. Mo Clan!
Since Xiao Yan had transformed into Mo Linglin, he could enter and exit the Mo Clan freely.
He first visited Mo Linglin's boudoir and found a system-generated treasure chest.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully finding a platinum treasure chest. Do you want to open it?"
At the same moment, the system's voice echoed from his mind.
"Open!"
Xiao Yan opened the treasure chest without hesitation.
Integrating the most powerful treasure chest system, Xiao Yan knew that the level of the treasure chests it generated was closely related to his own level.
From low to high, they were: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Star, King, Peerless, Legendary, and Emperor.
With the current level 4 system, the highest level of treasure chests could only be platinum.
Ling Ying's diamond treasure chest was a novice gift, so it couldn't be generalized.
"Ding, congratulations to the host for successfully obtaining the Yin-Yang Twin Flame, ranked 21st on the Strange Fire Ranking."
Opening the treasure chest, the reward within brought a smile to Xiao Yan's face.
While the Yin-Yang Twin Flame's ranking wasn't high, it was highly practical.
It's said that this strange fire was born from the cosmic void.
Two flames, one black and one white, intertwined, swimming like a pair of yin and yang fish.
This strange fire imbued with the dual powers of life and death: the yang fire saves and brings eternal life,
while the yin fire kills, leaving no trace. This yin and yang flame was one of the three strange fires detonated by Xiao Xuan, the ancestor of the Xiao family.
Xiao Yan didn't immediately consume the new strange fire, but temporarily stored it in the system space.
Then, he headed towards the Mo family hall.
...
In the Mo family hall ,
Mo Cheng was greeting Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran.
"Niece Nalan, I'm deeply pleased that you've come to celebrate my birthday in person,"
Mo Cheng said, smiling at Nalan Yanran from the seat of honor.
"Elder Mo Cheng, Yanran has come to discuss something,"
Nalan Yanran said, looking at Mo Cheng and the young woman in green standing beside him, then slowly stood up.
"You're welcome to speak your mind. Thanks to the great kindness of the Yunlan Sect and Sect Master Yunyun, our Mo Clan has been able to develop so rapidly."
"Niece Nalan, since you are Sect Master Yunyun's direct disciple, I must give you face,"
Mo Cheng said proudly
, not yet realizing the seriousness of the situation. As a time traveler, he naturally wanted to make a difference.
However, he was not too reckless, but rather took a gradual approach.
He planned to first leverage the Yunlan Sect's prestige to gradually erode the Jia Ma Empire.
From there, he would expand the Mo Clan's influence throughout the northwest region.
Then, he would grant Xiao Yan some favors and allow him to confront Emperor Hun Tian head-on.
He would then stand back and reap the benefits.
In this way, the entire Dou Qi Continent would be under his control.
"Elder Mo, I've long known that your Mo family possesses a secret technique that allows them to transplant parts of demonic beasts onto their own bodies, thereby enhancing their own strength."
"Did you recently capture a girl named Qinglin and plan to transplant her eyes?"
Nalan Yanran spoke, her beautiful eyes fixed on Mo Cheng.
Killing Mo Cheng herself and clearing out the clan was no longer realistic.
Now, she only hoped that Mo Cheng would release Qinglin and reconcile with Xiao Yan.
Then, perhaps, Xiao Yan would spare his life.
"Hmm?"
Nalan Yanran's words left Mo Cheng stunned.
What Nalan Yanran was saying was exactly what Mo Cheng had intended to do in the original novel.
But now, he was a time traveler, not the original Mo Cheng. He
had no intention of transplanting Qinglin's eyes.
On the contrary, he had been very kind to Qinglin and had established a very good relationship with her.
He even planned to adopt her as his adopted daughter on her birthday.
Now, Nalan Yanran's words were quite intriguing.
Could it be that she, like himself, was also a time traveler?
And a female one?
"Young Sect Master, why do you say that?"
"The person beside me is Qinglin, but I have never considered transplanting her eyes."
"She was not captured by me. I brought her back to the Mo Clan after friendly exchanges with the Motie Mercenary Group."
"In the future, Qinglin will be my adopted daughter. Young Sect Master, please don't say such words that alienate the relationship between us father and daughter."
Mo Cheng pondered this, his manner of addressing Nalan Yanran subtly changing.
He gave Qinglin a gentle look, reassuring her not to worry, saying he wasn't the kind of person Nalan Yanran had described.
"This..."
Mo Cheng's words left Nalan Yanran completely bewildered.
What was going on?
Could it be that his rebirth had truly caused a change in the world?
Why was this life so completely different from the last?
"Did you really come here of your own free will with Elder Mo Cheng?"
Nalan Yanran asked, looking at Qinglin with some disbelief.
"Yes, Elder Mo has been very kind to me, and the rest of the Mo Family has also been very caring and kind. I love this place."
"My time in the Mo Family has been the happiest time of my life,"
Qinglin, his shadow clone, feigned timidity, saying in a delicate voice.
"Young Sect Master, you have no more doubts now, right?"
Mo Cheng nodded with immense satisfaction at Qinglin's words.
His efforts had paid off.
He had left a deeply kind impression on this young woman.
In the future, I'll adopt her as my adopted daughter and train her well. She'll definitely be a great help to me in the future.
"Since that's the case, I won't bother you anymore, Yanran."
Seeing this, Nalan Yanran didn't want to say anything more. She gave Ge Ye a wink and turned to walk out.
The moment they turned around, a cold glint flashed in Mo Cheng's eyes.
This Nalan Yanran was very likely a time traveler like himself. If
that was the case, he couldn't let her live.
At night, when the moon was dark and the wind was strong, he would secretly kill her.
This world already had one time traveler, himself. There was no need for another.
As for Xiao Yan, his time travel wasn't really time travel at all. In the original novel, he probably forgot he was a time traveler himself.
Thinking this, Mo Cheng clenched his fists slightly.
...
Elsewhere, Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye left the house and happened to run into Mo Linglin, who had transformed into Xiao Yan.
"Linglin, long time no see. How are you?"
Nalan Yanran asked, a hint of a smile on her pretty face.
[Remember, in his previous life, the first person Xiao Yan met upon arriving in Yancheng was Mo Linglin?]
[Let's see if Xiao Yan has followed her to Yancheng this time.]
"..." Xiao Yan.
He hadn't expected to run into Nalan Yanran here.
However, a true man can bend and stretch, and since he had already run into her, he could only react based on Mo Linglin's usual behavior.
"Sister Yanran, it's been a long time since we last met. You look even more beautiful."
Xiao Yan suppressed the chill in his heart, a sweet smile on his face, and he mimicked Mo Linglin's voice.
"Did you encounter any strange people in the city today?"
Because Xiao Yan had previously reviewed Mo Linglin's memories, he acted so convincingly that Nalan Yanran didn't notice a single clue.
"Strange people?"
"I only encountered a fourth-grade alchemist. I haven't seen anyone else,"
Xiao Yan feigned a moment of surprise before speaking.
"Fourth-grade alchemist?"
Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye were both shocked upon hearing this.
Nalan Yanran immediately ruled out the idea that this person was Xiao Yan.
She remembered that when Xiao Yan used the alias Yanxiao, he only wore the insignia of a second-grade alchemist.
This fourth-grade alchemist definitely couldn't be Xiao Yan.
In other words, Qinglin's incident hadn't drawn Xiao Yan to this place.
Fate had quietly changed once again.
"Could you take me to visit this fourth-grade alchemist?"
Nalan Yanran asked, stunned for a moment.
While the other person wasn't Xiao Yan, it wouldn't hurt to befriend a high-ranking alchemist.
"Of course."
"I'll report some matters to the Great Elder, then I'll take Sister Yanran to visit Master Chen."
Xiao Yan said, and then he entered the hall first.
"Is it Lin'er? What's your business?"
Seeing 'Mo Linglin' enter the hall, Mo Chenglao asked with a smile.
"Great Elder, I do have something important to report to you."
Xiao Yan nodded, and as he spoke, he secretly winked at his shadow clone and transmitted a message.
"Leave first, then dismantle the shadow clone."
Upon seeing the original's arrival, the shadow clone, Qinglin, gave a subtle nod, spoke to Mo Cheng, and exited the hall.
"Alright, Lin'er, tell me what happened!"
Mo Cheng spoke slowly after Qinglin left.
"Congratulations, Great Elder! I met a fourth-rank alchemist while out and about, and he's even agreed to become my Mo Clan's patron saint."
"This will help fill the gap in my Mo Clan's alchemist."
As Xiao Yan spoke, a wave of memories suddenly flooded into his mind.
These were the shadow clone's memories of over four months in the Mo Mansion.
During that time, the shadow clone had witnessed Mo Cheng in action. Every time Mo Cheng attacked, a massive phantom would appear behind him.
It was with the power of that phantom that Mo Cheng could unleash Dou Zong-level strength.
That phantom was Mo Cheng's guardian spirit.
His strongest guardian spirit system, capable of consuming souls to grow stronger, now possesses the power of a seven-star Dou Zong.
This was one of the reasons for the Mo Clan's rapid expansion and their tendency to exterminate entire clans.
"Excellent!"
"Lin'er, you've done an excellent job."
"Tell me, what reward do you want?"
Mo Cheng's face lit up with excitement upon hearing this.
A fourth-grade alchemist might not be much on the entire continent,
but in the Jia Ma Empire, it's considered top-tier.
Only cities like Black Rock City, with established alchemist guilds, possess fourth-grade alchemists.
As for other cities... the fact that a first-grade alchemist could influence the situation in Wu Tan City is enough to show how desperately the Jia Ma Empire lacks high-level alchemists.
"Working for the family is only natural. Lin'er doesn't dare to ask for a reward."
"Also, this is a meeting gift from Master Chen to the Great Elder,"
Xiao Yan said, pulling out a brocade box and handing it to Mo Cheng.
"Haha, it seems Master Chen is quite sensible!"
"Then, when he joins my Mo Clan, let him become the Chief Elder of the Alchemy Hall!"
Mo Cheng laughed heartily, took the brocade box from Xiao Yan, and slowly opened it.
As the box opened, an exquisite four-colored fire lotus slowly came into view.
This immediately filled his eyes with extreme fear.
And amidst his utter terror, the exquisite fire lotus, composed of four colors—blood-red, crimson, deep white, and azure yellow—exploded with a bang.
The moment the fire lotus exploded, Xiao Yan transformed back into Chen Beixuan, a Flame Ancestral Talisman hovering above his head, completely neutralizing the impact of the fire lotus explosion.
Buzz!
As the explosion spread, Mo Cheng's guardian spirit system triggered its defense mechanism.
A phantom appeared behind Mo Cheng, firmly shielding him.
Unfortunately, how could a Seven-Star Dou Zong guardian spirit withstand the Buddha's Wrathful Fire Lotus, a fusion of four flames?
In an instant, Mo Cheng and his guardian spirit were devoured by the fire lotus.
Mo Cheng died instantly, without even a scream. Just as
the fire lotus's flames threatened to spread throughout the Mo Clan, spatial ripples emerged, preventing the flames
from spreading and containing the explosion within the Mo Clan.
Clearly, the Medicine Emperor had acted covertly.
Only he could pull off such a feat.
"Ding, the strongest Guardian Spirit system has been detected. Enraged by your killing of its host, it has launched a soul attack against you, attempting to annihilate you."
"Ding, the enemy system, after attacking, discovered that the host possessed both a Level 5 and a Level 4.25 system, and fled in terror."
"Ding, the Myriad Worlds Chat Group system has taken the initiative, easily intercepting and beating the enemy's Level 2, weak system."
"Ding, the enemy system, having been taught a lesson, is furious and intends to activate its hidden energy source, self-destructing and annihilating itself along with the Myriad Worlds Chat Group."
"Ding, at the crucial moment, this system makes its final appearance. With lightning speed, in the nick of time, it plunders its backup hidden energy source and begins forcibly devouring it."
"Ding, this system's fusion will take ten days to devour and fuse. Host, please take care of yourself and await this system's return."
...
"..." Xiao Yan.
Listening to the system notifications ringing in his mind, Xiao Yan was speechless.
Goodness me, is this a righteous two-on-one?
Two high-level systems, bullying a low-level system.
However, one thing puzzled Xiao Yan: why didn't this chat group system devour the strongest guardian spirit system?
Instead, it benefited the infinite plundering system that followed it the earliest?
"Ding! Different systems have different upgrade paths. As long as this system continuously recruits members and connects with the world, new features will unlock, allowing it to grow stronger and upgrade."
As if sensing Xiao Yan's confusion, the chat group system offered an explanation.
Xiao Yan finally understood what was going on.
At the same time, he felt a bit sorry for the Myriad Worlds Chat Group. It wasn't that it didn't want to devour other systems.
It was simply that it wasn't equipped to do so. Therefore, it could only pummel lower-level systems, not devour them.
His Infinite Plundering System was the exact opposite: it could only advance by plundering and devouring the energy of other systems.
"It seems the Myriad Worlds Chat Group is in jeopardy!"
Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. Once the Infinite Plundering System reached Level 5, it would undoubtedly target the chat group.
It was a shame for this simple chat group system, completely unaware of the crisis looming.
...
Just as Xiao Yan was cleaning up the battlefield.
The Mo Clan was already in an uproar. The previous fire lotus explosion had indeed not spread far.
However, more than half of the Mo Clan's members were killed in the explosion. Nalan Yanran and Ge Ye, who were outside, also witnessed the fire lotus explosion.
"Xiao Yan?"
"He's here after all?"
"Is Mo Cheng lying to me?"
Nalan Yanran stared at the blooming fire lotus of the Mo Clan, her pretty face filled with shock.
Though its color had changed, this blooming fire lotus bore a striking resemblance to the one that had blossomed in the Yunlan Sect in her previous life.
In her previous life, Xiao Yan had used a fire lotus to kill Yun Leng, thus forging a mortal feud with the Yunlan Sect.
Now, witnessing this scene again, besides shock, her charming face was also filled with fear.
She feared history would repeat itself, that she would be powerless to change the outcome.
"Sure enough, am I still too weak?"
"Shouldn't I have told my teacher everything sooner? If it had been my teacher, perhaps he would have been able to prevent this."
Nalan Yanran, terrified, felt a surge of self-blame. Relying
on the advantages of her rebirth, she had become overconfident.
She thought that three years of cultivating to Dou Ling would be enough to change many things.
But as she changed, everything around her was also changing.
She had oversimplified everything.
"Young Sect Master, the Mo Clan is a troubled place. We must leave immediately."
"In this situation, only the Sect Master himself can resolve it."
Seeing Nalan Yanran still in a daze, Ge Ye woke her up and said.
He could clearly see that wherever the four-colored flames passed, space rippled like ripples on water.
He had only seen the power to affect space once, in Yun Yun.
The flames were so powerful that it was clearly beyond the ability of the two of them to handle.
"Uncle Ge, go back and inform the teacher first."
"I'll watch from here. The Mo Clan is, after all, an affiliated family of our Yunlan Sect. As the Young Sect Master, I have an obligation to investigate the truth,"
Nalan Yanran said, shaking her head slightly.
However, while she said this, she was actually waiting for Xiao Yan.
"No, if I leave, what will happen to the Young Sect Master's safety?"
Ge Ye immediately retorted after hearing Nalan Yanran's words.
"Uncle Ge, I'll take care of myself. You should return to the sect and invite the teacher over."
Seeing this, Nalan Yanran's pretty face turned colder, and a cold voice rang out from her mouth.
"Well... all right!"
"Young Sect Master, I'll leave first. Please take care of yourself."
Seeing Nalan Yanran's firm attitude, Ge Ye dared not insist any further and could only leave first.
After Ge Ye left, more and more people in Yancheng gathered towards the Mo family,
wanting to see what had happened.
(End of this chapter