Chapter 107: Reversal

Fang Mu stroked his chin, feeling that something was not quite right.

At that moment, Maeve spoke.

“That day, you ordered me to seduce your junior fellow disciple and help you ascend to the position of abbot.” Maeve’s voice brimmed with hatred. “Yet you turned around and wounded me. If I hadn’t been blessed with such good fortune, I would have returned to the Netherworld long ago. And you took advantage of the destruction of the Strange Adepts to greatly expand Cold Void Temple.”

The surrounding silence, combined with the hatred in Maeve’s voice, lent her an icy, vicious air.

Wangchi stepped forward and shook his head. “Fur, I had no choice back then. I was about to inherit the position of abbot, and the Heaven-Watch Bureau was investigating closely. Afterward, I kept searching for you…”

Fang Mu stood to one side, watching Wangchi’s impassioned performance, and sighed inwardly.

His acting was truly excellent.

Maeve sneered. “Nonsense. You were looking for me because of that matter, weren’t you? And it was only recently that you began releasing those strange creatures, hoping to lure me out.”

Fang Mu’s interest was piqued.

So there was an even greater secret hidden beneath all this.

Wangchi advanced several more steps and sighed. “Fur, I didn’t strike to kill you back then. Otherwise, how could you have survived until now? I accepted the position of abbot for the sake of that secret as well.”

Maeve froze, then shook her head. “Regardless, I can no longer trust you. I am interested in that thing too. I can work with you, but…”

She had not finished speaking when she suddenly looked behind Wangchi and shouted a warning.

“Careful!”

Wangchi turned around just in time to see a scarlet web of blades filling the sky.

Boom!

Golden Buddhist light surged around Wangchi’s body. This time, he withstood Fang Mu’s Butcher’s Dissection Blade.

“So that’s why it sounded wrong…” Fang Mu’s cold voice rang through the silent forest. “Xu Yang!”

At first, Fang Mu had thought Wangchi’s performance was impressive. But the longer he listened, the more suspicious he became.

The acting was one thing. The real problem was those ancient, buried matters.

How could Wangchi know them in such detail—and even respond to the secret code right from the beginning?

There was only one possibility.

Wangchi was Xu Yang.

Wangchi turned toward him and desperately tried to signal with his eyes. Beneath the golden radiance, however, his expression looked utterly comical.

Fang Mu shook his head. “Whoever you are, you still have to die.”

Whether he was Xu Yang or Wangchi—did it matter?

No. It did not.

Fang Mu had killed Zhao Wuquan in the shop. Wangchi was the only witness, and sooner or later, he would have to die anyway.

Now that Maeve had been found, there was no longer any reason to keep Wangchi alive.

Wangchi saw that Fang Mu intended to press the attack regardless. With a sigh, he unleashed the golden light around his body and retreated to Maeve’s side.

Maeve immediately grew wary.

“Your strength is impressive—far greater than anything displayed by Cold Void Temple.” Fang Mu sneered. “I’m curious. How did you avoid detection by the Heaven-Watch Bureau?”

Wangchi pressed his palms together. “Buddhism speaks of reincarnation. At the time, I was a Strange Adept, so I transformed that process into body snatching.”

“In other words…” Fang Mu slowly advanced, while a ferocious tiger’s head appeared behind him. “You really are Xu Yang.”

Xu Yang turned toward Maeve. “This man is a hound of the Heaven-Watch Bureau. He possesses three supernatural arts: blade technique, movement technique, and fist technique. I have already seen through them. Use your illusion to control him. If we do not eliminate him, we will certainly be in danger.”

After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, Maeve nodded.

“Neither of you is leaving today.” Fang Mu’s fingers slid across the butcher knife. “Not one of you will survive.”

The tiger’s head behind him let out a roar, and a scarlet wave of sound swept toward the pair.

Fang Mu raised his butcher knife, and the Butcher’s Dissection Blade followed close behind.

A shadow remained where he had stood. In the next instant, a scarlet web of blades filled the sky and enveloped Xu Yang and Maeve.

“Boundless Buddhist Law!” Xu Yang roared.

A beam of golden light burst from his body, covering both him and Maeve.

The waves of sound and the web of blades crashed against the golden light, making Fang Mu frown.

A relentless clanging rang out, yet the golden radiance remained completely unharmed.

“Hurry up!” Xu Yang shouted.

Maeve shuddered. A stream of black energy spread from her body.

Fang Mu, who had been attacking, suddenly stopped. The countless offensive blades vanished without a trace.

Within the silent bamboo grove, Fang Mu stood motionless, like a wooden statue.

Xu Yang let out a sigh of relief and withdrew the golden light. “After taking over this body, I became a Mystic Adept again, and my strength dropped considerably. You lack innate gifts, but fortunately, your ability can still achieve victory through surprise.”

Maeve frowned at his words. “My ability is an emotion-stirring illusion. Why is he merely standing still?”

Xu Yang froze.

Something was wrong.

Golden light rose from his body, but the interval had been too short. He had no time to cover Maeve beside him.

The roar of a ferocious tiger erupted. Amid the scarlet vital energy, Maeve’s skin began turning black from the outside inward. In the blink of an eye, she became a pile of charred remains.

“What a pity,” Fang Mu said blandly.

To overcome the disadvantage of fighting two opponents at once, Fang Mu had struck too hard. He had failed to draw out Maeve’s strange corpse-searching ability.

“You!” Xu Yang exclaimed in shock. “How do you still possess another supernatural art? Four supernatural arts?”

Fang Mu replied disdainfully, “That illusion is far too crude.”

Another web of blades filled the sky and slashed against Xu Yang’s golden radiance.

Yet the assault halted abruptly, unable to advance even an inch.

The golden light’s defenses were astonishingly strong. The Butcher’s Dissection Blade could not break through.

Fang Mu drove a punch forward with his free left hand. The ferocious tiger’s head behind him unleashed a tremendous wave of sound, but even that failed to penetrate Xu Yang’s golden barrier.

“Are you a tortoise shell?” Fang Mu asked calmly.

Xu Yang’s voice came from within the golden light. “After taking over this body, I focused on defensive techniques to preserve my life. You truly are a genius among geniuses. Four supernatural arts are practically unheard of. Why don’t we work together?”

Fang Mu continued his assault without slowing. “Very well. Withdraw the golden light first.”

“I’m not a child,” Xu Yang replied with a laugh. “To use your words, the adult world is full of deception.”

Fang Mu said nothing more and withdrew his attack.

“I am a Mystic Adept now!” Xu Yang shouted. “You are not like the Heaven-Watch Bureau, which knows only how to eliminate strange beings. Why don’t we cooperate and seize the Buddhist ruins?”

Fang Mu flicked his sleeve and pointed the butcher knife at Xu Yang. “Fine. Withdraw the golden light before you speak to me. Or are your offensive abilities practically nonexistent?”

Xu Yang fell silent.

The bamboo grove grew quiet.

Fang Mu stood at ease. “You can’t keep this golden light active forever. Let’s see how long you can hold out.”

Within the golden radiance, Xu Yang’s expression turned exceedingly grim.

The two men faced each other in the bamboo grove. After a long while, the golden light surrounding Xu Yang began to weaken.

Fang Mu stared at the fading radiance and raised his butcher knife once more.

“Alas…”

Xu Yang sighed within the golden light and pulled a bead from his robes.

“There aren’t many uses left. I hadn’t wanted to use it, but you forced my hand.”

The bead was transparent, with a wisp of black energy flickering faintly inside.

Xu Yang opened his mouth and placed the bead on his tongue.

A dangerous aura emanated from his body, raising gooseflesh across the skin.