Great Villain: Starting by Humiliating the Son of the Heavenly Fate

The pill Mo Hao had consumed produced a rather long-lasting effect. If he returned now, his formidable combat abilities would be more than enough to prove all his previous detractors wrong.

The prospect of seeing Shao Ji and others wear expressions of sheer horror greatly lifted Mo Hao's spirits.

Simultaneously, Jiang Chen was also on his way to the Moon Plucking Heavenly Sect.

After conducting a thorough investigation, he discovered that within a radius of several million miles, there were no supporting characters to be found. The Moon Plucking Heavenly Sect was the only place where they existed.

Therefore, Jiang Chen surmised that Mo Hao would most likely make a beeline back to the Moon Plucking Heavenly Sect.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Chen took the opportunity to reassess his current cultivation base and combat capabilities.

After eliminating the man with the scarred face, Jiang Chen had made significant gains in his cultivation base, and his combat power had risen yet again.

In addition, he had acquired a substantial amount of qi and blood energy. Combined with his existing reserves, he was now capable of practicing various Transcendence realm cultivation methods.

'Let's see how far those pawns have gotten.' With a single thought, Jiang Chen instantly reached out to the tools he had previously manipulated.

Controlled by the Ten Thousand Soul Seed Secrets, these individuals were unfailingly loyal.

Soon enough, through these pawns, Jiang Chen learned that the 'onlookers' who had scattered earlier were now regrouping and moving toward the Moon Plucking Heavenly Sect. They had already set their eyes on Moon Plucking Heavenly Mountain.

'Still not enough tools,' Jiang Chen mused.

'I'll need to recruit more individuals from the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star to serve as pawns.'

'Now, let's check in with Zhu Zhihai about the progress of the information gathering.' He quickly made an inquiry through the transmission jade token.

Shortly thereafter, Zhu Zhihai replied, providing a detailed account of the events that had transpired during the exchange of information.

Shao Ji and his companions still displayed immense arrogance, convinced that as people from the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, they were inherently more honorable than the natives of the Immortal Martial Continent.

This fleeting sentiment angered Zhu Zhihai and his associates, although the exchange of information continued to proceed without a hitch.

From Shao Ji and the others, Jiang Chen gained insight into the overall situation on the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, and acquired more nuanced details about the protagonist, Mo Hao.

'So, the Profound Jade Immortal Domain is actively engaged in combat with the demon race,' Jiang Chen pondered.

'And this conflict has been prolonged. The Prosperous Stone Immortal Star continually dispatches people into the fray.'

'It appears that the demon race is indeed formidable. The Everlasting Baseless Immortal Domain is embroiled in conflict on one front, while the Profound Jade Immortal Domain fights on another.'

'As for Mo Hao, he's already a century old and has been a wastrel for nearly as long. Always unremarkable, he's relied solely on the prestige of the Mo Clan to live a life of arrogance and ease.'

'After the fall of the Mo Clan, those he had offended sent him to the Immortal Martial Continent as his ultimate punishment.'

'According to the original storyline, he should have ascended through the ranks here in the Immortal Martial Continent before making a triumphant return to the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star, astonishing everyone,' Jiang Chen thought, piecing together various bits of information to form a larger picture.

Before long, the pawns Jiang Chen had previously controlled, along with a crowd of onlookers, arrived at the Moon Plucking Heavenly Sect.

Inside the sect's main hall, where the information exchange was nearing completion, all eyes turned toward the returning group of minions.

"They're back," someone remarked.

"It seems Mo Hao must be dead by now, though we don't know how he met his end."

"Ha, he probably died a very, very miserable death!"

"And what happened to the guy with the scarred face? Logically, he should have been the first one back."

"Do you think he ran into some trouble along the way?"

Shao Ji and his companions were abuzz with speculation, fully aware of the original mission the crowd of onlookers had embarked upon.

Upon seeing their return, everyone instantly assumed that Mo Hao must have been killed by the man with the scarred face.

At this juncture, a cultivator among the crowd of onlookers hesitated before declaring, "Mo Hao isn't dead!"

"What?" someone blurted out. "He's alive?"

"How is that even possible? He managed to defeat the guy with the scarred face? Given his lackluster combat abilities?"

Shao Ji and the others wore expressions of disbelief, their comments tinged with skepticism.

"When we made our escape, Mo Hao was indeed still alive, but the man with the scarred face was dead," another onlooker clarified. "However, it wasn't Mo Hao who killed him. It was a member of the Dark Sprite Demon Clan who appeared out of nowhere!"

"We all fled the scene, and Mo Hao also made a hasty exit," he added.

"What?" another cultivator inquired.

"The man with the scarred face is dead? Slain by an unexpected member of the Dark Sprite Demon Clan?"

"It appears that quite a few experts from the demon race are still active within the Immortal Martial Continent!"

"I knew it, there's no way Mo Hao could have bested the guy with the scarred face. So a dark sprite demon was involved."

"Even that man with the scarred face fell to this dark sprite demon. Mo Hao's chances of survival are bleak; he's as good as gone."

The crowd nodded, their discussions animated by this newfound revelation.

Jiang Chen was closely monitoring their conversations through his pawns.

'They believe Mo Hao is already dead,' he mused.

'When they discover he's alive, the shock will let Mo Hao effortlessly prove them wrong. A forceful slap to their faces.'

'No, I can't let that happen. I have to spoil their surprise first!' A smirk played at the corners of Jiang Chen's mouth as he communicated with his pawns.

Immediately, one pawn, spurred by Jiang Chen's instructions, stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "No, Mo Hao is not dead; he will not die!"

As soon as these words left his mouth, all eyes snapped toward him, filled with disdain.

"You're merely in the Dao Palace realm. What could you possibly know?" one sneered.

"Mo Hao is but a weakling among Transcendence realm cultivators. How could he escape the clutches of a dark sprite demon's assassination attempt?"

"Exactly, young man. Are you in league with Mo Hao? Are you courting death?"

Shao Ji and his companions fired back, their voices dripping with derision.

"No, you've got it wrong," another pawn interjected. "Honorable seniors, esteemed cultivators, Mo Hao truly can escape."

The pawn elaborated, "He's miraculously advanced to the Middle-stage Transcendence realm. I suspect his family must have bequeathed him some hidden resources!"

"Exactly!" Another pawn chimed in. "Senior Shao Ji, you're well aware of the Mo Clan's former wealth; they undoubtedly left Mo Hao with some aces up his sleeve."

The pawn pressed on, "In addition to treasures that could enhance his cultivation, there must be various life-saving devices as well!"

Three pawns had spoken in quick succession, their declarations bold and stunning.

"What!?" A voice rang out in shock. "He actually reached the Middle-stage Transcendence realm?"

"That's preposterous! We all know his Cultivation Path foundation is nothing more than a farce constructed through the use of pills."

"They can't be lying; Mo Hao genuinely did break through!"

"Impossible, I heard that following the collapse of his family on the front lines, all his treasures were seized by higher-ups!"

"Exactly, by all logic, he should be completely impoverished."

Shao Ji and the others found themselves at a loss, their discussions filled with a mixture of astonishment and skepticism.

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