Chapter 34: Weak, Pitiful, and Helpless

"Whoosh—"

Xueming flashed forward, his razor-sharp blood-stained claws carrying a terrifying burst of force as he lunged at Li Moxuan. Had that strike landed, it would surely have left a gaping hole in his chest.

However, faced with such a ferocious attack, Li Moxuan merely waved his hand with utter indifference.

The next moment, *boom...*

Xueming felt an incredibly terrifying force recoil against him. He was sent flying, crashing heavily into a massive boulder. Countless spiderweb-like cracks shattered across the stone's surface.

*Pfft...*

Blood gushed from his throat as if it were worthless water. If Lin Mofei and the others could see this, they would be scared out of their wits. To be decimated in a single blow—and he was a master at the early stage of the Grandmaster realm?

"Who... who are you?" Xueming wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, staring at Li Moxuan in horror. To be able to project internal energy externally? And for that energy to be so vigorous and vast, like an endless sea... Could he be a supreme Grandmaster? Xueming felt his scalp tingle.

Li Moxuan said calmly, "Hand over the Yang Stone."

"The Yang Stone? It's not on me—"

*Boom...*

Li Moxuan waved his hand again. Xueming went flying once more, faring even worse than before. He crashed through several towering trees before finally coming to a halt, his Blood Demon physique nearly pulverized.

"Senior, spare me!" For the first time, Xueming realized that words like "weak," "pitiful," and "helpless" could apply to him. In the past, he was the only one who toyed with his prey. Now, the roles of hunter and prey had reversed.

Li Moxuan, having completely lost patience, flickered to stand before Xueming and grabbed him by the throat, intending to use his spiritual power to search his memories. Xueming, believing Li Moxuan was about to tear off the top of his skull, begged for mercy in a panic:

"Senior, spare my life! I will do anything. It was my eyes that were blind; I didn't know your strength, Senior. I, Xueming, am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

Perhaps this was his last chance. Li Moxuan's deep, star-like eyes stared straight into Xueming's. Li Moxuan smiled faintly; this fellow certainly knew how to read the room.

"The item—bring it out!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Xueming hurriedly fished a small stone, the size of a dragon's eye, from his robes and offered it to Li Moxuan. The Yang Stone was a clear, vibrant red, radiating an incredibly pure essence of heaven and earth's Yang energy. Once in his palm, he could feel an endless, inexhaustible flow of Yang energy surging forth.

"Not bad. This Yang energy is very pure. It truly is a divine object born from the essence of heaven and earth."

Xueming wore a fawning smile. "The Yang Stone has been offered to you. So, about that..."

Li Moxuan had achieved his goal. "I have a few questions. If you answer honestly, I will give you a path to survival."

Seeing a glimmer of hope, Xueming nodded frantically. "Yes, Senior! I will tell you everything I know, without a single word of falsehood."

Xueming’s compliance improved Li Moxuan's mood significantly. "What is going on with the construction site and those immortals?"

Xueming chuckled dryly. "I often cultivate in the Cloud Mist Mountains. They started working here, disturbing my peace, so I just gave them a small lesson."

Li Moxuan: "..." Truly an old devil. Causing such a scene and killing those workers was just a "small lesson"? If Li Moxuan were still the hot-blooded youth he was years ago, he would have settled the score regardless.

"And what about Lin Xuan?"

Xueming sighed helplessly. "The Wu family—the brothers Wu Ming and Wu Hai—used the Yin Stone as leverage to manipulate me into doing their bidding. The Wu family and the Lin family are mortal enemies. As for what exactly they want with that little girl, I truly do not know. My cultivation technique has a flaw, as you know; without the Yin and Yang stones, I would surely die."

Xueming spilled everything, even feeling a sense of schadenfreude. Since this living ancestor also wanted the Yin and Yang stones, this act of shifting the blame would leave the Wu brothers in a world of trouble.

Li Moxuan looked at Xueming with curiosity. "You're only forty? That's truly absurd!"

Facing Li Moxuan's ruthless mockery, Xueming could only press his lips together in embarrassment. "Senior, that is all I know. May I go now?"

"Lure the Wu brothers out, get the Yin Stone, and I will spare your life."

With his life in Li Moxuan's hands, even if Li Moxuan had told him to kneel and braid his hair, he would have obeyed. Xueming hurriedly made the call. As the saying goes, better a dead friend than a dead me; since he had been ravaged by Li Moxuan, he naturally had to drag the Wu brothers down with him.

The call connected. Xueming said deviously, "I've intercepted the person again at the Cloud Mist Mountains. You can bring the stone to exchange for her."

"Fine, understood!" The other party did not suspect much, agreeing with surprising ease.

Hanging up, Xueming grinned. "Senior, they will be here soon. They are yours to dispose of!"

The Blood Demon was certainly being obedient.

"Very good!" A smile touched Li Moxuan's lips.

...

Inside the Cloud Mist Mountains, the moon hung high. It was pitch black, eerie, and silent.

Within just half an hour, two gusts of wind blew through. The next moment, two figures with surging auras landed lightly upon a boulder. Two middle-aged men in black robes, looking nine parts identical, with sharp, piercing eyes, appeared before Li Moxuan and Xueming. Judging by their auras, they were at the early and middle stages of the Grandmaster realm.

Li Moxuan did not hide his presence. The Wu brothers, Wu Ming and Wu Hai, looked at Li Moxuan but ignored him, asking only Xueming, "Where is she?"

Though Xueming knew the Wu brothers were powerful and that their combined strength was greater than the sum of their parts, he had Li Moxuan as his backer and was not in the least bit flustered.

"Do you have the Yin Stone?"

"Of course we brought it!" Wu Ming took a stone from his robes. It was much like the Yang Stone Xueming had given Li Moxuan, except the Yin Stone was as pitch-black as ink, radiating a dense, chilling Yin energy. It was as deep as a black hole; one look at it, and it felt as if one's soul were being sucked inside.

With the Yin Stone present, Xueming’s breathing grew heavy. If the Yin and Yang stones were combined, the wonders and transformations would be infinite.

Xueming boasted, "There is no girl. Leave the stone!"

The Wu brothers couldn't help but sneer. "We knew you were fickle and had bad intentions. But do you think you can take the Yin Stone just like that?"

Xueming, however, remained unperturbed and bowed respectfully toward Li Moxuan. "Senior, the people have arrived, and the stone is in their hands. They are yours to deal with!"

The Wu brothers looked at Xueming with astonishment and confusion. This generation's Blood Demon was actually this respectful to a young man? Had the Blood Demon lost his mind?

The brothers scrutinized Li Moxuan, but couldn't detect anything out of the ordinary. He was just an ordinary person, wasn't he? He didn't even have any internal energy radiating from his body.

Wu Ming sneered, "Xueming, has your brain rotted? Are you so desperate for a father that you'd be so respectful to a wet-behind-the-ears brat?"

Seeing the sheer arrogance of Wu Ming's words, Xueming let out a laugh. Just wait and see how he dies!