Battle Through the Heavens: Beauties Abound Starting with Yunlan and Her Disciples

81: Section 81Yun Ziyi knew well that now was the best time for Xiao Yan to face her enemies and temper her state of mind, so it was inconvenient for her to intervene too much. Thus, holding her umbrella and performing a Breath-Concealing Technique, she quietly hid her form and took the two little girls with her.

Like a ghost, she sat atop a nearby lush tree, overlooking everything about to happen in the Mo Residence from what she considered the best perspective.

Xiao Yan knelt beside Yun Xiancheng, looking at the Mo Family Head before her. One moment he had been ruthlessly attacking her brothers, and the next he was bowing and scraping with extreme diligence. Her heart was filled with immense confusion and loss.

Why... why did things turn out like this?

This Mo Cheng, who seemed so respectful and so fearful of the Cloud Mist Sect—why did he have the audacity back then to secretly instruct the Sand Mercenary Group to raid her brothers’ Mo Tie Mercenary Group?

Could it be... he didn’t know that Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were Xiao Yan’s biological brothers? That they were the Big Brother-in-law and Second Brother-in-law of the Young Sect Leader of the Cloud Mist Sect?! If he knew... it doesn’t make sense.

Xiao Yan clenched her fists tightly, her nails sinking deep into her palms.

She felt like her mind was a tangled mess. Her thoughts were chaotic, and she couldn’t find a single thread of clarity, let alone know... what to do next.

Just then, a warm hand was placed gently on her shoulder. Yun Xiancheng’s voice, carrying a certain magic, sounded softly in her ear: ”Remember, Yaner.”

”Treat our enemies as cruelly and ruthlessly as the harsh winter, leaving no room for mercy.”

This was the creed Yun Xiancheng had always lived by—and perhaps, it was gradually becoming the shared creed of their ”big family.”

Beside them, Nalan Yanran didn’t fully understand the ins and outs of the situation, but she had a near-blind trust in her Senior Brother. She knew that as long as she followed his arrangements, she could never go wrong.

She didn’t ask questions; she simply fixed her cold, sharp gaze on the restless Mo Family Head below.

Mo Cheng felt his skin crawl under Nalan Yanran’s icy stare, and a layer of fine sweat broke out on his forehead. However, he still forced a smile and asked cautiously,

”I wonder if the Young Sect Leader finds anything in my Mo Family that is unsatisfactory or improper?”

Just then, a servant hurried in and whispered a few words into Mo Cheng’s ear.

Hearing this, Mo Cheng’s face first showed surprise, then his eyes flashed with ruthlessness and resolve! He slammed the table and shouted sternly,

”Good! What a rebellious son! To actually commit such lawless acts! Men! Immediately! Right now! Take that worthless rebel, Mo Li, and tie him up!”

”Bring him here and let the Young Sect Leader of the Cloud Mist Sect dispose of him!!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the guests in the hall broke into an uproar!

A moment later, a young man tied up securely with ropes, his mouth gagged with cloth and his face filled with terror and despair, was forcibly dragged up by several fierce servants. It was the eldest son of the Mo Family, Mo Li!

Speaking of which, this Mo Li was someone who had a bit of a ”passerby” role in the original work—he had once been one of Nalan Yanran’s followers when they

went to the Xiao Family to break the engagement.

However, in this world, due to Yun Xiancheng’s appearance, he hadn’t been able to cling to the Young Sect Leader’s coattails and was just an anonymous, ordinary disciple of the Cloud Mist Sect.

Of course, he had tried to flatter the Young Sect Leader Yun Xiancheng before, but unfortunately... Yun Xiancheng had never been interested in men. ”Young Sect Leader Xiao! Three Young Sect Masters!”

Mo Cheng fell to his knees with a thud, pointing at Mo Li who was pinned to the ground, and wailed tearfully,

”This matter... this is all my Mo Family’s fault for failing to educate him! It’s all because of this rebellious son! He was blinded by greed! He was arrogant and domineering! To make a so-called

career for himself, he actually had the audacity to secretly collude with bandits and harm Young Sect Leader Xiao’s two elder brothers!”

”Such unfilial and treacherous acts that harm the loyal! My Mo Family will never support this! We will never condone it!!”

As Mo Cheng spoke, he punched and kicked Mo Li as if he wanted to kill him on the spot. His act of ”sacrificing family for justice” and his ”utter grief” were performed so realistically.

Even Xiao Yan was momentarily dazed, unable to distinguish for a moment whether this was hypocrisy or a true revelation of feelings.

The bound Mo Li could only make muffled whimpering sounds, his eyes filled with endless fear and unbelievable despair. He didn’t seem to understand why the father who usually doted on him had suddenly become so cold and heartless.

At this moment, Nalan Yanran had already picked up the teapot and poured a cup of fragrant tea for Yun Xiancheng, even considerately bringing the cup to his lips to feed him personally.

Yun Xiancheng took a small sip of tea, calmly watching the farce of ”paternal love and filial piety” below, before turning his gaze to Xiao Yan beside him with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

At the same time, Mo Cheng seemed to feel that ”offering his son” wasn’t enough. He waved his hands repeatedly, signaling servants to bring out the pre-prepared, mountain-like piles of various rare treasures, gold, and silver, presenting them one by one before the Three Young Sect Masters like a sacrifice.

The dazzling array of gifts made the guests present click their tongues in secret, and they began to whisper among themselves.

Though they didn’t know the full truth, through Mo Cheng’s emotional ”performance” and the sight of the Mo Family’s eldest son tied up and about to be ”sacrificed for justice,” they could roughly guess.

It must be that this ignorant eldest son of the Mo Family had somehow offended these three incredibly noble Young Sect Masters of the Cloud Mist Sect, leading to today’s disaster!

And the performance of the Mo Family Head was truly... exemplary!

Not only did he not shield his son in the slightest, but he also took the initiative to hand him over for disposal and even offered such a heavy apology gift. This ”devotion to justice” and this ”decisiveness” were truly admirable!

Those whispers were like fine needles, stabbing into Xiao Yan’s ears one by one.

163 Yaner, just kill them in my name.

She looked at Mo Cheng below, who was weeping and swearing oaths; she looked at Mo Li, whose mouth was gagged and whose eyes were full of despair.

She looked at the mountain of gifts symbolizing ”compensation,” and listened to the self-righteous discussions of the surrounding guests. At this moment, she seemed to... understand Mo Cheng’s intention.

He wanted to... use his eldest son’s life and these ”lavish compensation gifts” to completely settle this matter! To let this incident be turned over. He was shaping himself into a ”simple old man” who had been deceived by a rebellious son, was devoted to justice, and ultimately had to tearfully execute his own kin.

By pushing all the guilt onto Mo Li alone, he would wash himself and the entire Mo Family clean, distancing them entirely! What a brilliant move of sacrificing a pawn to save the king! What a clever escape!

Xiao Yan felt her throat go dry, as if she had swallowed a handful of sand. Because she suddenly realized...

Facing Mo Cheng’s tactic of ”doing things by the rules,” which seemed reasonable but was actually cold and heartless, she actually... for a moment, couldn’t find any direct or effective means to expose his hypocrisy or punish his evil.

It was as if an invisible web, woven from worldly rules and social graces, had firmly trapped her, leaving her with a chest full of rage and hatred but nowhere to vent it.

Is this the set of operating rules for this world?

”Did you see that, Yaner?” Yun Xiancheng’s voice, like a stone dropped into a calm lake, slowly sounded in her ear. ”This is what is called... doing things by the rules.”

His tone was flat, yet it carried a kind of world-weary sorrow and indifference.

”Right now, his momentum is built, and we are left with only two mouths and no evidence. But the difference is, we are the Young Masters of Cloud Mist, and our words are golden and jade-like truths.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Mo Cheng, who was still ”performing,” and the guests who were holding their breath. ”The words we speak are the truth. He hopes we will speak a win-win truth.”

”Then, the Mo Family’s eldest son, Mo Li, will immediately have his head roll, becoming the sole culprit of this incident.”

”Next, the Mo Family will offer those pre-prepared, valuable compensation gifts.”

”Finally, we take the gifts and leave with a clear conscience. From then on, this matter will be completely settled and the page turned.”

”If you take ’interest’ as the primary standard for measuring everything... then two people who are already dead, no matter how close they were to you in life, their value will never compare to the tangible interests right before your eyes that you can hold in your hands.”

”As long as we give our nod of approval,”

His voice was like a cold carving knife, dissecting this cruel reality to its fullest extent:

”Then, in the official records of the Empire, in the future history books, and even in the stories passed down by the common folk... the ’version’ will be forever fixed—Mo Li, the eldest son of the Mo Family, blinded by greed, secretly murdered Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, the leaders of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group. The Young Sect Leader of the Cloud Mist Sect,

Xiao Yan, seeking revenge for her brothers, came to collect the debt. Mo Cheng, the head of the Mo Family, being a man of great righteousness, tearfully executed his own son to settle the turmoil.”

”See,” the corner of his mouth curled into a mocking arc, ”what a perfect play. Everyone has a role they need to play, each performing their duties, perfectly reasonable.”

”So... the Mo Family... by sacrificing a son’s life and some worldly possessions... can not only clear their names completely but even... because of this... gain a reputation for prioritizing justice over family?”

Xiao Yan’s voice had become as low as a mutter to herself, filled with absurdity and coldness.

”Mhm.” Yun Xiancheng nodded in confirmation once more. Xiao Yan stopped speaking.

The entire banquet hall fell into a strange silence.

The guests, who had been whispering, now closed their mouths, looking at this dramatic scene on and off the stage with varying expressions.

Yun Xiancheng had not deliberately lowered his voice when he spoke just now, nor did he avoid anyone.

He was like a cold-eyed commentator, exposing all the calculations, all the filth, and all the cold-blooded weighing of interests behind this carefully choreographed play, nakedly and mercilessly, before everyone’s eyes!

This was the source of Mo Cheng’s confidence in plotting for the jade spirit three-flower eye. Even if he failed, he could still remain clean and innocent.

Mo Cheng, who was kneeling below, had the ’grief-stricken’ expression on his face completely frozen, as stiff as a low-quality mask. He looked up, staring fixedly at the calm young man in the main seat—who seemed to be playing with everything in the palm of his hand—with an extremely complex gaze filled with terror and venomous resentment.

Deep in his heart, a storm was already raging, yet... he couldn’t say a single word.

Nalan Yanran sat kneeling to one side. How clever was she?

Just by listening to the conversation between Yun Xiancheng and Xiao Yan, she had already understood most of the situation. Her eyes swept over the people of the Mo Family with a bone-chilling coldness.

Having grown up with Yun Xiancheng for so many years, she had also been influenced by him and held her own simple values. The young girl’s thoughts caused her to tighten her grip on Yun Xiancheng’s hand, and Yun Xiancheng took the opportunity to interlock his fingers with hers.

Noticing Yun Xiancheng’s action, Yanran glanced at him. The two of them tacitly remained silent, their fingers tightly interlocked for a long time.

Xiao Yan finally spoke again; her voice wasn’t loud, but it was exceptionally clear:

”Such rules... are too cold. I don’t like them.”

Hearing these words, a heartfelt, gratified smile finally appeared on Yun Xiancheng’s face.

He reached out and gently patted Xiao Yan’s shoulder, his tone full of praise and encouragement: ”If you don’t like them, then that’s right.”

”We are still young; in our hearts, we should always retain a bit of that which is not bound by worldly rules.”

”Youthful spirit!” Before his voice had even faded...

A flash of light flickered, and in the next instant, it turned into a cold attack directed at Xiao Yan. The longsword in Nalan Yanran’s hand unsheathed, blocking the Dou Technique in front of Xiao Yan.

She looked at the Mo Family descendants who had already gathered below the stage and met them with a cold glare: ”Do you intend to rebel?”

”Go, Xiao Yan. For your sake, in my name, kill them,” Yun Xiancheng said to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan leaped up, her hand tightly gripping the xuan heavy ruler. Green flames attached themselves to it as she slashed toward Mo Cheng without a word.

Nalan Yanran also held her sword, guarding Xiao Yan’s side. She was like a wisp of clear wind, following Xiao Yan and fighting side by side with her.

164 Blood-Colored Banquet

In the main seat, Yun Xiancheng sat peacefully with a relaxed demeanor, as if he were an outsider.

He unhurriedly picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and watched the impending conflict below with a calm gaze, as if admiring a play whose ending was already known.

In the center of the banquet hall, the atmosphere was already tense!

Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran, the two Young Sect Masters of the Cloud Mist Sect in the prime of their youth, both having reached the Great Dou Master realm, stood side by side. Dou Qi rose around them as their cold gazes locked onto the ashen-faced head of the Mo Family—Mo Cheng!

The flames of revenge had been ignited! A battle of the subordinate against the superior was on the verge of breaking out!

The surrounding guests had long been dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, each as quiet as a cicada in winter, caught in a dilemma.

Run? Where to? Didn’t they see the outside had already been blockaded? Stay? Stay to watch the fun? What if they got caught in the crossfire?

For a moment, the entire banquet hall fell into a strange, suffocating atmosphere.

The disciples of the Mo Family responded more directly. Seeing their family head about to be besieged by the two Young Sect Masters of the Cloud Mist Sect, they subconsciously wanted to swarm forward to assist!

However, just as they were about to move, Yun Xiancheng’s plain yet slightly majestic voice echoed slowly from the main seat: ”The ignorant are innocent. Those who confess their crimes and personally cut off the heads of the criminals can be pardoned.”

A simple sentence, yet it seemed to possess magic, instantly making those restless Mo Family disciples freeze in their tracks! None of them were fools!

Although they didn’t fully understand what outrageous things their family head had done to provoke the Three Young Sect Masters of the Cloud Mist Sect to come to their door at the same time,

based on Yun Xiancheng’s blatant ’insider revelation’ just now and Mo Cheng’s hideous expression, it was certainly nothing good!

Adding to that Yun Xiancheng’s statement that ’accomplices can be pardoned,’ only a fool would go to the grave with Mo Cheng!

In an instant, those Mo Family disciples who had originally wanted to rush forward stopped. They even began to look at their surrounding peers with the same thought, wanting to distance themselves from the Mo Family!

Blood flowed instantly as these ordinary disciples began to kill each other in the chaos, blood streaming everywhere.

However, several direct descendants who were closest to Mo Cheng and had participated in many of the family’s ’dark affairs’ on a daily basis knew deep down that they were already firmly tied to Mo Cheng. No matter what, it was impossible for them to receive forgiveness from the Cloud Mist Sect!

They chose to unite around Mo Cheng.

Rather than waiting for death, it was better to... fight to the death!

A flicker of madness and determination flashed in the eyes of these few Mo Family direct descendants, whose cultivation had also reached the Great Dou Master level. With a roar, they joined the fray, fiercely attacking Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan alongside Mo Cheng!

However, everyone knew in their hearts.

The final outcome of this battle would not be decided by the struggle between these few Dou Ling and Great Dou Masters below. Instead... it would be decided by that white-clad young man who had sat steadily in the main seat from beginning to end, calmly sipping his fragrant tea!

”Hmph! As long as... as long as we can hold out until the other elders arrive! We might not be without a chance!” Mo Cheng had long since torn off his simple and honest mask, his face covered in distortion and ferocity!

He calculated viciously in his heart: ”These three juniors may have noble statuses, but their cultivation is limited after all! As long as several of our Mo Family’s Dou Ling elders arrive together, we might be able to keep them all here! If it comes to it, we’ll just abandon this foundation in Yan City and migrate to another Empire! As long as the green mountains remain, one doesn’t need to worry about firewood!”

Clinging to this last hope, Mo Cheng’s strikes became increasingly ruthless, each move aiming for Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan’s vital points, attempting to end the battle quickly! However, reality was cruel.

Even though he was a genuine Dou Ling Expert, and even with several Great Dou Master level direct descendants assisting from the side,

against the joint efforts of Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan—two favored daughters of heaven from the Cloud Mist Sect who possessed superior cultivation methods, held refined weapons, and were equally rich in combat experience—