Chapter 253: Mo Jian Terrifying Scheme
Huh!
The Liu clan master had barely taken a few steps when a sudden, searing pain erupted from deep within his body.
His breath caught in his throat, and for the first time in decades, true panic flashed across his aged features.
Instantly, the flow of spiritual energy he had relied upon all his life shattered like fragile glass.
The massive palm of condensed spiritual power he had conjured a moment earlier dispersed into thin air, vanishing without a trace.
’What is this?! What happened to me?!’
The elders and clansmen of the Liu clan widened their eyes in shock.
Their faces turned pale as they stared at their leader, who now stood frozen, trembling as though an invisible blade had been lodged inside his flesh.
The clan master clenched his teeth, trying to circulate his spiritual energy to suppress the foreign disturbance.
Instead, the sharp pain intensified tenfold, stabbing through every vein and meridian like a thousand barbed needles.
"Argh!" He staggered, halting his attempt immediately as sweat dripped from his forehead.
His chest heaved violently while his lips twisted in rage and disbelief.
"Who... who did this to me?" he whispered hoarsely, his eyes narrowing with dread.
His trembling gaze shifted toward the backs of Mo Jian and his family as they calmly departed the grand hall, not even sparing him a glance.
"Stop! STOP!" he roared, his voice cracking.
But the family ignored him.
Their footsteps echoed evenly across the marble floor, as though they had rehearsed this departure countless times before.
The elders, realizing something catastrophic had struck their clan master, rose in alarm.
Their robes fluttered as they prepared to chase after the retreating family.
Then—
"AHHHHHH!"
The sound of agonized screams pierced the air.
One by one, the elders collapsed back onto the ground, clutching their bodies as unbearable pain surged through them.
Their spiritual power twisted, cracked, and refused to obey their will.
"What’s happening?!" an elder cried out, his voice high with terror. "Why can’t I use my spiritual energy?!"
Fear spread like wildfire through the hall.
Without spiritual energy, these so-called experts were no better than ordinary mortals.
The reality dawned on them all at once, and a wave of panic rolled through the once-proud elders.
The clan master froze, cold dread clawing at his mind. His daughter’s earlier words echoed mercilessly in his memory.
"Less I forget, control your leech. His aura is making my son uncomfortable. And if he feels uncomfortable, something bad might happen to your clan..."
A violent shiver ran through him.
"Guards!" he barked, though his voice cracked under the weight of pain.
Shame contorted his features.
He was the master of the ancient Liu clan, one of the most prestigious families in the continent.
Yet he had been rendered powerless by the scheme of his discarded daughter’s child.
If the outside world learned of this humiliation...
His fists clenched tightly, veins bulging across his forehead as rage boiled in his chest. His pride was shredded, and in its place grew a monstrous hatred.
He had once intended only to cripple them, destroy their dantians, break their arms and legs, and discard them. But now?
Now he wanted their flesh peeled off slowly, inch by inch, until they begged for death.
Creak!
The heavy doors of the hall opened, and guards rushed inside.
Confusion filled their faces as they saw the sight before them, every elder of the clan writhing in pain, even their mighty clan master reduced to a pitiful figure.
"My Lord?" one of the guards called out, bewildered.
"Stop them!" The clan master bellowed, his voice trembling between fury and desperation. "Don’t let them leave this compound alive!"
The guards bowed hurriedly, not daring to question him.
"Yes, my Lord!"
They turned on their heels and bolted toward the exit.
Meanwhile, the elders, still gasping for breath, forced themselves to think clearly. Their panic began to give way to grim calculation.
How did this happen?
How could the entire Liu clan be struck by such a mysterious affliction without their notice?
Even with their vast experience, none of them had sensed the slightest trace of poison or spiritual disturbance beforehand.
If the enemy had truly wished to kill them, they would all already be corpses. The thought sent chills down their spine.
"Do any of you..." the clan master growled through clenched teeth, "...know of a poison capable of doing this? A poison that can cripple Golden Core experts without leaving a trace?"
The elders exchanged uneasy glances. Silence stretched until the First Elder finally spoke, his tone grave.
"I have never heard of such a poison, Clan Master. Every poison known on the continent leaves some form of trace... an odor, a change in qi, or lingering residue." He hesitated, his eyes narrowing. "But this... this is unlike anything recorded."
The other elders nodded, their expressions grim.
"We cannot delay," one of the senior elders said firmly, her voice tinged with fear. "We must call them back and demand the antidote. The Assembly Summit is still ongoing. If word of this humiliation spreads..."
Her voice trailed off, but everyone in the hall already knew what she meant.
If the outside world discovered that the great Liu clan had been crippled within their own ancestral hall, they would become the laughingstock of the entire continent.
...
Outside the Liu compound, the guards dashed through the estate and city streets, but Mo Jian and his family were nowhere to be found. They had vanished.
Only fools would wait
...
Inside their carriage, silence lingered. Mo Jian’s parents sat across from their son, staring at him with wide, incredulous eyes.
Feeling the weight of their gazes, Mo Jian raised an eyebrow.
"What?" he asked casually.
The husband and wife exchanged glances before his father finally spoke, his voice low and unsteady.
"Son... tell us honestly. What did you do back there?"
His mother’s heart pounded.
She had thought her words inside the hall were mere bluffs, a gamble to unnerve her father.
Never had she imagined that her son would actually carry out such a terrifying scheme.
She had assumed he had arranged for hidden experts to protect them in secret, but now... she realized she had been completely wrong.
Mo Jian leaned back against the carriage wall, his tone nonchalant as though discussing the weather.
"I had Elder Li Huang research and refine a Meridian Locking Pill."
The name alone sent shockwaves through the carriage.
"Meridian... Locking Pill?"
Both parents sucked in a sharp breath.
Still, one burning question gnawed at them. His mother leaned forward, her eyes narrowing.
"Then why are we not affected?"
Mo Jian smirked faintly, his gaze calm yet unreadable.
"Because we already took the antidote."
His words silenced them.
His mother’s lips parted as though to ask more, but when she saw the mysterious smile on her son’s face, the words died in her throat.
She knew he would not reveal more.
The couple exchanged a glance, both shivering inwardly.
A cold sweat ran down their backs.
Their son, the boy they once thought naive, had transformed into someone far more dangerous than they had ever imagined.
He had plotted against the ancient Liu clan in their own territory, ensnared them with a poison no one had ever heard of, and walked away without lifting a blade.
Even her father, a Half-Step Nascent Soul powerhouse, had fallen into his web without the slightest suspicion.
The realization sent a chill coursing through their veins.
This was no longer the son they once knew.
This was someone who never fought a battle he could lose, someone who laid his plans long before the conflict even began.
As they watched him, pride welled in their hearts, mixing with fear and awe.
This was their son.
As for the ancient Liu clan?
They no longer worried. They knew he had already plan for every possibility.