by Translator: BornToBe; Author: Ordinary Magician (平凡魔术师); Licensed From: 17k
BANG!
A large hand smashed apart the arrow, and a white-robed elder appeared in front of Luo Yingxiong. He was the one who had saved his life.
“It’s the Pure River Valley’s master, Sun Changshou!” The hidden spectators all let out startled cries upon recognizing this person.
The Pure River Valley, the Sky Cry Mansion, and the Giant Eagle Stronghold were known as Qing Prefecture’s three great powers. They were the strongest sects other than Mo Gate.
Now that the Pure River Valley’s master had saved Luo Yingxiong, it made many people guess that this was premeditated.
“At such a young age, you’re already so vicious. Let me take the place of your family to teach you a lesson!”
The Pure River Valley’s master snorted, and his palm slammed forward. Countless runes revolved around this palm, and a fierce astral wind attacked Long Chen and Mo Nian.
Long Chen and Mo Nian’s hearts sank. They could both see that this old fellow was most likely a half-step Sea Expansion expert for him to be able to keep his runes in the air.
Suddenly, a golden arrow shot out like a bolt of lightning, arriving right in front of Sun Changshou in an instant.
Sun Changshou’s expression changed, and he had no choice but to give up his attack, dodging to the side.
The arrow shot right past his body, piercing into the ground and disappearing. It merely left behind a small hole in the ground.
What shocked everyone was that whether it was when the arrow was first shot or when it pierced into the ground, there was no sound at all. It was so bizarre that it made their hair stand on end.
“It seems that you, Sun Changshou, are not qualified to teach my child a lesson, right?”
Mo Yunshan appeared beside Long Chen and Mo Nian. After saying one icy sentence, he didn’t even look at the stunned Sun Changshou.
He patted Long Chen and Mo Nian on the shoulders. “Good brats, you’ve grown up.”
“Greetings, Uncle Mo.” Long Chen hastily bowed.
“It’s alright, our Mo Gate doesn’t have so many repulsive rules, so there’s no need to be so polite. Once this matter here ends, your uncle Mo will hold a welcoming dinner for you.” Mo Yunshan smiled.
Long Chen and Mo Nian’s display today had greatly satisfied Mo Yi. Mo Yunshan rarely saw his father so excited.
“Mo Yunshan, you… you’ve actually touched the barrier?” Sun Changshou was stunned.
“Do you think I’m trash like you and would only touch that barrier after eight hundred years? Do you think I’d be as stupid as you and proudly announce it to everyone?” sneered Mo Yunshan. “You even want to teach my child a lesson? With your kind of conduct, do you really think you’re capable? Do you believe me when I say I can make it impossible for you to leave here alive?”
“Mo Yunshan, don’t you think you’re a bit too wild to say such big words when you’ve only just touched the barrier?” Suddenly, a sinister voice rang out and a withered old man carrying a cane walked over.
“It’s the Sky Cry Mansion’s master, Wang Yishan! It seems he has also long since arrived and is only revealing himself now. Are they planning to start a war with Mo Gate?” Those distant spectators were all astonished.
Ever since the Jiuli secret realm closed, Qing Prefecture had begun to change. The three great powers, which had previously constantly been suppressed by Mo Gate, had begun to target Mo Gate in secret.
Not only had they begun secretly ruining their businesses, but they had also gradually begun to compete with them openly for their resources. Furthermore, the previously incomparably domineering Mo Gate had just endured it the whole time, puzzling everyone.
At this time, there were rumors that Mo Gate might appear powerful, but they were actually very weak and had already declined, which was why they were unable to compete with the three great powers.
There were also some rumors that the Pill Tower had cut the Mo family off from medicinal pills, which made those people feel like Mo Gate was doomed. Once you were enemies with the Pill Tower, the only path left for you was death.
But now, their struggle had exploded in scale because of a single outsider. Their behind-the-scenes struggle was about to turn into an all-out war. The leaders of the three great powers had all appeared, shocking everyone.
“I can be wild because I’m young. But you are halfway into your grave already. Even if you wanted to be wild, you wouldn’t have the energy.” Mo Yunshan wasn’t the slightest bit surprised by Wang Yishan’s arrival.
Wang Yishan was even older than Sun Changshou. It seemed he had lived over fifteen hundred years and could truly be considered an old monster.
However, he had only touched the barrier after a thousand years, reaching half-step Sea Expansion. It was essentially an impossibility for him to reach the Sea Expansion realm.
Currently, his lifespan had already mostly run out; he only had a few years left in him. All his energy was focused on extending his life, which was why he seemed like a living skeleton.
“Uncle Mo, if you didn’t say he was halfway into his grave, I would have thought he was a zombie that had crawled out of his tomb. My eyes really have been opened to a greater world.” Long Chen curiously looked at Wang Yishan as if he were a monster.
“Brat, you must want to die. Don’t land in my hands, or I’ll definitely make you live a life worse than death.” Wang Yishan glared hatefully at Long Chen.
“You want to absorb my essence blood? Hehe, I see, so that must be how you extend your lifespan. Otherwise, considering your basically exhausted spiritual fluctuations, you should have long since become unable to move. There’s no need for you to refuse to admit it, because other than this method, there’s no way you would still be standing there,” said Long Chen.
Long Chen’s words caused huge waves amongst the spectators, and many of their expressions changed.
“Wang Yishan, you bastard, hand back my son’s life!” A furious shout rang out.
Chapter 558 Publicly Criticized
Long Chen’s words caused chaos amongst those hidden spectators, because during the past few years, young geniuses from Qing Prefecture had continuously disappeared mysteriously.
Those geniuses all had cultivation bases that had reached at least the Meridian Opening realm, and they were essentially their sect’s favorites that they had raised with all their might. However, somehow, they had vanished one by one.
Some of them disappeared inside the city, some of them disappeared outside the city. There were even some that were cultivating inside their own sects when they suddenly vanished without a trace.
These strange incidents filled Qing Prefecture’s junior experts with panic because it was just too bizarre.
Now that Long Chen had said that, many people realized that this was extremely likely. Wang Yishan was a withered old skeleton now. Perhaps he really had some secret technique that allowed him to absorb essence blood to extend his lifespan.
Those geniuses that had disappeared had been in their early twenties, the perfect moment when their Blood Qi was at its peak state. Now, many people found it to be far more than a coincidence.
“Wang Yishan, you goddamn wretch, hand back my son’s life!”
“Bastard, was my secluded disciple also killed by you?!”
“Wang Yishan, you old half-breed, my nephew was also definitely killed by you!”
…
Hidden spectators jumped out to rage at Wang Yishan.
During the past hundred years, too many of Qing Prefecture’s junior geniuses had disappeared. Perhaps the only one who could sneak into other people’s sects and snatch their disciples without anyone finding any clues was an expert who had at least reached the half-step Sea Expansion realm.
There were only a few half-step Sea Expansion experts in all of Qingzhou City, so few that you could count them with your fingers. Of those people, only Wang Yishan was approaching his grave.
Most importantly, according to his age, he should h
ave died decades ago. However, he was still alive. Now that Long Chen said this, the facts needed no hard evidence.
“How… how can you all just believe his lies?! He’s intentionally trying to slander me!” cried Wang Yishan in panic.
“You? Please. Who do you think I, Long Chen, am? A trash person like you isn’t worth me slandering.
“Anyone with eyes can see your spiritual fluctuations are already practically dead. However, your Blood Qi fluctuations are still normal.
“If you really were innocent, your Blood Qi and spiritual fluctuations should be similar to each other. With such an obvious gap in your alibi, why would I even need to slander you?” said Long Chen disdainfully.
Now that he said this, everyone came to a sudden comprehension. The only thing they sensed from Wang Yishan was his aura. But they hadn’t sensed his spiritual fluctuations.
Now, they didn’t have any more misgivings and sent their Spiritual Strength surging towards Wang Yishan.
Using Spiritual Strength to examine another person was incredibly disrespectful. That was like stripping a woman of her clothes to examine all her secrets. It would create great enmity between the two parties.
“You… you’re all courting death!” Seeing this many people’s Spiritual Strengths surging towards him, Wang Yishan was furious, but panic flashed in his eyes.
Buzz.
Suddenly, Sun Changshou waved his hand, and a powerful Spiritual Strength surged out of him. Those people trying to examine Wang Yishan let out miserable cries, and they held their heads in agony.
“For you to insult the Sky Cry Mansion’s master like this, are you declaring war against the Sky Cry Mansion?” shouted Sun Changshou.
“A cover-up only makes it worse,” sneered Long Chen.
But what Long Chen hadn’t expected was that these impassioned people, who had wanted to kill Wang Yishan just now, actually became silent now.
Right now, the three great powers had joined hands to target Mo Gate. But these people were just a bunch of weaklings. Although they were furious, they didn’t dare charge into this huge vortex. In the end, they still simply endured it.
“Do you see? This is what it means to be an overcautious coward. Their own children were killed, but they still swallow their anger.
“I can guarantee that even if their wives were taken by others, they would still grin and bear it because of their ‘big picture’.
“When people first decide to step onto the path of cultivation, they are filled with hot blood and are fearless. But as they concede to others more and more, they will become a coward.
“Such people are unable to control their family’s fate, and they’re also unable to control their own fate. The cultivation world is just like that: the more you fear death, the easier it will be for you to die.
“You, Mo Nian, have already become accustomed to taking the big picture into consideration. If you continue to make it your habit to concede, then these people will be your future,” said Long Chen.
Mo Nian’s heart shook and he even began to sweat. Looking at these people’s furious expressions and how unwilling they were, he immediately understood what Long Chen meant.
If Mo Nian was in their position, would he also choose to swallow his anger in front of an enormous existence he couldn’t possibly withstand? If you simply swallowed your anger for the so-called big picture, what were you cultivating for? What were you living for?
A harsh light shone in his eyes. He unconsciously puffed out his chest, and a formless aura slowly began to rise out of his body.
Mo Yunshan looked at his son, and he clenched his hands that were hidden within his sleeves. He could sense the change in Mo Nian’s mental realm. This was a kind of transformation, and this transformation could bring him endless benefits.
At the same time as he was excited, he also felt a bit ashamed. He had been with his son for so long, but the only way he knew how to communicate with his son was with his fists. He had never communicated with Mo Nian like Long Chen had, or perhaps his son would not have had that kind of temperament.
“Long Chen, you can stop trying to sow dissension! It’s already fated that you’ll be unable to leave Qingzhou City alive!” Wang Yishan now hated Long Chen to the bone. He had done things perfectly for this many years, not leaving behind a single clue as to his actions. But now he had been exposed.
“Sowing dissension? Let me say it again, who do you think I, Long Chen, am? A piece of trash like you isn’t worth me sowing dissension,” said Long Chen lightly.
His words didn’t even place this half-step Sea Expansion expert in his eyes. That wasn’t to show off but a contempt that came from the depths of his bones.
The domineeringness Long Chen had displayed made everyone apprehensive. Long Chen’s confidence all came from himself and not some outer strength. That was an arrogant will to look down on all.
“This Long Chen is very interesting.”
Within a secret corner, there were two women looking at Long Chen. One of them was roving her gaze over him.
“Has big sister taken a fancy to him? Then do you want to see if he is your legendary soulmate?” laughed the other woman.
“Foolish girl, you’re once again babbling nonsense. Is a soulmate so easy to find? I just feel that this Long Chen seems to have caused the entire world to become discordant. It’s a very strange feeling.”
“How come I can’t sense that? All I feel is that he’s very handsome and lofty. I wonder how challenging it is to seduce such a man, hehe.”
“Little girl, looks like your heart really is reluctant to leave the mundane world. Do you want to stop cultivating? If you spout nonsense again, I’ll have to give you a spanking! Ah, don’t say any more, or others will notice us.”
On the street, swords were drawn and bows were bent. On one side were the three great powers’ sect leaders, while on the other side were Mo Yunshan, Long Chen, and Mo Nian.
Mo Yunshan looked at the three of them, impatiently saying, “If you have something to say, then say it. If you have farts to release, then release them. If you want to fight, then let’s hurry up and fight. If you don’t, then fuck off. I still have to hold a welcoming dinner for my nephew. I don’t have time for your crap.”
The three of them only dared to move their mouths, not their fists, causing him to become impatient. But Long Chen saw something within their eyes.
“Hmph, Mo Yunshan, don’t think yourself to be so amazing just because you’ve managed to touch the barrier. You still need some time to truly reach half-step Sea Expansion.
“This is Qingzhou City, and we’re worried about people’s safety, so we’ll leave this matter here for today. But don’t let your Mo family assume this matter will end just like this.
“Now that your Mo family has been cut off from medicinal pills, you’ll inevitably decline. I’d advise you to be a bit more obedient, or the consequences will be very dire,” said Sun Changshou icily.
“Hahahaha!”
Mo Yunshan raised his head and laughed. An arrow suddenly shot straight towards Sun Changshou.
Sun Changshou was shocked, never imagining Mo Yunshan would dare do such a thing. Before he could do anything, the arrow was already right in front of him. He hastily slammed his palm forward.
BANG! His palm shattered the arrow, but he was blown back dozens of meters, appearing extremely miserable.
“You can cut the crap. Let’s fight.” Mo Yunshan raised his bow grandly, taking his fighting posture.
“You…! Fine, count yourself as vicious! We’re leaving.” Sun Changshou was furious, but in the end, he still left with Luo Yingxiong and Wang Yishan.
Watching them leave, Mo Yunshan’s expression was disdainful. He said to Mo Nian, “Our Mo family’s men don’t use our mouths when we can use our fists.
“Our strong point isn’t our spit; our strong point is killing people. You have to learn how to take advantage of your strengths to resolve your problems. Only then can you effic
iently make the most profit.”
Mo Nian’s mental realm had changed today. Although Mo Yunshan had said the same words to him many times before, today, he finally understood their true meaning.
“I understand, dad.” Mo Nian nodded.
“Haha, good, then let’s go back to Mo Gate and drink.”
Mo Yunshan led Long Chen and Mo Nian away. Long Chen and Mo Nian invited the Muxue Mercenary Unit to join them, but they diplomatically refused.
After all, they were not on the same level. Going to Mo Gate would definitely make them feel ill at ease. They preferred their freedom.
Long Chen didn’t force them. Saying goodbye, he said that they could come to find him at Mo Gate at any time.
Once they left, the spectators also disappeared. Mo Yi looked at the almost destroyed street, a flash of suspicion appearing in his eyes.
“Has the time still not come? They actually retreated again. Hehe, interesting!”
Mo Yi looked in a certain direction. He sensed a powerful existence there. That existence should also be able to sense him. However, neither of them made any moves. They simply watched each other through space for a moment before they both disappeared.
“Everyone’s gone. How boring. I thought there’d be an exciting battle.”
The two women walked out. They were wearing robes and bamboo hats that hid their faces and figures.
“Don’t complain. Let’s hurry up and return. Night’s coming and if we still don’t go back, we’ll be scolded by the pavilion master.”
The two mysterious women also disappeared from the street. In the end, only the disorderly mess in the street remained to mark what had happened.
Chapter 559 Mo Gate
Mo Gate was located on the north side of Qingzhou City. It wasn’t too large, only taking up an area of three hundred miles. All of Mo Gate was situated atop a large, stone mountain, looking just like an ancient city of stone.
Currently, the core experts of the Mo family were gathered within a large hall.
The only outsider present was Long Chen. Here, he saw a truly world-shaking figure: Mo Gate’s current master.
