Knowing that the person the so-called King Cao was searching for was inside this rundown temple, nearly all of them came racing over.

The monk’s Lightweight Technique was superb, surpassing Bai Liuxian, so he was the first to die.

Bai Liuxian had just dodged the monk’s corpse as it was sent flying toward him. When he looked up, Fang Shuwen was already there.

Bai Liuxian no longer dared to underestimate this young man who had sent the monk’s head flying with a single palm strike.

’Though, from his perspective, the monk hadn’t truly unleashed his ultimate techniques, nor had he activated his Paradise Dharma Body. It was a rather pathetic way to die.’

But regardless, the man had been killed by a single palm strike—and had died horribly.

Thus, without a second thought, Bai Liuxian flicked his wrist, and the large black snake coiled around his neck lunged at Fang Shuwen.

He followed right after, his body moving like a serpent. With a single twist, he was at Fang Shuwen’s side, his two fingers striking for a vital point on his waist.

Each of his two fingers was covered by a metal sheath.

They were coated with a deadly poison.

A single scratch would be fatal.

But just as his fingers were about to find their mark, Fang Shuwen suddenly spun, and Bai Liuxian’s attack struck nothing but air.

In the next instant, a hand clamped down on his head—Fang Shuwen had grabbed him.

He struggled with all his might, trying to break free from Fang Shuwen’s grip, but he was completely immobilized by the Inner Strength flooding his body.

He then saw that Fang Shuwen’s other hand was holding the black snake by its vital spot.

"You like playing with snakes?

"I used to enjoy them too, when I was younger. They’re a rare delicacy, after all."

As he spoke, he sent a jolt of Inner Strength into the snake.

The serpent, writhing in agony, instinctively lashed out and sank its fangs into Bai Liuxian’s neck.

This time, Bai Liuxian’s face was truly ashen.

He had raised this snake himself; he knew better than anyone how potent its venom was.

Although he had the antidote, neutralizing a poison this potent would take time he didn’t have.

But then Fang Shuwen squeezed his right hand, and the great snake he had raised for years exploded into a mist of blood.

Blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

’For a moment, Bai Liuxian wasn’t sure what was more painful: his own predicament, or the loss of the great snake he had fed on human flesh for so many years.’

But from within that mist of blood, a figure suddenly charged out.

It was the woman in black from earlier.

Her Body Technique was bizarre. While Fang Shuwen and Bai Liuxian fought, she had vanished with a single twist of her body, using some sort of illusion to disappear from sight.

Now, using the blood mist as cover, her sudden reappearance was all the more unexpected.

Her palms, glowing with a sinister bloody light, aimed straight for the vital acupoints on Fang Shuwen’s back.

Just as her palms were about to strike the center of his back, they stopped less than three inches away, as if blocked by an invisible barrier.

"This is..."

The woman’s voice was tinged with shocked disbelief.

"Protective True Qi?"

The moment she spoke, a backlash of force surged from her palms through her entire body, sending her flying backward with a THUD.

While she was still in mid-air, a massive palm descended from above.

[Vajra Tower Throwing]!

A deafening RUMBLE echoed as the ground shattered, leaving behind a palm print ten feet wide. The woman in black was slammed squarely into the center of it, her body pressed so hard into the earth that it formed a human-shaped crater within the larger imprint. She lay there, a perfect, grim fit.

She jerked upright, spat out a mouthful of blood with a choked cry, and collapsed, her breath gone.

After killing the woman with a single palm strike, Fang Shuwen did not make another move.

Instead, he glanced at the old man and woman on either side of him.

He chuckled.

"You two, still think you have a chance of winning?"

The old woman sneered.

"So young, yet you rely on your Divine Technique and show no respect for your elders."

"Such arrogance won’t end well for you."

"Your Martial Arts are indeed impressive,"

the old man said coldly.

"But who can you possibly protect all by yourself?"

The others who had been hiding in the shadows had used the fight between Fang Shuwen and Bai Liuxian as a diversion to sneak toward the Mountain God Temple.

Now, they dropped all pretense of stealth and leaped out, preparing to storm the temple.

Lu Guiyan drew a saber and Zhou Qingmei a sword. Together, they moved to repel the enemy.

But a series of WHOOSHING sounds cut through the air.

Darts like falling stars tore through the silent night, striking down the demonic cultivators.

The old man’s expression changed drastically.

"Flying Star Darts... Are people from Flying Star Hall hiding nearby?"

"Didn’t you say there was no one else here?"

the old woman demanded, her voice laced with fury.

Fang Shuwen was exasperated.

"You’re supposed to be villains, for crying out loud. Can you try not to be so simple-minded?

"You believe everything I say? Patrick Star is smarter than you two."

This had all been planned in advance by Fang Shuwen and Zuo Qingshuang.

While Fang Shuwen didn’t know the eavesdropper’s name was Fengli Xiao, he knew that Qiuyue Nunnery had learned of the Seven Righteous Sects’ plan.

The Seven Righteous Sects, in turn, decided to beat them at their own game, reformulating their plan to change the feint into a genuine assault.

The only problem was whether Fang Shuwen’s group should still go to Qiuyue Nunnery.

The Lu’an Escort Agency still had two Escorts with them, and their safety had to be considered.

Zuo Qingshuang had come to him later to discuss this very issue.

Ultimately, they decided to split up. Her group would proceed with the original plan to attack Qiuyue Nunnery, while Fang Shuwen would remain here to get to the bottom of things.

She promised, however, to have members of Flying Star Hall hide nearby to lend him a hand.

Fang Shuwen agreed this would make things much safer, so he naturally had no reason to refuse.

The members of Flying Star Hall were masters of Lightweight Techniques and Hidden Weapons, and their methods for concealing their True Qi were second to none. These old Demons were far from simple, but their attention had been fixed solely on Fang Shuwen and Chen Qi. Because of this tunnel vision, they had completely failed to notice the presence of the Flying Star Hall disciples.

It wasn’t until the disciples from Flying Star Hall made their move that the villains realized they had walked into a trap.

Although the old couple had no idea who this "Patrick Star" was, they knew it was meant as an insult.

Overcome with fury, they were about to attack when Fang Shuwen moved first. He stepped forward and unleashed a [Vajra Tower Throwing] at the old man.

The old man shot his head up, thrusting his palms out to meet the attack.

Their Palm Techniques met without a sound. The Palm Power passed right through the old man’s body and slammed into the ground behind him with a thunderous BOOM.

From within the dust cloud, two figures rose up side-by-side and struck Fang Shuwen’s back in unison.

"Brat... you dare attack us without even having heard of our title, Thousand Illusions?!"

"You’re courting death!!"

The two spoke one after the other as they both channeled their Palm Power.

But in the next moment, the color drained from both their faces.

They felt their Palm Power land on Fang Shuwen’s body, but it had no effect. Instead, their Inner Breath began to flow out of them like a raging river, pouring directly into the young man’s body.

They were horrified beyond belief.

They wanted to ask what kind of Martial Arts this was, but found they couldn’t utter a single word.

Instead, they heard Fang Shuwen’s faintly smiling, yet chillingly cold voice.

"Oh? Thousand Illusions? I admit... I’ve never heard of you.

"But so what?"