From the moment Seventh Elder first laid eyes on him, a murderous intent bubbled within him.
Yet, he pretended to graciously decline Chu Mo's initiation into Longevity Heaven, supposedly for its honor and reputation.
In secret, he had his disciple, who'd already passed the Primordial Pass, confront Chu Mo.
Such cunning and cruel tactics were truly exceptionally ruthless.
Even more alarming was how deep and frightful the cunning of Seventh Elder's direct disciple, a mere seven- or eight-year-old boy, ran.
Like master, like disciple indeed.
If not for his own tenacious life, he would have likely met his end in Longevity Heaven this time.
Thinking back to his initial admiration and longing for Longevity Heaven, Chu Mo really wanted to slap himself hard twice.
Compared to this, those sneering and mocking voices from Longevity Heaven really meant nothing to him.
What he found most distressing and unacceptable was his prior trust in Longevity Heaven!
But now, that trust was dead.
From this day forward, Chu Mo vowed to never be so naive or trust anyone so easily again!
Although Demon Lord always appeared fierce and wicked, he wasn't wrong when he said.
"Goodness does not necessarily dwell in the righteous sects!"
Their wicked designs and treacherous acts when they turned bad could be worse than those of some evil factions!
...…
For Chu Mo, a distance of tens of thousands of miles was a difficult journey.
Yet, it seemed as easy as pie for the Demon Lord.
Chu Mo was carried by the Demon Lord, flying through the sky, secretly vowing to himself: One day, I will also be this powerful!
One day, I will rely on my own strength to protect my grandfather!
All those who look down on me, those who sought to harm me, remember this, I will return!
The Demon Lord did not deceive Chu Mo, it was just half a day's work before they caught up with the Seventh Elder.
They kept a significant distance to avoid attracting Seventh Elder's attention.
From this, Chu Mo could tell just how much more powerful the Demon Lord was compared to the Seventh Elder!
What he found strange, however, was that the Demon Lord seemed to have some health issues and would intermittently have severe coughing fits.
The Demon Lord ignored Chu Mo's inquiries, which slightly frustrated him.
"Why don't we just overtake him and tell my grandfather about this situation first, isn't that better?" Chu Mo proposed.
"What do you know? Do you think your grandfather will believe you based on what you say?" the Demon Lord replied coldly.
Chu Mo thought it over, nodded without saying anything, and didn't argue further.
Because the Demon Lord was right, if he were to go back like this, not only would his grandfather not believe him, he might even suspect that Chu Mo never went to Longevity Heaven at all.
In this way, the Demon Lord led Chu Mo, following Seventh Elder from quite a distance.
All the way to the capital of Great Xia Kingdom - Yanhuang City!
From the sky, as Chu Mo caught sight of the majestic ancient city appearing before his eyes, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.
He quietly said to himself: Yanhuang City, I am back!
But, I didn't expect to return in this manner.
Originally, I thought I would return in glory after completing my studies.
It's a pity that while dreams are always beautiful, reality is cruel.
However, Chu Mo didn't get the chance to dwell on this. He saw Seventh Elder enter Yanhuang City.
At this point, the Demon Lord didn't say anything else. He followed Seventh Elder straight into Yanhuang City.
By now, it was already midnight. The new moon in the sky was dim and obscured by several drifting clouds.
The entire Yanhuang City was shrouded in darkness.
Chu Mo thought that Seventh Elder would not know where to go and would have to search for a while, but surprisingly, Seventh Elder seemed to know his way around and headed straight for the Fan Residence!
Unable to contain his anger, Chu Mo said, "So this ungrateful and shameless villain has been secretly watching my grandfather all this time!"
Demon Lord snorted and sneered: "This is precisely what is disgusting about those shameless creatures. If they were worried about exposure, why didn't they kill early on? They had to pretend to be upstanding, it's just pathetic!"
Furious, Chu Mo responded: "Is this how you treat the person who saves your life?"
"I only speak based on the situation, and I certainly do not need a savior." The Demon Lord smirked.
Chu Mo closed his mouth, not wanting to argue with such a person.
At this time, the Demon Lord also entered the Fan Residence with Chu Mo.
Without giving Chu Mo a chance to be sentimental, Demon Lord carried him straight up to the roof of the room where his grandfather was resting.
Although he did not like the Demon Lord, Chu Mo had to admit that this nasty person was truly capable.
This was because the Seventh Elder below had not sensed anything unusual.
Just then, a dialogue bounced from the room.
"Who are you? Daring to barge into my house in the middle of the night, what do you want?" An old and deep voice suddenly sounded.
Grandfather...
Tears threatened to spill from Chu Mo's eyes.
He was all too familiar with this voice; it was his grandfather, Great Xia General Fan Wudi!
"Heh, General Fan, seems like you have forgotten me. Take a good look, who am I?" the voice of Seventh Elder followed shortly after.
"You are...?"
In Fan Wudi's voice, there was a hint of hesitation. Then, he suddenly exclaimed in delight, "I remember now, you're Zhao Hongzhi… Ha, it's you, ah, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I lost myself for a moment. Seeing an old friend, I was overjoyed, and forgot you are now the Seventh Elder of Longevity Heaven, an important figure!"
Standing on the rooftop, Chu Mo felt a sting in his heart. His grandfather had failed to perceive Zhao Hongzhi's abnormal behavior, still thinking he was a good person.
"Heh, in front of Senior General Fan, I dare not call myself any sort of great figure." The Seventh Elder had come to kill Fan Wudi this time, so he didn't bother to keep up appearances. His tone of voice, too, became ambiguous.
Fan Wudi was a veteran of countless battles, having fought all his life. One could say he was a warrior, and it wouldn't be incorrect.
But if one were to think of him as a fool, that would be utterly wrong.
No one can be a constantly victorious general on the battlefield just by being brave; it definitely isn't enough.
The old man picked up on the mockery in the Seventh Elder's voice. He asked, somewhat puzzled, "Elder Seven, you are a big shot in Longevity Heaven, and I am but a simple warrior in this mundane world. I've never leaked a word about the past over all these years. I don't know what I have done to offend you. Please enlighten me."
The old man had a fiery temper and didn't bother to hide it.
Back in the day, he saved Zhao Hongzhi. It was Zhao Hongzhi who owed him a huge favor.
It wasn't Fan Wudi who owed Zhao Hongzhi!
Though Zhao Hongzhi would often send disciples from Longevity Heaven with various gifts over the years, the old man didn't really care.
Gratitude and repayment. Isn't that the way it should be?
Even if Zhao Hongzhi stopped sending gifts, the old man wouldn't have any complaints against him.
Because Fan Wudi is simply like that: straight to the point, quick-tempered, and always one to disregard trivialities.
But why this sudden midnight visit, with such ominous and strange comments?
"Even now, are you still playing dumb?"
The Seventh Elder scoffed, "Fan Wudi, originally I thought you were a law-abiding person, who had been keeping the secret of that year all these years."
"I treated you with due respect, often sending you valuable primordial medicines to nourish your body."
"But I didn't expect you to risk it all for your grandson, have him bring my token and try to extort me in Longevity Heaven."
"Fan Wudi, do you really think... that you, a mere mortal, have the qualifications to blackmail me?"
Suddenly the old man froze, staring blankly at the Seventh Elder.
He gaped at the Seventh Elder, exclaiming in disbelief, "What did you say? My grandson? Mo'er? You've seen him already? That...that's impossible!"
To the old man's understanding, it would take Chu Mo at least a year to enter Longevity Heaven.
Could it be that his grandson could fly?
The Seventh Elder chuckled coldly, "What's the point of pretending at a time like this? You dare to tell me that your grandson went to Longevity Heaven, and it wasn't you who sent him?"
At this point, Fan Wudi regained his composure. He looked at the Seventh Elder and slowly sat on the Grandmaster's chair. The intimidating air accumulated from his years on the battlefield suddenly radiated out as he looked coldly at the Seventh Elder.
"True, my grandson Chu Mo was dispatched by me!"
"Although I don't know why he got there half a year...or even a year earlier than expected."
"But that doesn't matter anymore."
"He was forced to leave Yanhuang City because he offended some top-ranking nobles."
"Because of his extraordinary talents and excellent roots, I thought that rather than having him join an unfamiliar faction, it would be better for him to join Longevity Heaven."
"So, I had him bring your token from back then and rush off to Longevity Heaven. I thought that even if you, Zhao Hongzhi, don't care about the connection from the past, considering that my grandson is a rare genius..."
"Haha, this is hilarious! Your grandson, with his obstructed meridians and mediocre aptitude? A genius? Do you take me for a blind man, or an idiot?" The Seventh Elder Zhao Hongzhi couldn't resist laughing out loud.
On the rooftop, Chu Mo glanced at the Demon Lord.
The Demon Lord remained expressionless.
In the room below, the old man seemed a bit flabbergasted as he looked at the laughing Zhao Hongzhi. He wore a puzzled expression, saying, "What? Although I'm not one of you immortals, with such great strength, I can at least trust my own eyes!"
"I may dote on my grandson, but I wouldn't go so far as to call a mediocrity a genius!"
"He has barely had any training. He only learned the army boxing technique for a few days, yet he managed to cultivate his primordial energy up to the second level and is about to step into the Primordial Pass realm."
"Doesn't such a kid deserve to be called a genius?"
"If not, even if I had thick skin, I wouldn't have sent him to Longevity Heaven to be an apprentice..."
"Enough, shut up. Whether your grandson is a genius or not is irrelevant now." Elder Seven Zhao Hongzhi replied coldly, "I didn't come here today to argue with you about that!"
Fan Wudi looked coldly at Zhao Hongzhi, "then what did you come for? To kill me?"
"At least you have some brains!" Zhao Hongzhi's face contorted viciously, "If you had stayed quietly and obediently as a worldly general, you and I would have been in two different worlds, with no murderous intent between us."
"But you did what you shouldn't have done!"
"You sent your grandson to Longevity Heaven. Even though he is such a waste... alright, let's say he's not a waste!"
"As he came to be my disciple with my token, if I accepted him, people would definitely investigate the relationship between him and me."
"Then, they would certainly look into your involvement. Even if you remain tight-lipped, don't forget, we are immortals!"
"We have many means to get you to spill the truth unknowingly."
"By then, what I did back in the day would naturally be impossible to keep a secret."
"Once that matter is exposed, how can I stay in Longevity Heaven with any dignity?"
"Even worse, I will be hunted by the world!"
"The disgraced Longevity Heaven won't let me off easily."
"They will strip me of my position as elder, expel me from the Heaven... and I will be thoroughly shamed and defeated!"
Zhao Hongzhi looked at Fan Wudi with a twisted expression, "And all of this... just because you, depending on the fact that you saved me and have some old debt, sought to gain an advantage by threatening to repay..."
"You tell me, don't you deserve to die?" (Is this chapter worth a few votes of recommendation?)