Chapter 552
“Er Niu bought us some time, showing them that mortals can surpass the Celestial Clan. With Bing Tuozi holding the fort, they won’t act recklessly.”
Li Mo smiled, unable to help but recall Er Niu’s letter.
Dong Ao still hesitated. “But how are we supposed to take control of Tiancheng? The mortals in Rencheng support us, but getting them to rebel together...”
“I know. They’ll support whoever wins.”
Li Mo nodded and added, “So we must let them know that we’ve already won.”
“Ah? How do we do that?”
“Naturally, it’s thanks to me, the undercover agent.”
“??”
“I’ve drafted a detailed rebellion plan. Take a look and see if you have any suggestions for changes.”
“.....”
A rebellion plan? Little Li, you must have been plotting this all along, right?
Indeed.
This was a crucial part of Li Mo’s strategy.
....
On the same day the meeting concluded, Mo City sprang into action.
First, in Rencheng, all the recruits were dispatched to various villages and towns, gathering promising candidates to learn the martial arts of Mo City.
For the mortals in Rencheng, it was an honor to join the recruits, so that part was easy.
However, uniting the mortals of Rencheng against the Celestial Clan and the Earth City was unrealistic. With the impending natural disaster, even mortals with a bit of sense wouldn’t believe that Mo City could unify Tian and Rencheng before calamity struck.
Thus, the reason for Mo City’s recruitment wasn’t to incite rebellion but to prepare for the coming disaster.
Among the outstanding candidates, some might even be selected to go to Tiancheng for further training.
But the information received by the Celestial Clan was quite the opposite.
Li Mo had ‘secretly’ risked his life to leave Mo City and head to Tiancheng. This high-ranking figure in Mo City could also swagger into Earth City and Tiancheng.
Passing through Earth City, he first met with Old Li.
Old Li was aware of his plan. When he learned that Li Mo wasn’t just boasting, he nearly struck him off the family tree.
Fortunately, Little Li was quick on his feet and managed to keep his household registration intact.
He even snatched the pen away.
He warned Old Li that if he didn’t let him finish explaining the plan, he’d strike him off the family tree.
Old Li had no choice but to comply, agreeing to invite the heads of the major martial clans to gather at the Li family as Li Mo instructed.
“Alright, Dad, I’m off to Tiancheng.”
“Get lost, get lost! If you keep hanging around the house, I’m going to have a heart attack.”
“Oh, okay, I’m leaving now…”
“Hey, what about the family tree? Put it down! Get out! If you don’t leave, I’ll have you arrested and reported!”
The prodigal son returned home, and the old father’s eyes brimmed with tears, reluctant to part. It was a touching scene.
If only we could ignore Old Li’s belt and his constant lamenting about family misfortunes.
“Sigh, I don’t want to drag the family into this unless absolutely necessary.”
“But under a collapsing nest, how can there be unbroken eggs…”
Li Mo didn’t find anything wrong with that; the projection of his father seemed to share the same temperament as the real Old Li.
The earlier frantic insistence on him leaving was clearly an act.
Shaking his head, he continued on to Tiancheng.
As the Celestial Clan’s ace undercover agent left in Mo City, Little Li breezed into Tiancheng.
Even the Celestial guards, adorned with innate white auspiciousness, treated him with courtesy, personally leading the way.
“Brother, the atmosphere in Tiancheng seems a bit strange these days?”
As they strolled through the misty, jade-like palaces of Tiancheng, Li Mo casually asked.
“Shh… Brother, you don’t know.”
The Celestial guard lowered his voice, his face full of mystery:
“The Celestial Sword has returned. Po Jun, Lei Ze, Yan Tu… many of those with innate purple auspiciousness want to wield the sword and become the new emperor. Who knows when this matter will settle…”
“I see.”
Li Mo nodded.
Before he could ask more, the guard inquired:
“I’ve heard that Mo City has been rapidly growing, and there are mortals who can wield the Celestial Sword. Do you think they might also want to get their hands on it?”
“I have intelligence to report.”
Seeing Li Mo nod but not elaborate, the guard understood this wasn’t something he could pry into.
So he clasped his hands and introduced himself as Heng Guang, quickening his pace.
Before long, they arrived at the central palace of Tiancheng.
The Celestial Sword was embedded in the palace’s pillar, surrounded by a swirling miasma of blood and filth.
Po Jun and the others from the Celestial Clan were present, maintaining a subtle distance from one another, yet none dared to draw the sword.
The sword had been tainted; whoever touched it would likely be cursed, becoming a pawn for others.
Thus, they were too afraid to draw it themselves, let alone allow anyone else to do so.
“You’re back. How’s the situation in Rencheng?”
Po Jun was the first to ask.
“Thriving!”
Li Mo felt a slight tension. He noticed an elderly man with silver hair, eyes tightly shut, holding a mirror that reflected Li Mo’s image.
This meant that even though the man wasn’t looking at him, he was still on guard.
Perhaps it was some sort of verification method to assess the sincerity of his words?
Li Mo’s heart sank; it seemed the Celestial Clan was indeed on edge, not trusting him at all.
“In what specific ways?”
“Many mortals have learned the martial arts of Mo City and are clamoring to come into Rencheng to experience the Celestial Clan’s power.”
“?”
The Celestial Clan members exchanged glances, puzzled. This didn’t sound right.
They hadn’t invited anyone; how could the mortals come in?
And why was Mo City expanding its ranks of recruits?
But this wasn’t a lie, as the elder with the silver mirror didn’t indicate otherwise.
Li Mo continued, “Moreover, many villages have found notes inside the bellies of fish, wild boars, and mountain chickens, like this one.”
As he spoke, he presented the note.
Lei Ze took it, his expression darkening as he read aloud:
“The heavens have perished; the Phoenix must rise?”
“Greatly favoring mortals, the King of Mo City?”
“!!!”
The Celestial Clan members finally changed their expressions, some worried, some confused, and others dismissive, each showing different reactions.
Feng Zhi scratched her head, about to speak, but Li Mo shot her a glance.
Caught between confusion and her brother-in-law, she chose the latter and fell silent.
Yan Rong stepped forward and asked, “Where did this note come from?”
“Deliberately placed by the people of Mo City.”
Li Mo, who had proposed the plan and personally executed it, said with a serious expression, “The people of Mo City may be harboring rebellious thoughts, so I didn’t send a message but came here in person to inform you all. I hope you esteemed lords can take this seriously!”
“???”
The silver mirror remained unresponsive.
Of course.
As the instigator of the rebellion, Little Li had just exposed himself; he was in the clear!
---
**Chapter 628: Military Exercise Plan**
Friends who often rebel know that while inciting a rebellion is easy, reaching the throne is quite difficult.
Unless you’re an undercover agent.
“Mo City?”
“Yes.”
“They also want to compete for the Celestial Sword and seize the position of emperor?”
“Exactly.”
With Li Mo’s affirmative answer, the Celestial Clan members leaned back slightly.
To be honest, before this, each of them had hoped to gain Mo City’s support, as its power was indeed formidable.
They never expected that Mo City had no intention of supporting any of them; they wanted to go it alone.
“How dare they?”
“Earth City wouldn’t even dare to rebel; where would the mortals in Rencheng find the courage?”
“Hmph, I think we should stop being wary of each other and focus on suppressing Rencheng first.”
Among the Celestial Clan, regardless of who won or lost, the Celestial Sword would still belong to them.
Earth City and Rencheng were different; if they let the mortals wield the sword, would they then have to bow to the mortals?
“Right, for now, we must unite against a common enemy!”
Li Mo spoke with righteous fervor, his voice resonating.
The Celestial Clan members were moved by his conviction, exchanging glances, their expressions softening.
The elder holding the mirror scratched his head.
Something felt off.
Li Mo wasn’t even a member of the Celestial Clan; why was he the first to rally against a common enemy?
But when he glanced at the mirror again, it still showed no reaction; Li Mo’s words were all heartfelt.
Could the mirror be malfunctioning?
“Hmph, it’s not so easy to set aside past grievances; some matters still need to be settled!”
A Celestial Clan member dressed in a brocade robe with golden patterns snorted coldly.
Li Mo recognized this member; he was a powerful figure named Geng Lian, born with innate purple auspiciousness.
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