Chapter 113: Playing the Long Game to Catch a Big Fish

The old man had truly been blinded by rage. The most powerful offensive technique of wood-element battle force was its lightning transformation. Normally, this move was used only as a killing blow and would never be unleashed unless absolutely necessary.

The two old men watching from a short distance away were badly startled and hurried over.

“Big Brother, stop! You mustn’t use that move!” Wood Elder Two shouted. But by the time they saw the green sphere of lightning descending from the sky, it was already too late.

Hu Mo was also startled by the old man’s attack. It was no wonder—he knew far too little about wood-element battle force. Of the Five Elements Transformations, apart from water and fire, he knew almost nothing about the others.

Most of the time, wood-element battle force served as an auxiliary force for fire-element battle force. However, once a wood-element warrior reached the level of Battle King or higher, the wood-element battle force within his body would undergo a lightning mutation, transforming into powerful lightning-element battle force.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, Hu Mo truly did not know how to react.

“Hmph! Ju Chunyang, you’d better stay obediently cooped up in the Hu family estate! Fire Dragon Conquers Heaven—Nine Dragons Bind!” Hu Yihu bellowed.

A surging force of fire erupted from his body. Spurred on by the dense wood-element battle force nearby, Hu Yihu’s attack burst forth with its greatest possible might.

The fire-element battle force condensed in the air into a gigantic fire dragon. It writhed and roared, then quickly split into nine enormous dragons that coiled around the sphere of lightning.

Crackling explosions shook the ground until fissures appeared across its surface. Waves of searing heat scorched the earth, and before long, large numbers of guards came rushing over.

Ju Chunyang struggled desperately to withstand Hu Yihu’s attack. Only then did he fully realize that he must have let his rage cloud his judgment again and committed some utterly absurd act.

“Marshal Hu, please stop!” the wood-clad elder and the azure-clad elder shouted together. With a blur, they appeared beside Ju Chunyang, and their auras merged instantly as they resisted the crushing force of Hu Yihu’s battle power.

“Mu Shenfeng, Qing Jiouye, you arrived at just the right time! Let this old man see how much the three of you have improved over these past decades!” Hu Yihu roared.

His white hair whipped about in the wind. For a moment, it seemed as though a volcano had erupted within the Hu estate, its soaring flames illuminating the entire sky.

Holding Zhu Xinyue in his arms, Hu Mo appeared several dozen feet away in the blink of an eye. Though his face was calm as still water, his heart, brimming with barely restrained battle intent, was pounding wildly.

“Little Sister Xinyue, stay here and don’t move,” Hu Mo said gently.

He swiftly set up several defensive barriers around her, all inscribed with Chaotic Water. They were more than enough to ensure her safety.

Zhu Xinyue’s mind had been somewhat dazed. Hu Mo’s sudden movement jolted her fully awake. She was just about to say something, but when she saw the fervor in his eyes, the words of protest died in her throat.

Instead, she murmured softly, “Be careful. I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Hu Mo nodded and gave a quiet grunt. Then his figure shot forward, wreathed in flames, and appeared beside Hu Yihu.

“Grandfather, let’s fight side by side,” Hu Mo said with a broad grin. There was something distinctly roguish about his smile.

Hu Yihu glanced at him, and the anger on his face instantly transformed into utter astonishment. Hu Mo had deliberately concealed his strength in the past, so even Hu Yihu had been unable to see through him. This was the first time he had felt Hu Mo’s aura from such close range.

A sixth-level Battle King!

His grandson, once publicly regarded as a good-for-nothing, had actually cultivated to such a level.

A seventeen-year-old sixth-level Battle King was an existence as rare as phoenix feathers across the entire War Continent. Hu Yihu’s heart trembled with excitement. The pressure weighing on Ju Chunyang and the other two lessened considerably, and they immediately launched a counterattack.

Hu Mo smiled faintly and waved his hand. The fire dragons, which had been somewhat dim, suddenly went berserk. Atop each of their heads appeared a black, single-pronged horn radiating dazzling black light, forming a stark contrast with the dragons’ original crimson-gold color.

The instant those black horns appeared, the momentum of the nine fire dragons surged severalfold. They shattered the attacks of the three men in a single blow.

Hu Yihu stared wide-eyed at Hu Mo’s technique and exclaimed in astonishment, “The ultimate secret of Fire Dragon Slash—the Dragon Horn? Hmm? No, wait… why is its color…?”

While Hu Yihu was still marveling, Hu Mo had already taken control of the nine fire dragons. They rolled and twisted through the air, inflicting tremendous damage on the three men. Vast quantities of wood-element battle force were converted into nourishment for the fire, further feeding its ferocity.

At first, Hu Yihu had not wanted Hu Mo to take part in a battle of this level. After all, they were all Battle Emperors, even if Ju Chunyang and his two companions were only first-level Battle Emperors.

Yet the power Hu Mo displayed was truly astonishing. Hu Yihu had spent decades comprehending every secret of Fire Dragon Slash’s ultimate technique, while Hu Mo had practiced it for only a few months and had already reached such a level. He could not help feeling a trace of self-reproach at his own inferiority.

At last, he understood why the horns were black.

The nine fire dragons had all been condensed from fire-element battle force, but the nine horns were formed from the far more formidable Chaos Flame. The majesty of the Flame Emperor stood above ordinary fire-element battle force, and thus the horns naturally seized control of the nine dragons.

“Boss, we’re far too passive!” Mu Shenfeng launched several orbs of lightning, forcing back repeated attacks from the fire dragons. Under the absolute suppression of their attributes, the outcome of the battle was gradually becoming obvious. “That madman Hu fights as though he doesn’t care whether he lives or dies. I never imagined his grandson would be even crazier. Is this the Hu family’s Fire Dragon Slash? Its power is simply monstrous!”

“Big Brother, stop! If this continues, there’ll be no way to end things peacefully!” Qing Jiouye hurriedly echoed.

“Stop shouting and look carefully!” Ju Chunyang shouted, his expression grave to the extreme. “Do you see it? That brat is a sixth-level Battle King. To reach such a level at his age, he’s a genius among geniuses. But have you ever heard of a genius like this appearing in the Blazing Inferno Empire? With the strength of a sixth-level Battle King, he’s controlling Fire Dragon Slash and forcing us into this state. Does that seem normal?”

Ju Chunyang smashed one of the fire dragons with a punch, and his arm instantly turned to ash.

Yet with the tremendous regenerative power of wood-element battle force, killing a Battle Emperor in the midst of battle was no simple matter. His arm grew back at astonishing speed. He retreated rapidly, and the three men regrouped in a triangular battle formation.

“Big Brother, you mean…”

“Jiouye, enough!” Mu Shenfeng interrupted him, his expression suddenly turning far more solemn.

Ju Chunyang’s brows drew tightly together. The violence that had filled him moments earlier had vanished completely, replaced by absolute calm.

With a sweep of his hand, he summoned an exceedingly thick wooden wall before them, blocking the combined strike of the fire dragons. After taking the blow, his face turned deathly pale, and a thread of blood hung from the corner of his mouth like a thin red worm.

“Withdraw!” Ju Chunyang said coldly.

The other two immediately understood. They released nine thick wooden vines that bound the nine fire dragons. The instant their attack succeeded, the three men fled into the distance, moving as swiftly as a flash of thunder.

Hu Mo and Hu Yihu merely watched. Neither made the slightest attempt to stop them. The grandfather and grandson stood there like two indestructible gods of fire.

Hu Yihu glanced at Hu Mo and said with a laugh, “The little fellow can keep his composure too? You’re really letting them go?”

Hu Mo smiled faintly and withdrew the Chaos Flame. He looked calm, untroubled, and effortlessly composed.

“If Grandfather isn’t worried, what do I have to worry about? Heh heh. To catch a big fish, you have to cast a long line, right?” Hu Mo winked at Hu Yihu, then pulled a comical face that made the old man burst out laughing.

“Clever boy. But you’d better make things clear to that little girl, or it’ll only become harder to explain later. My good grandson, as long as you can answer to your own conscience, there’s no need to overthink everything.”

Hu Yihu patted Hu Mo on the shoulder, dismissed the guards, and drifted away alone.

Hu Mo stood stunned for a moment. After thinking it over, he still shook his head and muttered to himself, “The old man makes it sound so simple. But can it really be that simple?”

He turned and glanced at Zhu Xinyue. She stood quietly where she was, her large eyes fixed on him the entire time. When she noticed him looking back, a trace of delight appeared on her face. She lowered her head gently and fidgeted with the hem of her clothes.

The courtyard had been reduced to utter ruin. Only the area protected by Hu Mo’s barriers remained untouched.

Hu Mo walked over to Zhu Xinyue and dispelled the barriers with a smile.

“Well? My defensive barriers held up pretty well, didn’t they?”

Zhu Xinyue did not answer. She merely lowered her head and toyed with the edge of her clothing, her thoughts impossible to read.

Hu Mo felt awkward. He had always been hopeless at guessing what girls were thinking. Seeing Zhu Xinyue behave this way left him utterly bewildered. What was he supposed to do now?

“Haha, what’s wrong? Little Sister Xinyue, the fireworks just now were pretty impressive, weren’t they? Haha…” Hu Mo patted his head and teased her as though nothing had happened.

Zhu Xinyue nodded lightly. Her thoroughly refined, ladylike gesture made Hu Mo feel even more uncomfortable. He could only think to himself, “Could my charm really be too overwhelming? Did I startle this little girl again?”

“Big Brother Hu… was what you just said true?” Zhu Xinyue suddenly asked in a gentle voice.

The question left Hu Mo staring blankly.

“Ah? Do you mean the fireworks… or something else?” he asked like a fool, his voice full of confusion.

Zhu Xinyue puffed out her cheeks and stamped her foot.

“Not that! I… I wanted to ask… was that other thing true?”

“What other thing, my dear little sister? I said so many things just now that I don’t even know which one you mean.” Hu Mo’s voice was almost trembling with helplessness as he racked his mind, trying desperately to remember what he had said.

Zhu Xinyue’s eyes reddened, and she nearly burst into tears. She crouched down and spoke in a choked voice.

“You… you said… you said I was your wife. You can’t lie to me!”

Hu Mo was struck completely dumb.