On a bright sunny day, with the heavens shining down, Li Mo stole a glance sideways. Elder Qian had already made himself scarce, so he looked up to see Qiao Ziyu looming before him, shrouded in a black robe.
“Name your price,” he casually remarked.
For Little Li, anything that could be solved with money was no big deal.
“Hmph! Who wants your stinky money?” Qiao Ziyu huffed in reply.
“Isn’t your next move about crossing this road? I mean, even robbers need to leave a toll, right?”
“……”
Qiao Ziyu froze, realizing Li Mo might have a point there. The tension in the air must have gotten to him because he blurted it out.
“Ha ha ha! We are members of the Huanmo Sect, aiming to bring d*ath! Money is of no interest to us…”
“That’s not quite right. People from the Huanmo Sect are always in need of cash.”
Li Mo waved his hand nonchalantly.
“The Huanmo Sect has monthly financial reports, and from what I gather, their net profit last quarter plummeted by 20%. Plus, several business ventures are currently floundering, and they’ve temporarily lost a founding shareholder…”
“Is the way a cult operates that disciplined?”
Someone whispered, contemplating deeply.
“Ah, my good fellow, you’ve asked the right question!” Li Mo raised a finger, “What you might not know is that the Huanmo Sect is actually a remnant of the Huan Shen Sect, which used to be the religion of the Da Shang Kingdom.”
“If there were no solid rules, how could they have lasted for thousands of years?”
“Sounds about right…”
The members of the Lingxi Gate embarked on a hushed buzz, suddenly realizing the truth. The Huanmo Sect lasted this long—there must be some rules in place!
“Who do you think you are? We are the Huanmo Sect! What could we possibly learn from you?!”
Qiao Ziyu could no longer contain himself.
What even is going on here?!
“Junior Sect Master, our formation is nearly ready. Delay and we could lose the advantage,” the elderly steward suddenly spoke up.
“Yeah, I almost got sidetracked by this kid,” Qiao Ziyu snapped back to focus, his expression sharpening.
“Set the formation!”
Upon his command, the members of the Lingxi Gate split into two groups. Most of the lower-ranked disciples went to the perimeter to keep out any wayward souls.
Only a small number of Observation Realm disciples took specific positions; their energy intertwined, making the very air feel dense.
“Hmph, I know you have more tricks up your sleeves aside from martial arts. Like that cloud you ride on—it’s unnaturally fast and lets you glide through the air. This move has been specially prepared just for you!”
“Don’t you recognize the might of this forbidden formation?!”
“Yikes…”
Li Mo felt the pressure around him intensify, his expression shifting slightly.
With so many opponents mobilized, he should be experiencing severe suppression, right?
Why does he feel… more and more excited?!
“Are you scared yet?!”
Qiao Ziyu sneered. “Once you’re trapped in this forbidden formation, no matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve, they won’t matter. I know you have four wondrous abilities hidden within, but you’ll be lucky to unleash even a fraction of them!”
“So I guess I’m left with just my good ol’ body?” Li Mo glanced down; his Nimbus Cloud seemed to be slipping a bit.
But it’s fine—his Inner Realm could already let him hover, so he wasn’t worried about falling off.
“Exactly! I must admit, you are indeed a prodigy, but to deal with you, I have to use all my cards from the very start instead of sending someone slightly stronger to get themselves killed.”
Qiao Ziyu’s smile turned increasingly manic.
Elder Qian, concealed nearby, felt a chill of respect.
Li Mo: “…..”
“Ah, I know your physical strength is still formidable! But… there are three thousand of us, and each of them can lend me a fragment of their strength!”
With a bellow, Qiao Ziyu ripped his clothing apart.
He wore a deep-sea dogfish pearl that boosted his powers, glowing an enchanting blue, weaving threads of energy that surged through him like wild fire.
In an instant, his physical strength became utterly terrifying.
“Ah, feeling the power surging within is intoxicating! I intended just to keep you trapped here, but if you can’t withstand a move from me, well, that’s on you!” Qiao Ziyu cackled like a madman.
Ke Mo, finding some odd entertainment in spells and peculiar techniques, observed for a moment and shook his head. “Your power may have increased, but this method doesn’t seem too smart for your brain.”
“I’M GONNA TAKE YOU DOWN!”
Qiao Ziyu felt invincible, certain he could tussle with a Disaster Beast using just his physical body.
But what did that look he received from Ke Mo mean?
Had he been struck stupid by some secret technique? Was he seriously having fun at his expense?!
ROAR—
He charged through the air, a blast of energy exploding behind him like he was a rampaging giant.
Then…
There was nothing.
In his vision, suddenly a fist appeared, piercing his eyes with agonizing brightness.
In that moment, he saw the sky pressing down on him, Ke Mo’s unflinching expression, and his great-grandmother waving at him, all while flashing back to his childhood of martial training and learning strange arts…
He couldn’t recall the last time some crazy technique had his life flashing before his eyes…
Next second, his world plunged into darkness.
So, he was really about to kick the bucket, huh?
BOOM—
The air erupted into a shower of bl**d.
To the members of the Lingxi Gate maintaining the great formation, it was as if Li Mo casually threw a punch, and their Junior Sect Master just evaporated into thin air.
“Increased power, but still the same frail body—what’s the big deal?”
Li Mo sighed and looked at the others.
“!”
The steward’s pupils shook violently, swallowing hard.
Is this even a human anymore?
They set up this forbidden formation because they feared the tricks Li Mo could unleash when given the chance, thinking a fourth-realm body wouldn’t be much to deal with compared to their three thousand—essentially a herd of pigs…
But in reality…
It appeared the ones truly trapped were… them!
“Break the formation! Charge together, let’s avenge the Junior Sect Master!”
The steward shouted.
A horde of Lingxi disciples hurriedly attempted to dismantle the formation, as the steward summoned his external appearance.
“Exactly! We’re in the Huanmo Sect now, so what’s the point of upholding any code of the martial world?!”
“Let’s all go together!”
The techniques were indeed unfathomable.
As they bristled with fighting spirit.
The steward, now finally manifesting externally, made a decisive move, his figure darting forward.
He seemed to have made a decision and then spun around, sprinting off without a single glance back.
Fighting Li Mo? Who knows if he’d even win!
But his monthly salary was just a few thousand taels—he wasn’t about to gamble with his life.
Lingxi Disciples: “?”
But before anyone could react, the figure resembling an ultimate Disaster Beast charged into their ranks.
