Chapter 129: Reversal

The pale green figure appeared before Guihaixin like a ghost. Master Guyu was startled and just about to rush forward when two individuals suddenly blocked his path. Though their attire was peculiar, their spiritual prowess was formidable, preventing Master Guyu from advancing any further.

The pale green figure leaned in close to Guihaixin’s ear and whispered calmly, "Old man, the situation here is lost. Tell me, what else can you possibly do?"

Guihaixin stared blankly at Shangguan Qing. "My Guihai clan has been completely eradicated. This can be considered a repayment of the kindness shown by Sect Leader Yu."

Shangguan Qing was taken aback at first, but being a shrewd and cunning man, he immediately guessed the truth. He whispered, "No, your debt is not yet paid. This defeat is entirely the fault of your son; he was foolishly enamored with Yu Fu and could not bring himself to strike. Hmph, but matters are beyond repair now. I fear you will have to compensate for him, especially since you, old man, are still alive."

Guihaixin gave a self-mocking laugh. "I am alive—but what meaning does that hold now?"

Shangguan Qing replied, "Of course it does. You can still perform one final service for the Moyu Ridge with your own death." As he spoke, he whispered a few words into Guihaixin’s ear, then released a signal. The Xu brothers ceased their entanglement with Master Guyu and immediately vanished from the Lingjue Arena battlefield alongside Shangguan Qing.

Guihaixin’s pupils dilated. He stood up unsteadily, and with his final ounce of strength, he roared, "Stop, all of you!" The entire battle halted due to this shout, fueled by his exhausted spiritual essence. Everyone turned to look at the master of Guihai City.

Guihaixin cried out in grief and indignation: "Guihai City has been utterly defeated. It is because our skills were inferior to others, and I, Guihaixin, accept this. But I do not understand why you, the Yihua Sect, must be so ruthless. Not only do you kill the members of my Guihai clan, but you do not even spare these other spiritual practitioners who came to observe the festivities. Do you not find this too cruel? Is your Yihua Sect truly so tyrannical that within this hundred-mile radius, only you may stand supreme, and no other spiritual practitioners are permitted to exist? Everyone, look down at your feet—how much of this blood belongs to innocent people? They were your friends, your kin! I, Guihaixin, wish to leave a warning for every spiritual practitioner in the world today. My blood shall cover Guihai City; I only hope you do not die in vain!"

With those words, Guihaixin struck his own chest violently. With a thunderous boom, his body shattered into pieces, spraying blood across the ground.

The crowd was struck with horror; none had expected such an end for Guihai City. Just then, a man shouted, "Fellow practitioners! The Yihua Sect is too oppressive! If they will not let us independent cultivators survive, what must we do? Today, we shall make these Yihua Sect members pay with their lives, then unite the greater community of practitioners to charge up Feng Mountain and burn down the Qionghua Hall!"

This ignited the fury of the crowd. It was true that during the chaotic fray, the Yihua Sect had indeed mistakenly killed many ordinary practitioners—though in such a situation, such collateral damage was perhaps unavoidable. Furthermore, some among these practitioners had impure motives to begin with, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

Shangguan Qing nodded at Xu Dawu and said, "As expected, that man who was taught a lesson by Yu Fu has successfully fanned the flames. Hmph, the Yihua Sect is in for a show."

The numerous practitioners released their spiritual energy, instantly surrounding the Yihua Sect members. Though the sect had many disciples, they were vastly outnumbered by the united front of the independent practitioners.

***

Just as the practitioners were about to launch their attack, the sound of a dragon’s roar echoed through the air. A pale blue figure streaked down from the sky. With one hand, he manifested a massive yellow spiritual shield that intercepted the practitioners’ spiritual energy blades. He laughed aloud, "Everyone, do not fall for the schemes of villains! Listen to me, Mo Bai, for a moment!"

Mo Bai! The crowd was shocked. Over the past few days, Mo Bai’s name had resonated throughout Guihai City. This expert, who walked the line between righteousness and villainy, had deeply intrigued many, though few had actually seen his true face. His sudden appearance temporarily suppressed the crowd's rage.

One person shouted, "Great Hero Mo, what do you have to say? We all know you have become an ally of the Yihua Sect. If you are here to speak on their behalf, we will not believe you."

"That’s right!" another echoed. "Great Hero Mo, while your reputation has grown, you cannot simply spout nonsense."

Mo Bai smiled slightly, cupped his hands toward the practitioners, and said, "I am honored by the respect you show me, though I am not worthy of the title 'Great Hero.' However, I swear here that every word I speak is entirely impartial. If any of you find fault with my words, you may do as you please once I am finished. I, Mo Bai, will not intervene on either side."

"Fine! We will give Mo Bai the benefit of the doubt. Let’s see what you have to say," the crowd shouted.

The tension surrounding the Yihua Sect eased slightly. Mo Bai said loudly, "The Lingjue Arena was originally intended to be a grand event for Guihai City. Regardless of its true purpose, it provided us, the practitioners of the world, a reason to gather. However, some have sought to exploit this gathering for their own ends. This is truly outrageous; they are clearly playing with all of you."

The crowd was taken aback. Was the Lingjue Arena not simply a tournament established by the Guihai family to contest for the status of one of the Five Great Spiritual Sects? How could there be hidden motives? The crowd began to murmur.

Mo Bai continued, "Indeed, the arena was opened by the Guihai family to try and become one of the Five Great Sects. But was this truly what the Guihai family wanted? You all know that under the leadership of the Guihai clan, Guihai City has enjoyed a century of prosperity and peace, earning the reputation as one of the three great cities of Linglong. Old City Master Guihaixin’s two children lived happy and fulfilling lives. Why would he choose this very moment to host such a tournament? Is that not strange?"

One person retorted, "Mo Bai, have you forgotten? The old master of Guihai said from the start that he was getting old, and if he did not contend for glory now, he would never have another chance."

Mo Bai replied, "That is likely not the truth. If that were the case, how could Guihaixin have been so careless as to let his family be destroyed? There is only one reason: Guihaixin was forced into this. He had very little time to prepare, which is exactly why this tragedy occurred."

A clamor broke out. Although Guihaixin was not a leader of the Five Great Sects, given his status, who on the Linglong Continent could possibly threaten him?

***

Seeing that the crowd was still perplexed, Mo Bai sighed. "Do you all remember the great catastrophe that befell the Linglong Continent sixty years ago?"

Many practitioners had heard rumors, even if they hadn't witnessed it themselves. Someone exclaimed, "Mo Bai, are you talking about the Demon Sect? What does this mean?"

Mo Bai then said, "This brother is correct. Guihaixin was coerced by the Demon Sect into staging this farce of a Lingjue Arena. He did not anticipate that, besides the struggle against the Yihua Sect, his own city would suffer from internal issues, leading to the total defeat of the ill-prepared Guihaixin."

Internal issues? Guihai City had always been as solid as a fortress, controlled by the Guihai clan internally and supported by the Nine Sects and Eighteen Gangs externally. It was flourishing with people—how could there be internal problems? The practitioners were filled with doubt.

Mo Bai said slowly, "Though Guihai City appeared united, it was rife with undercurrents. The infighting between Guihaixin’s senior disciple, Bai Yu, and Guihai Rong’an, as well as the secret struggle between Hu Feng of the Iron Cavalry Association and Ouyang Zhenghe of the Righteous Hall, are undeniable facts. These were the seeds of Guihaixin’s defeat today."

At this hint, the crowd began to vaguely understand. Indeed, the Nine Sects and Eighteen Gangs were vital to Guihai City, yet they had only been active at the very beginning. Once the tournament officially started, Ouyang Zhenghe had merely made a token appearance and then vanished. It turned out they had split into factions, each fearing the depletion of their own strength. As for the internal strife, while no one had seen it, everyone knew the status of the one called Bai Yu. The absence of the Guihai family’s top disciple at such a crucial event was indeed strange. Perhaps, as Mo Bai said, internal conflict had existed all along.

The crowd nodded, but someone asked, "Mo Bai, even if what you say is true, what does it have to do with the Demon Sect?"

Mo Bai replied, "The Demon Sect intended to use Guihai City as a gateway to invade Linglong once again. They did not expect so many unforeseen events to occur. Thus, they resorted to a final, toxic scheme: to manipulate those of us who came to participate in the tournament, incite our hatred toward the Yihua Sect, and drive us to attack them collectively. By doing so, they would destroy our unity and use the chaos to seize control of the Linglong Continent and occupy our homes."

The crowd looked at Mo Bai with suspicion. Mo Bai raised his voice again: "Everyone, look at your fallen and wounded friends and kin at your feet. How many were truly harmed by the Yihua Sect? Think about it—you are all skilled practitioners. It should be easy to tell from the wounds who inflicted them. I do not claim the Yihua Sect is entirely blameless, as accidental clashes are inevitable in such chaos. However, I urge you all to consider this carefully and not be used as pawns by others."