Chapter 124: Refusal!

Zhu Wannian opened the jade box, and in an instant, the wooden battle energy on the entire ceremonial platform surged a hundredfold. Blue smoke began to rise from the ground, and under the stimulation of the wooden battle energy, the fire cloud crystal emitted an even more intense fiery battle power.

Among everyone present, none was more shocked than Hu Mo. In his memories, there were records about the Essence of Mysterious Wood, the greatest supplement for cultivating the Wood Divine Transformation.

Since Hu Mo’s Lingbo Technique had only reached the third level, the Five Elements Transformation had only awakened the powers of water and fire, leaving the energies of wood, metal, and earth almost unusable. However, there was another way to cultivate the Wood Divine Transformation—by using the essence of wood as a guide to plant a seed of wooden battle energy within oneself, making the cultivation of the Wood Divine Transformation possible.

Though greed had already stirred within him, his mind remained clear. The Essence of Mysterious Wood was currently held by a War Saint; he would never lose his head and compete for it with such a figure.

Zhu Yan’s eyes widened, even the box holding the sacred flame in his hand trembled. The Essence of Mysterious Wood was something that could make the entire continent envious. If a fire-element warrior possessed it, they would be nearly immortal in battle, their fiery battle power greatly enhanced. They could unleash an attack with half the creator’s strength, form a holy-grade defensive armor, and even significantly accelerate their cultivation. This was enough to drive every fire-element warrior mad.

Zhu Wannian exhaled deeply. “Old Man Duanmu, with such a move, we old fellows dare not make a move. Ten years ago, I heard you were refining the Essence of Mysterious Wood. I never imagined you would gift a decade’s worth of refinement. I truly cannot compare.”

“Haha, Old Zhu, what’s the big deal about giving a gift to my granddaughter-in-law? After all, she’s one of the Duanmu family. Isn’t it only natural that someone from the Duanmu family possesses the Essence of Mysterious Wood?” Duanmu Shenxu laughed heartily as he held the Essence and approached Zhu Xinyue.

The leader of the Divine Wood Sect, one of the continent’s top ten experts, personally refining the Essence of Mysterious Wood and preparing to give it to his granddaughter-in-law—this left the assembled princesses somewhat dazed. Except for the fourth princess, the other princesses and noble ladies looked on with envy at Zhu Xinyue.

The fourth princess was clear-eyed. Since Hu Mo had already confessed everything to Zhu Xinyue, she was certain Zhu Xinyue would refuse the Essence.

Sure enough, when Zhu Yan excitedly watched Duanmu Shenxu hand the jade box to Zhu Xinyue, before Duanmu could even speak, Zhu Xinyue calmly said, “Thank you, Grandpa Duanmu, but I cannot accept the Essence of Mysterious Wood.”

One stone sent a thousand waves crashing; one word terrified a whole row of people.

Zhu Xinyue’s words nearly made Zhu Yan stagger and fall. He couldn’t understand what had come over her—what madness was this?

Duanmu Shenxu was stunned, awkwardly holding out his hand. As a renowned figure on the War Continent, his pride was nearly shattered in that instant.

The Essence he personally refined was rejected! The precious gift he personally offered was refused! It was a profound humiliation. No matter how high his realm or how deep his battle power, he was still mortal. Hearing Zhu Xinyue’s words, his expression darkened.

The other sects’ strong warriors immediately appeared on the platform, especially Wang Xu and Zhu Wannian, who appeared beside Duanmu Shenxu in the blink of an eye, fearing the latter might do something rash.

“Old Man Duanmu, don’t be so aggressive; you’ll scare the child,” Zhu Wannian said with a smile, stepping in front of Zhu Xinyue. After all, she was his grandniece, and he would not let her suffer.

Duanmu Shenxu tried to calm himself. In front of so many people, if he lost his temper, he would lose all face. Now that Zhu Wannian had given him a way out, he naturally took it quickly.

With a faint smile, he withdrew his hand and said, “Old Zhu, how could I stoop to childish behavior? I’m just curious—why does Princess Xinyue reject the Essence of Mysterious Wood? Does the little princess disapprove of this marriage?”

Duanmu Shenxu’s words hit the mark, and his gaze unconsciously fell on Zhu Yan. Zhu Yan’s face had long since darkened, confirming to Duanmu Shenxu that this matter had nothing to do with him.

“What are you doing, Xinyue? Do you want to drive your father to death?” Zhu Yan shouted fiercely, his terrifying gaze causing a chill.

Zhu Xinyue’s expression remained unchanged. After Hu Mo’s confession, she had found courage and a reason, a strength to resist! The previous despair had vanished, replaced by a fierce spirit of rebellion.

She lifted her head, meeting Zhu Yan’s eyes, and declared loudly, “Father, I will not marry him! Even if you kill me, I will never marry him! If you doubt my words, you may try me!”

Zhu Xinyue stood tall, ready to face her fate courageously. This nearly drove Zhu Yan to the brink of vomiting blood. Though she was usually mischievous, this was the first time she had so openly defied him, threatening him in front of so many people—a slap in his face equivalent.

His breathing grew heavy with rage, and with a roar, he charged at Zhu Xinyue, raising his hand to strike.

At that moment, the protective barrier around the platform vanished momentarily. In that instant, Hu Mo’s figure became a streak of light, rushing to Zhu Xinyue and wrapping his arm around her slender waist, carrying her ten meters away. The speed astonished the experts present.

“What a marvelous technique, without a trace of battle energy fluctuation,” Wang Xu exclaimed, his gaze tinged with curiosity. He sensed that this young man was no ordinary person.

“Hu Mo, you’re audacious! Who allowed you to come here? Let go of Xinyue at once! Are you trying to kidnap the princess?” Zhu Yan was furious, his rage almost boiling over as he wished to tear Hu Mo apart.

Hu Mo’s expression remained calm as he cautiously scanned his surroundings. Apart from Zhu Yan, he sensed no murderous intent. Wang Xu, Duanmu Shenxu, and other envoys from various sects were probing Hu Mo with spiritual energy, enveloping him in a suffocating spiritual swamp that made him deeply uncomfortable.

“The aura of a perfected Fire Dragon Slash, a Level Six War King—when did this Hu family youth reach such a level?” Zhu Wannian said in surprise. As the Fire God Valley’s chief, he was naturally sensitive to fire battle energy.

However, he could not detect the aura of the Chaos Fire, as it was stored within the Qingmu King Cauldron. The immense power of the cauldron masked it so completely that even a Level Nine War God could not perceive it unless it was deliberately released.

Hu Yihu watched Hu Mo from afar and waved his hand, signaling the Fire God soldiers to reestablish the barrier. Fortunately, the guards were all their own people; otherwise, Hu Mo’s earlier attempt to rush in would have been quite difficult.

“The fire battle energy is extremely pure, close to an innate fire spirit body. The Heavenly Fire Empire truly produces outstanding talents; I envy them greatly,” Wang Xu murmured, stroking his beard in surprise.

In the past, hearing someone praise Hu Mo as an outstanding talent would have been laughed off by many. But now, such a claim was entirely justified. An eighteen-year-old Level Six War King was a rarity across the entire War Continent.

Taking the opportunity, Duanmu Shenxu carefully examined Hu Mo. Although he had seen Hu Mo earlier, he had been too polite to act so disrespectfully and had only sent Duanmu Hong to probe.

Now, after personally examining Hu Mo, his mood grew much heavier. Though Hu Mo’s realm did not match his battle power, the purity of his battle power was astonishing. Were it not for Wang Xu’s earlier remarks, Duanmu Shenxu might have suspected Hu Mo to be an innate fire spirit body.

Such a constitution meant that even if the realm temporarily lagged, it posed no great problem. This type of constitution had a feature: if the realm and battle power were mismatched, the battle power would cease increasing until the realm caught up, at which point growth resumed. This eliminated the dangers caused by imbalance.

Duanmu Hong’s face darkened. He sensed the change in expression and aura among the elder experts nearby. It felt as if his own brilliance was completely eclipsed by Hu Mo, and a strong sense of crisis gripped his heart.

After being scrutinized by so many, Hu Mo finally reacted. One arm still wrapped around Zhu Xinyue’s waist, who obediently nestled in his embrace.

His expression grew serious, and faint battle energy radiated from him, merging seamlessly with the fire cloud crystal on the platform.

He looked at Zhu Yan and said loudly, “Your Majesty, I have pledged eternal love to Princess Xinyue. I earnestly hope Your Majesty will bless us and revoke your order.”