Chapter 75: This Seat Is Illiterate, Suffer in Silence if You Disagree

Everyone stared at the apparition, then looked at the fiery willow vine around the dead Feathered's neck. Their anger only grew.

"It was you! Just like when you killed No. 18!"

"Why did you do such a cruel thing?"

"Kill him!"

Immortal Fairy Yumen seemed to be annoyed by all the noise. She held her forehead and said coldly, "Mo Weiyu, I'll ask you one last time. Did you kill this person?"

"No."

"Good." Immortal Fairy Yumen nodded. Mo Ran thought she was going to let him go and heaved a sigh of relief, ready to thank her for her understanding. But then, she lifted her hand indifferently and said in a chilly voice, "This person has committed many atrocities and still tries to deny it. Arrest him."

When Shi Mo came out, freshly washed and dressed, he saw more than a dozen high-ranking Feathereds using spells to restrain Mo Ran. Someone was binding his wrists with immortal ropes.

"What are you doing?!"

Shi Mo's complexion paled as he rushed to Mo Ran's side. "What happened?"

No one replied, but the sight of floating corpses in the peach forest silently conveyed the answer. Shi Mo drew a sharp breath and stepped back, bumping into Mo Ran's chest.

"Aran..."

"Stay calm, don't panic," Mo Ran said, his gaze fixed on the Feathered Immortal as he whispered to Shi Mo. "Go invite Uncle and Elder Xuan Ji here."

In this situation, these Feathered Folk might not be able to maintain their rationality. If they attacked him without any regard, he had no chance of winning with his current strength. He needed to get Xue Zhengyong and Xuan Ji over to intervene as soon as possible.

After Shi Mo left, Mo Ran stood alone, his gaze blazing as he scanned the contorted, furious faces.

"Spit!"

Suddenly, a mouthful of saliva flew from the crowd. Mo Ran dodged to the side, but the Feathered Folk who spat at him was too close, and he was still splashed by it.

He slowly turned his head, meeting a pair of bloodshot eyes.

"You've taken so many lives, and now you want backup? I'll take your life right now!!"

With that, a blazing inferno suddenly formed in his palm, hurtling straight towards Mo Ran!

Mo Ran stepped back, and the scorching flames grazed past his temple, crashing into a peach tree behind him. Instantly, the thick trunk was seared in two at waist height.

Boom!

The peach tree toppled, its blossoms scattering like a snowfall.

Mo Ran glanced at the fallen tree, then turned to face the Feathered man. "I'll say it again. I didn't kill those people. In ten days, when the Crimson Child Pill is complete, if you still seek revenge, that will be your chance."

"Ten more days? By then, everyone in Peach Blossom Spring might be dead by your hands!" the man roared. "Give me my sister's life in exchange!" He lunged at Mo Ran once more.

Mo Ran evaded the attack yet again, his gaze landing on the Celestial Feathered being standing idly by. There was no intention of intervention from that side. The injustice infuriated Mo Ran, who bellowed, "Hey! Old Bird! Control your own people!"

Silence.

"Damn it," Mo Ran cursed as she remained motionless. "Choosing to be deaf and mute at a crucial moment, do you want to watch me burn alive? If I had known your flock of birds had no sense of right and wrong, I wouldn't have bothered coming to this damned Peach Blossom Spring for cultivation! And now, I have to suffer such injustice for nothing!"

The celestial immortal listened to these words and was visibly affected. She lifted her sleeve, and with a flick of her garment, it was like a rainbow ribbon sweeping past—yet it struck Mo Ran's face with a sharp slap.

Though the Feathered People resembled mortals in appearance, their minds were fundamentally different.

In the cultivation world, not to mention the leader of an entire clan, even the head of a small martial arts academy would not hastily make judgments without solid evidence. But the Feathered People had half their bloodline from beasts, and their primitive instincts still ran deep within them.

The celestial immortal's black hair turned scarlet, as if each strand was emitting scorching heat. Her beautiful eyes widened, and she said in a menacing tone, "Who is your master? To have taught such a tainted disciple! Clean up your tongue!"

Upon her words, the other Feathered People let out a chorus of fierce cries. Their blood-red eyes brimmed with killing intent as they closed in on Mo Ran.

Whoosh!

An orange arrow of flames pierced through the air, aimed straight at Mo Ran's heart.

Mo Ran didn't dare to neglect this, swiftly using Ghost Dodger, his body flickering with fiery light, to block the attack. However, the arrow was merely a distraction. As he shifted to intercept, a grief-stricken Feathered Person lunged forward with a sword, its blade shining like water, heading straight for Mo Ran's back!

Trapped between arrows and a sword, there was seemingly no escape.

Mo Ran knew that these half-beast creatures had finally resolved to kill. With a steely determination, he recalled Chu Wanning's previous use of the Heaven's Inquiry technique and raised his hand, flicking his wrist—

The Demon Seizer soared into the air, then abruptly tightened, wielding the blood-red willow vine into a blurred, ethereal shadow. It formed a powerful vortex in the blink of an eye, and the willow leaves transformed into sharp blades, slicing through the surrounding air and solid objects.

One of Chu Wanning's signature moves—"Wind!"

He used the vine as windblades, harnessing spiritual energy to absorb everything around him.

Anything caught in the wind would be ground to dust, buried in its depths with no remains left behind!

"AHHH!!!" The Feathered tribeswoman let out a piercing scream. The arrows she had shot were already shattered by the Demon Seizer, and her long sword was sucked in due to its proximity to Mo Ran.

"Clang!" The sound of metal snapping was shrill and jarring. Before she could react, she herself was drawn to the crimson edge of the "wind." She shrieked, "Let me go! Madman! You madman!"

Enraged by the suffering of her people, the Fairy of the Feathered tribe flew up in a billowing red dress.

She conjured a pure, bright pink crystal in her palm, and her sleeves flared as she poured spiritual energy into it. Suddenly, the Peach Blossom Spring was swept up in a furious gale, with grass and trees bending under its force.

A spectral phoenix, ethereal yet potent, materialized behind her in response to her call. The immortal's crimson eyes seemed ready to bleed, and her once matchless beauty was distorted with fury.

"Beast," she hissed. "Do you still not desist?"

"How can I stop now when you've summoned the phoenix's phantom? Am I to wait for death?" Mo Ran's face flickered in the vast shadow of the fiery phoenix. "I'll cease when you do!"

"You—"

The Feathered immortal ascended slowly into the air.

"There is—"

She enunciated each word deliberately, her bloodshot eyes locked onto Mo Ran.

"Right—"

"To—"

"Demand!"

As her words echoed, a deafening explosion rent the air. A phantom phoenix let out a piercing cry as it spiraled downward, diving straight at Mo Ran!

"Bam!!"

Another thunderous boom, even more terrifying than the first. It was as if an ancient azure dragon had awoken from its eternal slumber, bursting forth from the earth's depths.

A beam of golden light collided fiercely with the fiery phoenix, stirring up monstrous waves and gales. The weaker Feathered beings were thrown to the ground by the tempest, some vomiting blood and being flung dozens of feet away.

For a moment, High Heaven Pavilion was engulfed in a sandstorm, the winds howling wildly, houses and trees flattened in an instant!

When the dust settled, a familiar slender figure emerged in mid-air, standing guard before Mo Ran.

"Mi-ster T-eacher...?!"

The man was clad in white, his sleeves billowing like snow in the wind. At the sound, he turned his half-profile, revealing his cool and translucent handsome face. His phoenix eyes swept over Mo Ran, who knelt on the ground.

Chu Wanning's voice was cold and deep, like the clear water in a well during midsummer.

"Are you hurt?"

Mo Ran's eyes widened, unable to process what was happening for a long while. He only stared blankly with his mouth agape, "…………"

Chu Wanning scanned him from head to toe and, upon noticing no obvious injuries, turned to the Feathered being and said, "Didn't you just ask who his master is?"

He descended from mid-air, his formidable spiritual energy subsiding as he gently landed on the ground.

Not bothering to waste any more words, he stated in an icy, minimalist tone, "I am Chu Wanning of the Summit of Life and Death. I'd like to see what you've got."

"What... what did you say?"

Chu Wanning's brows knitted together, his eyes as deep as jade.

Seems these feathered creatures don't understand manners. Perfect, since my patience is already wearing thin.

"I said, his master is me." He paused, "Did I give you permission to harm my disciple?"

Though the Feathered Immortal was revered, her status was merely due to her noble bloodline; she was still far from being a true immortal. Not only did Chu Wanning shatter the phoenix illusion, but her own arm was also slashed by Heavenly Inquiry. She clutched her wound, thick black blood oozing out between her fingers, her expression ghastly.

"You... a mere mortal, how dare you be so brazen! And who gave you the right to intrude upon Peach Blossom Spring? How did you even get in here!!" She raged, "You unassuming—"

"Swish!"

Heaven's Inquiry responded to the call and struck her face directly, causing her lips to split and blood to flow.

"Cowardly and ignorant about what?" Chu Wanning sneered, smoothing out the wrinkles in his sleeves that had been disrupted by his previous action with the willow vine. Then, he grabbed Mo Ran's collar with one hand and lifted him to his feet, his eyes never leaving the Feathered Immortal for an instant. "Tell me, what exactly am I, this cowardly and ignorant one?"

"You... you dare to do this? You—"

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Chu Wanning glanced at her indifferently. "What is there that I wouldn't dare to do?" He paused, then dragged Mo Ran over. "Listen, this person belongs to me. I'm taking him away."

Before Mo Ran could recover from the shock of Chu Wanning's godlike appearance, he was hit once more by the words "this person belongs to me."

"Mas... Master... oh..."

"Shut your dog's mouth." Although Chu Wanning still wore no expression, Mo Ran could clearly see the anger in his eyes. "You're good for nothing but causing trouble."

With that, he slapped the back of Mo Ran's head and soared into the air, darting dozens of feet away. By the time Mo Ran regained his senses, he found himself and Chu Wanning already in the deserted outskirts of Peach Blossom Spring.

"Master! My junior apprentice brother is still over there—"

Chu Wanning cast a glance at him, noticing the anxiety on his face. He coldly harrumphed, "Junior Apprentice Brother? The one with the surname Xia?"

"That's right, that's right. He's still in the High Heaven Pavilion. I need to go save him..."

Chu Wanning lifted his hand to interrupt, "I've already cast a spell to transport him to Xuan Ji. There's no need for you to worry."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ran finally let out a sigh of relief. Lifting his clear black-and-white eyes, he looked at Chu Wanning, "Master, why... are you here?"

Chu Wanning had originally been woken by the commotion outside. Seeing the dire situation, he had swallowed a pill given by Tianlang, temporarily restoring his true form. However, he was not in a position to explain this to Mo Ran now. He merely replied coolly, "Why can't I be here?" With that, he raised his finger and summoned a golden begonia.

"The western pavilion's willows and flowers have withered, but the spring breeze arrived at Qiantang overnight."

Lowering his eyelashes, Chu Wanning gently blew on the bud about to bloom. In an instant, it blossomed, radiating a dazzling glow. With his slender, pale fingers, he plucked the flower and whispered, "Investigate."

The begonia immediately drifted away with the wind, quickly disappearing into the mountain forest.

Curious, Mo Ran asked, "Master, what kind of spell is this?"

"Flower-Throwing Spell."

"What?"

"Flower-Throwing Spell," Chu Wanning replied solemnly, not the least bit like he was joking. "It didn't have a name before, but since you asked, I just gave it one."

Mo Ran: "…."

Was this person really that lazy?

"Your situation, the Lord has already informed me," Chu Wanning said, gazing in the direction where the peach blossom had drifted away. His voice was as cold and deep as a stream flowing over polished jade stones. "This matter likely stems from the same individual who was involved in the incident at Jin Cheng Lake. Inside this Peach Blossom Land, there might already be a game of Xuanzhong Chess set up."

"How is that possible?" Mo Ran was startled.

Xuanzhong Chess was a spell that he had mastered in his previous life. After the incident eighteen years ago, Mo Ran had tried to sense any traces of this forbidden magic. As this taboo technique often accompanied violence and bloodshed, once activated, it would surely claim lives. Therefore, by investigating any inexplicable strong resentment, one could tell if someone had set up a Xuanzhong Chess. If that mysterious person had truly used this forbidden art again, unless they had executed it flawlessly, Mo Ran had no reason to remain oblivious.

Seeing Chu Wanning's slightly doubtful gaze sweep over, Mo Ran hurried to explain, "What I mean is… everyone inside this Peach Blossom Land is at least half-immortal. How could someone set up a forbidden spell without anyone noticing?"

Chu Wanning shook his head. "Back then at the bottom of Jin Cheng Lake, that mysterious person controlled all the ancient spirit beasts. Although their combat power can't be compared with divine beasts, they're on par with wandering immortals. Since he could control Jin Cheng Lake back then, it's highly likely he'll use the same tactic in the Peach Blossom Land now."

"In that case…"

"Um."

Mo Ran lifted his head and smiled bashfully, revealing his deep dimples. "Shifu, what does 'not to be outdone' mean?"

Chu Wanning: "............"

The author has something to say:

System notification: Hello, your friend "Little Cutie Xia Sini" is now offline. Your friend "Heavenly Venerated Chu Wanning of the Big Dipper" is now online. If you encounter any difficulties or need assistance, you can summon him to your side. However, Chu Wanning will not be responsible for any damages caused during battles. Please summon him in an open area, ensuring that there are no dangerous individuals nearby who could harm "Heaven-Stepping Lord Mo Weiyu," the Heavenly Venerated of the Big Dipper. Have a pleasant summoning experience!