Chapter 61: A Ride on the Winds
On the eastern road of Salt City, Ya Fei glanced uncertainly in the direction of the Mo Clan's fortress. A brief glimpse earlier seemed to show two dark figures flashing across the sky above the Mo Clan's compound.
"Manager?" A cautious guard asked, breaking the silence. "What should we do next?"
"Something's going on over at the Mo Clan's side, isn't it?" Ya Fei's delicate brows furrowed slightly as she asked, her tone contemplative. Her strength was relatively low she had only been a Dou Zhe for a few months so her perception was far inferior to that of the head of her guards, who was a seasoned Dou Shi.
"I can't say for sure, Manager," the head guard responded solemnly, shaking his head. "But things don't look good for the Mo Clan right now."
"Oh? How so?" Ya Fei arched an elegant eyebrow, a faint trace of schadenfreude flitting across her beautiful face. She had always harbored a distaste for the Mo Clan.
"The pressure radiating from that direction is overwhelming," the guard captain replied gravely. "I couldn't even summon the thought to resist. At the very least, whoever is there is at the Dou Wang level."
As if to confirm his words, a faint, anguished scream echoed from the direction of the Mo Clan. It was so soft that Ya Fei might have missed it had they been farther away.
"Interesting… Let's find a place to settle for now. We're not in a hurry to leave. Let's wait and see what happens." Ya Fei smiled faintly as she issued her command.
"Understood!"
Within the Mo Clan Fortress…
"No, no, no… It wasn't me! I didn't do it!" Mo Ran stammered repeatedly, waving his hands frantically. His panicked, high pitched voice betrayed his terror.
Under Lu Bu's piercing gaze, Mo Ran felt as if even breathing had become an impossible task. The invisible pressure bearing down on him made his spine curve involuntarily.
As Lu Bu shifted his gaze, Mo Cheng heaved a sigh of relief. The immense pressure on him finally eased, and for a fleeting moment, he felt hope returning. He had thrown Mo Ran under the bus to buy himself time, and with the backing of the Misty Cloud Sect, he believed he might just survive.
Nalan Yanran is on her way. I just need to hold out until she arrives!
"Honorable sir," Mo Cheng began, his breath labored and his face pale. Though the pain from his severed arm was excruciating, the glimmer of hope in his heart seemed to energize him.
"My Mo Clan acknowledges its wrongdoing, and I personally take responsibility for our mistakes. On behalf of the clan, I apologize to you."
Mo Cheng straightened up, his tone growing more resolute. "The Mo Clan is willing to surrender the culprit, Mo Ran, as penance for our actions. We humbly ask for your forgiveness. Whatever reparations you seek, we, along with the Misty Cloud Sect, are ready to comply."
Turning sharply to his subordinates, he bellowed, "Mo Guards! Seize Mo Ran immediately!"
In this life or death moment, Mo Cheng forcibly suppressed the beastly instincts gnawing at his mind. His words were quick and calculated.
He invoked the Misty Cloud Sect to wield their authority, expressed a willingness to pay for peace, and even offered up a scapegoat all to buy time and give Lu Bu and his group an out to save face.
With Mo Cheng's command, Mo Ran's fate was sealed. Before the Mo Guards could move, several Dou Shi elders from the Mo Clan stepped forward and restrained the struggling Mo Ran.
One elder raised his fist, aiming a lethal blow at Mo Ran's throat to silence him forever.
However…
This entire scenario was purely the Mo Clan's wishful thinking. Neither Lu Bu nor Hai Bodong had any intention of letting Mo Cheng live.
"Humph!"
Hai Bodong snorted coldly, and the Mo Clan elders who had moved to attack Mo Ran spat blood simultaneously. Their faces turned deathly pale as they slumped to the ground, the blood they vomited freezing mid air and shattering upon impact with the ground.
"You truly intend to wage a fight to the death with the Mo Clan and the Misty Cloud Sect?!" Mo Cheng screeched, his voice cracking with desperation. He couldn't believe that even after all his concessions, they still wanted to exterminate him.
"Jie… You're overthinking it," Lu Bu said lightly, his tone dismissive. "I have a good relationship with Yun Yun. So... the fish will die, but the net will remain intact."
With a step forward, Lu Bu's figure blurred, vanishing from sight.
Hai Bodong's pupils contracted slightly as he watched. Such speed… even at my full strength, I could barely keep up.
Lu Bu had always been fast, but previously, it was a matter of his superior cultivation level suppressing Hai Bodong. Now that Hai Bodong had regained his strength, the disparity still existed a testament to Lu Bu's monstrous physical prowess.
"This guy's body must rival that of a sixth tier magical beast…" Hai Bodong thought grimly.
Meanwhile, Mo Cheng's expression froze in shock. This man… has ties with the Misty Cloud Sect?
Before he could process this revelation, a sharp gust of wind roared toward him. His face twisted as his pupils turned into golden vertical slits a sign of his beastly transformation. His wings flapped furiously as he narrowly dodged the incoming attack.
"Hmm?" Lu Bu's voice came from above, his figure appearing mid air.
"Ha! My Azure Flame Eagle's eyes aren't just for show!" Mo Cheng laughed maniacally, reveling in his temporary victory. The modifications to his body had turned him into a chimera like being, with his original humanity all but erased.
Hai Bodong couldn't help but twitch at Mo Cheng's idiotic confidence. Did this fool think he could match Lu Bu just because he dodged once? That wasn't even Lu Bu's full speed!
"Jie… Want to try that again?"
Lu Bu's cold laughter rang out.
A chill ran down Mo Cheng's spine as he instinctively flapped his wings, soaring higher into the air. The frantic motion of his wings created a series of explosive sounds.
Boom!
A tremendous force suddenly struck down from above, landing heavily on Mo Cheng's chest.
"Waaah!"
Mo Cheng spewed blood as his body, which had been rapidly ascending, was now sent hurtling back even faster.
"Grand Elder!"
The members of the Mo family cried out in shock. The renowned Grand Elder, whose name resounded across the entire eastern province, was now utterly powerless before that young man?
With a deafening crash, Mo Cheng slammed into the blue stone ground of the Mo Clan fortress. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, forming a gruesome scene.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to pay a price!" Mo Cheng's dimming eyes suddenly sharpened, a madness and venomous hatred erupting in his transplanted beast like pupils.
His wings flapped, his body surging forward like a black streak, charging straight at Qing Lin.
"Hahaha! Even if I die, I'll drag one of you down with me!" Mo Cheng shrieked wildly, his crimson Dou Qi surging forth in a scorching wave that rushed toward Qing Lin.
Qing Lin's delicate face turned pale; the oppressive aura of a Dou Ling was suffocating.
"You won't get the chance."
A calm voice echoed through the air before a resounding explosion followed.
A golden blue fist materialized out of nowhere, unadorned by Dou Qi or soul fluctuations.
Boom!
The ground shattered, spiderweb like cracks spreading in all directions. Mo Cheng's maniacal and contorted face was smashed deep into the stone floor.
Lu Bu flicked his foot, sending a sharp, whistling kick straight into Mo Cheng's abdomen.
Bang!
Mo Cheng's body flew backward, skidding across the ground, carving a long trench before coming to a half dead stop.
"Cough… I regret this…" Mo Cheng choked on his blood, his hawk like beast eyes glaring at Lu Bu with unrelenting hatred. He knew there was no way Lu Bu would spare him, so he no longer begged for mercy.
"I should have gone all out half a month ago to kill that old man and dig out those Triple Jade Green Snake Flower Pupils!" Mo Cheng's eyes were bloodshot with hatred and madness. He deeply regretted not going all in from the start to seize the coveted eyes.
"Don't bother thinking about it. You never had a chance." Lu Bu's voice was indifferent.
If Mo Cheng had been reckless back then, his only outcome would have been death at Hai Bodong's hands. His only viable choice was to retreat and gather reinforcements.
But unfortunately for him, Lu Bu had returned. Now, there was no chance left for him.
"And now, you're completely out of time." Lu Bu flicked his fingers, sending a strand of Green Lotus Core Flame straight at Mo Cheng.
Mo Cheng's blood stained face twisted in terror. He gritted his teeth and frantically flapped his wings, desperately trying to dodge the incoming flame.
"You… You'll regret this! The Misty Cloud Sect won't let you go! Their Young Sect Leader, Nalan Yanran, is already on her way!" Mo Cheng screamed, clinging to his last hope.
"Idiot. I already told you I have a good relationship with the Misty Cloud Sect's leader." Lu Bu's tone was flat as he flicked his fingers again. A green flash cut through the air.
Mo Cheng was beyond reason now, his mind clinging desperately to the idea that the Misty Cloud Sect would avenge him.
If Yun Yun weren't confined to the Misty Cloud Sect, Lu Bu might have actually played along and psychologically destroyed Mo Cheng before killing him.
The Green Lotus Core Flame instantly adhered to Mo Cheng's body, expanding violently into a raging inferno.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!"
Mo Cheng howled in agony, rolling on the ground, his screams echoing through the fortress as he desperately tried to douse the flames with his Dou Qi.
But the Green Lotus Core Flame clung to him like a parasite, impossible to remove.
The Mo Clan members shivered uncontrollably, their faces pale with fear.
Qing Lin's expression hardened, her gaze frosty as she unsheathed a short sword and walked toward Mo Ran.
The remaining Mo Clan members had completely lost the will to resist. With the Grand Elder's gruesome demise unfolding before them, none dared to move.
"N No… Please… Spare me…" Mo Ran trembled as he tried to crawl backward, his voice shrill with terror.
Slash!
A cold light flashed.
The short sword pierced straight into Mo Ran's heart. His screams stopped abruptly as blood gushed forth. His lifeless eyes remained wide open, unable to believe his fate.
Lu Bu nodded slightly but said nothing. He had never pressured Qing Lin to take action before, but now that she had taken the initiative, he was pleased.
The Dou Qi Continent was no peaceful paradise it was a land of slaughter and survival. If one wasn't ruthless, they wouldn't live long.
Qing Lin removed Mo Ran's storage ring and took out a black and red beast core.
"Well done, Qing Lin." Hai Bodong nodded approvingly before lightly tapping his foot.
A tidal wave of freezing Dou Qi erupted, blanketing the stone ground in an icy frost.
The Mo Clan's elders and elite warriors were instantly turned into frozen statues, their lives extinguished in absolute silence.
"Hmph… Foolish Mo Clan!"
Hai Bodong snorted in disdain. He flicked his fingers, sending an invisible force rippling outward.
The frozen statues shattered, leaving nothing behind but scattered shards of ice.
"Let's go." Lu Bu waved his hand dismissively, flames surging once more as Mo Cheng's charred remains crumbled into ashes.
"Right." Hai Bodong nodded and took to the air.
"What's our next destination?"
"The Imperial Capital… Hmm? Looks like we just found a perfect ride." Lu Bu raised an eyebrow, gazing toward the northwest.
(End of Chapter)
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