First Battle Against a False Core

Mo Wen ignored the shocked expressions on the faces of the Ji Clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators and turned his gaze to the clan's False Core ancestor.

"Since Song Xuan is dead, there's no need to keep these Ji Clan descendants alive. They can be buried with my old friend!"

As Mo Wen spoke, Spiritual Qi surged around him, instantly condensing into over a hundred lifelike fire crows, complete with feathers and beaks. From the look of him, he seemed ready to unleash them the very next instant and burn the remaining Ji Clan descendants to ashes!

"Wait! Song Xuan isn't dead!" Ji Buli suddenly shouted.

Without so much as looking at Ji Buli, Mo Wen said to the Ji Household ancestor, "I never intended to leave Scarlet Moon Mountain alive today! Go ahead and kill Song Xuan. He doesn't have many years left anyway, so he might as well keep me company!"

The Ji Household ancestor fell silent for a long while before saying, "I can let Song Xuan leave, but you must spare these Ji Household descendants as well."

"To me, these people are all worthless trash! But I don't trust you!" Mo Wen said coldly.

"Then what do you want?" The Ji Household ancestor was growing anxious too.

These descendants represented the Ji Household's future. If they were all slaughtered, it would be impossible for the household to recover without two or three hundred years!

"First, I want to see Song Xuan, alive!" Mo Wen stated his first condition.

"Fine!" The Ji Household ancestor agreed readily. The surviving Ji Household descendants were badly injured and needed treatment as soon as possible.

Mo Wen did not have to wait long before Song Xuan was brought over by a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Looking closely, he saw that the cultivator was none other than the hawk-faced elder who had once followed Ji Yuan.

Mo Wen remembered that the man was steeped in ghostly Qi and had likely achieved Divergent Method Foundation Establishment. He had long heard that ghost-path Law Techniques were strange and unpredictable, so he needed to be on guard.

Song Xuan hung from the hawk-faced elder's grip, looking listless and dispirited. He had apparently suffered considerable torture. Judging by his breathing, however, he was fairly stable and his life was not in danger.

"Old Song, how are you?" Mo Wen asked him directly.

Song Xuan seemed to have been placed under a restriction and could not answer at all. Only his eyes darted up and down, and he seemed very anxious.

Mo Wen signaled the hawk-faced elder with a look that he wanted to speak with Song Xuan.

The hawk-faced elder did not refuse. With a grasp of his withered hand, he drew five wisps of inky green smoke from the five orifices on Song Xuan's face and tucked them into his waist pouch.

A few breaths later, Song Xuan's body trembled slightly, and he was finally able to speak.

His first words were, "Old Mo, run! Don't worry about me!"

Then he shouted, "Old Mo, I'm almost at the limit of my Qi and Blood! Don't throw your life away trying to save me. It's not worth it!"

Mo Wen was quite touched. Although he and Song Xuan were not actually that close compared to the original owner, Song Xuan had done everything a friend could!

Now Song Xuan was telling Mo Wen to hurry away without regard for his own safety. Clearly, he truly regarded Mo Wen as a friend he could trust with his life.

"All right, Old Song, quit hollering! With me here, I'll make sure you're safe!" Mo Wen said with a smile, looking perfectly at ease.

Song Xuan gave Mo Wen a doubtful look, but gradually calmed down. He decided to trust his old friend; at the very least, he could not become a burden to Mo Wen.

After reassuring Song Xuan, Mo Wen said to the Ji Clan ancestor, "I want to fight you one-on-one. No one else is to interfere!"

The Ji Clan ancestor's eyes narrowed slightly at Mo Wen's words. He truly had not expected Mo Wen to have the courage to fight a False Core cultivator like him.

Though False Core cultivators were far weaker than Golden Core True Persons, they were plainly half a major realm stronger than Foundation Establishment cultivators. Generally speaking, even True Disciples of Golden Core immortal sects would not dare challenge a False Core cultivator before reaching the Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

He's a Rogue Cultivator who only just reached Foundation Establishment. Where did he get the confidence to challenge a False Core ancestor like me? The Ji Household ancestor's gaze grew unfathomably deep.

When something was out of the ordinary, there had to be a demon behind it. The Ji Household ancestor had cultivated for over two hundred years and experienced too much not to know that a ship sailed with care could last ten thousand years. Though he had complete confidence in himself, he no longer dared look down on Mo Wen, a junior who had only just reached Foundation Establishment.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said, "I can fight you one-on-one, but you must not harm any more descendants of my Ji Clan."

Mo Wen continued setting his conditions: the Ji Household's five Foundation Establishment cultivators had to swear on their Dao hearts not to interfere in the battle between Mo Wen and the Ji Household ancestor, and they had to withdraw a thousand li from Scarlet Moon Mountain.

In return, he would also swear on his Dao heart not to harm any more Ji Clan descendants before a victor was decided between him and the Ji Household ancestor. Song Xuan would remain behind as well to keep watch over the Ji Clan descendants.

After conferring with the clan's Foundation Establishment cultivators, the Ji Household ancestor agreed to Mo Wen's conditions. They agreed so readily mainly because they had confidence in their ancestor!

Once the terms were settled, both sides swore their respective Dao heart oaths. The five Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Ji Household then left Scarlet Moon Mountain, flying a thousand li away.

Mo Wen also took the opportunity to call Song Xuan over and examine his body thoroughly. Only after finding no hidden tricks on him did he put his mind at ease.

"Once I start fighting the Ji Clan ancestor, stay close to these Ji Clan descendants. If a Foundation Establishment cultivator comes near you, use them as hostages. Remember, don't leave this place by a single step until I come back!" Mo Wen instructed him one last time.

Song Xuan nodded firmly. "Be careful!"

Mo Wen smiled calmly and called to the Ji Clan ancestor, "You and I will fight in the sky!"

With that, he rode his sword into the sky, putting as much distance between himself and Song Xuan as he could.

The Ji Clan ancestor swept his wide sleeve, transformed into a streak of light, and pursued Mo Wen.

Mo Wen had never seen a False Core cultivator before, much less knew just how strong someone at that level was in battle.

He had, however, heard one commonly known fact: Golden Core cultivators all had mystic light protecting their bodies. Unless one could break through that layer of light covering their entire bodies, one could not hurt them in the slightest! As their cultivation grew, their Protective Mystic Light would grow stronger as well!

False Core cultivators also possessed Protective Mystic Light, but its strength depended on the demon core they had refined.

Mo Wen knew full well that the outcome of this battle depended on whether he could break through the Ji Clan ancestor's mystic light. If he could not, he would have no choice but to abandon Song Xuan and flee.

Seeing the Ji Household ancestor catch up, Mo Wen halted, drew the Startling Thunder Sword, and slashed at him.

Though he did not use Sword Qi Thunder Sound, he put everything else he had into the strike, layering the two powers of his own magical power and Blood Qi.

The Ji Household ancestor could not help being greatly shocked by the might of Mo Wen's strike. He immediately activated his defensive Spirit Artifact and Protective Mystic Light, intending to take the blow head-on.

It was not that he had not considered dodging the sword strike, which came with the force of wind and thunder. But he did not want to diminish his own momentum, and he truly had little time to evade it.

So he simply did not dodge!