li Mo could influence the temple priest to a certain extent through the Twelve Immortals.
"Forget it, there’s no need to overly complicate the True Word Secret Realm."
Li Mo’s goal was the Divine Separation Stage Technique. Capturing the True Word Sect’s inheritance within the realm wouldn’t be difficult—he might even glimpse Heavenly Sword Sect’s legacy.
Under countless gazes, Li Mo turned and stepped into the wine shop.
Disciples of the Five Hidden Sword Sect began cleaning up the town.
Li Mo had a premonition.
Following the Five Hidden Sword Sect’s display of weakness, the next five years would likely be exceptionally peaceful, drawing numerous factions to Five Temples Town.
The increase in participants entering the Secret Realm would naturally be beneficial for sword refining.