How much strength did a demon general have? Yates and his friends had never been to the trial of
slaying demons, but they had heard a number of tales about demon generals. At Egret Peak, the
disciples who qualified to fight them ranked among at least the top fifty of the inner disciples.
As for actually killing a demon general, they had not heard of any inner disciple at Egret Peak who had
managed to do so.
However, since they had not seen Zen slay demon generals with their own eyes, and since what the
female disciples were gushing about was hardly believable, it was debatable that Zen had really killed
some.
Even if Zen's strength was really in line with his realm at the first grade of nature level, a show of
Yates's antagonism right in front of Nina would be quite irrational. It would gain him the opposite of
what he wanted. Not only would it make him an unfavorable person in Nina's eyes, but also, it would
make her outright hate him.
At his friend's warning, Yates relaxed his fists. He understood that it would be unwise to make an
enemy of Zen right now. Today, the Mo family was hosting a party, and if he got into a fight with Zen,
the event was likely to fall through.
'I'll hold myself back for the time being, and after the party is over, I will deal with you, Zen!' Yates
swore to himself. And Nory, how could he bring home this troublesome boy? He was courting death.
Yates silently told himself to endure this until he finally got the chance to get back at Nory too. Watching
Nina smile at Zen bashfully, Yates felt his heart break into pieces and bleed. Imperceptibly, he tightened
his fists again, his fingernails digging deep into the flesh of his palms and gouging a few wounds.
Zen's soul was far more sentient than the average person.
Yates tried his best to restrain himself, but Zen still sensed the deep hostility directed toward him.
This hostility felt different than the previous one Yates had harbored against him.
He had previously shown his contempt, aiming to teach Nory's friends a lesson.
But now, Yates seemed to want Zen dead!
Zen, however, did not care for his malice.
Ever since arriving at the Mo family's house, Zen, Wurth, and Sean had been seething with silent rage.
They needed a reason to let off their steam, and in doing so, they wanted to help Nory reclaim his
place in his family.
Yates would play right into their hands if he tried to provoke them.
Suddenly, four servants walked out of the living room and opened the door to the hall. Then a dozen
people emerged out.
The man at the head of the crowd was lean and sported a goatee. His name was James Mo, and he
was the head of the Mo Clan.
Zen sat at the table, quietly watching James Mo. His aura seemed restrained, but there was still a faint
sense of menace about him. Clearly, he had his life vitality contained well inside of him. On that basis,
Zen judged that he was in the Illuminating Soul Realm.
"This is the head of the Mo family, James Mo, the only master of the Illuminating Soul Realm in the
clan," Wurth whispered, his tone scornful.
Needless to say, each of the seven noble clans was supposed to have a number of masters of the
Illuminating Soul Realm. In the Zhang family, few members belonged to the realm, but the officials
under their command were all remarkable masters. In other words, only the masters of the Illuminating
Soul Realm were qualified to be the officials of the Zhang family!
As one of the noble clans, however, the Mo Clan had declined to a point that James Mo was the only
living master of the Illuminating Soul Realm. Wurth predicted that the Mo Clan would sooner or late be
excluded from the group of noble clans.
"Father!"
Yates got up and strode briskly toward James Mo, throwing a deliberate glance at Zen and his friends.
After what had just happened, he had come to regard Zen as the greatest enemy of his life.
He, however, was a little unsure whether or not he could truly defeat Zen. So his first thought was to
use his father's formidable power against his rival.
But Yates's eyes were met with sneers from Zen and Wurth.
In the eyes of the others, the masters of the Illuminating Soul Realm were like Gods.
But for Zen and his friends, they were not particularly powerful or special.
Wurth could mobilize the masters of the Illuminating Soul Realm with a single command. He had done
so with men who were much more powerful than James Mo.
As for Zen, he had encountered and fought against many a master of the Illuminating Soul Realm. Not
only did he embarrass Hugh, who belonged to the Illuminating Soul Realm at White Emperor City, but
also he killed masters of equal strength inside the fairy palace.
Although Zen was aware that there was a gap between his true strength and that of a master of the
Illuminating Soul Realm, he had also come to understand that the chasm could be overcome in other
ways.
"Yates," James Mo said, patting Yates on the shoulder. Then he looked over to his guests. "I am deeply
honored to have each of you present at the Mo family gathering. Please forgive me if you don't find the
arrangements to your liking."
"You're much too modest, Master Mo!"
"It's an honor to be invited, Master Mo. You should have no reason to say otherwise."
Not all the guests present belonged to the noble clans. True nobility would not be caught dead
attending a mediocre party such as this one.
Although the Mo family was on the verge of decline, it was yet a noble clan. Besides, many others
depended on this family for their survival, so most of the guests were perfectly courteous toward James
Mo.
With the polite remark, James Mo took his son around to greet the guests.
The people sitting at Zen's table were engaged in animated discussions.
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