Chapter 132: The Operation Begins

On the tall stage, Xian Mo stood ramrod straight with his hands clasped behind his back, a chilling intensity and murderous aura flickering in his eyes. In this life, he despised two types of people above all else: those who bullied his family, and those who provoked him without cause.

Jian Xin and his companion had checked both boxes; they were officially on his death list. Even without the royal martial arts arena, killing them would have been a trivial matter for Xian Mo—a mere flick of his finger, leaving no trace behind. He had originally intended for them to die quickly and quietly, but their relentless slander at the stone-gambling site had left him unwilling to grant them such an easy end. He wanted the crowd to bear witness; he wanted everyone here to see clearly just how ignorant these two were. Before a supreme powerhouse, any schemes they concocted were futile, ultimately leading only to their own destruction.

"Let me go first! My rage is boiling over; I want to crush him!" Jian Xin gritted his teeth and growled, his fists clenched tight. A sharp, icy-white sword materialized in his hand. His face was flushed with fury, his expression dark and filled with a towering murderous intent. To have been forced to kneel in front of so many onlookers had utterly shattered his dignity. As a proud disciple of the Sword Profound Sect, he had never suffered such humiliation. Today, he would reclaim his honor by defeating and executing Xian Mo in front of this massive crowd, making him realize that the consequences of provoking him were more than he could bear.

"Fine, fine, go ahead then. Just make sure you leave some of him for me—don't kill him too fast! I want to teach him a lesson in manners myself." Jian Wu Xin stepped back slightly, chin tilted upward. Though his voice was thick with anger and his face as flushed as Jian Xin’s, he remained poised for his turn.

Xian Mo watched them with a faint smile. Did they truly believe they stood a chance? He shook his head with a mocking smirk, a sinister arc forming at the corner of his lips. "Stop bickering, both of you. No matter how you argue, you are just two ants. Attack together, or you won't get another chance."

As soon as Xian Mo’s words fell, the crowd below erupted in a frenzy.

"No way, is this pretty boy really that arrogant?"
"Insane! He's facing two mid-stage Dou Zuns!"

The whispers grew constant; everyone felt this young man was far too reckless. Fighting two Dou Zuns alone was an unwise act. *He’s a lost cause, too arrogant,* was the collective consensus.

"Heh, this fellow is quite something," remarked a man from the royal teahouse, feeling a sense of admiration.

"I suspect it’s all talk," replied a proud disciple from the Sword Profound Sect. "If a real fight breaks out, two Dou Zuns are no pushovers." He believed Xian Mo was merely putting on a show and would soon be humiliated.

"I don't get that feeling," said a young woman nearby, leaning gracefully against the wooden railing with a warm, gentle smile.

"I think you've taken a liking to that boy," the Sword Profound Sect disciple teased.

"Nonsense, watch the show," the woman replied with a feigned annoyance, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

...

"Ha! How truly arrogant!"
"To think you don't even hold us in your eyes."

Jian Xin and his companion laughed in fury. "Since you demand it, we shall oblige."
"We'll just kill you together," they roared.

Jian Wu Xin summoned his longsword. "Stop stalling, hurry up," Xian Mo said impatiently.

The two men snorted at his arrogance. They unleashed the full power of their mid-stage Dou Zun cultivation, their bodies flashing to either side before leaping forward. With flawless, fluid movements, they thrust their razor-sharp blades toward Xian Mo.

"Heaven-tier Dou Skill: Void-Piercing Sword!" they shouted in unison.

The surrounding atmosphere swirled violently, imbued with a chaotic, murderous intent that coated their blades. The swords instantly transformed into unstoppable, lethal weapons.

"Die, you who insulted us!" they yelled. They were supremely confident in this strike; how dare a mere ant insult them?

Xian Mo did not move. He stood steadily in place, upright and composed, hands behind his back, eyes closed. He felt the flow of the wind, sensing the two distinct, lethal currents rushing toward him. Seeing him remain motionless, the two men were further enraged. Was he looking down on them?

"How arrogant!"
"Such reckless fools deserve to die!"

Just as the two swords were less than half a meter from him, the corner of Xian Mo’s mouth curled upward. He raised both hands with lightning speed, splaying his fingers to clamp down on the incoming blades.

...

The swords stopped dead in their tracks, held fast in mid-air. A gust of wind whipped past, blowing Xian Mo’s long hair across his face. For a moment, the entire arena fell into a deathly silence. The world seemed to stand still, with only the man catching the blades remaining as the sole focus.

The crowd stared with wide eyes, afraid to blink lest they miss a single second. Even the people in the teahouse were stunned; a man mid-sip froze with his teacup suspended in mid-air.

Jian Xin and his companion saw this and their eyes constricted, a wave of panic rising within them. "Ho... how is this possible?" they whispered. They refused to believe it. How could their Heaven-tier Void-Piercing Swords be blocked by just two fingers of this man?

"Dou Zun? Void-Piercing Sword? Heh, nothing more than that," Xian Mo said, his handsome face indifferent as his lips moved slowly.

He opened his eyes, a flicker of crimson light flashing within them. He turned slightly to look at the two men, his voice as cold as a demon’s: "My turn."

Xian Mo squeezed his fingers gently. Both blades instantly developed cracks, then shattered with a loud *snap*, dissolving into nothingness. The two men met each other's eyes, a bone-chilling cold invading their bodies. Shivering, they realized their weapons were gone. Their faces contorted in shock. "No!" But it was too late.

"Void Sword Blades."

Xian Mo flicked his fingers. In an instant, countless sword blades manifested in the void, surging toward the sky before raining down upon the pair.

The two men were frozen in mid-air, their bodies trembling violently as endless terror filled their hearts. They felt the murderous intent closing in. Suddenly, a splash of blood flickered before their eyes.

"AAHH!!!"

A scream of agony echoed throughout the royal grounds. Countless blades sliced through them repeatedly. As they remained suspended, torrents of blood sprayed out, dyeing their white robes crimson.

"W-what is that monstrosity?" Ling Tianba, watching from below, was startled. The crowd in the teahouse was equally horrified. Ling Sheng recalled the sensation from before and couldn't help but shudder; he remembered the excruciating pain.

Suddenly, the attack ceased. Jian Xin and his companion’s eyes opened in agony, though they could no longer scream, for they were breathless. Cracks appeared across their bodies, and chunks of flesh, still attached to bone, began to rain down onto the stage.

"Ugh—"
"Blegh—"

The crowd below turned pale, a wave of nausea sweeping through them as they began to retch. In the teahouse, the viewers were similarly affected; the food and tea they had just consumed churned in their stomachs. Though they were no strangers to killing, this was exceptionally cruel. *This man must not be provoked!*

The woman from the teahouse turned pale, her beautiful face twisted in disgust as she, too, began to retch. They could see not just flesh, but intestines and internal organs spilling out, leaving the arena a blood-soaked nightmare.

*How cruel!* was the unanimous thought.

The middle-aged royal official overseeing the match was shocked. *Is this man truly so brutal? Would I have any chance against him?* Even a man who had seen countless battles found this scene hard to stomach. He turned pale, though he managed to suppress the urge to vomit.

"My god, is this kid a pervert? How could he be so cruel?" Ling Tianba muttered.
"Sect Master, are you still planning to test him later?" Ling Sheng asked, his face drained of color.
"Cough, his strength is decent, but I don't know how he compares to Tian Yu Han. I will still test him later," Ling Tianba coughed, trying to maintain his composure.
"Then, Sect Master, please be careful," Ling Sheng warned.
"Hmph, I am a nine-star Dou Sheng, would I be afraid of him?" Ling Tianba huffed. But despite his words, his heart was pounding. What if he were to be slain? He couldn't discern the boy's cultivation, but when he struck, there was a ripple of energy—definitely that of a Dou Sheng, and likely above five stars!

*How are the youngsters these days so monstrous? To have such cultivation at this age... have I been cultivating like a beast all these years?* Ling Tianba began to doubt his own life's work.

Xian Mo stood motionless, glancing at the gore on the floor with an expressionless face. "Since this was a life-or-death agreement, there is no turning back. You were destined to die, and no one can save you. Anyone who bullies my family or provokes me will pay with their lives."

Although his voice was not loud, everyone heard him clearly.

*It seems those two fools really provoked a major power,* the Sword Profound Sect prodigy thought. He knew of their shamelessness; now that they had hit a wall, regret was useless. Even if he had intervened, he likely would have ended up as chopped meat himself. He shuddered at the memory of the intestines and organs. *He is too terrifying. I must not provoke him. For my own life's sake, I must notify the sect to steer clear of him.*

Xian Mo walked toward the edge of the stage. The royal official, Huang Long, stepped forward and bowed, asking, "I am Huang Long. May I ask which sect you hail from, young master?"

Xian Mo looked at him and smiled slightly. "The Yama Prison. I am Xian Mo."

"Yama... Prison?" Huang Long muttered, unable to recall such a sect in the Western Continent. "Young Master Xian, is the Yama Prison a hidden faction of the Western Continent?"

"Oh, no. It is a new power, currently stationed in the Western Continent. We will be accepting disciples publicly soon; you are welcome to visit then," Xian Mo replied with a smile.

"I see. Very well, I shall visit in person next time," Huang Long nodded. *Though it is a new sect, it is not to be underestimated.*

"The Yama Prison... it sounds formidable. I must go see it when the time comes."
"Me too, me too!"
"I want to become a powerhouse like him!"

The crowd below whispered excitedly. In the teahouse, the others murmured, "A new power, the Yama Prison? I wonder how many other monsters like him are inside."

"I am quite looking forward to it," said the woman who had just finished vomiting, taking a sip of tea.

Her brother added, "Sister, since you haven't joined a sect yet, see if you can join this Yama Prison. If you can become a monster like him, we'll have another layer of protection."
"Agreed, brother."

The man turned to the Sword Profound Sect disciple and asked, "Brother Jian, how will you report this?"
"How else? Just say they sought their own death by offending a monster and were slaughtered before they could even finish a single move," the prodigy sighed.

"Hmph, I warned you earlier that he had an artifact to mask his aura, but you wouldn't listen. Look what happened now!" the woman scoffed.
"Brother Jian," the man asked, his expression turning grave, "if we all attacked together, could we win?" He was deeply uncertain.

The group fell silent, wondering if they would end up like Jian Xin and Jian Wu Xin. The mere thought made them shudder. The man was a human meat grinder, and his sword intent was overwhelming. If they were struck, they doubted they could survive.

...

After the chatter subsided, Xian Mo walked toward Ling Xuan. She looked a bit pale and nauseous. Xian Mo patted her gently, apologizing, "My lady, I am sorry. I forgot you were watching below. Otherwise, I would have just erased their existence. But a simple death would have been too easy for them. Since they made you angry, I cut them into fifty pieces to pay for their sins."

"Don't worry, after this, you won't feel as bad next time. After all, you've witnessed it twice now." (The first time being the man whose head Xian Mo had crushed).

"I know," Ling Xuan nodded. She understood he did this for her.

"Here, take this pill, you'll feel better," Xian Mo said, placing a golden pill into her mouth. It dissolved the moment it touched her tongue. Ling Xuan’s eyes widened as a warm current flowed through her body and stomach. In an instant, the nausea vanished, and color returned to her cheeks.

The farce ended, and the crowd dared not linger, refusing to look at the remains on the stage. Once they dispersed, Huang Long ordered the remains to be cleaned. The workers looked horrified as they picked up the pieces, placing them into a special bag and pouring a liquid over the ground to erase the bloodstains.

Meanwhile, Xian Mo had already pocketed their storage rings. Killing was one thing, but he never forgot to loot. A quick glance inside revealed a wealth of items, including women’s undergarments and other oddities. *These two scoundrels have definitely done plenty of evil deeds.* Xian Mo transferred the valuables to his own ring and tossed the rest aside.

His trip to the stone-gambling site had been fruitful. That large chunk of blood-red flesh would be excellent for cultivation in the Reincarnation World.

There was nothing left to do here, but Xian Mo suddenly recalled that this was the Royal Palace—there were bound to be treasures. He hatched a wicked plan.

"My lady," Xian Mo said to Ling Xuan, "you go back to the Reincarnation World first. I have some errands to run, and I'll join you later. Take this blood-red flesh and give it to Xiao Jin."

"Xiao Jin?" Ling Xuan asked.
"Oh, Jin Zhentian, that newly ascended Golden Core Emperor," Xian Mo said.
"I understand." Ling Xuan nodded. She didn't ask what he was up to; she knew he was about to cause trouble.

Xian Mo tucked the flesh into her storage ring, waved his hand, opened the Reincarnation World, and sent her inside.

...

"Ah, nothing beats acting alone," Xian Mo stretched. Ling Tianba and his companion were no longer following him, likely waiting for him to leave the palace to launch a sneak attack.

Xian Mo entered a stealth state, his aura completely masked. He was now invisible to anyone in this world. His first target: the Royal Treasure Pavilion.

*A nine-star peak Dou Emperor stealing treasures... I wonder what they'd say if they caught me?* He grinned. *Whatever, I need the resources to cause more trouble, hehe.*

He flashed silently into one of the royal chambers.

"Oh, really now, you can't do that, it's not proper," a woman's voice drifted out.
"Heh, my treasure. You are truly beautiful," a man's voice replied.

Inside, a scene of an indescribable nature was unfolding...

Xian Mo paused. *Broad daylight? Are all the people in this palace this open? No, that can't be right. It must just be these two.* He crept over to a window, used a tiny needle to poke a hole, and peered inside. On a chair nearby lay a pile of luxurious clothing. *If they wear such fine clothes, they must be wealthy. Perhaps their rings contain treasures.* He decided they would be his first target.

The sounds inside continued. Xian Mo, having experienced such things himself, wasn't overly bothered, though he thought, *Do you have to be so loud? I'm still a man, you know...*

He carved a small void crack in the corner and slipped inside. The sight that greeted him made him speechless. He looked at their clothes—nothing of value—and their rings weren't on their fingers, so they must be nearby.

He spotted the rings. *Should I knock them out? If I take them directly, I'll be caught.* He smirked. *My apologies, you two. Your fun ends here. Continue next time, hehe.*

He flicked a beam of light at their necks, and the two collapsed into unconsciousness.

Xian Mo felt a bit wicked as he snatched their rings and took a peek. "Wow, lots of good stuff here." He muttered, "They must have high status. Good thing I only knocked them out; if I had killed them, they would have realized they were robbed later."

He transferred all the valuables to his own ring and slipped the rings back onto their fingers. He frowned as he found two tokens engraved with the character "Four." He didn't know the palace rules, but these were likely status symbols. He checked them for energy fluctuations, but they were just ordinary gemstones. *Useless trash.* He put them back in the rings and turned to leave. He glanced back at the woman and shook his head. *She's pretty, but compared to Ling Xuan, Yun Yi, and Ya Fei, she's nothing.*

He tore through the void to his next destination. The Royal Palace was massive, larger than any sect he had ever seen. He went from place to place, looting everything in sight. Even the statues in the palace, infused with spiritual energy, were quietly spirited away into his bag.