Chapter 103: Great Battle Begins

"You audacious scoundrel, do you truly believe the righteous path is defenseless?"

Upon seeing Gu Mo injure someone, Yin Tianye instantly realized this was his opportunity to solidify Gu Mo's identity as a member of the demonic sect. With a fierce gleam in his eyes, he roared and lunged at Gu Mo.

Yin Tianye's palms flew, creating a myriad of shadows in an instant, like a storm of swirling leaves. The overwhelming palm techniques seemed poised to engulf Gu Mo. The technique was endlessly varied, with strikes that were either real or feigned, each carrying a fierce gust of wind, making it impossible to defend against.

This palm technique, known as the "Thousand-Handed Many-Leaf Palm," is the inherited secret art of the Yin family from Nanting Mountain Villa, a top-tier martial art in the martial world. Yin Tianye had earned a formidable reputation by relying on this very technique. After the Xinyi Alliance unified the martial arts world of Dongping Commandery, he became one of its seven branch leaders, all thanks to this remarkable palm technique.

The essence of this palm technique lies in its endless variations and unpredictable real and feigned moves.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Tianye was before Gu Mo, his palm momentum formidable.

Gu Mo, however, remained calm. Facing the overwhelming onslaught, he showed no haste. As Yin Tianye's palm winds whistled closer, he suddenly raised his hand, circulating his inner energy to unleash "Shocking a Hundred Li." His palms were imbued with immense power; each strike was like a giant dragon roaring forth, possessing the force to overturn mountains and seas.

Yin Tianye, knowing Gu Mo's palm technique was fiercely powerful, chose not to meet it head-on. He used agile footwork to evade, then unleashed a move called "Thousand-Handed Golden Radiance," with palm shadows covering the sky, seemingly trying to envelop Gu Mo.

Gu Mo, unhurried, steadied his stance. He waved his right palm, responding with the move "Fish Leaping from the Abyss." The palm wind whistled like a giant dragon soaring, directly scattering Yin Tianye's palm shadows. Yin Tianye's expression tightened. He spun his body, performing "Thousand-Handed Flower Plucking," his fingertips generating fierce gusts of wind that struck directly at Gu Mo's throat.

Gu Mo sidestepped, avoiding the vital point, then smoothly struck out with his left palm, using "Hidden Dragon Not to Be Used." The fierce palm force surged like an undercurrent. Yin Tianye was too slow to dodge and was swept by the palm wind, his body swaying. He gritted his teeth and, instead of retreating, advanced, his palms rapidly intertwining as he unleashed "Thousand-Handed Palm Print" with full force.

Gu Mo took a deep breath, and his aura surged. He rapidly unleashed "Arrogant Dragon Has Regrets," a palm strike that concentrated all his power, its might astonishing. The two palm forces collided with a thunderous roar. Yin Tianye was no match; he was pushed back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face pale. The web of his hand was bleeding, and his arm trembled, bruised and swollen. His heart was filled with terror. Seeing Gu Mo charge again, he was greatly alarmed. Daring not to fight further, he hurriedly yelled, "Fellow martial artists, why aren't you moving to subdue this demon? What are you waiting for?"

Immediately, the disciples of Nanting Mountain Villa rushed forward, shouting, and swiftly formed a besieging formation. They cooperated tacitly, their weapons gleaming with cold light, as seventeen or eighteen of them attacked Gu Mo, attempting to trap him within their ranks.

Gu Mo, however, roared and slammed out a palm—precisely "Dragon Fights in the Wilds" from the Eighteen Palms of Subduing Dragons. This palm strike was astonishingly powerful; an invisible surge of energy rushed forth like a roaring giant dragon, scattering sand and stones wherever it passed.

The disciples in formation were utterly unable to resist this immense power. They were instantly scattered, all spitting blood and collapsing to the ground, heavily injured, with not a single one able to stand.

Gu Mo, however, stood proudly, his long hair flowing.

Everyone present marveled at his mastery and formidable aura.

However, despite their admiration, no one was willing to stand by and watch Gu Mo continue his aggressive display. If Gu Mo were truly allowed to kill or severely injure Yin Tianye in front of everyone, the six major sects would completely lose face.

Immediately, Wu Tianfang, head of the Wu family; Xiao Jinghong, leader of the Three Rivers Gang; Chang Si, leader of the Flying Fish Gang, and others prepared to intervene.

At this moment, Yan Sanniang, standing behind Gu Mo, immediately shouted, "Six major sects, are you not ashamed to gang up on him, afraid of becoming a laughingstock in the martial world? Gu Mo's actions are meant to prove his innocence through martial arts. How can you justify a joint attack? Why not just admit that the six major sects are no match for Gu Mo, yet still refuse to acknowledge his innocence, and simply call on the entire martial world to besiege him alone!"

Shen Bai also channeled his energy and roared, "Have you no shame?"

For a moment, Wu Tianfang and the others hesitated.

They were all renowned figures in the martial world, and none were indifferent to their reputation. Had they initially attacked him en masse under the banner of "eliminating demons and defending the righteous path," it might have been justifiable. But now, with Shen Bai vouching for him and the Canglan Sword Sect having acknowledged Gu Mo's right to defend himself, if they were to jointly attack a young junior, regardless of victory or defeat, their reputation would be severely tarnished once the news spread.

At this moment, Shang Buyu stepped forward to mediate, saying, "Everyone, please calm down and listen to me. In the recent battle, Gu Mo's actions were indeed inappropriate, yet it also serves as a method for him to prove his innocence. Given the martial arts and qinggong he just displayed, there is absolutely no way those two young heroes from the Wutong Sect, Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou, could have escaped his grasp alive, nor would they have been scared away by a few Xinyi Alliance disciples. This already indicates that the truthfulness of the accusation that he killed Wutong Sect members is questionable!"

As soon as Shang Buyu spoke, Yin Tianye's expression turned very ugly. He said, "Grandmaster Shang, what do you mean by that? Are you implying that my Xinyi Alliance framed him? Is it because your junior brother wants to vouch for Gu Mo that you're also taking his side?"

Shang Buyu clasped his hands and said, "Villa Master Yin, you misunderstand. I'm not saying the Xinyi Alliance did anything wrong; I'm simply discussing the facts. You just exchanged blows with Gu Mo yourself. Honestly, do you believe young heroes Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou could have escaped Gu Mo's grasp alive?"

Yin Tianye said in a deep voice, "Gu Mo was busy killing other Wutong Sect members, and the scene was chaotic. It's entirely normal that the two of them might have escaped by chance..."

"That's sophistry!" Shen Bai angrily retorted, "Not only is Gu Mo highly skilled in martial arts, but his qinggong is also exceptional. Given that young man's qinggong, how could they have possibly escaped? Furthermore, according to their own account, they fled all the way to the foot of Mount Dabao before encountering Xinyi Alliance disciples. A short distance might allow for a lucky escape, but over such a long distance, is there still a chance of luck?"

With that, Shen Bai suddenly turned and looked at Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou in the crowd, angrily reprimanding them, "You two, get out here! Tell me, why did you frame Gu Mo?"

Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou, already injured by Gu Mo, were barely standing. Now, Shen Bai's angry roar frightened them to the core, causing them to nearly collapse in terror.

Tang Buyi seized the opportunity to threaten, "Grandmaster Shen, why bother saying so much? These two are definitely suspicious. I suspect they colluded with the demonic sect, betrayed their master, and destroyed their ancestors. Fearing retribution, they deliberately framed Brother Gu. Just arrest them and torture them! I refuse to believe they won't tell the truth!"

Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou were so frightened they could no longer stand steadily.

Yin Tianye hurriedly said, "You brat named Tang, what nonsense are you spouting? Young heroes Xiao and Chu are the victims! Even official courts don't interrogate victims. Are you trying to make our righteous martial path a laughingstock?"

"Then how do you explain their escape from Brother Gu's hands?" Tang Buyi pressed, unrelenting. "Furthermore, your Xinyi Alliance claims someone witnessed Brother Gu with their own eyes. Then bring them out and let them explain how formidable they are—that they could scare the dignified Number One Blade-Wielder of Yunzhou into fleeing without even laying a hand on him?"

"Hmph," Yin Tianye sneered and said, "Even by your logic, it only proves that perhaps someone disguised themselves as Gu Mo. But that doesn't change the fact that Gu Mo colluded with Yang Qingtong. How will you argue your way out of this? Yang Qingtong is here right now, associating with Gu Mo. What, can this Yang Qingtong be fake? Are you saying the death of our Xinyi Alliance leader, Yang, was also fake? Was the slaughter of hundreds of people at the Xinyi Alliance headquarters also fake?"

Immediately, many righteous martial artists echoed his words.

"Villa Master Yin's words are reasonable," one person said. "While there might be something strange about Gu Mo killing the Wutong Sect members, his collusion with Yang Qingtong is beyond doubt!"

"Colluding with Yang Qingtong makes him a demonic scoundrel!"

"Yang Qingtong killed his father and betrayed the righteous path; everyone has the right to punish him. Anyone who associates with him, if not a demon, then what?"

For a moment, both Tang Buyi and Shen Bai were at a loss for words.

Just then, Gu Mo channeled his energy and roared, "Don't change the subject! We're talking about my matter now; first, clarify the Wutong Sect incident for me." As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Mo roared at Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou, "You two, get over here!"

Gu Mo's roar was deafening, like a thunderclap. Surging waves of energy spread out, startling the surrounding martial artists, whose expressions changed.

At the same time, Gu Mo suddenly extended both hands, fully unleashing the Dragon-Capturing Skill, powered by his Bright Jade True Qi. In an instant, the void seemed to be stirred by an invisible giant hand, and a formidable, irresistible suction force surged forth, like a black hole swallowing the sky. Nothing could resist it.

Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou felt an irresistible force firmly grasping them, and they were involuntarily pulled towards Gu Mo. Even though they struggled desperately and channeled their energy to resist, it was futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Under everyone's gaze, the two of them, like two falling leaves, were instantly pulled into Gu Mo's hands.

Seeing this, the surrounding martial artists all gasped. The dominance of this Dragon-Capturing Skill was beyond imagination; with just a pull from a distance, it could subdue masters. It was truly a peerless miraculous skill, terrifying to behold.

Yin Tianye's expression suddenly changed drastically.

He knew his own business. The Wutong Sect massacre had been orchestrated by the Xinyi Alliance to frame Gu Mo. Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou were left alive precisely because they were cowardly and easily controlled, making them ideal witnesses.

However, it was precisely because these two were cowardly that, while easy to control, they could also easily ruin everything. Once pressed, they would reveal the truth to save their lives.

Therefore, seeing Gu Mo seize Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou, Yin Tianye was greatly alarmed. Disregarding his own injuries, he charged at Gu Mo, roaring, "Gu Mo, how dare you! Are you trying to silence them in front of all of us? Everyone, don't let him succeed!"

Immediately, Wu Tianfang, Xiao Jinghong, Jiang Wanzhao, Shang Buyu, and Chang Si also quickly made their move.

The Wutong Sect had been nearly wiped out, leaving only Xiao Han and Chu Yunzhou as young survivors and crucial victims. If Gu Mo were to kill them in front of everyone, the reputation of the six major sects would be utterly ruined, and no one would ever trust them again!

Including Yin Tianye, six top masters simultaneously attacked Gu Mo.