Chapter 105: Fine, Fine, Fine—My Husband Is a Troublemaker

“Gathering herbs in the mountains?”

The elderly man at the Embryonic Core stage cast a suspicious glance at Mo Wen, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His gaze then turned cold.

This man was dressed like a local farmer from a nearby village but carried a backpack clearly from beyond these parts. A herb gatherer dressed so oddly was inherently suspicious, especially appearing in this area, which was strictly off-limits to outsiders.

“Search him.”

The old man looked at Mo Wen once more, then waved his hand coldly.

Upon hearing this, two disciples from the Changtian Sect stepped forward and closed in on Mo Wen.

A flicker of cold light passed through Mo Wen’s eyes. With matters having come this far, he knew things would not end well today. Previously, when he ventured out, he carried only a bamboo basket. But now was different—he was preparing to leave the Changbai Mountains, so he brought out the climbing backpack.

The real issue wasn’t the backpack itself but what was inside: the Flame Flower. If the Changtian Sect discovered it on him, they would immediately suspect his connection with that witch. They would surely band together to capture the suspicious man.

As the two disciples approached, a cold light flashed in Mo Wen’s eyes. He paid them no mind; instead, his gaze remained fixed on the old man at the Embryonic Core stage.

The moment the two disciples closed in, Mo Wen suddenly moved. An invisible ripple spread from his body. In the next instant, the two disciples were thrown flying, coughing up blood. They collapsed silently, lifeless.

Almost simultaneously, Mo Wen vanished from his spot and appeared silently before the Embryonic Core elder.

He threw a punch, unleashing a terrifying thunderous roar. Accompanied faintly by the howls of dragons and tigers, the sound reverberated across the wilderness.

The old man was clearly caught off guard by Mo Wen’s sudden and fierce attack. Before he could react, the fist loomed larger and larger before his eyes.

Just as he realized the danger and prepared to defend himself, a sharp voice pierced his ears, causing his mind to waver. His movements slowed by half a beat, and the punch struck instantly.

Terrified, the elder had no time to resist; relying on his profound cultivation, he summoned a protective qi shield to envelop himself.

But how could a mere protective qi shield withstand Mo Wen’s fist? His Dragon-Tiger Overlord Fist instantly tore through the shield and landed heavily on the elder’s chest.

Boom!

The collision of powerful internal energies produced a muffled explosion. A fierce wind swept around, blowing away weaker practitioners.

The elder was sent flying in a smooth parabola through the air, blood staining his clothes as he spat it from his mouth.

A faint smile curled on Mo Wen’s lips. Now at the peak of the Qi Sea realm, and having launched a surprise attack, no early-stage Embryonic Core martial artist could stand against him.

He would not miss the chance to finish off a fallen enemy. Though struck by his punch and left with half a life, the elder survived thanks to the vitality typical of Embryonic Core masters. Their pure internal energy guarding their vital veins could sustain them for a long time.

With a flash, Mo Wen caught up to the flying elder and delivered a brutal punch to his head.

“Send a signal! Alert the sect!”

The elder bellowed fiercely, eyes blazing with fury. Summoning a surge of internal energy, his clothes billowed. Instead of dodging Mo Wen’s punch, he swiftly pulled out a cylindrical object from his bosom.

Mo Wen’s heart sank. The elder tore off a pull ring at the bottom of the cylinder, releasing a red smoke that spiraled upward into the sky.

At almost the same moment, Mo Wen’s punch landed heavily on the elder’s head, splattering brain matter and blood. The old man became a headless corpse, dropping stiffly to the ground.

“Damn it,” Mo Wen gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly. He had not expected the elder to risk death just to send a signal.

The long plume of smoke ascended into the clouds, lingering persistently. Such an obvious signal meant the Changtian Sect would find this place soon. Then, not only the Witch of the Palace, but even Mo Wen’s chance of escaping unscathed would be slim.

The commotion outside had clearly alerted the Witch of the Palace inside the stone chamber. A shadow flashed as she darted out of the cave. Seeing the scene before her, her expression shifted, becoming grave.

The Changtian Sect had found her so quickly; undoubtedly, their top experts were converging here.

The sect’s disciples scattered in terror at her appearance, hastily igniting the signal smoke in their possession.

Though capturing the witch was a great achievement, survival came first.

“Since you’re here, no one leaves.”

The Witch of the Palace snorted coldly and clapped her hands. A boulder the size of a millstone exploded nearby, sending countless rock fragments flying. Almost instantly, the fleeing Changtian Sect disciples were engulfed.

The torrent of rocks swept across, knocking nearly all the sect members to the ground, embedding countless shards in their bodies.

Mo Wen’s lips twitched in disbelief. The Witch of the Palace was efficient in killing and remarkably creative.

“What now?” Mo Wen glanced at her helplessly.

Once the Changtian Sect locked down this area, escaping the Changbai Mountains would be difficult. One wrong move here could mean death in this forsaken place.

“What else can I do? You’d better scram and never appear in the Changbai Mountains again.”

The Witch of the Palace shot Mo Wen a cold glance, then let out a long howl and leapt into the air. With her terrifying cultivation, she soared upward.

A chilling aura burst forth from her, turning the entire valley into a frozen wasteland. Her formidable internal energy waves could be detected from ten miles away. In the surrounding forest, wild beasts fled and birds scattered in panic.

An absolute peak expert in the mid-stage of the Embryonic Core realm releasing their aura is indeed a fearsome sight.

Especially with the Witch of the Palace in midair, like a beacon, her location was unmistakable within ten miles.

Without even looking back at Mo Wen, she turned and disappeared into the trees with a few swift steps.

Mo Wen watched her vanish, his face solemn. His eyes flickered uncertainly before he sighed and forced a bitter smile.

He glanced around, then stripped a Changtian Sect disciple’s clothing to disguise himself, changing into it. After hiding his backpack in a concealed spot, he prepared everything and then dashed in pursuit of the Witch.

Earlier, the Witch had deliberately released her aura to lure all the Changtian Sect members away. Under such circumstances, if Mo Wen fled alone, he wouldn’t be Mo Wen.

With the Witch’s ability, she could have escaped silently and invisibly. Given her cultivation, her chances were high.

After all, without Embryonic Core experts, few could hold her.

Yet she deliberately drew all the sect’s forces away, meaning she would inevitably be caught in a deadly trap, her fate uncertain.

Mo Wen owed her such a huge favor; if he abandoned her now, he wouldn’t be the Mo Wen who could cultivate to the Golden Core realm.

Wearing the sect’s attire, he disguised himself as an ordinary disciple. With so many regular disciples in the Changtian Sect, it was hard to spot him—especially amid the chaos.

Besides, the sect’s target was the Witch, not him. Who would care about some lone man?

So he pursued northward through the forest. Though he encountered many sect members, none paid him any mind; they all rushed madly toward the source of the terrifying aura.

Mo Wen watched several disciples pass by, seemingly oblivious to anything unusual. A playful smile tugged at his lips.

In the distance, bursts of powerful internal energy surged repeatedly—obviously a fierce battle between top experts. A vast forest was affected; animals scattered in fright, and trees shuddered in the fierce wind.

Mo Wen’s heart jolted; his pupils contracted slightly. The battle waves were clearly from the Embryonic Core realm—had the Witch encountered some ancient Embryonic Core master of the Changtian Sect so quickly?

With that thought, he quickened his pace, chasing fiercely. In an instant, he overtook many disciples.

“Senior Brother, how can that man be so fast?” a woman in a yellow dress with a silver hairpin asked in surprise, watching the figure flash past. Even pushing their lightness skill to the limit, they couldn’t keep up.

“There are countless masters in our sect; what’s so strange about that?” a man in blue robes with a square face and large eyes, around thirty years old, said dismissively.

“But just now, I swear I saw his clothes—they were the ordinary garb of an outer disciple, even lower rank than us. How could his cultivation surpass ours by such a margin?” the yellow-dressed woman frowned.

“Junior Sister, perhaps you saw it wrong?” the man in blue looked at her doubtfully. The figure had vanished swiftly, and from his angle, he saw nothing.

“I don’t know,” she shrugged, a hint of doubt in her eyes. She had only glanced briefly but was almost certain it was just an ordinary outer disciple.

The mystery deepened as they continued their pursuit.