The word 'tomb' would make the townspeople tremble and pale, although they also seemed slightly excited.
They were wanted to go, but they were simply too afraid to do so.
If one did not have the Art of Exorcism, no one would dare to step into that realm.
Unless one was sick of being alive, and was simply seeking death.
Legend had it that a devil roamed the path leading to the tomb, waiting to lure passersby into sinning.
Thus, hunters dared not go near it even during the day.
Despite so, the elites among the exorcists, known as the true Exorcising Tribe, resided halfway up Mount White.
There were four main factions within the Exorcising Tribe.
Each division was supported by the power of an influential family.
The Ni family was the most prominent. Their exorcising ability was the most powerful, and they did business besides exorcism. Over time, a well-established production line of exorcising products was put into place…"
Helian Wei Wei studied the letter in her hands and narrowed her eyes. The Ni family? Ni Feng? Is this really a mere coincidence?
Helian Wei Wei recalled what the Son of the King of Hell had mentioned before. The Exorcising Tribe d.e.s.i.r.ed the Sarira of the eminent monks for the sole purpose of reviving the dead.
Helian Wei Wei had a hunch that Ni Feng might have already returned since that incident. However, she lacked a suitable physical body, which explains why the relic was needed to carry out the Art of Resurrection.
However, anyone with experience in exorcism should know that the Art of Resurrection was a forbidden art. If the art was activated, the world's order would be disrupted. Then, the living would perish and the dead would be resurrected. Consequently, resentment would run wild and the human world would plunge into purgatory.
Without the Sarira, the spiritual aura would simply disappear.
Once the Art of Resurrection was activated, ordinary people without spiritual aura would become zombies when revived.
Ni Feng knew this clearly, yet she still wanted to retrieve the Sarira. Clearly, she was making empty promises when she proclaimed that she wanted to safeguard justice in the human world.
Helian Wei Wei's thoughts wandered as she began analyzing the relationsh.i.p.s between the families.
They could not just enter the contest, so they needed to blend themselves into one of the families somehow.
Besides the Ni family, which one of the remaining three families would be the most suitable and most convenient one for them to ally with…?
"Eat something. Let the others worry about this stuff." His Highness said in a neutral tone as he reached over and tapped his slender fingers on the word 'Zhuge'. Then, he sent a piece of pastry into Helian Wei Wei's mouth.
Helian Wei Wei knew that this was His Highness' prowess. She remembered how capable he was at capturing others' hearts when they left the palace. It would be apt to leave the matter of disguising to him.
As she was thinking, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.
"Master, there is a duel going on outside and our carriage cannot pass," Shadow's voice sounded from outside the carriage.
"What kind of a duel wouldn't even allow a carriage to pass through?" Helian Wei Wei raised an eyebrow, baffled. From the information she had received, there should not be any contests going on as of late in the Exorcist City, aside from the tomb entrance contest that would be held three days later. So, what was going on with this duel right here?
"Let's take a look."
When she emerged from the carriage, Helian Wei Wei could feel the tides of spiritual aura gushing in from the surroundings.
It was different from the spiritual aura in the palace. It was so dense that even breathing felt laborious.
Nothing less was expected from the legendary Exorcist City…
The debate gradually grew louder as people began to gather around. When Helian Wei Wei alighted the carriage, she heard someone snorted nearby, "The Zhuge family's face and dignity will surely receive a heavy blow this time."
"It's difficult to say. If the Zhuge family didn't pick a fight by insisting that the Ni family held ulterior motives to enter the tomb, the Ni family wouldn't be so enraged. The Zhuge family clearly does not have the power to stand up against the Ni family, yet they dare seek trouble. However, the Ni family showed that they can pressure the Zhuge family with merely a few apprentices. From what I see, the Zhuge family doesn't need to join the tomb entrance contest to be held in three days' time if this persists. For a true Exorcising Tribe to so weak, even an ordinary exorcist could be more powerful than them!"
At the center of the commotion, a young boy was standing there and said with gritted teeth, "Ni Hu, come at me if you have anything against us. Don't hurt the others!"
"Zhuge Yun, look properly. I didn't hurt anyone. It's clear that you pieces of trash are dull! Didn't you ask for a beating? Fine, I'll satisfy you. Brothers, beat him up, as Young Master Zhuge had requested!" The man named Ni Hu did not even lift a finger the entire time. He merely stood there arrogantly in his white exorcising uniform, with a huge grin spread across his face.
They were bigger in numbers, while their opponent was evidently weaker. Thus, the power imbalance magnified his insufferable ego.
If it was a one-on-one, Zhuge Yun could still stand a chance. After all, he was not untalented, he was actually quite outstanding compared to his peers.
However, it was clear as day that Ni Hu was fighting unfairly with more people on his side..
Everyone in the Exorcist City knew that the Zhuge family once had the most powerful exorcist within the city. To everyone's horror, Zhuge Yun's father was mysteriously murdered five years ago and not even his soul was found.
Since then, the Zhuge family lost its core.
No matter how talented he was, Zhuge Yun stood no chance against the senior exorcists. Thus, he slowly learned to submit to humiliation in silence.
Thus, everyone was surprised when he openly taunted the Ni family by suddenly insisting that the Sarira must not be touched.
Ni Hu stared at Zhuge Yun, who was beaten to the ground. He walked over arrogantly and snickered disdainfully, "Why is the Young Master so fragile? Where is your dauntless attitude from earlier! Ha, you deserve this since you wanted to do things the hard way."
Zhuge Yun remained silent. Everyone knew that he could not possibly utter even a single word. After being bludgeoned by five people, he was completely riddled with injuries.
However, Ni Hu still seemed discontent. Suddenly, he raised his foot and forcefully stepped on Zhuge Yun's right arm!
Chapter 731 - The Fight
Everyone in the crowd inhaled sharply, as they could already imagine Zhuge Yun's expression when his hand was stepped on. Thinking of that, they sighed pitifully. Anyone would know that the right hand was very important for an exorcist. If Zhuge Yun's right hand was severed, he would no longer be able to perform any exorcism in his life ever again.
Zhuge Yun was the only pureblood left in the Zhuge Family. The only other person was merely a child that was a few years old. If Zhuge Yun became handicapped now, the Zhuge Family would be finished.
Despite that, no one dared to interfere with this matter.
The Ni Family was the oldest family in the Exorcist City. The young master in the family, Ni Hu, was cruel and never held back whenever he fought. He was used to being arrogant, and whoever that dared to meddle with him was probably one with a death wish.
All of a sudden, something unexpected happened!
A silver blade flew toward the leg that was about to stomp Zhuge Yun's hand and struck the robe, firmly pinning Ni Hu onto where he stood.
Ni Hu's face paled with fear. He glanced around and glowered angrily, yelling, "Whose blade is this? Step forward if you have the guts!"
Zhuge Yun also scanned his surroundings, as blood trickled from his forehead into his eyes. He feared that someone from the Zhuge Family had interfer
ed and would get themselves involved…
"What is it? Does Young Master Ni wish to duel?"
A heavenly voice casually sounded from above Zhuge Yun's head. Curiously, it miraculously calmed his erratically beating heart.
He rubbed his eyes with his hands and looked toward the noisy crowd.
He could tell that the speaker did not belong to the Zhuge Family.
However, Zhuge Yun could not figure out who would meddle with Ni Hu now.
No matter who this person was, he swore not to let them get involved.
Zhuge Yun started feeling dizzy as this thought struck him.
The crowd slowly parted to form a pathway, revealing a couple at the end. Even in a crowded street, these two were easily recognizable.
No wonder the people willingly made way for them.
Their features were sharp and intricate under the light. As the shorter figure strode confidently toward him, spinning the silver blade in her palm, a faint smile lingered on the corner of her lips. He could tell that she was the one who spoke. Trailing behind her was someone's silhouette with ethereal presence, as his indifferent impression and glinting eyes instantly attracted everyone's staring gaze. As their fur capes fluttered in the wind noisily, both of them had already arrived in front of Zhuge Yun.
"Shadow, help Young Master Zhuge up." There was a trace of a smile in Helian Wei Wei's voice, as if Ni Hu did not exist in front of her at all.
Ni Hu was used to always getting his way in the Exorcist City, and it was the first time that anyone dared to challenge him so openly. He glared at Helian Wei Wei with murderous intent, and asked, "Do you know who I am? How dare you prick me with a blade and poke your nose into my business! If you want to interfere, leave me an arm first!"
Instantly, Ni Hu lunged forward in an attempt to grab Helian Wei Wei's shirt.
However, before he could touch her, an indescribably sharp pain erupted from his fingertips, catching him by surprise.
When he looked up again...
A man was standing in front of him and looking down condescendingly, as his dark, deep-set eyes glimmered dangerously. Even without moving, the man could immediately numb his fingers. Then, his knee was inflicted with excruciating pain, making him scream torturously.
When his followers saw their young master in pain, they swiftly rushed toward him.
Without warning, a loud bang boomed!
Everyone was thrown backward, tumbling heavily onto the ground.
Ni Hu had also reached his limit, both of his legs gave in and he broke out in a cold sweat.
The crowd gasped as they saw the scene unfolding upon them.
He had defeated Ni Hu before, but that was a close call.
Without moving so much as a finger, the opponent had forced Ni Hu onto his knees in pain and completely overwhelmed the Ni Family's apprentices with ease.
How powerful would an exorcist have to be to pull this off so beautifully!
Unless they are at the same level as Father…
The same level as Father!
Zhuge Yun's heart began to leap frantically as he thought about this further. His gaze was fixed on Helian Wei Wei and Baili Jia Jue, brimming with respect and admiration.
Ni Hu knew that he was facing strong opponents this time. He stepped back reluctantly and pressed a hand onto his leg. After looking around the surrounding crowd, he felt his anger bubble up instantly.
He was the young master of Ni Family and had never been so humiliated. As he retreated, he growled fiercely, "You want to help Zhuge Yun, alright, great! Just wait and see how I strike back!"
Standing directly in front of Ni Hu, Baili Jia Jue seemed unconcerned of his vicious threat, as he simply smoothed the sleeves of his robe elegantly.
"Who exactly are these two?" Ni Hu yanked one of his apprentices from behind him and demanded.
The already panicking apprentice shook his head profusely, stammering, "I-I don't know."
"You worthless thing!" Ni Hu violently kicked him to the side. He had never been publicly embarrassed like this before, so he needed to avenge himself.
Some of the more observant apprentices came up and said, "Young Master, it seems that they aren't from the Zhuge Family, maybe they're hired? Zhuge Yun was so confident about the test question for the Sarira's ownership, but everyone knows the current state of the Zhuge Family? There's no one left in the family and they could only hire two outsiders to fill in for them."
"Outsiders?" The other apprentice turned pale as he muttered under his breath, "No outsider could possibly defeat us so effortlessly."
Ni Hu felt his anger rising to a boiling point when he heard this. His tone turned ice-cold as he said, "Some people only use violence but are terrible at exorcism. Furthermore, one of them is just an ordinary person and does not have any spiritual aura. It's indeed appropriate to call them outsiders. Zhuge Yun must be daydreaming if he thinks he can win the contest with these two. Does he think anyone can enter the royal tomb? That's absurd!"
"Young Master is right, entering the tomb is not an easy task. With merely these two and Zhuge Yun, I'm certain they would be killed before they even discover the entrance. Eldest Young Lady was the one who suggested entering the royal tomb, and both of them cannot even qualify to stand in front of her. Our Eldest Young Lady is no ordinary being, she is the true reincarnation of Phoenix Girl. From then till now, she is still the best exorcist of the Exorcising Tribe. No matter who comes to help him, it's futile as long as the Eldest Young Lady is here!"
Chapter 732 - Changes Upon Changes
Disdain clouded Ni Hu's furious face as he listened to the others, and his eyes gleamed viciously as a thought seemed to have struck him, saying, "How dare you compare them to the Eldest Young Lady? Zhuge Yun is a complete idiot for crossing us! Since they have a death wish, I shall gladly fulfill it! The format of the test should be announced soon, I would love to see the Zhuge family's approach. Let's kill Zhuge Yun the day after tomorrow and get rid of the other two next!"
"Yes." The apprentices balled their fist by their side and cast their gaze downward, anxious for revenge.
This incident further aggravated the feud between the Ni family and the Zhuge family.
Zhuge Yun knew Ni Hu would never give in easily. Then, he looked at his saviors standing before him. Enduring his pain, he said, "Thank you for your kind assistance. I've already ordered my servants to prepare the carriages to promptly send you both out of the city. The test hasn't started yet, so my status is still useful. When the Ni family takes charge, I cannot protect both of you anymore."
Shadow, who was standing beside them, frowned upon hearing this, his Masters did not enter the city to exit just immediately.
"Young Master Yun." Helian Wei Wei smiled faintly and said, "I understand your concern. The Ni family is very powerful, and you're worried that Ni Hu would create trouble for us as revenge. But, Young Master Yun, have you ever thought about this. If we're worried about getting into trouble, we would never have interfered today."
Helian Wei Wei's tone was light as she spoke the last sentence, seemingly unbothered about Ni Hu's threat.
Although Zhuge Yun did not know their identities, he felt motivated after hearing her reply.
Having stayed in Exorcist City for so many years, very few people would be as audacious as this.
"In that case, if the two of you don't mind, you can stay at the Zhuge Manor. It would at least prevent Ni Hu from ambushing you." When he finished speaking, Zhuge Yun coughed until his face turned ashen pale, his injury was clearly severe.
Helian Wei Wei knew that it was tough for someone so young to come this far on his own. However, there was no denying that the Zhuge family was significantly weaker than the Ni family.
Since the backbone of the family had died and Zhuge Yun was so young when he took over the family, these outcomes were inevitable…
Helian Wei Wei and the others had not even entered the main house when someone dashed out in a hurry. It was a la
dy that was over 40 years of age, plainly dressed but still exuded a certain grace. She seemed extremely anxious as she examined Zhuge Yun, saying, "Yun'er, are you alright?"
"Mother, don't worry, it's just a minor injury." Zhuge Yun looked at Madam Zhuge and started introducing, "It was all thanks to these two. If it was not for them, Ni Hu and his apprentices would not have backed away."
Madam Zhuge's eyes gleamed with tears as she looked at Helian Wei Wei and Baili Jia Jue gratefully, and thanked them profusely. Then, she ordered the servants to serve them some pastries and tea.
"Yun'er, I've heard what happened just now." Madam Zhuge retrieved a white handkerchief from the servant, dipped it in some powdered medicine, and applied it onto Zhuge Yun's injury with gentle dabs, as a pained expression flickered in her eyes. "I'm sorry you have to go through this, I know that you want to be a righteous exorcist and live up to your father's last wish. Yet, the entire burden of the Zhuge family is rested upon your shoulders. I knew that the Ni family would be furious if we oppose them, but I insisted you did so anyway."
Zhuge Yun interrupted Madam Zhuge with a shake of his head, saying, "Mother, I do all this on my own will. It's evident that the Ni family wanted to obtain the Sarira for evil intentions. The Grand Master said that no one is allowed to use unlawful arts. If people in Exorcist City changed, the positive spiritual aura in Mount White that suppresses the royal tomb would vanish. Then, great peril will fall upon Exorcist City and the Divine Exorcism Seal would be destroyed. Over the past few years, the Ni family has grown too powerful. Exorcist City is also not under the control of any country in the Divine Mainland, thus granting the Ni family with the privilege to say anything they want and get away with it. That is also the reason so many people believe in the Ni family. If we don't stop them now, it would all be too late!"
"Mother is really happy that you think like this. Since we have guests, let's not talk about such upsetting matters anymore. You should get your injury treated and have someone bring our guests to tour our yard, as well as find out their food preferences so I can get our people to start preparing dinner." Madam Zhuge turned around and smiled briefly at Helian Wei Wei and the others, saying, "How should I address both of you?"
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