Chapter 537
The practice continued until the sun dipped below the horizon.
As night fell, the grand Li residence was ablaze with lights, the brightest spot being the forging courtyard, where flames illuminated the darkness.
The bright moon quietly hung in the sky, shining brilliantly, like a dream come to life.
Li Mo sheathed his sword and was wiping the sweat from his brow when a servant came to summon him for dinner.
Entering the courtyard, he saw the whole family gathered around a round table. The head of the Li family sat at the main seat, making one feel as if they had returned to the Ziyang Mansion.
The people of the Tianhuang Domain were not born from thin air; they were projections from various eras across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.
This head of the Li family could essentially be called Old Li.
"You’ve had exceptional talent in martial arts since childhood, yet you’ve always been rebellious. Now that you’re nearing adulthood, it’s time you learned a thing or two."
"Can I postpone the coming-of-age ceremony for a while?"
Li Mo buried his head in his food, feeling a headache coming on.
He thought he was hardly fit to be the head of the family, having to serve the offerings of the upper clans in Tiancheng while also playing mind games with other families.
"How can you postpone it?"
"I know you’re eager to venture out, but even if you’re going to the human city to slay demons and monsters, you still need to be strong yourself."
Clang—
A hammer slipped from his sleeve and fell to the ground with a loud clatter.
Li Mo cleared his throat lightly. "I just finished practicing and forgot to put it away."
"......"
Old Li looked at him helplessly and said, "I know you’re good with that hammer, born with abundant yang energy and great strength. But even so, you’re no different from those ordinary martial artists; you haven’t truly mastered power."
"What is true power, then?"
"Naturally, it comes from the Celestial Clan."
Whoosh—
As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce wind surged, lifting the fallen leaves in the courtyard, which then coalesced in Old Li's hand, shrinking down to a single point.
He plucked a leaf from the air and flicked it with his fingers.
Ding—
Suddenly, sparks erupted from a nearby bronze statue, pierced through by the leaf.
"Did you see that? This is the power granted by the Celestial Clan, the one that commands all the winds of heaven and earth."
"The upper clans of Tiancheng stand behind us, not just in name but in true support. Without this power, no matter how well you train, you’ll remain like a rootless weed."
"And regardless of the martial arts, with this power’s enhancement, it will become extraordinary."
Outside the Map of Rivers and Mountains.
"This head of the Li family looks like he’s at the Inner Breath stage, yet he can unleash attacks at the Inner Scene level?"
Huang Donglai was quite curious about that last move.
If he appeared to be at the Inner Breath stage but struck like he was at the Inner Scene level, how would his opponents respond, caught off guard?
"This is the way of the Great Shang era."
Shang Qinqing spat out a sunflower seed and casually remarked, "Back then, the God-Viewing stage was quite literal; it involved imitating deities and, with their permission, siphoning off a bit of their power. The Inner Scene isn’t something you construct yourself; it’s a manifestation of that borrowed power."
"What if the clan leader of the Shang were to gain the power you bestow?"
"If luck is against you, you might be able to traverse the void."
"And if luck is on your side?"
Huang Donglai's eyes widened. If bad luck led to that, wouldn’t good luck mean he could fly?
"Do you know about the Sword of Flirting... never mind, discussing that is pointless."
"Is it because you’re no longer a deity?"
"That’s secondary. The main thing is, I feel you’re quite similar to Zhong Zhenyue; knowing too much is of no use."
"???"
.....
In the Map of Rivers and Mountains.
Time flew by, and soon it was a sunny morning. After much coaxing from his father, Li Mo finally agreed to attend the coming-of-age ceremony.
On this day, the young talents from various families in the Earth City gathered at the entrance leading to Tiancheng.
This was not simply because they all turned eighteen on the same day.
The timing was set by the Celestial Clan; all those coming of age this year were required to be present.
With the next natural disaster looming, not only did various families attend, but many from the Celestial Clan were also present, and they were all formidable figures.
"This is Lei Ze, who wields the power of thunder; that’s Chun Mang, who governs the growth of all things; and over there is Yan Rong, the Lord of Flames."
"Oh, and remember her well—she is Feng Zhi. Our Li family owes its current standing entirely to her."
Listening to Old Li’s introductions, Li Mo looked up.
Among the extraordinary figures of the upper clans in Tiancheng, he spotted a tall, powerful woman with a wheat-colored complexion and hair that flowed like a gentle breeze, exuding an aura that made her seem like a wild queen.
Her presence was incredibly commanding.
If she were to wield a small whip, it would suit her perfectly...
"Lady Feng Zhi is probably one of the strongest members of the Celestial Clan, second only to the Emperor Jiang. You need to keep your composure and not act recklessly; I’m counting on you to take over my position as the envoy in the future."
Old Li was unusually serious today, without his usual playful demeanor.
"Sure thing, pretending to be a lady is my specialty."
Li Mo wore a blank expression, unsure why he had suddenly become so adept at being aloof.
He then asked, "By the way, Dad, doesn’t the Emperor Jiang have an envoy? I heard the Celestial Clan possesses a divine sword, so doesn’t all the power related to the sword belong to him?"
"That’s right, but it seems Emperor Jiang has never had any plans in that regard. What a pity; he is the strongest of the Celestial Clan..."
"Wait, the strongest of the Celestial Clan is..."
"Ah, yes, yes, I know."
Old Li could tell from the look on his face that Li Mo was about to say something.
"Young people of the Earth City, step forward."
In fact, the Celestial Clan had a tradition of bestowing power upon the younger generation of the Earth City.
However, under Jiang Yu’s rule, Tiancheng had tightened its grip on Earth City.
For stability’s sake, power was no longer granted to the most talented but to the most suitable individuals from the families, no longer circulating among the common folk.
Of course, if someone was exceptionally gifted, they might still catch the eye of multiple Celestial Clan members.
This meant they could wield multiple powers, but it also meant they would have more than one Celestial Clan member backing them.
Li Mo, unsurprisingly, would have to accept Feng Zhi’s bestowal.
"Why is there a Celestial Clan that governs fire but none that governs forging? Clearly, that path exists."
"If my forging skills were good enough, could I master the way of forging myself?"
As Li Mo waited, his thoughts swirled.
Before long, it was finally his turn. He felt many transcendent gazes upon him, especially from that wild queen-like woman, whose intense stare made him feel uneasy.
Her eyes seemed filled with shock and disbelief.
"Sis... brother-in-law?"
"???"
Chapter 610: Mo City... Li Mo City?
Li Mo was filled with questions. He thought this woman looked somewhat familiar.
But he never expected that her first words would leave him frozen in place. When did he get married? How was he unaware of it?
He didn’t even have a wife; where did this family member come from?
"Did you mistake me for someone else?"
"No... never mind, just consider it a slip of the tongue. I’ll just call you... by your name."
Feng Zhi said, her gaze oddly intense, clearly not acting like it was their first meeting.
"?"
Li Mo touched his neck, where a natural red mark resembling a birthmark was present.
But Feng Zhi knew that it was far from a natural occurrence...
Indeed, the reason she stood behind the Li family and granted them a portion of her power was because of him.
After all, even other members of the Celestial Clan rarely had access to Ying Bing.
He was probably the only one who could find her.
Feng Zhi felt that Jiang Yu’s current approach was unsustainable; his methods had become increasingly extreme, and the conflict between Earth City and Human City was growing. While Jiang Yu didn’t care, she sensed a dangerous undercurrent.
With each natural disaster, the Celestial Clan’s losses were not insignificant.
She believed she should prepare a way out.
On one hand, there was Ying Bing, and on the other, there was Li Mo himself.
He had forgotten his past as agreed, which meant he might not even realize how strong his support was.
Once, Dawang Village was now called Mo City.
It was now a holy land for all sword bearers and had birthed many strong figures from Human City.
Those people were truly formidable; one named Dong Changtian even made her feel threatened.
It was hard to say that Ying Bing wasn’t behind it all.
Mo City was originally called Li Mo City, but the name was later simplified. It was easy to figure that out!
Moreover, Mo City was incredibly united.
They didn’t worship any particular Celestial Clan, yet they had an inexplicable sense of cohesion. Whenever someone presented a peculiar emblem, they would be treated as one of their own.
This was why, despite being seen as a thorn in the side by the families of Earth City, Mo City remained safe and sound.
All of this was Feng Zhi’s speculation.
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