Chapter 169: Dirge of the Lan Clan (Part I)

It is not strange for Uncle Jiang to have such a conjecture. Given the methods Ji Mo has displayed, anyone with a modesto degree of insight would naturally think along this direction. Did you not see how the Crown Prince’s Mansion, initially furious upon hearing Ji Mo’s earlier arrogant remarks and dispatching a powerful team to execute her, suddenly fell completely silent after truly witnessing her capabilities?

Did you not see how the Stargazing and Moon-Gathering Pavilion was turned completely upside down, yet neither the guests inside nor the major aristocratic families entangled with it in various interests—including the current royal family—even dared to step forward and meddle in this business?

Of course, while the guesses of these people did not match the exact truth, they were not far off either. Although Ji Mo was not a person of the Jade Emperor Palace, she and Bai Ze were as close as brother and sister. Even if Ji Mo was not a disciple of the Jade Emperor Palace, Bai Ze was a genuine top-tier genius of the Jade Emperor Palace. Given Bai Ze’s status within the sect, coupled with Ji Mo’s own terrifying talent, the people of the Jade Emperor Palace would undoubtedly stand on her side even if she refused to pledge allegiance to them.

Unfortunately, Lan Yulou, the young master of the Lan family, clearly lacked such insight. Faced with Ji Mo’s wild declaration that she would annihilate the Lan family, he could not help but burst into laughter. Lan Mo clearly did not have much patience to waste any more words with him. Before Lan Yutang’s sneer had even faded, she struck out with a fierce punch. Because Uncle Jiang had pulled himself in front of her, if she wanted to kill Lan Yutang, she had to get past Uncle Jiang first. Therefore, this punch was aimed directly at Uncle Jiang.

Uncle Jiang was an expert of the Void Return realm. No matter how formidable Lan Mo was, this punch could not injure him. However, while Lan Mo could not hurt him, Ji Mo certainly could. The moment Lan Mo attacked, Ji Mo also raised the whip in her hand.

Lan Mo’s punch landed on Uncle Jiang, and she herself was sent flying back by the recoil. Following closely behind, Ji Mo lashed out with a whip, forcing Uncle Jiang dozens of meters away. Although Lan Mo had been thrown back, she suffered no substantial injuries. As a body cultivator, apart from her astonishing combat power, her physical toughness was second to none. Thus, the moment she was repelled, she immediately lunged back forward.

With Uncle Jiang blocked by Ji Mo, it was no longer possible for him to save Lan Yutang. Although Lan Yutang was at the intermediate stage of the Nascent Soul realm, how could he possibly be Lan Mo’s match? After just a single exchange of blows, he was directly blasted to death by a single punch from Lan Mo!

"There is no need to continue fighting. You are no match for me. If I truly wished to kill you, you could not withstand three of my moves." After executing Lan Yutang, Ji Mo withdrew her whip and looked calmly at Uncle Jiang. Shock and rage mingled in Uncle Jiang’s heart, yet he was completely helpless.

"Uncle Jiang, return to the Lan family first and tell Lan Tianfang that if he is willing to commit suicide and execute every single person who conspired against my parents back then, I can spare the Lan family a path of survival." After killing Lan Yutang, Lan Mo’s turbulent emotions gradually calmed down. She walked up to Uncle Jiang with a calm expression and spoke.

"You?" Uncle Jiang flew into a rage.

"If he is unwilling, I will inevitably trample the Lan family into dust!" Without waiting for him to speak, Lan Mo’s eyes suddenly turned sharp, and she said with an icy voice.

"Fairy, are you just going to stand by and watch Lan Mo deal with her own family?" Unable to persuade Lan Mo, Uncle Jiang could not help but turn his gaze toward Ji Mo. Lan Mo had consistently called Ji Mo Uncle-Master, making her clearly a member of the younger generation relative to Ji Mo.

"Hehe, since Lan Mo is my junior, as her elder, it is only natural for me to seek justice for the grievances she suffered back then. As for the family you speak of—a family that forced her biological parents to their deaths—what kind of family can that even be considered?" Ji Mo chuckled lightly, her tone brimming with mockery.

Uncle Jiang had nothing more to say. After casting a glance at Ji Mo and Lan Mo, he picked up Lan Yutang’s corpse, turned around, and strode away. The Stargazing and Moon-Gathering Pavilion fell into a profound silence, the guests inside seemingly vanishing into thin air without a single figure daring to show their face.

After Uncle Jiang departed, Ji Mo walked to Lan Mo’s side, reached out to pat her shoulder, and said, "Lan Mo, you are far stronger than I am. Here in Xinyue City, whatever you wish to do, I will accompany you. If you want to kill people, I will kill alongside you! If you want to set fires, I will ignite them for you!"

She and Lan Mo shared a similar fate; both of their parents had been framed and killed by their respective families. The only difference was that Ji Mo felt she was somewhat more fortunate than Lan Mo. After her parents passed away, she was first cared for by Zhao Hu’s family, and later encountered a master like Lei Wei who steadfastly protected her. Coupled with her outstanding talent, she had made it this far smoothly. Although she had encountered many setbacks along the way, she was a hundred times more fortunate compared to Lan Mo.

Though Lan Mo and Lan Yutang’s exchange consisted of only a few brief sentences, it encapsulated all the despair and helplessness Lan Mo had experienced back then. Ji Mo could not even imagine how this heroic and spirited woman before her had stepped out of the desperate abyss of those years and reached the present day. If she were to swap places with her, Ji Mo felt she might not even possess the qualifications to catch a glimpse of the other's retreating shadow.

There are certain kinds of people in this world who must endure all manners of hardship before their own brilliance finally blooms. Such people usually achieve success later in life; they might lack extraordinary talent or a prominent background, but through unparalleled willpower and perseverance, they step-by-step trample those so-called geniuses beneath their feet, climbing until they reach a peak that ordinary people find difficult even to gaze up at. Lan Mo was clearly such a person.

In terms of talent, Lan Mo possessed a Five-Elements Waste Physique; in terms of background, she was merely someone abandoned by her clan. She had no sect, no family, yet her current combat strength was on par even with Bai Ze. Considering her age, which was similar to Bai Ze’s, her journey to this point could only be described as a miracle. Even with some fortuitous encounters, throughout the long and arduous path of cultivation, starting as a weak mortal girl and walking step-by-step to where she was now—the hardships and trials she experienced in between could never be imagined or truly understood by outsiders.

Ji Mo finally understood where Lan Mo’s relentless, fearless disposition came from. When someone has rolled through the edges of life, death, and despair thousands of times, how could the word "fear" possibly continue to exist in their heart?

"Uncle-Master flatters me. How could Lan Mo ever dare to compare herself to you? Everything I have done over these years is merely to make up for my own ignorance and mistakes back then. As for you, Uncle-Master, if Lan Mo may speak from the bottom of her heart: you are the most extraordinary woman Lan Mo has ever laid eyes on in these past four hundred odd years. You possess towering talent and an aptitude hard to find anywhere in the world, yet you are never arrogant or conceited."

"On the contrary, in your own eyes, aside from your luck and aptitude being somewhat better than others, you feel you fall short of others in many other respects. Most people in this world can only see their own merits and the flaws of others, but you are the exact opposite. What you see are mostly the merits of others and your own deficiencies. Because you have talent and opportunity, you never proactively seize the opportunities of others, always leaving a thread of a lifeline for everyone in all matters. It is precisely because people like you still exist along the path of cultivation that a lingering warmth can remain in people's hearts. If everyone on the immortal path were ruthless scoundrels resorting to any means necessary for profit and longevity, how cold and desolate heaven and earth would become. Lan Mo’s greatest fortune in this lifetime was meeting Master and you." Lan Mo looked up at Ji Mo, a faint warmth flashing through her sorrowful gaze.

"Hey, I say the two of you, can you stop praising each other with such mushy words? If we want to annihilate the Lan family, let's get moving right away. If we go too late, those people might just run away." Silently watching this scene, Little Jin felt an inexplicable sourness rise in its chest. To cover up this strange feeling, it crudely interrupted the interaction between Ji Mo and Lan Mo. (To be continued...)