In the blink of an eye, the Money Tree whisked them away to Qinghe County City.
They landed right in their own yard.
From a distance, Li Mo could sense the commotion over at Red Maple Mountain—talk about a shake-up!
Dozens of inner and outer realm experts clashing? That was practically an apocalypse unfolding!
“I still need to rush over and join the fight!”
After safely depositing everyone, Qian Bufan hoisted his hands behind his back, his squat figure exuding an air of authority.
“You guys, nothing else to worry about, right?”
Everyone shook their heads vigorously.
“Elder Qian.”
Li Mo stepped forward, seriousness etched across his face:
“Han Zhen is a former national advisor of Da Shang, his methods are as twisted as a pretzel. After teaming up with the Huanmo Sect, who knows what kind of devilish tricks he’ll pull? Everyone, please be extra cautious!”
He had used his divine eye to check things out.
Elder Qian might get a slight bruise, but overall, he’d be fine.
Just a friendly reminder from him.
“Former National Advisor…”
Qian Bufan squinted his mung bean eyes and nodded:
“Don’t worry, thanks to you, we’ll catch them off guard. Senior Shanggan and the master of Fen Yu Lin are both here; chaos is not in the cards.”
“This time… a reward is due to you in the sect.”
“Just doing my duty as a disciple.”
Li Mo cupped his hands in gratitude.
Honestly, he had just taken a casual look before, not expecting to hook such a big fish.
The teachers of Qingyuan Sect were reliable, even the sect leader had made an appearance himself.
That said, he knew plenty of investments would undoubtedly be credited to his account afterwards.
Qian Bufan shot up into the sky.
“Phew… I can’t rest yet.”
Li Mo felt all the tension leave his body after the big battle. He truly felt like a deflated balloon, not even wanting to lift a single finger.
“Son!” x2
Just then, a familiar call echoed in his ears.
The eyelids finally succumbed to a battle of their own, and he fell asleep.
“Zzzz…”
Li Mo was out like a light.
Meanwhile, the couple looked at their son snoozing soundly on Ying Bing’s shoulder and exchanged silent glances.
Shang Wu had also dozed off.
With their son home, he had fallen asleep in seconds.
What in the world had he learned from Shang Wu?
“Somebody, take the young master inside!”
The couple inspected Li Mo. Although his top was tattered, he hadn’t sustained any injuries, and they both sighed in relief.
They allowed the attendants to carry him inside.
“Letting him follow Shang Wu isn’t a problem if he’s just sleeping all day. But please, don’t let him learn any weird stuff…”
Li Dalong wore a frown.
His son had always been a bit mischievous, so he wanted him to sharpen his skills at Qingyuan Sect, but he also hoped it would refine his character.
He would never have imagined that Mo’er had become a disciple of Shang Wu!
From a little rascal to a universally disliked figure?
“Dear.”
Gu Xueqin tugged at her husband’s sleeve.
Li Dalong snapped back to reality and bowed to everyone present:
“Thank you, everyone, for taking care of my son and for any trouble he may have caused.”
“Feast’s ready at our place, please come…”
Old Li was an official who had seen some action, after all.
With just a glance, he could tell these young fighters were of exceptional pedigree, like dragons among men.
There were disciples from Fen Yu Lin, Gangdoumen, and true heirs from Qingyuan Sect.
Any of them would warrant respect from even the county magistrate himself, not to mention that disciple from Hengyun Sword City—now that was a true heavyweight.
And he’d seen this guy’s portrait.
Bai Jinghong!
A prodigy on the Qianlong List—he’d put even the son of a noble to shame.
Whoosh—
But Old Li barely got his words out.
“Sir, too kind!”
The burly Tie Qi bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle, almost smashing his head into the stone floor.
“Sir, too humble!”
Ouyang made a dramatic flourish with his sleeve.
Bai Jinghong and Luo Yu were prepared to just nod and move on.
But that icy glare from Ying Bing suddenly dropped on them.
Ice Chunk’s gaze.
“Sir and Madam!”
The two spoke in perfect sync.
All the others had no need for any more explanations.
If “Sir and Madam” were replaced by “Big Bro and Sis,” it would have felt like a gathering of some underground organization…
And believe me, the vibe was eerily accurate.
Fifty miles away, the battle raged on like fireworks on New Year’s.
Ke Dalong hesitated, almost letting slip a “You may rise.”
Thankfully, Gu Xueqin knew her husband’s nature and pinched his waist just in time.
Old Ke merely smiled awkwardly:
“No need for formalities, no need for formalities… let’s eat!”
“Ice Girl, lead the young heroes!”
“Sure!”
…
The couple watched as the group of young talents obediently followed Ying Bing toward the reception room.
Ke Dalong was suddenly jolted awake, feeling a pleasant tingling in his body.
Ah, today’s sun felt so round, and the flowers were so vibrant!
Old Ke was riding a little high.
“Are today’s talented warriors always this courteous?”
Gu Xueqin asked, puzzled.
“Didn’t you notice?”
Ke Dalong refocused, pondering for a moment before speaking.
“Notice what?”
“These big sect disciples treat Ice Girl with a sort of reverence, as if they look to her as a leader.”
Ke Dalong said seriously.
He, of course, knew by now that Ice Girl was the true heir of Qingyuan Sect.
But simply having that title wouldn’t make other talented youths treat her with such respect.
“It only means that her talent and skills make them willingly bow their heads.”
“I always said Ice Girl is extraordinary, calm and wise.”
Gu Xueqin beamed with pride.
Ke Dalong chewed on his words.
Who knows if that little rascal has picked up any skills?
Guess he’d have to wait until he woke up to ask him.
…
On the other side.
The battle between the two sides had heated up considerably.
Members of the Huanmo Sect were all huddled around Han Zhen, forming what felt like an invisible formation.
This formation was neither offensive nor defensive.
It was merely to summon a certain entity.
Boom—
The sky seemed to have been draped with an invisible shroud, forming ominous dark clouds piled high, and within, an incredibly potent aura was brewing.
Some kind of entity was about to make its grand entrance.
Everyone present felt an unbearable pressure.
Suddenly.
A figure emerged at the center of the battlefield.
Shanggan Wencang.
He didn’t even need to unleash a field, yet every realm was rendered irrelevant before him, his aura overpoweringly mighty.
He casually pulled out a hand, and clouds from all around swirled together, forming a colossal hand.
With this one hand, it truly felt as if he could pluck the stars from the sky.
This was sheer force, pure law, and harmonized rhythm.
“Shanggan Wencang is so close to reaching the realm of law-body.”
The old man from Hengyun Sword City sighed softly, retracting the ominous sword energy surrounding him.
The external appearance seemed solid, all the mysterious power integrating into his being.
Every gesture mirrored divine power.
That was the law-body!
Boom—
The formation Han Zhen commanded shattered instantly.
Amid the chaotic energy, he transformed into countless bl**d shadows, scattering into the air.
This wasn’t being shattered, but rather, making a tactical retreat.
Others weren’t so fortunate.
They were all pinned to the ground by the large hand of cloud, unable to move.
The hand that had already lost most of its mystical qualities fell into Shanggan Wencang’s grasp.
No joy was visible on his face; instead, he wore a thoughtful expression.
“Ke Mo said the one who fled was the former national advisor of Da Shang.”
Qian Bufan stepped closer and spoke softly.
Shanggan Wencang’s face grew serious, and after a long pause, he sighed:
“What a disaster-filled autumn.”
“Details about the secret realm… I’ll have to ask Ke Mo to learn more.”
Qian Bufan glanced at Yin Huaxuan, who had been dragged over by Shang Wu, looking half-dead, and couldn’t help but sigh lightly:
“If it weren’t for him, this time at the bl**d Phoenix Secret Realm, we’d have lost a good chunk of our elite members, leaving us high and dry.”
“In-house matters… we’ll discuss later.”
Shanggan Wencang turned around and his voice resonated through the clouds:
“Everyone, please come and have a chat.”
