"Go!" the pretty boy barked angrily. "Find those bastards and bring my sword back!"
"Yes!"
The Sever Gold Sect disciples all nodded in agreement.
The Sever Gold Sect was split into two major families: the Jin family and the Song family.
The pretty boy, whose surname was Song, was part of the Sever Gold Sect’s most core lineage, second only to the Jin family.
His orders were not something regular disciples would dare to neglect.
Soon, the Sever Gold Sect disciples gathered together and began searching the mountain.
They thought that with so many disciples, capturing a few Taixu Gate disciples would be an easy task.
But they soon realized how wrong they were.
Mo Hua and his group seemed to have vanished into the mountain, leaving no trace whatsoever.
These Sever Gold Sect disciples were all at the Foundation Building Middle Stage, with Divine Sense capabilities at most reaching fourteen patterns.
With their level of Divine Sense, there was no way they could detect Mo Hua, whose Divine Sense had reached seventeen patterns and undergone a quality change.
Not to mention that this was Refining Demon Mountain.
Mo Hua now had a thorough understanding of the Outer Mountain of Refining Demon Mountain. Walking through it was as familiar as strolling through his own backyard.
Finding him in the mountains was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack.
As a result, even after Mo Hua had returned to Taixu Gate, clutching the Sever Gold Spirit Sword, the Sever Gold Sect disciples were still frantically searching the mountain like headless flies.
But as night fell, Monster Beasts in the mountains began to stir, and they dared not linger any longer. They had no choice but to retreat back to their sect.
The pretty boy who had his Sever Gold Spirit Sword stolen returned to the Sever Gold Sect with a dark face, only to run into a tall, lanky, late-stage Foundation Establishment senior brother outside the Disciple’s Residence.
This individual was none other than Jin Gui.
Jin Gui greeted him with a smile and bowed courteously, saying:
"Junior Brother Song Jian."
The pretty boy, also known as Song Jian, frowned at the greeting but replied perfunctorily, "Brother Jin."
There was an inherent indifference in his tone.
The two major families of the Sever Gold Sect, the Jin family and the Song family, were never truly on good terms.
Within the sect, from the Sect Leader, Vice Sect Leader, all the way to the elders and instructors, the two families constantly fought for power, building considerable animosity over time.
However, as they were in the same sect, they refrained from tearing each other apart openly.
"How did the mountain patrol go?" Jin Gui asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Song Jian’s face looked ugly, but he replied honestly:
"The Taixu Gate acted despicably. Most of their disciples stayed hidden, while a small number ambushed us shamelessly and stole my Sever Gold Sword..."
The sword was stolen?
Jin Gui smirked inwardly but fake-sighed outwardly:
"To a sword cultivator, a Spirit Sword is as important as their life. Junior Brother Song, how could you lose your Spirit Sword..."
Song Jian easily caught the sarcastic tone and felt a flicker of rage. He retorted:
"Brother Jin is right. Even if it means losing face, the sword must not be lost."
Jin Gui’s face turned dark instantly.
This was clearly a jab at the notorious incident where he had been stripped and hung on a tree, with turtles painted all over him.
The two exchanged subtle jabs, each trying to humiliate the other.
Jin Gui then chuckled and said: "Shall I arrange for some Jin family disciples to help you retrieve your sword tomorrow?"
"No need," Song Jian replied coldly. "What the Song family loses, the Song family will retrieve. If the Song family can’t do it, the Jin family surely won’t either..."
The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with hostility.
Finally, Jin Gui forced a smile and said, "Junior Brother Song, take care of yourself."
Song Jian replied similarly: "Brother Jin, good luck."
As they brushed past each other, their expressions turned frosty. Both snorted inwardly:
Who does the Sever Gold Sect truly belong to—the Jin family or the Song family? The answer remains unclear...
After parting ways, both returned to their residences, recalling the day’s events with fury. Gradually, their hatred shifted toward another thought entirely.
Jin Gui’s eyes glowed red as he smashed his desk:
"That little punk who painted turtles on me—I’ll tear him limb from limb one day!"
Meanwhile, Song Jian crushed a teacup in his hand, his face twisting in anger:
"That brat who stole my Sever Gold Spirit Sword—I’ll make him pay a hundredfold one day!"
...
And at that very moment, Mo Hua—the one who had painted turtles on Jin Gui and stolen Song Jian’s Spirit Sword—was sitting in his residence like nothing ever happened, intently studying the radiant Sever Gold Sword in his hands.
This was an exceptionally valuable Spirit Sword.
He was pondering whether it might be possible to dismantle the Sever Gold Sword.
If it could be dismantled, would he be able to extract the Sword Array within it?
If he could acquire the Sword Array, wouldn’t that mean...
He could finally forge a real Spirit Sword of his own?
Mo Hua’s eyes shone with excitement, filled with eager anticipation.