Mo Family Treasury

Bo'er, the Lord of Salt City, ultimately chose neutrality. For Su Heng, this was already the best possible outcome.

After Su Heng returned to Stone Desert City, Qing Lin brought back equally exhilarating news: she, Xiao Ding, and Xiao Li had successfully captured the Two-Headed Fire Spirit Snake lurking within the underground magma.

With that, the main force for dealing with Mo Cheng was officially in place.

By his calculations, there were still roughly twenty days until the Mo Family held Mo Cheng's birthday banquet.

Su Heng ordered Little Gold to continue tunneling into the Mo Family and scouting the terrain of their fortress, while he himself began secluded cultivation to break through to a higher realm.

Su Heng now possessed four kinds of Beast Flame, along with the enhancement of a mid-level Profound Tier cultivation method. Reaching the higher stars of the Dou Master realm quickly would not be difficult. Furthermore, though he bore the title of a third-tier alchemist, his actual alchemical prowess was already approaching the peak of the fourth tier.

With the fifth-tier Flame Phoenix Cauldron, Su Heng's success rate in refining peak fourth-tier Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills was as high as ninety percent.

As for third-tier pills, they were even less of a challenge. Su Heng had long been able to refine them in batches. Moreover, he had the Storage Ring of the Xuanjia Snake Emperor, whose stockpile of medicinal ingredients was enough to refine more than a dozen Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pills.

With an ample supply of pills, after fifteen days of secluded cultivation, Su Heng successfully raised his realm to an Eight-Star Dou Master.

Now, Su Heng only regretted that he did not have the pill formula for the Three-Stripe Green Spirit Pill. Otherwise, he would surely have ridden the momentum to break through into the Great Dou Master realm.

The Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill could only be taken by Great Dou Masters. It was truly frustrating!

Besides Su Heng, Qing Lin also successfully broke through to become a Six-Star Great Dou Master with the aid of pills. Even the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake reached the peak of the Great Dou Master realm. The only pity was that it had failed to advance into a fourth-tier magical beast and reach the Dou Spirit level.

When all was said and done, at Su Heng's current level, the Three-Stripe Green Spirit Pill was the hardest of hard currency. If he had the formula, the Su Clan and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group would have three to five Dou Spirit experts.

Su Heng truly envied Xiao Yan now. He had inherited Medicine Elder's legacy and never needed to worry about pill formulas. Su Heng, who came from humble beginnings, could only do his utmost and leave the rest to fate.

Now that he had done all he could, Su Heng was certain that fate would stand on his side as well. In another five days, the Mo Family would vanish from the Gama Empire forever.

Five days later, having made all the necessary preparations, Su Heng finally returned to the long-unseen Salt City. Today was the birthday banquet of Mo Cheng, the Mo Family's Grand Elder—and also the day the Mo Family would be utterly destroyed.

As he wandered through the streets of his hometown, Su Heng was in an excellent mood. Salt City, already prosperous to begin with, was even livelier today. There were far more travelers coming from all directions, all of whom had been invited by the Mo Family to attend the birthday banquet.

After passing through several crowded streets, Su Heng and Qing Lin gradually approached the Mo Family fortress at the center of the city.

Standing at the end of the street, Su Heng gazed at the Mo Family headquarters, built of black stone and as imposing as a mountain, and could not help sighing.

Before long, this thing would become the most brilliant firework in the sky. And once that firework bloomed, who knew how many innocent people would meet their deaths.

"Fellow townsmen who died in vain, if you are fortunate enough to survive, our Su Clan will protect you for the rest of your lives. If you are unfortunate enough to perish, the Su Clan will care for your descendants. And if your wronged spirits cannot rest after death, then let me, Su Heng, bear all of these sins."

Su Heng knelt at the end of the street, facing the Mo Family fortress. He silently recited verses to guide the dead to peace, then solemnly kowtowed nine times, mourning in advance for the innocent people who would die because of him.

He had a blood feud with the Mo Family, and he intended to settle it by destroying them completely. But those visitors were innocent in the end.

Su Heng and Qing Lin straightened their black robes and walked toward the Mo Family fortress beneath the puzzled gazes of passersby.

Along the way, Su Heng admired the Mo Family fortress with great interest—this magnificent structure that was about to disappear!

If he did not take a good look now, he feared he would never get another chance.

Looking at the towering walls around the fortress, Su Heng could not help marveling at how cautious and vigilant the Mo Family was.

Every few dozen meters, the Mo Family had set up a patrol post. Several squads of guards in black armor moved back and forth on patrol, meticulous in every detail.

Through gaps in the outer walls of the fortress, Su Heng could even vaguely see sharp arrow blades concealed within, glinting coldly beneath the blazing sun.

Unfortunately, though the Mo Family's defenses were thorough and tight, to Su Heng, who had long since arranged everything, they were nothing more than chickens and dogs—no different from air.

Su Heng and Qing Lin followed the tunnel the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake had dug long ago, bypassed the patrolling guards, and successfully infiltrated the Mo Family's underground compound.

Over the past month or so, Su Heng had sent the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake into the Mo Family's underground passages many times to repeatedly scout the terrain. By now, he knew every structure inside and outside the Mo Family like the back of his hand.

Following the clear map already etched into his soul, Su Heng led Qing Lin straight toward the Mo Family treasury.

At the same time, guests began entering through the Mo Family's main gate to offer birthday congratulations to Mo Cheng, the Mo Family's Grand Elder.

The spacious main hall was filled with a constant stream of people and was exceptionally lively. The entire Mo Family was overflowing with a festive atmosphere.

On the gilded chairs lining both sides of the main hall sat leaders or representatives of factions from the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire.

They could be considered the strongest factions in the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire. Although many of them secretly wished for the Mo Family to be wiped out tomorrow, they still had to keep up appearances.

At the seat of honor on the northern side of the main hall, a vigorous middle-aged man clad in luxurious robes clasped his fists toward the guests coming and going below.

He seemed to enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by admirers and revered by all. His rough, vicious face wore a celebratory, somewhat smug smile.

This man was the Mo Family's Grand Elder, Mo Cheng, a Five-Star Dou Spirit. He was both today's guest of honor and the core figure of the Mo Family. More than half the credit for the Mo Family's current status belonged to him.

"Lord Bo'er, Lord of Salt City, has arrived!"

A clear announcement rang out from the entrance and reached the hall. The many guests turned toward the sound, surprise evident in their eyes.

Generally speaking, officials of the Gama Empire would not take the initiative to attend celebrations held by local factions.

Yet the Lord of Salt City had come openly to offer congratulations. The guests could more or less guess that the Mo Family had already subdued the force in Salt City most likely to oppose them.

Having suppressed the Gama Empire's forces and with the Misty Cloud Sect backing them, the Mo Family was now undoubtedly the foremost family in the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire.

"Grand Elder Mo Cheng, congratulations."

At the main hall entrance, Bo'er, the Lord of Salt City, entered with a beaming smile, surrounded by a crowd.

"Ah, Lord Bo'er, you have troubled yourself to come personally. Please, come in."

Over the years, Bo'er had taken no small amount of profit from the Mo Family. Although he did not openly oppose them, he had constantly made moves in secret and suppressed the Mo Family behind the scenes more than once.

Mo Cheng looked at the fat man in luxurious robes before him, a cold killing intent flashing through his heart, though his face remained smiling.

The two understood each other without needing words. Everyone knew that this false peace would sooner or later become one side's complete submission, and Mo Cheng was confident that he would make Bo'er kneel before him in surrender.

After Mo Cheng exchanged a few pleasantries with Bo'er, another clear announcement rang out from the entrance.

"The Ye Clan Head, Lord Ye Cong, has arrived!"

At the sound of that name, even Mo Cheng was briefly stunned and somewhat surprised, but he soon could not help laughing.

The Ye Clan was one of the three great families in the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire. Their strength was somewhat inferior to the Mo Family, which was currently at the height of its power, but only by a little.

Under normal circumstances, the three great families of the eastern provinces were like fire and water. The Ye Clan would never do something like come offer birthday congratulations to a rival.

Yet the Ye Clan had come to celebrate his birthday, which showed at least a hint of yielding. Clearly, after Yun Leng personally came to Salt City, the Ye Clan had abandoned any thought of fighting the Mo Family to the death.

"Hahaha, Brother Mo Cheng, it has been a long time. You are still as vigorous as a dragon and tiger. It seems this eastern territory will ultimately be yours!"

Ye Cong was lean-faced, and his tone carried a trace of weakness. He strode into the main hall with a laugh and clasped his fists toward Mo Cheng at the seat of honor.

Although Ye Cong had yielded, his reluctance was obvious. Mo Cheng understood what he meant and laughed even more heartily. He liked nothing more than forcing his opponents to bow their heads.

"I never expected Clan Head Ye Cong to come especially to celebrate this old man's birthday. I am truly honored."

Mo Cheng smiled faintly, exchanged a few perfunctory words with Ye Cong, and ushered him to a guest seat.

Over the following period, a large number of faction leaders with considerable standing in the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire arrived one after another.

For a time, seven or eight out of every ten major factions in the eastern provinces had gathered in the Mo Family's main hall. It could indeed be considered a rare grand gathering.

Looking at the hall full of guests, the smile on Mo Cheng's face grew increasingly broad. He had gone to great lengths to curry favor with Yun Leng, the Grand Elder of the Misty Cloud Sect, and now it had finally paid off.

At present, in the eastern provinces of the Gama Empire, no other family besides the Mo Family could boast such influence.

Unfortunately, the Mo Family's happiness only had a little while left. As guests above ground came and went offering congratulations, Su Heng had already pried open the door to the Mo Family treasury in an underground secret passage.

No matter how sturdy a lock made by a Dou Spirit family was, it could not withstand the burning of sixth-tier Beast Flame.

Looking at the mountains of gold coins and medicinal ingredients piled inside the treasury, Su Heng could not help burning with anger and righteous indignation. These riches had all been extorted by the Mo Family from the people of Salt City, including the Su Clan.

Su Heng swept both hands through the air. The spiritual light of ten Storage Rings flashed as everything in the treasury was taken into them.

Today, he had brought the Storage Rings of everyone in the Su Clan and the Desert Iron Mercenary Group, determined to empty out the Mo Family's entire reserves.

In the blink of an eye, the tens of millions of gold coins the Mo Family had accumulated over a century all fell into Su Heng's hands. As for the medicinal ingredients piled beside the gold coins, Su Heng did not leave behind even a single stalk, storing them all in the Storage Rings.

Once the treasury had been completely emptied, Su Heng filled it with the orange-yellow explosives he had prepared long ago and left behind a fuse leading outward.

"The Mo Family treasury lies directly beneath the Mo Family's main hall. Mo Cheng! However lively you are now, I will make you just as miserable in a moment!"

Su Heng looked upward. He could practically feel the prosperity and clamor directly above his head.

But all of it would soon vanish completely!

After emptying the treasury, Su Heng followed the map to the secret chamber where the Mo Family kept magical beast test subjects.

According to the Rock-Scaled Rattlesnake's investigation, a great number of dead magical beast corpses were stored there.

Su Heng had not come to dispose of these magical beast corpses. He had come to blow this place open and expose the Mo Family's activities to everyone, paving the way for his next move.

Compared to the treasury lock, the laboratory lock was practically nonexistent in Su Heng's eyes.

He had needed to burn the treasury lock for over ten minutes to melt it, but Su Heng merely touched this laboratory lock with Profound Flame, and it melted into a pool of molten iron.

The instant he pushed open the laboratory doors, a stench of blood and rot assaulted him head-on. Though Su Heng had been prepared, the foul smell still made him vomit.

He hurriedly took out two "masks" from his Storage Ring and put them on himself and Qing Lin. Only then did the nauseating odor ease slightly.

"I heard that one of the Mo Family's ancestors was an alchemist who researched transplanting magical beast limbs onto human bodies. Seeing this today, the rumors truly did not exaggerate."

Looking at the magical beast corpses strewn across the ground, Su Heng frowned deeply. The intense discomfort made him want to leave this place as quickly as possible.

But the work still needed to be done. Su Heng evenly placed the prepared explosives in every corner of the laboratory, ensuring that the entire laboratory would be blasted up to the surface.

"Brother Su Heng! Look over there."

As Su Heng installed the explosives, Qing Lin seemed to sense something. She pointed toward an iron-barred cage in the northwestern corner of the laboratory and gestured for Su Heng to follow her.

Su Heng looked toward the iron cage but did not act rashly. He first shielded Qing Lin behind him, then released his soul power to investigate.

"Hm? A living magical beast? But it feels so weak—so weak that it seems like it could die at any moment!"

A powerful yet frail magical beast aura came from within the iron cage. Su Heng took Qing Lin's hand and cautiously approached the "prison" holding the magical beast.

The magical beast inside the "prison" seemed to sense the humans as well. Though it was already covered in wounds, it still slammed fiercely against the bars and let out a savage roar!

"It's a Black Demon Snake, a snake-type magical beast!"

Its roar was fierce yet feeble, but it carried a feeling Qing Lin found incomparably familiar.

"Ha! A fourth-tier Black Demon Snake? Heaven truly favors us. Mo Cheng, Heaven wants you dead. What way out do you have left!"

Hearing Qing Lin's words, Su Heng's spirits rose at once, delight filling his face.

Fate had willed it so. The Mo Family would surely perish today.

Qing Lin rushed to the iron bars and subdued the imprisoned Black Demon Snake at top speed.

The Black Demon Snake, which had roared in despair and hatred mere seconds ago, was now as docile as a little kitten.

It lay quietly on the ground, wanting to rub its head against Qing Lin, but the heavy iron chains bound it tightly and prevented it from moving even an inch.

Su Heng used Profound Flame to melt the iron bars and sever the chains around the Black Demon Snake.

Only then did Su Heng discover that nearly half the Black Demon Snake's scales had been forcibly ripped away. Its rotting flesh was exposed without any covering to the foul-smelling air.

Pus and blood ran down the chains binding its body and onto the ground, giving off an overpowering stench.

The Black Demon Snake's scales were excellent materials for making armor. Clearly, the black armor worn by the Mo Family guards had been made from its scales.

"You have suffered enough. In a moment, we will go settle the score with Mo Cheng!"

Su Heng gently patted the Black Demon Snake's head and fed it dozens of second-tier Bone-Regenerating Pills. As the pills entered its body, the Black Demon Snake's spirits immediately improved considerably.

It extended its tongue and gratefully licked Su Heng's cheek.

Once its injuries and strength recovered a little, the Black Demon Snake, several zhang long, finally regained its freedom and crawled out of the cage that had imprisoned it.

"Brother Su Heng, it says it wants us to follow it."

After escaping its cage, the Black Demon Snake did not leave. Instead, it rested its head against Qing Lin as if it were telling her something.

"Oh? Could there be other trapped magical beasts? Qing Lin, have it lead the way. Let us take a look."

No one would reject new companions. If more high-level snake-type magical beasts joined them, their chances of killing Mo Cheng would increase greatly. Naturally, Su Heng welcomed that possibility.

The two followed the Black Demon Snake through a corridor in the laboratory and arrived at an utterly empty stone chamber.