Mortals: Take Mo Juren at the start

Back in the secret realm, the reason why Patriarch Chi Yun was able to wreak havoc and easily subdue eight Nascent Soul Realm cultivators was because he had accumulated enough experience beforehand, and also with the help of the great formation in the secret realm.

Even so, he himself was greatly depleted, and then his original physical body completely collapsed and could no longer be used. After being baptized by the 'Ten Directions Heavenly Blood Refining Array', his cultivation was once again greatly depleted, and even his soul suffered considerable damage.

This also means that the opponent is no longer as strong as before. With only a remnant soul, he would be no match for even a Void Refinement Realm expert, let alone a Body Integration Realm expert.

Furthermore, having undergone the baptism of the 'Blood Refining Array,' the other party is no longer able to possess another body, leaving only the path of the Ghost Path as their only way out.

Regardless of what the future holds, at least for now, even if one successfully transitions to a higher cultivation level, the starting point will be at most around the Nascent Soul stage, and a significant amount of time will still be needed for further cultivation and growth.

In contrast, although the Heavenly Blade Ancestor was also a remnant soul, he was not restricted. As long as his soul could be repaired, he could still possess another body and be reborn, which was much better than the former.

In conclusion, for Mo Juren, the greatest use of Ancestor Chiyun at present is the knowledge he possesses, which can answer his questions when needed.

After all, he was someone who was just one step away from transcending the tribulation and ascending to immortality. Whether in terms of cultivation or foresight, even the Heavenly Blade Ancestor, who was only at the peak of the late stage of the Integration Realm, was far inferior to him.

"Tell me, what is it?" After glancing at the unfamiliar man kneeling on the ground in front of him, Patriarch Chi Yun immediately inquired about the important matter.

Perhaps knowing that he was doomed to die today, the stranger was only surprised for a moment when he saw Ancestor Chi Yun appear, and was then replaced by a deep-seated hatred.

"The story goes like this..." Upon hearing the question, Mo Juren immediately began to recount the ins and outs of the matter, and after listening, Patriarch Chi Yun suddenly realized what had happened.

Without any hesitation, she immediately reached out her slender hand and placed it directly on the top of the stranger's head to begin examining him.

The same soul-searching technique was used, but when it was Ancestor Chi Yun who took action, the situation was completely different. The man only frowned throughout, without uttering a single scream.

In just a few breaths, Patriarch Chi Yun withdrew his hand, and the man did not die a miserable death like the previous two; instead, he was still alive and kicking.

Seeing this, Mo Juren couldn't help but sigh. As expected of someone who had once reached the Tribulation Transcending level, even though his strength had greatly diminished, there were still many aspects that Mo Juren could not match.

"Well, have you found anything?" Seeing the smile in the other person's eyes, Mo Juren quickly asked.

"It's just a trivial skill," Patriarch Chi Yun chuckled, then explained unhurriedly.
"This is a special method, similar to mind control, but much more mysterious. It can control others silently and make them into puppets."

The most mysterious aspect of this method is that the controlled person remains mentally sound throughout, unaware of anything amiss, yet still acts according to the instructions left by the caster.

It's not surprising that you searched their souls twice before but found nothing, because the caster was extremely cautious and therefore didn't leave any trace in their memories.

Information that doesn't even exist in the first place—not even I, let alone you, could find it.

"So that's how it is. I didn't expect the other party to have such methods?" After hearing the other party's explanation, Mo Juren immediately showed a look of surprise. Not only him, but the man who originally had a hateful look on his face was also astonished.

The seven brothers were being secretly controlled by some being, which is why...

and many more……

I am...

As if waking from a nightmare, the man was filled with shock. What had he and his six brothers done? How could they have attacked such a renowned force as Tianhua Tower?
How could that be? They wouldn't dare do that even if they had a thousand lives, and it would completely violate the code of conduct of the 'Seven Fiends of Yuanku Mountain'.

So, they really were being controlled.

"Damn it!" At this moment, he was completely plunged into despair, with endless hatred in his heart that wanted to erupt, but he didn't even have a place to vent it.

"I have already broken the secret technique that controlled him. You can decide how to deal with him." Ancestor Chi Yun explained. Upon hearing this, Mo Juren did not hesitate at all and directly killed him. Then he unleashed a ball of crimson flames, burning the corpses of the three brothers, including their nascent souls, to ashes.

"He is, after all, a Nascent Soul cultivator, and still has some use. It would be a waste to kill him so directly." Ancestor Chi Yun chuckled, but Mo Juren disagreed.

Regardless of whether they were manipulated or not, there is no doubt that the other party's six brothers died at the hands of Tianhua Tower.

Such deep-seated hatred is impossible to resolve, so it is best to eliminate it completely.

"Senior, do you have a way to find the one who cast the secret spell?"

"The opponent is very cautious and quite powerful; there's nothing I can do," Patriarch Chi Yun shook his head slightly, then continued.
"The fact that they would go to such lengths shows that this was a long-planned scheme, and they must have a deep-seated hatred for your forces. In that case, they should have a suspect, right?"

"There are indeed some speculations, but..." At this point, Mo Juren suddenly sighed.
"That person is quite powerful and has a strong background. Even if we confirm that it is the other party, there is no good way to deal with it for the time being. Let's put this matter aside for now."

"You're no ordinary kid either. Someone who can give you a headache must be someone not to be underestimated!"

"It is indeed quite troublesome, especially since I only have suspicions now, but I can't find any evidence. At least on the surface, I can't do anything to him." Mo Juren did not deny it. Ximen Feng is now one of the Golden Guards, and behind him stands the powerful Ximen family. More importantly, he is extremely cautious in his actions, so for the time being, he really can't do anything to him.

Of course, the more important reason is that he is not willing to make a big fuss at the moment. After all, if he wanted to, he could use the same methods against him.

The Ximen family's business is even more extensive. With his methods and the cooperation of Patriarch Chiyun, if he were to retaliate without restraint, the other side would likely find no fault with him.

But as I said before, he didn't want to do that at the moment. After all, no matter how he retaliated, he couldn't cripple the Ximen family, so it wouldn't be very meaningful. But if he did it, it would be equivalent to completely breaking ties with the entire Ximen family, which would inevitably lead to a fight to the death.

That would mean falling completely into Ximen Feng's trap, being led by the nose, and suffering a complete loss. Just like how the other party repeatedly attacked Tianhua Tower, but it didn't cause much damage, it was just pure disgust.

He even considered another possibility: perhaps all of this was done intentionally by Ximen Feng to provoke him step by step, so that he could launch a crazy revenge against the Ximen family's businesses.

The Ximen family, a behemoth like the Xiao family, was not a monolithic entity; rather, each member had their own agenda.

If he were to actually make a move, it would be tantamount to giving Ximen Feng the most powerful excuse, at which point the entire Ximen family might join forces against him.

Then we've completely fallen into their trap! I do have a strong background, with several experts at the Integration Realm standing behind me, but compared to a super clan like the Ximen Family, there's still a certain gap.

More importantly, the Nascent Soul Realm experts behind him were currently at a low point.

People like the Cave Heaven Rat King, Xuanjin Sanren, and Hua Qingyao cannot be relied upon in the short term. Qinghua Saint had previously gone into seclusion, and it is unknown whether he has emerged from seclusion yet. In addition, there are Tianli Shangren, Fengyu Fairy, and others. Although they are on good terms with him, they are far from being able to fight against the Ximen family for his sake.

In conclusion, while the entities behind us are powerful, they also have various problems and cannot be relied upon entirely.

At this moment, his most important task is to solve his own cultivation problem and improve his strength as soon as possible. Everything else is trivial. He can make his move whenever the time is right.

With that thought in mind, he stopped worrying and decided to continue according to his established plan.

Time flew by, and the next day arrived as promised. The two did not delay and immediately led a Tianhua Tower team toward the teleportation point.

The Medicine God Sect is holding an alchemy competition. Not only Mo Juren himself is involved, but Tianhua Tower also plans to make some purchases, including not only pills but also various other supplies.

……

Fengcheng, a large city located on the northwestern border of Xuanwu Realm, serves as a hub for the surrounding area, and naturally, it is also the location where teleportation points are established.

The geographical location here is extremely unique. Except for the south, the other three directions are all boundless sea, so the marine resources are extremely rich, which naturally promotes the exceptionally prosperous business environment here.

Mo Juren and his party arrived here in a short time after multiple teleportations from the moment they set off.

Stepping out of the teleportation point, looking at the densely packed crowds on both sides of the street, Xiao Yunhuang said without any surprise:
"Brother Mo, aren't you often collecting rare materials? Fengcheng is a suitable place; you might find some unexpected treasures there."

"I was just thinking of that?" Mo Juren nodded slightly, then waved to Wu Chang, who had come with him. As the deputy manager of Tianhua Tower, Wu Chang was also the leader of the team and was in charge of the procurement of supplies.

Fengcheng is the first stop; the journey to the Medicine God Sect will follow.

"You all go about your business. You don't need to follow us. Just give us three days. We'll meet outside the North Gate on the morning of the third day, and then we'll set off together for the Medicine God Sect."

"Your subordinate obeys." Wu Chang immediately bowed respectfully and, without delay, led his team forward, disappearing into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

“Let’s go too, but I don’t know much about this place, so I’ll have to rely on you, fellow Daoist, for guidance!”

"Leave it to me." Xiao Yunhuang smiled sweetly, glanced around, and continued.
"This is the North Gate. The closest shop, which is of a certain size, is 'Juxing Pavilion.' Behind it is Juxing Sect, one of the top ten sects in the Xuanwu Realm. It must have many good things."

"Gathering Star Sect? That's the super sect that's famous throughout the world for its weapon crafting?"

"Brother Mo has also heard of it! The weapon-refining techniques of the Gathering Star Sect are among the best in the entire human race's three realms. In particular, the sect leader, Senior 'Tianxingzi,' once imitated the 'Taiyuan Conferred God Stele,' which ranked twenty-first on the Chaos Myriad Spirits Ranking, and refined the renowned 'Seven Star Stele,' which is now one of the seven treasures of the Gathering Star Sect."

"It's truly incredible that they could even replicate the 'Taiyuan Fengshen Stele,' which ranks twenty-first." Mo Juren nodded with a look of admiration.

The two chatted as they walked forward.

The distance wasn't far; it only took about fifteen minutes to reach the destination.

Just as Xiao Yunhuang said, this so-called Gathering Star Pavilion was indeed quite large, with the entire building reaching a height of thirteen stories, and it was built in a magnificent and imposing manner.

Guests entering and leaving the Gathering Star Pavilion were also numerous, and many of them were high-level cultivators, with many at the Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation levels, and even some at the Void Refinement level.

However, upon seeing this, Xiao Yunhuang frowned slightly:

"The Gathering Star Pavilion is indeed thriving, but there shouldn't be so many high-level cultivators here, let alone some at the Void Refinement Realm?"

"Perhaps it's because the Medicine God Sect is holding a pill-making competition. These people, like you and me, are here for this purpose and are temporarily staying here," Mo Juren offered his analysis. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunhuang immediately looked enlightened.

"I overlooked that possibility!"

As they talked, the two followed the crowd straight toward the gate.

Upon entering the lobby on the first floor, the number of customers was even greater, and the sounds of bargaining filled the air. Fortunately, there were also plenty of staff members who could take care of everyone.

The appearance of the two naturally attracted the attention of those who were interested. Beings at the Nascent Soul stage were definitely considered distinguished guests, let alone two of them. Therefore, a young man immediately stepped forward and said:

"Welcome to Juxing Pavilion, esteemed seniors. How may I help you?"

"We need to purchase some rare materials. Where should we go?" Mo Juren stated his purpose directly, and the young man immediately nodded slightly upon hearing this.

"Materials can be purchased on each floor, but this first floor is for ordinary cultivators, so the items available for trade are naturally of a lower grade. Since you two are honored guests, please follow me directly to the seventh floor."

He then headed straight for the stairs, with Mo Juren and Xiao Yunhuang following closely behind.

Led by the young man, the three soon arrived at the seventh floor. Upon entering the hall, they were greeted by more than a dozen unfamiliar figures.

These were all Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and each of them had a dedicated shop assistant to serve them. Moreover, compared to those below, the shop assistants here were clearly several levels higher in terms of appearance, temperament, and cultivation.

"Huh, it's her..." Just as he was looking at her, Xiao Yunhuang suddenly exclaimed in surprise, and upon hearing this, Mo Juren was also immediately drawn to her attention.

Following the other person's gaze, I saw a pretty young girl sitting there. She looked quite young, but her cultivation level was already at the Nascent Soul stage. (End of Chapter)