Chapter 198: Exposed
Chapter 198: Exposed
After leaving Mu Manor, Mu Feng moved swiftly and arrived at the summit of Stone Mountain under the moonlight.
Before he even climbed up, Ghost Mother’s voice came coldly, “Cackle cackle, Mu Feng ah Mu Feng, have you finally decided to come see Granny? I sensed your aura the moment you returned to Jianning City, but I waited three whole days and you didn’t come. Did you forget about Granny after getting the Yang Soul Pill? Or is Granny really so ugly that you’re scared?”
“No, Granny, you misunderstood.”
Mu Feng climbed to the summit of Stone Mountain, forcing himself to stay calm. “Shuang’er stayed at the Poison Sect. She was accepted by Sect Leader Murong as her final disciple. After my elder brother Sky Splitting Tiger sobered up, I drank with him in silence for three full days to help him through his sorrow and resentment. Once I returned to Jianning City, I immediately thought of visiting you, Granny, but worldly matters kept me busy until now. Please forgive me.”
On the surface, he was polite and respectful, but secretly Mu Feng was highly alert and prepared for the worst.
Although he had mentally prepared himself before coming, he was still greatly shocked after climbing to the summit.
The towering mountaintop was almost covered with skulls, large and small. Some were even stained with blood, making one’s scalp crawl. Especially the finger-sized holes on the tops of the skulls, dark and horrifying.
The usually sinister Ghost Mother, with her disheveled hair blowing in the cold wind, looked even more gloomy and terrifying. Her words were strange and icy, filled with an eerie Yin Energy. Compared to before, she seemed less restrained and more brutal.
“As expected, the old hag is really about to lose all patience!”
Mu Feng thought to himself in alarm, quickly considering how to deal with the situation, how to escape safely, and also find a cure for his mother’s illness.
“Hahaha, final disciple?”
Ghost Mother laughed wildly, her messy hair hanging over her face, covering most of her ghastly features. “Hahaha, Murong Bi ah Murong Bi, I knew you couldn’t resist such a gift. A Mysterious Yin Body! How could you let that slip away once you found one? Even knowing it’s my scheme, what can you do? Hahaha…”
The terrifying Ghost Mother laughed heartily, without restraint.
An open scheme!
Compared to a hidden conspiracy, an open scheme that is obvious yet impossible to refuse or resist is far more frightening!
Hearing her words, Mu Feng’s heart sank, and he grew even more uneasy.
Ghost Mother had long predicted that Sect Leader Murong would see through the Demonic Elixir plan. What did that mean?
It meant she had calculated everything perfectly. Such cunning meant she surely knew how formidable Sect Leader Murong was. How could she be unprepared?
Sure enough, before Mu Feng could think further, Ghost Mother’s laughter stopped abruptly. Her face turned cold as she stared at Mu Feng. “That wretched woman Murong Bi is vicious and merciless. Knowing my scheme, how could she simply let you return? Mu Feng, speak! How did you conspire with her? What plan do you have against Granny?”
“No, Granny, you are overthinking it!”
Mu Feng’s heart raced, but he forced himself to appear calm on the surface. Secretly, he fiercely stirred the Ancestral Sorcerer’s Essence Blood within him, treating the situation as a grave threat.
At this moment, facing the sinister Ghost Mother, he felt even more tense than when being chased by the Nine-Fingered Black Demon. Glancing at Ghost Mother’s long, eerie fingers, his scalp tingled painfully, and he couldn’t help imagining her fingers brutally piercing through his skull.
“Overthinking? Cackle cackle, Mu Feng, do you really think Granny is so stupid that I wouldn’t realize this? Let me guess. Did that wretched woman Murong Bi tell you to assassinate me secretly, poison me, or lure experts from Mu Manor here, or…”
The ever-calculating Ghost Mother paused, pretending to hesitate, watching the uneasy Mu Feng with interest. With a cackle, her right hand reached out and grabbed the crystal vial containing the sealed Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada hidden in Mu Feng’s robes. She lifted it to her nose and sniffed lightly. “Cackle cackle, good, such a strong aura. My little treasure is finally about to emerge. The Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada! That wretched woman Murong Bi indeed tampered with my little treasure. Mu Feng ah Mu Feng, do you know where you gave yourselves away?”
“Please enlighten me, Granny.”
Mu Feng took a deep breath, striving to calm himself. His gaze was sharp. His blood energy surged around him, forming a ferocious blood-red armor that tightly encased his entire body, leaving only his cold eyes visible.
Before their plan was exposed, he had been anxious and worried about gains and losses. Now that Ghost Mother saw through it and tore off all pretenses, he simply faced her openly.
“That wretched woman Murong Bi helped you completely sever my connection and control over this Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada, intending to use this little creature to wound me by surprise. Little did she know, it was precisely the sudden and complete loss of connection that revealed the biggest flaw!”
Ghost Mother sneered coldly, glancing over the Blood Armor covering Mu Feng. “Not bad. In such a short time, you’ve progressed so far from an ordinary person with damaged meridians. Mu Feng, your cultivation technique is truly something to look forward to. And your master? If he doesn’t show up today, his technique might be lost forever, hahaha!”
The stronger Mu Feng became, the more excited Ghost Mother grew.
Having cultivated for so long at the Back Mountain of Mu Manor, she had been stuck at a bottleneck for years. The mysterious technique within Mu Feng might be her only key to a breakthrough.
If she obtained this mysterious technique that allowed Mu Feng to advance so rapidly, she might comprehend it instantly, breaking through from the True Human Realm Late Stage to the True Human Realm Peak and grasp the fifth level of the Yinwind Great Art.
Then, she could return triumphantly as the Yinfeng Holy Maiden, unifying the divided Yinfeng Sect in one move. After that, she would storm the Poison Sect, kill Murong Bi, and seize control. With the combined power of the Yinfeng Sect and the Poison Sect, who could possibly stand against her?
The Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada could slowly consume Mu Feng’s power and memories, but with the Great Thousand World in turmoil, she couldn’t wait any longer. She was eager to take action herself. Although Mu Feng had improved greatly recently, even managing to kill an early-stage Elite Realm expert by surprise, his current strength was insignificant in her eyes. Her only concern was Mu Feng’s elusive master!
“Granny, are you really going to attack me?”
Mu Feng was extremely nervous inside, but his face showed nothing. The more dangerous the situation, the calmer his mind became.
He paused, then continued calmly, “You said it yourself. Sect Leader Murong is highly cunning. Since she arranged for me to return and deal with you, she wouldn’t send me back to die for nothing without some confidence. This Twelve-Winged Golden Cicada is just one of her methods. As for my master, his ability to calculate fate and the future is unmatched. Usually, he is impossible to find, but at critical moments, he naturally appears. If you don’t believe me, just try attacking!”
A life-threatening disaster!
Recalling the words of the Hemp-robed Old Taoist, Mu Feng finally understood at this moment.
After rushing back from the Hengling Mountain Range, he heard upon entering the city that the Chief Transmission Disciple Mu Tie had greatly improved and broken through to the Elite Realm. But the real danger wasn’t from him or the Blind Master; it was from this sinister and terrifying old hag before him!