After convincing Snake Wuwan to be his bodyguard, Mo Yu's mood improved significantly.
A Peak Dou Zun of the Seven-Winged Amethyst Serpent is a super guardian that is hard to come by. Even the Young Lords of the Ancient Eight Clans might not enjoy such treatment.
"Mo Yu, my Soul is extremely weak right now and cannot appear for too long. Find a safe place quickly so I can consume the earth core soul fruit," Snake Uncle's hoarse, cold voice rang out as he looked at Mo Yu, speaking solemnly.
Mo Yu nodded and chuckled, "Don't worry, Snake Uncle. There's a small town not far from the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. We can reach it in less than half a day. It's very safe and suitable for you to recover some Soul Power."
If Snake Wuwan's Soul could be repaired as quickly as possible, Mo Yu would gain a super expert by his side. This would be entirely beneficial to Mo Yu, so he naturally wouldn't cut corners on this matter.
Snake Wuwan nodded in satisfaction and slowly said, "If you encounter danger, you can ask me for help. Since you've helped this Venerable One, this Venerable One naturally won't be stingy with you."
"Then this Junior thanks you in advance," Mo Yu couldn't help but smile upon hearing this, thanking Snake Wuwan.
Snake Wuwan waved his hand. Perhaps due to being trapped for too long, his Soul was much more ethereal now.
"Oh? Your storage ring seems a bit special. It's probably not inferior to high-grade storage rings and is quite suitable for this Venerable One to reside in currently." At this moment, Snake Uncle looked at the magic frost beast ring in Mo Yu's hand with surprise, speaking with a hint of deeper meaning.
Hearing this, Mo Yu chuckled, "This Junior is an Artifact Refiner. I once accidentally obtained many peculiar Artifact Refining methods, and this beast ring is one of them.
I named the beast ring in my hand the magic frost beast ring. Unlike ordinary storage rings, beast rings can store living creatures. One of my Fourth-Tier Demonic Beasts is stored inside."
Upon hearing Mo Yu's words, a hint of surprise flashed across Snake Uncle's face again. A beast ring that could store living creatures, and a mere Dou Shi possessing a Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast—the young man before him was constantly surprising him.
If the young man's background couldn't be faked, he would truly suspect Mo Yu was a descendant of those super forces from the Central Plains.
"I hope this Venerable One hasn't misjudged him…"
There was a hint of admiration in the hoarse voice. Snake Uncle took a deep look at Mo Yu, and with a flicker of his body, he transformed into a streak of light and entered the magic frost beast ring.
Seeing Snake Uncle enter the storage ring, Mo Yu also breathed a sigh of relief.
Judging by his age of several hundred years, it was far more than Mo Yu's three lifetimes combined. If it weren't for the Snake-People Bloodline being different from that of the Human Race, he would likely be white-haired by now. Calling him Snake Uncle was an understatement; perhaps Snake Ancestor wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Now, both sides had temporarily formed a 'partnership,' and Mo Yu now had a powerful trump card, which put him at ease.
After mentally relaying to Purple Fire in the magic frost beast ring not to provoke Snake Uncle, this 'guest,' Mo Yu slowly walked out of the great hall.
"Young Lord, you're back."
Seeing Mo Yu walk out of the black great hall, Qing Lin, who had been waiting outside, happily ran over, scrutinizing Mo Yu up and down, afraid that something might have happened to the young man.
"Yes, I'm back," Mo Yu chuckled, stroking Qing Lin's small head.
"Oh? This maid of yours is very strange…" Just as Mo Yu and Qing Lin were talking, Snake Uncle's hoarse, cold voice suddenly echoed in the young man's mind.
Mo Yu wasn't surprised by the voice in his mind. The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were the bane of all snake-type Demonic Beasts, and the Snake-People also possessed the Snake-People Bloodline. Therefore, it was natural for Snake Uncle to sense something strange about Qing Lin.
However, although the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were powerful and could forcibly control Demonic Beasts with snake-type Bloodlines, they did not apply to snake-shaped Demonic Beasts with Ancient Bloodlines.
Snake Uncle's true form had evolved into a Seven-Winged Amethyst Serpent, which belonged to an Ancient snake-type Bloodline. Therefore, Qing Lin's pupil technique was useless against him.
Even so, Qing Lin's appearance still brought unprecedented shock to Snake Uncle.
"It's actually the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils! You kid, where did you find this maid?" Snake Uncle's surprised voice rang out.
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils were the bane of their Snake-People and indeed all snake-type Demonic Beasts, rarely appearing even once in several hundred years. Who would have thought that a mere Dou Shi would have a Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils possessor by his side, and as a maid at that?
Ever since meeting Mo Yu, Snake Uncle found that he, a dignified Dou Zun expert, was encountering more and more surprises. Mo Yu was like a mist, making him utterly unfathomable.
"Snake Uncle, Qing Lin is a maid from my Family. As for why she possesses the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, it might be because she's a hybrid of Snake-People and Human Race. As for anything else, I'm not sure," Mo Yu chuckled in his mind.
Hearing this, Snake Uncle immediately said with some exasperation, "You kid is truly lucky. A random maid of yours actually possesses the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. If those super forces in the Central Plains knew, they'd be furious. If this little girl grows up, her achievements will certainly not be inferior to this Venerable One."
Mo Yu had no doubt about this. The potential of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils had been proven in the original work; it was simply a chosen one.
This also made Mo Yu realize that he needed to find a time to let Qing Lin go. Keeping her by his side would only hinder her growth…
After chatting with Qing Lin and Snake Uncle for a few more moments, Mo Yu slowly walked to the bone mountain.
"One, two, three, four… thirteen." Mo Yu counted the fire pearls in the holes of the bone mountain, and a smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
More than ten fire pearls, barely enough to make up for the gains of this trip.
After taking the dozen or so fire pearls from the bone mountain into his storage ring, Mo Yu clapped his hands and said to Qing Lin, "Although the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire is gone, the gains from this trip are still good. Let's go back."
A dozen fire pearls were already quite valuable, and adding Snake Uncle as a super bodyguard was simply a burst of good luck.
Hearing this, Qing Lin nodded obediently. In her heart, she didn't care about any gains, as long as Young Lord was safe, that was good enough.
Arriving at the entrance of the cave, Mo Yu saw the Rock Serpent Giant Lizard Beast still trembling there, yet not daring to enter. He glanced at the little girl behind him, then strode forward.
Although he could also put the Rock Serpent Giant Lizard Beast into his beast ring, Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils also had a containment effect on snake-type Demonic Beasts, so he didn't need to worry about it.
Indeed, after watching Mo Yu's receding back, Qing Lin quickly whistled. Immediately, the green light on the Rock Serpent Giant Lizard Beast's forehead surged dramatically. In an instant, its massive body rapidly shrunk, then transformed into a wisp of green light, shooting into Qing Lin's sleeve.
Curiously patting her sleeve with her small hand, a faint smile appeared on Qing Lin's small face as she whispered, "Don't cause trouble, or Young Lord will get angry, and I'll throw you away."
"Hiss…" A faint hiss, tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction, presumably from the Rock Serpent Giant Lizard Beast's displeasure at its master's discrimination.
"Hehe." Covering her small mouth, Qing Lin chuckled softly. With her small hands behind her back, she then skipped to catch up with Mo Yu ahead, and the two gradually disappeared into the darkness of the passage.
As their footsteps gradually faded, the vast dark passage once again fell into eternal stillness…
"The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are indeed extraordinary. Even an possessor who hasn't even reached Dou Zhe can control a Fourth-Tier snake-type Demonic Beast." Noticing the Fourth-Tier Demonic Beast Qing Lin had subdued, Snake Uncle's hoarse, cold voice rang out, somewhat surprised.
Even though he had roamed the continent for hundreds of years, this was the first time he had encountered a true Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, so he was quite shocked.
The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils truly deserved their reputation as the bane of snake-type Bloodlines. Even with his Ancient Bloodline, he felt a hint of threat.
Mo Yu smiled at Snake Uncle's shock. There wasn't much trust between them yet, so Mo Yu didn't want to expose all his and Qing Lin's secrets to the other party.
After exiting the dark cave, the sun slowly rose in the east. Unknowingly, a day had passed in the cave.
After half a day, nearing noon, Mo Yu and Qing Lin finally returned to Lannister Town.
Gazing at the small town from afar, Mo Yu felt a sense of relief. Exploring that dark cave had been terrifying, and now they were finally safe.
Walking through the town, Mo Yu's gaze swept across the street, which should have been bustling with mercenaries, but his brows furrowed slightly. For some reason, he felt that the street seemed much quieter now…
Not only were there fewer mercenaries coming and going, but many of them were wearing the same emblem on their chests. Mo Yu, who had stayed in Lannister Town for a day, naturally knew that this emblem belonged exclusively to the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group.
"Something's not right… When did the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group get so many members? Did the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group defeat and annex the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group in the battle two days ago? But weren't the two mercenary groups similar in strength?"
Mo Yu mumbled softly, a hint of doubt on his face. Then, narrowing his eyes slightly, he pulled Qing Lin and slowly walked through the street.
On their way to the inn, Mo Yu suddenly paused, lifting his chin slightly and turning to gaze at a large courtyard at the end of the street.
This was the headquarters of the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group, where Se曦 had met Mo Yu before. Previously, this place was bustling and lively, but now, the street was a mess, and the surrounding shops seemed to have closed early. A gentle breeze blew, carrying a sense of desolation.
"Did something really happen to the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group?"
Mo Yu gently rubbed his cheek with his palm, somewhat surprised.
The Magic Mountain Mercenary Group was the second-ranked mercenary group in the town, and its leader, Magic Mountain, was a One-Star Great Dou Master. Such strength was considered a prominent expert even within the Empire's cities. How could it have been wiped out in just a few days?
"Young Lord, do we need to go in and see?" Qing Lin asked from the side.
"No, we have no connection with the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group," Mo Yu shook his head, refusing.
The earth core soul fruit was bought by the young man with gold coins, and he didn't owe the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group any favors, so he naturally didn't care about it.
Qing Lin had only mentioned it casually and said nothing more when Young Lord refused. Although the little girl was kind-hearted, she wasn't a busybody who meddled in everything.
However, just as Mo Yu was about to turn and leave, a long spear stained with some blood suddenly shot out from behind the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group's headquarters gate, fiercely thrusting towards Mo Yu's throat.
The sudden attack, while surprising Mo Yu, did not cause any change in the young man's expression. His gaze was cold as he watched the rapidly enlarging spear tip in his eyes, his body motionless.
The sharp long spear, upon reaching merely half a foot from Mo Yu's body, strangely began to halt at the spear tip, remaining suspended silently in mid-air.
With a gloomy expression, Mo Yu immediately felt an unknown surge of anger at this inexplicable attack.
With a thought, a powerful Soul Power instantly surged forth, controlling the sharp long spear to change direction and smash back along its original trajectory.
Immediately, with a faint thud, an explosion sound came from the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group headquarters.
A figure was violently flung out, and a blood-stained head fell not far from Mo Yu.
"Someone from the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group?" Seeing the Crazy Lion emblem on the figure who had tried to assassinate him, Mo Yu frowned. Had the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group really been destroyed by the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group?
If so, the matter of the earth core soul fruit falling into his hands probably couldn't be kept secret.
"Who goes there?!"
Just as Mo Yu dealt with the Crazy Lion Mercenary who had tried to assassinate him, the commotion here attracted a lot of attention, and immediately several more Crazy Lion Mercenaries surged out.
"Where did this suicidal fellow come from, daring to obstruct our Crazy Lion Mercenary Group's business!" Before the figure of one of the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group leaders even appeared, his arrogant words already echoed through the street.
"It's you!" When the scarred-faced middle-aged leader's gaze fell upon Mo Yu's somewhat familiar face, he was startled. Then, realizing something, he quickly turned and shouted joyfully to the back, "Leader, we found Mo Yu!"
Hearing this, Mo Yu's expression froze. The Crazy Lion Mercenary Group actually knew his name. Indeed, it seemed the matter of the earth core soul fruit being in his possession had most likely been exposed.
At this moment, as the name Mo Yu was uttered, the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group headquarters suddenly fell into an eerie silence. After this death-like stillness lasted for a moment, the gate of the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group headquarters slowly opened.
As the gate opened, a middle-aged man walked out. The middle-aged man was tall and imposing, dressed in mercenary attire more luxurious than that of the Crazy Lion Mercenaries. The emblem on his robe was a huge lion head roaring to the sky, representing his special status.
Seeing the newcomer, Mo Yu was immediately startled, then realized that this person was the top expert in the town, the leader of the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group, Huang Lie, a Two-Star Great Dou Master!
Just as Mo Yu thought the mastermind behind the destruction of the Magic Mountain Mercenary Group had appeared, Huang Lie looked at Mo Yu and the beautiful maid beside him. After seemingly confirming the young man's identity, his eyes narrowed slightly, then he gave Mo Yu an eerie smile, and suddenly turned and bowed, his respectful attitude seemingly welcoming some important and distinguished guest.
Not just him, but all the members of the Crazy Lion Mercenary Group bowed in unison. Hundreds of people prostrated themselves, creating a rather spectacular scene.
Under this formal greeting, a young man wearing a golden python robe slowly walked out from behind Huang Lie through the gate. The young man was handsome, his eyes sharp as he looked at Mo Yu, and his voice was stern.
"Was it you who stole this King's earth core soul fruit?"