Chapter 217: Chapter 217: Lord Mo’s Weakness
Yu An asked doubtfully, "Why are you asking me that?"
"Just a random question," Lord Mo said without breaking stride. "If you don’t want to answer, you don’t have to."
"It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just curious why you’re asking. It’s a rather profound question."
Yu An stroked her chin. "If it were me, I’d prefer the latter. What’s the point of living a muddled life? The person living that way wouldn’t be me anymore. What meaning would life have then?"
"Of course," she added, "other people might have different opinions. Everyone has their own way of living, so you can’t really generalize."
Lord Mo seemed lost in thought and didn’t say another word for the entire walk back.
When Mo Yan and the others saw Yu An return safely, they breathed a collective sigh of relief.
But it seemed they had relaxed too soon. The next day at noon, Ao Yin came to fetch Yu An for Lord Mo again.
"Why again?!"
Ao Wu stood protectively in front of Yu An, his brow furrowed. "What is it this time?"
"You’ll find out when you get there," Ao Yin said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "Let’s go. Lord Mo is waiting."
Yu An noticed that Ao Yin seemed very eager, a hint of excitement glinting in his eyes.
She gave Mo Yan’s hand a subtle squeeze. His face was etched with worry, and he refused to let go of her hand.
"An’an..."
A bad feeling suddenly washed over them, but Yu An pulled her hand free and shook her head at them.
"You all watch over the Zaizai. I’ll be right back."
Hearing this, Ao Yin shot her a look before quickly averting his gaze.
’Be right back?’
’More like you’ll never be coming back!’
On the way, Yu An asked out of the blue, "Is Lord Mo looking for me to stabilize his body?"
"Yes—COUGH, COUGH, COUGH..."
Ao Yin had almost blurted out the truth but caught himself just in time. "How would I know? You’ll find out when you get there."
Yu An stared at him in silence for a long time. Just as Ao Yin was starting to feel unnerved by her gaze, she slowly replied with a single, "Oh."
Ao Yin breathed a sigh of relief. But then he had another thought. ’Why should I be afraid of Yu An?’
’She’s just an unlucky soul who doesn’t have long to live... Forget it. Seeing as her days are numbered, I won’t hold it against her.’
Ao Yin was in a great mood. If Yu An hadn’t been right beside him, he would have started humming a tune.
’Before long, Yu Huang will be back by my side, and we’ll live happily ever after.’
’And as the future right-hand man of the Beast God, forget the Dragon Clan—even if I made all the Beastmen on both continents bow down in submission, they would have to obey me without question!’
He was lost in his fantasy of a beautiful future, little knowing that Lord Mo was just stringing him along. In a few days, the world would be destroyed. A lifetime of love? Subjects bowing in submission? Maybe in his next life.
Just like last time, the three of them went to a secluded place. But unlike their previous trip to enhance her superpower, this location was heavily guarded.
Only when Yu An arrived did she realize it was an intricate array platform. Given its scale and the Beastmen’s construction speed, it must have taken decades to complete.
She glanced at the four cardinal directions—north, south, east, and west—and saw a smaller array in each corner, though she didn’t know their purpose.
Lord Mo waved his hand. Ao Yin took the hint and led everyone else away. Then, Lord Mo must have pressed something, because an invisible barrier suddenly materialized around the array.
Yu An instinctively reached out to touch it. ’This design, this feel... Why is it so similar to the barrier around the cabin in the Mist Forest?’
She turned to look at Lord Mo. "What’s your relationship with the owner of the cabin in the Mist Forest?"
Lord Mo lowered his gaze. "Haven’t you already guessed?"
Yu An froze, and a moment later, rage flared in her heart. "It was you! What did you do to those cubs!"
Lord Mo slowly inspected the array for any flaws, replying casually, "I merely had them lend me a hand, using their Essence Qi to help me maintain my body."
Yu An opened her mouth, but looking at Lord Mo’s unchanging expression, she found herself at a loss for words.
She had imagined what the cubs might have endured after being captured by the Invincible Alliance, and she found that, strangely, this outcome was within her expectations.
What did surprise her, however, was that the one who had harmed the cubs was Lord Mo himself.
Yu An’s expression was complicated. "We haven’t known each other long, but I didn’t think you were a bad person. I didn’t think you were..."
"...the kind of person who could bring themselves to harm cubs?"
Lord Mo chuckled and turned to face her. "You were mistaken. I am exactly that kind of person. After all, I am the evil aspect of the Beast God. I possess every evil thought."
"They’re going to die sooner or later anyway," He said, His expression indifferent. "In a few days, they’ll all be reunited."
The moment He finished speaking, a pale golden beam of light shot out from eight different directions. The eight beams converged in the sky directly above the center of the array.
’It’s just as the Beast God said!’
Yu An’s eyes lit up. With no time for second thoughts, she lunged at Lord Mo.
The instant she tackled Lord Mo, she vanished from the spot. At the same time, Lord Mo’s eyes snapped shut.
When Yu An opened her eyes again, she found herself on a vast green lawn. A blurry figure stood before her. It was close, but the person’s face was so indistinct that Yu An couldn’t make it out.
But she knew who this was. According to the Beast God, this was Lord Mo’s true form.
She could now use her Wood Element Ability. With a mere thought, she activated her superpower, binding the still-dazed Lord Mo.
Lord Mo had intended to proceed according to his plan, but Yu An’s sudden attack caught Him completely off guard, and He failed to push her away in time.
The moment Yu An grabbed Him, it felt as if something had struck Him in the head, leaving Him completely disoriented.
When He came to His senses, He found Himself bound, with Yu An standing before Him, watching Him warily.
He struggled a couple of times but couldn’t break free. Moreover, His spiritual power seemed to have vanished.
"Yu An, what did you do to me!"
"I’ve only restrained you," Yu An said, walking over to look him up and down. "I want to ask you... Never mind. You wouldn’t tell me even if I asked."
The Beast God had said that once the array was activated, anyone who touched Lord Mo at the moment the eight beams of light converged would be drawn into the depths of his consciousness.
Only by finding Lord Mo’s weakness could they make Him disappear completely and resolve the crisis.
However, the Beast God didn’t know what Lord Mo’s weakness was. He had only said he would lend Yu An a hand in subduing Lord Mo; after that, she would be on her own.
Yu An had been about to question Lord Mo, but then she reconsidered. ’He would never tell me.’
’Instead of wasting time asking, I might as well just start searching myself.’
Yu An gestured with her hand, and the vines binding Lord Mo forced him to walk ahead while she followed behind.
Lord Mo struggled for a good while, but He couldn’t break free from the strange vines binding Him, no matter what He did.
Having come to this place, He knew what Yu An was planning.
"Don’t waste your effort," He said coldly. "You won’t find my weakness. Release me at once."
When Yu An ignored Him, Lord Mo’s tone softened slightly. "I left an escape route for you. Once the array activates, you will be teleported to that other world you’ve visited."
