I Pick up a Lost Godhood-Chapter 71 - 69: A Great Lesson

"Who’s there?!"

Kuigang and Lingdu Mountain shot into the air almost simultaneously, scanning their surroundings. Someone was spying on them, silent and unseen, yet they couldn’t detect a thing.

A pressure that seemed to blanket heaven and earth descended upon them. A look of horror appeared on both their faces. This was power that only an Ancestral Master Level expert of at least the Fifty Layers could wield. For them to have arrived without being noticed, this person was probably above the sixtieth layer.

Kuigang and Lingdu Mountain looked at each other in dismay. ’Why would an Ancestral Master Level expert come to fight them for this thing?’

"Senior, if you need this Wumu Essence, please, take it. But my Lihuo Sect is not some unknown entity. You should at least give us a reason."

Kuigang still had that much backbone. The opponent might be at the Ancestral Master Level, but it wasn’t as if the Lihuo Sect didn’t have its own Ancestral Masters.

"Heh heh, you little rascal. Fine. I won’t take your things for free. When you cultivate the Lihuo Sword, don’t you get the feeling you’re on the verge of falling into a demonic state whenever the moon is full and yin energy is at its peak?"

Lingdu Mountain stared at Kuigang, whose expression had changed drastically. This was a top secret of the Lihuo Sect, known only to those at the Elder Level and above. Whenever the moon was full and yin energy peaked, the Lihuo Sect would seal its mountain, claiming to the outside world that they were holding a memorial ceremony.

Although Lingdu Mountain didn’t know what the two were saying, this kind of Secret Transmission could only be used by an Ancestral Master. Seeing the look on Kuigang’s face, something major had clearly happened.

"Would you like to know the solution?"

Kuigang shuddered upon hearing this and immediately cupped his fists. "Senior, if you have a solution, forget this paltry Wumu Essence—I wouldn’t even blink if you asked for my life!"

Laughter echoed from the void. "What use would I have for your life? Now, listen closely."

This sentence wasn’t a Secret Transmission, but Lingdu Mountain couldn’t hear what followed. He knew it must be a top secret. He was dying of curiosity, but he didn’t dare make a move.

Kuigang nodded repeatedly, his face eventually flushing with excitement. He couldn’t control his emotions and broke into a smile.

Then Kuigang, an Elder, fell to his knees and kowtowed three times toward the empty space. "Senior, for your immense kindness, the Lihuo Sect will be eternally grateful! Please, leave us your name. Should you ever have any orders for us, the Lihuo Sect will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Lingdu Mountain’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. ’Is this the same Kuigang from the Lihuo Sect, the arrogant, untamable man who thinks he’s the best in the world?’

A chuckle came from the void. "Go."

Kuigang remained kneeling. "Senior, please, leave your name! If I return like this, the Sect Leader will surely not let me off."

A sigh echoed from the air. "Moo Shan."

"Thank you, Senior!"

Kuigang kowtowed three more times. Cultivators bow to heaven and earth, and to their masters. To bow to another person meant one had received an immense favor.

Without a single glance at the Wumu Essence, Kuigang immediately left.

Only Lingdu Mountain remained, unsure whether to go or stay.

"Kid, does your Evil Spirit Hall even count as Evil Cultivators? What’s with this Sword Technique you practice? It’s not quite Evil, but not quite Demonic either."

Lingdu Mountain gritted his teeth. "Senior, you can kill me, but you cannot insult the Evil Spirit Hall!"

"Insult? Heh heh. What is an Evil Cultivator?"

’What is an Evil Cultivator?’

Lingdu Mountain was truly intimidated by the other’s tone, especially after seeing Kuigang’s reaction.

"An Evil Cultivator is one who cultivates against the heavens! My Evil Spirit Hall is the second-largest Major Sect of Evil Cultivators, second only to the Heaven-Dominating Hall!"

Laughter echoed from the air. "Since when did Evil Cultivators start forming gangs? The world has really changed. Ah, well. Since we share a common origin, I’ll teach you a move!"

Lingdu Mountain saw his own sword fly into the air. He knew the other person was controlling it. This kind of telekinesis wasn’t particularly difficult, so he was curious to see what they intended to do.

But as the Sword Dance began, Lingdu Mountain’s face started to flush red. ’Gods, oh gods, how is this possible!’

’Is this the same Evil Spirit Sword technique I was just using?’

The moves hadn’t changed much, but the Sword Intent was completely different. That was true Rebellious Intent.

Even the Ancestral Masters in his clan couldn’t produce such pure Rebellious Intent. ’Could it be... this person isn’t an Ancestral Master???’

"Could you be the legendary... G-Grand... Ancestor?"

Lingdu Mountain was growing excited, at a loss for what to do. A great figure had once appeared in the history of Evil Cultivators—a god among them. Because of him, no one ever dared to look down on Evil Cultivators again. He left behind one insurmountable legend after another. Even the Evil Spirit Sect Ancestor was merely...

For a long moment, there was no response from the air. Lingdu Mountain had already fallen to his knees.

"Go. Take this Sword Technique back with you. Remember: Evil is to rebel against the heavens, not to become a Demon. You don’t need to imitate anyone."

The voice carried an unquestionable resolve.

Lingdu Mountain opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. He gritted his teeth. "Senior... this disciple takes his leave."

Lingdu Mountain kept looking back every few steps, firmly engraving the name "Moo Shan" in his mind. Only the Sect Leader knew the revered name of that legendary figure.

’Could it be him?’

Lingdu Mountain began to speed up. He had to get this news back as quickly as possible. If it really was him, oh gods, the world would belong to the Evil Cultivators!

Wang Meng gave a wry smile. ’Things sure escalated quickly with all that bluffing.’ He sighed. ’I guess I still can’t let go of my feelings about Evil Cultivators.’ After confirming no one was around, Wang Meng leisurely placed the pitiful Wumu Essence into his Qiankun Bag.

He was a little emotional, but at least he’d gotten something out of it.

When he returned to the tent, Zhao Lingxuan was frantic with worry. The moment she saw Wang Meng, she threw herself at him.

"You scared me to death! You scared me to death!"

"What’s wrong?" Wang Meng was baffled.

Suo Ming shrugged helplessly. "Boss, this has nothing to do with me. Little Xuan woke up, didn’t see you, and started throwing a fit. You have no idea..."

"Suo Daming, do you want to be kicked out of the Holy Hall?!"

Miss Zhao was furious. She was trying her best to maintain a ladylike image in front of Wang Meng.

Suo Ming scratched his head. "I won’t say another word. I don’t know anything."

Wang Meng patted Zhao Lingxuan’s head. "Silly girl, it’s nothing. I just went out to see if I could pick up a bargain. Take a look."

Wang Meng took out the Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence, and the other two stared with wide eyes.

"This... How is that possible!"

"Boss, are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

"I noticed it had gotten quiet outside, so I thought I’d try my luck and see if I could scavenge anything. And then I saw this thing just lying there all by itself. You know me, I hate to let things go to waste..."

"Brother Wang, you’re amazing!"

Zhao Lingxuan immediately hugged Wang Meng and jumped for joy.

A Thousand-year-old Wumu Essence wasn’t really a big deal to Miss Zhao. She was the treasured jewel of the Zhao Family, the kind of person who could turn the Holy Hall upside down without anyone daring to stop her. But this was the first time she had obtained something through her own efforts, so its significance was completely different.

"Alright, alright, you’ll make me dizzy if you keep shaking me!"

"Right, right! We shouldn’t flash our wealth. Let’s head back as soon as possible."

During this unexpected incident, Zhao Lingxuan had actually advanced a layer. With the Elemental Power of the Nineteenth Layer at less than thirteen years old, she could definitely look down on everyone else in the Holy Hall.

Speaking of returning, Zhao Lingxuan’s expression suddenly dimmed. "I have to go home. I... I snuck out this time."

Wang Meng and Suo Ming shared a knowing smile. "We’ll see you off. Don’t run off by yourself anymore. It’s too dangerous."

"Yeah, yeah!" Suo Ming nodded.

"When will you be back at the Holy Hall?"

Without them realizing it, their form of address had progressed to a familiar "you" and "I".

"I’ll go back once I’ve handled my business."

Wang Meng and Suo Ming escorted Zhao Lingxuan to the edge of the Holy Hall’s sphere of influence before returning to Tongming City. The round trip had taken up another whole day.

But as soon as they entered the city, they were hit by the thick stench of blood.