Chapter 116: Knocked Out with a Single Punch

With each grand advancement in the Celestial Demon Body Refining Technique, one’s combat power would leap to an entirely new level. At present, Ji Mo found it effortless to slay ordinary Nascent Core cultivators. Yet now, facing a cultivator of comparable cultivation, she sensed a genuine threat. Who exactly were these people? The Haofeng Dynasty? No, Ji Mo simply refused to believe they truly hailed from the Haofeng Dynasty.

Although Ji Mo had never encountered cultivators from the Qingxuan Cultivation Realm outside of the Moonwatch Sect, she had seen geniuses from the Ten Directions Great Cultivation World and the Flame Clan. Compared to those prodigies, the so-called geniuses of the Moonwatch Sect did not even belong to the same tier.

Even her master, Lei Wei, was considered an exceptional peer within the Qingxuan Realm; yet against merely Nascent Core cultivators like Geng Xiao and Bai Ze, he likely stood no chance.

If that was the case for Lei Wei, then cultivators from other regions of the Qingxuan Realm could hardly be extraordinarily powerful. Well, there were exceptions, such as her Fourth Senior Brother. Although Ji Mo had never witnessed his battle firsthand, her intuition told her his prowess was by no means inferior to Geng Xiao and Bai Ze. But he was merely an exception; the Qingxuan Realm could not be filled with such uncommon talents.

So where had these few suddenly appeared from? Each appeared incredibly mysterious. If every cultivator in the Qingxuan Cultivation Realm were so outstanding, it would not be merely a medium-sized cultivation plane. Ji Mo’s gaze, resting upon the group led by Elder Rong, brimmed with vigilance and suspicion.

“Su Ye, this is your home turf. I suppose you wouldn’t refuse a challenge here, would you?” After finishing his tea, a Nascent Core cultivator clad in black, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke beside Elder Rong.

At his words, everyone present except Elder Rong turned their eyes toward him. Su Ye raised an eyebrow, a faint, knowing smile curling on his lips as he stared at the young man. “What, you want to challenge me?”

“Indeed. When the Bloody Prison Arena opened last time, I happened not to be in the Haofeng Dynasty and missed that rare event. I felt great regret. Unexpectedly, I’ve now encountered you—the champion of that arena. To make up for my loss, I, Mo Wuxin, hereby formally issue you a challenge,” the black-clad youth declared.

“Fine. I accept Mo’s challenge. But fighting on my master’s turf isn’t quite proper. Why don’t you pick the location?” Su Ye shrugged lightly, responding casually.

“No, not now. In three days, your Moonwatch Sect’s arena matches begin. There’s little meaning in you competing amongst yourselves. Let me liven things up. When your matches start, I’ll select an arena and stand as the champion. If you can unseat me, I, on behalf of the Haofeng Dynasty, promise that so long as the Moonwatch Sect exists, the Haofeng Dynasty will leave the Yunhai Kingdom untouched. Otherwise…” The black-clad youth’s eyes fixed sharply on Su Ye, flashing a cold and ruthless gleam.

“Heh, so you claim to represent the entire Haofeng Dynasty? Tenth Prince, is that so?” Su Ye’s gaze sharpened slightly as he stared at the black-clad youth, then shifted to the Tenth Prince, smiling lightly.

“Mo’s words are precisely the will of the Haofeng Dynasty,” the Tenth Prince quickly spoke up before the youth could respond, noticing Su Ye’s gaze upon him.

“Very well. Since Mo’s words represent the Haofeng Dynasty, I suppose refusal is not an option. Then, we shall meet on the arena!” Su Ye’s eyes darkened briefly before returning to their usual calm; he smiled faintly as he spoke.

The black-clad youth’s demand was undeniably rude. As foreign guests, forcibly interfering in another’s internal arena was a blatant slap in the face. Yet, carrying the banner of the Haofeng Dynasty, and with the Moonwatch Sect’s strength utterly incomparable to that of Haofeng, no matter how disrespectful the request, they could only grit their teeth and accept.

“Master Lei Feng, since Su Ye has accepted my senior brother’s challenge, I, Mo Cong, shall also join the fun. When your sect’s arena begins, I wish to challenge Miss Ji. I wonder if she dares to accept?” The yellow-robed youth, who had suffered a loss to Ji Mo before, eagerly called out after the black-clad youth spoke.

Previously, due to a matter involving tea, he had been subtly humiliated before Ji Mo and felt deeply ashamed. His heart burned with resentment toward her. But as Ji Mo was versed in the Five Elements cultivation, and given his lack of absolute confidence, combined with his master and senior brothers’ mild dissatisfaction with his conduct, he had held back.

Seeing his senior brother issue a challenge to Su Ye, he reckoned: Ji Mo was only a disciple of a fifth-grade sect, likely cultivating an ordinary technique. Even with some fortune, in a true fight, how could she be his match? With that thought, he could no longer restrain himself and challenged her.

“Am I allowed to refuse?” Ji Mo glanced at him, slightly exasperated. Among ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, his power was decent; within the Moonwatch Sect, aside from Mu Baiyun and Jiang Ping, few Foundation Establishment disciples could match him. Yet for Ji Mo, he was no opponent. She wished to avoid offending these mysterious newcomers needlessly and had no desire to fight him unless absolutely necessary.

“What? Afraid? Heh, I knew it! A mere fifth-grade sect—what outstanding disciples could they possibly produce? Look, when faced with an outsider’s challenge, you don’t even have the courage to face them head-on. In my opinion, the Moonwatch Sect might as well disband and close its doors,” Mo Cong’s arrogance soared as Ji Mo declined. All hesitation fled from his heart, and he mocked her without restraint.

“Smash!” His voice had barely fallen when a flash of light struck before him. A terrifying force slammed brutally into his chest, flinging him backward with no chance to resist.

The fist belonged to Ji Mo. Mo Cong was blasted out of the main hall, crashing into a nearby mountain peak with a resounding thud, then bounced back, landing on the main peak’s ground. With a grunt, he spat a mouthful of blood, his once fair face now a ghastly pale-blue, twisted with bitter hatred—utterly hideous.

“Lord Lei, is this how you treat guests?” Since entering the Moonwatch Sect’s gate, Elder Rong had maintained a calm demeanor. Now, he suddenly rose and strode outside the hall, casting a cold glare at Lei Wei as he looked down at the fallen Mo Cong. (To be continued…)