Chapter 36: The Capture of Li Moling

Deep within the Cloud Mist Mountains.

It was pitch black and eerily silent. Li Moxuan held the Yin Stone and the Yang Stone in his hands. As he brought the two stones together, the red and black energies began to attract and fuse with one another in a profoundly mysterious manner.

The converging forces centered on Li Moxuan’s body, causing a massive Yin-Yang Taiji diagram, at least ten meters in diameter, to faintly emerge. As the Yin and Yang fish rotated continuously, an incredibly mystical aura rippled around him, seemingly pregnant with vibrant life and the infinite concept of reincarnation.

Li Moxuan sighed in admiration: "Truly worthy of being the purest Yin and Yang energy between heaven and earth. By drawing them into my body, I can rapidly enhance my cultivation while tempering my physique and gathering the energy within my dantian. In just a short while, the bottleneck of my peak Foundation Establishment stage has actually loosened. It seems it won't be long before I break through, condense my Golden Core, and step into the Golden Core stage!"

Just as excitement began to stir within him, the thought of Gu Yaqing weighed heavily on his mind, making it difficult to feel truly at ease.

Li Moxuan spoke coldly to Xue Ming, who had been following him silently: "You may leave now."

Xue Ming hesitated, stammering, "Senior, actually, I..."

*Whoosh.*

A blast of energy surged forward. Li Moxuan suddenly appeared right before Xue Ming. The overwhelming, terrifying pressure forced Xue Ming’s knees to buckle, and he collapsed to the ground.

"If you dare follow me again, you will die!"

Xue Ming steeled his heart and pleaded, "Senior, without the Yin-Yang stones, I will surely die within a month. If you are willing to save me, I, Xue Ming, am willing to pledge my life to your service."

Li Moxuan asked with a detached expression: "What use do you think your meager strength is to me?"

Xue Ming remained prostrate. "Compared to you, Senior, my strength is indeed beneath your notice. However, I am very familiar with the influential families and clans in Wushi. You have an interest in the Lin family's fiancée, and there are some trivial matters that are beneath your status to handle personally, but I can do them. No matter how dirty or exhausting the work, I can handle it without issue."

Xue Ming’s words struck a chord with Li Moxuan. He was currently on his own and truly lacked someone to run errands. There were certain things he could not do in front of Li Moling, and keeping Xue Ming around did have its uses. Xue Ming was a sensible man—slick, tactful, and capable of saving him a lot of trouble. He wasn't worried about any schemes, either; in the face of absolute power, all conspiracies were nothing more than fragile clay chickens and pottery dogs.

Seeing that Li Moxuan was tempted, Xue Ming seized the opportunity: "Senior, I will definitely serve you faithfully. My life is already in your hands; with your strength, wouldn't it be trivial to deal with me if I stepped out of line?"

Li Moxuan nodded faintly. "Very well. I won't say any more; you know how things stand."

Xue Ming nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes, I understand!"

Xue Ming felt smug. Did Li Moxuan really think he could control him? He was far too young. Who would believe the words of the Blood Demon? If not for the Yin-Yang stones, he would never have stooped so low. Once he resolved the backlash from his techniques, he would turn around and strike back.

"Then, Master, could the Yin-Yang stones..."

How could Li Moxuan not see through the old ghost's intentions? "You will never get to use the Yin-Yang stones, but I can easily solve your little problem."

"Ah?" Xue Ming was stunned. "You really can?"

"Of course. I will give you a prescription later, and you will recover naturally."

Overjoyed, Xue Ming began to kowtow frantically. "Thank you, Master, for saving my life!"

Just then, Li Moxuan’s phone rang. It was a call from Li Moling. A terrified voice came through the line: "Brother, don't come here, don't worry about me, it's a trap..."

Li Moxuan’s eyes widened instantly. Before he could speak, a vicious male voice cut in from the other end.

"Li Moxuan, you heard your sister's voice, right?"

"Release my sister, or you will all die. I will slaughter you all!" Li Moxuan threatened the caller with a blank face.

The man on the other end laughed wildly. "Hahaha! Li Moxuan, who do you think you are? Daring to act arrogant with me? Fine, you like to put on a show, don't you? If you don't arrive within ten minutes, who knows what we might do to your sister? As for the location, you'll have to guess."

"I didn't expect your sister to be so tender. My brothers are all waiting to have a taste. Good luck!"

*Beep...* The call was disconnected.

Li Moxuan stood where he was, taking a deep breath. His expression was terrifyingly calm, yet it contained a power capable of destroying heaven and earth. Laying a hand on his sister? Very well.

However, Li Moxuan did not fly into a rage. To prevent such situations, he had placed a spiritual array on Li Moling. If she were ever in life-threatening danger, the array would automatically activate and annihilate all living things in the vicinity. Since the array had not triggered yet, it meant Li Moling was still safe. It wouldn't be so easy to kill his sister.

Xue Ming, standing to the side, was trembling with fear. "Senior, has someone made a move against your sister? Should I go? Whoever it is, if they dare to harm the Master's sister, I will make them wish they were dead."

Xue Ming narrowed his eyes, his pupils glowing crimson with monstrous killing intent, his expression twisted and terrifying. He was a professional at doing dirty work.

Li Moxuan did not speak. He simply calmed his mind and sensed Li Moling’s exact location. He caught it quickly—not far from Peach Blossom Village. It seemed the other party had only just succeeded.

Li Moxuan instructed: "No need. Wait for me at Peach Blossom Village."

"Ah? This..." Before Xue Ming could finish, Li Moxuan leaped into the air and dissipated into the atmosphere like a stream of spiritual energy.

"W-what the hell?" Xue Ming’s eyes bulged, nearly popping out of his head. His body went limp, and he nearly collapsed. Disappearing on the spot? This wasn't just a Martial Saint; this was a god. Even a Martial Saint couldn't achieve such a feat. Speed so fast that the naked eye couldn't track it was one thing, but vanishing into thin air was another. Was Li Moxuan not a Martial Saint? What kind of existence was he?

Xue Ming was nearly scared out of his wits. He had originally planned to play some tricks on Li Moxuan, but now he realized that was suicide. He felt that if he could follow this terrifying being, it might actually be his good fortune! It was certainly better than being hunted by the Martial Alliance.

Suddenly, Xue Ming felt his spine straighten. His back didn't ache, his legs were strong, and he even felt a spring in his step!

...

In the suburbs of Wushi, at an abandoned factory, a man in his thirties with short hair and a faint aura of internal power was playing with a phone, sneering.

A disdainful look crossed Ah Fu's face. He looked at the middle-aged man in black beside him and laughed sinisterly: "Hmph... this Li Moxuan truly doesn't know his place. His sister is already in our hands, yet he still dares to threaten us?"

"He actually said he would slaughter us all if we touched her? I think there is something truly wrong with his head."

"I want to see how he manages to find this place. If he can't, then don't blame me for having a taste of his sister."

Ah Fu cast a greedy, lecherous gaze over Li Moling.