Chapter 120: One Finger That Topples a City

The two Taoist guards at the gate were slightly wary but didn't take the nun too seriously. 

One of the Taoists barked at Jue Mie, "Stay there! One more step, and we'll show no mercy!" 

Jue Mie retorted, "How rude! This humble nun has urgent matters to discuss with Master Aomiao. If you delay this, can you bear the consequences?" 

The two exchanged hesitant glances. 

Just as they were about to question her further, death descended silently. 

Sima Lang and Zheng Jiugong, already in position, struck swiftly. With a single palm strike each, the two early-stage post-natal Taoists fell lifeless. 

After tossing the bodies aside, the group quietly pushed open the gates of the Zhongyue Sect. 

Meanwhile, Huo Yuanzhen and his companions arrived shortly after, discovering the guards' still-warm corpses. 

"The bodies are fresh, and the compound remains undisturbed. They haven't acted yet," Hui Wu analyzed quickly. Huo Yuanzhen nodded. "Let's move in." 

The group slipped into the courtyard. The grounds were eerily quiet, with lanterns still glowing in distant rooms—lights-out hadn't yet been enforced. 

Seeing no trace of Jue Mie's group, Huo Yuanzhen made a decision. "We'll head straight to Master Aomiao's quarters." 

It was clear Jue Mie's goal wasn't to slaughter the sect but to seize control by eliminating its leadership. 

Master Aomiao resided in a grand hall at the sect's rear. The group concealed themselves in the shadows, but their enemies remained unseen. 

"Abbot, I can't locate them," Yi Chen whispered urgently. 

Huo Yuanzhen pointed upward. "The roof." 

Though the rooftop appeared empty, the group trusted their leader's judgment. 

"Masks on," Huo Yuanzhen ordered. 

The monks wrapped their heads and faces in black cloth, leaving only their eyes exposed. Dressed in tight-fitting dark attire instead of their usual robes, they became shadows themselves. 

Huo Yuanzhen turned to Yi Chen. "The oilcloth?" 

Yi Chen produced a bundle. "Ready." 

"I'll draw their attention from the courtyard. Once they're distracted, lay the oilcloth along the rear wall and ignite it. When the flames rise, I'll sound the alarm. Hide immediately afterward—do not be seen." 

To Hui Shan and Hui Jian, he instructed, "Stay hidden until the rooftop group engages the Taoists. When the Taoists falter, intercept the swordsman." 

The two nodded. Though peak post-natal practitioners, facing an innate master would be perilous—but distraction was their goal. 

Huo Yuanzhen slipped into the courtyard's center, playing the role of an incompetent thief. 

"So this is the Zhongyue Sect?" he muttered loudly, rummaging conspicuously. "No guards, no treasures—what a letdown." 

On the roof, the three innate masters watched in bewilderment. 

"Is this fool truly a thief?" Zheng Jiugong grumbled. 

"Let Aomiao deal with him first," Sima Lang suggested. "We'll strike when he emerges." 

Jue Mie glared coldly. "My efforts to kill the guards shouldn't be wasted on this buffoon." 

Suddenly, Zheng Jiugong sniffed. "Do you smell oil?" 

A deafening *boom* answered him—flames erupted behind the hall, licking at the eaves! 

"Sabotage!" Sima Lang cursed. 

Before they could react, Huo Yuanzhen's thunderous roar shook the night: **"FIRE! ASSASSINS!"** 

Chaos erupted as the entire sect stirred awake. 

"Jiugong, Sima—find the arsonist!" Jue Mie commanded. "I'll handle this worm!" 

She leapt down, sword gleaming. Huo Yuanzhen stood motionless, fingers poised in a meditative gesture. 

"Die, you meddling pest!" Jue Mie's blade arced toward his skull—only to slice empty air. 

Huo Yuanzhen had vanished, reappearing seven feet away. His fingers snapped forward. 

**"One Finger That Topples a City."** 

A searing white streak shot from his fingertips, piercing toward Jue Mie's heart!