13. Requiem of Life and Death III

Darya noticed the subtle movements of the old man and carefully assessed the situation.

'He's aware of the guards…'

Having the guards stand down, for the time being, Darya had them cease any movement, she knows that if they move now, this old man will kill them in a single breath.

'Look for an opening.'

She looked at the intruder as her mind was drawn even more to the edge.

"Your cultivation plummeted just now, old man, I don't know who you are, but it would be best if you turn back now."

Darya did not wish to fight. This old man was dangerous; the spear he had with him was not normal either.

She had witnessed what the old man did to the array surrounding the manor.

Although the spear on the old man's hands no longer has the ethereal glow it previously had when it pierced the barrier.

It had already dimmed a little bit; however, Darya can still feel a powerful aura coming out of it.

'That spear is dangerous …it's stronger than a Heavenly Lake Realm.' Darya squinted her eyes, she's a Middle-Heavenly Lake Realm herself, and she presumed the spear was stronger than her, 'That spear is stronger than anyone in here, is it at «Heavenly Sea Realm» …? No, it's still only a Pseudo-Heavenly Sea artifact.'

Darya was cautious as she observed the situation with keen eyes.

As a distance of tens of meters separating her from the frail-looking old man, she gripped her weapon, preparing her body to make the strike.

If the old man makes his move, she too will respond together with the guards…she wishes to make this quick.

As the old man saw Darya's apprehensive approach to an intruder such as himself, he laughed mockingly as he waved his hand and brought out a black tombstone.

The name "Mo Wei" was caved on the black tombstone.

Darya's eyes twitched because she was very well aware of the name Mo Wei. And remembering Forte's words, she managed to pinpoint its origins.

"Immortal Moon Sect?"

The Immortal Moon Sect: that is the previous Sect her mother Arya previously belonged to.

And as for the name Mo Wei, that is the name of the previous Sect Leader who had been slain by the current Sect Master thanks to the help of Daryun.

Right now, most of the Immortal Moon Sect's people are already on the side of the current Sect Master. However, those who refused to turn their backs to the former Sect Master escaped and this includes the Left Grand Seat, Mo Fu who was known as the strongest and most loyal backer of Mo Wei.

Mo Fu's name disappeared two years ago after he supposedly killed Elder Tian despite his poisoned state.

However, Darya was unsure if her speculations were spot on or if it was nothing but the rabbles of a child.

'Mo Fu was supposed to have surpassed the Heavenly Ocean Realm, having a youthful look despite being thousands of years old is normal. And even if he likes looking like an old man, his skin would still be youthful, not dried out like this.'

It was weird.

However, as Darya looked over to the blue spear on his right hand, she realized something, and that made her laugh.

"This Elder's name, may I confirm if it is Mo Fu!? The Tundra Moon, Mo Fu!?"

After settling down, she looked over to Mo Fu to confirm if his name was indeed as so.

And the old man nodded his head as he confirmed her assumptions.

"I was once called that, but I now I am referred to as Mo Fu, the traitor!"

"I heard you hated the use of Blood Sacrifice Weapons? But it seems like you are pretty used to handling that spear, answer me, how many innocent souls did you take to form that weapon?"

Her words were sharp; they were laced with hints of animosity towards the one before her. She was angered, but still, she became even more cautious.

Mo Fu looked at his spear and played with it before stabbing it to the ground.

"Only a few thousands, I made sure to stick to the bare minimum to uphold my virtue."

"Virtue? Do you think after killing thousands of Mortals and turning them into a weapon you still have any virtue in your body!?"

"I spared them the torment that is life, that to me is a form of virtue."

Darya had heard enough of Mo Fu's nonsense.

A Blood Sacrifice Weapon is an artifact created from the blood and soul of thousands of Mortals.

Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Titans, and other people are what fuels it. To forge a Blood Sacrifice Weapon, a bare minimum of 9,999 souls of Mortals who has no Soul Seed must be used.

And because Beasts has Soul Seed in their body the moment they are born, and the souls of animals cannot fuel the creation of a blood Sacrifice Weapon, the souls of intelligent Mortal beings was the only ingredient usable.

The roaring of the cold winter wind echoed in everyone's ears. As Mo Fu looked around him, he tapped the top of the tombstone having it release a blood-red light.

"What's that?"

Alarmed, Darya tried to cleave through the light coming for her, but her axe merely passed through it. A red light surrounded the manor, alerting everyone.

"What did you do?"

Mo Fu did not answer; he only held his spear tighter and showed a lifeless smile at Darya.

While he did all that, the guards hidden in the shadows already made their move. As soon as he activated the mysterious array from the tombstone, that instant became the indication to move as an opportunity showed itself.

Swoosh!

Eight guards garbed in yellow appeared from all sides; with weapons at hand, they tried to kill Mo Fu in one fell swoop!

From below; from above; from both sides; and the front and behind, Mo Fu was surrounded from all sides. The element of the sharp wind cutting through the winter snow raging about aimed for his limbs and neck.

The eyes of the guards glowed a murderous light and their goal aligned with one another – to kill Mo Fu!

"Die!!"

The guards swung and thrust their weapons forward.

Darya saw this transpire. However, she found the calmness of Mo Fu as alarming, and when she saw him draw a smile, her face changed.

"DON'T ENGAGE!"

She shouted at the guards, but it was all too late.

Mo Fu had already gotten what he wanted.

"The younger generation of this time is too foolish!"

Mo Fu tightly held his spear. His frail-looking body swayed to the side as if he was a reed dancing with the wind.

His spear then moved as if it was a snake, its shaft mysteriously bent, and as an arc of blood painted the walls, he managed to kill five of the eight guards by mutilating their body and taking their heads.

The three remaining guards steeled their hearts and pounced at Mo Fu with rage-filled heart.

As they tried to hack through Mo Fu's body, their swords were met with an armor-like skin. The guards were all at Early-Heavenly Lake Realm, but, that was not enough for them to injure the old man much less kill him.

"Impossible!!"

Witnessing their failure of taking the old man's life, their pupils shrunk as the horror of what is to come sunk in their minds.

"Back off!"

Mo Fu forced them back with a roar before thrusting his spear forward impaling one of the guards then swinging it with the still alive impaled guard screaming from pain!

"Aaahh!" The guard was in utter despair as the pain he received ate through him.

The impaled guard's body was dismantled as the swing was completed, Mo Fu struck his hand forward grabbing one of the guards on the face and throwing him to the other then skewered them together; killing them in one fell swoop.

As the blood of the guards created a pool on the ground, Mo Fu used a mysterious method to have the blood and soul of the dead be absorbed by the Ice Demon Spear he wielded.

He gazed at the mutilated corpses sprawled on the ground and sighed, "I may look like this, but I was once a Sovereign."

While he was mumbling to himself, a savage aura washed over the area as Darya's rage escaped her. She gathered her heavenly essence on her legs, then darted forth, the roof of the tallest pagoda turned to splinters as her figure became but a blur!

Boom!

When Mo Fu turned to where Darya was, the angered Tiger of West Mountain was already only a few meters away from him.

"BASTARD!"

BAM!

Mo Fu's eyes dilated as he groaned from the shockwave; Darya swung her axe without care as her rage ate at her.

Mo Fu held the Ice Demon Spear but was overpowered by the lass. The axe reached his skin cutting through his flesh with the use of the sharp laceration of lightning.

The snow disappeared as the shockwave of their collision blew the surrounding snow away, creating an open filed around them.

Mo Fu felt Darya's overwhelmingly abnormal strength. He knows of the abnormalities of the Estizes, their power stems from Daryun, and their top-class Martial Spirit stems from Arya.

The Thunder Lord Qilin is one of the three embodiments of the Qilin, and the one in Darya's possession leads the three on the forefront. Her strength is not to be messed with, and her lightning can cut through anything.

Adding that to her abnormal strength, Darya is a beast whose name gives chills to the people of the West where she goes on a rampage every so often. The name Tiger of the West Mountain is not something bestowed to her for her savage attitude, but for her savage strength.

And Mo Fu can now see how she gained that very moniker!

"You brat can't kill me!"

However, Mo Fu was not someone who can easily be killed. As he tightly gripped the sword in his hands, the Ice Demon Spear that had regained its glow from the blood and soul of the guards hummed.

"Ice Demon Spear! Hail of Blade!"

Ten icicle spears formed around Mo Fu and flew out to Darya. Witnessing the assault, Darya tried to withdraw.

However, she failed for her axe was tightly held by Mo Fu.

"Let go!"

Sacrificing his flesh to take her out, that's Mo Fu's plan. And in the single breath of mistake Darya made, the ten icicle spears flew directly onto her piercing her body without mercy.

Spssh!

It pierced her flesh, and by the time she managed to retreat, five of the icicle spears was already stuck to different parts of her body.

On her waist was one icicle spear that is about the size of a knife and the other four was spread around her body.

Darya was in pain, and as her body began to feel the mix of the coldness of the ice and the piercing pain she had sustained, Darya coughed up blood before falling to her knees.

Mo Fu looked at Darya with contempt for her actions; she was not worthy of the word genius or intelligent.

"You're too green, to attack like that without any prior thoughts that your enemy might turn the tables against you is simply stupid…" Mo Fu threw the axe stuck on his shoulders to the side as he continued to speak, "I overestimated your prowess, child. I thought you would be like your father, a man who's as savage as he was intelligent, but you only have savageness and nothing more."

Boom!

The pressure surrounding Darya, and as the leisure steps of Mo Fu echoed in Darya's ears, she raised her head and saw the lifeless and hate-filled eyes of Mo Fu staring down at her.

"Your father took everything away from me, don't hate me for it but hate that ambitious father of yours – now die!"

The remaining icicles were keen on taking out Darya.

Having her feet injured, Darya couldn't dodge as easily as before. Her life was about to end.

"Darya!"

But the end didn't come as five yellow flashing lights flew out and pierced the five icicle spears coming for her vitals. And one more light flew out aiming for Mo Fu's head.

Clang!

Mo Fu swatted the light away, and this opening gave Darya the chance to retreat and call her Martial Spirit back.

Mo Fu watched as Darya retreated behind Alri where she pulled out the icicle spears stuck on her body and forced the flow of blood to stop with the use of heavenly essence.

Alri drew the bowstrings of her bow as she stared at Mo Fu and the gore that was adjacent to him.

"Darya, who's this guy?"

"The previous Left Grand Seat of the Immortal Moon Sect, I don't know what's his deal, but I fear he's not here to talk. He's targeting us, the direct descents …he's dangerous so leave this place and take Hal away, I am now clear-headed, I'll be able to take him on and buy you some time."

"That's unlike you, Darya."

"The situation's different. He has the experience and ability to kill us all."

"But leaving won't be so easy. I don't know what's happening, but there's something keeping everyone from leaving the manor, so we can't escape. For the time being, I had Hal hide with the maids."

Alri's cold expression remained, and as Darya heard what her twin had said, she slowly got up and brought out another axe.

Looking at herself and the current situation, Darya chuckled as she cleared her head.

"This is quite the situation…mother and father have failed to foresee this event, having the array destroyed and being invaded by a shameless old man who uses a Blood Sacrifice Weapon…right now, we're the strongest ones present in the manor, and if we fail to take care of this guy, we'll all die."

"Then we better kill him before he kills us, Darya, get ready, we're going to "hunt" this old man."

Alri spoke, and a yellow light appeared surrounding her body.

An amber-colored Mountain Toppling Dragon roared up to the sky, and the earth around her began to shake. The Dragon melded with her bow and gave it an amber sheen changing how it looked.

Darya who was now clear-headed had the Thunder Lord Qilin enter another double-edged axe.

Inside the bracelet of Darya were hundreds of axes and in Alri's bracelet were thousands of arrows crafted by a master craftsman.

Mo Fu looked at them with a smile and as he had the blood on his spear was swayed away, an even grimmer grin appeared.

"Are you the other brat of the Estize? Now, I am only missing one more. I'll search for him later, for now, you two! Come to me and die before my spear!"

However, what Mo Fu didn't know was that, no matter what is about to come, the twins are also known for another name when they are together…the Hunters that's their other name and they have yet to fail a single hunt they deemed possible!

Both sides are ready to kill, with both their necks on the line, they roared as they made sure no one will walk away from here alive.