Battle Through The Heavens : I Am The Thunder Emperor

Chapter 141: The Mysterious Cave Entrance

"The Crazy Lion Mercenary Group is about to go to war with the Mo Shan Mercenary Group?"

Hearing this news, Mo Yu was taken aback and began to stroke his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't expected that just one day later, the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group would already be causing trouble for the Mo Shan Mercenary Group. The way mercenary groups settled matters was indeed much more violent and direct than the methods used by family clans.

These two mercenary groups were of comparable strength, so it was likely that the conflict would end inconclusively. However, this issue didn't concern Mo Yu much. He didn't care who won or lost between the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group and the Mo Shan Mercenary Group.

But with the Earth Core Soul Fruit now in Mo Yu's possession, there was a chance that the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group might suspect him if they found even the slightest clue. After all, many mercenaries had seen him entering the town with Cersei and her group.

"Master, you're awake."

Qing Lin had woken up at some point and, upon seeing Mo Yu sleeping in a chair, a trace of guilt flashed across her delicate face.

"Master, you don't have to be so good to Qing Lin... Qing Lin is just a maid," the young girl stammered, touched by his kindness.

"Hehe, Qing Lin is indeed my maid, but you're my one and only maid, someone irreplaceable," Mo Yu said with a gentle smile, patting the girl on the head.

He didn't really see Qing Lin as just a maid, but since she liked calling him "Master," Mo Yu had simply gone along with it.

"Alright, fetch me some water. I'll wash up," Mo Yu instructed, intentionally sounding authoritative.

Hearing Mo Yu's order, Qing Lin responded cheerfully, her face lighting up with joy. Throughout their journey, Qing Lin had often felt useless, thinking of herself as a burden to her master. But Mo Yu's comforting words and simple command restored her spirits.

Seeing this, Mo Yu smiled wryly. There was probably no one who understood better than him how terrifying Qing Lin's potential was—rising from a Dou Zhe (Battle Practitioner) to a Dou Zun (Battle Sovereign) in less than ten years was an achievement few could rival.

"By the way... Master, last night I sensed something strange in the depths of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range," Qing Lin said hesitantly while bringing him a basin of water.

Hearing this, Mo Yu paused, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "What did you sense?"

Qing Lin's small face showed a hint of nervousness as she stammered, "I'm not sure if I sensed it correctly... but there's definitely something unusual in the northern part of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range."

"Oh? How did you sense it?" Mo Yu asked while wiping his face with a towel.

"I... I don't know. I just felt that the aura was somewhat similar to the bloodline within me, and in the presence of that aura, even Zi Huo seemed much weaker," Qing Lin whispered, sticking close to Mo Yu.

"As expected." Mo Yu's eyes gleamed with understanding. Qing Lin's intuition was likely correct. The presence she felt in the northern Myriad Beast Mountain Range was probably that of the Black Lizard Demon Serpent King.

The Black Lizard Demon Serpent King was a sixth-tier magical beast with serpent bloodlines, and Qing Lin, with her serpent blood and the power of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, would naturally be able to sense it.

"Could it be that the Black Lizard Demon Serpent King is also after the Fallen Heart Flame?" Mo Yu pondered, furrowing his brows. The Fallen Heart Flame was known to be the nemesis of cold-blooded beasts like lizards and serpents. What could the Black Lizard Demon Serpent King possibly want with it? It wasn't a Medusa capable of evolving, after all.

Shaking his head, Mo Yu decided to stop speculating. It was more important to head into the Myriad Beast Mountain Range and investigate.

After washing up, the two left the inn together.

"Today, we'll enter the northern part of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range."

The Myriad Beast Mountain Range was teeming with magical beasts and danger. Traveling alone made one more likely to be attacked by beasts, so most mercenaries would band together before entering. However, with Mo Yu's current strength and his magical beast companion, Zi Huo, he didn't need to be as cautious as when he first entered the Magic Beast Mountain Range after leaving Wutan City.

The only concern was the lizard tribe living in the northern part of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range.

As they walked out of the town gates, the forest ahead was quiet, and Mo Yu and Qing Lin moved silently.

Outside the mountain range, everything seemed peaceful. But not long after entering the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, a small-scale magical beast attack occurred, revealing the brutal reality to Qing Lin.

The attackers were three first-tier magical beasts known as Ice Centipedes. These creatures, commonly found in the outskirts of the Myriad Beast Mountain Range, had ice attributes, and their venom could freeze a person's blood within half a day, leading to death if untreated.

The Ice Centipedes launched a surprise attack on a sleeping second-tier Wind Shadow Leopard, injecting their venom into it with lightning speed. Despite the leopard's efforts, it succumbed to the venom and was eventually devoured by the centipedes.

Mo Yu and Qing Lin happened to witness this scene. After consuming the Wind Shadow Leopard, the Ice Centipedes turned their attention to Mo Yu and Qing Lin. But before they could make a move, Mo Yu struck them down with a single bolt of lightning.

Seeing this, Qing Lin's expression grew tense as she carefully followed Mo Yu. Having spent time with him, she knew just how dangerous the Myriad Beast Mountain Range was—far more perilous than the Tagore Desert.

In less than a few hundred meters, they encountered three waves of magical beast attacks. Fortunately, Mo Yu's extraordinary strength allowed him to swiftly deal with them all.

When they reached a large, dense tree, Mo Yu suddenly stopped. Qing Lin looked at him in confusion as he coldly called out, "Come out. You've been following me for a while now. Aren't you tired?"

At first, there was no response, only the sound of wind rustling through the leaves.

Seeing this, Mo Yu smirked coldly. "Fine, if that's how you want it, don't blame me for being rude!" As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying crimson lightning flame appeared in his hand. As the Vermilion Bird's Heavenly Flame manifested, a menacing aura spread through the forest.

Just as Mo Yu was about to act, several middle-aged mercenaries emerged from behind a large tree.

Seeing the lion insignia on their uniforms, Mo Yu's brows furrowed. "Members of the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group?"

Mo Yu had sensed someone following him as soon as they left the town, initially assuming it was just another mercenary group traveling the same path. But as they continued, it became clear that this group was tailing him, prompting Mo Yu to force them out after dealing with a second-tier magical beast.

He hadn't expected the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group to target him so quickly.

"Why have you been following me?" Mo Yu asked coldly, staring at the mercenaries.

The Crazy Lion mercenaries exchanged glances before their leader stepped forward and respectfully said, "Brother, our leader invites you to the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group's headquarters for a chat."

The Crazy Lion Mercenary Group had lost three leaders and dozens of men the day before, as well as a valuable treasure. All signs pointed to the Mo Shan Mercenary Group, and Mo Yu had been seen with Cersei the previous evening. Naturally, this aroused suspicion among the Crazy Lion leaders.

Initially, their orders were to forcibly bring Mo Yu in for questioning. However, after witnessing Mo Yu's deadly efficiency in dealing with magical beasts and his terrifying lightning, they had become more cautious and decided to invite him instead.

"Thanks for the invitation, but I have other matters to attend to. Goodbye," Mo Yu declined, turning to continue deeper into the mountains with Qing Lin.

Seeing this, the Crazy Lion mercenaries exchanged determined looks. They drew their weapons and, with vicious expressions, charged after Mo Yu.

These men weren't ordinary mercenaries—they were battle-hardened warriors with the scent of blood lingering on them. They had survived countless skirmishes and weren't about to let a young man best them without a fight. Even if Mo Yu had shown his strength, they knew failure meant punishment, so they chose to gamble on a desperate attack.

Sensing the murderous intent behind him, Mo Yu's lips curled into a sneer.

"You leave me no choice."

Even the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group's leader wouldn't pose a threat to Mo Yu, let alone these low-tier fighters.

Without even turning around, Mo Yu summoned the crimson lightning flames, which shot out from his body under his control, heading straight for the mercenaries.

To the mercenaries, it seemed as though a terrifying crimson lightning storm had suddenly erupted from Mo Yu, sweeping towards them like wildfire.

As the crimson lightning tore through the sky, the mercenaries felt a sudden numbness in their limbs, and a wave of dread washed over them.

In the forest, the mercenaries' vicious expressions disappeared, replaced by fear. They gasped for breath, their once murderous intent replaced by sheer terror as they stared at Mo Yu in horror.

Mo Yu didn't slow his pace. With a thought, several bolts of crimson lightning shot out, landing on the mercenaries.

"Boom!"

With a series of muffled explosions, the mercenaries were instantly reduced to charred corpses, devoid of any life.

Mo Yu's expression remained indifferent as he retracted the Vermilion Bird's Heavenly Flame into his body.

"Qing Lin, can you pinpoint the location of the strange aura you sensed last night?"

After dealing with the mercenaries, Mo Yu and Qing Lin ventured deeper into the mountains. Despite having the map provided by Liu Ye, Mo Yu was still unsure where to begin in such a vast area, so he asked Qing Lin for help.

If the Myriad Beast Flame was indeed linked to the Black Lizard Demon Serpent King, Mo Yu would need to be cautious.

Hearing Mo Yu's question, Qing Lin hesitated before nodding. "I can try, Master." She then carefully recalled the sensation from the previous night and pointed westward. "Master, it's over there."

Mo Yu's face grew serious as he looked in the direction she indicated. "Alright, stay close to me."

"Yes, Master." Qing Lin's face reflected her understanding of the gravity of the situation, but she felt safe with Mo Yu by her side.

With their auras suppressed to avoid detection, Mo Yu and Qing Lin cautiously moved westward. By the time they neared their destination, it was already afternoon.

"Master, we're here," Qing Lin said suddenly.

Mo Yu paused, scanning the flat terrain around them. "This doesn't look like a place to hide a Fallen Heart Flame..."

As he pondered, his gaze landed on a patch of overgrown grass about ten meters ahead, sensing something unusual.

Without hesitation, Mo Yu flicked his finger, sending a bolt of lightning flame into the grass, instantly setting it ablaze.

As the dry grass burned away, a massive, pitch-black underground entrance was revealed before them.

Mo Yu and Qing Lin exchanged a look of surprise before rushing forward to inspect it. The entrance was about two meters wide, pitch black, with faint wisps of heat rising from within.

Seeing the entrance, Mo Yu patted Qing Lin's head, praising her, "Good job, little one!"

Qing Lin blushed under Mo Yu's gaze, playfully winking at him.

Mo Yu smiled gently at her as they approached the dark entrance. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a moonstone, illuminating the path ahead.

Staring into the dark abyss, Mo Yu's expression grew serious. "Let's hope we find something worthwhile down there."

(End of Chapter)

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