NOVEL NEXT Chapter 316: Mo Hao's Failed Show-off
"Think you can kill me? Dream on, even in another lifetime!" Mo Hao shot a frosty glare at the scar-faced cultivator. Without a moment's hesitation, he gave a direct command to his system—use Pretentious Points to ascend realm!
In the blink of an eye, forty thousand Pretentious Points were spent.
A mystic force abruptly welled up within Mo Hao's body. Almost immediately, fluctuations indicative of a cultivation base breakthrough pulsated through him!
Exactly, he had leapt directly from the Early-stage Transcendence realm to the Middle-stage Transcendence realm!
'The method of counterattack is realm elevation!' Jiang Chen mused as he observed the unfolding events.
'An advancement without any warning signs!'
'And it's a jump from an unstable Early-stage to a Middle-stage, far more challenging than progressing from the peak of Early-stage to Middle-stage.'
'Could this guy's heaven-defying trump card actually be a system?' A glint of realization flashed across Jiang Chen's eyes, reinforcing his suspicion that Mo Hao was utilizing a system.
After all, even Gu Ran, who had the ability to steal cultivation bases, required the prerequisite of killing someone to instantaneously grow stronger.
But Mo Hao's advancement seemed as if some extraordinary force had directly, and inexplicably, elevated him—catapulting him into the next minor realm!
This was entirely consistent with the traits of a 'System.'
Simultaneously, realizing that Mo Hao had already finished his ascension, Jiang Chen determined it was time to eliminate the scar-faced cultivator. This tool had outlived his usefulness; retaining him would only give Mo Hao more opportunities to grandstand and potentially deprive him of his loot.
At this moment, the scar-faced cultivator, along with a host of other cultivators, fixed their eyes on Mo Hao, whose aura had surged exponentially. Their faces were masks of disbelief.
"What!" One of them gasped, terror painting his features.
"This aura!"
"He actually broke through to the Middle-stage Transcendence realm?"
"How is this even possible, how did Mo Hao achieve it!"
Every cultivator, including the scar-faced one, was utterly stunned; their eyes seemed on the verge of bulging out of their sockets.
Indeed, Mo Hao had successfully stunned the scar-faced cultivator and the rest, making it the first time he had pulled off acting like a pretentious prick!
But would Jiang Chen let him bask in this fleeting moment of grandiosity?
'It's time to deploy my tools,' Jiang Chen thought to himself, a sly smirk appearing on his face as he activated his divine sense.
Immediately, amidst the crowd's initial awe, dissenting voices began to surface.
"Why are you all so taken aback? Don't be deceived!" someone declared.
"Exactly, that brat Mo Hao's sudden ascension has to be a sham!"
"Absolutely, no one can progress in the manner he did; it must be a trick to scare us off!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, that little runt is making a fool out of himself by attempting to scare us this way!"
One voice followed another, effectively halting the crowd's amazement and promptly altering their opinions.
Some cultivators appeared enlightened, their expressions showing that they'd seen through Mo Hao's ruse. They almost fell for his act, the conniving scoundrel!
"Mo Hao, you pathetic worm!" A scornful voice rang out. "Trying to intimidate us? How absurd!"
"You're so ignorant. Who can ascend a minor realm instantaneously in the Transcendence realm? Especially with your pitiful cultivation foundation!"
"Your supposed leap to the Middle-stage Transcendence realm is a farce, a mere illusion. Even if you want to bluff, make it somewhat credible! Doing it this way is so over-the-top, not even your own parents would believe you!"
Cultivator after cultivator now looked at Mo Hao as if he were a jesting fool, their gazes filled with derision.
'What!' Mo Hao's eyes widened, his plans having gone awry. 'They're not astounded by my power-up?'
'What sort of warped reasoning do these fools have? Accusing me of faking the moment I demonstrate my newfound strength!' He glanced sullenly at the crowd, especially at the individuals under Jiang Chen's control, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
Simultaneously, in Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness, system notifications resounded!
[Ding! You've slightly altered the plot and successfully thwarted protagonist Mo Hao's show-off attempt. Mo Hao's Heavenly Fate Value reduced by 300 points!]
[Ding! You've acquired 600 Villain Points!]
'Excellent, mission accomplished!' A smug smile appeared on Jiang Chen's face. 'Now, he's bound to take action, and it's my duty to stop him.'
"Mo Hao, you little good-for-nothing!" The scar-faced cultivator snarled, revealing his stained teeth. "Enough games. Hand over the pill and I might just spare your life!"
"You truly doubt me?" Mo Hao retorted, assessing the words.
'Heh, a bunch of ignorant fools,' he mused, preparing to unleash a devastating counter.
However, just as his eyes narrowed, poised to strike, a series of chilling, distorted laughs echoed across the landscape, spanning hundreds of miles. The voice was imbued with immense power, "Hehehehe! I never expected to find human cultivators embroiled in internal conflicts here. Die!"
"Who is that?!" The scar-faced cultivator's eyes darted around in panic.
"Could it be a member of the demon race?!" Mo Hao echoed, his own eyes searching the vicinity.
Terror enveloped them and everyone else present.
Before anyone had a chance to react, an almost invisible blood-red line materialized on the neck of the scar-faced cultivator. In the next heartbeat, a gush of bright red blood erupted, propelled with enough force to launch his severed head into the air!
A cultivator of the Transcendence realm, beheaded in an instant!
Additionally, his lifeless body morphed into a mist of blood and bizarre light, rapidly absorbed by a mysterious figure that materialized for a fleeting moment before vanishing into the ether.
A trace of demonic aura remained, dissipating gradually.
"It's a demon, it's actually a demon!" someone shrieked.
"It's a demon specializing in assassinations! Must be from the Dark Sprite Demon Clan, known for their innate stealth abilities!"
"They've just effortlessly killed a cultivator of the Transcendence realm! The Dark Sprite Demon Clan is horrifying!"
"Run, everyone scatter and run, or we're all doomed!"
Chaos erupted among the cultivators, their screams cutting through the air as they dispersed, each darting in a different direction as if the hounds of hell were on their heels.
'Not good!' Mo Hao witnessed the beheading of the scar-faced cultivator and felt his heart sink. 'A dark sprite demon is actually here!'
'Even though I've advanced, my cultivation foundation is still unstable. My combat prowess is slightly inferior to an average Middle-stage Transcendence realm cultivator.'
'While the enemy lurks in the shadows and I stand in the open, I might not be an easy target for this dark sprite demon, but eliminating him would prove equally challenging. Better to evade a clash for now.' His face twisted with urgency, and he shot away at full speed.
His sense of frustration deepened.
He had envisioned that upon gaining the system, he would instantly rise to flaunt his might and rectify others' misconceptions, soaring into a splendid future. Yet his initial attempt to do so had crashed and burned.
For Mo Hao, this was an undeniable setback.
Meanwhile, in Jiang Chen's Sea of Consciousness, another system alert resounded.
[Ding! You've subtly altered the storyline, causing protagonist Mo Hao to fail in his boastful antics. His Heavenly Fate Value has plummeted by 1000 points!]
[Ding! You've accrued 2000 Villain Points!]
'A thousand points, that's quite a haul,' Jiang Chen mused.
'Next, I'll tail him discreetly to gauge his level of vigilance and incidentally observe if he unveils any more heaven-defying abilities.'
'However, I must be cautious not to back him into a corner; otherwise, the Heavenly Fate might instigate an unexpected twist in the plot.'
Watching Mo Hao's hasty retreat, Jiang Chen remained pensive for a moment before deciding not to let him off so easily. He continued in pursuit, all while keeping his presence veiled.
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