Chapter 93: Instantly Killing a Foundation Establishment Cultivator
A genius disciple like Yuan Niya was undoubtedly a significant obstacle to their plan of dismantling Qinglu Sect in the future. Eliminating these prodigious talents in advance was now He Shaogang's primary task.
However, this time, the sect had implemented unprecedented protective measures for the True Inheritor Trial. According to He Shaogang's intelligence, the sect had arranged for a Foundation Establishment deacon to secretly guard the top-ranking disciples. Additionally, a Golden Core elder skilled in escape techniques was stationed nearby.
If the Foundation Establishment deacon couldn't handle a threat, they could immediately send a message for reinforcements from the stationed Golden Core elder.
Qinglu Sect's level of preparedness caught He Shaogang off guard. From the information he had gathered about past True Inheritor Trials, such strict protective measures had never been in place before.
In previous trials, the sect still had Nascent Soul cultivators overseeing the event, so there was never much concern about potential dangers. But times had changed—Qinglu Sect had lost its Nascent Soul ancestor. If their core disciples suffered unexpected casualties, the sect would completely lose its future.
Under these circumstances, it was only natural for Qinglu Sect to enhance its protective measures, especially for the top-ranking disciples.
With the increased protection for participants, He Shaogang's plan for a large-scale ambush became much more challenging. Forcefully carrying out an attack would come at a steep price and could even alert the sect to their intentions.
As a result, He Shaogang had to abandon his broader assassination plans and instead focus on targeting a select few high-value inner sect disciples.
At the top of his hit list was Yuan Niya. However, the higher a disciple ranked, the stronger the sect's protection, making an assassination attempt all the more difficult.
But when He Shaogang discovered that Gu Mo had been chosen as Yuan Niya's assistant for this True Inheritor Trial, he could barely contain his laughter.
With an informant close to the target, the difficulty of this assassination mission plummeted. Even if every other plan failed, as long as he could eliminate Yuan Niya—the most promising talent—this operation would be considered a success.
---
"Greetings, Senior Brother He!"
He Shaogang's sudden approach caught Gu Mo off guard. This senior disciple had once invited Gu Mo to become his attendant, an offer that Gu Mo had politely declined.
Gu Mo had assumed that he had likely offended He Shaogang by rejecting him. Yet now, He Shaogang seemed completely unbothered, even speaking to him with a tone of familiarity.
"I originally wanted to invite Junior Brother Gu Mo to be my assistant for this True Inheritor Trial, but it seems that Senior Sister Yuan got to you first," He Shaogang said with a smile.
As soon as he spoke, the surrounding disciples turned to look at Gu Mo in surprise. Who was this person that both of the sect's most prominent geniuses had sought out as an assistant?
"Junior Brother He, I still need to draw my trial mission, so I'll be taking my leave," Yuan Niya interjected before Gu Mo could respond. Clearly displeased by He Shaogang's blatant attempt to poach her assistant, she grabbed Gu Mo and Chu Feifei, then swiftly left the scene.
Watching the trio depart, the smile on He Shaogang's face remained unchanged. The more Yuan Niya valued Gu Mo, the easier his assassination plan would be.
---
"What kind of mission did you get, Niya?" Chu Feifei asked as Yuan Niya returned from drawing her trial task. Understanding the mission details would help them prepare accordingly.
"Let's talk somewhere private."
After glancing around, Yuan Niya led them to a secluded chamber within the mission hall, a place specifically designated for disciples to discuss their tasks.
"Hehehe!"
Once inside, Yuan Niya's face lit up with excitement, clearly pleased with the mission she had drawn. Without keeping them in suspense, she handed a small booklet to Gu Mo and Chu Feifei, detailing their trial assignment.
"A mission to eliminate demonic cultivators, huh?" Gu Mo skimmed through the booklet and quickly grasped the mission's objective.
Apparently, over the past few years, some remote villages had been plagued by demonic cultivators slaughtering mortals to refine their sinister techniques. Qinglu Sect had sent multiple teams to eradicate these threats, but each time, the demonic cultivators vanished without a trace, only to resume their atrocities once the sect's disciples withdrew.
Despite sending peak Qi Condensation cultivators and even Foundation Establishment disciples, the sect had failed to capture or eliminate the culprits. However, after a period of inactivity, the demonic cultivators had started committing crimes again, prompting the sect to classify this as a True Inheritor Trial mission.
This was considered one of the more difficult trial missions. However, greater difficulty meant higher rewards, making it an attractive challenge for strong inner sect disciples. After all, ordinary tasks wouldn't allow them to truly showcase their abilities.
"Junior Brothers Gu Mo, Feifei, just wait and see how I crush these demonic cultivators!" Yuan Niya clenched her fists eagerly. A combat-heavy mission like this was exactly to her liking.
However, Gu Mo saw things differently. The key to this mission wasn't just fighting—it was tracking down the demonic cultivators. The sect had sent multiple teams without success, which suggested that these demonic cultivators were highly skilled in evasion. There was even a possibility that they had informants within the sect.
The thought of informants made Gu Mo's heart sink slightly. He was reminded of the demonic cultivator who had previously targeted him—someone who seemed to be hiding within the sect itself.
If this mission was linked to that same hidden demonic cultivator, then the challenge ahead would be far greater than expected.
However, Gu Mo was no longer the same lowly servant disciple he once was. With his newly condensed divine sense, he was confident that anyone below the Foundation Establishment level posed no threat to him. Even against a Foundation Establishment cultivator, as long as he had time to prepare, he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
As for Golden Core cultivators, he doubted that a demonic cultivator of that level could remain hidden within a sect as large as Qinglu. Even late-stage or peak Foundation Establishment cultivators would find it incredibly difficult. At most, the enemy would be at the early or mid Foundation Establishment stage.
With this realization, Gu Mo felt reassured. This was the confidence that came with strength. Nonetheless, he still reminded Yuan Niya to remain cautious.
The three of them then began strategizing their approach to the mission.
---
Meanwhile, outside Gu Mo's spiritual field…
A plain-looking middle-aged man wearing a servant disciple's robe silently arrived at the field's perimeter. Scanning the protective formation covering the area, he sneered in disdain before stepping forward.
The formation Gu Mo had set up around his spiritual field was merely a standard first-tier array, and it had been placed using an array disk rather than being personally configured by a formation master. This meant its effectiveness was limited.
Truly powerful formations required careful adjustments based on terrain to maximize their potential. In contrast, an array disk was a fixed template with inherent weaknesses.
Such a setup was sufficient to deter Qi Condensation cultivators, but against a Foundation Establishment expert, its defenses were virtually meaningless.
And clearly, this middle-aged man was no Qi Condensation cultivator. Only a Foundation Establishment expert with divine sense could identify the subtle flaws in the array disk's placement and bypass them effortlessly.
"Not bad," the man muttered as he stepped through the formation and surveyed the field. He had come to deliver new orders to Gu Mo, using the same method as before—leaving the message inside Gu Mo's residence.
He favored this approach because it instilled fear. If he could enter Gu Mo's quarters undetected, then he could just as easily make Gu Mo disappear without a trace.
Striding toward the small house, the man failed to notice a seemingly insignificant round-headed stick on the ground.
Crack!
The moment he stepped on it, a terrifying sense of danger overwhelmed him. His instincts screamed at him to retreat.
BOOM!
The ground exploded violently, engulfing everything within a three-meter radius. The man's reaction had saved his life—but not his arm or leg.
"ARGH!"
As the pain of his obliterated limbs set in, horror filled his heart. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened.
He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator! And yet, he had been utterly defenseless against that explosion…
Upon learning that it was Little Carp who pushed the intruder and ultimately took them down, Gu Mo didn't hesitate to offer his praise. However, with Yuan Niya and Chu Feifei present, he couldn't reward Little Carp with the Sun Essence just yet—he would have to wait until later.
"Junior Brother Gu Mo, did someone trespass?" Yuan Niya asked, looking at the two large craters in the spiritual field.
"Yeah, but no real harm was done. The intruder was probably scared off."
Gu Mo nodded but didn't reveal the full truth. Since this matter involved demonic cultivators, he wasn't sure if the intruder had any accomplices, so he decided to handle it quietly. The body had already been completely destroyed—there was no evidence left—so he simply acted as if nothing had happened.
Yuan Niya didn't suspect anything. After all, the two three-meter-wide craters were highly misleading. To her, they seemed like explosion traps set up by Gu Mo—powerful enough to scare someone off but only at the level of a first- or second-layer Qi Refinement cultivator.
She would never have guessed that those two craters had directly wiped out a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
"Gu Mo, let me reinforce your formation," Chu Feifei offered. Now that she was a formation master, she could easily upgrade the defensive array for him.
"Alright!"
Gu Mo nodded. His spiritual field's formation did need an upgrade. While the potato landmines and pea shooters served as a last line of defense, a proper formation that kept intruders out altogether would be far more effective.
Main Peak.
He Shaogang sat with his eyes half-closed, contemplating how he could use his position to inflict the greatest possible damage on Qinglu Sect during the upcoming True Inheritor Trials.
His first priority was figuring out how to use Gu Mo as a pawn to eliminate Yuan Niya—the sect's most promising candidate for a true disciple.
"He should have received the order by now," He Shaogang murmured as he slowly opened his eyes.
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