Chapter 82: I Have Returned Again

Very soon, news of Mo Shaowen’s death spread throughout the Spirit Web.

As the sixth young master of the Mo family’s current generation, Mo Shaowen was not particularly famous; most people knew his name only because of his elder sister, Mo Xiaolian. Everyone was well aware of how deeply Mo Xiaolian doted on her younger brother, even more protective than their father, Mo Shanhai.

Now that Mo Shaowen was dead, Mo Xiaolian posted several messages on the Spirit Web. At first, she hurled curses at Liu Lanxu, bluntly stating that Liu Lanxu was inextricably linked to the incident.

That very day, the Path of Destiny’s news team immediately broke the story. Their investigative group was ruthlessly efficient; they bribed disciples from the Jade Pool and reported in detail how Liu Lanxu’s statements were incoherent and contradictory.

Liu Lanxu claimed she was innocent, alleging that someone had impersonated her at the Jade Pool, deceiving others and even stealing back the betrothal gifts that were meant to be returned to the Mo family. Yet, no one from the Jade Pool stepped forward to confirm her story. Too many disciples had interacted with “her,” and even a cultivator beyond the Nascent Soul stage had swept the area with spiritual sense. The “Liu Lanxu” who had appeared near the alchemy chamber matched her appearance, aura, and cultivation perfectly—it simply could not have been faked.

Someone on the Spirit Web proposed a theory: perhaps whoever impersonated Liu Lanxu had mastered a transformation technique so powerful that even aura and cultivation could be imitated. But this theory was mercilessly ridiculed.

In all the years since the founding of Azure Gift Continent, no one had ever heard of such a transformation technique. And if it truly existed—one so monstrous it could imitate even aura and cultivation—wouldn’t it make it impossible to distinguish between real and fake? It defied all logic.

Even if such a power existed, why would someone so skilled bother to impersonate Liu Lanxu, risking so much only to abscond with the Mo family’s betrothal gifts? Maximum risk for the minimum reward? It simply made no sense.

Thus, another explanation emerged: if Liu Lanxu wasn’t lying, she must be suffering from dissociative identity disorder and simply didn’t remember what her other self had done.

The term “dissociative identity disorder” was first introduced by Apothecary Dong, a partner of the Li Consortium. After it gained popularity, most people understood its meaning, although many nearly confused it with the spiritual split avatars of the Nascent Soul stage.

Surprisingly, the theory that Liu Lanxu suffered from dissociative identity disorder seemed logical to many. Even within the Jade Pool, numerous female disciples embraced the idea, spreading it wildly in private, using it as an outlet to vent their jealousy toward Liu Lanxu and to smear her reputation.

Then, one day, Mo Xiaolian posted a new message on the Spirit Web:

“Xu Zhe, you harmed Qi Ming first, and now you’ve killed my brother Mo Shaowen. This enmity is irreconcilable. I will not rest until one of us is dead. Just you wait.”

The Spirit Web exploded. Countless cultivators turned into eager onlookers, yet no one understood what was really happening. Even the all-knowing Path of Destiny couldn’t get to the bottom of it.

“How did all this suddenly get entangled with Xu Tianjiao again?”

“Anyone got the inside scoop? What’s really going on?”

“Didn’t Xu Tianjiao disappear after the Stoneflame Secret Realm incident?”

“Yeah, I heard that Martial God Chu secretly took him to the Demon Domain.”

“So, if Xu Zhe killed Mo Shaowen, doesn’t that mean Liu Lanxu is innocent?”

“It can’t be that simple. Maybe Liu Lanxu and Xu Zhe worked together.”

The debates on the Spirit Web were endless. Nearly everyone participated in the discussion.

...

Meanwhile, after posting her message, Mo Xiaolian had already begun to act. She contacted several assassin organizations, but the responses left her stunned.

Shocking Spirit: “Esteemed Miss Mo, we regret to inform you that the ‘eliminate Xu Zhe’ contract has been canceled due to force majeure. We are currently awaiting further instructions from our higher-ups. Please be patient.”

Ghost’s Lament: “Honored Miss Mo, we apologize, but our organization is currently overwhelmed with internal affairs. No one is available to take the ‘eliminate Xu Zhe’ contract. Please be patient.”

Blood Garb Tower: “Damn it, I’m not taking it. Can’t kill him. Let Shocking Spirit or Ghost’s Lament handle it.”

...

Mo Xiaolian was so furious she nearly exploded, smashing countless tables and chairs in her house, cursing these assassin organizations for being utterly useless. But she knew full well that it was because the Vermilion Bird Army of Southern Sky Continent had publicly declared their support for Xu Zhe.

Otherwise, these assassin organizations would have long since bent the rules, sending experts at the Aperture Opening or even Nascent Soul stage, sparing no cost to complete the contract.

Especially Shocking Spirit—the number of assassins they had lost to Xu Zhe was staggering. Yet, due to the existence of the Four Continents Parliament, all four continents were now bound by strict regulations. Assassin organizations could accept kill contracts, but could not send killers whose cultivation exceeded the target’s by more than two realms.

Xu Zhe was currently at the Foundation Establishment stage, meaning the highest they could send was a Nascent Soul assassin. The problem was, Xu Zhe could already kill Nascent Soul cultivators—no one was willing to throw their lives away.

“If you won’t take the job, then the Mo family will handle it ourselves. You won’t send Aperture Opening or Nascent Soul experts, but the Mo family will.” Mo Xiaolian smashed her communication jade, her face twisted with hatred and venom.

The Mo family’s enmity with Xu Zhe was now one of blood. No matter what level of expert they dispatched, they would not be bound by the same restrictions.

The real problem, though, was that they didn’t know where Xu Zhe was. The four continents were vast—where could they even begin to search?

“Someone, find me every clue about Xu Zhe since his awakening. Make a list of anyone close to him. If he won’t show himself, I’ll force him out by targeting those around him,” Mo Xiaolian ordered coldly.

Soon, a list was brought to her. There weren’t many names; the top three were Qu Hongxiu, Chu Xiaotong, and Zhang Chang, the proprietor of Skyproud Pavilion.

Mo Xiaolian glanced at the list and immediately dismissed those names. She couldn’t afford to provoke Qu Hongxiu or Chu Xiaotong, and as for the old shopkeeper, he was one of the Sword God Li’s people—there was no need to make enemies unnecessarily.

But as she continued down the list, her eyes narrowed.

“Ji Dali, owner of the Family Chicken Shop… Rooster Hall?” She stared thoughtfully at the name.

Then she read further.

“Zhu Chongli?”

Mo Xiaolian’s brows furrowed. “So it was he who gave Xu Zhe the quota for entering the Stoneflame Secret Realm. But this Zhu Chongli seems to be the newly appointed chief inspector in East Qian, responsible for investigating Qi Ming’s convict case…”

At this thought, Mo Xiaolian sneered. “Heh… this bait is perfect. The Northern Continent will be interested as well. As long as they join forces, this man can be used to stir up trouble.”

...

Meanwhile, in a remote wilderness of Skyproud Valley.

Shrouded by dozens of barriers, Xu Zhe still sat cross-legged, eyes closed, his body emanating dense spiritual energy that formed thick mists, glowing with radiant light.

Within him, all five spiritual roots had completed their transformation, evolving from ordinary five-element roots into supreme Five Element Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

Such a constitution was unprecedented, even in the Celestial Domain. In an era where possessing even a single supreme spiritual root was cause for reverence, having all five would surely drive countless people mad with envy.

Within Xu Zhe’s dantian, five differently colored, pill-like masses of spiritual energy rotated slowly.

After his spiritual roots had ascended, Xu Zhe had divided his remaining spiritual power among them, forming elemental cores.

It had taken him three full days to reach this stage.

Now came the most critical moment: fusing the five elemental cores into a single Golden Core.

This was a difficult process, requiring perfect control over the energy levels of each core to maintain balance, then using the principle of mutual generation among the five elements to gradually merge them.

It was much like alchemy: spiritual energy was the medicinal ingredient, and a slight excess or deficiency would affect the quality of the final pill.

Xu Zhe’s spiritual sense was intensely focused, carefully controlling every detail within his dantian.

With a thought, the five elemental cores began spinning rapidly, radiating streams of elemental energy.

The Metal core released gold energy toward the Water core; the Water core sent water energy to the Wood core, and so on—Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood, Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal.

Thus, the Earth core’s energy completed the cycle back to the Metal core, forming a closed loop of five elements, perfectly balanced.

Xu Zhe began to compress this five-element cycle with all his spiritual might.

Outside, the spiritual energy of the world poured in from every direction, reinforcing the stability of the cycle within him.

One day, two days, three days…

After five entire days, golden light suddenly burst from Xu Zhe’s body, then quickly receded.

In his dantian, a single Golden Core radiating blinding brilliance now hovered calmly at the center, surrounded by a dense sea of spiritual energy.

The Golden Core stage—achieved!

Xu Zhe’s eyes snapped open. He let out a long, slow breath.

“The fusion of the five elemental cores, combined with my half-step Dominator Physique… In theory, my raw strength should allow me to face five hundred Nascent Soul cultivators at once!”

After a rough self-assessment, Xu Zhe slowly stood and waved away the surrounding formations.

Sunlight streamed across Skyproud Valley, the air was fresh, and everything seemed especially pleasant.

He took out his communication jade, intending to check for recent news, but the device was silent.

“Oh, right—there’s no signal in Skyproud Valley.”

Xu Zhe put the jade away, glanced around, then blurred into a streak of light heading toward Tianhe City.

The Golden Core stage was a critical threshold; having crossed it, he now had many more techniques at his disposal.

So Xu Zhe made no effort to conceal his appearance—not out of arrogance, but confidence.

“I’ve returned.”

He entered Tianhe City through its newly restored gates, showing his true face.

In that instant, all the cultivators near the gate froze in shock.

“Xu… Xu Tianjiao!”

Someone gasped in disbelief. How could Xu Tianjiao appear in Skyproud Valley? Wasn’t he rumored to have gone to the Demon Domain with Martial God Chu?

“Whoosh!”

Two cultivators in Path of Destiny robes rushed over, brandishing their communication jades in excitement. They were Liu Gaoqing and Zhang Wuma.

Since Xu Zhe’s disappearance, they’d been starved for news and had returned to Skyproud Valley, stationed in Tianhe City, documenting the Four Continents Parliament’s new appointees sent to reinforce the city’s seal after Qi Ming’s death.

Now, upon hearing of Xu Zhe’s return, they came running as if shot from a cannon.

But seeing him in person, they were stunned.

“Golden Core stage? That’s… impossible!” Liu Gaoqing nearly collapsed in shock.

“This…” Zhang Wuma’s eyes widened, scalp tingling.

They realized something terrifying: Xu Zhe had reached the Golden Core stage so quickly. With such a monstrous talent, nothing seemed beyond him anymore.

But the real issue was that Skyproud Valley had a cultivation suppression barrier—only Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment cultivators could enter. Anyone above that was instantly annihilated if they tried to enter by force.

Yet here stood Xu Tianjiao, openly walking in Tianhe City at the Golden Core stage.

Even more frightening, the valley’s suppression barrier had no effect on him.

“Well, fancy meeting you two again,” Xu Zhe greeted them with a smile, recognizing old acquaintances.

“Xu… Xu Tianjiao, you—” Liu Gaoqing couldn’t help but ask how Xu Zhe had bypassed the valley’s barrier.

But before he could finish, Zhang Wuma interrupted, “Xu Tianjiao, have you been secluded in Skyproud Valley all this time?”

“That’s right.” Xu Zhe nodded, a bit curious as to why Zhang Wuma would ask.

“No wonder you’re still here. You probably don’t know yet—your friend, Zhu Chongli, Chief Inspector of East Qian, has been accused of corruption and dereliction of duty. He was found to have participated in smuggling death row prisoners in the Qi Ming case. He’s been dismissed and is now wanted,” Zhang Wuma said.

“What?” Xu Zhe’s expression changed at the news.

“Xu Tianjiao, I’ve also heard a rumor,” Zhang Wuma lowered his voice. “After Zhu Chongli escaped, the Mo family sent assassins after him!”

...

[End of first update.]