Impact and Reactions

After taking Mo Cheng's desperate full-force strike at close range and still emerging unscathed, Mo Shi, Mo Chen, and the entire Mo Clan were thrown into complete panic.

The key was the pair of Dou Qi Wings behind Mo Yun. Across the entire Dou Qi Continent, probably no one failed to recognize them as the mark of a Dou Wang.

A one-year-old Dou Ling had already been shocking enough to them, but who could have expected they had still underestimated him? He was actually a one-year-old Dou Wang?

They did not even have the presence of mind to mourn Mo Cheng for creating an opportunity for them to escape through his self-destruction. Instead, they had already cursed him to death in their hearts. With someone like this in the clan, why would they ever need to worry about its rise? Yet he had actually taken him for transplant experiments? Had his brain been crushed in a door? And with that, he had wanted to dominate the Northeast Provinces and rule the Jia Ma Empire?

Mo Cheng probably felt rather wronged. The original Mo Yun really had been useless...

Watching Mo Yun block their path in an instant, Mo Shi panicked and hurriedly said, "Mo Yun, we're all from the same clan. Everything before this was Mo Cheng's doing; it had nothing to do with us!"

Mo Yun smiled and said softly, "Do you think I'd believe such an excuse?"

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Mo Chen spoke as well. "Mo Yun, you possess such strength. We are willing to submit to you, help you take control of the Mo Clan, and support you as the Mo Family Head!"

Mo Yun shook his head. "The Mo Clan is too small... You followed Mo Cheng for so long. You should understand that mistakes come at a price!"

When he saw that Mo Yun could not be persuaded, Mo Chen gritted his teeth and shouted, "Split up and run!"

With that, he turned his back on Mo Yun and fled in one direction.

Seeing Mo Chen take off first, the Mo Clan members cursed his ancestors before each choosing a direction and fleeing as well.

Though Mo Chen was a real piece of work, his method was feasible. If they ran together, they clearly could not escape Mo Yun's pursuit. But if they split up, perhaps there would still be a sliver of hope.

Looking at the Mo Clan members scattering in every direction, Mo Yun chuckled. "Can you escape?"

Mo Shi and Mo Chen were Great Dou Shi, while the rest of the Mo Clan were merely at the Dou Shi level. Trying to flee for their lives before a Dou Wang? They were dreaming.

The black-purple Dou Qi Wings behind Mo Yun flapped, unleashing a raging gale. He vanished from where he stood and headed first toward the fleeing Mo Chen.

In the forest, a Mo Clan disciple ran in a panic. He seemed to sense the movements of his fellow clansmen in other parts of the woods disappearing one by one, and the fear in his heart grew even stronger.

Until, amid a rustling sound, several white snakes appeared around him...

Mo Clan, the main residence of the family head.

A Mo Family Steward hurried inside, his expression panicked as he said, "Family Head, the Great Elder's life tablet has shattered!"

Mo Lan, the Mo Family Head, instantly became alert at those words. He turned around, glanced at the messenger, then hurried to the door and shut it.

"What did you say?"

The man clearly had yet to come to terms with it and said dazedly, "The Great Elder has met with misfortune! Besides the Great Elder, the Third Elder, the Fourth Elder, and the Mo Family Stewards accompanying them have all met with misfortune!"

Mo Lan's eyes flickered. After a long pause, he said, "There are two matters you must handle at once! First, seal the news of the three elders' deaths. It must not spread!"

"Yes! I await the Family Head's orders!"

While the Great Elder had been alive, Family Head Mo Lan had been sidelined, and the Mo Clan had been ruled by Mo Cheng. But that did not mean Mo Lan lacked his own confidants. What was more, now that Mo Cheng was dead, along with the Third Elder, Fourth Elder, and Great Elder, the Great Elder's faction had collapsed in an instant. From now on, the Mo Clan needed to choose its side again.

"If it was an enemy of our Mo Clan, and even the Great Elder and the others could not withstand them, then our entire Mo Clan likely cannot fend them off either. Immediately bring the Mo Clan's valuables to the Yun Lan Sect and seek an audience with Great Elder Yun Leng, requesting his protection!"

Hearing this, the Mo Family Steward nodded slightly.

Mo Lan continued, "There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. The matter of the Great Elder's death will likely reach the other three great clans sooner or later. Keep a close watch on their movements to prevent them from striking while we are down. We must obtain the Yun Lan Sect's protection before they act. At the same time, investigate the cause of the Great Elder's death. I only hope the other party will not vent their anger on our Mo Clan."

"Yes, Family Head. Rest assured, I'll handle it immediately!"

After the steward withdrew, the vacant look in Mo Lan's eyes was replaced by a different kind of brilliance. "Great Elder, after all the twists and turns, the Mo Clan is still my Mo Lan's Mo Clan in the end!"

As one of the Jia Ma Empire's foremost powers, the Yun Lan Sect was situated atop a majestic mountain range not far from the imperial capital. Because of the Yun Lan Sect's name, this mountain was also called Yun Lan Mountain.

Yun Lan Mountain was steep, with cliffs on three sides. Only a single path led directly to its summit.

The mountaintop looked as though it had been sliced cleanly across, revealing an exceptionally smooth expanse. Countless lofty buildings and residences stood upon it. This was where the Yun Lan Sect disciples lived, and where the Yun Lan Sect itself was located.

Among them, several particularly conspicuous areas were the residences of the Yun Lan Sect's higher-ups.

The door of one rather luxurious residence opened, and an old man in white robes stepped out.

A Yun Lan Sect disciple who had long been waiting outside hurried forward and respectfully said, "Great Elder, someone from the Mo Clan has arrived!"

"Hm? The Mo Clan has sent someone again? Didn't they just come not long ago? What is Mo Cheng doing? Does celebrating a birthday truly require the Sect Leader to attend in person? He should take a look at what he is!" Great Elder Yun Leng said with some displeasure.

That Yun Lan Sect disciple did not dare provoke Yun Leng's temper. Only after Yun Leng had vented did he speak. "Great Elder, Mo Cheng is dead! He died on the road back to the Mo Clan from the Yun Lan Sect!"

Yun Leng's expression changed. He turned toward the disciple and asked, "Dead? Who did it?"

Mo Cheng had at least been a Dou Ling. That was absolutely not weak in the Jia Ma Empire, yet someone had actually taken his life. No matter how the Yun Lan Sect regarded Mo Cheng, this was a major matter!

"According to the mercenaries who were there that day, Mo Cheng organized people to hunt someone down, only to be killed by that person instead. According to them, that person also seemed to be from the Mo Clan. His name was Mo Yun! He was..."

"He was what?"

"He was a Dou Wang," the Yun Lan Sect disciple replied quietly, sounding uncertain.

"What? A Dou Wang? Investigate this matter immediately! Why has the Mo Clan sent people here now?" Yun Leng asked.

The disciple replied, "The Mo Clan has brought generous gifts and specifically requested to visit the Great Elder!"

"Generous gifts?"

"Far more than what Mo Cheng previously offered us..."

Yun Leng gave a cold chuckle. "It seems the Mo Clan has truly bled heavily this time. Hmph! Only after something happened did they finally remember our Yun Lan Sect..."