Chapter 400: Obtaining the Stratagem Board
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Two black rays shot out of that black hole and penetrated straight into Qin Shaoyang’s pupils. In a moment, he had become like an idiot such that when asked anything, he would answer without holding back or hiding anything at all.
“Humph. Initially, I just wanted to take back the things that the Qin Clan stole from me. But now, everything that your Qin Clan has should belong to Qin Xiaoyou. If there are any extras, I will just take them as interest.”
The whole reason that Mo Wen had found the will from that year was because he wanted to demand justice for Wang Huiru and her daughter. However, now that the evidence had been destroyed, he had no other choice but to be ruthless in getting back all the assets from the Qin Clan.
Mo Wen lifted Qin Shaoyang with one hand and said calmly, “I will keep this person alive because I’ve got a use for him. The rest of them can be killed.” His underlying meaning was for those other aristocratic families to take whatever revenge they wanted. The Qin Clan had committed such treason, and it was naturally impossible for them to have a good ending.
The reason for leaving Qin Shaoyang alive was because he was ultimately the clan leader of the Qin Clan, and all the shares of the Blue Ocean Group were in his hands. Although Qin Xiaoyou may not care about material goods at this point in time, it belonged to her regardless and should not be left with the Qin Clan.
Those aristocratic families of the Capital had long begun to itch at having a go in attacking. They longed to take revenge on the Qin Clan as soon as possible. However, because of Mo Wen’s aura, they had been afraid to take action personally. Now that they had gained Mo Wen’s approval, they surged forward at once and fought their way towards the Qin Clan.
In the previous battle, the people of the Ghost Lair had already been destroyed. Meanwhile, most of the other people of the Qin Clan had sustained serious injuries. The unusual black fog that helped to improve their abilities had also disappeared. Now, in the face of so many aristocratic families being united against them, they essentially had no power to resist. In a moment, there were row and rows of ancient martial art practitioners from the Qin Clan collapsing. It looked like a massacre.
Qin Guang had attempted to escape. After all, he was in the Embryonic Breathing realm, and it was difficult for the average person to stop him. However, a huge Black Fog Sword had descended from the sky and slashed him such that he started to cough up blood, and he began to lose his spirit. From behind, Huo Changxin and Bi Kuanhai approached together and simply beat him up until he was very seriously injured.
“You’re too cruel!” Qin Guang let out a long cry and looked at Mo Wen with a very complicated gaze. Then, his body slowly fell to the ground. It was clear that he had not died in peace, as his eyes remained wide with anger even in death. Just before he died, he had truly regretted his actions. If it had not been for him giving free reign to Qin Shaoyang to kill off Qin Yi all those years ago, allowing him to harm his own kin and steal his assets, Mo Wen would not have gone against their Qin Clan. If it had not been for him being so wildly ambitious and collaborating with the heretic forces, the Qin Clan could have perhaps maintained its position as one of the five aristocratic families in the Capital.
But now, everything was over! A wrong decision made in the spur of the moment had destroyed a clan that had been passed down for 100 years. All the people of the Qin Clan had been executed, and on the other side, the people of the aristocratic families had quite a lot of casualties and suffered significant losses.
Mo Wen held the stratagem board in one hand and concentrated the last bit of spiritual energy that the Spiritual Energy Pill contained into it. Immediately, the stratagem board glowed with a black light. Soon after, the black fog that had engulfed the square began to gradually dissipate. A ray of sunlight finally penetrated through, and the area was bright once again.
Mo Wen’s figure flashed and turned into a few rays that headed to the mountaintop. From behind a secret rock, he plucked out a small black flag. That small flag was only the size of a palm, and it had a black base with gold sides. On top, there was the mark of a skull. It was the stratagem flag that was supposed to be paired with the stratagem board.
Just the stratagem board without the stratagem flag would mean that it would be impossible to construct a huge stratagem. However, any huge stratagems that had a stratagem board would be complemented with a stratagem flag. The exception lay in those Great Stratagem Masters who could manipulate the stratagem techniques as they desired. With a single phrase, they would be able to construct something that was earth-shattering and could move the earth. Only then could one construct a huge stratagem without the stratagem board and the stratagem flag, or any other things such as the stratagem’s foundation.
Among the Immortal Cultivators, those Great Stratagem Masters could construct a stratagem with a phrase. Hence, they were able to set up a stratagem at any time or place. A rock on the floor, a leaf on a tree, or even a fish in the water could all be used as the foundation for a Great Stratagem Master to build a stratagem upon. The moment the stratagem techniques reached a certain level in the world of Immortal Cultivators, that person would be of a very frightening status.
Of course, among the Immortal Cultivators, there were not many who could achieve the level of a Great Stratagem Master.
Mo Wen continued to retrieve four more stratagem flags from the other few mountaintops. With the five stratagem flags and the one stratagem board, he was able to construct a huge stratagem. Such a stratagem was very simple. It was the most average of all the huge stratagems. It was a technique used by Immortal Cultivators who had just learned the basics of stratagem techniques. Since it was not in the least bit complicated, Mo Wen was able to easily grasp such a stratagem. If it had been a more complex stratagem, he probably would not have been able to do it.
Of course, a stratagem being simple did not mean that the stratagem board was very simplistic. However, anybody who was able to create a stratagem board had to be an Immortal Cultivator for sure. Moreover, they had to be an Immortal Cultivator who was rather well-versed with stratagem techniques, since it was something that purely belonged to the Immortals.
In his past life, Mo Wen had not even had the chance to obtain a stratagem board, not even the simplest of them. Yet, in this lifetime, he had attained one so easily. It really amazed him. If that Lord Ghost Ink had been an Immortal Cultivator and not an ancient martial art practitioner with no understanding of stratagem techniques, he would essentially not have been able to steal the stratagem board from his hands.
Turning the stratagem board around to see its base, there was a very outstanding button. A look of understanding flashed in Mo Wen’s eyes. He pressed the button, and with a click, the base suddenly dented inwards to reveal a small and narrow space. In that space lay a white pebble about the size of an egg.
“It is the spiritual stone, indeed.” A look of happiness flashed in Mo Wen’s eyes. He had long known that an ancient martial art practitioner like Lord Ghost Ink could not possibly have the ability to activate any stratagems. If it had not been for the push provided by some sort of spiritual energy, even having the stratagem board would be of no use. Hence, he guessed that there definitely had to be some sort of spiritual energy in existence. If not, the huge stratagem would not possibly exhibit such a strength.
Beforehand, he had killed of so many powerful people in the Ghost Lair. Most of it had been attributed to the strength of the stratagem. With the little spiritual energy that came from the spiritual pill, it was simply impossible to maintain the operation of the huge stratagem, and it would only barely be able to keep the huge stratagem under control.
Mo Wen dug out the spiritual stone that was in the stratagem board. He noticed that half of the white pebble had turned a dark gray, while the other half remained white.
“Only half the spiritual energy has been used, so it probably can be used once more.” A look of delight flashed in Mo Wen’s eyes. Even if it were just a simple huge stratagem, if the stratagem board was used well, it would definitely be a highly lethal weapon in the ancient martial arts world. Not just against those in the Embryonic Breathing realm, even among those in the Golden Elixir realm, the moment they were trapped in a stratagem, they would definitely be on the losing end.
He put the stratagem board in the storage ring. Then, his body flashed, and he returned to the square in the Bi Clan’s Mountain Villa. The entire process had not taken more than a few minutes.
Qin Xiaoyou ran over from a distance and grabbed on tightly to Mo Wen’s hand. Her gaze fell on the pile of corpses from the entire Qin Clan, and there was a complicated look in her eyes. She had exacted her revenge, and all her enemies had been executed. Yet, she did not have any feelings of excitement. Instead, she actually felt a little mournful.
“Don’t think too much. Their heretic forces had the motive of killing off all the aristocratic families. With such a mindset, they deserved to die anyway.” Mo Wen patted Qin Xiaoyou’s hand. He knew that no matter what he said, Qin Xiaoyou’s father was still someone of the Qin Clan, and that also made her a part of the Qin Clan. Although the Qin Clan had been very heartless, it was ultimately still her bloodline. Such a scene where all the people of her bloodline had been executed was bound to have a profound effect on her.
“Mm!” Qin Xiaoyou nodded slightly before lowering her head and remaining silent. She did not pity those people in the Qin Clan who had done evil. She was just thinking of her birth origin. Now that her revenge had been exacted, every problem should disappear. However, she was still that lonely child who did not have a father, and it would always be that way, even far into the future.
She suddenly grabbed hold of Mo Wen’s hand tightly and did not think of letting go for even a moment. Although she had lost so, so much, as long as she had him, it was like having everything.
Wang Xiaofei followed silently behind Qin Xiaoyou. She was normally very lively but had become unusually quiet. Everything that had happened in the Bi Clan Mountain Villa had rendered her helpless. It had allowed her to experience a huge amount of bloodshed in the ancient martial arts world. Previously, she had always been sheltered by the people of her clan. However, when it really came to a matter of life and death, she felt so useless.
She glanced over at Mo Wen and sighed lightly. No wonder Xiaoyou adored him. This youth was indeed a talent of the generation. Not even a young master of an aristocratic family could compare.
Huo Changxing walked over and looked at Mo Wen. Then, he lowered his head slightly and said, “Mo Wen, what’s going to happen after this? That Qin Clan, and the Ghost Lair…” In the world of ancient martial arts, the more powerful were the more respected. To Mo Wen, he had displayed the appropriate amount of respect expected. Now, the Bi Clan Mountain Villa was in a huge amount of chaos, and many things had happened one after the other. Although Mo Wen was not someone of the Capital’s aristocratic families, nobody dared to ignore his existence.
Bi Kuanhai had also walked over. Although he did not say a thing, he also looked as though he was ready to listen to what Mo Wen had to say.
The Qin Clan was a major clan with a 100-year history. Although the higher-ups had essentially all died in the Bi Clan Mountain Villa, there were still a significant number of normal Qin Clan people. Now that the Qin Clan had committed such a grave mistake, it was naturally a problem as to how they should deal with those remaining clan members.
“You guys don’t have to worry. I will report this incident to Huatian Palace. The people of the Ghost Lair would definitely not dare to attack and cause trouble for you guys again. As for the Qin Clan…”
Mo Wen remained silent for a moment before looking over at Qin Xiaoyou, who was by his side, before saying calmly, “Those who have achieved the Qi Nucleation realm will be killed. As for the others, their Cultivation will be stripped from them. For three generations, they will not be allowed to train in ancient martial arts, and we will ensure that by confiscating the inherited ancient classics of the Qin Clan.”
Bi Kuanhai and Huo Changxing shared a glance. If it had been them, according to the methods of ancient martial art practitioners, they would have definitely executed the entire clan. The Qin Clan had committed such a grave mistake, and if they did not execute them all, they would not be able to scare the other aristocratic families. If the punishment was too light, anyone would then dare to collaborate with the heretic forces and cause harm to the ancient martial arts world.
However, since Mo Wen had already spoken, they did not dare to contradict him. Based on Mo Wen’s punishment, the Qin Clan would be more or less destroyed. Confiscating their ancient classics and prohibiting three generations from training in ancient martial arts was akin to cutting all risks of the Qin Clan taking revenge in the future. After three generations, the Qin Clan would most likely retreat from the ancient martial arts world to become a normal family.
“This matter concerns the Capital’s ancient martial arts scene, so it is not suitable for me to interfere. I will take my leave.” Mo Wen cupped his hands as a farewell gesture before holding onto Qin Xiaoyou and leaving the square.
Currently, all the major aristocratic families were experiencing major chaos. Many had died, and many had gotten injured. He simply did not want to have anything to do with those things. As for whether or not the Ghost Lair would take revenge in the future, that had nothing to do with him either, since Huatian Palace would have people handling it. If even Huatian Palace did not care about it, there would be no use in him caring.