Chapter 144: The Only One They Care About Is Shen Mo
Shen Mo's expression lit up with joy.
He still had three jars of Ice Jiao Blood, which he could consume over a long period of time.
The beast claw also had blood in it, which could be used as a more powerful trump card.
"Might as well use the Thousand Miles Fragrance and Thousand Miles Dew here," he thought.
Shen Mo carefully inspected his surroundings and took two formation sets from Lu Xinyue's storage ring, setting up formation flags around him.
As the head of a sect, Lu Xinyue's storage ring had a considerable number of formations.
There were three Earth-tier formations in total.
They were a Maze Formation, a Poison Mist Formation, and a Concealment Formation.
Shen Mo decided to set up the Poison Mist Formation and the Concealment Formation.
The Concealment Formation would mask his presence, allowing him to cultivate freely.
The Poison Mist Formation would guard against beasts or cultivators, giving him time to react in advance.
After securely setting up everything, Shen Mo took out the Thousand Miles Fragrance and Thousand Miles Dew and consumed them in succession.
…
Ten days later, at the Qingxuan Sect's mountain gate.
Murong Yue paced anxiously in the main hall.
Beside her were Song Chaofeng, Wei Xiongtie, Liu Yuanfeng, and Elder Li, all with worried expressions.
Of course, it was hard to tell if Liu Yuanfeng's concern was genuine or not.
"Still no news on Mo'er's whereabouts?" Murong Yue asked again.
"No, Sect Master Liu of the Stormy Rain Sect said they are keeping an eye out for him," Wei Xiongtie shook his head.
Song Chaofeng added, "Sect Master Yang of the Purple Star Sect hasn't said anything, but one of their elders agreed to help us search for the young sect master's whereabouts."
"I've also spoken with some rogue cultivators," Elder Li sighed, "but only a few know that the young sect master entered Baishi City. No one knows where he went after that."
"That night was too chaotic. Many people disappeared mysteriously. Though the young sect master is strong, still…" Liu Yuanfeng murmured quietly.
Murong Yue took a deep breath, "No, he wouldn't die in Baishi City."
"Keep searching. We must find Mo'er!"
"Yes, ma'am."
At that moment, Murong Yue and the others suddenly felt a fluctuation in the spiritual energy of the surrounding heavens and earth.
"This feeling… someone has broken through to the Core Formation stage?" Song Chaofeng was taken aback.
Wei Xiongtie was overjoyed. "I'll go take a look."
Murong Yue, trying to suppress her anxiety, also hurried out of the main hall.
Sure enough, not far from the Qingxuan Sect's mountain gate, in the Qingcang Mountains, a pillar of light shot straight up into the clouds.
Within the light, a figure could faintly be seen.
The disciples of the Qingxuan Sect couldn't help but look up at the light pillar, excitedly discussing it.
"Such a grand light pillar… It's probably a perfect golden core!" Liu Yuanfeng exclaimed.
"Who is it? Which disciple at the peak of Foundation Establishment is advancing to the Core Formation stage?" Elder Li's expression brightened.
By now, the light pillar had lasted for more than a hundred breaths and was gradually fading.
The figure inside the light also slowly became clearer.
"It's him? I seem to remember this young man," Murong Yue raised an eyebrow.
Liu Yuanfeng was momentarily stunned but then burst into joy. "It's my disciple, Xiao Fan!"
Song Chaofeng and Wei Xiongtie clasped their hands toward him, "Congratulations, Vice Sect Master Liu."
Elder Li snorted coldly, "Congratulations indeed."
Liu Yuanfeng smiled faintly, though his expression was somewhat complicated.
Xiao Fan was his disciple, and achieving a perfect golden core and entering the Core Formation stage naturally made him happy.
However, Xiao Fan had abandoned his daughter and instead pursued the deputy sect master's daughter from the Divine Sword Sect. This had long been a thorn in his heart.
His feelings toward Xiao Fan were now extremely complex.
In mid-air, Xiao Fan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the surging power within him, overwhelmed with joy.
"Finally… I've finally reached the Core Formation stage!"
"There seems to be some memories surfacing in my mind. Whose memories are these? Who am I…?"
"I need to find time to carefully sort through this…"
Xiao Fan slowly descended, deep in thought.
The disciples immediately flocked around him, delighted.
"Who would've thought the one to form a golden core was Senior Brother Xiao Fan!"
"Judging by the looks of it, it's surely a perfect golden core!"
Many female disciples cast flirtatious glances his way.
Xiao Fan pushed aside his thoughts and laughed heartily, "You guessed right! It is indeed a perfect golden core."
Someone else spoke with admiration and envy, "Senior Brother Xiao Fan! Who would've thought that after the young sect master, the second person in the sect to form a golden core would be you!"
"With this, the rise of the Qingxuan Sect is certain! We might even reclaim our place among the top five sects of Xuanjiang!"
Xiao Fan's smile froze instantly.
What a way to hit a sore spot.
Why bring up Shen Mo?
"The Sect Master is here! The Sect Master is here!"
A voice came from the outskirts of the crowd.
The disciples quickly parted to create a path.
Murong Yue, Song Chaofeng, and the others strode forward.
Upon seeing the beautiful Sect Master, Xiao Fan couldn't help but feel a stirring in his heart.
However, knowing what he should do, he immediately dropped to one knee. "Xiao Fan greets the Sect Master!"
Murong Yue, who had been unable to find any trace of Shen Mo, looked haggard. But now, a comforting smile appeared on her face.
"To have condensed a perfect golden core, not bad at all."
"Xiao Fan, from today onward, you are an inner elder of our Qingxuan Sect."
"Thank you, Sect Master, for your guidance!" Xiao Fan said respectfully.
Murong Yue continued, "Elder Li, from now on, treat Elder Xiao with all the rights and responsibilities of an inner elder. No mistakes allowed."
"Yes!"
Xiao Fan was overjoyed.
With his extraordinary talent, having condensed a perfect golden core at such a young age, surely Murong Yue would look at him differently now.
Perhaps, in the future, there might even be some special relationship between him and this beautiful Sect Master.
He wanted to say more when, suddenly, a joyful shout came from the sect's entrance.
"Report to the Sect Master! The young sect master has returned!"
"The young sect master has returned! Safe and sound!"
Upon hearing this, Murong Yue's entire body trembled.
Her haggard expression immediately brightened with vitality.
In her beautiful eyes, a joy far surpassing that of Xiao Fan's golden core appeared.
"Mo'er, Mo'er!"
Murong Yue immediately dropped everything in front of her, excitement filling her voice.
Lifting her long skirt, she hurriedly rushed toward the sect entrance.
It was as if she wished she could turn into a streak of light and fly over.
Song Chaofeng, Wei Xiongtie, Elder Li, and the other elders were also overwhelmed with excitement and quickly followed.
"The young sect master is back?"
"As long as the young sect master is safe, let's go, we must see him!"
"I've been so worried since the young sect master went missing. Look at me, I haven't eaten in over fifteen minutes."
In an instant, a large number of elders, deacons, and disciples surged toward the entrance.
The number of people left around Xiao Fan was reduced to a mere handful in the blink of an eye.
He could count them on one hand.
Moreover, standing there were Liu Yuanfeng, Liu Yunxuan, and Liu Fei—the whole family.
All three of them stared at Xiao Fan with complicated expressions.
Xiao Fan, who had just been basking in the glory of his success, suddenly found himself frozen in place.
Reality had given him a harsh slap in the face.
Murong Yue, Song Chaofeng, Wei Xiongtie, and the others didn't care about him. The only person they cared about was Shen Mo.
He had been fantasizing about some special relationship with Murong Yue, but now that seemed like nothing more than wishful thinking.
"Xiao Fan, where did you get the foundation for your perfect golden core?" Liu Yunxuan suddenly asked.
Liu Fei, on the other hand, stared directly into Xiao Fan's eyes with a look of pure hatred.
Xiao Fan let out a few awkward laughs, stammering but unable to respond.
"Forget it, no matter what, he's still my disciple. Don't pressure him so much," Liu Yuanfeng waved his hand.
"Xiao Fan, go rest. You must be tired after forming a perfect golden core."
"Yes, thank you, Master." Xiao Fan sighed in relief and quickly made his escape.
Liu Fei's gaze always made him feel as though needles were pricking his back.
He didn't dare linger here any longer.
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