Still Terrifyingly So

The ten-thousand-meter Dharmic manifestation dissolved into specks of light, and Mo Tianxiao's figure hovered in midair, his expression serene, like a transcendent master.

Burp~

The thunder within him still struggled. Mo Tianxiao let out a burp, and the breath he exhaled carried crackling thunderbolts.

The power of Heavenly Tribulation could temper the physical body and attack the soul.

"Not a bad gain, after all."

Mo Tianxiao glanced at the formations he had set up. The outermost defensive formation was destroyed, but the other two were still standing, and he had used up one saint-level talisman.

The cost was significant, but the rewards were decent: dozens of powerful Yin souls and a few nice saint artifacts.

Considering the gains, Mo Tianxiao graciously chose not to hold a grudge against the already-dead fools for recklessly barging into his seclusion site.

"Senior Brother!"

Two graceful figures flew over, reverting to their true forms.

"Wan'er? And Daoist Su? What are you two doing here?"

Mo Tianxiao had been about to interrogate the luck survivors, but the sudden appearance of Nangong Wan and Su Muxue interrupted him.

"Senior Brother, we came looking for you. Master said you didn't return to the sect on time, so she sent us to find you. Oh, Senior Brother, this is your strange flame. We thought it was wild and wanted to catch it to give to you, but it turns out it was yours all along."

Nangong Wan's face showed a hint of excitement. She hadn't seen her Senior Brother for a long time, and her eyes had not strayed from him since he appeared.

"Turns out it was you making a breakthrough here. We thought some rare treasure had surfaced, and we nearly died here too. Where on earth did you get so many saint-level formations and saint-level talismans? Did you rob some top-tier faction or something?"

Su Muxue crossed her arms, her gaze scrutinizing Mo Tianxiao closely. Then a look of surprise crossed her face. "Wait, your cultivation... Sage Realm ninth layer? Didn't you just break through?"

Spotting the anomaly, Su Muxue stared wide-eyed in confusion, almost wanting to directly inspect Mo Tianxiao's condition.

Mo Tianxiao took the strange flame from Nangong Wan's hands unhurriedly and casually patted her head. "Well done, Wan'er. You've almost surpassed your Senior Brother. If you did, I'd have to become your Junior Brother."

"Hehe, Senior Brother is still more impressive. Every time I think I've caught up, it turns out I'm still a step behind." Nangong Wan's cheeks blushed, a mix of joy and unwillingness.

Mo Tianxiao chuckled, then turned to look at Su Muxue. His gaze involuntarily drifted toward a certain proud feature, as if equipped with auto-aim.

"Ahem, Daoist Su, your strength remains terrifying as ever. Congratulations, congratulations."

Su Muxue noticed his gaze and her brows immediately tightened. "You lecher! Tell me, what's going on with you? Saint-level formations, saint-level talismans, and your cultivation above Wan'er's—what have you been up to all these years?"

"Don't rush. We'll talk slowly on the way back."

With that, the three of them tore through the sky and left.

The surviving cultivators also dispersed in an orderly fashion, and soon, news of the incident spread across the Demon Province and beyond, reaching cultivators in other regions: the Demon Sect's Young Master had already broken through to the Sage Realm.

"What?! You're a saint-level formation master?"

On the way back, shock surged like a tidal wave in Su Muxue's heart as she stared at Mo Tianxiao, trying to spot a crack in his expression.

But Mo Tianxiao remained as steady as an old dog. “Just a mere Saint-level formation master, nothing worth mentioning.”

Su Muxue pressed on, “Then what about these Saint-level talismans?”

“Oh, these? I refined them casually.”

“You!”

Su Muxue gritted her teeth. “You’re just a freak!”

Saint-level formation masters and Saint-level talisman specialists—weren’t both of these secondary professions nearly extinct in the Xuanhuang Realm?

This guy actually possessed both at once, which just went to show how freakish this rogue truly was.

“I recall Senior Brother’s specialty is alchemy. I imagine your alchemy skills have already broken through to Saint-level as well?”

Nangong Wan asked with a sweet smile on her face.

Mo Tianxiao nodded calmly. “You know me well, Wan’er. That’s right, alchemy was the first skill I broke through to Saint-level in.”

“You freak, would you dare suppress your cultivation and have a match with me?”

Su Muxue had originally planned to bully him thoroughly while he hadn’t yet broken through to the Saint Realm, settling old scores from back then. But reality had dealt her a harsh blow—not only had he broken through to the Saint Realm, but he had built up his foundation and pushed all the way to the peak of the Saint Lord Realm.

How was she supposed to settle scores now?

Mo Tianxiao looked at Su Muxue with surprise. “Daoist Su, let’s not do something as stupid as being big-chested and brainless, alright?”

“Get lost! Who are you calling brainless? Are you saying that even if you suppress your cultivation, I still can’t beat you?” Su Muxue’s face flushed with shame and anger, practically turning red.

“Senior Brother and Sister Muxue really haven’t changed a bit, have they?”

Nangong Wan watched Su Muxue, who had been provoked into rage by just a few words from her senior brother, and wore a helpless smile on her face.

Senior Brother really had Sister Muxue completely wrapped around his finger.

But...

Nangong Wan stared at Su Muxue’s proud, curvaceous chest for a moment, then glanced at her own, feeling a hint of envy.

Damn it... how could she grow them so big!

The three of them bickered and chatted the whole way, and Nangong Wan and Su Muxue roughly learned about Mo Tianxiao’s experiences over the years. Of course, some things were concealed by Mo Tianxiao—such as his identity as Nan Mo.

There was no need to bring that up; otherwise, Su Muxue would surely mock him endlessly.

Before long, Mo Tianxiao spotted the familiar sect and felt a wave of nostalgia. After wandering outside for over a hundred years, he was finally home.

The moment he stepped through the gates of the Nether Demon Sect, a sense of warmth surged through him.

“Is that... Senior Brother?!”

“Holy crap! Senior Brother’s back!”

“Brothers! Senior Brother has returned from his trials! He’s even more handsome! Everyone, come out and see!”

True to the nature of coming home in glory, no sooner had he set foot in the sect than the news spread throughout it. Dense crowds of disciples rushed over excitedly, and many new members of the Demon Sect followed out of curiosity, eager to see the legendary demeanor of their Senior Brother.

Rumor had it that Senior Brother was approachable, had no airs, and was incredibly kind to all his junior brothers and sisters—a true breath of fresh air in the Demon Sect.

“Senior Brother Mo!”

The first to arrive was naturally Mo Tianxiao’s loyal lackey, Li Yu, who had earned him a considerable amount of villain points over the past hundred-plus years.

With over a century gone by, Li Yu appeared much more mature and steady. Spending years doing Mo Tianxiao’s bidding in the Demon Sect had transformed his demeanor considerably, and his cultivation had already reached the late-stage Void Refining Realm.

It seemed he had been training hard over these hundred years.

“Not bad, you haven’t let me down.”

Mo Tianxiao patted Li Yu on the shoulder, quite satisfied with his current cultivation level. The other party had decent talent, and with sufficient resources, his training speed naturally picked up quickly.

“It’s all thanks to Senior Brother Mo’s guidance. When you have some time, I’ll report to you on the others’ progress,” Li Yu said. Seeing the many disciples come to welcome Mo Tianxiao, he stepped aside, waiting for what was bound to be a long welcome ceremony.