It was too late.
Mo Yuhan's speed, boosted by his Spirit Ability, was at its peak. The solidified fiery lion head outlines on his shoulders and forearms let out silent roars as he charged, his entire being like a savage, raging lion clad in heavy flame armor, crashing into the middle of the three Dou Shi.
"Boom! Crack! Hiss—!"
The dull thud of impact, the crisp sound of bones shattering, and the strange hiss of flames scorching flesh erupted almost simultaneously.
The shield-wielding Dou Shi who bore the brunt of the attack had his finely crafted iron shield instantly dented inward and shattered upon contact by the terrifying impact force carried by the Xuan Huang Flame Armor.
Mo Yuhan's shoulders, burning with thick flames, slammed heavily into his chest. A clear sound of bones cracking rang out, and the Dou Shi's eyes bulged, blood gushing from his mouth, his body flying backward like a broken sack, knocking over two Dou Zhe who were too slow to dodge.
Mo Yuhan's charge continued without pause, his flame-burning right arm sweeping outward to parry.
"Clang!"
Mo Yuhan's body was like a high-speed war chariot, his right shoulder, with its condensed lion head flames, slammed fiercely into the crowd.
The dull thud of impact was accompanied by the terrifying sound of collapsing chest bones.
The Xuan Huang Flame surged madly through the point of impact, and before a single scream could be uttered, a group of Dou Zhe and Dou Shi were instantly overwhelmed by the burning pain erupting within their bodies, their bodies slumping softly to the ground. While their external appearance showed few injuries, their internal organs were rapidly carbonizing.
The encirclement was instantly torn open by this violent charge, creating a huge gap. The few Dou Zhe guards standing behind the gap had long been scared out of their wits by this overwhelming killing aura, instinctively stumbling backward.
"Useless!"
Jia Lie Bi's roar exploded like thunder, the muscles on his face contorted by extreme rage.
He had never expected that an eight-year-old brat could, under the siege of their three Great Dou Shi and numerous enforcers, instantly erupt and tear open a gap.
However, despite Mo Yuhan's significant killing achievements, he was still inevitably injured under the encirclement of Jia Lie Bi and the others.
The Flame Armor Guardian emitted a harsh tearing sound, and the Xuan Huang Flame flickered violently. Although it blocked most of the damage, a mountain-like heavy energy impact still penetrated the Flame Armor and slammed into his body.
Mo Yuhan's throat sweetened, but at this moment, he remained calm in the face of danger, landing by the muddy forest edge, his aura slightly weak.
With his strength, dealing with a Great Dou Shi was still too difficult, let alone facing three Great Dou Shi, and more than a dozen Dou Shi and Dou Zhe.
"Jia Lie old dog, we will meet again!"
After killing a few Dou Shi, Mo Yuhan finally could not sustain himself. The remaining Dou Qi in his body wildly poured into his back, "Purple Cloud Wings, activate!"
Deep purple energy instantly condensed, and a pair of black eagle wings suddenly tore through his robes.
Like an arrow shot from a bow, Mo Yuhan brushed past the edge of Jia Lie Bi's Dou Qi impact, leaving a streak of blood, transforming into a blurry purple shadow, and instantly plunged into the impenetrable darkness of the Monster Mountain Range.
"A bunch of useless people!"
Jia Lie Bi watched Mo Yuhan's figure completely disappear into the dark jungle, then looked at the corpses of several Dou Shi and a few Dou Zhe on the ground. An unprecedented sense of fury and humiliation surged in his chest like lava.
His meticulously planned ambush, with all the family's elites dispatched and three Great Dou Shi overseeing it.
What was the result? Not only did that little bastard not die, but he also killed so many of the family's enforcers right in front of him before escaping. This was an unprecedented disgrace for the Jia Lie Family.
"Search!"
Jia Lie Bi suddenly raised his head, insane rage burning in his eyes, "Drive out everyone in the nearby town who can move. Even if you have to dig three feet deep and search every inch of the Monster Mountain Range's periphery, you must drag that little bastard out. I want him alive, or his corpse!"
His cold gaze swept over the cowering guards and the two Elders with grim faces, as if looking at a pile of useless trash.
"If you can't find him, then everyone in that town will have to pay with their lives to quell the wrath of my Jia Lie Family!"
...
Qingshan Town, this mercenary town that thrived by relying on the Monster Mountain Range, completely lost its usual hustle and bustle and fell into a deathly silence of fear after Jia Lie Bi arrived, bringing with him an aura of blood and rage.
A heavy scent of blood permeated the air, lingering for a long time.
The small square in the center of the town had now become a temporary execution ground.
Several corpses dressed in Jia Lie Family attire were covered with straw mats, laid aside, silently narrating the tragic intensity of the ambush that had occurred not long ago.
Even more numerous were the dozen or so bodies, casually discarded like broken sacks—these were some mercenaries and idle Dou Zhe from Qingshan Town who were usually quite fierce and had attempted to resist or were simply a little slow in their movements.
Their deaths varied: some had their internal organs shattered by Dou Qi, others had their throats slit by sharp blades, but a commonality was the horror and unwillingness frozen on their faces.
Thick blood flowed freely on the uneven ground, forming dark red streams, emitting a nauseating metallic odor.
Jia Lie Bi stood at the center of this bloody scene, his dark green Dou Qi gauze robe stained with specks of dark red blood, like a demon god returned from hell.
Under his foot, he was stepping on the head of the Wan Yao Pharmacy guard leader, whose throat he had just casually crushed and who was still twitching slightly.
His cold eyes, devoid of any human emotion, slowly swept over the crowd that had been forcibly driven and gathered in the square.
Mu She, the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, stood at the very front of the crowd, his forehead covered in fine cold sweat, his face as pale as paper.
Behind him, the third leader, Hemeng, the burly man known for his cruelty, now also hung his head low, his muscular body trembling slightly, not daring to meet Jia Lie Bi's gaze.
The core members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group huddled together, their usual fierce and arrogant expressions long gone, replaced only by bone-deep fear.
Mr. Yao, the owner of Wan Yao Pharmacy, was currently slumped, barely held up by two pale-faced guards, preventing him from collapsing.
He looked at the corpse of the guard leader under Jia Lie Bi's foot, then at his own shop assistants and apprentice pharmacists, who were being roughly pushed and shoved by Jia Lie Family guards, crying and shouting. The muscles on his face twitched uncontrollably, and his eyes were filled with heartache and despair.
He knew that the Wan Yao Pharmacy's accumulated wealth over many years was likely to be completely emptied today.
"Mu She."
Jia Lie Bi's voice was not loud, but it pierced everyone's eardrums like an ice pick, carrying an undeniable sense of judgment.
Mu She's body trembled violently, and he almost instinctively straightened his back, his voice dry and hoarse: "Here… here! Master Jia Lie, please command!"
"Your Wolf Head Mercenary Group is the local power in Qingshan Town."
Jia Lie Bi's gaze scraped across Mu She's face like a physical knife, "You are most familiar with this forest."
Mu She's heart tightened, a strong ominous premonition rising within him. He could only force himself to respond: "Yes… yes, Master is right."
"Very good."
Jia Lie Bi's lips curved into a cold, unfeeling smile, "I'll give you half an hour. Gather all the people from your Wolf Head Mercenary Group, and all the trash with a bit of Dou Qi cultivation you can find in this broken town, and bring them to me."
He raised his hand, pointing towards the dark outline of the Monster Mountain Range, his tone chilling: "Go into the mountains, find a ten-year-old boy wearing black clothes. His name is Mo Yuhan. He's injured and can't run far."
When Mu She heard the three words "Mo Yuhan," his pupils suddenly constricted. He seemed to remember that Little Fairy Doctor had once taken in a child… and his name seemed to be that.
Could it be… the same person?
He knew that Little Fairy Doctor had left Qingshan Town with that child and an unknown woman.
However, he only thought Little Fairy Doctor had left temporarily and didn't take it seriously.
He hadn't expected that after a year, Little Fairy Doctor still hadn't returned.
This made Mu She somewhat annoyed.
Mu She was not clear about the strength of the person Jia Lie Bi wanted him to find. Hearing this, he immediately flattered: "Master, this subordinate guarantees to complete the task, but our manpower might not be enough…"
Mu She felt as if a great mountain had crashed down on his shoulders, his legs weakened, and he directly knelt on the cold ground.
The sound of his knees hitting the ground was unusually muffled. Hemeng and the others behind him also changed their expressions drastically, involuntarily taking a step back.
"Your manpower isn't enough?"
Jia Lie Bi took a step forward, looking down at the kneeling Mu She, his voice cold enough to freeze the soul, "Then fill it with lives! If you can't find him, or if he escapes…"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the terrified faces of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group members, "Your Wolf Head Mercenary Group can be removed from Qingshan Town today. I mean what I say."
Mu She knelt on the cold, bloody ground, his body trembling like a sieve, his teeth chattering. Immense fear and humiliation almost consumed him.
He suddenly raised his head, his voice almost fawning as he shouted hoarsely: "Understood, Master Jia Lie, rest assured, I, Mu She, will dig three feet deep and turn the entire mountain range upside down, but I will definitely find that little bastard for you!"
"Everyone in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, listen up! Immediately, right now, go into the mountains! If you don't find him, none of you will come back alive!"
The mercenaries behind him were ashen-faced, but under Jia Lie Bi's death threat, they could only grit their teeth, filled with fear and resentment, and surged chaotically towards the town entrance like a driven flock of sheep, rushing towards the Monster Mountain Range that had devoured countless lives.
Jia Lie Bi's gaze shifted to Mr. Yao, the collapsed owner of Wan Yao Pharmacy.
When Mr. Yao met that emotionless gaze, he shivered violently, almost truly collapsing to the ground.
"Mr. Yao."
Jia Lie Bi's voice was devoid of any ripple, yet it made Mr. Yao feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Yes… this humble one is here, Master Jia Lie!"
Mr. Yao's voice was tearful.
"I heard your Wan Yao Pharmacy is the most well-stocked place for medicinal ingredients in Qingshan Town."
Jia Lie Bi said indifferently, as if discussing a trivial matter, "Bring out all the medicinal ingredients in your storeroom that can heal injuries, sustain life, and detoxify, as well as those high-quality hemostatic powders, Qi-restoring pills… bring them all out. Mu She's men are going into the mountains to fight, so they need some provisions."
Mr. Yao felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and his heart felt as if it had been brutally gouged out.
Those medicinal ingredients, those pills, were the foundation of his Wan Yao Pharmacy, the accumulation of half his life's efforts.
Among them were many rare treasures he had acquired at great cost, through countless connections, from Black Rock City and even more distant places. Was he to just hand them over for nothing?
"Ma… Master!"
Mr. Yao knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face, his voice utterly miserable, "Those… those are the lifeblood of this humble shop! They are this humble one's savings of many years. Please, Master, have mercy, and… and leave a way for Wan Yao Pharmacy to survive! This humble shop is willing… willing to donate all its money…"
"Savings?"
A cruel sneer twisted Jia Lie Bi's lips. He leaned down slightly, his cold gaze piercing into Mr. Yao's eyes, which were filled with fear and pleading, "I am informing you, not discussing with you. Either hand over the medicinal ingredients, or… you and your Wan Yao Pharmacy will be like the garbage on the ground, left here as fertilizer."
"Choose."
The last two words were like a death sentence.
All of Mr. Yao's pleas, all of his hopes, were instantly shattered under Jia Lie Bi's cold gaze.
His body completely went limp, his eyes vacant, as if all his spirit power had been drained, leaving only the desperate ashes of despair.
He trembled his lips, finally emitting a faint, almost inaudible sound: "Hand… I'll hand them over…"
Jia Lie Bi straightened up, his indifferent gaze sweeping over the Qingshan Town residents in the square, who were silent as cicadas in winter, their faces a mixture of fear, resentment, and a hint of schadenfreude.
He looked at these "weaklings" who usually dared not speak out against the oppression of the Wolf Head and Wan Yao Pharmacy, now watching their tormentors being crushed and stripped by an even fiercer bully, with unconcealed glee in their eyes.
Jia Lie Bi's heart remained unmoved.
The strong prey on the weak; it is only natural.
Today, Jia Lie Bi was the strong one inflicting fear; if he were to encounter someone stronger one day, his fate would be the same as these ants on the ground.
This truth, every person in Qingshan Town should engrave it deeply in their hearts at this moment.
"Second Elder."
Jia Lie Bi's voice returned to absolute calm, "You take a team of people, escort the Wan Yao Pharmacy staff to retrieve the medicinal ingredients, watch them closely, dare to conceal even one plant, and show no mercy."
"Yes, Family Head."
Second Elder Jia Liejie bowed in acceptance, his sinister gaze sweeping over the collapsed Mr. Yao and the trembling Wan Yao Pharmacy staff.
"The rest of you."
Jia Lie Bi's gaze fell upon the dark, beast-like silhouette of the Monster Mountain Range, his voice carrying an unquestionable iron will, "Follow me into the mountains! Block all the passes that can be exited. That little brat sustained no small injuries; he won't escape even with wings."
"Even if we have to burn down this entire forest, we must dig him out!"
He took the first step, his dark green Dou Qi gauze cloak gently fluttering in the blood-soaked air, his figure resolutely disappearing into the shadows of the town entrance leading to the Monster Mountain Range.
Behind him, the Jia Lie Family guards followed silently and swiftly, like a cold torrent.
In the square, only the thick, suffocating smell of blood remained, along with the suppressed gasps of Mr. Yao and others who had survived the ordeal.
The night, like thick ink, completely permeated the outer reaches of the Monster Mountain Range.
Towering ancient trees, like monstrous claws, fragmented the already sparse starlight.
Wind whistled through the dense forest, making a mournful sound, mixed with the cries of unknown night owls and the faint roars of beasts in the distance, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Inside a hollow tree trunk, formed by an ancient tree struck by lightning, the darkness was almost impenetrable.
A heavy scent of blood and a faint bitter aroma of herbs permeated the confined space.
Mo Yuhan was curled up in the deepest, driest corner of the tree hollow, his back against the cold, rough inner wall of the wood.
Every subtle breath tugged at the tearing pain in his back, causing fine cold sweat to seep from his forehead.
Jia Lie Bi was, after all, a five-star Great Dou Shi; his terrifying impact not only shattered his Flame Armor Guardian but also injured his internal organs.
Forcibly activating his spirit power and Dou Qi for a burst had also greatly overdrawn his body. Whether on the Douluo Continent or the Dou Qi Continent, this was his first time experiencing such a setback.
His consciousness floated in waves of intense pain and exhaustion. Mo Yuhan gritted his teeth, relying on a resilience far beyond his age, to prevent himself from completely losing consciousness.
He laboriously lifted his arm, heavy as if filled with lead, and fumbled to pull out the healing medicine Master Gu Ni had refined for him from his embrace, pouring all several pills into his mouth.
The medicinal power slowly spread within his body, bringing a faint but precious warm current that temporarily suppressed the churning, agonizing pain in his internal organs.
But this was merely a drop in the bucket.
Just then, an extremely subtle rustling sound, almost blending with the wind, came from not far outside the tree hollow.
Mo Yuhan's muscles instantly tensed, and his pupils sharply contracted in the darkness.
He held his breath, curling his body even tighter, like a stone merging into the shadows, even his heartbeat was strenuously suppressed to the slowest rhythm.
The sound grew closer, accompanied by deliberately hushed conversations.
"…Damn it, this cursed place! That old dog Mu She is truly insane. The Jia Lie family's evil star is chasing someone; what does it have to do with us! He insists on forcing everyone to come in and die!"
A hoarse voice complained, filled with heavy fear and resentment.
"Shh! Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?"
Another slightly younger voice nervously stopped him, "If the Jia Lie family hears us, we'll all be finished. Didn't you see those… those… in the square?"
He seemed to recall a terrifying scene, his voice trembling.
"Sigh… this is truly bad luck. Where do you think that kid is hiding? With such serious injuries, how far could he have run?"
The owner of the hoarse voice seemed to be scared too, lowering his volume.
The footsteps and complaints gradually receded, disappearing in another direction of the forest.
Inside the tree hollow, Mo Yuhan's taut nerves relaxed slightly, but cold sweat had already soaked his undershirt.
He closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the churning blood and the renewed sensation of dizziness.
Jia Lie Bi… what a ruthless tactic. This is a human wave tactic, to dig him out even if it means tearing up the earth.
His consciousness sank into his body.
His retreat had already been personally blocked by Jia Lie Bi and his men.
Mo Yuhan slowly opened his eyes.
He planned to go deeper into the Monster Mountain Range. As long as he found a quiet place to heal, it wouldn't be too late to make other plans
Deep within the Monster Mountain Range, far from the persistent pursuit of Jia Lie Bi, the cave where Mo Yuhan resided had become a rare sanctuary.
Several moonstones embedded in the cave wall emitted a soft, cool glow, barely dispelling the deep darkness within.
The air was filled with a mixed herbal scent—Mo Yuhan had meticulously sprinkled a layer of pale yellow powder at the cave entrance and in nearby rock crevices.
This was a concoction he had refined based on the Little Fairy Doctor's notes, using several irritating medicinal herbs that Dou Beasts intensely disliked, and its effect was significant; for the past month, almost no low-level Dou Beasts had dared to approach and disturb him.
In one corner of the cave, beside a crude bed made of dry moss and soft animal hides, lay several jade bottles of various sizes and a few herbs still bearing the fresh scent of earth.
Mo Yuhan sat cross-legged, a faint but extremely condensed Xuan Huang Flame flickering on his fingertips, carefully calcining the essence of a "Blood Coagulation Grass" in his hand.
His face was still pale from his recent severe injuries, but his eyes were focused, and his aura was much more stable and solid than when he was fleeing half a month ago.
Dou Qi slowly flowed through his meridians, nourishing his damaged muscles and bones, and the wound on his back, fractured by Jia Liejie's "Wave Overlap" Dou Techniques, had already scabbed over and closed with the help of his own medicinal pills.
He felt that after this battle, he had vaguely reached the edge of a Dou Zhe Seven Star, estimating that he would be able to break through soon.
Just as he was fully concentrated, controlling the subtle temperature of the Xuan Huang Flame, attempting to further purify a semi-solidified, pale red medicinal liquid—
"Roar—!!!"
A lion's roar, imbued with unparalleled ferocity and majesty, like a thunderclap from the heavens, exploded without warning in the distant sky.
This roar penetrated the barriers of numerous mountains and dense forests, carrying a soul-shaking pressure that directly poured into Mo Yuhan's eardrums.
The Xuan Huang Flame on his fingertips trembled violently, almost losing control and incinerating the painstakingly refined medicinal liquid.
He forcefully stabilized his mind, abruptly looked up, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the thick mountain wall, directed towards the source of that terrifying energy fluctuation.
In the distant sky, the winds and clouds changed color.
Turbulent energy currents, like a boiling ocean, shattered the clouds in that area.
Dazzling Purple Flames and sharp azure gales violently collided and tore at each other; each clash erupted in deafening roars, and energy ripples spread out in circles like tangible waves.
Even from such a distance, Mo Yuhan could feel the immense power capable of destroying heaven and earth.
A graceful and lithe figure in plain white, holding a long azure sword, moved like a startled swan amidst the strangling Purple Flames and gales.
Her posture was elegant, her sword light exuded an unyielding majesty, her dark hair was styled into a noble phoenix bun, and her face remained captivatingly calm and serene even in the fierce battle—it was Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect.
Opposing her was a terrifying Dou Beast of suffocating size.
It was seven or eight meters long, its entire body covered in clear, purple crystal, reflecting a cold, hard luster under the violent energy of the sky.
A pair of blood-red beast eyes on its ferocious lion head glowed with an eerie purple light, and its fanged maw seemed capable of swallowing space with every opening and closing.
Most striking was the spiraling crimson horn on its lion head, with Purple Flames swirling around its tip; every flap of its purple wings unleashed large torrents of pale Purple Flames like a lava waterfall.
Its four thick, pillar-like claws were also encased in hard purple crystals—it was the Rank Six Dou Beast, the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King.
"Lion King, if you give me the purple spirit crystal, I will leave this place immediately."
Yun Yun's cool voice cut through the roar, carrying an unquestionable resolve.
"Human! Delusional! Unless you offer a Rank Seven Pill, the Form Transformation Pill, as a trade!"
The Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's roar rumbled like muffled thunder, filled with brutality and greed.
The negotiation instantly broke down, and an even more intense energy storm swept across the world.
Mo Yuhan held his breath, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
He had unknowingly arrived at the edge of the battlefield and recognized this classic scene.
In the original novel, it was in this battle that Yun Yun was severely injured by the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's innate divine ability, "Purple Crystal Seal," her cultivation sealed, causing her to fall into the waterfall, and then she was rescued by Xiao Yan… and the waterfall.
He abruptly turned his head, his gaze fixed on a spot a hundred meters outside the cave.
There, the roar of massive water flow was incessant day and night; a silvery waterfall, like a bolt of silk, cascaded down a hundred-zhang cliff, plunging into the bottomless cold pool below, stirring up a mist of water.
The waterfall from the original novel.
A strong premonition seized him.
Almost at the instant this thought flashed, a blinding purple light suddenly erupted in the distant sky.
The spiraling horn on the Purple Crystal Winged Lion King's head shone brightly, and a strange beam of light, as deep as solidified purple crystal, instantly tore through Yun Yun's protective azure light, precisely striking her chest.
"Puff—!"
Even from a great distance, Mo Yuhan seemed to hear that muffled groan.
Yun Yun's graceful and lithe figure suddenly stiffened, her surging Dou Qi receding like a tide; her pretty face instantly lost all color, becoming as pale as paper.
Like a bird with broken wings, she could no longer maintain flight, her body tilted, and she fell with a tragic, beautiful arc towards the vast, green mountain range below.
And the direction of her fall was precisely towards the area near Mo Yuhan's location.
Without a moment's hesitation, Mo Yuhan sprang up from the ground, disregarding the lingering pain from his not fully healed injuries, and pushed his speed to the limit.
The subtlety of Phoenix Flight Step was displayed to its fullest, his figure transforming into a blurred azure shadow as he rushed out of the cave and sped towards the waterfall!
Only one thought remained in his mind: Faster! Even faster! He had to find her before the Dou Beasts in the mountains discovered her.
The roar of the waterfall grew louder and louder, and the air was filled with cold mist.
Mo Yuhan's heart pounded like a drum, his sharp gaze searching the turbulent water and pervasive mist below.
Found her!
Near the edge of the deep pool impacted by the waterfall, on a smooth, black boulder scoured by the water, a dazzling patch of plain white lay limply.
The water fiercely washed over her body, her dark hair clinging haphazardly to her pale cheeks and neck; her originally noble and elegant dress was thoroughly soaked, clinging tightly to her exquisitely curved body, outlining breathtaking contours.
It was Yun Yun.
Mo Yuhan did not hesitate; he took a deep breath, his toes pushing off the slippery rock, and like an arrow released from a bowstring, he rushed without hesitation into the bone-chillingly cold, turbulent edge of the waterfall.
"Splash!"
The icy pool water instantly submerged him, the immense impact making his chest ache.
He gritted his teeth, vigorously paddling, resisting the pull of the current, and quickly approached the large rock.
Closer.
He extended both hands, one carefully passing beneath Yun Yun's bent knees, the other supporting her neck and beneath her shoulder blades.
At his touch, her delicate body, soaked in the icy water, still conveyed an indescribably warm and smooth sensation through her wet clothes, as if touching the finest warm jade in the world, incredibly delicate, with a breathtaking elasticity.
That marvelous sensation, even for the nine-year-old Mo Yuhan, caused his mind to waver, but it was immediately replaced by deeper worry.
The unconscious Yun Yun was completely unresponsive, her body as soft as if it had no bones.
Mo Yuhan dared not delay; he used his arms to carefully lift her from the cold rock