"You want me to draw demon beasts to the Mo Clan, create chaos, and in the confusion, steal their treasure and escape?" Mo Ye asked, his voice steady but carrying an undercurrent of unease. His eyes lingered on the small device I had placed on the table, the Nuclear Fusion Bomb. Its simplicity made it all the more terrifying. "And this bomb… what exactly am I supposed to do with it?"
"It's simple," I said, my tone cold and direct. "If you're caught, you'll have the power to bring the entire clan down with you. You've lived under their heel for years. Wouldn't it be satisfying to finally turn the tables?"
Mo Ye's lips pressed into a thin line, his jaw tightening as he processed my words. The room was silent except for the faint rustle of the wind outside. He was uneasy, perhaps even afraid, but there was also a flicker of determination in his gaze, a refusal to completely back down.
"You have until next week to finish the job," I added, rising from my seat and heading toward the door.
"... How can I trust you?" Mo Ye asked suddenly, his voice firm but edged with hesitation. There was fear in his question, but it wasn't paralyzing. It was the fear of someone who understood the stakes but still sought assurance.
"I, Zhou Lianchen, have no need to lie. That's something for the weak, like yourself," I said coldly, my gaze piercing through him. "You've lived your life without anyone to back you, struggling in the shadows. Now, I'm giving you the chance to have me as your backer. Take it or leave it, it's your choice."
I stepped closer, my voice growing sharper. "I have no interest in the treasure you've kept hidden, but disappoint me, and I will take it and give it to someone more deserving."
With those words, I turned and left without waiting for a reply. The room fell into silence, my footsteps fading into the distance.
Mo Ye remained frozen on the spot, not daring to move. His heart pounded as my words echoed in his mind. He was shocked, not just by the threat, but by the revelation. That treasure, the one he had kept hidden from everyone, was his deepest secret. Yet somehow, I knew of it.
His fingers trembled as he clenched his fists, unsure whether to feel anger, fear, or awe. One thing was clear: Zhou Lianchen was not someone to be underestimated.
How did I get my hands on the talismans I gave to Mo Ye? The answer is simple: I created them myself.
The most dangerous of the talismans, the one mimicking a nuclear bomb, required intricate knowledge and precise craftsmanship. I understood the mechanics of a nuclear bomb: it works by triggering a chain reaction where the nuclei of atoms, such as uranium or plutonium, split apart upon being struck by neutrons. This reaction releases an immense amount of energy in an instant, resulting in a massive explosion.
To replicate this process in a talisman, I had to simulate the energy release without relying on physical radioactive materials. The design was complex, demanding exact control over the energy inscriptions and a high-grade talisman capable of containing and releasing such destructive power. It wasn't an easy feat, but I succeeded.
The talisman key? That one was a bit tricky to craft. In designing it, I envisioned it as similar to a device that could methodically bypass security protocols on a phone, not by brute force, but by understanding and aligning with the underlying structure of the lock. The talisman works by detecting and attuning itself to the energy signatures and defensive mechanisms of a target, effectively neutralizing them without raising alarms.
Creating it required immense energy to ensure it could operate subtly without setting off any triggers. It also demanded time and precision, as it needed to carefully unravel each layer of security rather than forcing its way through.
To reach this level of finesse, I utilized my father's vault during its creation, ensuring the talisman could handle high-tier locks and seals. Up to a certain tier, it could bypass nearly any barrier with ease.
Lastly, the demon beast attractor was something I designed to target the primal instincts of beasts. This one was surprisingly easy to create, I've always had instincts that were not entirely human, almost beast-like in nature. Using myself as a test subject, I fine-tuned the talisman to resonate with the raw instincts that drive demon beasts.
Through trial and error, I calibrated it to emit specific frequencies and energies that would agitate and attract beasts of various levels. It wasn't long before I perfected it, creating a talisman capable of drawing even Nascent Soul Realm beasts from hundreds of miles away.
The process was straightforward for me because I could rely on my own instincts as a Saiyan. Those same primal urges provided the key to understanding how to manipulate the minds of beasts. The result was a tool that turned their very nature into a liability, making them predictable and easily manipulated.
"… I'm guessing you recreated a technique to mimic those talismans?" Lan Mei asked, her curiosity getting the better of her as she sat across from me in the carriage. The gentle swaying of the vehicle and the rhythmic sound of wheels on the road seemed to mirror her probing tone.
"No," I replied calmly, my gaze fixed out the window. "That's far too dangerous."
The thought had crossed my mind, of course. Recreating the atomic bomb as a technique was a tantalizing idea, but one fraught with peril. "I wanted to, but a technique like that leaves no room for error. One mistake, one slight miscalculation in controlling the chain reaction, and I'd be dead before I even realized it."
Lan Mei raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "But you didn't seem to hesitate with the talismans."
I leaned back slightly, meeting her gaze. "Talismans are different. The energy is external, contained within the object. If something goes wrong, I can destroy the talisman before the chain reaction fully ignites. With techniques, that safety net doesn't exist. The energy flows directly through the body, making failure catastrophic."
One should remember that the center of an atomic bomb's explosion burns at temperatures five times hotter than the sun. At such an extreme level of heat, even a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator would be reduced to dust if caught off guard.
With the first city dealt with, I turned my attention to the remaining two. This time, I chose to handle matters personally. I made my move under the cover of night, infiltrating their heavily guarded vaults with ease.
Thanks to my unique method of movement and unmatched instincts, no defense was too great, no trap too clever to stop me. I slipped past their barriers, evaded their guards, and neutralized their wards with precision. By the time I left, their vaults were completely emptied, their treasures securely in my possession.
***
The story was true. Indeed, the blood of a powerful cultivator had fallen upon the land surrounding Redcliff City. Mo Ye knew this better than anyone. Why? Because he was that fallen cultivator.
It had happened 10,000 years ago. Back then, he had been engaged in a losing battle, forced to retreat from his enemies to this small, insignificant world. Wounded and exhausted, he finally collapsed in the mountains that now surrounded Redcliff City.
Of course, back then, it wasn't called Redcliff City. The land was untamed, a far cry from the bustling settlement it would eventually become. But his fall, and the blood he spilled, had forever changed this place.
As his life slipped away, the mighty expert acted quickly, setting the stage for his reincarnation. With his blood spilling across the land, he infused it with his essence, hoping that one day, a worthy vessel would be born from this soil, one strong enough to house his soul. This was how Mo Ye came into play.
The moment the Mo Clan leader's seed spilled into Mo Ye's mother, and Mo Ye's life began to form, the expert's dormant soul stirred. Seizing the opportunity, he moved to take possession of the body. However, more than 9,000 years had passed since his fall, and his once-great power had diminished. In his weakened state, he couldn't fully assert control over the developing body.
Unable to maintain dominance, the expert's soul fell into a deep slumber, leaving room for something unexpected. A second personality emerged, independent and unaware of the ancient force lying dormant within. This second personality became the Mo Ye everyone knew.
As Mo Ye endured relentless bullying, the original personality, the mighty expert, began to regain strength. With every blow and every insult, the second personality's spirit weakened, allowing the dormant soul to assert more control over the body.
But then, something neither personality could have predicted happened.
Six years ago, the heavens themselves seemed to tremble, a quiet but profound ripple across existence. This event, subtle yet powerful, triggered a transformation within Mo Ye. The two personalities, once locked in a silent battle for dominance, began to fuse. Their essence intertwined, their memories, thoughts, and ambitions merging into a single, unified being.
What emerged was neither wholly the expert nor entirely the second personality, but something entirely new, an entity born from the union of two vastly different souls.
Ever since that fateful fusion, Mo Ye had begun to train in secret, quietly biding his time while keeping his head low. He avoided unnecessary attention, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike and reclaim his place.
Of course, he had not started from nothing. Among the treasures he had preserved from his past life was a seemingly ordinary rug, but its power was anything but mundane. When someone trained or cultivated atop it, their progress accelerated by an astounding five times. It was an invaluable tool, one that allowed Mo Ye to grow rapidly while remaining under the radar.
Zhou Lianchen was unaware of the full truth. All he knew was that Mo Ye had stumbled upon the inheritance of the fallen cultivator who had turned the Redcliff mountain range blood red. Zhou Lianchen's instincts, sharp and unmatched, had led him to this conclusion. It was through those instincts alone that he pieced together the puzzle, though even he couldn't fully grasp the depth of Mo Ye's secrets.
At this moment, Mo Ye carefully placed the Demon Beast Attractors at the heart of the Mo Clan's territory. True to his identity as the reincarnation of a powerful expert, he moved with precision and subtlety, ensuring that no one noticed his actions. Once the attractors were set, he vanished without drawing any attention, his presence like a ghost in the night.
Mo Ye then made his way toward the Mo Clan's vault, the true objective of his mission. Using the cover of darkness, he blended seamlessly into the shadows, concealing himself near the heavily guarded treasure trove. Patient and calculating, he waited for the chaos to erupt, knowing the Demon Beast Attractors would soon do their job and turn the clan's focus elsewhere.
As long as no Nascent Soul Realm cultivator intervened, Mo Ye was entirely confident that none of the Core Formation Realm cultivators within the Mo Clan could pierce his stealth. His movements were flawless, his concealment impeccable. Hidden within the shadows near the vault, he waited patiently.
He didn't have to wait long. Just three hours later, the air was filled with the deafening roars of wild beasts. The ground trembled under the pounding of their feet as they closed in on the clan's territory. Alarms blared throughout the Mo Clan, echoing across the compound as chaos erupted.
"What is going on?" the Mo Clan's head exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the sight before him. A sea of Demon Beasts surged toward the clan's territory, their roars deafening, their numbers seemingly endless. The ground shook beneath their charge, and the very air seemed to hum with the weight of their presence.
He had never witnessed anything like this before. Waves of Demon Beasts attacking a city were not unheard of, they happened occasionally, and the clan was always prepared to handle such events. But this… this was unprecedented. The sheer scale of the assault was overwhelming, as though the beasts had been summoned by some unseen force, united in their fury.
Panic and confusion spread through the clan like wildfire as the head of the Mo Clan tried to comprehend the impossible scene unfolding before him.
Every now and then, Demon Beasts would recklessly charge toward a city, launching an unprovoked attack. Such events occurred for various reasons, but most stemmed from the strategic decisions of the Demon Beast King.
Faced with the constant challenge of managing their vast numbers, the Demon Beast King often saw these attacks as a convenient solution. By sending Demon Beasts to assault human cities, the king could reduce their population while simultaneously weakening human forces and acquiring resources. It was a calculated gamble, one the Demon Beast King was more than willing to make.
There were many Demon Beast Kings scattered across the land, as most forests typically fell under the dominion of such powerful creatures. Naturally, forests housed an incredible diversity of Demon Beasts, from insects to birds, each contributing to the overwhelming numbers. Under the rule of a single Demon Beast King, the population of Demon Beasts was at least 100 times greater than the human population of a city.
By the way, a Demon Beast King is a title bestowed upon the strongest Nascent Soul Realm Demon Beast within a given territory. Their strength and authority made them the undisputed rulers of their domain, commanding the loyalty of countless creatures.
The Mo Clan head barked orders, his voice cutting through the chaos as he sent men to call for reinforcements. Meanwhile, everyone else was mobilized to fight the oncoming horde of Demon Beasts. The numbers were overwhelming, leaving no room for hesitation, no one was allowed to sit back and do nothing.
As for the clan head himself, he wasted no time. He turned and rushed toward the ancestral halls, knowing that the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, the clan's ancestors, had to be alerted immediately. Only their power stood a chance of turning the tide against this unprecedented assault.
'I underestimated that talisman,' Mo Ye thought, feeling the vibrations in the ground beneath him. The sheer magnitude of the stampede was staggering. He estimated that at least 10 million wild beasts were attacking the Mo Clan.
This was no ordinary assault, it was monumental. The talisman had drawn in every wild beast within range, from Body Tempering level creatures to those at the Nascent Soul Realm. The scale of destruction it unleashed far exceeded his expectations, leaving even Mo Ye momentarily awestruck.
Mo Ye seized the opportunity. With the guards called away to defend against the demon beasts, the path to the vault was clear. Moving swiftly and silently, he approached the massive structure and pulled out the Key Talisman.
With practiced ease, he activated the talisman and placed it against the vault's surface. Immediately, the talisman adhered to the metal, and strange symbols began to spread across the surface like flowing ink. These symbols pulsed faintly, their energy probing the intricate mechanisms of the vault.
One by one, the talisman began attempting every possible password combination to bypass the vault's defenses. Mo Ye watched with calm focus, the soft hum of the talisman's energy filling the air.
"This is taking too long," Mo Ye muttered, his eyes narrowing as he watched the Key Talisman at work. Although it was impressive that the talisman could unlock the vault in just three hours, a remarkable feat for something so complex, he didn't have that kind of time to spare.
Quickly, he began forming hand seals, his movements precise and fluid. With a sharp slap against the vault's surface, a surge of energy spread outward. More symbols appeared, radiating from his hand and intertwining with the talisman's existing patterns. The two sets of symbols fused seamlessly, their combined energy amplifying the talisman's efficiency.
The hum of the talisman grew louder as the process accelerated. Mo Ye smirked faintly. "Now we're talking," he murmured, stepping back to watch the strengthened talisman work its magic.
The vault trembled for a few seconds before it began to open with a deep, resonant groan. Mo Ye's gaze swept over the vast collection before him. What lay before him was nothing short of a sea of treasures, the accumulated wealth and artifacts of the Mo Clan, gathered over thousands of years.
The Mo Clan's origins stretched back more than 50,000 years, a legacy built on power and ambition. Though they had relocated to Redcliff Mountain only 2,000 years ago, their collection spoke to their long-standing influence and history. Rare artifacts, glittering jewels, ancient scrolls, and mystical resources filled the space, each item radiating power and significance.
Mo Ye's eyes gleamed with a mixture of awe and satisfaction. A clan that had existed for such an immense span of time would naturally possess treasures that could rival even the greatest sects. And now, all of it was within his grasp.
Mo Ye wasted no time. The moment the vault fully opened, he burst inside with unmatched agility, expertly dodging every trap and bypassing every defensive mechanism. His movements were precise, a blend of experience and instinct honed over lifetimes.
He collected everything, the treasures, the artifacts, the resources, even the dirt on the ground imbued with spiritual energy. Nothing was spared. By the time he was done, the once-packed vault was so thoroughly emptied that it gleamed as if it had been polished to perfection.
Mo Ye glanced around one last time, ensuring he hadn't overlooked even the smallest trinket. Satisfied, he turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving behind a vault so clean that it looked untouched, except for its eerie emptiness.
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