Chapter 155: Initial Comprehension

Upon hearing this, Hu Mo instantly furrowed his brow, gazed solemnly at Elder Zhang, and said in a low voice, "Elder Zhang, brief me on the specifics."

Elder Zhang nodded and replied, "Over the past few days, this subordinate has intensified our investigations into the various noble houses. Gathering information from all sides and analyzing the state of the entire empire as a whole, we have uncovered numerous clues. According to reliable intelligence, the Xu family, the Situ family, the Huang family, and several other affiliated clans have begun transferring their family assets outside of Flame City. Although the transfers are conducted with the utmost secrecy, under the surveillance of our underground networks, such movements cannot be hidden. Furthermore, a confidential report from the Crimson Blood Gang reveals that Huang Kun of the Huang family has been in secret contact with the Heavenly Earth Sect. Judging by Huang Kun's attitude, the relationship between the Huang family and the Heavenly Earth Sect is far from ordinary. Several commandery princes are also growing restless, seemingly tipped off by some rumors, and the border is currently unstable, presenting a worrying situation."

"The Huang family, the Heavenly Earth Sect... So that's how it is. It turns out the ones who struck last time were from the Heavenly Earth Sect; no wonder they were able to shatter the Soul-Proving Realm. Yet, this is truly bizarre. Why are all targets pointing toward Flame City? Could there be some secret here unknown to me?" Hu Mo pondered inwardly, while the elder and a few other old men stood quietly to the side, awaiting Hu Mo's decision.

"Elder Zhang, this matter is of grave importance. I will inform my grandfather as soon as possible so he can make preparations for the worst. Go back and dispatch people to contact all of our family's allies, urging them to heighten their vigilance. The current situation is murky and bewildering; if we continue to sit passively and await our fate, we will likely lose many favorable opportunities. Elder Zhang, please send out more men to closely monitor the families colluding with foreign nations, and make sure to find solid evidence of their collusion. Also, be extremely cautious during surveillance and leave no traces. Too many powerhouses are concentrated in Flame City right now; if our whereabouts are exposed, the Hu family will be in extreme peril," Hu Mo said in a heavy tone, a sense of apprehension stirring in his heart.

Elder Zhang nodded and departed. Admittedly, Hu Mo was currently suffering from a splitting headache. The crushing weight resting upon his shoulders was enough to bend his spine.

He walked over to the rattan chair in the courtyard, stretched out relaxedly under the shade of the tree, and enjoyed this fleeting moment of tranquility. The Five Great Sects, the Heavenly Saint Palace, the various noble houses, and the countless explicit and hidden threads—Hu Mo found it all utterly overwhelming. Closing his eyes for a brief nap, his mind raced with a thousand thoughts. He recalled his life before his past life—how carefree and unrestrained it had been, sipping fine wine and flirting with girls, how free and easy. Then he thought of his previous life; although he had only been a menial servant, there were not so many vexing troubles. As long as he attended to his daily duties, everything naturally fell into place. But now, ever since his rebirth, he had dreamed of striding forward mightily in this lifetime. Who would have thought that while the dream sounded wonderful, its realization would be so agonizing? Merely thinking about those individuals who sought to harm him left Hu Mo's mind in complete turmoil.

Gradually, his consciousness sank deep into his body, circulating among the Three Treasures. Gazing at these three sacred artifacts, Hu Mo's heart was filled with endless doubts. What on earth were they? Why had they chosen him? Aside from bestowing formidable power upon him, what else could they bring?

Thus far, everything had been unfolding in a haze, as if following a pre-written script. Even without Hu Mo touching them, events progressed silently in this manner. Just like the Lingbo Tactics, and just like the Five Elements Metamorphosis—to this day, he could not fully comprehend them. It was as if a giant hand were leading him by the hand, guiding him into a treasure-filled hall and stuffing every single artifact into his grasp.

Hu Mo opened his eyes and swept his gaze outward. The nearby trees, flowers, and plants immediately began to grow continuously. With a single thought, an area within a radius of ten zhang centered upon him was instantly blanketed in ice and snow, so cold that even the scorching sunlight could not melt a single fraction of it. Then, with a calm smile, a sheet of black flames spread across the ice. The ice melted into water, nourishing the vegetation, and the wood-attribute battle energy in the air surged rapidly. As the wood-attribute battle energy rose, the previously dim and weak Chaotic Fire suddenly flared up violently. Had Hu Mo not intentionally suppressed it, the entire courtyard would have been scorched to ashes by the raging flames.

"So that's how it is. The first four layers of the Lingbo Tactics are interconnected with the Five Elements Metamorphosis in this way," Hu Mo muttered to himself, a glimmer of enlightenment dawning in his heart. However, this was merely a glimmer; truly integrating them and unleashing their full might would require a prolonged period of study.

Just as he was pondering, a sudden explosion echoed from not far away, instantly snapping Hu Mo back to reality. With a flick of his thought, Hu Mo immediately sensed the disturbance, furrowed his brow, and flew toward the source.

By the pond of the Hu Residence, Uncle Fu had disheveled hair and was frantically pounding the ground. The earth within a radius of over a dozen zhang centered on him cracked open with enormous fissures. The sharp and overbearing nature of gold-attribute battle energy was displayed without the slightest reservation.

Hu Yuhu stood in a pavilion not far away, his face etched with intense guilt. He seemed to want to stop him, but the hand he raised slowly lowered, sorrow clearly written all over him.

"Grandfather, what happened? Uncle Fu, he..."

"Alas... His battle energy has spiraled out of control, and he is merely venting," Hu Yuhu sighed softly, speaking with profound heartache.

"Ah? Then why didn't you stop him!" Hu Mo's expression changed, and he prepared to rush forward to intervene.

Hu Yuhu grabbed him by the arm, sighed lightly, and said, "Forget it, let him vent for a while. His pain has been bottled up inside his heart for far, far too long. If he doesn't release it, it will be extremely detrimental to his future cultivation. Overcoming inner demons is the hardest part of the battle king stage, yet Ah Fu's inner demon is so formidable. Alas, I still haven't been able to fulfill the promise I made to him back then; I am so useless!"

Hu Yuhu let out a long sigh—a sigh that genuinely came from the depths of his soul, brimming with helplessness and sorrow.

Hu Mo took a step forward, shook his head, and said, "Grandfather, you shouldn't blame yourself for this. After all, the strength of Jin Haonan and the others is simply too great, and you didn't have an opportunity to make a move back then, otherwise Uncle Fu wouldn't have suffered like this."

"Sigh, I never expected that you would also find out about this," Hu Yuhu shook his head and sat down. His consciousness remained locked onto Uncle Fu, while his gaze fell upon Hu Mo as he earnestly said, "Mo'er, if your grandfather hadn't captured your Uncle Fu back then, his entire family wouldn't have been slaughtered by Jin Haonan. The root cause of all this lies with me, yet I am powerless to exact this vengeance. This is the greatest heartache of my entire life, Hu Yuhu!"

Hu Yuhu sighed once more, seeming to age significantly all at once. Uncle Fu had followed him for so many years and rendered meritorious service time and again. Yet, he was helpless to dissolve Uncle Fu's inner demon; the agony of this situation went without saying.

"Perhaps I have a way to avenge Uncle Fu, though it will just take some time," Hu Mo mused for a long while before speaking softly.

Hu Yuhu's eyes lit up, but after glancing at Hu Mo, they dimmed again as he smiled bitterly, "Mo'er, stop trying to comfort me. Are you really relying on your seventy-one subordinates? Their strength would find it exceedingly difficult even to contend with the old man's Twelve Fire Soul Generals, let alone deal with Jin Haonan and the others. If you truly wish to avenge Uncle Fu, focus on cultivating diligently. Once your cultivation reaches the Battle Saint realm or above, slaying those three will be as easy as slaughtering chickens and dogs. But as for now... alas, we can only leave it to fate."

"No, Grandfather, sometimes killing people doesn't necessarily rely solely on might. Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against. If we can secretly scheme them to death, why must we be so obsessed with fighting fairly and honorably?" Hu Mo said with a smile, a trace of cunning gleaming in his eyes.

Hu Yuhu immediately grew interested, hurriedly laughing, "You little rascal, did you come up with some shady, vicious scheme again? Spill it and let your grandfather hear. Oh, wait a second first—Ah Fu is losing control again, I need to help him."

As Hu Yuhu spoke, a crimson light flashed between his brows, and a stream of light flew out from his body, transforming into a massive battle soul avatar. The battle soul avatar took a single step and appeared beside Uncle Fu, pressing one hand through the void onto his crown. Before long, Uncle Fu completely calmed down.

Hu Mo narrowed his eyes, the Three Treasures revolving within him, and his gaze instantly grew much sharper. He looked at Hu Yuhu and smiled slightly, "Congratulations, Grandfather, on your cultivation making a great leap forward. I'm afraid you will be stepping into the fourth-grade Battle Emperor realm before long."

Hu Yuhu lowered his hand, looked at Hu Mo with a smiling expression, and remarked with deep emotion, "Mo'er, this is probably also some divine ability of your sect—being able to see through the battle energy tier of a higher-grade cultivator at a single glance. It might actually have some effect if used to scare people in times of danger."

Indeed, if Hu Mo encountered an enemy whose cultivation far exceeded his own and suddenly shouted out their cultivation rank, it truly could achieve an unexpected surprise effect.

"Grandfather, please don't make fun of me. On the other hand, with your breakthrough in cultivation, your strength will steadily rise from here on out. Once Grandfather ascends to the Battle Saint realm, won't our Hu family also become a colossal hegemon?" Hu Mo said cheekily, his words causing Hu Yuhu to shake his head repeatedly.

"Keep flattering me, you little brat, but your grandfather isn't going to give you any rewards anyway. Don't waste time; the border has been quite restless lately, and I need to go have a look tomorrow morning. During that time, I probably won't be able to help you with matters inside Flame City. Don't be too anxious either. If you encounter something you can't resolve, let the Divine Machine Hall make the decisions for you. If worst comes to worst, go find Prince Rong and Prince Yong; they are both good friends of your grandfather and certainly won't turn you away." Hu Yuhu looked at Hu Mo with paternal affection, though his words were blunt, his heart was filled with profound worry, terrified lest Hu Mo run into any trouble.

Hu Mo nodded, suddenly recalling what Elder Zhang had said earlier. He had originally intended to tell Hu Yuhu and ask him for countermeasures, but after hearing Hu Yuhu's words, he instantly changed his mind. He decided to resolve this matter himself, which could also serve to put a little pressure on himself and truly ignite his drive.

"Alright, Grandfather, I know. I won't let you down, and I will definitely make you proud. Let me tell you about my plan first. You should remember the falling out between the Ice Wave Sect and the Gold Soul Palace last time, and you also know that your grandson orchestrated the whole thing single-handedly. Since a rift has already formed between them, isn't the best solution right in front of us? Pouring some oil on the fire when dealing with enemies is only human nature, after all," Hu Mo chuckled mischievously, a smile that sent shivers down Hu Yuhu's spine.

Hu Yuhu couldn't help sighing inwardly: "The world calls me an old fox, yet who could have expected that a little fox would grow up even faster!"