As the moon set and the sun rose, a new day began with a ray of light piercing the darkness of the night in the east. When the first ray of sunlight pierced the darkness and shone into Bingxin's room, landing on her face, she unconsciously turned over and instinctively hugged Mo Mo beside her. The moment Bingxin's fair, jade-like hand, which shimmered faintly in the sunlight, touched his chest, he opened his eyes, but it was already a little too late.
Although he had activated the Undying Scripture immediately, and had set up more than a dozen defenses on his body and even inside his body, he was still a step too late. Bingxin's fair hand had already landed on his chest, and with just a gentle press of her seemingly powerless hand, Mo Mo's chest instantly collapsed.
Logically speaking, someone at Mo Mo's level of cultivation would be able to regenerate severed limbs instantly, let alone be crushed into mincemeat. He could even regenerate from a drop of blood if conditions allowed. Therefore, Bing Xin's attack should have been nothing to him. If it had been someone of the same level, such an injury would indeed have been nothing to Mo Mo, not even a minor injury. However, Bing Xin's attack contained the power of the Heavenly Dao, so even Mo Mo suffered considerable injury from it. But all of this was worthwhile because he had already caught the trajectory or signs of Hong Jun's attack. But now was not the time to think about that, because the danger was not over yet.
After taking a palm strike from Bing Xin, Mo Mo immediately activated his spatial abilities. Although Hong Jun had frozen the surrounding space the moment Bing Xin's palm struck, Mo Mo's mastery of space was far beyond Hong Jun's comprehension. However, he did not fully reveal his strength but slightly loosened the spatial constraints to avoid Bing Xin's outstretched long leg. He then used brute force to smash open the surrounding space. After regaining his freedom, Mo Mo immediately took Bing Xin and the others into the space he had temporarily created, then broke through Bing Xin's room and fought his way to the private room where Wang Chen and the others were staying.
Upon arriving at the private room where Wangchen and the others were, Mo Mo did not offer any explanation. Instead, he immediately took them into the space he had just created. After taking everyone into the space, Mo Mo's mind moved and a white fairy robe appeared on his body, covering his exposed cleavage. After the fairy robe appeared, Mo Mo did not linger but instead broke through the frozen space around him layer by layer and rushed out.
Mo Mo was absolutely right not to linger. Before he had even completely left the private room, a bolt of purple lightning struck the spot where he had just been. After the lightning struck, the entire private room was instantly reduced to nothing, leaving not a trace of dust. And that wasn't the end of it. That lightning was just the beginning. After that lightning, bolts of lightning fell one after another from the sky. Although these lightning bolts were very small and not very powerful, the void itself was reduced to nothingness wherever they passed.
Mo Mo's speed in tearing through space wasn't slow, but the lightning in the sky fell even faster. After dodging thirteen lightning bolts in a row, Mo Mo was still struck by a seemingly weaker one. At the moment the lightning struck, a shimmering white light emanated from Mo Mo's body. That white light reduced the power of the lightning by seventy percent, but the remaining three-tenths still made him spit out a mouthful of blood. After spitting out the first mouthful of blood, Mo Mo immediately spat out a second mouthful. However, this second mouthful of blood was somewhat different from the first. This mouthful of blood was more crystalline than the first, and after Mo Mo spat it out, it quickly dispersed into a blood dance that surrounded him completely before turning into a raging fire with a boom. This was Mo Mo activating his self-created Blood Burning Escape Technique.
Although activating the Blood Burning Escape Technique requires consuming one's own essence blood, its speed is truly remarkable. As soon as the Blood Burning Escape Technique was activated, Mo Mo's speed instantly soared several levels, and in the blink of an eye, he flew out of the space frozen by Hongjun. After leaving that area, Mo Mo's speed soared again, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared not far from Taiyin Star. After arriving above Taiyin Star, the corners of Mo Mo's mouth subtly curled up, and then he crashed headfirst into Taiyin Star.
boom!
With a deafening roar that resounded throughout the three realms, a massive mushroom cloud rose from the Taiyin Star, the head of the two great stars. As this mushroom cloud rose, the head of all stars, which was many times larger than any other star, slowly deviated from its original orbit. At the moment the Taiyin Star deviated from its orbit, a colossal will slowly awakened.
Mo Mo slowly stood up from the huge circular crater on Taiyin Star. He felt the massive will slowly awakening, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, grinned, and thought to himself, "Hongjun, I've been letting you use your authority over the Heavenly Dao to attack me so often. Now I've even knocked Taiyin Star off its track, and the Heavenly Dao's will is slowly awakening. Let's see what you do now."
Just as Mo Mo was preparing to watch Hongjun make a fool of himself, a powerful will, much smaller than the previous one, suddenly appeared. This will quickly mobilized the power of heaven and earth to try to push the Taiyin Star back to its original orbit. At the same time, this will also blocked the previous will's perception of the Three Realms. Mo Mo understood that this second will should belong to Hongjun. How could he let Hongjun easily destroy the situation that he had created by spitting out blood several times in just two days?
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 537 Tricked Hongjun
Hongjun truly deserves to be the first to achieve sainthood. After merging with the Dao, he was indeed far more powerful than Momo. With Momo's strength, he probably couldn't even withstand a direct attack from him. However, it's a pity that while merging with the Dao granted him immense power, it also restricted his freedom. He was unable to directly attack the beings of this world, even though Momo was an outsider.
Now he controlled the power of heaven and earth, transforming it into a giant hand that directly grasped the massive Taiyin Star, as if trying to push it back to its previous orbit. However, Mo Mo was still on the Taiyin Star. So, just as he was about to succeed, Mo Mo stomped his foot forcefully. Although Mo Mo's stomp was not very powerful and didn't even leave a footprint, it directly shattered the giant hand formed by the power of heaven and earth. After shattering the giant hand, Mo Mo forcefully inhaled the power of heaven and earth that made up the giant hand, which was then absorbed into his stomach. The Taiyin Star, under the influence of inertia, once again deviated from its orbit.
After the Taiyin Star deviated from its orbit again, the will of Heaven strengthened once more. Although Hongjun's will also strengthened, in addition to blocking the Heavenly Dao's will from sensing the outside world, he also had to cover up his previous use of the Heavenly Dao's authority to deal with Mo Mo. Moreover, he also had to use the power of heaven and earth to put the Taiyin Star back into its original orbit. Therefore, he was already overwhelmed with problems and had no mood to care about anything else.
Just as Hongjun was wrestling with the slowly awakening will of Heaven, a graceful figure silently returned to the Primordial World. After returning, she carefully separated a part of her divine soul and merged it into the Heavenly Dao, subtly altering some of its rules before quietly leaving. All her actions were completed without anyone noticing. Meanwhile, Hongjun was still unable to drag the Taiyin Star back to its original orbit because Mo Mo had once again shattered the giant hand formed by the power of heaven and earth.
Although Mo Mo shattered his formed hand twice, Hongjun was powerless to do anything about it. His Heavenly Dao Will was awakening, and he could no longer attack Mo Mo. The Heavenly Dao Will was merely the instinctive consciousness of a world; it lacked human emotions like the seven emotions and six desires. It was like a cold program, possessing independent consciousness but devoid of feelings. It would only act according to the rules of this world without any regard for its own. Hongjun's actions clearly violated these rules. Therefore, once the Heavenly Dao discovered Hongjun's behavior, Hongjun would only face one fate: having all his emotions erased and completely assimilated, much like formatting a phone or computer. Once formatted by the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun would be completely integrated with it, and Hongjun would naturally become a thing of the past. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as Mo Mo shattered his formed hand for the third time.
Although Mo Mo shattered the giant hand that Hongjun had conjured three times in a row, he did not believe that Hongjun would be finished. If Hongjun could be killed with just this, he would have been killed countless times long ago. After all, even saints would not want to have a Damocles' sword hanging over their heads at any time, even if the person wielding the sword is their teacher.
After Mo Mo shattered Hongjun's giant hand formed from the power of heaven and earth for the third time, Hongjun did not gather the power of heaven and earth again, but let the Taiyin Star fall towards the Heavenly Court. However, Mo Mo knew that this was not because Hongjun had given up, but because he was probably preparing a big move.
Sure enough, two seconds later, a huge void rift suddenly opened up around the Taiyin Star. Immediately afterwards, a drop of bright red blood flew out from the rift. After the drop of blood split open, it quickly grew to the size of the Taiyin Star in the blink of an eye. Mo Mo looked at this huge drop of crystal clear blood, which was as big as a gemstone, and suddenly seemed to think of something. He shouted and rushed straight towards the spatial rift.
The spatial rift wasn't far from Mo Mo, so he arrived in front of it in the blink of an eye. Once there, without saying a word, Mo Mo gathered most of his power and unleashed his strongest attack on the spatial rift.
boom!
The spatial rift was instantly expanded by no less than a hundred times under Mo Mo's attack. As Mo Mo's attack landed, a muffled groan resounded throughout the Three Realms. However, Mo Mo's condition was not good at this time. The clothes he had just changed were now tattered again, and his body was covered with bright red wounds. After the muffled groan, he was struck as if by lightning and spat out a mouthful of blood. However, he did not care at all, because a large amount of blood was also flowing out of the spatial rift. What made Mo Mo's eyes widen was that he saw a stream of blood emitting a seven-colored glow.
Upon seeing the blood radiating seven-colored light, Mo Mo's eyes shone brightly. Ignoring his injuries, he forcefully mobilized the little power he had left to draw the seven-colored blood over. He then took out a bottle made from the crystal of the world's origin and put it inside. He quickly stored the bottle in his personal space. After doing all this, Mo Mo returned to Taiyin Star. By this time, Taiyin Star had been carried back to its original position by Hongjun's drop of blood and had returned to stability.
This time, Mo Mo was truly seriously injured, but he was extremely happy because he had not only tricked Hong Jun and dealt him a severe blow, but he had also obtained a wisp of Heavenly Dao Blood. This Heavenly Dao Blood was not the blood of the Heavenly Dao itself, because the Heavenly Dao was not a living being; it was actually a wisp of the Heavenly Dao's origin. If Mo Mo's guess was correct, it was because when he attacked Hong Jun through the void rift, he struck the Heavenly Dao's true form. After being injured by Mo Mo, a wisp of the Heavenly Dao's origin unexpectedly floated out through that spatial rift, which is why it benefited Mo Mo. The reason Hong Jun did not intercept it was probably because he was busy appeasing the Heavenly Dao; otherwise, he wouldn't have been injured by Mo Mo.
Although Mo Mo injured Hongjun, the difference in their strength was too great. Therefore, Mo Mo estimated that his minor injury would heal in a few days. However, even after his injury healed, he would not be able to attack Mo Mo for a long time. Putting aside the matter of Taiyin Star and his use of the Heavenly Dao's authority to deal with Mo Mo, Mo Mo's attack alone would keep Hongjun busy. After all, what was lost was a wisp of the Heavenly Dao's origin. Although this was nothing to the Heavenly Dao, it would definitely know where this wisp of origin went. However, Hongjun could not let the Heavenly Dao know, because this wisp of origin was in Mo Mo's hands. If the Heavenly Dao focused its attention on Mo Mo, all of his previous deeds would be exposed. Therefore, Hongjun still had to help Mo Mo hide it.
Mo Mo couldn't help but laugh when he thought about how he had not only injured Hongjun but also snatched a wisp of the Heavenly Dao Origin from him, and how Hongjun would have to cover for him afterwards. However, now was not the time to be smug; it was more important to recover quickly. So he dragged his battered body back to the deepest space of the Guanghan Palace.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 538 A Century
After Mo Mo returned to Guanghan Palace, the space outside Taiyin Star surged. A Taoist priest holding a seven-colored treasure tree stepped out of the void. After stepping out of the void, he first scanned his surroundings, and then his cold, gleaming eyes stared intently at Guanghan Palace on Taiyin Star. However, before he could make a move, a graceful figure also stepped out of the void and stood not far from him, seemingly confronting him.
"Oh, it's Fellow Daoist Zhunti! Why are you here instead of meditating in the West? Could it be that the Red Phoenix Star has taken a fancy to Chang'e in the Moon Palace? But unfortunately, Fellow Daoist Zhunti, you've arrived a step too late. Chang'e, the most beautiful woman in the Three Realms, is already taken. And that person has some connection with you. One of the branches of your Seven Treasures Tree is still in his hands."
These two were Nuwa and Zhunti, who had come after discovering the commotion. Zhunti's eyes flashed with cold light as he faced Nuwa's mockery, but in the end, he just snorted and left. Even if the Seven Treasures Tree were intact, he would still be no match for Nuwa, let alone now that his treasure was damaged. So he could only endure Nuwa's sarcasm. After Zhunti left, the Three Pure Ones—Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, Shangqing Lingbao Tianzun, and Taiqing Daode Tianzun—appeared one after another outside Taiyin Star. However, they only glanced at it from afar before leaving. After the Three Pure Ones left, Nuwa took a deep look at Guanghan Palace and then left as well.
Mo Mo was naturally aware of the arrival of the Sage, but the Taiyin Star had only just returned to its original orbit, and Hongjun was busy appeasing the Heavenly Dao. If Zhunti and the others dared to jump out and cause trouble now, Mo Mo was sure that Hongjun's will would descend in the next second. Moreover, once Hongjun had appeased the Heavenly Dao's will, the Sage who jumped out would definitely be punished later. Therefore, Mo Mo was not worried about his safety at all. However, he still had to take precautions. So, after entering the depths of the Guanghan Palace, he used the power of the world to set up a protective shield and summoned the Immortal Cauldron as a precaution.
Mo Mo's injuries this time were quite severe. He had already suffered considerable injuries while acting before returning to Guanghan Palace. After returning to Taiyin Star, he used all his strength, except for some trump cards that he couldn't use, to deliver a blow to Hongjun. Although he successfully injured Hongjun, he was also injured by Hongjun's protective power at the same time.
Although he was only injured by Hongjun's protective power, he was the one who took the initiative to attack. So when Hongjun shook him off, he added the power of the Heavenly Dao. In addition, he was already injured on top of his own, so he was seriously injured this time. He probably won't be able to fight in the short term, and it will probably be impossible to fully recover in less than two or three hundred years. So he only suppressed his internal injuries slightly and then stopped, because Chang'e and Bingxin were still in the space he had casually created earlier.
Looking at his tattered clothes stained with blood, Mo Mo frowned and walked into one of the ponds in this space. A dozen minutes later, Mo Mo, dressed in white and looking refreshed, sat quietly on the lawn. In front of him, Bing Xin, Bi Yu, Xiao Lian, and Xiao Huan stood nervously. Beside them, Yi Chen and Chang'e looked at the four women with curious eyes.
After returning to the Guanghan Palace, Mo Mo cleaned his wounds and blood-stained clothes, then released Chang'e and the others and told them the truth about what had happened. Only then did Bing Xin and the others realize that the young man who had taken their bodies was actually such an extraordinary figure. So when Mo Mo asked them whether they wanted to stay or leave, all four women chose to stay without hesitation.
Mo Mo found the four women's choices quite reasonable. Bing Xin had already lost her family and been sold into a brothel. If it weren't for Mo Mo, even if she were the most beautiful courtesan, her best outcome would have been to become a concubine of a wealthy family. Xiao Huan and Xiao Lian had similar backgrounds, and their fates would likely be even worse than Bing Xin's. They would ultimately become playthings of men. Although the Jade Fox was already a Nascent Soul stage demon, her cultivation level was only at the very bottom in the true cultivation world. However, she was one of the most powerful members of their Green Mountain Fox Clan. So, even if she could only become Mo Mo's slave, she would have no complaints, because as long as she could be associated with someone like Mo Mo, no one in their Green Mountain Fox Clan would dare to provoke her.
Although Mo Mo had a few more women around him, Chang'e and the others had no complaints. In their eyes, it was all too common. What respectable male deity didn't have a few beautiful concubines at home? Besides, their lives were too long. If only one of them stayed by Mo Mo's side, they might drift apart due to the mundane and eventually go their separate ways.
After instructing Chang'e and the others to teach Bingxin and the others how to cultivate, Mo Mo prepared to go into seclusion to heal his injuries. This time, he was truly going into seclusion to heal his injuries.
After setting up multiple arrays around him and isolating himself with the power of the world, and summoning the Immortal Cauldron, Mo Mo sat down cross-legged and began to heal his injuries. The most important thing about this healing was not repairing the wounds, but expelling and refining the external forces within his body. After all, with Mo Mo's cultivation level, rebirth from a drop of blood was nothing special. Therefore, without those external forces interfering, recovering from these injuries would be a matter of blinking an eye for him.
Hongjun truly lived up to his reputation as a being who had merged with the Dao. Every move he made carried traces of the power of the Heavenly Dao. The reason why Mo Mo's injuries could not be healed was because the power of the Heavenly Dao was hindering his body's recovery. In other words, as long as the power of the Heavenly Dao within his body was expelled and refined, his injuries would be almost healed. However, this power of the Heavenly Dao was not easy to refine, after all, it was tainted with Hongjun's aura. But this was nothing to Mo Mo, because this was not the first time he had done such a thing. He was extremely skilled at it. Although the power he refined was different, the process was almost the same.
To Mo Mo's surprise, the Heavenly Dao Power tainted by Hongjun's aura was much more difficult to refine than he had imagined. However, this was to be expected, since the origin of the Black Dragon Quasi-Immortal Emperor he had refined before had long been erased, and its will was nothing more than a pure mass of energy that would not resist at all. But this Heavenly Dao Power, because it was tainted by Hongjun's aura, was very resistant to Mo Mo's refining, so the difference in speed was to be expected.
Time flies, and a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye. In these hundred years, apart from the first fifty years when Mo Mo was healing his injuries alone, the remaining fifty years were spent in dual cultivation with Yi Chen and the others to speed up the healing process. Now he is almost fully recovered. In these hundred years, Bing Xin and the others have severed their ties with the mortal world and embarked on the path of cultivation. The Green Mountain Fox Clan, where the Jade Fox is located, has also moved its territory away from the Eastern Continent and settled in the Northern Continent, which is ruled by the demon race. They have also occupied a nice spiritual mountain in Mo Mo's name.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 539 Li Er
A hundred years is nothing to immortals and gods; it's just the time it takes them to take a nap. But for ordinary people, a hundred years is too long, even longer than a lifetime. Li Er was an ordinary person, but he always believed that his family was anything but ordinary.
The Li family has been residents of Canghai City for generations. According to their family genealogy, their ancestor was a minor foreman when Canghai City was built. Because of his hard work, he was not transferred to another place to continue labor after the city was completed, but was kept and became one of the first residents of Canghai City. Therefore, his family has always regarded themselves as the creators of Canghai City, although no one agrees with them.
Influenced by his father since childhood, Li Er also believed the same thing. Moreover, according to the oral tradition passed down from their ancestors, Canghai City was actually built under the supervision of a powerful immortal. He had no doubt about this, because his grandfather had personally entertained immortals and his father had also seen immortals. If the city was not built under the supervision of immortals, why would so many immortals come to this city? Therefore, he believed that one day he would definitely be able to see an immortal with his own eyes. He did not expect the immortal to take him as a disciple; he would be satisfied as long as he could see an immortal once.
That day, Li Er was greeting guests as usual at the Laifu Inn. However, when he saw the face of the young man walking towards him, the teapot he was carrying suddenly fell to the ground with a crash. Although it was indeed the first time he had seen this person today, he would look at the portrait of that man every day. This was because his family had a special offering table, on which there was only a portrait passed down from his grandfather. Although the portrait had become yellowed and faded due to its age, he still recognized the person in front of him at a glance.
According to his grandfather, when he was a child, he had his fortune told at a Taoist temple outside the city. The fortune teller said that he was destined to have a life of hard work, could only be a waiter in a shop, and would not live past sixty. However, his grandfather not only lived to be over eighty, but also used his savings to start a business and buy the Laifu Inn, becoming its owner. Later, his grandfather learned that the people he served when he was a waiter at the Laifu Inn were actually real immortals, and his fate was changed as a result.
However, fortune can change in an instant. After his grandfather handed over his business to his father, his father bought a large ship and insisted on going out to sea to fish. However, he encountered a monster at sea. If it weren't for the good luck of being saved by a passing deity, he might not be Li Er anymore. Although his life was saved, he suffered heavy losses and had to sell the Laifu Inn to pay off all his debts. His family was ruined and became ordinary commoners. However, the painting was always burned with incense every day, which is why he was able to recognize the person at a glance.
The innkeeper didn't care what reason Li Er had for being stunned. He only knew that Li Er had broken the inn's teapot and disturbed the guests, so he walked over and gave Li Er a good scolding. However, Li Er seemed to be possessed and continued to stare blankly at the young man.
The shopkeeper was furious. "This Li Er is usually quite well-behaved, but now he dares to ignore me. I'll teach him a lesson!" Thinking this, the shopkeeper raised his right hand to slap Li Er's face. However, before his hand could land, he was shocked by the two words Li Er unintentionally uttered, because Li Er said "immortal".
“Immortal, you must be the immortal my grandfather told me about. I can’t be wrong. Immortal, please accept my bow.” Li Er said, ignoring the gazes of others, and directly performed a kneeling bow to the young man at the door. (The kneeling bow is divided into three types: kowtow, prostration, and empty bow, which are called ‘formal bows’. When performing the kowtow, the person must kneel down, place their left hand on their right hand for support on the ground, and then slowly kowtow to the ground, lingering for a long time, with their hands in front of their knees and their head behind their hands. This is the most solemn of the ‘nine bows’ and is generally used for the etiquette of subjects paying homage to the king and worshipping ancestors.)
The young man, probably not expecting such a scene, paused for a moment before smiling slightly and saying, "I never thought that after more than a hundred years, there would still be people who recognize me when I return here. It's truly rare!" As he spoke, he lifted Li Er up with his right hand, but as soon as Li Er stood up, everyone around him knelt down.
Seeing this, the young man gently shook his head and said, "Get up, everyone. I'm just taking a stroll. You can go about your business and don't worry about me." As he spoke, he withdrew his right hand and then lifted everyone around him up. Mo Mo glanced at the excited Li Er and suddenly chuckled. No wonder he recognized him. It turned out that the story of what happened to him at Yunxiang Tower had been spread. Li Er's grandfather happened to have seen Mo Mo and asked a master painter who was also at Yunxiang Tower at the time to paint his portrait and enshrine it. Since Mo Mo had received the family's blessings for a hundred years, he naturally had to show his appreciation.
"Meeting is fate. Since you can recognize me, it can be considered a kind of fate between us. Since I have received your family's incense offerings for a hundred years, I will grant you a hundred years of wealth and honor. As for what happens after a hundred years, that will be up to you." With that, Mo Mo flicked his finger, sending a point of golden light onto Li Er. The golden light quickly merged into Li Er's body and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye. By the time the people around reacted, Mo Mo had already vanished from the inn.
Having learned from previous examples, Mo Mo slightly altered his demeanor when entering Yunxiang Tower, making him appear more like a disillusioned scholar. Such people were plentiful in Yunxiang Tower, so Mo Mo strolled around the tower without anyone noticing his presence.
"A hundred years have passed in a flash. The building is still the same, but the people are no longer the same. Power, status, and wealth are all just fleeting clouds in the face of the long river of time. However, ordinary people's lives are less than a hundred years long, so it is understandable that they pursue these things. After all, don't immortals and gods also strive for higher realms? In the end, there is no difference between immortals and mortals in essence. The only difference is what they seek." Looking at the ordinary people below, some carefree and some sorrowful, Mo Mowei sighed softly.
His injuries had healed several years ago, and after recovering, he wanted to go out and relax. Well, actually, he wanted to see if he could provoke Hongjun to make another move, because he had some insights while expelling and refining the power of the Heavenly Dao in his body over the years and wanted to test them. However, the result disappointed Mo Mo. Even though he pretended to be seriously injured and revealed many flaws along the way, Hongjun did not make a move. Moreover, he did not even spy on him.
P.S.: Happy Winter Solstice to all my book lovers!
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 540 The Lotus Lantern? A Plot Trap!
Disappointed in Canghai City, Mo Mo did not return to Guanghan Palace or Luojia Mountain. Instead, he went to Huaguo Mountain.
The novel *Journey to the West* describes Flower Fruit Mountain as the ancestral vein of the ten continents and the source of the three islands. It was established after the separation of the pure and the impure, and formed after the primordial chaos was divided. This means that Flower Fruit Mountain is one of the supreme spiritual mountains formed after the creation of the world. Mo Mo does not know whether this is true or not, but Flower Fruit Mountain in one world is indeed extraordinary, no less than the three islands (Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou). However, Flower Fruit Mountain can be said to be in ruins now.
The Flower and Fruit Mountain has lost its former splendor; it is now just an ordinary sacred mountain. The reason it fell from a top-tier immortal mountain to such a place is actually related to Sun Wukong.
It is said that Sun Wukong was born as a stone monkey with amazing talent, and his birth was earth-shattering. However, no one has ever thought about how he acquired such talent. Indeed, Sun Wukong was born from the five-colored stones left over from Nuwa's patching of the sky. The fact that these five-colored stones could patch the sky proves their extraordinary nature. However, the more extraordinary the five-colored stones are, the more energy is needed to give birth to a living being. Even a celestial mountain like Flower Fruit Mountain nurtured Sun Wukong for tens of millions of years before he was born. Therefore, there is a reason why Sun Wukong's talent is so extraordinary.
Some might say that Sun Wukong was born from the Five-Colored Stone, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. But do you believe that? Could such a small amount of essence really create a being who, upon birth, caused a cataclysmic disturbance and, within a few short years, mastered his skills and wreaked havoc in the underworld and heaven? Furthermore, if that were true, the rocks and mountains beneath the Five-Colored Stone have existed far longer than the stone itself; why didn't they give birth to any living beings or directly transform into spirits? Therefore, it's more accurate to say that Sun Wukong was born from Flower Fruit Mountain rather than from heaven and earth. However, after nurturing Sun Wukong, Flower Fruit Mountain exhausted its power and became an ordinary sacred mountain, which is truly a pity. Perhaps this is why Sun Wukong, after becoming a Buddha, established his sacred site at Mount Emei.
Without Sun Wukong, Flower Fruit Mountain can no longer truly be called Flower Fruit Mountain. And if Mo Mo's prediction is correct, in another hundred years, the spiritual energy concentration of Flower Fruit Mountain will rapidly decline, turning it into an ordinary spiritual mountain. However, this may be a good thing for the monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain. After all, while immortal mountains are desirable, one needs sufficient strength to occupy them. But spiritual mountains are less coveted, since there are still many spiritual mountains in the Three Realms. Moreover, with Sun Wukong's name on the table, even though he is not here, no one dares to covet Flower Fruit Mountain. It's not worth offending the former Great Sage Equal to Heaven for an ordinary spiritual mountain; no one would do something so brainless.
In fact, besides visiting this once-prestigious immortal mountain, Mo Mo had another purpose in coming to Flower Fruit Mountain: to retrieve the cultivation manual he had left there. Now that Sun Wukong had become a Buddha, there was no need to leave the manual there, so he got up and retrieved it.
When Mo Mo left this cultivation technique behind, he set up a little trick to ensure that only Sun Wukong could access it. In fact, the reason why Mo Mo did not set it to be automatically destroyed after Sun Wukong finished learning it was because he wanted to see if there were any other monkeys besides Sun Wukong who could access it, such as the Six-Eared Macaque. However, to Mo Mo's disappointment, no one else besides Sun Wukong got to see this cultivation technique.
After destroying the cultivation technique, Mo Mo continued to travel around. Speaking of traveling, there was one place Mo Mo had to visit: the Wuzhuang Temple of the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi. Back then, the little black dragon and her companions had eaten quite a few of the Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi's ginseng fruits. Although Zhen Yuanzi did it willingly, and the little black dragon paid the price, they still benefited in the end. Therefore, Mo Mo definitely had to pay a visit. Unfortunately, Zhen Yuanzi was out visiting friends and was not there. Mo Mo waited at the Wuzhuang Temple for three days, then left after leaving behind a dozen or so peaches.
After leaving Wuzhuang Temple, Mo Mo continued to wander aimlessly. Meanwhile, Chang'e and the others in Guanghan Palace were diligently cultivating. They were shocked by Mo Mo's previous injury. The fact that Mo Mo, with his peak Quasi-Saint cultivation, was so badly injured and had no information about his opponent made them feel a great sense of crisis. Therefore, they even refused Mo Mo's invitation to travel around the Three Realms.
Time flies like an arrow, and in the blink of an eye, Mo Mo had been wandering the Three Realms for three hundred years. One day, on a whim, he landed outside an ordinary little mountain village. After changing his clothes into ordinary scholar's attire, he slowly walked into the village. After inquiring a bit, he learned that the village was actually called Liu Family Village. Remembering that he had just passed through Mount Hua and that a scholar named Liu Yanchang was walking towards him, Mo Mo instantly understood the reason for his whim to land here: the story of the Lotus Lantern was about to begin.
This wasn't the first time Mo Mo had encountered the story of the Lotus Lantern, but this time he wasn't going to help the Liu family father and son. He had suddenly come up with a brilliant idea. The Heavenly Dao would pay attention to any major event that could affect the Three Realms. Although the Heavenly Dao had fallen into slumber due to Hongjun's influence and was now under Hongjun's control, it would still increase its attention and even intervene if anything uncontrollable or seriously deviated from its predetermined course. In other words, if Mo Mo directly interfered and disrupted the Lotus Lantern's plot, the Heavenly Dao would definitely increase its attention. And if Hongjun couldn't resolve the situation, the Heavenly Dao would very likely awaken directly. Since doing so could both trick Hongjun and prevent a tragedy, Mo Mo was more than willing to do it.
"If you want to do something, do it." Looking at Liu Yanchang, who was almost in front of him, Mo Mo smiled slightly and said, "My name is Wang Chen. I was originally a scholar who came to the capital to take the imperial examination. However, things didn't go as planned. Yesterday, I was delayed by the rain and was unable to reach my designated place to stay. I had to spend the night in the wild. Unexpectedly, I encountered a tiger at dawn. Fortunately, although I lost my horse and luggage, I survived. I wonder if I could stay at your house for the night?"
Looking at the elegant young man before him and then at himself, Liu Yanchang felt ashamed. However, when he heard that Mo Mo wanted to stay at his house, he was overjoyed. Although Mo Mo had lost his luggage, he had not lost his knowledge. If he could discuss things with Mo Mo, he would definitely benefit greatly. Moreover, young masters like them must be very familiar with the rules of the imperial examination. If he could learn something from him, he wouldn't be flying around like a headless fly. So he immediately agreed.
When Mo Mo landed in Liujia Village, dark clouds were already gathering in the sky. When he came into contact with Liu Yanchang, a strong wind picked up, and a storm was about to break. Mo Mo even sensed a familiar aura, but he ignored him and went about his business as usual, moving into Liu Yanchang's house.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 541 Taking Liu Yanchang to the Capital for the Imperial Examination
The news that a young master had come to Liu Yanchang's house spread throughout the entire Liu family village in just one afternoon. So, starting that evening, people came to Liu Yanchang's house in an endless stream to see the excitement or to meet the legendary young master. Fortunately, Liu family village is not large and there are not many people, otherwise the threshold of Liu Yanchang's house would probably have been worn down by the crowds.
The next day, the villagers of Liujia Village were no longer as curious about Mo Mo as they had been the day before. In their eyes, apart from being a bit fair-skinned, handsome, and well-dressed, Mo Mo was just like any other young man in their village. During the few days that Mo Mo stayed at Liu Yanchang's house, he answered every question Liu Yanchang asked and even took the initiative to impart some knowledge to him. However, Mo Mo could not answer Liu Yanchang about the rules of the imperial examinations, as he had never participated in them. Nevertheless, as a modern college student who had been through many examinations, it was not a problem for him to pass on some experience to Liu Yanchang.
After spending nearly a week in Liujia Village, Mo Mo and Liu Yanchang officially embarked on their journey to the capital amidst the welcoming crowds of the villagers. However, due to Liu Yanchang's extremely thin physique, their pace was pitifully slow. At their current pace, by the time they reached the capital, the imperial edict would probably have already been posted. So, while passing through a county town, Mo Mo pawned a jade pendant and bought two decent mules and horses. With the remaining money, Mo Mo bought a large box of books before continuing their journey.
Along the way, Mo Mo led Liu Yanchang through the provincial examination (examined by the prefectural, state, and county officials) and the provincial examination (provincial-level examination) all the way to the capital. What awaited them was the metropolitan examination, which was presided over by the Ministry of Rites. If they passed this test, they would be qualified to participate in the highest level examination, namely the palace examination.
Because this world is a mythological world, although the examination system is similar to that of the Ming and Qing dynasties, the treatment is much worse. Only by passing the metropolitan examination can one enter the court as an official. Passing the provincial examination only grants one the opportunity to study at a provincial academy run by the court. However, if one can pass the palace examination, one can not only be granted a good official position but also come into contact with the cultivation world. This palace examination is not presided over by the emperor himself, but by the Hall of Longevity under the emperor's authority. The Hall of Longevity is actually the institution that manages the cultivators of the country.
When Mo Mo and his companions entered Chang'an, nearly half a year had passed since they left Liu Family Village. During this time, Mo Mo often added rare and precious ingredients to Liu Yanchang's food, granting him the ability to remember everything he saw. With this ability and his own diligent study, Liu Yanchang successfully became a learned scholar, and he has already gained some fame. Moreover, Mo Mo occasionally reveals some things about cultivation to him. If nothing unexpected happens, Liu Yanchang should be able to pass the imperial examination with flying colors.
With this newfound confidence, Liu Yanchang naturally wouldn't spend all his time studying at the inn. So, at Mo Mo's urging, they headed straight for the most famous Liuxiang (Willow Lane) as soon as they entered Chang'an. The street was called Liuxiangju (Willow Lane Residence) because it was said to be derived from the phrase "seeking flowers and asking about willows," so I don't need to explain what Liuxiang was.