"Amithaba! What crawled up your ass this morning?"
The monk had already decided that there was no point in being polite with someone who wouldn't return the courtesy.
He also felt safe enough to use his usual manner of speech within the Mo Family.
Upon thinking more about it, it had been foolish of him to assume that such a small kingdom would have anything to do with the fall of the Buddhist Sect.
The Grand Elder had been nothing but rude to him, and the Monk failed to see him as any kind of authoritative figure.
The pressure exuded by the Great Elder was strong, certainly stronger than the Monk had expected.
'This old guy seems to still have some breath in those lungs of his! But it doesn't really compare with any one of them...'
At that moment, the monk remembered the three Demonic Generals. The Bladed Catapillar, the Many Eyes Demon and the Death Spike.
No matter what type of pressure the Grand Elder tried to apply, it was hardly comparable to any of those three Demonic Beasts he had faced.
And pressure they exuded was not even the annoying part of facing them, they were each gifted with an annoying ability that the Monk had to face, things he was not used to.
But humans? Facing humans was something that he was more than used to...
"... Wha-" The Grand Elder was so flabbergasted that he didn't even manage to form a proper response.
In his wise mind, that response was so far outside of his expectations that he hadn't even begun to register it as a possibility.
The same stood true for the other Elders and Mo Weisheng as well. They all stared in shock at Mo Yangling, who was just standing there and picking his ear without a care in the world.
"What exactly does the Mo Clain find 'Worthy' in the first place?"
With no hint of fear or hesitation, the Monk spoke again, taking his pinkie out of his ear and blowing on it slowly.
The Grand Elder blinked a few times, his brain swelling up with anger as it had finally downed on him just how badly he had been insulted.
The Grand Elder briefly entertained the idea of simply plucking Mo Yangling's head from his neck.
He had a lot of motives now, thanks to the opportunity the Monk had given him via that blatant disrespect. Any other member of the younger generation would have already been killed.
But a cautionary instinct within him made him stop.
'He... He hasn't reacted in the slightest to the pressure or killing intent I've been putting on him.'
Only Mo Ling knew just how much pressure he was exuding upon the young man in front of their council.
Mo Weisheng was still not experienced enough as a Golden Core Cultivator to be able to measure it properly.
But an old man like Mo Ling knew it very well... The pressure of a Golden Core cultivator should have been overwhelming.
Some weaker Martial Masters would even die if they were caught within its crosshairs, whilst most would pass out.
The gap between the realms was very large, most Martial Grandmasters likely wouldn't even be able to move underneath such pressure...
Yet, Mo Yangling was not only moving, he was seemingly completely unbothered by it.
'Has he... Has he already reached the Golden Core? No, that's preposterous.'
After all, a 17-year-old as a Golden Core Cultivator was not just unheard of, it was impossible.
'Even the current Great 12 of the Zhu Continent, the 12 strongest cultivators of our time, the most talented among them still took around 40 years of cultivation to reach the Golden Core.'
No matter what or how many heavenly treasures one found, it was impossible to reach the Golden Core Realm in under a year of cultivation.
'He likely just has a defensive treasure that protects against outward pressure and hides his own cultivation...
Regardless, to have this composure in front of me means that he has grown quite skilled, and that treasure or art, whatever it is, is an indicator of good luck and fate...'
The Old Man quickly started calculating the risks and benefits of keeping someone like Mo Yangling around.
On one hand, the Mo Family could use someone with Mo Yangling's luck. His defensive treasure could also be confiscated over time, the same for any other fortunate encounters he received.
The fact that killing Mo Yangling was likely going to make Mo Weisheng extremely mad was also a problem. Mad would've been an understatement, the Clan Head would likely wage war against him.
'For now, let's just wait. See how things unfold...'
"I shall forgive your blatant Disrespect, as it's possible that you've not interacted with anyone during the past year..."
At that moment, the Elders and the Clan Head all snapped towards Mo Ling, their eyes widening.
Mo Weisheng in particular experienced shock and surprise that rocked his soul to its core.
'The Grand Elder is never so forgiving? What on earth is he up to?'
"But to answer your question, mortals are no longer allowed within the Mo Clan, unless they are servants, even then it's unlikely. Do you get it?"
Mo Yangling didn't seem surprised by the sudden change in the Grand Elder's demeanour, nor did he care about any schemes he might've had.
Instead, his curiosity extended towards something else.
"... So you're telling me that my mother was also kicked out of the Clan?" The Monk's voice had lost its previous leisure.
He had no emotional attachment to the mother, but from the memories he had looked into she was a great woman.
She didn't deserve such disrespect just due to her lack of talent.
"Oh, no. Such a rule could never have been put into place was your mother still alive. The Mo Clan would've lost a lot of face if they were to kick out their Head Lady."
The Grand Elder's tone didn't change much as he dropped that little bombshell. Had the past Mo Yangling been standing on that carpet instead of the Monk, then he likely would've broken down into tears.
Mo Weisheng himself seemed to instantly become uneasy when hearing that.
"What were the circumstances of my mother's death, Elder?" The Monk kept his cool, but his clenched fist trembled a bit as he looked around at the Elders surrounding him.
'Amithaba, I must control myself... Seems that this body's memories are still affecting me slightly.'
Thankfully, the Grand Elder didn't say anything further to instigate the Monk, unknowingly managing to save his own hide.
"It was a private matter, of course, your father has more details. We only know that she died of grief after hearing that you had been confirmed dead or missing within that forest.
While your father didn't wish to give up hope, your mother claimed that she didn't raise a fighter... She was inconsolable the moment you went missing."
The Grand Elder, although not compassionate, didn't seem to be taking any pleasure in relaying that news to Mo Yangling.
"Father, are the Grand Elder's words truthful?" The Monk immediately raised his gaze toward the Clan Master, not caring about any disrespect that could've been derived from his actions.
"... It's true, her health had never been that good in the first place. She was heartbroken, you are her only son after all..." Mo Weisheng seemed to be more emotional while speaking, but he was still holding back a lot.
The monk clenched his teeth when hearing that. He could feel plenty of emotions surging within him, rising from the depths of his soul.
He felt a great deal of sadness, grief, regret, and loss for someone he had never even met in person but knew a great deal about.
That twist of memories within the monk's mind and soul made him feel even more annoyed at the situation.
But not because of those emotions themselves, but because all of those emotions were slowly swelling up and turning into something he was most familiar with...
Pure malice and wrath.
Those emotions had tainted his mind for the longest time in his past life. Only he knew how much he had struggled, to get those emotions under control.
But now, in a body still going through puberty, he was experiencing even more heightened emotions.
That blend of memories in his head, memories of a life he had technically not even lived, created just the right situation for him to lose control of his emotions.
And the Grand Elder, the most perceptive one present, felt it. A crushing and breathtaking rage.
It sent him back, back to when he was but a young lad in the middle of a warring period.
He had seen it, a King of the Forest. He had heard its roar, he had felt the rage contained within it. At that time, he had to shamefully admit that he had pissed himself.
He had only survived by sheer luck.
And now he was experiencing the same kind of rage, which was more akin to a natural disaster than a human emotion and made every hair on his elderly body stand on end.
Mo Liang looked around for a moment, panic filling his old gaze as he noticed that no one other than him in that room was reacting.
Before he could even think about it any further, the Monk regained his bearings fully, quickly chanting a mantra within his heart and soul.
'Amithaba, O Vajrasattva, protect the vow, may I receive your help.
Stay true to me and strengthen my faith.
Bestow upon me joy, happiness, and radiance;
Make my thoughts virtuous and pure.
Bestow upon me all attainments, make all my actions correct and auspicious.'
The monk chanted a modified mantra, one dedicated to the Vajrasattva. The enlightened one was known for his ability to cleanse negative karma and purify the mind.
And it seemed to work like a charm, as the monk was quickly able to suppress all of those negative emotions that had been spilling out subconsciously.
It was as if they were never there in the first place. The Monk finally felt his mind was clean once more.
It was only then that the Grand Elder also recovered, feeling as if he had spaced out. The rush of emotions from earlier now felt more like a nightmare or daydream.
'Why did I... No, it must've been just some strange premonition.'
He quickly shook his head, dispelling the mere thought that the young man in front of him was capable of such a thing.
'No one in the younger generation could ever make me feel fear like that. Especially someone who's been cultivating for under a year.
Let alone the fact that such strong emotions would be uncontrollable for a human in the first place, there's no way for him to have suppressed them that suddenly.'
"It seems that I need some rest." The Grand Elder stood up, feeling a bit out of it after such a strange experience.
"Grand Elder, are you feeling alright?" One of the older men on the side asked, stepping towards him with a bit of concern.
"I am fine, I only wish to rest my mind, it has been a few months since I have last slept... As for proving the Young Master's worth, he can do so during the following Great Family Banquet."
The Grand Elder then vanished, not giving anyone the time to react or respond. It was almost as if he had turned invisible.
The Monk raised an eyebrow, finding his technique interesting.
His eyes had caught it, and the old man had essentially turned most of his body into mist and left through a window at a fast speed.
It was fast, sure, but the Monk could still follow it with his eye.
With the meeting called off, the other Elders also got up to leave. Some gave scrutinizing and annoyed glances at Mo Yangling as they started walking away.
Mo Weisheng also sat up but didn't walk towards his son, he instead walked off to the side, likely wanting to give his son some time to process the loss before speaking to him.
Mo Yangling felt him leave the room and sighed, happy at having managed to fool him properly at least.
As he was also about to turn and leave, a voice interrupted him.
"You are lucky that the Grand Elder was feeling magnanimous today, child. Keep your outbursts to yourself from now on." It was one of the Elders, he whilst walking by the Monk and attempting to pat him on the shoulder.
But before his hand touched the monk's rocky shoulder, he felt something light and strong hit his heel, and he tumbled over and faceplanted on the red carpet.
Some of the Elders laughed, pointing fingers at him like children whilst saying something along the lines of.
"Haha- Didn't think you were at the age where you'd be falling over, Elder Wang!"
"T-that's not..."
For a brief moment, the Elder wanted to place the blame on Mo Yangling, but as he turned to face him, he saw that the young man had vanished from sight.
'W-when did he leave?!'