Chapter 153: A Fucked-Up Life

“The emissary of the Heavenly Saint Palace truly has discerning eyes to see through this young lady’s background at a single glance. I remember the Matriarch once telling me that the Heavenly Saint Palace represents the ultimate power of the warrior-clan mankind, and those words are indeed not false. However, the Matriarch failed to tell me that the Heavenly Saint Palace takes pride in being arrogant and despotic. Seeing you today has truly broadened my horizons.” Hu Baimei laughed until her shoulders trembled, and had not the minds of those present been exceptionally resolute and their concentration extremely strong, they would have long since been charmed by her.

Wang Xu’s weathered face inevitably changed color, and with a cold snort, he said, “Such a mere little fox has truly boundless audacity. Have you forgotten the ancient vow of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan? The Nine-Tailed Fox clan is forbidden from setting foot in the human world; otherwise, you shall be handed over to the Heavenly Saint Palace for disposal. Today, since you have walked right into a trap, this old man shall capture you, which can be considered a good deed.”

As Wang Xu spoke, the surrounding space began to ripple. Hu Mo’s expression shifted, and just as he was about to speak, he heard Hu Baimei let out a clear laugh tinged with a hint of disdain.

“I say, Lord Emissary of the Heavenly Saint Palace, you ought to figure out the situation before you make a move. You are correct in saying that if our Nine-Tailed Fox clan enters the human world, we shall be dealt with by your Heavenly Saint Palace. However, you seem to forget that there is an exception: if we Nine-Tailed Foxes willingly surrender our life-souls and acknowledge a human as our master, we are permitted to exist in the human world. Not just us, aren’t all high-level battle-beasts the same? There is also the aura of a battle-beast upon your person; presumably, the rank of your battle-beast is not low either.” Hu Baimei fixed her gaze upon Wang Xu, her beautiful eyes resembling two exquisite blue sapphires, looking exceptionally gorgeous under the illumination of the firelight.

A full moon hung aslant in the pure black firmament, illuminating this military drill ground. Countless torches had been ignited within the grounds, turning the night as bright as day.

Wang Xu’s gaze landed instantly upon Hu Yihu, and he inwardly sighed, “To be able to subdue a Nine-Tailed Fox, and moreover a peak seventh-rank Nine-Tailed Fox, the God of War of Heavenly Fire is truly no ordinary person.”

Hu Mo, on the other hand, felt a splitting headache. He had specifically sent a voice transmission to Hu Baimei instructing her not to emerge from her tent, yet despite his repeated admonitions and warnings, she had still run out. Right now, Hu Mo could only adapt to the circumstances and try his best to keep things from getting any worse.

Seeing the look in Wang Xu’s eyes at this moment, Hu Baimei immediately felt a myriad of displeasures rising within her heart. She let out a soft huff and cried out loudly, “Hey, why are you staring at that old man? My master is not that old fogey, so don’t go having wild thoughts.”

Hu Baimei’s words exploded in the minds of everyone present. In that instant, save for Hu Yihu, every pair of eyes locked onto Hu Mo, giving him the immediate sensation of having his clothes stripped away.

“This… this, why is everyone staring at me like that?” Hu Mo could not help feeling somewhat nervous, inwardly cursing Hu Baimei. He had told her to be careful and say nothing, yet she had purposely spoken up. With things turning out this way, he had no idea what kind of trouble would ensue hereafter.

Witnessing Hu Mo’s somewhat awkward appearance, Hu Baimei was exceedingly pleased. She seemed entirely willing to be branded with the label of “belonging to Hu Mo,” and as for any other matters, she could not be bothered to care.

“Haha, the younger generation is truly formidable. Who would have thought General Hu possessed such capability? First the current dynasty’s princess, and now an additional battle-beast princess. If this old man were a few decades younger, I am afraid I would feel a sense of envy. Compared to you, that foolish boy of mine falls far short, haha...” Duanmu Shenxu said with a hearty laugh, his gaze falling upon Hu Yihu, the amusement in his eyes deepening.

Hu Yihu’s expression was indeed very unsightly. He was a man of stubborn temperament; once his mind was made up on a matter, it was difficult to change. He had always worn colored glasses when viewing the battle-beast clan, especially when he thought of the ambiguous relationship between Hu Mo and Hu Baimei, causing his anger to involuntarily flare up—a point that could simply not be altered.

“Shenxu, now is not the time for idle chatter. Little lass, was it you who controlled that divine array just now?” Wang Xu asked in a low voice, radiating the dignified aura of a Saint.

Hu Baimei remained smiling with utter nonchalance. She nodded and said casually, “A mere little array, and you call it a divine array? Esteemed Upper Emissary of the Heavenly Saint Palace, could it be that you are just as lacking in discernment as that withered old stick of wood?”

Hu Baimei’s gaze swept past Dilongzi, a trace of unmistakable disgust radiating from her eyes.

Wang Xu furrowed his brow slightly and said in a deep voice, “Combat power transforming into stars, the physical form remaining invincible—if this is not a divine array, then what is?”

“Haha, who told you the physical form is invincible? If that were truly the case, wouldn’t our Nine-Tailed Fox clan have long since dominated the entire continent of warfare, leaving no place for your Heavenly Saint Palace? This young lady was merely using her own combat power to protect their physical bodies; what is there to make such a fuss about? If you battle-saints were to do it, it would probably be even smoother. Please, you are all knowledgeable humans; don’t make a humble battle-beast like me look down on you, alright?” Hu Baimei put on a helpless expression, sighing and lamenting in a way that brought a smile to everyone’s lips.

Hu Yihu’s previously rigid face instantly relaxed. He suddenly realized that Hu Baimei wasn’t as detestable as all that; at the very least, her words had made him feel immensely vindicated. However, there was also something that troubled him—this Hu Baimei had promised not to intervene, yet she had suddenly meddled now, which explained why the Twelve Fire Soul Generals had all sustained heavy injuries.

Wang Xu was left speechless, and Duanmu Shenxu was equally at a loss for words. As for Dilongzi, he slowly retreated backward, his intuition telling him that murderous intent was afoot!

“Dilongzi, go die for this old man!” Wang Xu roared, unleashing a palm strike directly toward Dilongzi. His temper had built up to the absolute extreme, and now, being poked and provoked by Hu Baimei like this, who could possibly endure it?

Not only did Dilongzi avoid dodging, but he let out a strange laugh instead, shouting triumphantly, “Wang Xu, Duanmu Shenxu, Zhu Wannian, I don’t have time to play with you lot. I bestow this physical vessel upon you!”

As soon as Dilongzi finished speaking, his body abruptly exploded, and a wave of foul stench instantly permeated the air. During the explosion, his physical form plunged into the depths of the earth, fleeing away at terrifying speed.

Zhu Wannian remained utterly silent, his gaze sweeping across the area, instantly incinerating the black flesh produced by the explosion into nothingness with a dark red flame. His expression unchanging, Zhu Wannian said coldly, “Earth Demon avatar disintegration. It seems this fellow had already swapped bodies before being sealed. Now that he has used the Blood Escape technique, he is likely already a thousand miles away.”

“Dammit! This fellow is truly just as the rumors say. The Twelve Corpses of the Earth Demon—so this was their purpose!” Duanmu Shenxu gnashed his teeth in hatred. He was a man who cared deeply about his pride; just moments ago, when he had stepped in to seal Dilongzi, he had acted with such leisurely ease and utter confidence. Yet now, Dilongzi had broken free right from under his seal, which was a colossal humiliation to him.

“Forget it, Shenxu, since he has escaped, let him escape. Hehe, this old man has already engraved the Soul-Linking Dharma Seal upon his soul; unless his soul is utterly scattered, his whereabouts will inevitably remain in the grasp of my Heavenly Saint Palace. Even if he possesses dozens of lives, what of it? We shall simply exterminate them one by one!” Wang Xu said with supreme arrogance, feeling nothing but contempt for Dilongzi in his heart.

Zhu Wannian chuckled coldly to himself, “If it were truly that simple, wouldn’t that Dilongzi have died a thousand times over already? Simply laughable to the extreme!” He thought this to himself without uttering another word, quite happy to watch the Heavenly Saint Palace take a blow to its prestige.

Wang Xu let out a cold snort, turned his gaze back to Hu Baimei, and said in a heavy tone, “Little fox, since you have already acknowledged a master, you must live peacefully and obediently in the human world. If you commit any atrocities or bring harm to the world, my Heavenly Saint Palace will exercise the right of slaughter to wipe you from this world, and your master shall likewise suffer the most severe punishment. I hope you will conduct yourself accordingly!”

Hu Baimei did not speak; she merely nodded gently, pulling affectionately on Hu Mo’s arm with an innocent expression that made it impossible for anyone to associate this young girl with the supreme ruler of the battle-beasts, the Nine-Tailed Fox, if not for her exposed identity.

Wang Xu gave another cold huff, turned his head away, cupped his fists toward Hu Yihu, and drew a jade bottle from his robes, extending it forward as he said, “Marshal Hu, the disturbance today was entirely unintentional, and I hope the Marshal can be understanding. This is a Thousand-Origin Pill, capable of increasing a thousand days of combat power, serving as this old man’s apology. General Weilong possesses extraordinary natural talent, which truly fills this old man with envy. If there is an opportunity, I invite the General to visit the Heavenly Saint Palace. The Heavenly Saint Palace has always cherished talent and will certainly not treat him unfairly. I ask the Marshal and the General to consider this. I still have matters to attend to and will not linger further. Farewell!”

Hu Yihu was somewhat surprised. He had indeed heard of the reputation of the Thousand-Origin Pill, and Wang Xu’s willingness to use it to broker a peace was somewhat beyond his expectations. He accepted the pill, cupped his fists in return, and said, “Then many thanks to the Upper Emissary. If Mo’er wishes to go, I will naturally give him my full support. If the Upper Emissary has any instructions, feel free to seek me out; within this Flame City, there are not many things this Marshal cannot accomplish.”

“Very well, then I must trouble the Marshal. If the opportunity arises, we shall certainly share wine and make merry. Farewell!” Wang Xu flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Duanmu Shenxu’s expression shifted slightly. He cupped his fists and immediately departed as well. Before he had taken more than a few steps, Zhu Wannian let out a light chuckle and said indifferently, “Old Ghost Duanmu, if you continue on this path, the ten-thousand-year friendship between our two nations will develop fractures. I hope you will mind your own actions.”

Duanmu Shenxu halted his steps, smiled faintly, and said, “Valley Master Zhu exaggerates. Sacred Wood and Heavenly Fire have always been as close as brothers; how could any fractures appear? Alas, this old man originally hoped that the friendship between our two countries would shine even brighter, but who could have known it was merely wishful thinking? I believe Valley Master Zhu understands my intentions; the Sacred Wood Empire has always strived to maintain friendly relations!”

Having delivered these words, Duanmu Shenxu smiled faintly and turned away. Zhu Wannian’s brows instantly locked into a tight frown. Casting a deeply meaningful glance at Hu Mo, he said, “Little fellow, you are quite remarkable, but walking your path well in the future will be difficult indeed!”

Duanmu Shenxu let out a long sigh, patted Hu Mo on the shoulder, and without paying heed to Hu Yihu’s disdainful gaze, turned and strode out the door.

Feeling the weight of those words behind the pat, Hu Mo could not help letting out a sigh, the figure of Cang Ling suddenly flashing through his mind.

“Sigh, when will all of this ever end? This damn life is truly annoying as hell!” Hu Mo actually found himself missing Cang Ling quite a bit.