The Lion Opens Its Mouth

"Patriarch, Patriarch, spare my life! I truly didn't know!"

Seeing Mo Lan burning with rage while the elders beside him glared at him in dissatisfaction, Mo Lin finally could not bear it any longer and told the truth. "Patriarch, I truly do not know the Grand Elder's exact whereabouts. However, before the Grand Elder left that day, the Bloodline Wheel sensed a rare bloodline constitution appearing near the Eastern Province."

"Speak! Explain clearly! What exactly happened!"

The moment Mo Lan heard this, his anger flared. So when Mo Lin had claimed not to know earlier, he really had been hiding something!

Mo Lin hurriedly said, "On the day the Grand Elder left, the Bloodline Wheel seemed to sense the awakening of a special bloodline. It appeared to be the legendary number one strange ocular ability on the continent—the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils."

Silence. The entire hall fell deathly still. Everyone present was part of the Mo Clan's upper echelon, so they naturally knew of the Mo Clan's most famous secret art of organ fusion. They also understood why Mo Cheng had left in such haste. If they had received news of such strange pupils, they would certainly have moved first to seize them as well.

"Humph!!!"

Mo Lan slammed the armrest in displeasure, but he could not continue venting his rage. With a grim expression, he said coldly, "The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils can only appear among mixed-blood descendants of snake-people and humans.

"The nearest gathering place of the Snake-people Race to the Eastern Province is the Tagore Desert. The Grand Elder most likely went there. Men, immediately dispatch people to the Tagore Desert. You must notify the Grand Elder and have him return at once."

"There is no need. I have brought the man back for you."

Just as Mo Lan gave the order, a voice suddenly came from outside the council hall. Then, two figures entered the hall one after the other.

"Who are you!"

Mo Lan looked at the two figures who had abruptly appeared before him. The one behind was weak and barely worth noting, but the one in front was completely concealed beneath a cloak, his face unseen. Even his aura seemed faint and indistinct, making him difficult to read.

The cloaked man was naturally Yan Qingshan. "Who am I? That is a good question. Naturally, I am someone who has come to demand an explanation!"

Mo Lan sneered. "Demand an explanation? From our Mo Clan? You certainly have a big mouth and plenty of nerve. What gives you the right to demand an explanation!"

"Mo Ran!"

Yan Qingshan did not answer directly. He merely tilted his head, signaling for the man behind him to speak.

The man stepped forward on trembling legs and pulled back his cloak, revealing a face that was nearly disfigured. It was Mo Ran, the survivor from the Mo Clan's expedition to Stone Desert City. "Patriarch, Elders, the Grand Elder... was wrong!!!"

After carefully identifying him, Mo Lan said excitedly, "Mo Ran, you are Mo Ran! You left with the Grand Elder. What happened? Explain everything clearly."

"Patriarch, after our group followed the Grand Elder to the Tagore Desert..."

In a hoarse voice, Mo Ran began recounting the entire sequence of events, explaining everything from beginning to end, including Mo Cheng's fate. Naturally, regarding Qingling, Yan Qingshan, and Xuelan, he had been instructed not to say much. He merely skimmed over those parts without revealing much information about Yan Qingshan and the others.

"The Grand Elder... is dead!"

Mo Lan sank back into his seat in a daze. Although he had been quite dissatisfied with the Grand Elder, who had competed with him for power and profit, Mo Lan knew very well that Mo Cheng had made enormous contributions to the Mo Clan's current status.

Without Mo Cheng, the Mo Clan, lacking a Dou Ling expert, could only dominate Yancheng. Looking across the entire Eastern Province, they could only be considered a first-rate force. It would already be difficult for them to stand alongside the other three great families.

"The limb of a fifth-tier Blazing Mountain-Breaking Rhinoceros. You should know its origin better than I do!"

Yan Qingshan casually tossed out a crimson beast arm. The moment they saw it, every member of the Mo Clan's upper echelon was shaken.

"The Mountain Breaking Arm! The Grand Elder actually used even this on himself!"

"Even the Mountain Breaking Arm was cut off. The Grand Elder must be more dead than alive!"

"The Grand Elder actually used the family's treasured foundation!"

The Mo Clan's core higher-ups were naturally familiar with this item. Their discussions immediately grew louder, and their expressions became increasingly ugly.

Mo Lan's mouth twitched uncontrollably. He had initially only been shocked, but now he was filled with grief and fear. This most precious treasure of the family had actually been secretly used by Mo Cheng for himself. As the head of the family, Mo Lan was truly furious.

Yet after the shock came sorrow and terror. He grieved because the Mountain Breaking Arm had suffered such damage that its value had plummeted, making it impossible to transplant onto another person. The family's most precious foundation was gone. What frightened him even more was Yan Qingshan's strength.

The Blazing Mountain-Breaking Rhinoceros was not weak even among fifth-tier magical beasts, and its forelimbs possessed tremendous power. With the Mountain Breaking Arm, Mo Cheng, a high-level Dou Ling, would have been difficult for even a Dou Wang to keep behind. Yet Mo Cheng had died, and the Mountain Breaking Arm had been severed. That alone showed this man's strength.

"Patriarch, Mo Ran committed a grave crime and dares not seek forgiveness. I only hope that, in consideration of Mo Ran's past contributions to the clan, you will not make things difficult for Mo Ran's wife and children!"

After saying this, Mo Ran suddenly struck his own head with a heavy blow from his right palm. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he collapsed in the hall. Having completed what Yan Qingshan had asked of him, he took his own life, bringing this matter to a temporary close.

Mo Ran had to die. Not only had he gone to Stone Desert City and participated in the entire affair, but he had also seen the true faces of Yan Qingshan's group of three. To tie up loose ends, Yan Qingshan could not possibly allow him to live.

As for why Yan Qingshan had spared him first and brought him back to the Mo Clan, it was because Yan Qingshan wanted the Mo Clan to lower its head in a justifiable manner. What evidence could be more convincing than the testimony of a Mo Clan member himself?

Mo Ran knew Yan Qingshan's intentions. Naturally, he did not wish to harm the clan's interests, but he understood even more clearly that Yan Qingshan's current strength was not something the Mo Clan could contend against. Acting according to Yan Qingshan's wishes was the method that would cause the least harm to the Mo Clan.

Otherwise, if the two sides failed to reach an agreement, Yan Qingshan would be fine. Given enough time, however, the entire Mo Clan would be finished. It was precisely because he understood this that Mo Ran had cooperated willingly. Yet regardless of his reasons, after doing such a thing, he was bound to become a sinner of the Mo Clan. Thus, he could not cling to life and could only take his own life in hopes that the clan would not pursue his wife and children.

Watching Mo Ran collapse, Mo Cheng's eyes flashed with pain. A peak Dou Master, a pillar of the family who had likely been able to break through to Da Dou Shi, had died. How could he not feel heartache?

But before he could continue grieving, Yan Qingshan's voice reached him. "I warned Mo Cheng, but he insisted on courting death. I could only send him on his way. However, he destroyed my cultivation retreat. Your Mo Clan must pay a price."

Mo Lan said in grief and indignation, "A price? What price do you want? Mo Cheng is already dead. What more do you want? Do you think our Mo Clan—"

Before he could finish speaking, amid a series of hissing and rustling sounds, a Fiery Red figure slithered into the council hall. Its violent and undisguised powerful aura made Mo Lan swallow his remaining words.

"A fifth-tier magical beast!"

Looking at the Two-headed Fire Spirit Snake obediently coiled around Yan Qingshan in protection, Mo Lan finally understood why Mo Ran had made that decision.

The Mo Clan was indeed powerful. When they had possessed Mo Cheng, a high-level Dou Ling, even a Dou Wang would have been faced head-on at the Mo Clan's headquarters in Yancheng. But the current Mo Clan had lost Mo Cheng, the three Da Dou Shi, and more than ten Dou Masters who had gone to Stone Desert City. Their strength had been greatly diminished.

Now their enemy had appeared in the family's core council chamber, yet the guards outside had made no move at all. He had even brought a fifth-tier magical beast with him. Was that someone the Mo Clan could afford to offend? If not for Mo Ran exposing their weaknesses and giving the other side leverage over the Mo Clan—

Given the Mo Clan's temperament, if someone came to their door seeking trouble, they would certainly refuse outright and perhaps even fight. But could they afford to offend someone of such strength? Mo Lan was now immensely grateful for Mo Ran's act of voluntarily handing over their weakness, as it gave him considerable room to maneuver. Had he not seen how some of the elders who usually loved to blabber had all become mute?

"The Fire Spirit Snake does not have a very good temper, though it listens to me well. I hope you will be obedient enough as well!"

Yan Qingshan gently stroked one of the Fire Spirit Snake's heads. The snake obediently allowed him to do so. To the Mo Clan members, this scene brought another mistaken interpretation: the person possessing the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils was very likely this man before them. Grand Elder Mo Cheng had truly kicked an iron plate this time.

Yan Qingshan wanted them to misunderstand. The longer Qingling's information could remain hidden, the better. He did not want his little maid to become a crucial figure at the center of a storm so quickly.

Mo Lan lowered his posture considerably. "My lord, what gift of apology do you require? As long as the Mo Clan can provide it, please name it!"

Yan Qingshan's voice rang out, and the expressions of Mo Lan and the other Mo Clan higher-ups became extremely unpleasant. "The Mo Clan is, after all, the local overlord of Yancheng. I imagine you must have some treasure vaults, no?"

Mo Lan stepped down from the chief seat and bowed. "It is the Mo Clan's honor that sir thinks highly of our possessions. Mo Lan will personally lead you there."

"Fine. I trust that Patriarch Mo is a smart man and will not take any desperate risks."

Yan Qingshan remained remarkably composed. With a spread of his hand, he gestured for Mo Lan to lead the way. Mo Lan walked ahead while Yan Qingshan followed behind. The two slowly left the council hall and headed toward a secret chamber deep within the Mo Clan estate.

Inside the Mo Clan's treasure vault, the heavy Stone Door slowly opened. The air within was somewhat stifling, likely because it had not been opened for a long time.

Yan Qingshan followed Mo Lan through rows of dazzling shelves. The surrounding area was filled with all kinds of rare treasures—herbs, ores, weapons, cultivation methods, Dou Techniques, secret arts... Among them, there was one category with quite a large number: all sorts of body parts and organs. Some came from magical beasts, while others came from special races such as the snake-people.

Yan Qingshan casually picked up a green cultivation scroll. Any cultivation method locked within this treasure vault was at least a Profound-tier treasure. There were no fewer than ten sets of Profound-tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques here, covering all the basic attributes. There was even a scroll for the extremely rare Lightning Attribute.

"Profound-tier Mid-grade, Azure Wood Sword Aura!"

Yan Qingshan looked at the Wood Attribute cultivation method before him. This cultivation method, which came with matching Dou Techniques, was the highest-grade Wood Attribute method in the treasure vault. Even the Mo Clan, which nearly dominated the Eastern Province, seemed to possess only a Profound-tier Mid-grade cultivation method as its strongest Wood Attribute technique.