A flurry of weapons clashed in the underground tunnel.

Sparks had flickered from the impact between the blades. Luo Binghe swung his sword Zhengyang wildly without pause at the disciples surrounding him. He blocked himself from the fifty spears pointed in his direction. By his side, Shen Qingqiu unsheathed his sword as well.

The blades reflected the furrowed brows of both sides.

"What do you want from us?" Shen Qingqiu spat. His sword collided against an attacking spear, pushing it far away from his own body. The disciple attacking him had withdrawn.

That disciple looked at him with a weird look. "Surrender, and your death will be painless."

Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu stood with their backs pressed to one another. They faced the encircle of Mo Clan disciples, their swords pointed across their front.

"Never." Luo Binghe didn't even need to answer, and his Shizun already understood his intentions.

Their swords gleamed a bright light.

"Then we fight till your deaths." The disciple spared no mercy, and then raised his spear to attack again. Another few spars of weapons had clashed in the tunnel. The sound rattled and resounded off the hollow and cold hard walls. Shen Qingqiu's white sleeves fluttered in the wind, riled up from the currents of the battle. He swung his sword again.

The disciple he fought against had his spear thrown out from his hands. Surprised at the power, the disciple didn't get to take another breath before he was impaled by a blade in the abdomen.

Luo Binghe stabbed forwards, then took his sword back from the bloodied up disciple.

He emotionlessly watched that disciple collapse. Their life faded away from their eyes.

Luo Binghe looked down at the remaining forty-nine disciples, who gasped at their dead comrade. Rage fondled their intestines as they pounced forwards. They lost awareness and went out of control from their actions. Swinging their spears wildly, they no longer feared for anything.

Those forty-nine disciples just wanted to kill the two guest cultivators! Even if it meant bringing themselves down with them! They wouldn't stop no matter what!

The distance between them closed by inches.

Then...

Abruptly, a loud sound rumbled. The entire tunnel began to shake uncontrollably, with the walls crumbling, like peeling layers and layers... Luo Binghe's eyes widened in shock. "Xie-xiong!"

With one punch, the ground above them had been punched a hole in by Xie Lian. The rocks fell down unto the tunnel ground, then four cultivators leaped inside. They landed lightly on the tunnel ground, with an extremely gentle footstep. Their robes fluttered in a tranquil manner, then slowly fell still.

The Mo Clan disciples stopped moving. They stared strangely at the grouped up three couples.

"Are we late?" Wei Wuxian whistled.

Luo Binghe's eyes lit up at the sight of the group. For once, he felt quite pleased to see Wei Wuxian again.

"Watch your back." Wei Wuxian blurted. He threw his sword, Suibian at the disciple that attempted to attack at Luo Binghe's back while he wasn't paying attention. The sword, Suibian had directly slashed the disciple across his chest, instantly sending him to death. Suibian was controlled by its owner's spiritual energy, then returned back into Wei Wuxian's hands.

Luo Binghe fell silent. His lips then moved, "...thank you."

"Woah! Is this real?" Wei Wuxian gasped. "Did Luo-xiong just thank me?" His eyeballs almost popped out from their sockets.

Embarrassed, Luo Binghe quickly turned away. "Shut up!"

Another disciple came charging at him, so with a flung of his sleeves, the disciple was knocked back ten metres away- crashing into a wall.

"What is going on?" Shen Qingqiu questioned. "Why are these disciples attacking us?"

Fighting beside him, Xie Lian dodged incoming attacks of the spears and proceed to give a detailed explanation. "We've learned that the demon isn't the culprit, but rather the deceased."

Shen Qingqiu raised his eyebrows. "What?"

Xie Lian continued. "The deceased were never from the Mo Clan. About a few weeks ago, five female demons went knocking on the Mo Clan's gate for shelter. They had no idea that they were approaching a Clan that despises demons. With one sniff, the disciples were able to unravel that the five females were demons by their demonic energy."

A disciple flung themself at him, so Xie Lian quickly stepped backwards. He reached behind him, where the wall resided. Coincidentally, a spear was leaning across the wall.

With no bladed weapon on himself, Xie Lian took the spear off the wall and defended himself. The spear swung from his shoulders, spinning miraculously. Its figure couldn't be seen from the naked eye, then, spun off. The spear shot forwards at a charging disciple, stabbing completely from their chest and sticking out from the back. Blood spat out from the disciple's mouth.

Retrieving the spear, the blade was pulled out from the disciple's body.

A large hole was revealed in the disciple's chest. Dead, the disciple fell backwards and collapsed onto the ground. Xie Lian batted his eyes sorrowfully, then jumped away.

He continued to explain. "Those five female demons were invited inside the Mo Clan's base. They had no idea that they were being targeted because of the mere fact that they had demonic energy. Presumably during the nighttime, those five female demons were attacked."

Shen Qingqiu thinned his eyes. "How were they attacked?"

Wei Wuxian piped in, his sleeves fluttering. "When we checked the disciples' sleeping quarters, we found Mo Huanhan's alchemy book. Inside was a method for extracting spiritual energy from a cultivator's dantian. We can assume that the five female demons weren't used as human cauldrons. Instead, their demonic spiritual energy was extracted."

"Then..." Luo Binghe discussed. "Why was their spiritual energy extracted?"

Wei Wuxian dodged an incoming enemy attack. His hair swished back and forth seductively. Wielding the Suibian sword in his slender hand, he slashed a disciple across their abdomen. They died from bleeding out. "The method can refine the spiritual energy into a pill. Consuming that pill will improve their cultivation."

"You mean..." Shen Qingqiu realized something. "The Mo Clan disciples used the five female demons to improve their cultivation?"

Wei Wuxian solemnly nodded.

Xie Lian added. "They sent this crime to our attention, hoping to lure us into their trap. These past few days, when other guest cultivators visited to investigate this crime, the Mo Clan murdered them the same way as the five female demons. The Mo Clan got an inch, so they wanted to take it to a mile."

Luo Binghe frowned. "How do you know all of the disciples in Mo Clan was in on this?"

Xie Lian was taken aback. "Aren't they all attacking you right now? Additionally, why did they lie in saying that the five female demons were from their Mo Clan? If it wasn't for luring us into investigating the crime and falling into their trap, what else could it be?"

Luo Binghe finally understood. He bit his bottom lip.

The entire Mo Clan was their enemy. Since setting their foot in the Mo Clan gate, they were at risk of being murdered and extracted of spiritual energy.

In the end, it turned out that Mo Shifeng, Mo Bao, Mo Ming, and Mo Huanhan were apart of this crime. Rather, it was everyone apart of the crime. No wonder Mo Bao wasn't afraid in staying up at night to stalk Shen Qingqiu. After all, who was going to murder him if he was the one doing the murdering?

Thinking back on it twice, Mo Bao probably wasn't stalking Shen Qingqiu because he liked "her". It must've been to find a way to separate them from each other.

That way, they could extract their spiritual energy easier and use it to their own selfish needs.

Just thinking about it made Luo Binghe mad. His sword Zhengyang seemed especially more dangerous when paired off with his bloodthirsty expression. Without a second thought, Luo Binghe charged into the crowded pack of disciples. His sword subdued the disciples from attacking, and also shed them of blood.

The vivid and lukewarm red colour had splattered all over the walls.

"Let's get out of here!" Wei Wuxian called out. They looked onwards to the hole in the ceiling that Xie Lian had earlier punched through. Jumping out from the underground tunnel, the three couples landed light on their feet. Looking around, they were standing just nearby the disciples' sleeping quarters.

Bamboo trees stood mildly nearby, their shadows flickering in the moonlight.

"Up here!" Wei Wuxian hissed. He jumped up to the rooftop of the quarters, with his husband following afterwards. The remaining couples followed.

They gained a larger viewpoint of the scenery.

"We'll watch when the disciples leave. Once they exit the underground, we'll sneak attack them." Wei Wuxian ordered. His face was dark. "Not a single one of them deserve to stay alive."

The others nodded and listened keenly.

It was horrible to imagine the Mo Clan was doing such a horrid thing! Murdering someone just to steal their cultivation progress and improve your own! Those horrible thoughts make them less of a righteous cultivator, and more of a demon than the deceased ones themselves!

The three couples must send the Mo Clan to meet their victims in the afterlife.

"There's movement!" Hua Cheng warned with a low whisper.

Whipping to look at the hole torn at the ground, plenty of disciples jumped out onto the present grass-filled ground. They carried their spears, with the blade gleaming of the moonlight. Suddenly, a wind whistled at their back, sending a chill down their spines.

The sound of a cry pierced the night.

Lan Zhan's every action was gorgeous. His fluttering robes seemed to be painting a beautiful and elegant sight among the bright stars. It was like a pair of dragonfly wings just merely touching the surface of a still pond. A slight ripple bounced, then resounded throughout the entire water. His feet landed lightly on the ground, then he spun.

His long hair spun as well, as elegant as an immortal could ever be.

Bichen, his sword cut through the disciples cleanly, like cutting through mud flawlessly. The frosting sword was wielded by its fairy-like owner, then slashed at bodies continuously.

Disciples fell down from the battle one by one. They scattered numerously across the ground.

Shen Qingqiu was agape at the sight. Such a riveting yet cold and stoic swordsmanship was one of a kind!

Watching the beautiful scenery had boiled up Xie Lian's blood. As a fellow person interested in swordsmanship, he felt riled up. Wielding the Mo Clan's spear, he charged forwards and slashed through his prey. Nodding, Wei Wuxian, Hua Cheng, Luo Binghe, and Shen Qingqiu followed after his back.

Bodies began dropping crazily.

Before they knew it, all that remained were a few last disciples. Mo Bao was the shortest one of them all, but the hostility underlying his eyes were fierce. He gritted his teeth and made his last stand. His spear swung at an insane speed, shuffling from left to right. The blade meant to pierce the cultivator nearest to him, Shen Qingqiu. Instead, at the spur of the moment, the spear was knocked out from his hands.

Luo Binghe stood protectively, embracing his lover with a serious look on his face. His demonic mark on his forehead had flamed, wasting the makeup products used to prevent it from appearing.

Mo Bao noticed. He went pale.

Under his nose the entire time, Luo Binghe was a demon! He suppressed his demonic energy so well! It was impossible to even decipher such a thing! Mo Bao didn't suspect him at all!

Rage flared his emotions. Mo Bao's breaths fell ragged.

Then, the blade of Luo Binghe's sword, Zhengyang stabbed through his forehead. The blade pierced from one side of his forehead to the back of his head. Withdrawing the sword from the wound, a large hole was revealed. Blood and intestines poured out, plastering down on the ground.

Mo Bao, the little disciple was stained in the horrendous red colour.

He collapsed, without a trace of anger left on his face. Only tranquility, as if to hide the demonic thoughts swarming his mind. His life faded.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Mo Ming cursed.

His figure was tall and yet slender. He raised his chin, with a sharp feature of his neck brandished to his opponents. Mo Ming took upon a spear, the blade glowering in the moonlight. It reflected his mad expression etched across his face, showing off such arrogance and perpetual agony-

Abruptly, with a loud thud, his head decapitated and fell onto the ground.

Blood gushed out, staining the night with the pungent and putrid smell.

Mo Ming's eyelids felt extremely heavy. They folded, covering his pupils from the bloody sight. His separated head spread blood unto the battlefield, and his body collapsed from the lack of strength. The life faded away from another person at last.

Hidden in the shadows, a small squeak of surprise tormented the air. Mo Huanhan shuffled in the corner, fear written across his face. "D-Don't hurt me!"

He had a petite figure, and appeared especially pitiful when sprawled across the ground.

Mo Huanhan was only a mere alchemist. He grew up learning that demons were the enemies of the entire cultivation world. When he first met the five female demons, anger had constituted the back of his throat. Didn't they say that demons were the worst of the worst? Why weren't those five female demons dead? Then, Mo Shifeng discussed an idea with the rest of the Mo Clan.

They would use Mo Huanhan's method in the book of extracting spiritual energy. That way, they would ruin the demons' cultivation base while improving their own. Then... to prevent casualties, they needed to kill the damned demons.

When he first stabbed a needle through the fear-stricken female demon, only satisfaction melted through Mo Huanhan's body.

He stabbed a second, then a third. Later on, the needles stuck in the demon's body accounted for up to thirty. However, Mo Huanhan didn't regret it.

Mo Huanhan saved his Clan. That was what he told himself.

However, at that moment when facing the same death that he'd served to the five female demons, Mo Huanhan was paralyzed in fear. He wanted to live! He didn't want to die! He didn't do anything wrong! This world of cultivation is cruel! Just stealing some random demon's cultivation would ruin his entire life. This... is obviously not worth it!

His thoughts stopped there.

A sword stabbed into his abdomen. Mo Huanhan's life ended right then and there.

CoolCool-Aid: I would like to ask all the gong's (top)... what would you do if your beloved disappear?

Luo Binghe: Take three years to climb out from the abyss, oh and hug his corpse

Lan Wangji: Calling his spirit nonstop for thirteen—sixteen years on the guqin

Hua Cheng: Wait for eight hundred years and dedicate a shrine of ten thousand statues. If bored, I'll create some porn out of it.