Chapter 162: The Demon Armor is Shen Mo, and Shen Mo is the Demon Armor
Zhang Mo waved her hand, and a bamboo stick flew out of the bamboo tube.
She reached out and grabbed it. Engraved on it were three characters:
Zhang Mo.
She smiled confidently, "For the second match of my Heavenly Water Sect, I will fight myself!"
The cultivators were shocked and began whispering amongst themselves.
When discussing the strongest person in Xuanjing Prefecture, it's difficult to determine a clear ranking.
However, the five sect masters of the five great sects in Xuanjing Prefecture were undoubtedly the five most powerful individuals.
Although Murong Yue was also at the peak of the Core Formation Realm, battles between those of the same level depended on factors like physical strength, martial techniques, cultivation methods, and spiritual weapons.
Murong Yue had the advantage in terms of physical constitution. It was rumored that she had recently consumed some rare heavenly treasures and inadvertently advanced to a lower-grade heavenly physique.
However, in every other aspect, she was inferior to Zhang Mo.
"No matter who Qingxuan Sect sends out, they will not be a match for Zhang Mo."
"In the first life-and-death duel, Heavenly Water Sect lost, and Zhang Mo is already burning with rage. I suspect this second match will lead to someone's death."
"Let's wait and see who will be drawn from the Qingxuan Sect's bamboo tube."
All the cultivators eagerly turned their gaze to Murong Yue.
Murong Yue's expression was grim as she took several deep breaths and began to shake the bamboo tube.
There were only two bamboo sticks inside the tube.
One bore her name, and the other was Shen Mo.
"Let me go; don't send Shen'er," she silently prayed, tossing the bamboo tube.
A bamboo stick flew out.
On it were two characters: Shen Mo.
"Hahaha! Shen Mo! I've been waiting for this! Bring Shen Mo up!" Zhang Mo laughed heartily upon seeing the name on the stick.
Shen Mo was no match for her.
She was about to publicly crush this peerless genius!
The thought of having the opportunity to end such an extraordinary talent made Zhang Mo's blood boil with a sense of indescribable joy.
"Shen'er isn't here yet…"
Murong Yue scanned the area, still not seeing that familiar tall figure.
Wei Xiongtie strode up beside her, his expression resolute. "Sect Master, I am willing to take the Young Master's place in this battle."
Murong Yue nodded, "Elder Wei, thank you."
Wei Xiongtie cupped his hands and was about to step onto the peak of Tiger Head Mountain.
Then, unexpectedly, the Demon Armor, who had remained motionless until now, leaped forward, landing on the mountaintop and standing before Zhang Mo.
Everyone was stunned by this turn of events.
"Demon Armor, what are you doing? It's not your turn yet," Zhang Mo frowned.
"Demon Armor, come down. The third match is yours, and your opponent is Murong Yue," shouted a cultivator from below.
"According to the rules of a life-and-death duel, only the one drawn can enter. If they are not present, then a substitute may take their place," Mo Hanshan, the Sect Master of the Verdant Vine Sect, cleared his throat and declared loudly.
The Demon Armor stared at Zhang Mo, and a raspy voice came from under the mask, "Sect Master Zhang, I am not fighting for Heavenly Water Sect."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly changed his tone, "I am fighting for Qingxuan Sect."
With that, he removed the fiery-patterned half-face mask, revealing his true face.
It was... the Young Master of Qingxuan Sect, Shen Mo!
The entire audience erupted in chaos!
"Sh*t!" The cultivators of Heavenly Water Sect cursed in unison.
Luo Shengnan's eyes widened, "The Demon Armor is actually Shen Mo?!"
Zhao Ting and Zhao Rou held their breath, "Oh my God…"
From a distance, Luo Shuanghan, who had been secretly observing the battle on orders from Ji Shilong, also widened his eyes in shock.
"The Demon Armor is Shen Mo?" he gritted his teeth.
Liu Yunxuan, Liu Yuanfeng, and the others couldn't conceal their astonishment.
Xiao Fan, who had previously maintained a confident demeanor as if he were above it all, now turned pale.
Demon Armor and Shen Mo—both were top-tier experts in their own right.
But now, they were revealed to be one and the same.
The combined achievements of these two figures...
It was terrifying!
He had thought that with his perfect golden core, he could at least catch up to Shen Mo.
He never expected the gap between them to grow even wider.
It was beyond the point of trying to match him; now, he couldn't even catch a glimpse of his heels!
"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable," Zhou Qingcang muttered to himself, excitement gleaming in his eyes.
He had long heard of the Demon Armor's illustrious battle record and had wanted to spar with him for a while, but the man was elusive, impossible to find even if one tried.
Now, everything was clear.
The Demon Armor was actually Shen Mo!
What a surprise!
From now on, they could spar with Shen Mo anytime!
Hong Chilong burst into laughter, "Haha! I had my suspicions before, thinking maybe the Demon Armor was Shen Mo, but that idea seemed too absurd, so I didn't dare believe it."
"Who would have thought it turned out to be true!"
Wan Ranjie gritted his teeth, "How is this possible? How?!"
Fear crept into his eyes.
He had heard of how powerful the Demon Armor was. Now that he knew the Demon Armor was Shen Mo, his heart, like that of Yin Xuege, was shadowed by dread.
Such a person was the true genius.
Compared to him, he wasn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.
Mo Yuheng's eyes gleamed with a strange light. "Father, didn't I tell you before? This person is no ordinary talent. Our decision was the right one."
Mo Hanshan nodded repeatedly, his smile stretching ear to ear.
But after a few laughs, he couldn't help but ponder, "However, is he really a match for Zhang Mo?"
"Judging by his expression, he seems very confident."
Mo Yuheng kept her gaze fixed on the mountaintop, her eyes full of determination. "I believe in him!"
At the peak of Tiger Head Mountain, Murong Yue's eyes reddened as tears welled up uncontrollably.
She shouted loudly, "Shen'er, I knew it! I knew you wouldn't run away at the last moment!"
Tears rolled down her cheeks like pearls.
Shen Mo turned to look at her, revealing a sincere smile.
"If I ran, wouldn't I be failing my master?"
"I'm not that kind of ungrateful disciple."
Murong Yue immediately broke into a smile through her tears.
Suddenly, a cold voice came from ahead of Shen Mo.
"Save those words for when you manage to walk out of here alive," Zhang Mo sneered.
"Shen Mo, I never thought you'd use the identity of the Demon Armor to deceive me for so long and even take so many valuable spiritual artifacts from my Heavenly Water Sect!"
Zhang Mo gritted her teeth, each word squeezed out from between her teeth.
The Azure Lotus Crown, the Azure Lotus Robe, the Azure Lotus Boots—each of these spiritual artifacts was worth a fortune.
There were only three complete sets in the entire Heavenly Water Sect.
The remaining pieces were given out individually, requiring elders to establish significant achievements before they could be exchanged.
Back then, Long Tao had vehemently opposed handing these spiritual artifacts over to the Demon Armor as payment.
She wanted to win over the Demon Armor to use for her own purposes, so she refused his advice.
Now, looking back, she wished she could return to the past and slap herself hard.
Zhang Mo, how could you be so naïve, trusting a cultivator hiding behind a mask?!
"Sect Master Zhang, you're being too serious. I was acting without much thought back then. I never expected you to trust me so much that you'd give me the Azure Lotus Crown, the Azure Lotus Robe, and the Azure Lotus Boots," Shen Mo said with a faint smile.
Hearing his words, Zhang Mo's face burned with shame.
Shen Mo's statement was like rubbing salt into her wound.
What made it worse was that he said it in front of so many onlookers.
Everyone heard it!
"Are you kidding me? The Azure Lotus spiritual artifacts? Aren't those the ones Heavenly Water Sect bought at a great cost from the major sect in Yuzhou? And Zhang Mo actually gave them to Shen Mo?"
"Yeah, I heard that those three spiritual artifacts have incredible defensive power and can significantly speed up healing. Many have offered a fortune to buy them but were refused!"
"I heard that even the elders of Heavenly Water Sect rarely possess them. Tsk tsk... Zhang Mo must be regretting it now."
"Who would have thought even the leader of one of the Five Sects of Xuanjing would make such a mistake? Hilarious."
"Stop laughing. Shen Mo has provoked Zhang Mo so much. I fear his ending will be quite miserable."
"True. I feel like Shen Mo is just showing off with words. Even if he possesses that strange Demon Armor gauntlet, he can't possibly surpass Zhang Mo."
"His most remarkable feat was defeating Lu Ren, the second elder of Thunderfire Sect, but Zhang Mo is a genuine peak Core Formation cultivator! What difference would having a complete set of Azure Lotus spiritual artifacts make?"
The cultivators around chattered loudly, the atmosphere lively and heated.
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