Battle Through The Heavens : I Am The Thunder Emperor

Chapter 140: Mulan Valley, the Little Beast King

After swiftly taking care of the Wild Lion Mercenary Group, Mo Yu clapped his hands easily. Then, with a few jumps, he disappeared from the sight of the now-shocked Demon Mountain Mercenary Group.

When they saw Mo Yu again, there was a beautiful, lively little girl standing beside him.

The little girl was Qing Lin. Mo Yu hadn't brought her into the battle earlier, worried she might get caught in the crossfire. Now that the fight was over and there was no longer any danger, he immediately brought her to his side.

"Hey, are you all okay?" Approaching them, Mo Yu stood in front of the sexy woman and asked.

"We're… fine," Cersei, the woman, replied, glancing with surprise at the suddenly-appearing Qing Lin. Her beautiful eyes then swept over Mo Yu.

Growing up in a mercenary group, Cersei had been surrounded by rugged, rough men. This was the first time she had seen such a handsome and strong, mysterious young man.

Staring directly at Mo Yu, Cersei didn't show any shyness. In the Beast Mountain Range, women tended to be more open-minded. Moreover, being among mercenaries, she wasn't as bashful or reserved as some delicate noble ladies. Seeing a handsome guy didn't make her blush.

"Hello…" Cersei blinked and smiled at Mo Yu, saying, "Thank you for your help. Without you, our outcome… I'm Cersei, the leader of this team and the daughter of the leader of the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group."

"I'm Mo Yu," he replied with a nod, keeping his tone calm.

"Mo Yu?" Cersei furrowed her brow upon hearing his name. Although they lived in a small town near the Beast Mountain Range, she was still fairly knowledgeable about the affairs of the Mulan Empire.

However, she had never heard of Mo Yu before. Considering the incredible talent he had just demonstrated, he should have some reputation. After thinking it over, she still couldn't figure it out and had to shake her head.

Seeing her confusion, Mo Yu didn't bother explaining his background. If this were the Jia Ma Empire, the name "Mo Yu" would surely be known by many. But here, in the Mulan Empire, no one had heard of his exploits.

"Mr. Mo Yu, I wonder… could we have the Soul Fruit of the Earth's Heart back?" Cersei suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this, Qing Lin's eyes blinked in surprise. She had already guessed that when her young master agreed to help, he likely had his eyes on the Soul Fruit. As expected, in just a short moment, the item had already fallen into his hands.

As expected of her young master!

"Captain Cersei, I believe the Soul Fruit of the Earth's Heart was something I snatched from the Wild Lion Mercenary Group, and I also saved your lives," Mo Yu said with a slight frown, not directly answering her request.

Cersei froze for a moment and then realized that Mo Yu had no intention of returning the Soul Fruit. What he said was true—without him, not only would the Soul Fruit already be in the hands of the Wild Lion Mercenary Group, but their lives would likely have been lost as well.

"But Miss, the Soul Fruit is…" A mercenary behind Cersei spoke up, dissatisfied. They had fought hard, with everyone wounded, and even lost a couple of comrades, only for Mo Yu to swoop in and claim the prize. It was understandable that he felt upset.

Before he could finish, Cersei snapped, "Shut up! Mr. Mo Yu is our benefactor. Without him, we would be dead by now. Since he has spoken, I will give the Soul Fruit to him. No more arguments!"

Seeing Cersei's clear-headed response, Mo Yu raised an eyebrow. Being able to restrain greed and understand the situation was not something just anyone could do.

Mo Yu had already decided that if the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group insisted on taking back the Soul Fruit, he wouldn't hesitate to deal with them harshly.

After wandering the continent for so many years, he wasn't known for being merciful.

"I won't take advantage of you. According to what your comrade said, if I saved you, half of the profits from selling the Soul Fruit would be my reward. I recall that ten years ago, the Soul Fruit was worth about 900,000 gold coins. So, I'll buy it from you for half that price. Here are 350,000 gold coins, plus this low-grade spatial ring, which should make up the difference."

With that, Mo Yu handed the woman a pale red, low-grade spatial ring filled with gold coins.

Cersei, surprised, took the ring from Mo Yu's hand and looked at him in disbelief. She had thought giving the Soul Fruit to him was the most sensible decision, but she hadn't expected him to buy it with gold coins.

Even though it was only half its value, it was still a considerable sum.

The mercenaries behind her also felt their dissatisfaction fade, impressed by the young man's generosity. He casually handed over tens of thousands of gold coins without hesitation. After all, the Soul Fruit was a rare treasure, worth even millions to the right buyer.

As for why Mo Yu paid half the price for it, he had his own reasons.

His current mission in the Beast Mountain Range was to search for an unusual flame, and it was best not to stir up too much trouble. Since he had already offended the Wild Lion Mercenary Group, he didn't want to turn the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group into enemies as well. In his mind, spending money to avoid future problems was the better choice.

"Oh, by the way, Captain Cersei, do you know anything about the Little Beast King?" Mo Yu asked, recalling the last words of the leader with triangular eyes.

"You don't know the Little Beast King?" Cersei's mercenaries exchanged puzzled looks before she cautiously asked, "Mr. Mo Yu, you're not from the Mulan Empire, are you?"

Mo Yu didn't hide the truth and nodded. "I'm from the Jia Ma Empire."

"I thought so." Upon hearing his answer, Cersei finally understood why she had never heard of Mo Yu or any prominent family with the surname Mo. It all made sense now.

Thinking back to the words of the leader with triangular eyes, Cersei's expression became more serious. The reason she had willingly given Mo Yu the Soul Fruit was also related to the Little Beast King. After all, if the rumors were true, the Soul Fruit had already become a dangerous burden.

"Mr. Mo Yu, have you heard of Mulan Valley?" Cersei asked, blinking her long lashes cautiously.

Mo Yu nodded. Of course, he knew of Mulan Valley—it was an organization even stronger than the Yunlan Sect.

"The Little Beast King comes from Mulan Valley?" Mo Yu asked, feeling that a significant problem might soon fall on him.

"Yes, the Little Beast King is the grandson and direct disciple of one of the three elders of Mulan Valley, Elder Lion. He is also one of the designated successors of Mulan Valley's next generation. Not only is he extremely gifted and powerful, but he also wields considerable influence," Cersei explained slowly.

Upon hearing this, Mo Yu couldn't help but furrow his brow. This "Little Beast King" seemed a bit similar to Nalan Yanran of the Yunlan Sect. In the entire Jia Ma Empire, aside from when Xiao Yan angered her by breaking off their engagement, hardly anyone dared provoke Nalan Yanran.

"So, the Wild Lion Mercenary Group is connected to the Little Beast King?" Mo Yu asked again.

"Well…" Cersei frowned slightly, her red lips parting as she said, "Rumor has it that the leader of the Wild Lion Mercenary Group, Elder Lion, and the Little Beast King seem to come from the same family, but the exact relationship is unclear."

Upon hearing this, the joy Mo Yu had felt from obtaining the Soul Fruit of the Earth's Heart diminished. Although he had gained a treasure, he might have unknowingly offended a potential formidable enemy. It was hard to tell if this had been a gain or a loss.

The Little Beast King himself might not be terrifying, but the Mulan Valley behind him was a colossal force. For Mo Yu in his current state, Mulan Valley was a towering threat.

It was important to note that the combined strength of the three elders of Mulan Valley was comparable to that of a Dou Zong-level expert. To them, crushing the current Mo Yu would be as easy as squashing an ant.

"Mr. Mo Yu, the Wild Lion Mercenary Group holds considerable power in the Beast Mountain Range, more so than our Demon Mountain Mercenary Group. If they find out that you took the Soul Fruit, things might not go well for you. Besides, this matter involves the Little Beast King. I suggest you return to the Jia Ma Empire," Cersei advised from the side.

Though she didn't know Mo Yu's status or influence in the Jia Ma Empire, this was the Mulan Empire, where no one could stand against the authority of Mulan Valley.

Mo Yu frowned at her words. He was still searching for the Heavenly Flame in the Beast Mountain Range, and the thought of returning empty-handed didn't sit well with him. Besides, by the time the Wild Lion Mercenary Group tracked him down, he might have already consumed the Heavenly Flame and returned to the Jia Ma Empire.

Staying in the Beast Mountain Range still seemed worthwhile to him.

"Heh, thank you for your concern, Miss Cersei, but I have some other matters to attend to in the Beast Mountain Range," Mo Yu said, shaking his head.

"In that case, Lannister Town is not far from here, and it's getting dark. Why don't you and your maid come with us to rest for the night?" Cersei suggested with a light smile. "Also, from now on, just call me Cersei. You saved our lives, so you are forever a friend of the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group."

"Then I'll take you up on your offer. Feel free to call me by my name," Mo Yu replied after glancing at the darkening sky, not rejecting Cersei's suggestion.

Lannister Town wasn't far from the northern part of the Beast Mountain Range, so it would be a good place to rest for the night.

On the way to Lannister Town, Cersei subtly tried to gather information about Mo Yu by asking Qing Lin questions. However, despite her young age, Qing Lin was very clever and skillfully dodged Cersei's inquiries each time. Cersei could only look at her with mild frustration.

As they chatted along the way, the outline of a small town located on the outskirts of the northern part of the Beast Mountain Range gradually came into view.

Looking at Lannister Town in the distance, Cersei and her group let out a sigh of relief. Mo Yu and Qing Lin, too, couldn't help but show a bit of a smile on their faces.

After walking in the mountains for more than ten days, both of them were quite tired. Now that they had a place to rest, they were naturally pleased.

Amid the cheerful atmosphere, Mo Yu and the group arrived at the town gate and entered.

The town in the mountains was much rougher and more chaotic compared to cities in the empire, with bloodthirsty mercenaries roaming the streets.

However, Cersei and her group clearly had a high status in the town, as many greeted her enthusiastically. As for Mo Yu, when people saw him walking close to Cersei, many mistook him for a "pretty boy," which earned him several hostile glares. Qing Lin couldn't help but giggle at this.

After entering the town, Mo Yu followed Cersei and her group as they made their way to the southern part of the town. After turning down a few streets, they arrived at a courtyard that was almost as large as the Xiao family's compound in Wutan City.

A banner fluttered above the courtyard, with the words "Demon Mountain Mercenary Group" written on it, exuding an air of dominance.

"In Lannister Town, our Demon Mountain Mercenary Group ranks in the top three. Only the Wild Lion Mercenary Group is stronger than us," Cersei said with a smile, a hint of pride in her expression.

Mo Yu looked at the imposing mercenaries inside the courtyard and nodded in agreement. Compared to the mercenary groups in Qingshan Town, the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group was indeed a powerful force.

"Now that we've arrived in town, I think we should part ways here," Mo Yu said to Cersei with a light smile.

"Uh, aren't you going to rest with us at the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group? If my father knew you saved us, he would surely want to thank you," Cersei asked, surprised.

"Heh, that's not necessary. I'll find an inn to rest for the night. I have some matters to attend to tomorrow and will be leaving town then," Mo Yu replied, shaking his head slightly. After saying goodbye, he took Qing Lin and walked down a nearby street.

Watching Mo Yu leave, Cersei frowned. Her female intuition told her that Mo Yu didn't trust the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group.

In fact, she was right. Once Mo Yu learned that the Soul Fruit involved the Little Beast King and Mulan Valley, he became much more cautious.

Although he had saved several members of the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group, betrayals and backstabbing were common in the Dou Qi Continent. Mo Yu wasn't about to risk bringing Qing Lin into their main base.

After walking with Qing Lin down the street for a while, Mo Yu looked at the darkening sky and randomly picked an inn at the end of the street. He rented a room and went inside.

Worried that Qing Lin might run into danger in the chaotic town, Mo Yu only booked one room. He instructed Qing Lin to go to the bedroom, while he settled down in the living room, leaning back in a chair to sleep.

Once everything was arranged, Mo Yu, exhausted from the day's events, didn't immediately start consuming the Soul Fruit. Instead, as he lay back on the somewhat hard chair, sleep quickly overtook him.

The next morning, as Mo Yu slowly opened his eyes, the loud commotion outside the inn sharpened his senses.

As he listened to the chatter, his expression grew serious.

"Have you heard? Yesterday, three leaders and dozens of mercenaries from the Wild Lion Mercenary Group were killed. It's rumored the Demon Mountain Mercenary Group was behind it, and the two groups are about to go to war!"

(End of chapter)

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