Chapter 230: Saving a Life

“Every brother outside is a member of the Mo Clan. If we just stand by and watch them be cut down one by one, then what meaning does the Mo Clan have left?!” Great Iron Hammer roared hoarsely. If he had not known that he was no match for Gao Jianli, and if he had not been unwilling to attack his fellow Mo disciples, he would have rushed out regardless of the consequences.

“At this point, the Mo Core Chamber is the Mo Clan’s last hope. If you go out now, you will only be throwing your life away. Death itself is nothing to fear, but right now, only survival offers hope—and only if we survive can the Mo Clan have hope. As long as even one Mo disciple remains, the Mo Clan still exists.” Snow Lady stepped between Gao Jianli and Great Iron Hammer and tried to persuade them. If they continued their standoff, Great Iron Hammer might truly lose control and attack. Then, before they had even dealt with Wei Zhuang, the Mo Clan’s two leaders would already have turned against each other. What a ridiculous disaster that would be!

“Damn it!”

Snow Lady was indeed far more eloquent than Gao Jianli. After hearing her words, Great Iron Hammer finally calmed down. He cursed under his breath and forced himself to stop listening to the screams outside.

Xiao Xie, however, felt little upon seeing this scene. After all, had the Mo Clan not shot and killed countless Qin soldiers just moments ago? Now that Mo disciples were being slain by Wei Zhuang, was it truly any different? Well, the real reason he could say all this was simply that he was not a member of the Mo Clan. Otherwise, if anyone dared touch his people, Xiao Xie would make that person regret ever being born.

“There’s killing intent!”

Xiao Xie’s eyes narrowed. He turned to look behind him, but found nothing unusual. Just now, he had sensed a trace of killing intent that vanished almost instantly. Yet it had not been directed at him, so he could not determine who had released it.

“Has Black Kirin already infiltrated the chamber?” Xiao Xie murmured.

“Terrible!”

Master Ban let out another startled cry.

“Old man, what is it this time?” Thief Zhi could not help asking. Every time Master Ban spoke, it was never good news.

“Miss Rong has been captured!” Master Ban once again revealed a shocking piece of news.

“What did you say?! Wasn’t Miss Rong with Yue’er and the others in the forbidden grounds?”

Upon hearing this, Thief Zhi shoved Master Ban aside and looked through the periscope. Sure enough, Duanmu Rong had been captured by Wei Zhuang and the others.

Thief Zhi called out anxiously to Master Ban, “Hurry and open the door! I’m going to rescue Miss Rong!”

“Little Zhi, don’t get worked up. If you go out now, you’ll only harm Miss Rong!” Master Ban hurriedly stopped him.

“What do you mean?”

“See for yourself! Miss Rong has used the Mo Clan’s secret signal. If we act recklessly, she will immediately kill herself. The other brothers are in the same situation!” Master Ban spoke to Thief Zhi in anguish. He wanted to rescue the Mo disciples as well, but reason told him that he could not do so.

“No!”

Through the periscope, Thief Zhi watched everything unfold, his heart filled with unbearable pain.

“Nonviolence. It is the signal no Mo disciple ever wishes to see. If we go out to save her, she will immediately bite through her tongue and end her own life. As a Mo disciple, she knows exactly what she is doing,” Snow Lady said somberly.

Hearing this, Xiao Xie spoke up. “Let me go out. I am not a member of the Mo Clan. Besides, Miss Rong accepted my Heaven-Ascending Token, which makes her a member of my Heaven-Ascending Tower. As the master of the Heaven-Ascending Tower, I have a duty to protect her.”

“Master Xiao, you...” Snow Lady looked at him in surprise.

“If you were ever in danger, Lady Snow, I would come to your aid as well.” Xiao Xie smiled.

“Brother Xiao Xie, are you truly confident that you can save Miss Rong? If you can rescue her, my life will belong to you from this day forward.” Thief Zhi spoke to Xiao Xie with great agitation. He wanted to save Duanmu Rong too, but although his lightness skill was superb, his martial prowess was lacking. He could escape unscathed if he went out alone, but bringing Duanmu Rong back with him was impossible.

If Xiao Xie made a move, however, he truly did have a chance of saving Miss Rong. After all, he possessed the Lightning Step and had even defeated Gao Jianli. There was a very real possibility that he could rescue Duanmu Rong from Wei Zhuang and the others.

“Little Phoenix, Little凰—” Xiao Xie paused only a moment before continuing, “and Gai Nie, guard the entrance. Don’t let them seize the opportunity to rush in.”

“Yes!”

Murong Feng and Murong Huang drew the flexible swords from their waists and circulated their inner energy, prepared to strike at any moment.

Gai Nie said nothing when he heard Xiao Xie’s order, but he had already drawn Abyss Rainbow, making his stance clear through action.

“Master Ban, open the door,” Xiao Xie said calmly.

“Very well. Open it!”

At Master Ban’s command, the door to the Mo Core Chamber slowly opened, leaving an exit just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Whoosh!

A white figure shot out of the chamber like a bolt of lightning.

Wei Zhuang was startled. Sharktooth flashed through the air in an instant, slashing toward the white figure.

Clang! Boom!

The white figure extended one finger. Finger and sword collided, and a thunderous explosion erupted between them. A tremendous shock wave swept outward, forcing Crimson Scorpion, Hidden Bat, and Mechanized Invincible to narrow their eyes. Their clothes snapped violently in the wind.

With Sharktooth in hand, Wei Zhuang retreated three steps. He looked at the deep finger mark now etched into the sword and his pupils contracted.

“Little Seventeen!”

Once she recognized the newcomer, Crimson Scorpion could not help crying out in astonishment. The last time she had met Xiao Xie, both of them had been immersed in the joy of their reunion, and she had not noticed his martial ability. Yet in the brief span of three years, he had actually managed to force Wei Zhuang back with a single finger. How was that possible?

“Lord Wei Zhuang was forced back? Just who is this man in white?” Hidden Bat shouted in disbelief. As a member of Rebel Sand, he naturally knew how terrifying Wei Zhuang’s strength was. Yet what had he just witnessed? Someone in this world had actually forced Wei Zhuang back with one finger.

Although Xiao Xie’s kick had nearly killed him the last time, he had believed it was only because Xiao Xie had attacked by surprise. Now, however, it seemed that Xiao Xie had not even used his full strength then. Otherwise, he would have been dead already.

“White-Haired Monster! I have no interest in the feud between you and the Mo Clan, but Duanmu Rong has accepted my Heaven-Ascending Token. She is now one of my people from the Heaven-Ascending Tower, and I cannot allow you to harm her.”

As he spoke, Xiao Xie pulled Duanmu Rong into his arms.

Held against him, Duanmu Rong felt the large hand around her waist and could not help blushing.

“It’s you!”

Hearing himself addressed as the White-Haired Monster, Wei Zhuang immediately recalled Xiao Xie’s identity. But how could this be? Three years ago, that timid little fellow had known no martial arts at all and could only hide behind Crimson Scorpion. Yet after three years apart, he had become capable of forcing Wei Zhuang back with a single finger.

Although the sword strike just now had not been Wei Zhuang’s full-power attack, it had still been enough to kill an ordinary first-rate martial artist in the martial world.

“Now is not the time to fight you.” Xiao Xie glanced at Crimson Scorpion before speaking to Wei Zhuang.

With that, he struck out with his right hand and sent Duanmu Rong flying toward the entrance of the Mo Core Chamber.

“Ah!”

Duanmu Rong cried out in surprise. By the time she recovered, Murong Feng had already caught her.

“Miss Rong, are you all right?” Murong Feng set her down and asked.

Only then did Duanmu Rong realize that Xiao Xie had not truly thrown her. He had used a gentle force to send her safely into the Mo Core Chamber. Knowing that she had just lost her composure, Duanmu Rong replied awkwardly, “I’m fine.”

“Miss Rong, it’s wonderful that you’re safe!”

Thief Zhi happily leaned toward her. Then he turned toward Xiao Xie outside the chamber and shouted, “Brother Xiao Xie, Miss Rong has been rescued! Hurry back!”

“No need. Master Ban, close the door to the Mo Core Chamber. There is something I must take care of. I will return shortly. Little Phoenix, Little Huang, be careful. Wait for me.”

Hearing Thief Zhi, Xiao Xie waved his hand dismissively.

“Huh?”

Xiao Xie’s words left Thief Zhi completely bewildered. He could not help shouting inwardly, “Big brother, at a critical moment like this, you say you have something to do and want to leave? Do you even understand the situation? The entire area outside is crawling with enemies! This isn’t a sightseeing trip!”