Chapter 320: I am Ye Mo
Translator: Tim Editor: Fish Creek
Although others didn't see how Tan Jiao arrived, Ye Mo saw clearly: he glided in from outside. This martial art resembled Ye Mo's wind control, but was inferior.
Ye Mo sneered. He'd planned to ask where this old fart lived, but now the old fart had come to him.
Before Ye Mo could speak, another man entered, wearing grey robes and appearing to be in his fifties.
The grey-robed man stopped Tan Jiao: “Old Tan, this concerns the He Liu sect and Ye Mo. Don't harm his family. I know Gong Zizai is your friend, but even for revenge, it should be directed at Ye Mo, not others.”
“Qingfeng brother, will you stop me too?” Tan Jiao frowned.
The grey-robed man sighed: “I'm not stopping you, but for your own good. Ye Mo is only in his twenties, yet he killed seven He Liu sect members, including Gong Zizai. They say not to insult a young person's poverty—how do you know he won't reach great heaven later? He's also the head instructor of Flying Snow; we're practically on the same side. Why act so cruelly? The Ye family is vulnerable; helping them would be easy, and Ye Mo would appreciate it. Even if we don't help, we shouldn't help others kill his siblings.”
Tan Jiao sneered: “Too bad, he has no chance; I'll kill him now.”
The grey-robed man realized Tan Jiao eyed Ye Mo with killing intent. He understood: the man before him was Ye Mo, and Ye Mo had returned.
“You are Ye Mo?” the grey-robed man asked, surprised. Ye Mo was famous, and this was his first time seeing the young man.
Ye Mo smiled, “Indeed, I am Ye Mo.”
The grey-robed man's eyes held pity. He realized he couldn't gauge Ye Mo's strength, yet Ye Mo remained calm and confident. If Tan Jiao hadn't reached the great heaven state, he could have stopped him, but now, he wasn't even a match for Tan Jiao. How could he stop him?
“You killed the He Liu sect members. I can't help you, but I'll try to persuade Old Tan to spare your siblings. Sigh…,” Luo Qingfeng thought, Why did you come back? If you hadn't, I could have blamed everything on you, but now, I can't say anything.
Ye Mo smiled at Luo Qingfeng, “Regardless, I thank you for your goodwill. But this old thing…”
Ye Mo pointed at Tan Jiao and swore: “Old thing, I did nothing to you! What right do you have to touch my brother and sister? Just because you're stronger? Shameless thing!”
“It's over,” Han Zaixin sighed. Young people didn't know when to back down. Elder Feng had spoken for him; a few soft words, and Elder Tan might have let him go. But "old thing" and "shameless"? Han Zaixin knew it was over.
Luo Qingfeng opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't. He witnessed the arrogance Ye Mo had spoken of. He pointed at a great heaven master and called him "old thing." Even if he wanted to die, there was no need for this. Even the president couldn't save Ye Mo from Tan Jiao.
“Little bastard, you're asking to die…” Tan Jiao's face turned green. Without thinking, he slapped at Ye Mo.
He was several meters away, yet his hand reached Ye Mo instantly. Even Luo Qingfeng couldn't stop him. And Ye Mo had cursed Tan Jiao; he couldn't either. The young man had too much temper; a lesson was warranted.
Thud. Ye Mo didn't move, raising his hand almost simultaneously with Tan Jiao, even taking a step forward. Fist and palm clashed with a sound like a tire exploding.
Stud stud stud.
Tan Jiao retreated several meters, stopping at the door. He looked at his burning, nearly broken palm, gazing at Ye Mo in astonishment. His great heaven-level power had been blocked, and he'd been overpowered. Was Ye Mo also great heaven? If so, and he'd offended such a young great heaven master, Tan Jiao's heart shook with absurd terror.
But he soon calmed down. He hadn't been fully prepared, hadn't gone all out. Being slightly overpowered was acceptable. But it was still shocking. Ye Mo's power was at least equal to Qingfeng's, perhaps even stronger. He couldn't believe Ye Mo was already great heaven.
Not only Tan Jiao, but Luo Qingfeng also gaped in disbelief. Tan Jiao was great heaven, yet Ye Mo forced him to retreat? Impossible. He wouldn't believe Ye Mo was great heaven.
Though Han Zaixin was weak, he could tell who had the upper hand. He rejoiced. This Ye Mo exceeded expectations.
Ye Mo was also shocked. He hadn't thought his chi was that much stronger than Tan Jiao's. It was slightly stronger, but not to the extent shown in the clash. Tan Jiao had rushed his attack, while Ye Mo used his positional advantage. He wasn't clear on Tan Jiao's power level, but this clash showed Tan Jiao was great heaven level. He hadn't expected this old thing to have broken through.
But Ye Mo didn't care. Though Tan Jiao was great heaven, his inner qi was inferior to Ye Mo's cultivation essence. Once Ye Mo consolidated his state, Tan Jiao's inner qi would be nothing. Even now, killing Tan Jiao would be simple.
This was the difference between true spirit cultivators and martial artists; the difference grew with time.
“I didn't expect you'd reached half-step great heaven. I underestimated you. But even so, you can't defeat me,” Tan Jiao said, wiping his waist. A meter-long whip appeared.
Ye Mo had seen many whip masters, but never such a short whip.
Ye Mo sneered, looking at Tan Jiao: “Killing you is as easy as killing a chicken. Why do you think so highly of yourself?”
Ye Mo shook his head. On Earth, people thought they were great simply for reaching great heaven. In the cultivation world, a great heaven master could kill countless with a simple spell.
Looking at the sky in the well, this was the perfect definition of Earth's great heaven masters.
“Ye Mo, you’re a half-step great heaven master?” Han Zaixin asked shakily. Ye Mo was far more important than Tan Jiao. If Ye Mo could cultivate to the point of challenging the entire hidden sect, he wouldn't need to be respectful to them. He didn't believe Ye Mo was part of, or a disciple of, a hidden sect master.
Though Tan Jiao and Luo Qingfeng were polite, he knew they valued the hidden sect equally. If the government annihilated the hidden sects, they might betray. Luo Qingfeng was better; he considered the bigger picture, prioritizing national interests over the hidden sects. But Tan Jiao was different; he valued them equally, sometimes using societal methods over legal ones.
Luo Qingfeng also looked at Ye Mo with excitement. If Ye Mo was halfway to great heaven, he'd be happy. Unlike Tan Jiao, he prioritized the country over the hidden sects.
“Hmph, so what if you're great heaven? As long as I hold you here, the He Liu sect can still annihilate your family,” Tan Jiao sneered, clearly unhappy about the clash.
Luo Qingfeng intervened: “Old Tan, Ye Mo is our equal. We can't let the He Liu sect touch his family.”
Tan Jiao felt uncomfortable, but was interrupted by Ye Mo: “He Liu sect? I just killed four earth-level fighters. After the Beijing incident, the He Liu sect will vanish from history. There will be no more ‘He Liu sect.’”
“You killed more He Liu sect members?” Tan Jiao’s eyes blazed, taking steps forward, ready to fight.
“Old Tan, wait. Fighting here will attract too much attention, defeating the purpose of our hidden sect,” Luo Qingfeng quickly stopped Tan Jiao. His heart was in turmoil. If Ye Mo was telling the truth, easily killing four earth-level fighters meant he was no match for Ye Mo. If Ye Mo was only halfway to great heaven, this would be impossible. He was likely great heaven.
Two great heaven grandmasters fighting in the city? How terrifying!
“Fine, you have guts. Come to Tuo Mountain. I'll wait for you there,” Tan Jiao said, leaving quickly, disappearing from the Ye family mansion. He knew fighting there would attract too much attention.
Ye Mo sneered. He knew Tuo Mountain: thirty kilometers from Beijing, a rocky place with numerous graves, rarely visited. He took out a lotus life pill and gave it to Ye Ling: “Ye Ling, give this to Zifeng. I'll be back soon.”
Ye Mo left the Ye family mansion in a few steps. Ye Ling reacted, quickly calling out: “Brother, be careful!”
Luo Qingfeng saw Tan Jiao and Ye Mo leave, immediately following. Ye Mo was so young and powerful; he couldn't let anything happen to him.
Han Zaixin’s eyes flashed with surprise and joy: “Zhang Jue, drive. We’re going too.”
When Ye Beirong finally caught up, only he and Ye Ling remained in the Ye family meeting room.