"Ah!"
His wrist had been crushed alive. Even Luke, a Seventh-Level Warrior, let out a piercing scream, his eyes filled with terror.
"You... what kind of monster are you?" He stared at the suddenly appearing Moke in utter horror.
Moke kicked Luke flying. Only after his body was flung far away did he crash heavily to the ground. "You came to kill my father, and you're asking what kind of monster I am?"
The three people in the distance were also overcome with fear and hurriedly helped Luke up.
"Father?"
"You're his son?"
Luke's wrist hung limply at his side, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth as he cried out in a daze.
Moke had held back with that kick just now. Otherwise, he could have kicked Luke straight into two pieces.
"Moke, are you my son Moke?"
When Hogg heard Hillman's murmur, he had guessed that the golden-scaled monster before him might be his son, but he had not dared to be certain.
Now that Moke had spoken, that familiar voice made his very soul tremble.
"Father, it's me." Moke turned to look at Hogg.
Hogg's face was pale. Clearly, what had just happened had truly driven him to despair.
Hogg was not afraid of death, but he feared dragging Wharton down with him.
"Moke, are you really little Moke?" Hogg carefully examined the golden-scaled monster before him, who had just crushed a Seventh-Level Warrior's wrist. No matter how he looked, he could not connect it with his well-behaved and sensible son, Moke.
"Father, you're injured." Moke silently recited a magic incantation.
Then he waved his hand, and a shower of misty white light immediately descended upon Hogg.
Enveloped by the rain of light, Hogg felt warmth spreading through his entire body. His damaged internal organs and broken bones slowly began to heal.
"Th-this is fifth-tier light magic—Healing?" Luke cried out again from afar.
That monster looked so terrifying, yet it could actually cast light magic?
"You have a good eye."
Moke turned to look at Luke.
Unfortunately, he was only a Fifth-Level Mage. Fifth-level Healing magic could not instantly heal someone like the Sixth-Level Warrior Hogg.
Even so, after a few more castings, Hogg's injuries would completely recover within a few days.
"Moke, you, this..." Hogg's mind was in turmoil.
For a moment, he did not know what to say, overwhelmed by countless complicated emotions.
"Young Master Moke..." The butler Hiri was trembling all over with excitement as well.
Hillman also walked over from the distance, staring at Moke with astonishment.
He even muttered softly, "Is this the legendary Dragonblood Warrior?"
Hillman had never read the Dragonblood Secret Canon, so he did not know that Dragonblood Warriors had azure scales. He therefore mistook Moke's current transformed state for that of a Dragonblood Warrior.
Seeing that Hogg's complexion had improved considerably, Moke said in a deep voice, "Father, we can discuss my matters later. How do you want to deal with them now?"
"Huh?"
Luke and the other three in the distance felt a chill spread from their spines to the backs of their heads.
"Run!"
With a low shout, the four of them fled in four different directions with perfect coordination.
"You want to leave?"
Moke suddenly moved, seeming to transform into streaks of golden afterimages.
Hogg and the others saw only golden afterimages flashing through the courtyard. Then Luke and the other three screamed as they were sent flying back.
After transforming, Moke was considered extremely powerful even among Ninth-Level Warriors.
The strongest among these people was only a Seventh-Level Warrior. To Moke, playing with them was easier than playing with dogs.
"Crack! Crack!"
He directly crushed the bones in their feet, leaving them unable to move any longer.
"Father."
Only then did Moke look toward Hogg, who still seemed to be in a daze.
"Oh, oh."
Hogg took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated and excited emotions in his heart.
At this point, he had finally vaguely guessed something.
Yet Hogg was also filled with confusion.
"Father, Father..." Just as Hogg was about to ask something, Wharton's groggy voice came from the side room.
The commotion had not been small. Even though children slept deeply, he had still been awakened.
Moke's hearing was extremely sharp, and he heard little Wharton getting out of bed.
He quickly said, "Grandpa Hiri, go take care of little Wharton and get him back to sleep first."
"Don't let him come over here."
"Alright!"
Hiri put down his longsword and hurried toward the side room where Wharton lived.
Moke silently recited another incantation, and the small amount of Darkness Element magic power in his chest surged.
"Whoosh!"
With his movement, a faint black canopy immediately covered the courtyard.
Darkness Element second-tier magic—Silent Barrier!
This spell had no offensive power whatsoever, but it could isolate sound.
A second-tier Silent Barrier covered only a few meters in every direction, but a Saint Realm Silent Barrier could envelop an entire city.
Some Darkness Element mages who enjoyed massacring cities loved this kind of magic the most.
Although Moke mainly cultivated the earth, wind, lightning, and light elements, he had refined some magic power from the other elements as well. It simply had not reached the fifth level yet.
"Light Element, Darkness Element..." Luke, whose wrist and ankle had been crushed, wore a despairing expression.
He knew that he was finished today.
"Tell me, how did you find this place?" Hogg walked over with his longsword in hand, holding it across one man's throat.
"If I tell you, can I live?" This Sixth-Level Warrior asked with a trembling voice.
Facing death, it was impossible for him not to tremble.
"You can live."
Hogg nodded. "Whoever explains it clearly gets to live."
As he spoke, he separated the men and then looked toward Moke.
Moke promptly divided the Silent Barrier into several small compartments.
This way, none of them could hear one another.
"I'll talk, I'll talk, I'll go first!" The three besides Luke all began shouting.
Then they described how they had followed the beggar here.
"Father, is that true? Did Mother help that person before?"
Moke frowned.
Hogg sighed. "Your mother helped too many people. I don't remember either."
"But what they said should be true. Yesterday, I did kill Hall not far from the bridge culvert. I never expected someone to see it."
"Unfortunately, these people only know this much. They don't know anything more."
As Hogg spoke, he looked at Luke.
Luke was a peak Seventh-Level Warrior and one of Duke Patterson's top experts. If anyone knew the most, it had to be Luke.
"Hmph. I'll die if I talk, and I'll die if I don't."
Luke kept his mouth shut. He did not believe these people would kindly let him go.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Without warning, Hogg directly chopped off the heads of the three men who had just told the truth.
"You..."
Their eyes widened round as they gave voiceless accusations.
They had clearly told the truth...
The three died. Luke's eyelids twitched, but he still did not say a word.
At that moment, Hogg looked at Luke. "You're right. Whether you talk or not, you will die today."
"So I choose not to talk." Luke sneered.
"If you talk, you will die, but your family can live."
Hogg's voice seemed to come from hell, sending chills through Luke's entire body. "If you don't, your family will die after enduring every kind of torture. Or perhaps I'll torment them for the rest of their lives. Do you think I can't find your family?"
Luke's eyes nearly split open, bloodshot with rage, but he quickly slumped in defeat.
"Ask. What exactly do you want to know? I'll tell you everything."
"Who is the person behind Duke Patterson?" Hogg asked, enunciating every word.
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