Chapter 1567: The Mo Family of Jiangpu (Part 1)

After the battle ended, Ji Mo looked at the mountain range ruined beyond recognition by her own combat, and could not help shaking her head. She wondered how many innocent lives had been harvested by this single conflict.

"How is Lan Mo?" Ji Mo put away her silver whip and approached the side of the golden qilin, which had already transformed into its beast form and was carrying Qiu Li and Lan Mo.

"She is heavily injured!" Xiao Jin replied.

"Who on earth is fighting so recklessly in our Mo family's territory?" Just as Ji Mo probed Lan Mo's aura and was pondering whether to feed her some medicinal pills, an indifferent voice came from afar. Ji Mo raised her eyes and saw three Nascent Soul cultivators flying toward them from hundreds of li away.

A distance of hundreds of li was nothing more than the span of a few breaths for Nascent Soul cultivators. By the time those cultivators arrived above Dark Cloud Mountain, Ji Mo cupped her fists and spoke, "I am the rogue cultivator Ji Mo. Passing by this town unintentionally, I encountered fiends committing atrocities and thus a fight broke out. I never expected the battle to be so intense that half a mountain peak was destroyed. Please forgive this offense."

"Fiends?" The three of them were startled. They could not fail to notice the thick stench of blood coming from the direction of the town, and upon hearing that fiends had visited, they grew even more alarmed. Although they had occasionally heard rumors of fiends recently, this was the first time they had ever heard of fiend traces in their own territory.

"Indeed. There is still the body of a fiend here that was just dealt with. If you have any doubts, you are welcome to come down and inspect it," Ji Mo said. Since this was an era when fiends were rampant, she had not the slightest desire to come into conflict with human cultivators unless necessary.

"Hark, it truly is a fiend. Judging by the aura of this creature, which has not yet completely dissipated, this must be a Deity Transformation realm fiend. You... you... how did you?" The three of them flew down from the sky and indeed saw a headless fiend lying not far from Ji Mo's feet, prompting them to look on in utter astonishment. If their eyes did not deceive them, the female immortal before them was merely at the Core Formation realm, right? How could a Core Formation female immortal slay a Deity Transformation realm fiend? One middle-aged cultivator clad in blue robes stammered as he stared fixedly at Ji Mo.

"Mo You, show some respect. Why don't you quickly pay respects to the immortal!" As soon as those words fell, another voice rang out. Following this voice, a cultivator appearing as a youth in dark robes flew down. Ji Mo glanced at this person and found herself unable to see through his cultivation base. Well then, it appeared he was at least a high-level cultivator above the Deity Transformation realm.

Upon suddenly seeing this person, Mo You felt a slight shock. The newcomer was none other than the Third Elder of the Mo family. Then, catching the unkind gaze of his own elder, Mo You felt a chill in his heart. Daring not to think further, he immediately walked up to Ji Mo, cupped his fists, and bowed to her. "Mo You greets the immortal." The two companions who had come along with him likewise stepped forward and bowed to Ji Mo.

"Please don't be so formal. The junior Ji Mo greets the senior immortals," Ji Mo waved her hand and returned the bow to the people present.

"The immortal is too modest. In learning, there is no distinction of seniority; those who achieve mastery first are the masters. I am Mo Chengjun, Third Elder of the Jiangpu Mo family. I wonder if the immortal would be willing to grace our Mo estate with a visit?" The dark-robed youth who appeared last smoothly added with great politeness.

Ji Mo's eyebrows twitched slightly. The Jiangpu Mo family? She had spent the past six years in the mortal realm and was not entirely clear about the distribution of powers within the Fenglan Empire, but she had indeed heard of the Jiangpu Mo family. The Mo family was a third-rank clan located in Jiangpu Commandery. If it were merely this, it would not have been enough for Ji Mo, who had been holed up in the mortal realm, to know of them.

The reason Ji Mo knew of the Jiangpu Mo family was because a supreme genius had emerged from the clan in recent generations. This supreme genius had caused a sensation several hundred years ago at the genius selection tournament of the four great empires of the East Underworld Continent, and was accepted as a direct disciple by the Jade Emperor Palace, a supreme sect of the East Underworld. This grand event was known to virtually no one in the cultivation world of the entire Fenglan Empire, and Lan Mo was the ultimate fan of this genius, having spoken of this person to Ji Mo on more than one occasion.

"Immortal, my sudden invitation may be somewhat abrupt, but the sudden appearance of fiends is no trivial matter, and these fiends were eliminated by the immortal. My invitation for you to come to the Mo family is also driven by a desire to discuss matters concerning the fiends together," Mo Chengjun added hastily, fearing that Ji Mo's silence might lead to any misunderstanding.

"Since Elder Mo is so gracious, Ji Mo shall impose upon your hospitality!" After her thoughts flashed through her mind like lightning, Ji Mo replied. She was also quite curious to see what a clan that had produced such a legendary figure actually looked like.

"Please!" Mo Chengjun was clearly unsurprised by this. He smiled slightly, extended a hand in a gesture of invitation, and Ji Mo leaped onto the back of Xiao Jin, flying toward the location of the Mo family in the company of Mo Chengjun. The Mo family was several thousand li away from this place. Their flying speed was not fast, nor did they intentionally rush, and after flying for the time it took to burn a little more than a stick of incense, they arrived at their destination.

Upon reaching the airspace above the Mo family, Mo Chengjun produced a jade token and tossed it downward. A massive castle hidden among immortal mountains and jasper forests appeared before Ji Mo's eyes. Ji Mo was not surprised by this; back in the day, the Moon-Worshipping Sect was merely a fifth-rank sect, yet its scenery was already breathtakingly exquisite, let alone a third-rank cultivation family ranked in the top three among all third-rank powers in the Fenglan Empire. Naturally, the construction of its stronghold would be even more magnificent than that of the Moon-Worshipping Sect.

"Please, Immortal!" Mo Chengjun made a gesture of invitation and led Ji Mo down from the sky.

"Elder!" As soon as their feet touched the ground, someone immediately came over to salute Mo Chengjun, casting curious glances at Ji Mo and wondering what sacred entity this female cultivator—who was only at the Core Formation realm—might be, to actually warrant the Third Elder welcoming her in person.

"The immortal is an honored guest, and your friend appears to be quite heavily injured. Let me first take you to a guest room and have our apothecary take a look at her, shall we?" Mo Chengjun glanced at Lan Mo, who was still unconscious and lying on Xiao Jin's back, and spoke to Ji Mo.

"There is no need for an apothecary. I would only trouble the senior to help arrange a place for her to rest," Ji Mo pondered slightly. Since they had arrived at the Mo fortress, she could not let Xiao Jin carry an unconscious person around everywhere like this. She had probed Lan Mo's injuries; although they were not light, they would not threaten her life, and there were even faint signs of an impending breakthrough. At this moment, she had no need for an apothecary.

"Very well, this way please!" Mo Chengjun responded with a smile, led Ji Mo to a peak with picturesque scenery, pointed to an exquisite courtyard among them, and spoke, "If the immortal does not disdain the crudeness of this place, please let your friend rest here for the time being."

"This place is wonderful. Thank you, Elder Mo." Ji Mo cupped her fists in gratitude. As soon as her voice fell, two female immortals dressed as maids immediately greeted them from within. What startled Ji Mo was that even these two mere maids actually possessed cultivation bases at the early Core Formation realm. Was this Mo family simply too absurdly wealthy?

"These individuals are honored guests of our Mo family. You must treat them well," Mo Chengjun pointed at the three of them and instructed.

"We obey the Elder's decree!" The two maids responded respectfully.