Fantasy: The Great Emperor Comes Back

C15 – I Am Not Your Son

Mo Lianshen gave Mo Yanglin a cold, indifferent glance but remained silent. His heart, however, stirred with faint ripples of emotion. Although Mo Yangning was indeed talented, he doubted that he had reached the eighth level.

“Don’t lose heart, Mo Yunyun. You may not be as exceptional as my son Beiming, but reaching the seventh level is a testament to your strength,” Mo Yanglin said, patting Mo Yunyun on the shoulder and bursting into hearty laughter.

​Mo Yunyun felt a twinge of confusion. “Mo Yangning?” she quickly realized, shaking her head inwardly. It seemed everyone had mistaken Mo Changyou for Mo Yangning. But who could have imagined that the Second Master’s son had been feigning incompetence for sixteen years?

​Observing the illuminated eighth level, Mo Yunyun’s face broke into a smile laden with significance. “Well, I’ll let him unveil this secret himself.”

​The eighth level was a vast, empty space with a single chair, upon which sat a skeleton clutching a sword, thrust into the earth. “To advance beyond the eighth level, you must battle me!” declared the skeleton.

The skeleton’s eyes, previously lifeless in the chair, suddenly ignited with a fiery glow, as if he had been resurrected. He fixed a chilling gaze on Mo Changyou, unleashing a formidable aura of dominance.

​In the martial realm, there were stages: Body Refining, Energy Condensation, Fusion Spirit, Inscription, and Sovereign. Even a Sovereign would feel an unbearable pain in their shoulders under such oppressive force, as if their arms might burst at any moment.

This was the aura of a mighty being, akin to a savage demon god emerging from the depths of hell. The murderous intent that permeated the eighth level was overwhelming, instilling fear in all who felt it.

Yet, Mo Changyou faced the skeleton with a look of recognition in his eyes. “Are you the Azure Dragon?” he murmured, his eyes narrowing as memories from his past life surged like a flood.

As the Monarch, he had formed an army, the Sky Legion, to conquer and govern the neighboring regions. It was led by four Kings of Eternity: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

​These four individuals were not only his subordinates but also his disciples. He once proclaimed himself the Heavenly Book Monarch, claiming omniscience.

They had received the legendary scriptures he had bestowed upon them: the Azure Dragon Scripture, White Tiger Scripture, Vermillion Bird Scripture, and Black Tortoise Scripture. As a result, they had been unbeatable for many years.

“You actually know my name?” The skeleton expressed surprise.

“Have you forgotten me? I rescued you from the Myriad Devils Cave when you were eight and taught you the Azure Dragon Scripture. You vowed that one day you would storm the Myriad Devils Cave and eradicate the place that caused you so much pain. Azure Dragon, do you not remember me?” Mo Changyou said, gazing kindly at the skeleton before him.

He regarded these four great generals as if they were his own sons.

“The Monarch?” The skeleton’s voice quivered with a mix of doubt and astonishment. He was aware that the Heavenly Book Monarch had perished due to a conspiracy. How had he risen from the dead?

“I never anticipated that my practice of the Undying Tao would allow me to survive that disaster. I was reborn after a hundred thousand years, but alas, you have all passed away, leaving only me alive in this world.” A wistful smile crossed Mo Changyou’s face as he spoke.

Who could have imagined that the Mo family’s ancestor was his disciple, their bond akin to that of father and son?

​”Are you truly him?” The red glow in the skeleton’s eyes intensified, disbelief making his voice quiver.

Everything Mo Changyou had mentioned was known only to the Heavenly Book Monarch. The Undying Tao, the Azure Dragon Scripture, and the affairs of the Myriad Devils Cave were secrets held solely by Mo Changyou, the Monarch.

“Yes,” Mo Changyou sighed, filled with a sense of nostalgia. A hundred thousand years had gone by, and his once-disciples and friends were now but bones. The Azure Dragon he cherished was left with merely a sliver of consciousness.

“Master, after you were hunted down, Qi Wenya, for some reason, chose not to harm us. But the White Tiger defected to the Forbidden Zone. He processed your body into a puppet and seized all your books and the Imperial Weapon. He even killed many of our brothers who had fought alongside us. The Vermillion Bird was enraged, nearly losing her life in a battle with the White Tiger. Both Black Tortoise and I have clashed with the White Tiger, but we were gravely wounded. That’s why I came here, to allow my Azure Dragon Army to thrive, giving rise to the Mo family.” As he spoke of the White Tiger, the Azure Dragon clenched his fists, his aura of vengeance palpable.

White Tiger was an orphan whom Mo Changyou had taken under his wing. Mo Changyou purified him with Imperial Blood. He even clashed with several Monarchs just to obtain the White Tiger Scripture.

He was Mo Changyou’s most cherished disciple and also the one with the greatest ambition.

“White Tiger has betrayed me,” Mo Changyou said, his fists clenched in disbelief. His once treasured disciple had turned to the very Forbidden Zone he had always despised!

Moreover, White Tiger had assimilated his physical form and seized all his prized possessions.

In the past, Mo Changyou had used Imperial Blood to purify White Tiger’s body, which nearly compromised his own Imperial Decree. Having had no children in his past life, he had come to love White Tiger as if he were his own son.

Later, they reminisced at length about many things, both filled with a sense of melancholy.

It was astonishing to think that the Mo family’s ancestors had once been under Mo Changyou’s command.

In that instant, the ninth floor of the Azure Dragon Pagoda was illuminated.

The golden radiance, like the sun suspended in the heavens, bathed half of Black Rock City in its glow. The light flickered continuously, making the Azure Dragon perched atop the pagoda seem to come to life.

That day, a roar from the Azure Dragon echoed from the Mo family’s Azure Dragon Pagoda.

Simultaneously, the entire Mo family erupted in excitement!

“Mo Yangning has actually reached the ninth floor!”

“Beiming truly possesses the potential to ascend to Sovereignty!”

“Mo Yangning is incredibly powerful! He’s reached the ninth floor! I’ve heard that even our ancestors from thousands of years ago never managed to reach that level.”

“Mo Yangning of the Mo family indeed has the potential to become a Sovereign!”

Mo Lianshen’s expression darkened. He was aware that the Third Elder had been harboring ill intentions for years. Rumor had it that he was involved with the Qian family and had even secretly connected with Mo family elders inclined to revolt. The Third Elder aspired to one day take control of the Mo family and oust both him and Mo Feng.

Should Mo Yanglin’s son, Mo Yangning, ascend to the ninth level, Mo Yanglin’s influence within the Mo family would surely surge.

In such a case, Mo Lianshen, Mo Feng, and Mo Changyou might well find themselves exiled.

At that moment, numerous elders gazed upon Mo Yanglin with a look that seemed to see in him the next Patriarch. Mo Yanglin watched the exit of the Azure Dragon Pagoda with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

The golden light shone with unparalleled brilliance. A tall, slender figure emerged slowly from the pagoda, bathed in cascading divine rainbows, giving the impression of a deity gracing the earthly realm with their presence.

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