BANG!
Two disciples were slammed to the ground, spitting out crimson blood as they glared at Han Sect with fury.
’This bastard actually hit us.’
Han Sect, however, didn’t spare them a single glance, stepping right into Medicine King Valley.
Hmph!
’Does he take me for an idiot?’
’By the time you report this, you’ll have already hidden the Exotic Treasure. I’d be taking a huge loss then.’
...
CRACK!
A faint cracking sound suddenly echoed from within Su Mo’s body, as if something had shattered.
Immediately after, a powerful force surged through him.
"Did I just have a breakthrough?"
Su Mo’s face lit up with surprise. He clearly hadn’t expected to achieve a breakthrough so quickly.
The books said that an ordinary person needed at least three months to achieve a breakthrough. Even a supreme genius wouldn’t take less than a month.
Take the Heaven-Suppressing King, for example. It had been nearly a month since Su Mo first heard about his attempt, and he still hadn’t successfully broken through.
That was why cultivators often entered seclusion to the death when attempting a breakthrough.
But he himself had taken less than half an hour.
This made Su Mo even more certain. "Those books are full of lies! They’re just meant to deceive people. What kind of sick bastard writes this stuff?"
He was at a loss for words.
’If you have nothing better to do, go talk nonsense somewhere else! Why trick people?’
’This is just leading the younger generation astray.’
Suddenly, a delicate fragrance wafted into his nose. Only then did he notice that he was surrounded by enchanting blue lotuses, all vying to bloom.
"Huh? Where did these blue lotuses come from? I’m sure they weren’t here a moment ago."
Su Mo stared in astonishment at the lotuses, discovering that they were all rootless, their stems anchored in the boundless void.
’Could this be the heavenly phenomenon brought on by my breakthrough?’
’But that’s not what the books said.’
The books claimed that only top-tier existences in the world, those breaking through to the Martial Venerable or Martial Emperor realms and shattering the shackles of heaven and earth, could trigger a resonance with the world and produce a grand heavenly phenomenon.
But he was just breaking through to the Samurai realm.
It’s unscientific!
Su Mo fumed, "Damn it! When I get back, I’m going to burn all those deceptive books! How can they mislead the younger generation like this?"
Absorb!
With a mere thought from Su Mo, the colorful blue lotuses around him transformed into pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and surged into his body.
A vast power erupted from his limbs and bones, spreading throughout his entire body.
"This feels amazing!"
Su Mo let out an excited cry and stood up to stretch his muscles.
The next second, he was dumbfounded.
The back mountain of Medicine King Valley, which had once been lush and covered in Spiritual Medicine, was now completely barren, littered with withered grass and ruins.
"Don’t tell me Medicine King Valley was attacked while I was having my breakthrough?"
Su Mo instantly grew vigilant, scanning his surroundings.
Seeing the Medicine King Valley’s Valley Master not far away, Su Mo immediately ran over to them, wanting to find out what had happened.
"Who the hell is so bold? Attacking my servants while I’m in seclusion? I won’t let you get away with it!"
Su Mo furiously stormed up to the Valley Master and the others.
Instantly, he froze.
He saw that the Valley Master and everyone else were incredibly emaciated, nothing but skin and bones, with only their skeletons seemingly holding them up.
Even Fan Jian now looked old and decrepit, his face covered in wrinkles, exactly like a man well over fifty.
’It’s obvious they were in a fight and over-exhausted their Spiritual Qi.’
Seeing Su Mo approach, the Valley Master and the others cried with excitement. "Senior, you’ve finally finished your breakthrough! Any later, and we would have been sucked dry."
"What? Someone dared to absorb your Spiritual Qi? Tell me where he is! I’ll go destroy him right now and get revenge for you," Su Mo said angrily.
Hearing this, the Valley Master and the others were all stunned.
’What’s going on?’
’Could Su Mo have lost his memory?’
Fan Jian asked tentatively, "Senior, you really don’t know what just happened?"
"I don’t know!"
Su Mo said guiltily, "It’s all my fault. I was too absorbed in my breakthrough to notice you were being attacked. But don’t worry, no matter who did this to you, I will avenge you."
"This..."
Hearing Su Mo’s words, Fan Jian didn’t know how to explain.
DONG, DONG, DONG...
At that moment, several loud bell chimes rang out from the direction of Medicine King Valley’s main gate, causing everyone’s expression to change drastically.
"That sound... it seems our Mountain Protection Bell is ringing."
Elder Wang said in alarm, "This is bad! Someone has attacked the disciples guarding the gate and broken into our Medicine King Valley!"
"Are you sure?"
Daoist Xuanqing asked in a low voice.
The Valley Master replied, "I’m sure. The Mountain Protection Bell only rings when a powerful enemy invades. One chime means the opponent is a Samurai, two chimes mean they’re a Martial Artist, and three chimes mean they’re a Grand Martial Artist..."
"Then what does it mean if it rings continuously?"
Daoist Xuanqing continued to ask, because the Mountain Protection Bell had been ringing nonstop since it started.
The Valley Master said with a grave expression, "Continuous ringing means the enemy’s strength far exceeds the Grand Martial Artist realm. They possess the ferocious power to annihilate our entire Medicine King Valley."
At these words, everyone’s face turned pale.
To have the power to annihilate Medicine King Valley meant the opponent was at least a Martial Monarch, or perhaps even stronger.
The Valley Master’s face was filled with despair.
He couldn’t recall Medicine King Valley ever offending an expert of this level.
’Who on earth wants to destroy us?’
Su Mo’s expression instantly turned savage.
’It’s just as I thought. Someone attacked Medicine King Valley while I was breaking through, and now they’ve come to wipe them out.’
’Damn it all!’
Just as everyone was filled with worry, a wild laugh echoed from the direction of the main gate. "Hahaha! I’ve finally found you mongrels!"
"And you are...?"
the Valley Master asked in confusion.
The newcomer was none other than Han Sect.
Han Sect stood with his hands behind his back, a look of pure arrogance on his face. "Hmph, are all of you from Medicine King Valley blind? You don’t even recognize me? I am Han Sect, the Grand Elder of the Celestial Moon Sect."
"What? You’re the Grand Elder of the Celestial Moon Sect?"
The Valley Master stared at Han Sect in terror.
During the time Qu Luo’s Tomb was open, he had been in Qingyang City helping Su Mo guard his home, so he knew nothing of the feud between Su Mo and the likes of Ouyang Cheng. He couldn’t understand why someone from the Celestial Moon Sect would appear here.
Moreover, this person was the Grand Elder of the Celestial Moon Sect, an expert at the Martial Monarch Perfection Realm.
’What are we going to do?’
Daoist Xuanqing, along with Fan Jian and his master, wore grim expressions, as if facing a great enemy. They clearly hadn’t expected Han Sect to hunt them all the way here.
Seeing the terrified looks on the faces of the Valley Master and the others, Han Sect grew even more arrogant. "Since you know who I am," he said with a cold sneer, "then hurry up and hand over the Exotic Treasure that just appeared. Present it to me on your knees."
He was confident that with his noble status as the Grand Elder of the Celestial Moon Sect, a single sentence would be enough to make them obediently kneel and offer up the Exotic Treasure with both hands.
However, the Valley Master only looked confused and did not kneel.
’Does Medicine King Valley have an Exotic Treasure?’
’How could I, the Valley Master, not know about it?’