Chapter 1196: This is What I Should Do

After entering the third disk, Ye Mo didn't hold back. He barely studied the formations, knowing a thorough examination was impossible within the timeframe. Luckily, he only needed to grasp the formation's framework.

Meng Qi, following Ye Mo, was astonished. She'd heard even the fastest cultivators needed half a day to traverse the first three disks, yet Ye Mo had completed the third in just fifteen minutes. Reaching the fourth disk's entrance, they found only three names inscribed. They swiftly passed through the fourth and reached the fifth, finding it unmarked—signifying their first arrival.

Surprisingly, Ye Mo didn't enter but sat down instead. Half a day later, two Tong Hai Cult cultivators arrived. Their serious expressions and immediate deployment of magic artifacts revealed their knowledge of Ye Mo's swift kills of Cheng Li and possibly Yong Wuzi. Though skilled in formations, they possessed only Hollow Spirit State power.

Ye Mo waved dismissively. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I have a jade slip here; one of you deliver it to Yong Lanyi. This news greatly benefits your sect leader. I admire Yong Lanyi, so I’ve taken the trouble to help him.”

The Hollow Spirit State cultivator, wary but hesitant, accepted the jade slip. If attacked, he'd teleport away instantly.

Ye Mo's face darkened when the cultivator merely took the slip. “Did you not hear me? Give this to Yong Lanyi! Are you deaf?”

The cultivator trembled, replying cautiously, “But we’re in a tournament.”

Ye Mo’s gaze pierced him. “So, competing is more important than delivering my message?”

“No, no…” the cultivator stammered, terrified of Ye Mo's potential retaliation.

“Then hurry!” Ye Mo’s voice boomed.

Petrified, the cultivator succumbed to the Qu 18 Disks' power and was teleported away. Ye Mo ignored the remaining, pale cultivator and entered the fifth disk.

After a while, Meng Qi spoke, “You acted just like Yong Lanyi back there.”

Ye Mo smiled. “Really? I learned it from him.”

She fell silent, then said, “It’s not good to imitate him; I dislike that type of person.”

Ye Mo smiled, offering no reply. He hadn’t genuinely adopted Yong Lanyi’s tyrannical demeanor; this was merely a ploy to provoke him.

Outside, Yong Lanyi threw the recently teleported cultivator to the ground, seething with rage. He knew Ye Mo and Meng Qi were safe, and that Ye Mo had instantly killed his Body Condensation State cultivator, Cheng Li. Yong Wuzi’s death was now certain.

Regret consumed him; he regretted not killing Ye Mo on the spot, letting him enter the Qu 18 Disks. Though Ye Mo would be teleported out, his son was dead.

He vowed that upon Ye Mo's exit, he would tear him apart, burning his essence spirit with the tainted abyssal flame as he watched his body disintegrate. Meng Qi would be stripped and subjected to mass rape. Even this wasn't sufficient to quench his fury.

Yong Yuer, nervously fidgeting with her storage ring, glared hatefully at the Qu 18 Disks.

Yong Lanyi eventually controlled his rage, his face impassive. Another contestant materialized, and Yong Lanyi immediately seized him. “Pang Bo, you're the only level six formation grand master; why were you teleported out? Explain!”

Pang Bo's face was ashen, trembling. A Truth Realization State cultivator intervened, “Cult leader, calm down. Let him speak.”

Yong Lanyi nodded, throwing Pang Bo to the ground. “Tell me everything.”

“Yes, Cult Leader…” Pang Bo stammered. “At the fifth disk's entrance, I saw Ye Mo waiting. He’d killed Cheng Li and was waiting there. He gave me a jade slip to deliver to you, threatening to kill me if I didn't comply.”

Yong Lanyi’s face turned green. “Show me the jade slip.”

Pang Bo promptly produced it. Yong Lanyi examined it, then scanned it with his spirit sense. A thudding sound resonated, causing him to erect a cultivation essence barrier. The jade slip, however, didn't break; it transformed into fireworks, releasing a flow of air. Unseen, a dark ray shot towards Yong Yuer's storage ring.

The situation was clear, but Ye Mo's intent was unknown. A cultivator pointed skyward, “Look!”

A message appeared: “Yong Lanyi, you fair-skinned pretty boy—handsome, yet your son Yong Wuzi is dark and ugly. How could he be your son? You must know the truth. Since you’re so benevolent, I’ve helped you avenge yourself, killing this illegitimate child. No need to thank me; it’s my duty.”

The message lingered before vanishing. Many cultivators wanted to laugh, but dared not. They suspected Yong Wuzi’s illegitimacy, but only Ye Mo dared to publicly declare it. His audacity in confronting Yong Lanyi so openly was remarkable; did he not understand the terrors that awaited cultivators, far surpassing death?

Yong Lanyi’s fist cracked, blood rushing to his throat. Were he weaker, he would have spat blood. As fury blazed, he saw his daughter's storage ring and froze. “Give me that ring!”

Yong Yuer obeyed instantly. A terrifying energy emanated as the ring left her hand. Yong Lanyi swiftly created a cultivation essence barrier and threw Yong Yuer away.

Rumble rumble

The explosion Ye Mo had hastily set wouldn't injure Yong Lanyi, but it tore Yong Yuer’s clothing slightly. Unhurt, she swiftly donned fresh garments, her pretty face flushed with anger.

Yong Lanyi’s hair was slightly disheveled, but his rage knew no bounds. The man who had dared to defy him had been plotting against him all along.

“Ye Mo,” Yong Lanyi said, each word dripping with venom, “If I don’t kill you, I’m not human…”

A Cang Hai Palace cultivator frowned, observing the scene. The jade slip's creation and the mechanisms involved pointed to a cultivator far surpassing Yong Lanyi in restrictions and formations, possessing unparalleled spirit sense control.