Chapter 1276: Chapter 736: Snatch the Sword_3 Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly saw a towering and burly disciple rush out from nowhere. With a double-axe downward chop, he struck down a smug, overly relaxed disciple from the Sever Gold Sect who hadn’t been on guard. The pretty boy froze for a moment, then his expression changed drastically. "Enemy attack!" But before they had time to react, Yang Qianjun charged out, his spear thrusting like a dragon. He stabbed another Sever Gold Sect disciple in the back, toppling him. Then, Situ Jian’s Li Fire Sword arrived in an instant. The blazing Li Fire, accompanied by sharp Sword Qi, caught another Sever Gold Sect disciple off-guard and pierced his thigh. That disciple let out a wail and fell to his knees. Situ Jian, landing a strike, didn’t pause but immediately channeled all his spiritual power, ready to target the next disciple. This time, his attacks were particularly vicious, and he thought to himself: I must help Junior Brother seize the Sever Gold Sword! That way, Junior Brother won’t eye my Li Fire Sword anymore. The core disciple from the Sever Gold Sect, the so-called pretty boy, flew into a rage when he saw what was happening. He was about to use Sword Control to fight back, but just as he drew his sword halfway, he felt a sharp pain at the back of his head, and dizziness overwhelmed him. "A sneak attack with a blunt weapon?!" The pretty boy was momentarily stunned but quickly reacted, taking out a Golden Body Talisman to activate. Yet just as he brought out the talisman, a fireball whizzed toward him and exploded on his arm. The searing pain caused his hand to tremble, and the Golden Body Talisman dropped to the ground. When he aimed to bend down and retrieve it, it was too late. Hao Xuan had already kicked the talisman away. On the other side, the ordinary Sever Gold Sect disciples were no match for Cheng Mo and company—experienced, coordinated, and even somewhat groomed under Mo Hua’s influence. Taken wholly off guard, they were ambushed and subdued in no more than ten rounds. Four disciples were captured, while the remaining three stood trembling, not daring to advance. Cheng Mo’s group shifted their attention to the pretty boy. The pretty boy, sensing the situation had turned dire, immediately displayed the Escape Gold Body Skill to flee. His movement technique was remarkable; in a flash of golden light, he had already leaped several feet away. Fleeing, he still managed to hurl curses back at them. "Despicable scum, you just wait! Soon I’ll..." Before he could finish, a flash of blue light appeared—a chain materialized out of nowhere and bound him securely. The pretty boy was shocked and terrified. "What kind of spell is this?" He tried to struggle, but Cheng Mo had already strode up to him, raising his twin axes and pressing them against the pretty boy’s neck. The pretty boy seethed inwardly and roared: "You worthless bastards! You..." Cheng Mo gave him a swift kick. The pretty boy yelped and clutched his stomach, swallowing the rest of his curses. Mo Hua, unceremoniously and with lightning speed, snatched the Sever Gold Sword from the pretty boy’s waist, tucked it into his own robes, and decisively ordered: "Retreat!" He had already sensed that other Sever Gold Sect disciples, alerted by the commotion, were rushing toward their location—and there seemed to be quite a few of them. Now was the time to retreat, without further entanglement. Cheng Mo and the others nodded in agreement. Moments later, the five of them swiftly made their escape. The pretty boy stood stupefied for a moment. When he looked down, he found that at some point, his Sever Gold Sword was no longer on his waist. "My sword!" Fury surged in his chest. As he looked up again, the surroundings were devoid of people. The group had already vanished. "You bastards! I won’t let you get away with this!" He gritted his teeth, cursing. Moments later, a crowd of Sever Gold Sect disciples surrounded him, expressing concern. "Brother Song, are you alright?" The pretty boy’s face was white with anger. This bunch of useless fools—did he look alright? His abdomen still burned in pain, but that was the least of his concerns; what mattered now was the Sever Gold Sword. This was a Spirit Sword he had nurtured for many years and planned to use as the embryo for his Lifebound Spirit Sword. "My sword was taken!" When they heard this, the crowd’s expressions grew solemn. "Go!" the pretty boy barked angrily. "Find those bastards and bring my sword back!" "Yes!" The Sever Gold Sect disciples all nodded in agreement. The Sever Gold Sect was split into two major families: the Jin family and the Song family. The pretty boy, whose surname was Song, was part of the Sever Gold Sect’s most core lineage, second only to the Jin family. His orders were not something regular disciples would dare to neglect. Soon, the Sever Gold Sect disciples gathered together and began searching the mountain. They thought that with so many disciples, capturing a few Taixu Gate disciples would be an easy task. But they soon realized how wrong they were. Mo Hua and his group seemed to have vanished into the mountain, leaving no trace whatsoever. These Sever Gold Sect disciples were all at the Foundation Building Middle Stage, with Divine Sense capabilities at most reaching fourteen patterns. With their level of Divine Sense, there was no way they could detect Mo Hua, whose Divine Sense had reached seventeen patterns and undergone a quality change. Not to mention that this was Refining Demon Mountain. Mo Hua now had a thorough understanding of the Outer Mountain of Refining Demon Mountain. Walking through it was as familiar as strolling through his own backyard. Finding him in the mountains was akin to looking for a needle in a haystack. As a result, even after Mo Hua had returned to Taixu Gate, clutching the Sever Gold Spirit Sword, the Sever Gold Sect disciples were still frantically searching the mountain like headless flies. But as night fell, Monster Beasts in the mountains began to stir, and they dared not linger any longer. They had no choice but to retreat back to their sect. The pretty boy who had his Sever Gold Spirit Sword stolen returned to the Sever Gold Sect with a dark face, only to run into a tall, lanky, late-stage Foundation Establishment senior brother outside the Disciple’s Residence. This individual was none other than Jin Gui. Jin Gui greeted him with a smile and bowed courteously, saying: "Junior Brother Song Jian." The pretty boy, also known as Song Jian, frowned at the greeting but replied perfunctorily, "Brother Jin." There was an inherent indifference in his tone. The two major families of the Sever Gold Sect, the Jin family and the Song family, were never truly on good terms. Within the sect, from the Sect Leader, Vice Sect Leader, all the way to the elders and instructors, the two families constantly fought for power, building considerable animosity over time. However, as they were in the same sect, they refrained from tearing each other apart openly. "How did the mountain patrol go?" Jin Gui asked with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. Song Jian’s face looked ugly, but he replied honestly: "The Taixu Gate acted despicably. Most of their disciples stayed hidden, while a small number ambushed us shamelessly and stole my Sever Gold Sword..." The sword was stolen? Jin Gui smirked inwardly but fake-sighed outwardly: "To a sword cultivator, a Spirit Sword is as important as their life. Junior Brother Song, how could you lose your Spirit Sword..." Song Jian easily caught the sarcastic tone and felt a flicker of rage. He retorted: "Brother Jin is right. Even if it means losing face, the sword must not be lost." Jin Gui’s face turned dark instantly. This was clearly a jab at the notorious incident where he had been stripped and hung on a tree, with turtles painted all over him. The two exchanged subtle jabs, each trying to humiliate the other. Jin Gui then chuckled and said: "Shall I arrange for some Jin family disciples to help you retrieve your sword tomorrow?" "No need," Song Jian replied coldly. "What the Song family loses, the Song family will retrieve. If the Song family can’t do it, the Jin family surely won’t either..." The two locked eyes, their gazes filled with hostility. Finally, Jin Gui forced a smile and said, "Junior Brother Song, take care of yourself." Song Jian replied similarly: "Brother Jin, good luck." As they brushed past each other, their expressions turned frosty. Both snorted inwardly: Who does the Sever Gold Sect truly belong to—the Jin family or the Song family? The answer remains unclear... After parting ways, both returned to their residences, recalling the day’s events with fury. Gradually, their hatred shifted toward another thought entirely. Jin Gui’s eyes glowed red as he smashed his desk: "That little punk who painted turtles on me—I’ll tear him limb from limb one day!" Meanwhile, Song Jian crushed a teacup in his hand, his face twisting in anger: "That brat who stole my Sever Gold Spirit Sword—I’ll make him pay a hundredfold one day!" ... And at that very moment, Mo Hua—the one who had painted turtles on Jin Gui and stolen Song Jian’s Spirit Sword—was sitting in his residence like nothing ever happened, intently studying the radiant Sever Gold Sword in his hands. This was an exceptionally valuable Spirit Sword. He was pondering whether it might be possible to dismantle the Sever Gold Sword. If it could be dismantled, would he be able to extract the Sword Array within it? If he could acquire the Sword Array, wouldn’t that mean... He could finally forge a real Spirit Sword of his own? Mo Hua’s eyes shone with excitement, filled with eager anticipation.