Chapter Seven: The Reunion of Fate

“Damn it!” Originally, Lan Bing shouldn’t have stayed in the illusion for so long, yet she remained trapped for nearly three hours. When she finally awoke, she was furious. Known for her volatile temper, this ordeal only intensified her rage. Most infuriating of all, she had been defeated by a mere youth at the eighth level of the Spirit-Sealing Realm—something she absolutely could not accept. Swearing vengeance, she vowed to capture him and give him a proper lesson.

As dawn broke, Mo Xuan settled in a small town. Though unfamiliar with the place, he roughly knew it lay less than a hundred miles from Luochuan City, a modest settlement on the outskirts.

On a narrow path approaching Luochuan City, exhaustion weighed heavily on him after a long journey. Seeking shade to rest, he withdrew a flask of water from his spatial pouch and drank greedily.

His brief respite was interrupted by the sudden chirping of birds nearby. Soon, over a dozen figures appeared, advancing swiftly. At the forefront was a striking young woman clad in purple-black attire, her movements light and agile as she dodged relentlessly. Fatefully, her path led directly toward Mo Xuan.

Behind her, several darts whistled through the air. Spitting out the water he held, Mo Xuan dodged just in time, but his flask was torn in two.

“What’s going on?” Mo Xuan wondered. Initially, this seemed unrelated to him, yet three pursuers remained, attempting to seize him.

“There’s another accomplice here! Grab him!” one shouted.

“Hey, please listen! I don’t even know her!” Mo Xuan protested.

“What did she say to you just now?”

Faced with their accusations, Mo Xuan realized the situation was complicated. He tried to flee, but the young woman returned swiftly, stabbing three attackers and then grabbing Mo Xuan’s hand.

“Why didn’t you run away? Huh? You have no power? Could you be an ordinary person? If I’d known, I wouldn’t have saved you!” she scolded.

“I—” Mo Xuan began to explain, but no opportunity was given.

The young woman was impetuous but loyal; she hadn’t abandoned him despite the danger. All their pursuers were at least sixth level in the Spirit-Sealing Realm, including one at the early Gathering Spirit stage. Judging by their demeanor, it seemed the girl had taken something that belonged to them, prompting the chase. She herself was formidable—also at the eighth level of the Spirit-Sealing Realm.

However, due to her backtracking and carrying Mo Xuan while fleeing for so long, her strength was nearly spent. They were soon cornered beside a stream on a grassy bank.

The pursuers numbered thirteen, while they were only two. A head-on fight was nearly hopeless unless those thirteen were weak. Regardless, they had the advantage in numbers.

The leader was unyielding. “I might have agreed at first, but now? Ha! You’re quite a lively little thing. Stay and be my servant, maybe I’ll consider it!”

The others laughed and jeered, infuriating the young woman.

“You’re despicable! Don’t think I’m easy to bully! Push me too far, and you won’t get away unscathed.”

“Just you? Ha! Let’s see what you can actually do.” They mocked relentlessly.

The leader was an experienced veteran, wary and cautious rather than pleased. “Enough talk. Attack.”

Seeing this, the young woman prepared to fight.

“I’ll hold them off. You get away!” They charged simultaneously, the moment tense.

“Since you’re begging to die, I’ll grant your wish. Attack!”

Mo Xuan knew there was no point hiding anymore. The girl’s nature was fiery, so he stepped in front of her, his power at the eighth level of the Spirit-Sealing Realm radiating strongly.

“You think we’re easy prey? If this comes to blows, who wins is not so certain.”

The girl was surprised to find Mo Xuan possessed a strength on par with her own. Though outnumbered and facing a Gathering Spirit level adversary, they still had a chance.

“What? Ha! I don’t believe you’ll escape my grasp!” The leader, Zhou Shen, released a powerful spiritual force, stirring the atmosphere with a tense urgency.

Mo Xuan sensed Zhou Shen’s power was at least at the fourth stage of the Gathering Spirit Realm. He knew that even with the girl’s exceptional skill, escaping such overwhelming odds was nearly impossible.

The girl drew her sword and turned her back to Mo Xuan. “Are you okay? If not, run quickly. They want me, not you.”

“Just don’t drag me down,” he replied.

“I’m not about to be your burden,” she retorted defiantly.

Mo Xuan focused and began to activate his Zero Domain technique. “One minute!”

“Don’t disappoint me,” the girl said, uncertain but willing to trust him for now.

Fortunately, the enemies hadn’t unleashed their full power, especially the Gathering Spirit rank one refrained from attacking, so they could barely manage.

Mo Xuan cleverly concealed any aura around him at first, confusing their opponents.

After all, even the eighth-level Earth Profound Realm cultivator Lan Bing had been ensnared in his illusion—these foes were no exception.

“Zero... Domain... activate!”

Instantly, a powerful psychic illusion took shape before their eyes. Mere seconds passed. “Now, strike!”

The girl, watching Mo Xuan’s dark blue, chilling eyes glow faintly, was momentarily stunned. When Mo Xuan reminded her, she snapped to attention and fought with all her might, quickly felling the attackers until they lay gasping on the ground.

Mo Xuan had initially considered sparing them, but they had brought this trouble upon themselves. He knew if he let them live, they would return seeking revenge, perhaps even with heavy rewards. In a world like this, many things were possible. The only solution was to eliminate the threat entirely.

Moreover, using Zero Domain drained tremendous energy, especially against so many at once. He couldn’t afford a prolonged chase if reinforcements arrived.

The girl swiftly dispatched the wounded, except for the leader, who required considerable effort.

However, the pursuers were immobilized, and so... it was over. These thirteen were silently extinguished within Mo Xuan’s Zero Domain.

Exhausted, Mo Xuan collapsed to the ground. “So tiring.”

The girl planted her sword in the earth beside him and said, “I’m curious—how did you do that?”