Chapter Seven: The Marshal Takes Action

This strike was unstoppable, as if splitting bamboo; Hu Mo’s fate hung by a thread. Though some wished to intervene, they were powerless to reach him in time. As Uncle Fu’s palm landed atop Hu Mo’s head, Hu Mo felt a wave of dizziness sweep through his mind, as if all the vital energy in his body had shattered, leaving him utterly drained.

Just as Hu Mo thought his life was over, Uncle Fu suddenly fell still. Unnoticed by the others, a glimmer of white light silently slipped into his palm, blending into the meridians of his body in less than half a breath. It froze the turmoil of his inner strength completely, calming his emotions entirely. Outwardly, Uncle Fu’s expression changed little, yet he stood motionless, like a gray-white stone statue.

“King of Sacred Waters, Silken Locks, I owe you both my life... You nearly scared me to death…” Hu Mo’s heart finally settled, cold sweat drenching his back. He thought to himself that if help had arrived even a moment later, he would have been swept away to another world once again.

Just as Hu Mo exhaled in relief, he suddenly felt a tightening at his neck. A large hand seized his throat and flung him several yards away like a sack of stones, leaving him dizzy and seeing stars.

He struggled to regain his senses, and when he looked up, he saw that the one who had laid hands on him was none other than his grandfather, Marshal Hu Yihu.

At this moment, Hu Yihu’s face was flushed a deep crimson, like a cooked crab. Above his head, crimson energy slowly coalesced into the apparition of a giant, blazing red figure. The giant’s form seemed almost tangible, its facial features, limbs, and torso as if forged from raging fire, though slightly indistinct. From his vantage point, Hu Mo stared in disbelief; this was no human feat, but rather the manifestation of a deity—a god descending to earth!

“So this is the power of a warrior? Are such beings still human?” Hu Mo muttered to himself. In his understanding, even the strongest in the Dragon World possessed nothing close to this might.

Outwardly, Hu Yihu remained calm and composed, but in truth, his condition was far from optimistic. After unleashing this technique, his aura had grown noticeably weaker, the toll on his strength immense.

The giant’s apparition fixed its gaze on Uncle Fu, placing both hands atop his head. Instantly, the frozen meridians within Uncle Fu thawed, but just as his energies threatened to erupt, a powerful suppressive force emanated from the giant’s hands, quelling Uncle Fu’s frenzy at once.

“Ah Fu, empty your heart and guard your battle soul!” Hu Yihu roared. Uncle Fu’s body shuddered violently, then the wild edge of his power began to recede, subsiding like a pool returning to perfect stillness, leaving not a single ripple.

Hu Yihu sighed, and the giant’s image above him gradually faded away. In just this brief moment, he seemed to have aged several years, his breath weak and labored. Uncle Fu sat upright upon the ground, his once metallic skin slowly returning to normal. Only when the golden hue vanished entirely would he be fully restored.

“Alas, you still haven’t let go of the past. How can I ever rest easy? Ah Fu, if you don’t conquer your inner demons, further cultivation is nothing but digging your own grave!” Hu Yihu slowly regulated his depleted strength, and soon the pallor on his face eased, his presence radiating an imperious, kingly aura.

Uncle Fu was deep in a state of self-recovery, having just made a round trip to the gates of death in the span of moments. The risks of cultivating such battle power were truly terrifying.

Hu Mo was still marveling inwardly, indulging in boundless fantasies about his own future. Then, a prickling sensation ran down his spine; looking up, he met the fierce glare of Hu Yihu.

“You little scoundrel, what exactly happened here? Why did Ah Fu’s inner demons erupt? Did you do something?” Hu Yihu’s tone was grave, his eyes sharp as blades, making Hu Mo deeply uncomfortable.

“Damn it! What’s this got to do with me? How am I supposed to know why the old man suddenly went mad?” Hu Mo cursed inwardly. In his eyes, Hu Yihu’s image grew increasingly ugly, any trace of goodwill vanishing instantly.

This so-called grandfather—what did he have to do with him anyway? At this moment, Hu Mo wanted nothing more than to give the old man a good scolding. If Hu Yihu had disciplined the previous Hu Mo better, would he now be bearing such infamy?

“Damn it all! I almost died, and now I’m here just to clean up other people’s messes? I haven’t even had a chance to breathe, and already I’m being berated! How is this fair?” Hu Mo’s anger flared rapidly. If he hadn’t just witnessed Hu Yihu’s terrifying power, he would have spoken his mind aloud.

He curled his lip, snorted coldly, and said, “Think what you like. I don’t have time to explain anything to you. Goodbye.”

With that, Hu Mo strode off into the distance without so much as a backward glance at Hu Yihu.

“Screw it! If I can’t win, I can always run! At worst, I’ll leave this wretched place and save myself the trouble of dealing with all these messes!” Hu Mo’s thoughts were clear. As long as he had enough silver, where in the world wouldn’t be his for the taking? Now, all he needed was to acquire the so-called martial cultivation method of this continent, and with the help of the Three Treasures, becoming an unrivaled master would be no challenge at all.

Hu Yihu was instantly enraged. He hadn’t really believed the incident had anything to do with Hu Mo; his questioning had been almost perfunctory. But he hadn’t expected Hu Mo to respond in such a tone—this was utter rebellion!

“You little brat, stop right there!” Hu Yihu roared, his breath catching, and he fell into a fit of violent coughing.

Hu Mo paused, glancing back at the coughing Hu Yihu. His brows knitted in slight unease, but his anger still held sway, leaving his expression as cold and unyielding as an ancient iceberg.

In his eyes, his previous life had already been suffocating enough. Now, after finally breaking free, must he still be falsely accused and chastised? To hell with that! Hu Mo had had enough; all he wanted was freedom. As the saying goes, “Life is precious, love is priceless, but for freedom, both may be forsaken!” Now he truly understood those words.

“What is it? Don’t look at me like I’m your mortal enemy—I don’t buy it! From now on, leave me alone, and I won’t bring you any trouble. Well... that’s it. See you around, take your time recovering, I’ll leave you in peace.” With a wave and a wiggle of his rear, Hu Mo dashed away, vanishing from Hu Yihu’s sight.

Hu Yihu was left fuming, his face ashen as he watched Hu Mo’s departing figure.

After a long moment, he muttered to himself in bewilderment, “Is that really Mo’er? How does he dare speak to me like this? Strange... truly strange!”