Shi Jian was stunned. He thought he had been lurking in the Void Sword Sect for so many years without being exposed, which was truly impressive.
Unexpectedly, all his fellow disciples were also spies.
Moreover, it was clear that Wang Shou Zheng and Chen Cheng had much more significant backgrounds than him.
One came from Little Leiyin Temple, and the other’s background was likely considerable, otherwise, he wouldn't have appeared so calm.
"Chen Cheng, what is your true origin?"
Wang Shou Zheng did not continue his attack, as he was not confident of winning. Although he had hidden his strength, the opponent likely had as well.
Furthermore, the fact that Chen Cheng remained calm and composed after knowing he was from Little Leiyin Temple was very suspicious.
Chen Cheng replied indifferently, "Just a rogue cultivator."
Wang Shou Zheng naturally didn't believe him. A rogue cultivator who could calmly face someone from Little Leiyin Temple must be at least at the Golden Immortal realm or above.
If Chen Cheng possessed such cultivation, he wouldn't have wasted so much breath talking to him.
He pondered for a moment, then forced a smile. "Old Chen, fighting will only lead to mutual destruction. How about we cooperate? We can study the 'Sunflower Manual' together."
Chen Cheng thought for a moment and nodded.
Shi Jian's expression turned extremely grim. He had discovered their secret, and his fate was likely sealed.
"I can give you the secret manual and keep your identities confidential, but you must swear to let me live. Otherwise, it's a case of mutual destruction, and you'll never get the manual."
Shi Jian didn't want to die and intended to use the manual as a bargaining chip for his survival.
However, the response he received was two extremely contemptuous cold laughs.
Chen Cheng looked at Shi Jian with pity and said sinisterly, "Old Shi, you really are from a minor sect, with little experience. You don't know the terrifying power of Little Leiyin Temple's unique Soul Searching Technique. I hope you can last longer later."
Wang Shou Zheng, on the other hand, was too lazy to waste any more words. He formed his right hand into a claw and ferociously gripped Shi Jian's skull. His fingertips penetrated Shi Jian's scalp, and streaks of gray runes were injected into his cranium.
"Ah..."
Shi Jian let out a desolate scream as if undergoing torture.
Blood flowed from his eyes, his gaze began to scatter, and his body convulsed uncontrollably. It was evident he was enduring unbearable pain.
*Crack!*
Before long, Shi Jian's head exploded, like a smashed watermelon, with brain matter splattering everywhere.
Wang Shou Zheng revealed an evil smile and then used his blood-soaked hand to unbuckle Shi Jian's belt.
This startled Chen Cheng greatly. Did Wang Shou Zheng have such perverse tendencies?
Wang Shou Zheng flipped open Shi Jian's pants, glanced inside, and exclaimed, "Indeed, it's cleanly cut. Old Shi was a ruthless man. Could it be that this divine skill truly requires self-castration to cultivate?"
With lingering doubt, he retrieved a yellowed booklet from a hidden seam in Shi Jian's waistband. He forcibly erased Shi Jian's imprint and took out the booklet.
Chen Cheng quickly leaned over, his heart pounding with excitement. This booklet should be the supreme secret manual of the Great Immortal Kong Xu, the 'Sunflower Manual'!
The two of them excitedly flipped through it and were instantly dumbfounded.
They couldn't understand a single word written in it.
"Too hasty. When I was searching his soul, I was only focused on the whereabouts of the secret manual and didn't extract other memories. Shi Jian liked to study various ancient texts, so he must have recognized this script. I should have extracted memories related to this."
Wang Shou Zheng regretted his haste. Now that Shi Jian was dead, they would have to find someone else to decipher the manual.
Of course, he wasn't truly careless. With Chen Cheng eyeing him covetously nearby, he had to be mentally prepared to defend himself, and thus dared not slowly extract all of Shi Jian's memories.
"I know a literary master who should be able to decipher it. I'll keep this booklet for now."
Chen Cheng snatched the booklet, attempting to seize it.
"My Little Leiyin Temple has wise and virtuous eminent monks. Deciphering these texts will be a simple matter. Once it's deciphered, I will definitely copy a version for you."
Wang Shou Zheng refused to let go. This was the peerless divine skill left by Great Immortal Kong Xu, and he had no intention of handing it over once he obtained it.
Their eyes met, and killing intent flared.
Their so-called cooperation had collapsed, and they had openly turned on each other.
"Halt!"
Wang Shou Zheng roared, his entire body radiating golden light. His skin was like a layer of gold foil, making him shimmer like a golden-bodied Arhat.
He unleashed Little Leiyin Temple's Arhat Fist, his fist emitting brilliant Buddhist light.
Instantly!
Chen Cheng also moved. Immortal light erupted from his eyes as they opened, and his left hand was instantly covered in dense scales as he met the incoming Arhat Fist.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The two engaged in close-quarters combat, their fists and palms colliding. Terrifying energy surged, and the void cracked like a mirror.
The secret chamber could not withstand the impact and exploded on the spot.
Subsequently, the booklet, unable to bear the surging energy, shattered into pieces of various sizes, scattering everywhere.
Fortunately, the paper of the booklet was special; otherwise, it would have turned to ash.
The two stopped fighting and began to scramble for the scattered pages.
After each person collected a portion, they left decisively.
Such a commotion would have surely alerted others, and staying would only bring trouble.
Meanwhile, Ji Mo, who was trying to avoid Xia Wan'er, happened to be wandering nearby. Hearing the commotion, he rushed over.
The secret chamber had completely collapsed, and Shi Jian's body was conspicuously visible.
Ji Mo looked around and saw two figures disappearing into the night. He immediately recognized them and muttered, "What's going on? Old Chen and Old Wang killed Shi Jian and then ran off?"
Then, he spotted a yellowed piece of paper on the ground. His pupils dilated, and he quickly picked it up.
Familiar block characters, written in traditional Chinese!
Ji Mo's eyes welled up slightly. He immediately read what was written on the paper.
"To practice this skill, one must first castrate oneself..."
Ji Mo was overjoyed. This should be the manual left by Great Immortal Kong Xu that Shi Jian had mentioned. But why were only fragments left?
Soon, Ji Mo saw many paper scraps on the ground, feeling immense heartache. He immediately guessed what had happened.
It must have been those scoundrels Chen Cheng and Wang Shou Yi who destroyed it while fighting over it.
His face turned ashen, and he began searching for the remaining paper fragments.
His luck was not bad, as he found two more incomplete pages with writing on them.
Ji Mo eagerly opened them and read the contents.
"Originally, I intended to record my swordplay insights for future generations. But on second thought, it's better to write a diary."
"A proper person wouldn't write a diary, would they? No, my loneliness is again..."
The first incomplete page had only two lines of text, and it was incomplete.
But it was very important, proving that the booklet was not some 'Sunflower Manual', but a diary written by the bored Great Immortal Kong Xu.
After reading it, Ji Mo's heart trembled uncontrollably.
The word "loneliness" clearly showed signs of alteration. The original writing seemed to resemble the strokes of the name "Ji Mo".
Was it a typo?
Or did Great Immortal Kong Xu foresee something?
Or perhaps he was overthinking it, and the strokes were not actually Ji Mo's, considering how long ago it was and how blurred the traces had become.
Ji Mo continued to the second piece of paper.
"Human joys and sorrows are not shared; I only find them noisy. I think the reason I don't fit in is that I was originally..."
This piece of paper was severely damaged, precisely missing the most crucial latter half of the sentence.
Ji Mo was so enraged he was about to go mad.
If he ever caught those damned scoundrels, he would break all three of their legs.