Chapter 73: Mo Yue Leaves Home
Chapter 73: Mo Yue Leaves Home
A complicated emotion flashed through Tian Yun’s eyes. He sighed and said, “Gabriel is indeed the disgrace of the God Realm, but I still cannot let you cultivate and then seek revenge on him. If that happens, it may provoke a third great war between the God and Nether Realms. Are you really willing to see so many lives vanish because of you?”
I roared furiously, “I don’t care. No matter what, I have to avenge Big Brother Theomandis. As long as you don’t kill me, then one day...”
Tian Yun sighed. “All I can do is do my best and leave the rest to Heaven’s will. Rest now.” With that, there was a flash of white light, and Tian Yun disappeared.
A wave of dejection rose in my heart. Faced with this old man, who seemed gentle yet was unbelievably stubborn, I truly had no solution at all. Big Brother Theomandis, just how am I supposed to obtain your power as quickly as possible? In my current state, how can I possibly avenge you?
The anguish in my heart, coupled with the weakness of my body, gradually made me fall asleep.
When I woke again, my spirits were somewhat better, but my body was still weak. Going from a strong expert to an ordinary person was truly hard for me to adapt to. I sighed, struggled to sit up, and saw bright sunlight streaming through the only window in the stone chamber. I sat there for a while to get used to it, then braced myself against the edge of the bed and stood up. A wave of weakness swept over me, and my body swayed, nearly dropping me back onto the bed. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to endure it, supporting myself against the wall as I walked toward the door. Since my abilities had been sealed, the door was not locked. I pushed with force, and the door opened. A rush of fresh air hit me in the face, lifting my spirits. The dazzling sunlight made me a little uncomfortable, and I narrowed my eyes. After a brief moment of blindness, I finally saw the scene outside.
Everything before me could only be described as beautiful. This was a small mountain valley. The mountains all around were green, and the valley was carpeted everywhere with lush grass, with all kinds of wildflowers blooming in profusion. In the center of the valley stood a village of moderate size. The place where I was was one corner of the valley, and around me were several identical stone houses. Nearly all the houses in the village were built of stone. Many villagers moved back and forth through the settlement, busy with their work, though I had no idea what they were doing.
If I had come here for the first time, I would have thought this was simply a secluded paradise. But I knew clearly that this was the headquarters of the Saint Dragon Knights Corps. Yet there were far more people here than I had imagined, and I could not help feeling puzzled. Why would the Saint Dragon Knights Corps build its headquarters in a small village like this?
“Strange, isn’t it?” an aged voice said.
I turned my head. It was an old man with white hair and beard, smiling at me. His voice felt very familiar, yet for a moment I could not place it. “You are?”
The old man smiled slightly. “You don’t recognize me anymore? I’m Tian Gang.”
Tian Gang? So it was him. But he looked much older than his father, Tian Yun.
Tian Gang said, “You find it strange that we live in this village, don’t you? Actually, it’s easy to explain. Although we are a secret force of the Dragon God Empire, we are also human, and we have families of our own. All the villagers here are descendants of our Saint Dragon Knights Corps. In our family, the youngest child is Father’s eighth-generation great-grandchild. After so many years, naturally the population here has grown quite large.”
I asked, “Then haven’t you taught your descendants martial skills?”
Tian Gang smiled faintly. “Of course we teach them. But cultivation is strict and painful. If one’s aptitude is poor, then no matter how hard one works, at the end one can only reach the level of a Dragon Knight. Children with good aptitude are becoming rarer and rarer these days.” When he said that, Tian Gang looked somewhat wistful.
I laughed at myself and said, “Looks like I’ll be living here from now on, right?”
Tian Gang nodded slightly. “Yes. To tell the truth, you are the most talented young man I have ever seen. In terms of age, you should be in the same generation as the youngest children here, but your strength far surpasses theirs. The day you fought Uncle Yue, all of us Dragon Generals were utterly shocked. None of us expected you to be able to undergo two transformations. After transforming, your strength was definitely not below mine. Even now, I still don’t understand why Father wants to imprison you here. He could have chosen either to kill you or to let you go.”
From Tian Gang’s words, I knew Tian Yun had not told him anything about the affairs of the God Realm. It seemed Tian Yun did not want his descendants getting involved.
“Where is your father?”
“Father is in the valley, but he generally doesn’t tell us where he’s going. When he wants to see you, he’ll naturally appear. Father instructed me that if you need anything, just say it and I’ll do my best to satisfy you. Of course, that doesn’t include removing your seal. Even if I were willing, I don’t have that ability. Only Father can remove your seal.”
I had already known that would be the result. There was no use getting anxious now. I asked, “Your father is a mage, so why did you choose battle energy instead? If you cultivated light magic under your father’s guidance, perhaps you might have achieved even more.”
Tian Gang gave a bitter smile. “My aptitude isn’t good. I’m not suited to cultivating light magic. Being able to achieve what I have today was only possible because Father deliberately nurtured me. Come on, I’ll take you around the village. Father said you’re free to move around the village as you please.”
What use was moving freely? Right now I had no strength even to tie up a chicken. Any naughty child in the village could probably knock me down. Still, since I was here, it was better to get familiar with the surroundings.
Tian Gang found a wooden staff from somewhere, and with its support, I slowly followed him into the village.
A middle-aged man in his forties saw Tian Gang and respectfully called out, “Great-Grandfather.”
Tian Gang smiled faintly and said to me, “This is my sixth-generation descendant, Tian Hua. In terms of age, he could be your father.”
Tian Hua looked at me and asked, “Great-Grandfather, who is he?”
Tian Gang said, “This young friend was brought here from outside. From now on, he’ll also be living in our village. You all need to take good care of him.”
Tian Hua nodded. “Yes. Hello, little brother.” As he spoke, he extended his right hand toward me.
I instinctively reached out and said, “Hello.”
Tian Hua’s hand was very rough, but also very strong, clearly the result of cultivating martial skills all year round. When he gripped my hand, he applied a little force. Pain shot through my hand, and I could not help frowning.
Tian Hua immediately released my hand and said apologetically, “Little brother, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you didn’t know martial arts. Seeing how sturdy you look, I thought you cultivated martial skills.”
Tian Gang shot me a meaningful glance and said, “He doesn’t know martial arts. None of you are allowed to bully him in the future. Go on and get back to your work.”
A wave of bitterness rose in my heart. Once upon a time, I had been the lofty Rui Prince of the Beastmen and commander-in-chief of the entire army. Now I had fallen to this state, reduced to a powerless prisoner here.
Tian Gang took me around the village again. Almost everyone treated him with respect, while the looks they gave me were full of curiosity. When he finally escorted me back to the stone house, I lay back down on the bed blankly. My body immediately felt the comfortable release of rest, but my heart was exceptionally heavy. Faced with such a situation, I truly did not know how much longer I could endure. If things went on like this, I really would go mad.
The Demon Imperial Palace.
The Demon Emperor wore a dark expression as he listened to Gu Chuan’s report. “Worthy Brother, if this is really the case, then our Demon Race is in grave danger. The Dragon God Empire actually has such a powerful force hidden away, and all these years we knew nothing about it.”
Gu Chuan sighed and said, “That’s right, Your Majesty. We can’t go on like this any longer. We must accelerate our development. Otherwise, if Dragon God changes its mind and sends the Saint Dragon Knights Corps to lead an army against us, we absolutely won’t be able to withstand it.”
Mo Yue, beside the Demon Emperor, frowned and said, “Uncle Gu, if that so-called Destroy-Wind War God Li Feng is really as formidable as you say, then how did you manage to escape?”
Because Gu Chuan had promised Lei Xiang he would not reveal his involvement, he had only glossed over the matter in his report, merely saying that he escaped alone, without explaining the circumstances. Hearing Mo Yue’s question, his expression changed slightly, and he said, “I seized the chance and fled with all my might before they mounted their giant dragons.”
The Demon Emperor suddenly smiled faintly. “Worthy Brother, Worthy Brother, we grew up together from childhood. Do you think I don’t know your character? Every time you lie, you don’t dare look me in the eye. But it’s been fifty years since I last heard you lie. Between brothers like us, what is there that can’t be said?”
Though the Demon Emperor’s expression was very friendly, cold sweat broke out down Gu Chuan’s back. He sighed inwardly, knowing he could no longer conceal it. With a thud, he dropped to his knees and said, “I deserve death. I truly did hide something. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”
The Demon Emperor rose from his throne, personally helped Gu Chuan up, and said gently, “Worthy Brother, I’m not blaming you. I know that if you didn’t say it, you must have had your reasons. But this matter concerns the life and death of our Demon Race. I have to understand it clearly. I only want to know the truth.”
Gu Chuan said gratefully, “Your Majesty, I... ah, at the time, this is what happened...” He then told the entire story of how Lei Xiang saved him in that desperate situation, and how afterward they healed their injuries together and became sworn friends. The Demon Emperor was completely immersed in astonishment, and neither he nor Gu Chuan noticed that Mo Yue’s expression changed repeatedly when she heard news of Lei Xiang. By the time she heard that Lei Xiang had decided to go alone in search of the secret of the Five-Colored Radiance, her face had turned deathly pale.
“...That’s how it was. After that, I left. I think, given Lei Xiang’s nature, he definitely would have gone back to White Smoke Mountain. The chance was far too slim. Even if the two of us joined forces, we still definitely wouldn’t have been Li Feng’s match. But that kid’s determination was extremely firm.”
The Demon Emperor frowned and said, “I never would have thought that among the Beastmen there would be someone capable of cultivating the Heavenly Demon Art to the seventh layer. That’s unbelievable. And he’s far too young. That Lei Xiang is right. If we want to continue surviving on this continent, then we must ally with the Beastmen. Worthy Brother, immediately write a letter to the Beastmen King—no, go there personally. Bring plenty of gifts and tell him all these matters. A renewed alliance between our Demon and Beastmen races is the best course.”
Gu Chuan nodded gravely and turned to leave.
The Demon Emperor looked at his retreating figure, his heart uneasy, then returned to his throne and said, “Yue’er, what do you think of this matter?”
After a long while, he got no response from his daughter. Turning his head, he found that Mo Yue was staring blankly ahead, apparently lost in thought. He called out repeatedly, “Yue’er, Yue’er.”
Only then did Mo Yue come back to herself. “Father Emperor, what is it?”
The Demon Emperor said, “What are you thinking about so intently? I asked what you think of this matter.”
Mo Yue said, “The Dragon God Empire suddenly revealing such powerful strength is too great a threat to us. That Lei Xiang is right. We can only begin by developing ourselves. Only by growing stronger can we stand against them.”
The Demon Emperor nodded. “Yes. We have too few top experts now. The number of Two-Winged Fallen Angels has already dropped to only a little over twenty. This absolutely cannot continue. Guards.”
The leader of the guards entered, dropped to his knees, and said respectfully, “Your Majesty.”
A cold gleam flashed through the Demon Emperor’s eyes. “Pass down my order. All members of the imperial clan are to gather here immediately. I have an important matter to announce.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Mo Yue asked in confusion, “Father Emperor, you intend to...”
The Demon Emperor nodded. “That’s right. I’m going to gather all the imperial clan members for unified training. We absolutely must raise their abilities as much as possible. Only with several more Fallen Angels will we have the strength to contend with them. You don’t need to take part in the concentrated training. Your recent progress has been rapid, and you’re already close to breaking through the peak of the sixth layer. At that time, you’ll become the third Four-Winged Fallen Angel of our Demon Race. That boy named Lei Xiang really is a talent. If only we could win him over to our Demon Race. Other than you, he may be the youngest person to reach the Four-Winged stage. It’s truly somewhat unbelievable. Could it be that, just like you, he also encountered some lucky opportunity?”
Mo Yue’s face reddened, and she did not answer the Demon Emperor’s question. Instead, she changed the subject. “Father Emperor, then I’ll go back first to continue cultivating.”
“Mm. My Yue’er is becoming more and more obedient, and now even knows how to better herself.”
Mo Yue protested coquettishly, “Father Emperor.”
“All right, you may go.”
Mo Yue left the hall and returned to her residence, where she sat there in a daze. Ever since she had returned to the Demon Imperial Palace, Lei Xiang’s image had never once left her mind. At first, it had been full of resentment, but as time passed, every smile and every flash of anger from Lei Xiang had been deeply imprinted in her heart. Every time she thought of him, an unconscious smile would appear on Mo Yue’s face, and her heart would turn sweet. But now that she knew Lei Xiang was in danger, her heart felt terribly heavy. She did not know why, but his safety constantly tugged at her heart.
Mo Yue muttered to herself, “Why? Why do I keep thinking of him? Why am I worried about him? I should hate him, so why is this happening? Lei Xiang, Lei Xiang, you took away the most precious thing I had. Do you think you can just leave like this? If you die, what am I supposed to do? Ah...”
Her pretty face suddenly flushed hot, because she had abruptly recalled that shameful scene from that day. She stared blankly ahead, and then her expression changed drastically. “Could it be... could it be that I’ve actually fallen in love with that scoundrel who ruined my purity? No, impossible. How could I fall in love with him? Mo Yue, how could you become like this?”
She tried with all her might to throw Lei Xiang’s image out of her mind, but the more she tried, the more she thought of him. Suddenly she remembered Gu Chuan’s words—if Lei Xiang faced Li Feng head-on, he would certainly die. Could it be that Lei Xiang was already dead? At that thought, Mo Yue felt her whole body go weak, and her heart twisted painfully.
Mo Yue murmured, “No, no, that won’t do. That scoundrel absolutely cannot die. He still hasn’t paid the price for what he did. He definitely won’t die. I... I’m going to find him.”
Once she made up her mind, Mo Yue no longer cared about anything else. She stood up and began packing her luggage.
Early the next morning, when the maid came to attend on Princess Mo Yue as she woke, she discovered that there was an extra letter on the table. Not daring to delay, the maid immediately delivered it to the Demon Emperor, who was directing the imperial clan’s unified cultivation of the Heavenly Demon Art.
When the Demon Emperor heard that Mo Yue was missing, he was immediately shocked. Opening the letter, he saw that Mo Yue had written:
Father Emperor, I’ve left the palace to take care of something. If all goes well, I’ll return soon. Please don’t worry about me, and please don’t be angry.
Signed,
Your daughter who will always love you—Mo Yue
The Demon Emperor frowned as he thought, Where could that girl have gone?
Mo Yue had not left behind a single clue, so even if the Demon Emperor wanted to search for her, he had no trail to follow. In the end, he could only give up and continue subjecting the imperial clan to devilish training.
In the blink of an eye, I had already been with the Saint Dragon Knights Corps for ten days. My body had basically recovered, and I had mostly adapted to the loss of my power. Tian Yun had come to see me once during that time, spoken a few words, and then left. I was often alone, sitting by myself in the stone house. I had never once stopped cultivating. Even though my power had been sealed, I could still begin again from the very basics. I spent most of every day cultivating the Mad God Art. But over the past several days, I discovered that I could only gather an extremely tiny current of energy. Because my important meridians had all been sealed, it could not form a full circulation, so the rate of progress was very slow. But my conviction had never weakened. I believed that one day I would be able to break through the restraints of the seal and become strong once again.
Because my meridians were blocked, I opened another path. I cultivated separately within the unsealed meridians, so that each of them gradually developed a small current of energy. Every day, I used these currents to continuously batter the seal on my Mad God Battle Energy, because I knew that light and darkness opposed one another. There was no way I could break open the seal on my dark magic power. My only hope lay in the Mad God Battle Energy. More than once, I called to the Mad God Armor within my body, but the response was always extremely faint.
Though the progress was small, the Spirit Void Stone Milk I had taken back then was gradually beginning to show its effects. My skin and meridians were constantly being remolded. Even though I possessed only the strength of an ordinary person, that cool current inside my body continually nourished my meridians, causing the separately cultivated Mad God Battle Energy in them to show more and more signs of gathering into one.
Tian Yun had still underestimated the inheritance of a First-Rank Deity. As I continuously trained, I could feel that the Mad God Battle Energy and Mad God Armor sealed by him were steadily growing along with my outer battle energy. I thought that the moment when I could make the two streams of battle energy fuse into contact would be the moment I broke through the seal.
“Brat, you’re quite tenacious. Even after being sealed by Big Brother, you still haven’t stopped cultivating.”
A deep voice sounded out.
I slowly finished withdrawing my power and opened my eyes. Li Feng had appeared inside the room. This was the first time I had seen him since arriving here. Without his armor, I could see his full appearance. He looked much younger than Tian Gang, around fifty or sixty years old, and he was looking at me with a mocking expression.
I let out a cold snort and said, “What are you here for? If you want to kill me, then do it now.”
Li Feng snorted. “I wouldn’t lower myself to killing an ordinary person with no power. To tell the truth, that day I really wanted to take Second Brother’s place and fight you myself. Your abilities truly surprised me. After the double transformation, you actually came close to the strength of a Lower War God. A pity. I’m afraid you’ll spend the rest of your life here.”
I said angrily, “Did you come here just to humiliate me? If so, then your purpose has been achieved. Don’t stay here and annoy me.”
Li Feng said, “Do you know? The Beastmen King sent an envoy to the Dragon God Empire because of you.”
My heart jolted. The Beastmen King sent someone to Dragon God? Hadn’t I already told Big Brother not to let anything happen?
Li Feng continued, “I never expected you’d be worth so much. The Beastmen King was actually willing to exchange the land of two territories in return for your safe return. You really are highly valued in the Beastmen Kingdom.”
I blurted out, “What?”
The Beastmen King was actually willing to pay the price of two territories just to bring me back. That favor was far too great. Only at this moment did I truly begin to regard the Beastmen King as my father. All along, I had thought he was merely using me, but I had never expected that at such a crucial time, he would be willing to exchange territory for my sake alone. One could only imagine how much pressure he must have been under within the Beastmen Kingdom. He had only just gained control of the Beastmen Kingdom, yet he was willing to take such a risk for me.
Father Emperor, I truly did not place my trust in you in vain.
I looked at Li Feng coldly and asked, “And did your Emperor agree?”
Li Feng shook his head. “Without Big Brother’s consent, how could His Majesty agree so easily? Don’t entertain any hope. Big Brother already had His Majesty reject the Beastmen envoy.”
Hearing that, I instead let out a sigh of relief. “If that’s the case, then why did you come here to see me?”
Li Feng said, “To be honest, I truly hope you can break through Big Brother’s seal so that you and I can have a proper fight. A worthy opponent is hard to find. It’s been a very long time since I last had a truly satisfying match.”
I froze. “Wouldn’t you fight the Blazing-Rain War God Yue Wuyai? Or are you afraid you can’t beat him?”
Li Feng shook his head with a bitter smile. “It’s not that I’m afraid I can’t beat him. It’s that Second Brother simply won’t fight me. He’s just like Big Brother—always impossible to find. And the younger generation wouldn’t dare spar with me either. Ah, after living for more than one hundred and sixty years, I still feel very lonely. I don’t even have one person I can truly contend against.”
I said coldly, “So even you know what loneliness feels like. Fine. As long as I can break through the seal, the first person I’ll fight will be you.”
Li Feng shook his head. “Wait for you to break through the seal? By then, I’ll probably already be dead of old age. I’ve been with Big Brother for so many years, and even now I still don’t know how strong he truly is. Do you think his seal is that easy to break? Stop indulging in wishful thinking. I’m going to sleep.”
With a bang, the stone door shut behind him, and Li Feng was gone.
Puzzled, I thought, Did he come all this way just to crush my will to fight? If so, then he was mistaken. Even if I were imprisoned here for a hundred years, I would never give up hope of escaping. I absolutely could not remain a prisoner here forever.
At that thought, fury exploded in my heart, and I roared, “Mad God Battle Armor!”
The sealed Mad God Armor seemed to hear my call and trembled slightly within the seal. This time, it seemed somewhat stronger than last time. My heart leaped with joy. Borrowing the agitation of the Mad God Armor, I desperately used the tiny thread of Mad God Battle Energy in my body to batter at the faint-looking seal.
The result left me disheartened. Though the fluctuations of the Mad God Armor were clearly stronger than in the previous days, the toughness of the seal remained utterly unbreakable. After that burst of movement, the sealed energy once again sank into silence.
White Smoke Mountain.
A black shadow flashed by and landed silently on the mountain peak where the Five-Colored Radiance had appeared. Under the moonlight, her enchanting face was revealed. The pair of wings lightly beating behind her and her proud figure made her look irresistibly alluring. It was Mo Yue, who had come to search for Lei Xiang.
Mo Yue looked around, then unfolded her map and compared it. Muttering to herself, she said, “That’s right. It should be here. Those people shouldn’t have lied to me.”
It turned out that after leaving without saying goodbye that day, Mo Yue had immediately set out for the Dragon God Empire. Relying on her outstanding beauty and her human appearance, she easily slipped into Stru Fortress. After all, who would think a delicate beauty like her could possibly be dangerous?
Along the way, she caused quite a bit of trouble. Her exceptional looks and alluring figure possessed overwhelming destructive power even in the honest and simple Dragon God Empire. Men often came to strike up conversations with her, but Mo Yue always dealt with them skillfully. Of course, there were also some who tried to bully the weak by relying on their strength, but Mo Yue was not weak. Their endings were usually miserable.
Following the map she carried with her, Mo Yue quickly found the direction of White Smoke Mountain. In a small city not far from the White Smoke Mountain range, she spent several days investigating and gained a rough understanding of what had happened when the Five-Colored Radiance appeared, but she never obtained any news about Lei Xiang.
The closer she got to White Smoke Mountain, the stronger Mo Yue’s longing for Lei Xiang became. Yet she still refused to admit her feelings for him. She kept telling herself that she had come to find Lei Xiang for revenge and could not let him die by anyone else’s hand. After several days of effort, she had finally arrived here. After transforming, she easily flew up to the mountain peak.
Mo Yue looked all around and, relying on her keen instincts, found many traces of battle.
“Could Lei Xiang really be dead? That fellow’s life was ridiculously tough. My several sneak attacks never succeeded, and instead he even...” Mo Yue smacked her forehead and covered her flushed face as she thought, Why am I remembering that embarrassing incident again? This is too mortifying. No, even if he’s dead, I have to find his body. Dark Night Fog, heed my command. Centered on me, search all the dark aura around us.”
This was a dark exploration spell used to locate nearby beings with the same dark aura. Usually Fallen Angels used it to determine the positions of allies, but Mo Yue was using it to search for Lei Xiang.
A large mass of black mist continuously poured out from Mo Yue’s body and spread over the area around the mountain peak. Suddenly, Mo Yue’s heart trembled. A dark aura, though not strong, was very distinct, and it entered her mind through Dark Night Fog.
Joy rose in Mo Yue’s heart. To find a dark aura here could only mean Lei Xiang. She carefully followed the direction indicated by the aura, and at last, in a patch of grass, she found its source.
Under the moonlight, Mo Ming flickered with a strange glow, lying there in silence. Of course, Mo Yue recognized it at once as Lei Xiang’s sword. She immediately snatched up Mo Ming and carefully searched the nearby area, but the result was disappointing. She searched the entire mountain peak and still found no trace of Lei Xiang.
Tired, Mo Yue sat down on the ground and looked at Mo Ming in her hand. Muttering softly, she said, “Sword, if you truly have a spirit, then take me to find your master, all right?”
She said it only to comfort herself, but to her surprise, Mo Ming actually let out a light ring. In Mo Yue’s mind, there appeared a single thought—north.
She cried out in delight, “So you really do have a spirit. All right, I’ll do as you say.”
At the same time, Lei Xiang, who was in the Saint Dragon Knights Corps, also felt Mo Ming’s presence. The dark magic power sealed inside him quivered, and a familiar, intimate feeling spread through his whole body. Lei Xiang blurted out, “Ah, Mo Ming.”