Chapter 588: Bloody Revenge, the Opening of the Treasure Hall
The battle for Yuan City came to a roaring end with Mo Yu's reemergence.
This great battle would undoubtedly elevate both Mo Yu's and Yuan Mansion's reputation across Zhongzhou. Single-handedly, Mo Yu fought against five Half-Saints, injuring four and forcing one to surrender. It wasn't until a Dou Sheng from the Soul Clan intervened that the surviving Half-Saints of the Hall of Souls barely managed to escape with their lives.
Such a feat would leave anyone in awe. In the eyes of many, Half-Saints were practically legendary figures. Yet now, Mo Yu, who had seemingly been out of reach for ordinary people, had managed to overpower such figures, shaking everyone to their core.
From this point on, it was unlikely that any faction in Zhongzhou would underestimate the rising power of Yuan Mansion.
In stark contrast to Yuan Mansion's grand victory, the Tianming Sect and the Hall of Souls were left in ruins. The only Half-Saint of the Tianming Sect surrendered to Mo Yu, while the large force that the Hall of Souls had sent to attack Yuan City was wiped out.
It was clear to everyone that from now on, the Tianming Sect would no longer exist as a significant force in Zhongzhou. As for the Hall of Souls, it had gained a new formidable enemy in Yuan Mansion.
As rumors of the battle at Yuan City spread like wildfire across Zhongzhou, Yuan Mansion itself remained relatively calm. Over the past few days, they had only been cleaning up after the battle. Although Yuan Mansion suffered some losses from the invasion of the Tianming Sect and the Hall of Souls, those losses were minimal compared to their enemies.
The peace lasted for three days before Yuan Mansion launched its counterattack, under the watchful eyes of many.
Led by Mo Yu, Medicine Elder, and Qing Zhi—three Dou Sheng powerhouses—Yuan Mansion retaliated swiftly. The western branches of the Hall of Souls were obliterated, with hardly any organized resistance from the enemy.
Despite these losses, the Hall of Souls headquarters did not send any reinforcements, as if they had vanished without a trace. After destroying the western branches of the Hall of Souls, Mo Yu decided it was wise to pull back and not continue pursuing them.
After all, the Hall of Souls headquarters was still home to two genuine Dou Shengs, with the Hall Master being a terrifying Five-Star Dou Sheng. Even with Mo Yu's current strength, he wasn't ready to provoke such a force.
However, while Mo Yu refrained from further attacks on the Hall of Souls, he didn't return to Yuan Mansion. Instead, he led his forces to the headquarters of the Tianming Sect.
"Master Mo, the Grand Elder has already surrendered to your Mansion. Why do you still lead such a large army to attack our Tianming Sect?"
On a mountain near the Tianming Sect's headquarters, the sect leader gazed at Mo Yu and the vast force of Yuan Mansion behind him, his face pale with fear.
The news of Mo Yu breaking through to Dou Sheng had spread across the continent like wildfire. As one of the parties involved in the Yuan City battle, the Tianming Sect was all too aware of the situation.
Now, seeing Mo Yu leading a vast army to their doorstep, even the sect leader, who prided himself on his calm demeanor, couldn't help but sweat profusely.
Mo Yu's indifferent gaze landed on the Tianming Sect leader. This man wasn't weak; he was a beginner Half-Saint. Along with the old monster of the Tianming Sect, their sect had two Half-Saints, which explained why they ranked among the top two sects.
"Since you've already said that the old monster of the Tianming Sect has joined Yuan Mansion, why hasn't the rest of the sect followed suit?" A beautiful woman standing behind Mo Yu snorted coldly.
The woman was Xiang Lin, a disciple Mo Yu had taken under his wing a few years ago. After several years of growth, she had reached the level of a Six-Star Dou Zong. While this strength wasn't particularly high within Yuan Mansion, achieving Six-Star Dou Zong at only twenty years old was an impressive feat, even by the standards of ancient clans.
Given that Mo Yu had recently broken through to Dou Sheng, he decided to take this opportunity to mentor his young disciples and brought Xiang Lin along to gain experience. As for the other two disciples, Huang Tu and Xuan Wu, they were assigned to assist Uncle She and Qing Zhi in leading more dangerous operations to destroy other branches of the Hall of Souls.
"Boys need to toughen up," Mo Yu thought.
Hearing Xiang Lin's words, the Tianming Sect leader nervously glanced at Mo Yu, wiping sweat from his forehead as he tried to explain: "Master Mo, we do not oppose the Grand Elder joining Yuan Mansion. However, forcing the entire Tianming Sect to merge into Yuan Mansion might be too much. Our sect has stood for nearly a thousand years, and its disciples and elders are accustomed to their identity as members of the Tianming Sect. Forcing them to join Yuan Mansion would cause discomfort."
Mo Yu couldn't be bothered to argue further. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Old Monster Tianming, this matter is yours to handle. You have half an hour."
As Mo Yu spoke, an old figure in a gray robe slowly emerged behind him. The man appeared ancient, like a monster in human form. Though he seemed unremarkable, the pressure he exuded was impossible to ignore. This was none other than the old monster of the Tianming Sect.
Seeing the elder, the sect leader was stunned. "Grand Elder, what are you doing here? Didn't you..."
"Didn't I surrender to Yuan Mansion? What, are you still treating me as a traitor?" the old monster cut him off coldly.
"Of course not," the sect leader quickly shook his head, speaking respectfully.
Though he was the sect leader in name, the old monster had long been the true backbone of the sect, commanding far more power and respect.
As soon as the old monster appeared, murmurs spread among the Tianming Sect's disciples and elders, who were shocked to see him back.
"Grand Elder, why have you come today?" the sect leader asked, still confused.
The old monster wasted no time and answered directly: "Yi Yang, I've sincerely pledged my loyalty to Yuan Mansion. Master Mo is an outstanding leader with the potential to become a supreme powerhouse. My purpose in coming here is to ensure the smooth integration of the Tianming Sect into Yuan Mansion. Resistance is futile."
"What!?"
The disciples and elders of the Tianming Sect were stunned. They never imagined the Grand Elder would be here to persuade them to surrender. The sect leader's face darkened, unsure if the elder was acting of his own will or being coerced by Mo Yu. Either way, the sect was now in its most critical moment.
"Surrendering to Yuan Mansion is the natural course of events. As the Grand Elder of the Tianming Sect, I advise you to join Yuan Mansion. If anyone dares resist, I'll be the first to take them down!" the old monster declared coldly.
Hearing this, many disciples and elders hesitated. If even the Grand Elder was saying so, wasn't surrendering just following his lead?
Seeing the situation, Yi Yang's face turned grim. After a moment of thought, he sighed and said, "Very well. From today onward, the Tianming Sect ceases to exist. All elders and disciples will join Yuan Mansion."
There was no point in fighting against the inevitable, especially with the old monster leading the charge. Yi Yang had no choice but to accept the situation.
Mo Yu nodded in satisfaction as the Tianming Sect agreed to surrender. As one of the two top sects, the Tianming Sect was even stronger than the Flower Sect and had rivaled Yuan Mansion before Mo Yu became a Dou Sheng. Now, with the sect's swift merger into Yuan Mansion, their strength would skyrocket. While they wouldn't be able to match the Hall of Souls just yet, they would become a dominant force in Zhongzhou.
After securing the Tianming Sect's allegiance, Mo Yu turned to the old monster and said, "I leave the reorganization to you. Weed out any false loyalty—we don't need traitors in Yuan Mansion."
"As you command, Master Mo," the old monster replied respectfully.
With that, the old monster leaped toward the headquarters to begin the integration process.
Seeing Mo Yu's efficient handling of the situation, many of the Tianming Sect's top figures began to speculate. Knowing the old monster's crafty nature, they found it hard to believe that he had truly submitted to Yuan Mansion. Perhaps his current cooperation was just a strategy to buy time. Mo Yu, being young, might not realize this.
If that was the case, they would fully cooperate with the old monster's plan, hoping that their efforts would not go to waste.
Yet, none of them noticed the faint, eerie black lotus mark flashing on the old monster's forehead...
With the Tianming Sect subdued, Mo Yu entrusted the old monster with the follow-up work and led his forces to the Central Region to wipe out the remaining branches of the Hall of Souls.
Yuan Mansion's revenge lasted for ten full days. In that time, they destroyed at least twenty branches of the Hall of Souls, large and small. With their four Half-Saints and one One-Star Dou Sheng leading the charge, these branches stood no chance.
Yuan Mansion's relentless assault sent a shockwave through the region. Previously, Yuan Mansion had been quietly growing in strength, without showing much aggression. As a result, some forces didn't take them seriously. But now, they realized that Yuan Mansion wasn't a docile lamb—it was a tiger ready to strike when provoked.
As ten days passed, Yuan Mansion's forces began to withdraw. Despite their rampage, the Hall of Souls headquarters had remained eerily silent, with no reinforcements sent to the branches. Instead, they gathered their forces, avoiding confrontation with Yuan Mansion. This led Mo Yu to order a strategic retreat.
It seemed the Hall of Souls had backed down.
Despite this apparent retreat, Mo Yu remained cautious. The Hall of Souls had always been cunning, and their inaction likely meant they were gathering strength for a future attack. Mo Yu knew he couldn't underestimate them, even as a newly ascended Dou Sheng.
In the original timeline, Xiao Yan faced immense pressure from the Hall of Souls, even after becoming a Dou Sheng. He had to form alliances with the Pill Tower, Burning Flame Valley, and the Flower Sect to create the "Heavenly Court Alliance" and counter the Hall of Souls.
This showed just how terrifying the Hall of Souls could be.
However, Mo Yu didn't need to worry about alliances. With the Thunder Clan as his backing, the Hall of Souls would have to think twice before launching an all-out assault. Even if they did, such a move could trigger panic among the other ancient clans, especially the Gu Clan, and draw unwanted attention to their secret plans.
For now, Mo Yu wasn't too worried about the Soul Clan sending their top forces against him and Yuan Mansion. Such an action would likely provoke the Thunder Clan, and Mo Yu knew that the Thunder Clan's patriarch, Lei Ying, would do everything in his power to protect a potential Dou Di like Mo Yu. If the Soul Clan made a move, Lei Ying would likely raise the entire Thunder Realm in retaliation.
Yuan City, atop the high spire in the heart of the city, inside the council hall of Yuan Mansion…
After completing the mission to destroy the Hall of Souls branches, the forces led by Mo Yu, Uncle She, and Qing Zhi returned to Yuan City in triumph.
"Uncle She, thank you for all your hard work," Mo Yu said, a hint of guilt in his eyes as he welcomed Uncle She back.
"Heh, Yuan Mansion isn't just yours—it's also my home. If the Hall of Souls wants to destroy it, they'll have to pay a heavy price," Uncle She replied, waving his hand dismissively. "How did things go with the Tianming Sect?"
"With the old monster helping, everything went smoothly," Mo Yu answered.
"That's good to hear," Uncle She said, casting a surprised glance at Mo Yu. Even now, he found it hard to believe that Mo Yu had a way to control an advanced Half-Saint like the old monster. It was an astonishing feat.
As Mo Yu and Uncle She were talking, an elderly figure walked in. It was Bing Lao, the current leader of the Hundred Weapons Hall.
The moment he saw Mo Yu, Bing Lao smiled and spoke.
"Congratulations, Master Mo. The Heavenly Mysterious Treasure Hall is about to open..." (End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Cortez10