Chapter 116: Behind the Scenes

"What exquisite archery! What razor-sharp energy! Greetings, friend of the pugilistic world. I shall manipulate the formation to open a direct path to Jiang Nansheng at the right moment; please be ready to coordinate!"

Fighting until now, regardless of their inner thoughts, everyone present was forced to display admiration for Hu San’s cultivation. Even the Black Giant Spirits, whose subordinates had been slaughtered in droves by Hu San, had to admit that this young man possessed the strength to stand on equal footing with them. If nothing else, that archery skill and the fully drawn Nine-Ox Bow were enough to place him at the pinnacle of supreme experts.

Thus, Iron Beggar, who controlled the Heavenly Dog Devouring Demon Formation, immediately spoke up and manipulated the Dog-Beating Formation to clear a path for Hu San’s arrows.

Simultaneously, Fairy Feng, controlling the more crucial part of the Heavenly Dog Devouring Demon Formation, added, "I must thank you for your assistance to my disciple. Please, use your full strength; I will open a section of the Nine-Star Demon-Extinguishing Formation so you may attack freely."

It appeared that Zi Tong, now within the formation, had finally recognized Hu San’s identity and had recounted the events that transpired on the Konghai Main Road to Fairy Feng.

"Easily done!"

Hu San smiled faintly, continuing to shoot with a steady, unhurried rhythm. He did not change his pace just because he was being facilitated, yet with everyone’s active cooperation, the combined impact was far more potent than before. Before long, the massive scythe in Jiang Nansheng’s hands cracked, leaving only half remaining in his grip.

"Everyone, put in more effort! He’s about to collapse! Friend, please help pin down the other three skeletons!"

Outside, the three skeletons had gone completely berserk. Without the suppression of the top experts, their sheer power was more than the others could withstand. In just a few moments, aside from the Chushan Sect still managing to trap one skeleton, the Martial Alliance and the Black Fiend Corps were on the brink of collapse.

Despite this, Jiang Nansheng’s situation was worsening. To keep everyone’s focus, Chu Qian seized the moment to rally them while also calling out to Hu San for help.

Just as the situation, while not perfect, seemed to be leaning in favor of the human side, the battle involving the Chushan Sect suddenly took a turn.

Shen Fang, who had been missing for so long, had appeared!

A curved blade, fluid as water, suddenly materialized beside the neck of the broken skeleton. It danced like the ribbons of a fairy's dress, shimmering with moonlight. In a few fleeting moments, before the Chushan Sect members could even retract their attacks, the skeleton’s head was severed and shattered in an instant.

The world seemed to stand still. Everyone watched in a stupor as the skeleton’s body crumbled into dust, as a rich white radiance surged over the dying Jiang Nansheng, and as the cracks on that broken scythe rapidly vanished. They could not believe their eyes.

"Shen Fang, what exactly are you doing?"

Iron Invincible, Shen Fang’s primary rival, was the first to react, shouting aloud. The other experts snapped out of their trance, their faces pale with shock.

They did not even need to look; they could sense through their own energy that Jiang Nansheng had undergone a metamorphosis. He was no longer the same person; his strength had increased by far more than a mere fraction.

After absorbing the skeleton's energy, the fissures on Jiang Nansheng’s body vanished. Everyone could only watch in despair as their desperate efforts were rendered null, helpless to intervene.

The other two skeletons, having absorbed the residual death energy, were now nearly as formidable as the previous Jiang Nansheng. The Martial Alliance and the Black Fiend Corps, already on the edge of destruction, had no time to react. The Black Fiend Corps' Skeleton God Monarch and Green Shadow God Monarch were sliced in two, with only the agile Withered God Monarch escaping. The Martial Alliance fared even worse; the left and right deputies, Zhou Ba’s trusted arms, were engulfed by the white flames emanating from the skeleton, turning into two giant fireballs.

In mere heartbeats, the situation inverted. The remaining two skeletons nearly wiped out the Black Fiend Corps and the Martial Alliance, while the top experts of the Chushan Sect, such as Chu Tian and Wang Shan, all perished under that shimmering crescent blade.

The power of the Heavenly Horizon Moon Blade far exceeded their imagination—it transcended the mortal realm.

In a brief moment, a flash of white light was all they saw before the heads of Chu Tian and Wang Shan were shorn off. The simplicity and eerie nature of their deaths immediately made everyone think of Hu San.

Shen Fang’s actions were so similar to how Hu San had slaughtered the Black Fiend Corps! The experts surrounding Jiang Nansheng realized this must be the "realm suppression" of one far superior in cultivation against those of lower levels.

But unlike Hu San, who fought the Black Fiend Corps, Shen Fang was suppressing supreme experts! The mere thought made even the furious Chu Qian shiver to his core.

This Shen Fang had been playing the "pig eating the tiger" far too convincingly!

"What am I doing? Heh, Brother Tie, did you not see that poem? 'Immeasurable immortal light falls upon the jade wall, the shapeless bone-dissolving heaven and earth open; the moon shines, the bone breaks, the netherworld appears; at the end of the road, the blood sacrifice reveals the floating light; connecting the ages, the path to immortality ascends; the immeasurable is hidden within the immeasurable.' The phrase 'at the end of the road, the blood sacrifice reveals the floating light' refers to this very moment. Without a blood sacrifice, how can the floating light emerge?"

Shen Fang smiled faintly. His curved blade rang out like a dragon emerging from the sea, circling his body as he moved.

He did not stop, weaving through the Chushan Sect members like a butterfly among flowers. Silver light flashed, followed by endless wails. Within moments, as Shen Fang emerged from the crowd, the Chushan Sect members lay in heaps, not a single one left alive.

Ignoring the furious and terrified crowd, Shen Fang finished off the survivors of the Black Fiend Corps and the Martial Alliance before turning his gaze to Hu San. The moment Shen Fang had appeared, Hu San had ceased his attack on Jiang Nansheng and aimed his longbow at him.

Clapping his hands, the white-clad, heroic-looking Shen Fang smiled at Hu San. With a gesture, the two previously violent skeletons trotted to his side like pet dogs, standing obediently with bowed heads.

"You are indeed someone even Master Bai could not see through. Young man, having watched for so long, I have some understanding of your cultivation. For your age, this is truly remarkable. But if this is all you have, I fear you won't be leaving tonight."

"Master Bai? That old gentleman in white? You dress so similarly; I should have guessed you were in cahoots. Where is he?"

Hu San frowned. Shen Fang’s strength was at the level of a mid-stage Dharma-Gathering demon. It wasn't that he was truly invincible, but he had stepped beyond the realm of a martial artist, surpassing half-baked cultivators like the Black Giant Spirits.

To the others, Shen Fang was terrifying, but to Hu San, the two skeletons were more threatening than him. His true concern was the mysterious old man in white. If the old man didn't appear, Hu San felt he was being watched, preventing him from fighting with full abandon.

"You mean Master Bai? Haha, hasn't Master Bai been here all along? Can you not see him?"

Shen Fang shook his head slightly and pointed to the space beside him. The old man in white appeared, though even with Hu San’s keen eyes, he hadn't seen where he came from.

*Magic? No, there’s no mana fluctuation. Escape techniques? No, if he had such means, he could have dealt with me directly without such effort. Could it be a special existence, like a soul?*

Hu San’s gaze sharpened. Meeting the old man’s faint smile, he asked, "Old sir, did you arrange all of this? What is it you truly want?"

"Heh heh, young man, I hold you in high regard, yet you refuse to listen to reason. Even now, if you are sensible and withdraw, I am not unwilling to grant you a path to survival. You may reconsider!"

Contrary to Hu San’s expectations, the old man was willing to let him leave. Not only Hu San, but even the previously composed Shen Fang changed color and hurried to say, "Master Bai, though he is young, his cultivation is unfathomable. He is perfect material for a bone slave; we cannot let him go!"

"Furthermore, the appearance of the Immeasurable Cave Abode is a top secret. If he leaks it to the cultivation world, it will cause unnecessary trouble."

"It matters not. I have my own plans!" The old man waved his hand dismissively, his attitude toward Shen Fang not as affectionate as one might assume.

"Young man, have you considered?"

"Haha, old sir, I said before: I wish to see the Immeasurable True Scripture. Since I have come, how could I turn back halfway? Besides, do you expect me to believe you? Whatever means you have, feel free to use them."

Hu San chuckled. If the other party was willing to let him leave, it proved they lacked absolute certainty. If so, he surely had the strength to resist. With the Immeasurable Jade Wall as an attraction, he would never retreat unless he reached an absolute dead end.

"Sigh! I expected as much. Very well, let us see what fate has in store."

The old man waved his hand, and the two skeletons standing by Shen Fang’s sides rose to their feet.