Northern Yan, Chapter Twenty-Four: Barely Out of the Tiger’s Den

Feng Xing stared at the bell in Mo Hao’s hand as if possessed by a demon. The temptation of a Foundation Establishment Pill was simply too great. Despite the feverish look in his eyes, his hands never ceased casting spells; a barrage of wind-attribute techniques flew toward Mo Hao. Mo Hao had never encountered such a formidable foe; even Xiao Huan, who was in the late stage of Grain Abnegation, had been killed by a successful sneak attack.

Seeing Mo Hao continuously channeling his spiritual power into the Nightmare Bell to deflect his wind blades, Feng Xing flicked his wrist, revealing a handful of talismans. Mo Hao’s heart skipped a beat; a single such talisman cost dozens of spirit stones. Seeing the entire handful, Mo Hao gulped. He had hoped to avoid this battle today, but it was clear that Feng Xing was determined to leave him dead in this place. He steeled his heart, gripping an Escape Talisman as his final trump card, which eased his mental pressure significantly, though he knew the talisman was no foolproof solution.

"Sword Art of Fierce Heaven!"

Mo Hao whispered the incantation, and his long sword instantly unleashed a sharp, piercing sword aura. At the same time, Feng Xing did not show weakness, scattering a flurry of talismans. Mo Hao felt his feet sink as if into a mire—it was the Water Marsh Talisman that they had used earlier to hunt resentment beasts. However, relying on the immense power of his Sea-Turning Art, he broke free from the restraint with ease.

He struck back with a Gold Sword Slash. While this move was not the most powerful, its speed was astonishing. In an instant, it entangled Feng Xing, preventing him from channeling any more spiritual power into his remaining talismans.

Feng Xing was frantic. He had already scattered his talismans, five of which had not been infused with spiritual power. Now trapped, he realized those talismans were no longer under his control.

A glint of cunning flashed in Mo Hao’s eyes as he sensed Feng Xing’s anxiety. His golden sword shimmered with cold light, each strike accompanied by flashes of gold. As he reached the five talismans, he smiled faintly, retracting his own spiritual power and instead pouring it into the seemingly ordinary slips. Triggered by his energy, the talismans erupted with dazzling radiance, whistling toward Feng Xing like five spirit dragons. Feng Xing was forced to resort to his defensive artifacts, which crackled and popped under the assault. Although he blocked the attack, he suffered superficial wounds, which infuriated him. That Mo Hao had used his own items to injure him was unbearable. Feng Xing roared, unleashing a Rending Wind Strike that left Mo Hao’s Hantong Sword no opening to strike.

"Green Sun Sword Art!"

Mo Hao remained calm. The Green Sun Sword Art was renowned for its offensive power; with one stroke, he shattered the Rending Wind Strike and slashed toward Feng Xing. Feng Xing laughed.

"Junior Brother, we both come from the Void Sword Sect. Are you looking down on your senior by using such common techniques?"

Feng Xing also unleashed a Green Sun Sword Art, neutralizing Mo Hao’s attack and extending the sword aura to strike back. Since his cultivation base was one level lower, Mo Hao retreated rapidly. It seemed that the techniques of the Void Sword Sect were ineffective against Feng Xing; after all, sword arts available to outer sect disciples naturally had their flaws.

Mo Hao considered using the Derivative Heart Sword Art, but it was extremely taxing on his spiritual power. If he failed to kill with one blow, he would be a lamb for the slaughter. Yet, if he didn't use his full strength, he feared it would be useless. The strike of the Derivative Heart Sword Art carried no aura—that was why Xiao Huan had been heavily injured by it before. Perhaps it was worth a try.

He hesitated and ultimately abandoned the idea of using it. But if he tried to escape with the Escape Talisman, he remembered that Feng Xing possessed the Blood Star Disk, which would limit the distance he could travel. Mo Hao was caught in a dilemma.

At that moment, a plan formed. He stopped using offensive spells, focusing all his energy on maintaining his spiritual shield.

Feng Xing was overjoyed to see Mo Hao stop fighting back and intensified his attacks. Mo Hao seized a gap in the assault and turned to flee. Furious, Feng Xing gave chase.

Mo Hao did not head toward the Resentment Beast Mountains, but toward the very center of the valley. He knew that if he continued to wear himself down against Feng Xing, he would certainly lose.

He flew toward the center, winding through the trees like a small snake. Feng Xing caught up repeatedly, only to be shaken off again. As Mo Hao reached the deepest part of the valley, a sudden wave of aura hit him. He was overjoyed; this was his only chance to gamble. Without hesitation, he unleashed a Green Sun Sword Art at Feng Xing. The ferocity of the sword aura forced Feng Xing to divert his attention to defend. Seizing the moment, Mo Hao recalled his Hantong Sword.

"Derivative Heart Sword Art!"

Mo Hao exhausted ninety percent of his spiritual power, firing the strike straight ahead. Moments later, a beast’s roar echoed from the front. Mo Hao hurriedly retrieved his sword and used the Turtle-Breathing Technique to hide among a pile of rocks.

Feng Xing, having just deflected the attack, looked for Mo Hao, only to realize the attack hadn't been aimed at him. He sobered up, realizing he had been blinded by the chase. Looking around, he saw the rocks were as black as ink—he was deep in the canyon. A sense of dread washed over him. Ignoring Mo Hao’s hiding spot, he turned to run.

But the beast’s roar drew closer. Suddenly, a beam of black light pierced through, heading straight for Feng Xing. Feng Xing’s reaction was fast, but knowing he couldn't dodge, he placed all his artifacts in front of him. They were sliced through like tofu, melting away like snow in a fire. Mo Hao watched in horror from the side; it was a Foundation Establishment stage resentment beast, and a mid-stage one at that.

Mo Hao grew worried. Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed divine sense, and his disguise shouldn't be able to fool it. However, after killing Feng Xing, the beast didn't search with its divine sense. It snorted a few puffs of white air and returned to its nest. Mo Hao felt a lingering fear. This gamble had been his only way out; had the beast arrived even half a moment later, he would have been helpless, his spiritual power drained.

Poor Senior Brother Feng Xing, blinded by bloodlust and greed for the three pills, had disregarded everything. Mo Hao cautiously recovered from his turtle-breathing state, reflecting on the battle. If he hadn't had the foresight to kill Li An first, the outcome would have been uncertain. Although Li An was the weakest of the three in cultivation, his mastery of formations was supernatural. Mo Hao had slain him without hesitation, which was why he remained the last one standing.

Mo Hao dared not linger. He hastily collected Feng Xing’s storage bag and fled. A mid-stage Foundation Establishment beast—that black beam of light had terrified him. Even the half-step Foundation Establishment beast from before had not possessed even one percent of that power. Feng Xing’s defenses had been erased as if they were thin paper. He dared not wander blindly in the heart of the Resentment Beast Mountains; if he had stumbled upon one beast, who knew what else he might find?

Mo Hao searched Feng Xing’s bag, finding a disk-shaped object—the Blood Star Disk. He channeled his energy into it, but it didn't respond. He frowned. He had seen Feng Xing use it easily; was there a trick he didn't know?

After studying it in vain, he decided to return the way he came. Li An’s body was still there. Though Mo Hao didn't understand arrays, he wanted to possess one. While sometimes useless, they were vital in certain situations. The harvest of monster cores this trip had been entirely due to Li An’s formations.

He flew back on his sword to the site of the initial battle. He found only Li An’s storage bag and a pile of flesh; the corpse of the half-step Foundation Establishment beast was gone. Fortunately, the bag remained.

Mo Hao observed from a distance, not daring to approach. He saw drag marks leading deep into the forest and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed a passing beast had taken the carcass.

Taking the bag, he realized how wise it had been not to use the Escape Talisman. It transported one randomly; if he had ended up in the cave of a Foundation Establishment beast, he would have died without knowing why.

Mo Hao left the valley entrance, not in a rush to leave. The task had no deadline, and he had no confidence in participating in the Sect Grand Competition—he had no intention of going at all. If even someone as cunning as Feng Xing couldn't enter the inner sect, he had no chance. He found a quiet cave to examine the two storage bags.

Li An’s bag contained sets of formations, a book on array theory, and a detailed map. Mo Hao set the book aside; it was too complex to study while guarding against beasts. He opened the map. It showed mountains, rivers, and terrain, including the distribution of various powers. But Mo Hao didn't recognize a single sect listed. Where was this map from?

In the bottom right corner, he found three small characters: "Phantom Moon Swamp." He had never heard of it. He checked the "Map of Hundred Treasures" he had purchased, and his breath hitched. The Phantom Moon Swamp wasn't in the Cold Nightmare Mountain Range at all; it was in the Extreme Southern Continent. The entire continent was collectively referred to as the Phantom Moon Swamp. No wonder Feng Xing had destroyed Li An’s cave—Li An had been determined to go there. The map was a treasure.

Mo Hao turned to Feng Xing’s bag. It was sparse: three talismans, sixteen monster cores, and a pile of spirit stones. Mo Hao chuckled; Feng Xing was truly poor, with nothing but spirit stones. He examined the talismans: one Escape Talisman and two Water Marsh Talismans. It seemed Feng Xing hadn't thought to use the Escape Talisman in his final moments. Even if the black light was fast, it couldn't have stopped an Escape Talisman. Though the destination was random, they were precious; an experienced talisman master could only craft ten a year, and they required the collarbone of a specific monster.

Mo Hao stored the talismans and took out the spirit stones—over a thousand low-grade stones and three medium-grade ones. Even the Foundation Establishment elder hadn't possessed medium-grade stones. How had Feng Xing obtained them? He took out the Blood Star Disk again, and this time, it worked. Perhaps it was due to the location. Before he could ponder why, a red dot on the disk caught his eye. It was so bright it stung his eyes, and he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Such a strong red dot... could it be that mid-stage Foundation Establishment beast?"

Outside the cave, a pair of scarlet eyes was peering in. Mo Hao felt his scalp tingle. He had been so immersed in his harvest that he hadn't noticed he was being watched.

Outside, the beast followed him quietly, its face wearing an expression almost human in its interest. However, when it realized Mo Hao had sensed its presence, its face turned cold. Its third vertical eye opened, and a piercing black light shot toward him.

Faced with the sudden attack, Mo Hao’s eyes flashed with resolve. He didn't hesitate to use the Escape Talisman he had been clutching. In an instant, his figure vanished from the spot, narrowly avoiding the lethal strike.