21. Heart Devil

Su Mo was not in a good mood. He slashed the vats and let the liquid flood the floors. He left the people in the vats unconscious.

Su Mo did not wake anyone up. He stored the remaining blood-sucking fruits while placing the levelled up fruits in another storage pouch. Then, he cut off the old man's head and carried it along. He saw that the three were still guarding the door.

Previously, Su Mo had an idea to sway them to his side. But after learning about the world, he was in no mood to entertain anybody.

Su Mo stormed out and threw the old man's head to their feet.

"Surrender or Die!" Su Mo gave them no chance.

The three men looked at each other for a moment and then attacked Su Mo. Su Mo did not flinch. Within three sword strokes, he chopped a hand of the first attacker, a leg of the second while the last one lost his head.

The deadly confrontation with the old man had already sublimated his memories, improving Su Mo's proficiency in all techniques. He became completely proficient in [Final Sword Zone 1.0] and [Suprise Hits 1.0], allowing him to be on par with his attackers.

Su Mo did not show any mercy. Rage filled his head. He killed the three and was about to suck their blood qi with his Martial Soul but decided against it.

He piled the three bodies together and placed the Lv-3 Dagger on top. He took a step back and threw a blood-sucking fruit on the dagger. The knife's sharp edge made a small cut on the fruit, which spilt out all its juices.

The juices enveloped the dead bodies, but they were not sucked back into the fruit. The fruit, along with the dead bodies, was finger snapped by Thanos.

"Damn, this fruit does not work on dead." Su Mo was very irritated. He did not wish to stay here even for a moment. He left the villagers to their own fate and returned to the city.

As Su Mo crossed the bustling markets, myriads of thoughts ran through his mind.

From his birth to slowly awakening the memories of his previous lives. Being showered with praises when he aced the college entrance examinations to being disdained at the Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony. Earning respect as the King of mercenaries to growing frustrated by his parents nagging. Being loved to losing his parents.

The memories of his three lives dragged down Su Mo into a wormhole. The elimination of dissonance in his memories hit him like Tsunami. His knowledge, his wisdom and his emotions surged inside him uncontrollably.

By the time Su Mo reached the Su Mansion, his eyes were bleeding while his limbs were shivering as if he was trapped inside an ice cellar.

The gatekeepers saw Young Master Su Mo in blood-stained clothes, stumbling at every step. Some of them rushed to inform their masters, while some ran to support Su Mo.

Su Mo commanded phenomenal respect among the servants and workers of the Su Clan as his ideas had turned their fortunes.

Su Hong rushed to the gate after hearing the news. Su Hong arrived before Su Mo and took him in his arms.

"Thanks, Dad." Su Mo tightly held Su Hong's hand before losing his consciousness.

Su Hong carried Su Mo to the infirmary hurriedly.

Su Hong was relieved to find that Su Mo was not suffering from any injury. The doctor inferred that Su Mo had been affected by a heart devil.

Heart Devils were not uncommon in the world of cultivation. Living on the edge of life and death was not an easy task. Cultivation itself was a torturous path to follow.

Humans like to stand apart in the crowd despite following in the footsteps of their predecessors. They often try to insert their own ideas into the practice, which sometimes lead to drastic consequences.

The strength gained through cultivation is often volatile. Hence it's advised to practice in an astute environment, free of disturbances. High-Level Cultivators also tend to follow a secluded lifestyle to avoid any significant backlash.

Su Mo's uncontrolled emotions became a trigger for his heart devil.

Su Hong calmly accepted the doctor's advice and let Su Mo rest in his room. He called an emergency meeting in the clan.

When everyone gathered in the clan hall, the Grand Elder, Su Yue, took the initiative to speak.

"Clan Master, I do not think our clan is facing any emergency that would require everyone to be called for a meeting."

He was speaking with evident sarcasm laid in his words. Su Mo's condition gave him a perfect chance to downplay Su Hong's prestige in the clan.

As some time had passed since Su Mo's return to the clan, everyone knew his condition. Su Yue used it as an opportunity to sway all the elders to his side and snatch the authority from Su Hong's hands. No one believed that Su Mo could completely recover after suffering from a Heart Devil.

Judging from Su Mo's state, it was unlikely that Su Mo could cultivate normally. Thus, The rebellion led by Su Yue gained momentum with him being as powerful as Su Hong, and his grandson, Su Yu, was titled as the clan's first genius.

All the elders echoed Su Yue's sarcasm.

"I don't think so, Grand Elder. I have tolerated maggots long enough in my clan." Su Hong did not mince his words. He had sent a summon to everyone, and their lukewarm response had already suggested them defecting to Su Yue's side.

Su Hong would have waited to crush all the opposition in the clan at the Annual Clan Meeting two months later. But, Su Mo's unique ideas about his martial soul had already accelerated this process. Though it had only been a day, Su Hong was already at Lv-5 of Spiritual Martial Realm, surpassing everyone in the clan.

When Su Hong released his cultivation pressure, all the voices died down in the hall.

Strength was the final truth of this world.