A Righteous Beating
That night, a thousand miles from the Holy City, three people left the main road and chose to camp in a small mountain called Clear Breeze.
Two men, one tall and one short, set up the tent, while a handsome young man sat on a rock by the firelight, reading an old, worn notebook—not anything particularly valuable.
Chen Guan had never been fond of reading before, but since arriving in the Dou Qi Continent, he had read a lot to better integrate himself. Over time, he grew to enjoy the quiet satisfaction of self-enrichment and would pull out a book to read whenever he had spare time.
"Young master, it's time to rest," Wang Dalang quietly said as he approached.
In truth, he found the situation strange. Given their status, there was no need to endure such hardship. If they traveled just half an hour further, there would be a town with a comfortable inn. Wasn't a soft bed much more enticing?
Chen Guan nodded, put away his notebook, stretched, and headed toward his tent.
"Get some rest early. Tomorrow, we'll need to pick up the pace," he instructed before diving into his tent.
Unlike usual, he didn't spend the night cultivating. Tonight, his mind was unsettled, anticipating something else.
Late at night, just when Chen Guan thought his wait was in vain, a hidden presence entered within a hundred meters of him. He sensed it immediately.
He's here!
Although Mo Cheng had concealed his aura well, he couldn't escape Chen Guan's spiritual detection. Chen Guan even recognized who it was.
To be honest, Chen Guan was disappointed that Mo Cheng came alone. He had expected the Yunlan Sect to be involved.
When they left the imperial capital earlier that day, Chen Guan had sensed multiple people watching him. But after all that, it was just this?
Mo Cheng and Wang Yan's strength were comparable, both being three-star Dou Spirit level fighters. But with a series of trump cards up his sleeve, Chen Guan was confident he could quickly deal with both brothers.
Mo Cheng, however, wasn't in the mood for playing cat and mouse. Recalling the two people who had urged him to come, he decided not to take any chances. To ensure success, he had already consumed a Blood Ignition Pill in advance, boosting his confidence that he could fight anyone below a Dou King!
With such a drastic increase in power, and under the cover of night, Mo Cheng opted for a sneak attack, certain that failure wasn't possible.
Filled with confidence, Mo Cheng donned a mask, confirmed that Wang's two brothers were deep in cultivation, and launched a swift attack toward the target's tent.
As he attacked, his left arm spasmed, his body trembled, and a violent dark energy burst forth, shredding his sleeve.
His left arm was now fully exposed to the air, with veins bulging like writhing snakes, and it had grown larger and more muscular. His nails, originally normal, now rapidly lengthened into sharp, black claws.
It no longer looked like a human arm—it was more like the forelimb of a magical beast. His blood surged, turning the entire arm bright red, radiating raw power.
"Die!"
Mo Cheng unleashed his full power with a devastating blow from his Mountain-Shattering Arm. He knew his target had a Dou Spirit-level puppet, having seen it during the Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony. Therefore, he wasn't worried about smashing his target into a pulp.
With this strike, he aimed to destroy the puppet and severely injure his target at the same time!
"How dare you!"
"Stop! Black Silver Bind!"
The sudden disturbance woke the two brothers nearby. Both immediately shouted in anger to interrupt Mo Cheng. Wang Dalang, the faster of the two, rushed in to engage, while Wang Yan launched a supportive Dou technique. Their teamwork was flawless, honed over decades.
However, despite their best efforts, the gap in strength was immense. Mo Cheng's speed, enhanced by the Blood Ignition Pill, was too great, and they were still one step too slow.
Ssshhh—
The tent exploded under the pressure of Dou Qi energy, but when Mo Cheng saw the scene inside, he was dumbfounded. The two brothers, rushing in to help, were equally stunned.
Bang, bang, bang—
In the blink of an eye, over ten clashes occurred. Mo Cheng's lethal strike was effortlessly deflected, and he was sent flying more than twenty steps back before he could regain his footing.
His left arm shook violently as he tore free of the black vines that had bound it. Ignoring Wang Yan, he stared in disbelief at the tent.
The young man sat there calmly, as if nothing had happened, sipping a drink at a small table, completely at ease. His nonchalant demeanor was entirely out of place with the current atmosphere.
Around him stood seven puppets, towering like gate guardians, ready to kill, leaving no openings.
Even the two brothers, loyal and devoted to their master, were at a loss for words.
Feeling the overwhelming pressure from the seven puppets, they couldn't help but glance at the masked assailant. In their eyes, there was even a hint of sympathy.
They also felt a strange urge to laugh.
"Young master, are you alright?"
The two brothers hurried over, asking through the puppet guard.
"I'm fine. Come, let's continue drinking and enjoy the show."
With a single thought, the seven puppets sprang into action, surrounding Mo Cheng and cutting off his escape. They launched a righteous beatdown.
Under the night sky, the three calmly sipped wine, while not far away, a lively spectacle unfolded. The scene was oddly peaceful and harmonious.
Mo Cheng was powerful, with the strength of the Blood Ignition Pill and the Mountain-Shattering Arm. Not a single one of Chen Guan's Dou Spirit-level puppets could match him in raw power.
However, quantity overwhelmed quality. Despite his best efforts, Mo Cheng could only protect his vital points as he occasionally took hits, crying out in pain.
As long as the puppets' central cores and spiritual imprints remained intact, their attacks were relentless.
In contrast, the power Mo Cheng gained from the Blood Ignition Pill was finite, and his Dou Qi was quickly depleting.
The outcome of this fight was already clear to the three onlookers.
As expected, after just the time it took for one incense stick to burn, Mo Cheng was spent. His strength rapidly declined, and he could no longer resist the assault of the seven puppets. He was now taking blows without being able to fight back.
As Mo Cheng collapsed, barely clinging to life, Wang Yan opened his mouth, wanting to suggest sparing him for questioning before finishing him off.
However, Chen Guan had no intention of stopping the puppets. Only after they had beaten Mo Cheng into a bloody pulp did he call them back.
To Chen Guan, the situation was clear.
He didn't have any special constitution, so Mo Cheng had no reason to risk angering the imperial family by attacking him. The only explanation for this assault was that someone else had ordered it.
And Chen Guan knew exactly whose dog Mo Cheng was.
The only surprising thing was that Mo Cheng had used the fifth-grade Blood Ignition Pill, a potent medicine. Even in the Yunlan Sect, such pills were rare, not something one could use without the sect leader's permission.
Perhaps, someone else had given it to him.
Chen Guan doubted that Mo Cheng had acquired the pill on his own.
If he had, he would have used it when Xiao Yan visited him in the original storyline.
So, apart from Yun Ling, both Yun Yun and Gu He were also suspects.
In his heart, Chen Guan leaned toward the latter.
After all, it wasn't hard to find out about his request to the Yunlan Sect to exchange for a Acceptance Soul pill.
For an alchemist who longed for Heavenly Flames and higher status, Gu He would never pass up any opportunity.
(End of chapter)
P.S
In the early chapters the original author has fumbled the cultivation ranks alot, he went up and down as if he was confused(it was a given as he was going through tough mental state while writing the novel in lockdown era.. You might would have found 1-2 mistakes in the ups and downs of cultivation ranks but it won't happen in the future.
Advance 25 Chapters are up on my Patreon btw.
pat reon.com/AlphaSenatus