The fast horses galloped swiftly along the mountain path at the border of Central and Southern Province.
It had been five days since Zheng Tao informed Mo Qingkuang of the attack on his family.
Accompanying Mo Qingkuang on his journey was Wu Ming, a seventh-rank Martial Venerable chosen by Zheng Tao, along with several dozen skilled individuals from the Imperial Academy, all of whom were at the realm of grandmasters and above.
"Qingkuang, don't worry too much. There's still no news about your father, which doesn't necessarily mean bad news," Wu Ming reassured Mo Qingkuang, who appeared anxious.
For five days, the group had tirelessly traveled day and night, changing horses at relay stations along the way, reducing what would have been a twelve-day journey to only five.
In just another hour, they would arrive at the location of the attack on the Mo family—Mount Buyi.
Mount Buyi was a prominent landmark marking the border between Central Province and Southern Province. Its steep and rugged peaks stretched across hundreds of miles, forming a natural boundary. However, a narrow passage had been carved through its center, allowing passage for travelers.
According to intelligence, the Mo family's caravan was ambushed at this location by disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect.
Mo Qingkuang's face darkened as he pondered the situation. Though he might appear frivolous, his sense of family loyalty was strong, particularly towards his father, Mo Shan, who had showered him with affection since childhood.
Now, with their fate unknown, how could he possibly remain calm?
Mo Fan, who resided within his ring, also felt a headache coming on.
Upon hearing from Zheng Tao about the attack on the Mo family, the system immediately issued a task to him.
[Ding! New Task!]
[Family Annihilation: The Mo family was originally meant to be wiped out in the main storyline. Due to the host's intervention, events changed. However, under the trajectory of destiny, the Mo family once again faces the threat of annihilation.]
[Objective: Save the Mo family from annihilation.]
[Reward: Unknown. (Task completion depends on the number of family members rescued.) Note: If Mo Shan, the current head of the family, dies, the task will fail!]
[Penalty: If the task fails, the host will be in a dormant state for three years.]
The task's purpose was clear: ultimately, as long as the family head, Mo Shan, remained alive, the task would not fail. However, given how the task was structured, Mo Fan understood that the danger facing Mo Shan would be even greater than anticipated.
The best news was that, because of the task, Mo Fan had been able to confirm that Mo Shan was still alive. Otherwise, he would have received a failure notification by now.
"Yuan Sword Sect! Lin Yang, I am coming for you!" Mo Qingkuang's eyes burned with anger and hatred.
The attack on the Mo family by disciples of the Yuan Sword Sect was undoubtedly retaliation for Mo Qingkuang thwarting their plans during the martial examination.
When Mo Qingkuang was defeated by Lin Yang and his meridians were destroyed, the Yuan Sword Sect not only showed no mercy but also reneged on their previous promises, abandoning Mo Qingkuang.
Later, after Mo Qingkuang's rebirth from the ashes, he defeated Lin Yang in the martial examination, defending the dignity of the Tianxuan Empire and severely humiliating the Yuan Sword Sect.
As the dominant power in Southern Province, the Yuan Sword Sect had never suffered such a profound humiliation.
Upon learning of the Mo family's intention to relocate to the Capital, they immediately sought revenge.
The Yuan Sword Sect couldn't allow their millennium-long prestige to be tarnished without shedding blood!
"Yuan Sword Sect! I will not rest until justice is served!" Mo Qingkuang's eyes flashed with determination and boundless hatred.
Mo Qingkuang whipped his horse again and again, urging it to gallop faster. The steed let out a resounding neigh and picked up speed.
By the time the horse convoy reached Mount Buyi, it was already dark. They ascended to a peak adjacent to Mount Buyi, the second-highest peak in the vicinity. This spot offered a good vantage point to observe the surrounding area.
Near Mount Buyi, the Yuan Sword Sect had already occupied the area and was conducting a thorough search, intent on eradicating the entire Mo family.
At the entrance to Mount Buyi's passage, numerous tents had been set up, forming a circle of encampments with many supply wagons in the center. These wagons were the tools used by the Mo family to transport their belongings. Despite the family's decline over the years, they still retained some remnants of their former glory, which had now fallen into the hands of the Yuan Sword Sect.
Many disciples patrolled around the camp, surrounding the largest tent in the center. Though they wore black robes and hoods to conceal their identities, their identities had already been recognized by the skilled individuals accompanying Mo Qingkuang.
The black robes were simply meant to avoid leaving concrete evidence for Mo Qingkuang's side. Attacking the Mo family was one thing, but assaulting skilled individuals from the Imperial Academy was a much more serious matter. Before the four major sects and the Tianxuan Empire completely severed ties, the Yuan Sword Sect couldn't openly provoke the empire's authority.
Looking down at the camp below, Wu Ming spoke up, "The central tent should be where your captured family members are held. Judging from the situation, it seems your father hasn't fallen into their hands yet. I suggest we first rescue the remaining members of your family and take them to the territory of the Central Province. Not far from here is Zhennan Pass, where the army is stationed. The Yuan Sword Sect wouldn't dare to act recklessly there."
Mo Qingkuang nodded in agreement. Mo Fan had already informed him that for the time being, Mo Shan was safe, which eased his mind somewhat.
If they were to sneak into Mount Buyi to search for Mo Shan now, and encounter members of the Yuan Sword Sect, the captured family members would immediately become leverage in their hands. At that point, their every move would be extremely difficult, constantly under the control of others.
Wu Ming's suggestion was correct; they needed to first rescue the family members and remove the threat of leverage.
"Let's follow your arrangement then," Mo Qingkuang agreed with a nod.
"I'll go scout the camp to see what's going on. You all stay hidden and don't get discovered," Wu Ming nodded, then without any visible action, gradually faded into the darkness.
"How mysterious his techniques are!" Mo Qingkuang thought to himself.
Wu Ming's martial cultivation was at the realm of Martial Venerable, but his specific attribute was unknown. However, it definitely had something to do with concealment.
In the past, he had always followed Zheng Tao like a shadow, almost inseparable from him. But if one didn't observe carefully, it was difficult to even notice Wu Ming's presence beside Zheng Tao.
The silent disappearance just now truly stunned Mo Qingkuang.
Despite his own exceptional speed and practice of divine-grade techniques, even if he reached the same realm as Wu Ming, he couldn't vanish from sight like he did.
"There are so many powerful individuals in this world. I'm nothing more than a humble speck of dust," Mo Qingkuang couldn't help but feel a sense of insignificance.
Fortunately, before Mo Qingkuang could dwell on his thoughts for too long, Wu Ming's figure suddenly appeared beside him like a ghost, almost startling him. However, the other dozens of elite members from the Imperial Academy accompanying them seemed unfazed by Wu Ming's mysterious appearances and disappearances.