Chapter 232: Big Screw-Up (Guaranteed Second Chapter)

Captain Hu frowned, and just then, she felt a hand suddenly tap her shoulder.

Who?!

Captain Hu, whose mind had been sharply focused, instantly flinched, her pupils contracting as she whipped her head around.

The next moment, she saw a head.

A head floating in midair.

The face on the head was that of an extremely cute girl.

The face opened and closed its lips, producing a voice.

It was the last sound Captain Hu ever heard in her life.

"Hide-and-seek, fun?"

The head suddenly exploded, turning into black mist that engulfed Captain Hu.

Before she could even react, Captain Hu was swallowed by the black mist.

When the black mist cleared, Captain Hu lay on the ground, eyes wide open, utterly lifeless.

Almost at the same moment the black mist vanished, a semi-transparent barrier high above Mo Cun flickered briefly into view, faint luminescent light tracing along its patterns before quickly vanishing into the night sky.

"... Your Royal Highness should not have intervened."

"Why? She bothered me, so I killed her. That's all."

"... The array will react."

Hei Da stepped out from the shadows, glanced at the body on the ground, and sighed.

"... Let's go. The Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant is in our hands. My Messenger Group's mission is complete. We're returning to Wu Yu Clan."

"No, I want to kill that guy right now! I don't know why, but there's always a voice in my head telling me I must kill him!"

Hei Da knew exactly who Ma Ling'er'er wanted to kill—and he knew why.

Wu Ji's aftereffects were controlling Ma Ling'er'er's thoughts!

Killing Fang Yue wasn't a big deal, but if they caused more commotion and triggered the full array, they'd die here.

"... Go. Return to the clan, send more people, then come back to kill him."

"No, I want to do it now..."

"Go!"

Hei Da's tone grew harsher; having gradually confirmed Ma Ling'er'er was only a collateral royal bloodline, he was no longer as cautious as before.

At the auction, Ma Ling'er'er had bid against Fang Yue—such attention-grabbing acts were the last thing they could afford now.

So after she bid, he immediately restrained her.

The Soul-Hosting Jade Pendant was the ultimate goal of this mission; no matter how conspicuous or costly, it had to be obtained—even if it meant killing to seize the treasure.

Now that the mission was complete, and with this unexpected collateral royal bloodline appearing, Hei Da felt they must return to the clan as soon as possible.

Forcibly dragging Ma Ling'er'er to the wall, he leapt upward, about to clear it...

Boom!!

In midair, luminescent patterns suddenly exploded.

The light surged along the ancient array's runes, spreading outward like a dazzling firework.

In that instant, nearly everyone looked up, staring at the exploding "firework," faces filled with shock.

But the most stunned was Hei Da.

Blocked by the array, he and Ma Ling'er'er tumbled back to the ground.

He stared at the luminescent array patterns exploding above the wall, and the massive disturbance they'd caused.

Hei Da's face darkened.

"... Go!"

"What happened?"

"... The array activated."

Boom!!

The dazzling luminescent explosion at the wall instantly caught Fang Yue's attention.

What's going on?

He looked up in bewilderment out the window, utterly confused.

But soon, he noticed Lang Fu had descended into chaos, filled with all manner of commotion.

Fang Yue sighed, closed the Flame Heart Method manuscript, and stepped outside.

After parting with Wei Liang, he'd returned obediently to the mansion and spent all his time studying the Flame Heart Method manuscript, paying no attention to anything else.

Now something had suddenly happened outside.

As Fang Yue stepped out of his room, he happened to see Lang Mo, the third young master of the Lang family, hurrying past.

"Young Master Lang, what's going on outside?"

Lang Mo glanced at Fang Yue, glared at him, and ignored him.

Fang Yue followed behind him, prompting Lang Mo to suddenly stop, turn, and roar: "What's it to you? You're an outsider—go back to your room! If something serious happens, do you think Lang Fu can't protect you?"

Fang Yue shrugged at this.

Fine. Since I'm not welcome, I'll go back to my room and keep studying the Heart Method—perfect, I was almost done reading the manuscript anyway.

Back in his room, Fang Yue reopened the Flame Heart Method manuscript.

"Name: Flame Heart Method."

"Rank: Postnatal Top Tier."

"Layer: First Layer."

"Restriction: 50 points of Control Power."

"Description: During cultivation, it consumes a massive amount of lifespan. Igniting lifespan, it burns the body in flames, incinerating the heart to forge the body, naturally forming the Heart Method."

"Effect: Increases Control Power by 30 points. While in 【Self-Immolation】 state, damage increases."

"Note: Exclusive Heart Method for Longevity Races—if you've got the guts, come try!"

Massive consumption of lifespan…

Fang Yue's heart skipped a beat; he felt a creeping unease.

But he had no choice now—he'd practice it for now, and if it drained too much lifespan, he could always switch to another Heart Method after breaking through his realm.

Besides, at first glance, the Fire Heart Method seemed even worse than the Starfire Heart Method.

After all, the fully leveled Starfire Heart Method's stats were…

"Name: Starfire Heart Method."

"Rank: Postnatal Third-rate."

"Restriction: 20 points Control Power, 30 points Discharge Power."

"Description: Using the Human Soul as a guide, it draws in the qi of heaven and earth to temper the body—this is the Starfire Heart Method."

"Effect: While active, increases Control Power by 30 points and Discharge Power by 30 points, boosting the power of Starfire Blade Technique."

"Note: A trash Heart Method that wouldn't last even a few lifetimes."

But the Starfire Heart Method was already fully leveled.

The Fire Heart Method was only at First Layer.

When he first learned the Starfire Heart Method, it only added five total stats—nothing compared to the Fire Heart Method.

Also, the learning requirements for the Fire Heart Method were extreme: no Discharge Power requirement at all, only demanding a staggering 50 points of Control Power!

No wonder it was the exclusive Heart Method of the Flame Sect, capable of directly reaching Postnatal First-rate Realm—its demands were indeed high.

Ignoring the chaotic noises outside, Fang Yue finished reading the final section of the Fire Heart Method scroll, and the system prompt sounded.

"System Prompt: Would you like to learn 【Fire Heart Method】?"

"Yes!"

The next instant, the Fire Heart Method scroll dissolved into white light and vanished.

"System Prompt: Congratulations, you have learned 【Fire Heart Method】."

Perfect! Finally learned it!

Now, for the upcoming Postnatal Second-rate or even First-rate Realm breakthroughs, I can use 【Fire Heart Method】 directly—no need to search elsewhere for a Heart Method.

He pulled up his stats.

"Name: Yese Liming."

"Realm: Postnatal Third-rate."

"Status: Ghost Curse 【Back of Hand】."

"HP: 200/200."

"Inner Power: 300/300."

"Control Power: 120 【Base: 100 / Reached Realm Limit】 【Status/Bonus: +20】."

"Discharge Power: 120 【Base: 100 / Reached Realm Limit】 【Status/Bonus: +20】."

"Realm Breakthrough Progress: 0.1%."

"Talent: Night's Breath 【Human-grade Superior】."

"Skills: Analysis Pupil 【Human-grade Inferior】, Starfire Blade Technique Level 1 【Postnatal Third-rate】, Water-Sky Blade Technique Level 1 【Common Martial Arts】, Fire Heart Method 【Postnatal First-rate / First Layer】, Starfire Heart Method Level 3 【Postnatal Third-rate / Fully Leveled】."

"Lifespan: 2 months, 15 days."

The 【Qi Cold Corpse Poison】 inflicted by Wei Liang had long been eliminated by 【Night's Breath】, saving a detox pill—he could sell it later…

The Fire Heart Method had nine layers total.

Layers 1–3: Postnatal Third-rate Realm.

Layers 4–6: Postnatal Second-rate Realm.

Layers 7–9: Postnatal First-rate Realm.

That meant Fang Yue needed to cultivate the Fire Heart Method to Layer Four before he could break through to Postnatal Second-rate Realm!

But his inner power was still intact, his foundation solid, and since his previous Heart Method was also fire-affiliated, cultivation wouldn't take long.

Just as Fang Yue was about to settle into cultivating the Fire Heart Method, a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Fang Yue paused—he recognized the voice outside.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu hurried in.

"Ye Ge, everything outside is in chaos—why are you still stuck in here?"

Fang Yue rolled his eyes.

"This isn't Gu Yue Cun—we're on someone else's turf. We should stay quiet. Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up—what's it to us?"

"Ah, well…"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu spoke nervously: "I think Lang Fu is in total disarray—they might not even be able to save themselves."

No way…

Fang Yue felt that Mo Cun had stood for so long, protected by ancient formations—there was no way anything major could happen.

Don't let it fool you that Chief Captain Lang Wu and the others always claim anyone who wipes out Mo Cun can do so as easily as flipping their hand—when the ancient formation activates, the weirdness vanishes into smoke and ash.

As for people, each of the three Captains is Postnatal Second-rate Realm, and the Chief Captain is Postnatal First-rate Realm—among all of Mo Cun, who could be their match?

Regardless, Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu was terrified enough already, so Fang Yue could only offer a few words of comfort before following her outside.

Sure enough, in the corridor, the servants were in chaos, with figures running everywhere.

Fang Yue quickly gathered the people from Gu Yue Cun.

"Aba aba!" Niu Niu shouted loudly.

"Got it, got it, I know you've got a hundred-million project—go play by yourself."

Niu Niu waved his fists angrily: "Aba aba!"

Fang Yue ignored him. At that moment, Wei Liang sidled up, lowering his voice: "Ye Ge, something's off—what exactly happened to make them so chaotic? Wasn't Mo Cun supposed to be safe?"

How would I know…

Fang Yue shrugged, indicating he didn't know, then asked: "How's Wu Wu eating lately?"

"Uh… I've been monitoring her—she eats every day, her Control Power is already at 12 points."

Twelve points of Control Power?

That's almost matching my stats when I first entered the game—good, good, this Feeding Technique really has potential.

Fang Yue's eyes lit up as he stared at Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu, making her instinctively step back two steps and clutch her chest.

"Y-ye Ge, what are you planning?"

"Considering giving you an extra meal."

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu:!!!

Danger!!!

"Ye Ge, please don't! It's such a waste of money!"

"No problem—Lang Fu will cover the cost!"

"Still no!"

"Why not?"

"Because—I have class tomorrow!"

"Eat after you log into the game."

"Wu Wuwu! Ye Ge, please don't—I can't eat anymore, I really can't!"

"Eat it!"

"Wu Wuwu! Ye Ge is bullying me!!"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu ran off, whimpering, hiding behind Wei Liang, who sighed helplessly: "Let her rest for two days—she's been saying she's been eating nonstop, but her stat growth has slowed down."

"There's such a thing?"

Fang Yue froze.

He didn't understand the Feeding Technique well—if eating constantly actually reduced efficiency, then slowing down made sense.

"Then let her rest one day."

"Yay!!"

Tian Dan Zhi Yuan Wu cheered, and at that moment, the commotion outside suddenly calmed.

Fang Yue went outside and saw everyone rushing toward the entrance of Lang Fu.

Fang Yue looked in that direction and saw Lang Wu returning with his team.

After dismissing the servants, Lang Wu walked straight to Fang Yue—and his first words made Fang Yue's pupils contract, leaving him stunned on the spot.

"Captain Hu is dead."

Captain Hu… dead?

Coming to his senses, Fang Yue's expression darkened.

"How did he die? Where? What exactly happened?"

Lang Wu glanced at the people from Gu Yue Cun, waved them away, then took Fang Yue back to his room and shut the doors and windows.

"Captain Hu died near the southwest corner of the wall—died in a strange way, no wounds at all, yet just… dead."

Fang Yue frowned tightly; his first thought was Wei Liang.

"Could it be poisoning? Like Qi Cold Corpse Poison or something similar?"

Chief Captain Lang Wu looked at Fang Yue with a strange expression.

"How did you think of Qi Cold Corpse Poison?"

"Uh… guessed."

"... You're hiding something from me, but it doesn't matter—everyone has secrets. And Captain Hu wasn't poisoned. I did a rough examination of her body—her internal organs were all intact, with no signs of injury or poisoning. Rather than suspecting poisoning, I'm more inclined to believe Captain Hu was killed by a weirdness using a Weird Curse!"

Weird Curse!?

The first thing that flashed through Fang Yue's mind was Ma Ling'er'er—and the Wu Yu Clan!

But Fang Yue remembered that after he stormed into Mo Cun, Ma Ling'er'er vanished without a trace.

That means weirdness can't enter the village!

At least, that's what Fang Yue had believed before—could it be that weirdness has another way to enter?

After lowering his head and frowning in deep thought for a long while, Fang Yue looked up at Lang Wu.

"Chief Captain Lang Wu, why do you think it was weirdness that killed him? Mo Cun should be safe."

"Only theoretically safe. As I told you before, the ancient formation is severely damaged—Mo Cun hasn't been an impregnable fortress for a long time. Also… you must have seen the shimmering light shield bursting along the wall earlier—that was proof of weirdness striking the ancient formation and being repelled!"

So that shimmering fireworks display was because of weirdness…

That means there really is a weirdness lurking inside Mo Cun—and it's powerful.

"What's the situation with that anomaly now? Have you caught it?"

"No, I spent the morning debugging and repairing the formation, so I kept the formation running at low power to observe and study it. I was busy straight through until evening, and I never expected to run straight into the incident of the anomaly crashing into the ancient formation.

At the time, I sensed that the anomaly was striking the ancient formation from the inside, so I immediately had someone notify Lang Fu and raised the alert to the highest level, with my three children each handling the notification and controlling the situation.

But I never expected that, when I rushed to raise the formation's intensity and hurried to the scene, what I saw was... Captain Huo's corpse."

(End of Chapter)