Chapter 495: Power of Fetters

That figure was none other than the sect master of the Thunderfire Sect, who stepped forward and asked Su Mo with deep concern, "Master, are you alright?"

"Master?"

Mo Wenli was utterly bewildered, unable to fathom what had just transpired.

"This is my master, your grandmaster," the Thunderfire Sect Master explained to Mo Wenli via a telepathic transmission.

"Grandmaster? Didn't you say that Grandmaster was dead?" Mo Wenli gasped in shock, recalling that his attitude toward Su Mo just moments ago had been far from amicable.

"That was merely a story for the outside world; in truth, your grandmaster dispersed his cultivation to rebuild it from scratch, seeking to break through to the Tribulation Transmutation Stage. He had a few enemies in his earlier years, and after dispersing his cultivation, he dared not make a sound for fear of retaliation, which is why we claimed he had passed away."

"And yet you let Grandmaster and me almost come to blows without telling me a thing..." Mo Wenli directed a rather aggrieved look at the Thunderfire Sect Master, knowing that if the Heavenly Court Cult hadn't intervened, they truly would have fought.

The Thunderfire Sect Master barked in response, "It's because you boy can't keep a secret to save your life! I was afraid you'd let the cat out of the bag on the arena stage. What the young Cult Leader Lu said wasn't wrong at all; look at how you've learned your thunder magic—spraying everywhere like a split stream of urine! Go back into secluded cultivation, and do not emerge until you achieve a proper result!"

Mo Wenli's face turned as pale as ash.

"Alright, alright, don't frighten the younger generation. Little Mo is actually quite strong; it's just that his opponent this time was stronger. Tell you what, after I return, I shall give you some pointers myself." Su Mo stepped in to smooth things over, feeling quite satisfied with Mo Wenli, whom he saw as a moldable talent.

The Thunderfire Sect Master watched him with a complicated, sullen expression.

"You certainly didn't treat me this way back in the day."

Below the arena, the five great Immortal Kings exuded an aura that screamed for people to keep their distance, yet the onlookers could not suppress their burning curiosity.

"Those five Heavenly Kings are terrifying; just getting close to them makes me shiver."

"Who says otherwise? This is a great power from antiquity. How chaotic the ancient era must have been, where human life was treated like grass. There is no telling how many lives these Heavenly Kings have taken!"

"Hush, don't let them hear you!"

"We are speaking through telepathy, surely they cannot hear us?"

"Better safe than sorry. Who can guarantee that antiquity didn't possess secret methods for eavesdropping? Look at those five; their murderous aura is so thick it has practically materialized. They are bound to be petty and vengeful people. If they mark you, will you ever see another peaceful day?"

"Yet what you are saying sounds even harsher than what we said."

Like stone statues, the five Guardian Heavenly Kings stood in place, their minds clear of stray thoughts, indifferent to all, devoid of both joy and sorrow.

"You have to admit, the Acting Sect Master's idea is brilliant. Leveraging the home-field advantage to make the Heavenly Court Cult burst onto the scene in style—this time, our cult's reputation is firmly established. I refuse to believe the demonic cults and ancient cultivators won't fall for it."

The First Elder transmitted his voice with glee; he had clearly seen the shocked, terrified, and panicked expressions of the crowd when they first appeared, and it felt incredibly satisfying.

"Do you think we will be seen through?" Old Man Ba asked anxiously, finding it satisfying indeed, yet fearing the consequences if the truth came to light.

This time was different from the past. In the past, they cheated those of the same realm, but this time they were deceiving even old seniors of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage.

If they were exposed, stepping out of the door in the future would be a perilous endeavor.

They did not fear the Body Integration Stage, as none could defeat them, but if a Tribulation Transmutation expert took action, they could only pray their master would arrive in time to save the day.

The Third Elder felt his second brother was worrying excessively: "That is impossible. Nephew Yun gave us his word, guaranteeing we would not be seen through."

"Furthermore, even if we are exposed, it matters little; I have prepared a backup plan."

The other four were greatly surprised. Even Old Third could prepare a backup plan?

"What backup plan?"

"I went to the merchant guild and bought insurance for the five of us. Even if something goes wrong, we will receive a massive fortune of spirit stones... Let's not speak of this anymore, my disciple is taking the stage."

"Wendao Sect, Meng Jingzhou."

"Longteng Village, Long Huo!"

Longteng Village was a very peculiar organization; it functioned both as an administrative unit of the Great Xia and as the domain of the Long family, a prestigious clan.

Eight thousand years ago, a powerful cultivator surnamed Long settled down in a desolate, uninhabited area of Jizhou, bringing along his wife, concubines, and servants. No one knew the origin of this mighty figure, as though he had appeared out of thin air, though some rumored he came from the East Sea and was of dragon kinship.

The powerful cultivator sired several sons and daughters before passing away, leaving behind a massive cache of cultivation resources upon his deathbed. His children remained there, continuing to thrive and multiply.

Thanks to the resources left by their progenitor, and coupled with the fact that his children possessed decent talent and did not squander the family fortune, they persevered.

As the generations passed, the outside world came to refer to them as the Jizhou Long Family, and they became a prestigious clan.

Gradually, the settlement grew in scale. Local officials came to inspect the area and deemed it met the criteria for a village, reporting it up through the ranks until the higher-ups established it as a village. Respecting the Long family's wishes, they named the place Longteng Village.

And the village chief of Longteng Village was none other than the patriarch of each generation of the Long family.

Long Huo was the son of the previous Long family patriarch. Although he had been suppressed by the current patriarch during his childhood, as he began to distinguish himself and display his sharp edge, becoming the number one talent of Longteng Village, the current patriarch could no longer bring himself to suppress him.

Long Huo activated his Golden Core, coating the surface of his body with a thin film of water that could ward off attacks to a certain extent; his was a water-attribute core among the first-grade Golden Cores.

"Swimming Dragon Strike!"

Like a swimming dragon, Long Huo moved across the arena with extreme agility, his speed terrifyingly fast as he left afterimages in his wake, making it difficult to pinpoint his location even with divine sense.

He circled behind Meng Jingzhou, and taking advantage of the moment before Meng Jingzhou could react, he fiercely aimed a hand-blade strike at the back of his neck.

"Got him!"

Joy surged in his heart, thinking his opponent had been careless.

To his surprise, Meng Jingzhou merely swayed his body slightly, effortlessly evading the sneak attack.

"What!"

He shouldn't have been able to see him at all.

Meng Jingzhou let out a bored yawn, finding this opponent rather underwhelming.

Refusing to give up, Long Huo executed the Swimming Dragon Strike once more, unleashing an endless barrage of attacks from all directions, all of which were effortlessly dodged by Meng Jingzhou.

Below the arena, the young Cult Leader Lu clapped his hands, his eyes gleaming with excitement as though he had spotted an opponent he long desired.

"Splendid! As expected of a disciple capable of representing the Wendao Sect. If my eyes do not deceive me, he has already attained the 'Selfless and Oblivious' realm of body cultivation. Even among the ancient geniuses, no one has ever stepped into this realm at the mid-Golden Core stage!"

The Unbroken Heavenly King nodded in agreement: "It appears he has just stepped into the realm of Selfless and Oblivious. In this state, there is no need for thought; the body can automatically dodge attacks that pose little threat."

A low threat did not mean no threat; if it could be dodged, it naturally should be dodged.

Only after the young Cult Leader Lu explained did the geniuses below the arena realize just how powerful of a body cultivator the current Meng Jingzhou truly was.

Meng Jingzhou nodded in satisfaction, thinking that fellow Lu Yang was decent enough to give him credit.

Bang!

Meng Jingzhou executed the Six Shaking Heaven Styles, taking a sudden step forward as he delivered an inch-punch with a triple layer of force, sending Long Huo flying!

Long Huo continuously dissipated the punching force racking his body, retreating until he was a mere half-inch from the edge of the arena before finally stabilizing his stance.

Meng Jingzhou expressed a hint of surprise: "Not bad, to be able to withstand that punch. Come again!"

Meng Jingzhou no longer held back, relentlessly executing the Six Shaking Heaven Styles to drive Long Huo back, yet every time he thought he would knock Long Huo beneath the stage, Long Huo managed to withstand the blow against all expectations.

Even so, Long Huo was gradually becoming unable to sustain his defense against such a high-intensity onslaught.

"You cannot defeat me. Forfeit."

Should he forfeit?

Recognizing the gap between them, Long Huo closed his eyes in reluctance. Having fought for so long, he was exhausted; continuing would be nothing more than a futile effort, as the outcome was already written in stone.

Was the gap between himself and a true genius really this vast?

"Brother Long Huo, you have to cheer up!"

"Long Huo, do not give up!"

"You are the man who defeated me to represent our village in battle. How can you fall here!"

The faces of his companions flashed through Long Huo's mind—his childhood sweetheart, his sworn brother, the clan chief's son who was both rival and friend...

It was as if they stood right before his eyes, calling out his name in his ears.

"I cannot give up!"

He carried the deep hopes of the entire village, fighting on behalf of the Long clan; how could he possibly concede defeat here!

The referee walked over and looked down at Long Huo sprawled on the ground.

"Is his life flashing before his eyes? The winner of this match, Meng Jingzhou."