"You..."
Ouyang Teng’s head had already fallen to the ground, but his body hadn’t yet reacted, still standing upright as blood sprayed endlessly from his severed neck.
He couldn’t believe this was real.
’How could this be? A grand master of the Martial Monarch Great Perfection Realm, and I was taken out in a single move?’
He hadn’t even seen how Su Mo had struck.
The members of the Beast Taming Sect were all stunned as well.
They had expected a prolonged, brutal battle between Su Mo and Ouyang Teng. They never imagined it would end so quickly.
"Elder Su, he..." the Ancient Giant Crocodile said, his voice filled with disbelief.
The Cyan Cloud Sparrow, already accustomed to such displays, said smugly, "Old Croc, I told you before, didn’t I? Elder Su can casually swat a Martial Monarch to death and crush a Martial King underfoot. You believe me now, right?"
"You did, you did!" the Ancient Giant Crocodile nodded hastily.
What it didn’t know was that the Cyan Cloud Sparrow had originally just been bragging to establish his seniority.
However, the sparrow’s boasts had now all come true.
The Ancient Giant Crocodile fawned, "Brother Que, you’re the one with foresight, knowing to cling tightly to Elder Su’s thigh."
"Heh, that’s because Elder Su values me," the Cyan Cloud Sparrow chuckled, then added conspiratorially, "If you want to follow Elder Su, it’s not enough to just be powerful. You also have to know how to deliver corny pickup lines. Elder Su loves them."
"What are corny pickup lines?" the Ancient Giant Crocodile asked, completely baffled.
The Cyan Cloud Sparrow whispered, "It’s like this: ’Elder Su, I’ve gotten sick recently.’ ’What kind of sickness?’ ’I’m sick with longing for you.’"
"That’s just disgusting," the Ancient Giant Crocodile shot back.
"What’s wrong with disgusting?" the Cyan Cloud Sparrow said nonchalantly. "As long as Elder Su likes hearing it, I’ll say it even if it makes me want to puke."
...
THUD!
Only when Ouyang Teng’s headless corpse finally collapsed did the people of the Celestial Moon Sect snap back to reality.
"What? The Sect Leader is dead?"
The members of the Celestial Moon Sect felt their hearts tremble, staring at Su Mo in utter horror.
Elder Li roared in fury, "You fiend! You dare kill our Sect Leader? I will kill you and avenge Sect Leader Ouyang!"
POOF!
In an instant, Elder Li was reduced to a mist of blood.
The one who had struck was, of course, Su Mo.
Su Mo’s voice was cold. "I’ll give you three breaths. Cripple your own cultivation, all of you. Otherwise, don’t blame me for what comes next—I’ll slaughter every last one of you."
"Bullshit! Telling us to cripple our own cultivation? You might as well just kill us!" a middle-aged Martial Artist roared.
PFFT!
Su Mo pierced the man’s forehead with a single finger. "Anyone else want to die?" he said coldly. "Step forward, and I’ll accommodate you."
In that instant, everyone from the Celestial Moon Sect fell into despair.
Fighting was out of the question; they couldn’t possibly win. Escape? But where could they possibly run?
In the end, they had no choice but to cripple their own cultivation to save their lives.
"AHHHH..."
A series of agonizing screams echoed across the gates of the Beast Taming Sect. Afterward, the crippled cultivators were driven out of the territory of the Eighteen Kingdoms.
Only Elder Gao and his two companions remained at the scene.
Su Mo asked, "What about you three? Will you choose to kneel and apologize, or will you cripple your own cultivation?"
THUD!
Without the slightest hesitation, Elder Gao dropped to his knees.
’He was certain that if he dared to utter a single word of refusal, Su Mo would kill him on the spot, not even giving him a chance to plead his case.’
Su Mo said icily, "You will repair the Beast Taming Sect’s Mountain Protection Array in the same way you broke it. After that, you will serve the Beast Taming Sect as slaves for ten years. Otherwise, I’ll kill you."
"Yes, yes, of course!"
Though he was ten thousand times unwilling, Elder Gao still nodded in agreement.
’He cursed inwardly. That bastard Ouyang Teng provoked a monster like this and didn’t even mention it! He’d nearly gotten him killed!’
With everything settled, Su Mo said calmly, "Sect Leader Chu, until we meet again."
"Safe travels, Elder Su."
Chu Tianxiong said respectfully, "In a few days, I will be sure to lead the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect to Qingyang City to pay you a formal visit, Elder Su."
"Then I will be waiting for you in Qingyang City, Sect Leader Chu."
With that said, Su Mo beckoned to the Cyan Cloud Sparrow, and they departed.
BURP!
The Cyan Cloud Sparrow suddenly let out a loud burp.
"What did you get into?" Su Mo asked curiously.
"The Celestial Horses!" the Cyan Cloud Sparrow replied, licking its beak.
Su Mo chuckled. "When did you learn to sneak snacks? The Celestial Moon Sect spent a fortune raising those Celestial Horses."
Still, Su Mo didn’t blame the Cyan Cloud Sparrow.
The sparrow had been working hard carrying him around lately. Even if it hadn’t achieved great merit, it had certainly put in the effort. A reward was well-deserved.
...
In Qingyang City, everyone in the Xiao Family was in seclusion.
Their expedition to Qu Luo’s Tomb had yielded immense benefits, which, when calculated, were equivalent to nearly a hundred years of the Xiao Family’s income.
With so many resources on hand, they naturally began to cultivate with feverish intensity.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
From time to time, the auras of breakthroughs erupted from within the Xiao Family residence. The more powerful ones could be felt throughout the entirety of Qingyang City.
Everyone in Qingyang City was astounded.
They had heard that the Xiao Family had reaped great rewards in Qu Luo’s Tomb, but they never imagined it would be on this scale.
Just as the Xiao Family’s cultivation was in full swing, two uninvited guests entered Qingyang City.
Blood Cry and Ghost Skull.
"Ghost Skull," Blood Cry said as they walked, "when we move against the Xiao Family, you don’t need to lift a finger. Just stand aside and watch."
"And why should I let you have all the fun?" Ghost Skull demanded.
Blood Cry grinned, baring his fangs. "Because I alone am more than enough to annihilate the entire Xiao Family. There’s no need for both of us."
"I don’t think so!"
Ghost Skull sneered. "Don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to. You want to destroy the Xiao Family by yourself and take all the credit, don’t you?"
"Take all the credit? Heh, do you really think I’m that greedy?"
Blood Cry snarled, "The only reason I want to do it alone is because I love the thrill of torment and slaughter. Just imagine it: someone wailing in despair before you, begging for their life, seeing not a single glimmer of hope, only to be mercilessly crushed and tormented to death by you... Tsk, tsk, there’s nothing more satisfying."
"Damn it, you’re a total psycho," Ghost Skull grumbled.
"Psycho, schmyco," Blood Cry retorted. "That’s just because you’ve never felt the pleasure of crushing a genius’s skull, snuffing them out in the cradle. Forget it. You wouldn’t understand."
"I don’t need to understand," Ghost Skull said with contempt. "But if you want me to agree, you have to give me half the credit. Otherwise, the deal’s off."
"You can have all the credit. Just give me half the bounty."
"Deal!"
Ghost Skull agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
’Getting all the credit without lifting a finger, plus half the bounty? Why wouldn’t he agree to that?’
Blood Cry grinned savagely. "My only hope now is that this Su Mo isn’t too weak. It would be a real shame if he died before I’d had my fill of fun."
"Unlikely."
Ghost Skull shook his head. "He killed our Celestial Slaughter Hall’s branch Hall Master in the Desolate Empire. His strength can’t be that weak. He should be at least an Early Stage Martial Monarch, which should be enough to give you a good fight."