Chapter 157: Wisdom

Inside the dense forest, the final, hair-raising moment had finally arrived. True Monarch Gu Meng unleashed a merciless palm strike, but right at that instant, a young girl's tender cry rang out: "Do not hurt my Brother Mo!" A streak of purple light burst forth from the deep woods, heading straight for True Monarch Gu Meng's palm.

True Monarch Gu Meng was terribly startled. She had never imagined such a sharp attack existed; that beam of light was potent enough to pierce right through her arm. With no other choice, True Monarch Gu Meng exerted her utmost strength to dodge the blow, though she was left looking utterly disheveled and wretched in the process.

The next moment, a purple figure darted out from the dense forest with incredible speed. It was a girl with purple hair, possessing an innocent child-like face yet the voluptuous figure of a mature woman, though all of this was presently overshadowed by the brilliant radiance emanating from her pair of purple eyes.

"Xin'er, how could it be you?" Mobai was equally astonished. He would never have dreamed in his wildest dreams that Nalan Xin'er would appear at this exact juncture, let alone unleash such a devastating attack.

True Monarch Gu Meng sized up the young girl before her with a blank expression, muttering to herself, "How can this be? How is this possible? Even if you are of the Nalan clan, and even with your peerless natural talent, it is impossible to awaken the Divine Ultimate Pupils of the Nalan Purple Eyes at such a tender age. This, this is impossible!"

Looking at Nalan Xin'er's back and hearing True Monarch Gu Meng's words, Mobai was filled with extreme shock. Naturally, he understood what kind of realm the Ultimate Pupils mentioned by True Monarch Gu Meng represented. It was said that within the Nalan clan, only two predecessors had ever attained such a lofty height, and not even Master Yun Jin, the current sect master of the Cloud Heaven Sect, had ever reached this level. How could Xin'er awaken the Ultimate Pupils at such a young age?

Could it be that the dual trauma had stimulated all the spiritual energy left behind by the late Master Wuzui? Had she completely absorbed it all? For some unknown reason, Nalan Xin'er's body felt somewhat wobbly and unstable. There was a trace of clarity in her mind, but chaos reigned supreme. She did not know why she had come here; it was merely because her body felt as though it were about to explode, and only by running could she release the pent-up pressure. Then, guided as if by some mysterious force summoning her from the netherworld, she had arrived here and driven back True Monarch Gu Meng—who was about to deal a lethal blow to Mobai—using the Ultimate Pupils.

"Who are you! How dare you try to harm my Brother Mo!" Nalan Xin'er demanded angrily.

Even True Monarch Gu Meng was somewhat bewildered by this question. After all, they had met Nalan Xin'er before, so why would she ask such a thing? Could this little lass have suffered a Qi deviation, or what on earth had happened? True Monarch Gu Meng knew that although this young girl was formidable, she possessed no scheming nature and certainly would not lie at a time like this.

"Who I am is no longer important. What matters is what I am about to do." True Monarch Gu Meng was desperately struggling to control her emotions. She seemed to sense that the progression of events would no longer go as smoothly as planned.

"Hmph, you want to kill my Brother Mo? In your dreams! With me, Nalan Xin'er, here, no one is touching a single hair on my Brother Mo," Nalan Xin'er declared, patting her chest.

Mobai clearly recognized Nalan Xin'er's condition, yet the fact that her heart still remembered him filled him with an overwhelming depth of emotion. "Xin'er, I am fine. Don't worry."

Nalan Xin'er glanced back at Mobai, a supremely sweet smile blooming across her face. Then, the purple radiance in her eyes suddenly dimmed. Not only did the Ultimate Pupils vanish, but even her purple eyes lost all luster. This sudden change terrified Mobai, yet he dared not show his panic. Forcing himself to his feet, he came to Nalan Xin'er's side and held her body, preventing her from turning around lest True Monarch Gu Meng discover her transformation. As long as the little enchantress's Ultimate Pupils remained active, True Monarch Gu Meng would not dare to act rashly. Though this was a silent battle, its peril was extraordinary.

Time ticked away second by second. Sweat began to bead on True Monarch Gu Meng's forehead, and Mobai was certainly far from comfortable either. Only Nalan Xin'er stood there blankly gazing at Mobai, allowing his hands to press against her shoulders.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from outside the dense forest. Someone was saying, "Miss Xiao, your body is already quite unwell, and you just descended into the icy pool to harvest the Seven-Leaf Lotus for me. Now, let me deliver the medicine myself. Why don't you rest a while longer?"

Then came a cold yet somewhat frail voice replying, "Miss Yu, you are not a member of my Yi Flower Sect after all. If you rashly go ahead, unnecessary trouble will inevitably ensue. By then, not only will we fail to save Nalan Xin'er, but I fear even you will be dragged into it."

Hearing this exchange, Mobai finally let out a sigh of relief. Yu Yinxin had successfully harvested the Seven-Leaf Lotus, and Xiao Xue appeared to be unharmed. Mobai softly murmured, "Leave. No one will ever know, and no one will remember what transpired in this dense forest today."

True Monarch Gu Meng was stunned at first, but she immediately came to her senses. The fact that Mobai had not even mentioned her name—not even the title of "True Monarch"—was entirely out of consideration for her sake. Under such circumstances, what right or grounds did she have to linger here any longer? Yet suddenly, it felt as though a voice was mocking and ridiculing her. In that fleeting instant, True Monarch Gu Meng did something utterly insane: instead of retreating, she launched a counterattack, thrusting her hands forward with a fierce shout: "Life and death are judged here! All of the future rests upon this single strike!"

Mobai had never expected True Monarch Gu Meng to drive herself to such a mad extreme. He exhausted his remaining spiritual energy to erect a defensive spiritual shield, but his true essence had been overly depleted. Along with the little enchantress, he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground with a dull thud. At the same time, True Monarch Gu Meng flashed an eerie smile before her figure vanished along with a few others.

Hearing the commotion, Yu Yinxin and Xiao Xue rushed over. Letting out cries of alarm, they each scooped up one of the two figures. They heard Mobai say in a drifting, detached voice, "Save Xin'er first," before he rolled over and lost consciousness.

Unbeknownst to him how much time had passed, Mobai felt his entire body wrapped in an intense chill, yet it was remarkably soothing, as if every fiber of his being had turned wonderful. He thoroughly relished the sensation brought by this state, and the scar on his left eyebrow twitched slightly as he heard someone say, "Xue lass, he has woken up."

A cold voice tinged with a hint of agitation replied, "Thank you, Senior Sister Yuzhi."

Yuzhi chuckled softly and said, "What are you thanking me for? If you hadn't thought of coming to this icy pool to treat his wounds, even if I had managed to beg the miraculous medicine from Granny Yinhua, it would have been of no use. This Mobai's physique is truly remarkable to recover at such a staggering speed."

At that moment, a silvery, bell-like laugh chimed in: "A double blessing indeed! The little lass over there also appears to be in fine condition, sleeping soundly right now. Who would have thought her spiritual energy ran so deep? It's simply incredible."

The three women continued to marvel. Looking at Mobai—watching this man's vital signs return and rebound at an astonishing velocity—Xiao Xue let out a long breath. Turning to Yuzhi, she stated, "Second Senior Sister, Xiao Xue begs Master for punishment. Please return and report to Master, telling her that Xiao Xue shall never step a foot outside the icy pool for the rest of her life as penance."

With a magnanimous smile, Yuzhi replied, "Xue lass, you did nothing wrong. Master only ordered you to kill him because she suspected Mobai of being affiliated with the Demonic Sect, which was entirely understandable. Guihaixin, that old fogey of Guihai City, was indeed exposed as a Demonic Sect operative on the Exquisite Continent. Yet after his defeat, unexpectedly, the Demonic Sect made no move whatsoever. That led the old master to mistakenly believe it was a bitter flesh scheme orchestrated by the sect—sacrificing Guihaixin to gain our trust so they could infiltrate our Yi Flower Sect and deal a devastating blow. Fortunately, the situation was brought under control at the very last moment. We can consider this a fortunate escape amidst great misfortune."

Xiao Xue looked at Yuzhi with gratitude. Yuzhi's explanation was truly seamless, alleviating much of the guilt in Xiao Xue's heart. In her mind, she firmly believed that the unfolding of these events was merely the misunderstanding Yuzhi had described.

Yuzhi turned her gaze to Yu Yinxin and asked, "Miss Yu, would you say my assessment is correct?"

Yu Yinxin giggled and said, "I wouldn't know. However, it seems Maple Mountain no longer holds anything amusing. Perhaps I shall wait outside for whatever other tales unfold once he steps out of the Yi Flower Sect. I imagine that will be quite fascinating as well." With those words, Yu Yinxin executed an unfathomable, ethereal movement technique, leaping away from the icy pool grotto. A sentence lingered in the air along with a string of silver-bell-like laughter: "I don't care to deal with clever girls."

By this point, Mobai had already regained consciousness, though he wished to linger a while longer in the icy pool waters, as they greatly accelerated his recovery. He had heard every word of their conversation and inwardly praised Yuzhi's wisdom and Yu Yinxin's cleverness—these two women were truly the most astute of all.

However, Mobai knew that matters concerning the Yi Flower Sect were not as simple as Yu Yinxin made them out to be. If he failed to untie the knot in True Monarch Gu Meng's heart, he might face mortal danger for the rest of his life. Therefore, he needed to recover—to recover at the fastest possible speed. He had to prove something: that there was another way to thoroughly ruin True Monarch Gu Meng's reputation. Only by fighting poison with poison could this high-and-mighty sect master of the Yi Flower Sect truly lower her head and untie the knot locked deep within her heart.

The main hall of the Yi Flower Sect, the Hall of Quỳnh Flower, was shrouded in solemn gravity. True Monarch Gu Meng's left arm seemed somewhat stiff and unyielding, and her complexion today was exceedingly grim. Yet she did not throw any temper tantrums, for the vast Hall of Quỳnh Flower was completely devoid of people. This was a special decree issued by True Monarch Gu Meng for the day—a command that permitted only one person to enter the Hall of Quỳnh Flower today, and that person's name was Mobai.