Shen Mo landed lightly on the ground.
Elders, deacons, disciples—anyone who saw him bowed their heads, eyes filled with respect, addressing him as the Young Sect Master.
Especially those Core Formation Elders who had fought alongside him. Compared to the deacons and disciples, they admired him even more.
Only those who had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with Shen Mo truly understood his strength and unparalleled power.
After taking a few steps, Shen Mo suddenly noticed a group of disciples gathered, whispering among themselves.
"…Wasn't that the Beast Supreme from the Verdant Vine Sect, Mo Yuheng, who just came in? And accompanying him was Liu Menghu, the head of the Storm Hall."
"Why have they suddenly come here?"
"You don't know? The Divine Sword Sect is fiercely attacking the Verdant Vine Sect, and they're on the brink of collapse!"
"So that's it. Who would have thought that the day would come when even the Verdant Vine Sect would seek help from us at the Qingxuan Sect? Haha."
"Of course! Now, wherever I go, as long as I mention I'm a disciple of Qingxuan Sect, no one dares show me disrespect. That's the power of our sect's name!"
Shen Mo pondered silently. He had already known that when the Divine Sword Sect launched their attack on the Verdant Vine Sect, the Storm Sect merged with them and became Storm Hall.
Naturally, he was aware of this.
He casually asked, "Mo Yuheng and Liu Menghu, they went to see the Sect Master?"
The disciples were startled, quickly bowing and saluting.
A brave female disciple stepped forward, responding, "Young Sect Master, they went straight to see the Sect Master upon arriving and haven't come out yet."
Shen Mo nodded slightly. With a light step, he soared into the air and headed directly to the Sect Master's courtyard on the mountain peak.
Ever since the destruction of the Rising Sun Sect, the situation of the Verdant Vine Sect could only be described as tragic.
Traitors within the sect had emerged multiple times, working in concert with external forces, wiping out several important strongholds where the Verdant Vine Sect raised demon beasts.
The Verdant Vine Sect's greatest reliance was those fierce and tyrannical demon beasts.
Without them, the combat power of their cultivators had dropped by at least half.
Just a few days ago, even one of their elders had perished in battle!
Now, the Verdant Vine Sect had less than thirty percent of its fighting force remaining.
They were truly at a critical moment of life and death.
Soon, Shen Mo arrived at the Sect Master's courtyard. Before getting close, he heard Murong Yue's unhurried voice.
"You two, I have already handed over most of the sect's affairs to Mo'er. There's no point in discussing this with me. You should go to Mo'er."
Liu Menghu urgently replied, "Sect Master Murong, the Verdant Vine Sect is on the verge of destruction! If we allow the Divine Sword Sect to annex both the Rising Sun Sect and the Verdant Vine Sect, the next target will be Qingxuan Sect!"
"For the sake of Qingxuan Sect's own interests, you should help us!"
Mo Yuheng added softly, "Back when Qingxuan Sect was threatened by Feishuang Sect and attacked by the Heavenly Water Sect, our Verdant Vine Sect also assisted you. Why is it that now Qingxuan Sect refuses to help us?"
Shen Mo pushed the door open and entered.
He smiled faintly. "As long as the price is right, of course we can help."
"Mo Yuheng, you claim that the Verdant Vine Sect helped us before, and I acknowledge that. But did you do so without compensation?"
Mo Yuheng was rendered speechless.
The first time the Verdant Vine Sect helped, it was to ally with Qingxuan Sect and the Storm Sect to defeat Feishuang Sect and seize the Alchemy King's Inheritance Cave.
The second time they helped, it was to acquire the second volume of the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book.
Both times, it was a matter of mutual benefit.
There were no debts of gratitude involved.
Murong Yue smiled.
Shen Mo, with his broad vision and sharp mind, was clearly far more suited for the position of Sect Master than she was.
With a faint smile on his lips, Shen Mo looked at Mo Yuheng.
This once stunningly beautiful Young Sect Master of the Verdant Vine Sect now appeared much more haggard.
It was obvious that the dire situation of the Verdant Vine Sect had exhausted her.
Mo Yuheng took a deep breath. "Say it. What do you want?"
Shen Mo smiled. "Simple. I want the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book and the reading method."
Mo Yuheng was stunned, instinctively responding, "That's impossible!"
The Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book had its characters deliberately scrambled.
Without the reading method, it was impossible to comprehend it.
Shen Mo's storage ring already contained the third volume of the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book.
He had long coveted the Verdant Vine Sect's reading method.
Now that there was a chance to obtain it, of course, he wouldn't let it slip away.
"Then please leave."
Shen Mo waved his hand dismissively. "The only thing I want is the reading method for the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book."
Liu Menghu smiled wryly. "Young Sect Master Shen, don't make this so difficult. After all, we fought side by side before."
Shen Mo chuckled softly, "It's precisely because we had a good relationship in the past that I'm only making this request."
"Otherwise, my demand would be for the Verdant Vine Sect to merge into the Qingxuan Sect!"
Hearing this, Mo Yuheng and Liu Menghu felt a heavy weight in their hearts but had no other choice.
Shen Mo was right.
The Verdant Vine Sect had indeed fallen into such dire straits.
Gritting her teeth, Mo Yuheng said, "Fine, I can make that decision."
"I'll give you half now, and the rest after the Qingxuan Sect actually steps in to help. How does that sound?"
Shen Mo scoffed, "Mo Yuheng, we're both smart people. Do I need to remind you of the Verdant Vine Sect's current situation?"
"The only sect that can save the Verdant Vine Sect now is the Qingxuan Sect!"
"You have no room to negotiate."
Mo Yuheng's expression was filled with sorrow.
After a long silence, she finally spoke softly, "Alright, I trust you. I trust the Qingxuan Sect."
Taking a deep breath, she retrieved two ordinary-looking booklets from her storage ring, her hands trembling as she handed them over.
Shen Mo accepted them and glanced at the first booklet, which had no title on the cover.
When he opened it, the words "First Volume" appeared before his eyes.
But as he read further, the text became chaotic and disorganized.
A few lines were manageable, but reading too much at once would cause a splitting headache.
This was indeed the first and second volumes of the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book.
Shen Mo then opened the second booklet.
This one was thinner, with only a few pages.
It contained the reading method for the Verdant Vine Eight-Treasure Book.
"I've given you what you wanted," Mo Yuheng said, taking several deep breaths. "Now, I hope the Qingxuan Sect will come to our aid."
Shen Mo nodded. "Of course. I, Shen Mo, always keep my word."
"However, we still need to convene a council with the elders to discuss and devise a proper plan."
Murong Yue smiled, "Let me arrange accommodations for the two of you, so you can rest for now."
Mo Yuheng shook her head. "Thank you for your kindness, Sect Master Murong, but I will share my sect's fate."
With that, she cupped her hands in respect and left with Liu Menghu.
Murong Yue turned to Shen Mo. "Mo'er, do you have any thoughts?"
Shen Mo nodded slightly. "Let's hold the council meeting first."
In the council hall.
Though the Qingxuan Sect had grown significantly stronger after annexing the Thunderfire Sect, the number of inner sect elders had increased to fifty.
However, only the most esteemed and powerful elders could participate in the council, and there were always just ten members.
At present, eight elders had arrived, while two were stationed at the third underground fire furnace.
Shen Mo sat beside Murong Yue, listening as the elders voiced their opinions.
Liu Yuanfeng, Wei Xiongtie, Elder Li, and others each presented their own ideas.
There was a deadlock, with constant debates and no consensus in sight.
Even Murong Yue seemed a bit overwhelmed by the endless arguments.
But Shen Mo sat still, unmoved.
The clamor went in one ear and out the other.
What he was truly contemplating was his own life panel.
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