Chapter 140: Zi Yan: Why Are You Only Back Now?
"Mo Ya, isn't it?" Lu Bu squatted in front of him, his finger lightly tapping his chest. Purple light shimmered as a sharp claw slowly formed at his fingertip.
"Tell me, why were you in the northern region of the Black Corner Region? And why did you venture into the Inner Academy's territory?" Lu Bu asked with a faint smile. "Speak, and I'll let you go. I'll spare your life."
Mo Ya's pale face was devoid of any color. The icy sharp claw had already cut into his skin, causing drops of blood to seep out and dye his chest red.
He had no doubt that this claw could rip him open in an instant.
Mo Ya didn't want to die.
As someone from the Black Corner Region, he hadn't mastered the ruthlessness, decisiveness, and hyena like greed for profit that characterized its inhabitants.
But he had learned one thing: their fear of death. If there was even the slightest chance of survival, he would cling to it at all costs!
"Why should I trust you?" Mo Ya swallowed nervously, barely managing to speak.
"Heh… Do you think I'm like you Black Corner scum?" Lu Bu looked down at Mo Ya with disdain. His expression was cold, and he sneered as he spoke. "A true man stands tall between heaven and earth, his word as solid as stone!"
"This is the dignity of the strong. As a man, you can lack pride, but you cannot lack integrity. Remember, I, Lu Bu, am nothing like you despicable scum!"
"If I said I won't kill you, then I won't kill you! Do you think you're worth my wasting the reputation I've built up over a lifetime?"
A faint flush appeared on Mo Ya's pale face. While Lu Bu's disdainful attitude made him angry, it also filled him with hope.
This guy is a gentleman!
He's an inflexible fool!
Gentlemen are easy to manipulate. Despite their strength, their rigid sense of morality is riddled with weaknesses. To deal with someone like this is as simple as flipping a hand!
I have a hundred ways to deal with him!
One hundred ways!
"Fine, I agree!" Mo Ya's eyes flickered as he responded in a feeble voice.
"Talk!" Lu Bu demanded in a low voice.
"Secret realm!" Mo Ya gritted his teeth and spat out the words.
"Secret realm?" Lu Bu raised an eyebrow. Was there such a thing in the original story?
"Explain everything about this secret realm!"
"Our Black Emperor Sect discovered a secret realm sealed off by spatial barriers in the northern region of the Black Corner Region," Mo Ya said hoarsely. "That time, I went there to locate the weakest points in the barrier."
"My father, a four star Dou Zong, is highly skilled in spatial manipulation. Even someone stronger than him by a star or two might not match his spatial techniques. If we can enter the realm and obtain the treasures within, it would elevate the Black Emperor Sect's power to new heights!"
"It might even allow us to unify the entire Black Corner Region!"
"Have you found the entrance yet?"
"Not yet. According to my father, it will take at least another three to four months," Mo Ya answered honestly.
"Oh?" Lu Bu lowered his gaze, contemplating the information.
Thinking back, treasures like the Bodhi Transformation Saliva and the Heaven Demon Phoenix corpse in the original story seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, directly in the hands of the Black Emperor Sect.
Could these be connected to the secret realm?
Furthermore, Mo Ya's strength had always seemed off. From their first encounter, Lu Bu had noticed this. Right now, Mo Ya was only an eight star Dou Wang, yet by the time he was thirty four or thirty five years old, he had reached the strength of a six or seven star Dou Huang.
Gaining one star per year… That kind of advancement wasn't something Mo Ya should have been capable of.
He didn't possess the Fallen Heart Flame or the Devouring Ancient Symbol. Even with rare treasures, where could he find enough to sustain such rapid growth?
Something was definitely amiss with Mo Ya's strength.
Could it also be related to this secret realm?
"In that case... this secret realm is a must for me!" Lu Bu's eyes gleamed with determination. The Bodhi Transformation Saliva was a crucial ingredient for controlling the Woeful Poison Body.
There was no way he could let this slip through his fingers!
Wait… the Fallen Heart Flame also had to be his!
The Poison Pill Method required three Heavenly Flames. He absolutely couldn't let the Fallen Heart Flame fall into someone else's hands!
Originally, Lu Bu had only planned to prevent Xiao Yan from obtaining it. Now it seemed he had to claim it for himself!
Lu Bu's thoughts raced, formulating countless possibilities in an instant. Mo Ya didn't dare interrupt, terrified that a single wrong word could provoke Lu Bu into killing him despite his promise.
After a few moments, Lu Bu snapped back to reality. His lips curved into a faint smile he hadn't expected such a significant gain from this encounter.
"You've fulfilled my request. Now, will you let me go?" Mo Ya asked weakly, his voice trembling. "Don't forget your promise!"
"Go." Lu Bu nodded, his smile faint but sincere. "I, Lu Bu, am a man of my word. I will not go back on my promise."
Relief washed over Mo Ya's face. As expected, a gentleman like Lu Bu was easy to fool.
Quickly, he rose to his feet and turned to walk toward the edge of the forest.
"Oh, by the way," Lu Bu called out suddenly. "Does Mo Tianxing know my identity?"
Mo Ya hesitated under Lu Bu's piercing gaze. Without any Dou Qi and with his core destroyed, he couldn't conceal even the slightest emotion.
"He knows, but not completely," Mo Ya admitted. "The Black Emperor Sect's operatives were under my authority. My father focused solely on the secret realm."
"Are there any other operatives besides that woman?"
"Yes… there's also someone ranked eighth on the Strong Ranking," Mo Ya replied hesitantly.
Zongzheng Cai… Lu Bu's eyes glinted coldly. He had suspected before, but now he had confirmation.
Seeing that Lu Bu had no further questions, Mo Ya quickened his pace toward the forest. Yet, after only a few steps, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist.
Looking down, he saw a small, brightly colored snake biting into his wrist, its venom rapidly spreading through his veins.
"W what… a snake… where did it come from…"
Thud!
Mo Ya's body convulsed and collapsed to the ground. The multicolored light coursing through his veins soon faded, and he stopped breathing.
"Getting bitten by a snake while walking in the forest… pretty normal, right?" Lu Bu muttered to himself. "I said I wouldn't kill him, and I didn't. My word is my bond!"
The Seven Colored Heaven Swallowing Python killing someone? That had nothing to do with Lu Bu!
As he thought this, Lu Bu waved his hand and pulled Mo Ya's storage ring into his grasp it was his hard earned spoils of war, after all.
Hiss!
The Seven Colored Python flicked its tail happily, its bright eyes gleaming expectantly as it looked at Lu Bu.
"Alright, alright. Here you go." Lu Bu chuckled, pulling out a few drops of Amethyst Essence and feeding them to the little snake.
The snake hissed joyfully, wagging its tail as it swallowed the essence. Then, as was its habit, it slithered back into Lu Bu's arms.
At that moment, the sound of rushing wind reached Lu Bu's ears. Two figures darted through the forest it was Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er.
How perfect. These two didn't interfere, leaving the secret realm information entirely to me. Lu Bu smirked, feeling a rare sense of satisfaction.
"Let's head back. Everything's settled," Lu Bu said lazily, stretching as he greeted the two who had just arrived.
Xiao Yan: "..."
Xiao Xun'er: "..."
We just got here!
"Lu Bu… are you a Taixu Ancient Dragon?" Xiao Yan hesitated for a moment before asking.
"Ridiculous. Since when do magical beasts become alchemists? Have you ever seen one?" Lu Bu scoffed, casually stating a fact.
After all, there had never been a magical beast on the Dou Qi Continent who had become an alchemist.
Xiao Xun'er frowned slightly. It made sense… but what about the dragon aura from before?
When they had arrived, Lu Bu had fought without holding back, releasing a terrifying dragon aura that couldn't possibly be fake.
"Stop overthinking. Are we leaving or not?" Lu Bu said, already heading back.
By the time they returned, his puppet had already eliminated the remaining enemies and even dealt with the traitor, Qi Jing. Lu Bu extracted the antidote from her and used it to revive the incapacitated young instructor.
After delivering a brief report to the elders of the Inner Academy carefully coordinated with Xiao Yan to exclude certain details Lu Bu returned to his headquarters at the Sacred Gate.
The moment he stepped into his residence, a small white figure with a purple ponytail suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Lu Bu, you're finally back!" Zi Yan puffed her cheeks, glaring at him with her adorable face. In her sweet, childish voice, she shouted:
"You jerk! Where did you run off to? Why are you only back now?"
Lu Bu: "..."
I've only been gone for one day…
(Chapter End)
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