To be honest, Long Chen was moved when he heard that Mo Xiaolang would let him have the ancient ruins’ inheritance without hesitation.
He wasn’t wrong in his judgment of this guy.
Long Chen remembered what his grandfather had once said, to be certain of whether his friend’s heart was filled with passion or poison. What Long Chen saw beneath Mo Xiaolang’s calm exterior was passion! “Xiaolang, you’re so nice to me, but I cannot take everything. If we succeed in the end, everything other than the inheritance is yours!” he said generously.
“Hehe, alright. We’ll see when we arrive. If I need it, I will be honest. However, it’s not going to be easy to win even if we work together,” Mo Xiaolang said in a serious tone.
“Why?” Long Chen asked.
“The strongest contender from the Beast Soul Palace is Yan Danqing. I’ve met him once. He’s like me, a Beast Warrior. His Black-tier Primary Beast Soul is the Category Nine Black-tier Peak Essence Beast, which makes him a formidable cultivator. The head of the Beast Soul Palace, whom they call Emperor Yuan, possesses the same Beast Soul. Plus, he’s at the late Heavenly Core Realm, so he’ll be a tough opponent to beat.”
“You’re a Beast Warrior?” Long Chen almost sprayed the good wine in his mouth. He was Mo Xiaolang’s big brother, yet he didn’t even know this.
Long Chen realized that Mo Xiaolang had never used the Beast Soul Transformation in front of him, and he had not brought up the topic before.
“You didn’t know?” Mo Xiaolang was surprised, but he quickly figured it out. “The only time I’ve fought in front of you was the time your stepfather and I fought the Azure Dragon Patriarch. But because no one has helped me, I only had a Category Two Black-tier beast, the Moon Devouring Wolf, as my Primary Beast Soul.
“At my current cultivation level, the Beast Soul Transformation no longer boosts my strength. That is why I’m the same as a regular warrior now. Only when I reach the Heavenly River Realm can I find a higher level Beast Soul.”
This was a huge discovery for Long Chen. It was no wonder no one had said anything about Mo Xiaolang being a Beast Warrior, and it explained why he never used his Beast Warrior abilities.
Long Chen had encountered a Moon Devouring Wolf when he first met Ling Xi, but he was no match for it at the time. “Big Brother, to be honest, I feel like I am almost at the Heavenly River Realm. There aren’t any powerful demonic beasts near Yuanling City, so I decided to try my luck at the ancient ruins,” said Mo Xiaolang solemnly.
“What?” Long Chen was shocked once again. This time, he was truly speechless because Mo Xiaolang was a wicked talent. He was only fifteen, and he was already close to the Heavenly River Realm?
When would he ever catch up and become a “true” big brother?
“That’s a great idea. Let’s search for one when we arrive at the ancient ruins.” With such a powerful cultivator by his side, Long Chen’s confidence was boosted.
“Actually, my strength is nothing in Biyang Imperial City,” Mo Xiaolang suddenly said with some despair in his eyes.
Long Chen caught on that he might have a worry plaguing him. He recalled how Mo Xiaolang once told him that his family had been killed.
This area of the restaurant was quite noisy with several tables of rich youths having fun and playing drinking games. It was a busy place, but there weren’t any masters in the building.
Long Chen looked around. When he felt safe, he leaned over to Mo Xiaolang’s ear and asked seriously, “Xiaolang, you seem familiar with the Biyang Imperial Capital. You haven’t lived there, have you?”
Mo Xiaolang didn’t feel the need to hide it from Long Chen. He gritted his teeth, and a hint of killing intent flashed in his clear eyes. “Big Brother, I’ll tell you the truth. The Mo family used to be one of the four great families of the Biyang Imperial Capital, but the whole family has died. I was the only one who escaped. I was only six at the time.”
Mo Xiaolang spoke calmly, but Long Chen could sense the years of blood, sweat, and tears hidden underneath his facade.
His family had been annihilated, and he was only a six-year-old child left all alone to survive in the world. Although Mo Xiaolang was still very innocent, Long Chen knew that his brother had suffered through more hardship than himself.
For the first time, Long Chen’s heart ached for his little brother. “Who did it?” Long Chen had nothing to say to comfort him, but even if he didn’t say it aloud, he privately promised himself that if Mo Xiaolang decided to avenge his family one day, he would be by his side.
“Let’s not talk about that. I am no match for them. If I want revenge, I need at least forty years.” Mo Xiaolang looked helpless, bitterness welling up in his eyes.
“Nonsense. Just tell me who did it, that is all.” Long Chen stared straight at him coldly.
“The royal family,” Mo Xiaolang answered helplessly.
Long Chen laughed and returned to his seat, looking at him teasingly. “So, it’s just the royal family? That’s no problem. Lighten up for your big brother. It’s just forty years, you say? Don’t we have forty years to spare? They’ll die sooner or later.”
If anyone heard him, they would laugh until their teeth fell out, but Mo Xiaolang didn’t think that way. He stared at Long Chen in a daze, touched. He guessed that his unwillingness to admit defeat was why Long Chen had grown so much in just half a year! “Thank you for the lesson, Big Brother! I will remember it! Come, cheers to you!”
Mo Xiaolang blushed, and they bumped their bowls of wine together.
After Mo Xiaolang’s confession, they grew even closer.
“That reminds me. The Ninth Prince of the royal family will be here in a month. Will that be dangerous?” Long Chen said suddenly.
“I don’t think so. The Ninth Prince doesn’t usually appear in public, and I was very young at the time. Not many people knew me. Plus, the Mo family has been wiped out, so who would expect me to be a survivor?” he said.
Long Chen was relieved.
Then they discussed the specifics of the ancient ruins, but Long Chen suddenly felt a few burning glares directed at himself. He turned and saw that the glares were coming from the Lingwu prodigies.
He spotted Beitang Mo, Dongfang Tianxuan, and Dongfang Tianchen, along with a few young prodigies that he didn’t recognize. “This is the Lingwu family contingent for the ancient ruins event,” Mo Xiaolang said mildly. It was clear that he didn’t care about them very much.
There were eight of them, so with Long Chen and Mo Xiaolang, there were ten representatives in total.
What surprised Long Chen was that Dongfang Tianxuan, whom he had disqualified, was with the group. He guessed that one of the slots had been given to her because she had attained the mid Heavenly Core Realm.
“That tall, muscular guy is the Southern Vermilion Bird family’s Nangong Huang, while that smaller girl is the Western White Tiger family’s Ximen Xiaodie. Adding Dongfang Tianxuan, Beitang Mo, and Dongfang Tianchen, the five of them are considered the Lingwu family’s most powerful youths,” explained Mo Xiaolang.
“But it’s possible that the Dawn Trading Alliance and Yuandi City have late Heavenly Core Realm cultivators, right?” remarked Long Chen.
“For the Dawn Trading Alliance, it’s only rumors, but Yuandi City definitely has them. And it’s definitely Yan Danqing, the guy with the Peak Essence Beast Soul. He is a true Beast Warrior, and no one in the four inner families is a match for him. It’s been a long time since Yuandi City has had a prodigy like him. That was why when the Azure Dragon Patriarch saw that I attained the late Heavenly Core Realm, he wanted me in exchange for the Heavenly Wolf Dagger.
“If I hadn’t taken the offer, I think Sister Mengyao and my other friends in the Silver family would’ve been in trouble because of me. Anyway, the ancient ruins will be a good place to find an Earth-tier Beast Soul,” said Mo Xiaolang.
When Long Chen looked at them, they were also eyeing himself and Mo Xiaolang, the two legendary prodigies.
The Lingwu family used to be their territory, but for the past few days, the duo had become more well-known than them.
Mo Xiaolang was at the late Heavenly Core Realm and was definitely the Lingwu family’s most powerful youth. As for Long Chen, he had only just attained the Heavenly Core Realm, but the Azure Dragon Halberd had recognized him as its master, and he was strong enough to defeat Dongfang Tianxuan in battle. This meant that he was at least as strong as Beitang Mo.
There was nothing but hostility between them. Plus, Long Chen had embarrassed Beitang Mo greatly. When he saw Long Chen, Beitang Mo was about to attack, but Nangong Huang pulled him back and whispered, “Mo, do not be rash. This is not the time to fight. There will be many chances when we enter the ancient ruins.”
The muscular guy was a composed person and held a high status among them. After he stopped Beitang Mo, he led the group upstairs. From there, they could see Long Chen through the barrier.
There was one person who was privately even more emotional when she saw him, and that was Dongfang Tianxuan. Till now, she refused to believe that what had happened was real.
Had he really defeated her?
Every time she thought about it, Dongfang Tianxuan had a strange feeling. On the one hand, she couldn’t wait to kill him. On the other hand, she felt a little helpless. “Third Sister.” Dongfang Tianchen called her name gently, and she turned towards him. Looking at her usually quiet brother, she asked, “Big Brother, what is it?”
“You must hate him, right? I’ll kill him. What do you think? In the ancient ruins.”
“Why? Doesn’t Grandfather want him to help fight for the inheritance?” she asked, puzzled. She suddenly felt like her eldest brother, who was usually calm and cautious, was acting strangely.
“I can get the inheritance myself,” Dongfang Tianchen said confidently.
Then his eyes shone coldly. “Do you know? Because of the fight over the right to rule, the Vermilion Bird Patriarch and the others have exhausted half a year’s worth of Qi to plant Qi seeds in Nangong Huang and the others. That’s why they can use the Vermilion Bird Fan, the White Tiger Blade, and the Black Tortoise Axe. And for me, all I can do is watch. So, don’t you think I should kill him to take back the Azure Dragon Halberd that rightfully belongs to me?”