Volume Two: The Wisdom of the Ancients Illuminates the Present—A Radiant Era Chapter Four: Disturbing the Present with the Past, A Game Across Time and Space

The main building gradually fell silent, and Mo Wen withdrew his divine sense, now seething with rage.

It seems the Yu family has colluded with outsiders, engaging in unspeakable deeds!

Sword Dog in hand, he shattered the guestroom door with a single strike. To the Yu attendants waiting outside, he declared, “Summon your master at once, or not a soul—man or beast—will be spared in the Yu household!”

His murderous aura was overwhelming; the attendants trembled, dared not disobey, and quickly departed. Before long, the Yu family patriarch, Yu Shiyi, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, approached slowly.

“Master Mo, please don’t be offended. My servants failed in their duties. I am to blame!” Yu Shiyi coughed and gasped for breath, as if rushing had exhausted him, all the while smiling apologetically at Mo Wen.

“I’ll give you one chance. Speak. Who is responsible for the massacre at the little fishing village?”

Mo Wen’s expression was cold. Even now, the Yu patriarch tried to hide the truth, believing his actions flawless, never imagining Mo Wen’s divine sense could roam freely like a sword.

Now that pretense was no longer useful, Yu Shiyi straightened his hunched back in an instant. His demeanor transformed, gazing at Mo Wen with a smirk, utterly fearless.

“The Yu family regards you as an honored guest, yet you don’t appreciate it. Though your Longevity Sword is formidable, do you not know there are always stronger men?”

Mo Wen sneered. The Yu family, tucked away in a remote corner, thought Mo Wen relied solely on Zhao Tiansheng’s reputation to walk the world.

“Call upon your patron; let’s see the source of your confidence!”

Sword Dog pointed straight at Yu Shiyi, who faltered, retreating two steps. His voice was low and grave: “Honored guests, please show yourselves!”

Suddenly, the rustle of robes sounded. Four men in black arrived, positioning themselves behind Yu Shiyi. Each wore a black robe, a veiled bamboo hat, and wielded a gleaming long blade.

Four masters of the realm of Breaking Illusions!

No wonder Yu Shiyi was so confident. The leader of the black-robed men sneered, “Today’s so-called Breaking Illusions—how dare they claim the title? Mere chickens and dogs!”

“Was it you who slaughtered the six hundred and three souls of the fishing village?”

Suppressing his fury, Mo Wen insisted on answers before acting.

“Yes. Mere lowborns—what harm in killing a few?” The black-robed man spoke indifferently, as though slaughtering livestock.

Cold-blooded and ruthless, treating human life as worthless!

With confirmation, Mo Wen said no more. Sword Dog was already restless, its blade gleaming with murderous light. The four black-robed men paced slowly, forming a circle to surround Mo Wen.

Mo Wen was unafraid. He fixed his gaze on Yu Shiyi hiding behind his protectors and declared, “Today, I will kill you with the Tiansheng Sword Technique!”

Tension peaked. The four raised their blades in unison, slashing at Mo Wen, streaks of cold light cutting through the night. The wind from their blades swept forth, turning the summer night into winter—temperatures plummeted. Lin Xi, standing behind Mo Wen, shivered.

Mo Wen scooped up Lin Xi and leapt into the air, evading the four strikes. The Longevity Sword Technique activated; his sword traced a circle, the arc of sword light spreading outward like waves.

With a series of dull thuds, the Yu family disciples fell like grass. The four black-robed men barely managed to defend, their hands bleeding profusely.

They braced themselves on their swords, half-kneeling, looking up at Mo Wen in terror.

“Tiansheng Sword Technique!” The leader of the black-robed men spat out the words. The four exchanged nods and suddenly sprang up, blades pointed at Mo Wen, circling him at increasing speed.

The four moved so quickly their forms blurred, blade winds gathering strength—enemies on all sides!

Combined assault?

Mo Wen frowned. Their coordination and mastery of group attacks were flawless, the blade wind intensifying. He wasted no more time.

Sword after sword, he wove blossoms of sword light. The sword flowers touched the blade wind, shattering like glass, dissolving into a silent, gentle rain that seeped through the cracks.

A chorus of screams erupted; the four crashed to the ground, watching as their flesh peeled away inch by inch, like sieves, blood spraying like rain.

“Master, you deceived me. The four brothers await you in the underworld!” With a final anguished cry, they died with eyes wide open, gazing at the sky. Mo Wen felt a pang of regret—his anger had driven him, and he had failed to learn the mastermind behind it all.

Yu Shiyi, seeing disaster, had already fled hundreds of meters, soaring away at speed.

Mo Wen hurled Sword Dog like a shooting star, pinning Yu Shiyi mid-air and sending him crashing to the ground.

Lin Xi looked at the four piles of flesh before her, nauseated. She complained to Mo Wen, “If you’re going to kill, must you make it so disgusting?”

Mo Wen gave an awkward smile. The Sentiment Sword was like fine rain, each strand of sword energy a blade, weaving a net that dismembered foes—a bit cruel, indeed.

His gaze shifted, and he noticed among the flesh a broken wooden token, faintly bearing the characters for “Embroidered Guard.”

The Ming Dynasty Embroidered Guards!

Slaughtering innocents, treating lives as nothing—such was their reputation. But what was the purpose of these four guards’ massacre of the fishing village?

With the patriarch dead, the remaining Yu disciples were silent, not daring to flee, awaiting their fate.

A middle-aged man gathered his courage and knelt, trembling. “Master Mo, my father colluded with ancients to slaughter our people—he deserves death. Please spare the Yu family. My son is young and innocent; I beg you show mercy!”

Mo Wen cast a cold glance at him and said, “Your children are innocent, but the defenseless villagers deserved to die? Tell me, why slaughter the fishing village?”

The man swallowed, intimidated by Mo Wen’s aura. “My father spent his days in the study, plotting with the four guests. I overheard that they were searching for something—but hadn’t found it yet!”

Searching for something?

Mo Wen turned to Lin Xi, “Call the Min Nan police to handle the Yu family. We’re leaving.”

Ignoring the middle-aged man’s repeated thanks, Mo Wen took Lin Xi and drove for hours, returning to the little fishing village.

“Sword Dog, search the area!”

Mo Wen reclined his seat, lying back to rest. So far, this was the first case of ancients disturbing the present, and Mo Wen was puzzled—these four, though masters of Breaking Illusions, were nothing compared to sword immortals like Li Taibai. Why would the mastermind send such men to seek something?

Or perhaps, their mastermind was different from other ancients?

Soon, Sword Dog, clearly irritated, returned. “Boy, nothing special here. Next time, don’t send your master on such boring errands!”

“Coal Ball, do you sense anything strange?”

Mo Wen called softly. Coal Ball emerged, circled the village, then returned.

“Brother, nothing of the sort.”

Coal Ball had been busy lately, rarely seen. Mo Wen noticed her voice had matured—it sounded more like an adult woman than a child.

Finding nothing, they were about to leave when dawn broke. Suddenly, the tides surged by the shore. Coal Ball seemed to discover something and flew higher, soon vanishing from sight.

After a while, she descended, shimmering with a ghostly light. “This geomantic pattern—I’ve seen it before, but not in this world.”

Geomancy? Mo Wen’s eyes sparkled. Lin Xi acted quickly, making a call. “I’ll send you the location. Find a geomancy master, as fast as possible!”

Having arranged it, Lin Xi was proud, expecting Mo Wen’s praise. When he said nothing, she pouted.

Mo Wen smiled gently; he understood her feelings. As he grew stronger, Lin Xi felt increasingly inferior—besides her privileged background, she had little else to offer.

“Don’t be petty. Your perfection needs no words of praise.”

At this, Lin Xi’s mood brightened, though she playfully punched Mo Wen a few times and bit his hand hard.

“Yes, bite him! Bite him to death!” Sword Dog jeered, and both retorted, “Stupid dog!”

About five hours later, the midday sun blazed. The two waited idly, Sword Dog panting and cursing.

At last, amidst Sword Dog’s complaints, a helicopter roared in the distance. Seeing Mo Wen, it circled overhead.

A rope was lowered; two men descended. Mo Wen grinned, “Big brother-in-law!”

Lin Yaoheng, speechless, introduced the young man beside him: “Geomancy master, Yang Yu, heir to the ancient Yang school. Though young, he’s already famous—remarkably skilled!”

Mo Wen extended his right hand, about to speak, when Yang Yu burst out excitedly, “I finally meet you in person, Brother Mo! You’re my idol. Please accept my kneeling!”

Another joker—work first, talk later.

After a brief explanation, Yang Yu’s face grew solemn. He and Mo Wen investigated the area, then Yang Yu spoke gravely: “A dragon emerges at the estuary, flanked by barren mountains east and west, evil waters to the south—an ominous place!”

Seeing their confusion, Yang Yu explained patiently: “Such places are either burial grounds for murderous spirits or sites of blood sacrifice.”

Blood sacrifice?

Everyone’s eyes widened. Was the massacre a ritual?

Mo Wen now understood the fishing village tragedy.

Someone had directed the four Ming Embroidered Guards to slaughter the village, forming a blood sacrifice—but what was it meant to invoke?

Just then, Lin Yaoheng received a call, his face pale, voice trembling: “Just now, I heard—at the southwest border military camp, all 1,130 stationed soldiers were slaughtered!”

There was a long silence. Lin Yaoheng composed himself, then said, “The killers were ancient soldiers skilled in Breaking Illusions. Many modern-day ancients rushed to the site, fighting the invaders. All the rogue soldiers were slain!”

He paused, looking at Mo Wen, and spoke quietly: “Li Taibai was there too. With a single sword, he slew countless rogue soldiers. Oddly, ancients like Li Taibai seemed to know in advance—arriving before the massacre even happened. Though a step late, they prevented the perpetrators from escaping.”

Hearing this, Mo Wen gained insight. The ancients of the present day split into two factions—one coexisting peacefully with modern people, the other, driven by unknown motives, causing slaughter and blood sacrifices.

Ancients like Li Taibai knew the sites of blood sacrifices even before the authorities, striving to stop them. The masterminds behind the scenes were locked in a struggle, using ordinary people as pawns, their contest spanning the ages.