Chapter 706: Invitation

Han Li didn't have full trust in Mo Guang, so he was intently observing the unfolding scene on the stone platform, and his heart also stirred slightly upon hearing mention of the Void Integration Tribe.

The Void Integration Tribe had appeared in the scriptures that Han Li had gathered on more than one occasion, but all records about them were rather ambiguous in their wording, not because this was an extremely secretive tribe, or because the Gray Lizard Tribe's information gathering abilities were lackluster.

Instead, it was because the Void Integration Tribe was an extremely high-ranking noble tribe even in the context of the entire Gray Realm.

In contrast, the Gray Lizard Tribe was a bottom feeder, even in the Black Teeth Region, so the separation between the two tribes couldn't have been any larger, and it was no wonder that the Gray Lizard Tribe wasn't able to gather much information at all.

All Han Li knew was that the Void Integration Tribe ruled over the Young Dawn Region, which was allied to the Reincarnation Region, thereby making it an enemy of the tribes of the Nirarbuda Region.

Aside from that, Han Li knew nothing else about the Void Integration Tribe, and he had no idea that the body that Mo Guang had taken over had once belonged to a Void Integration being.

Despite this unexpected turn of events, the Azure Ape being was too stunned to issue any orders for the Nirarbuda forces to stop what they were doing, so the massacre continued, and many Gray Lizard beings had already been slain.

"Stop them, Mo Guang," Han Li instructed through voice transmission.

Mo Guang didn't immediately spring into action upon hearing this. Instead, he took a glance in Han Li's direction.

Everyone was rather perplexed to see this, and they all turned in the same direction as well. Han Li cursed under his breath as he hurriedly concealed his aura and pretended to be unconscious.

At the same time, the Heavenly Devil Contract that he had signed with Mo Guang was already beginning to appear in his consciousness.

Thankfully, Mo Guang didn't make any false moves, and he turned to the Azure Ape being as he put away his black folding fan, then cracked his knuckles as he grinned to reveal two rows of pristine and even teeth.

As Miao Xiu stared at Mo Guang, all of her fear and panic suddenly faded, and his smile resembled a warm and shining beacon in her eyes.

In direct contrast with Miao Xiu, the Azure Ape being was absolutely horrified by the sight of Mo Guang's smile, and he felt as if his entire body had been plunged into a glacial pit.

He gritted his teeth tightly as he tightened his grip around the black seashell, hoping that this treasure that had been bestowed upon him by his monarch would be able to save him.

However, before he had a chance to do anything else, the voice of a devil suddenly rang out beside his ears.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"What are you thinking?"

Mo Guang had transformed into a plume of gray mist, which had wrapped itself around the Azure Ape being like a snake completely without his detection. The only part of Mo Guang's body that remained intact was his head, and it was hovering right next to the Azure Ape being's head.

The Azure Ape being screamed in horror, and as soon as he opened his mouth, the plume of gray mist that Mo Guang had transformed into instantly surged into his body through all of his orifices.

An agonized look appeared on the Azure Ape being's face as he dropped his club and black seashell, then clasped his hands tightly around his own neck and stumbled a few steps backward before toppling to the ground.

Only after he fell completely still did the plume of black mist re-emerge from his body before reverting back to form Mo Guang's body.

Mo Xiu and the others were all astonished to see this, and their mouths were gaped open slightly in a stunned silence.

Meanwhile, Mo Guang merely picked up the black seashell from the ground, upon which his entire body stiffened momentarily, but wisps of baleful qi then surged out of the palm of his hand to envelop the seashell to commence the refinement process.

Moments later, he gently flicked the seashell with his finger, and a burst of black light instantly erupted out of it before sweeping in all directions, stirring up faint ripples over the surface of Wave Edge Lake.

As the burst of black light washed over all of the Black Teeth Tribe beings, the sense of feebleness that was plaguing them instantly vanished, and they sprang to their feet to battle against the Nirarbuda forces.

Han Li and Shi Chuankong also sprang up from the ground, but instead of participating in the battle, they rushed toward the stone platform.

On the stone platform, Mu Qiu's face had turned deathly pale at the sight of the Azure Ape being's demise, and he immediately turned to flee toward Wave Edge Lake, but the chief of the Bone Spike Tribe had already appeared in his path before he had a chance to move.

The other chiefs in the tent that were still alive immediately sprang into action as well to surround Mu Qiu from all directions, while Miao Xiu ordered in an expressionless manner, "Kill him."

The tribal chiefs instantly executed the order without any hesitation.

"Chiefs of the Mountain Ghost, Wind Ermine, and Gray Scythe Tribes, gather your tribesmen for a counterattack!"

"Members of the Azure Carp, Mud Ox, and Earth Core Tribes, enter Wave Edge Lake to pursue the enemy! We don't have a numbers advantage, so there's no need to surround them, just kill as many of them as possible..."

"Miao Zong, lead the other tribe to go after the enemy tribal chiefs and the fleeing enemy forces."

Miao Xiu issued a string of commands to the Black Teeth Tribe tribal chiefs, and a counterattack quickly took shape.

With their commander dead, the Nirarbuda forces were instantly thrown into a state of panic and disarray. To further compound their woes, the Black Teeth Region's tribes were eager for revenge, and it didn't take long before the Nirarbuda forces were pushed back into Wave Edge Lake.

Mo Guang also refrained from further participation in the battle as he casually strolled over to the edge of the stone platform, where he watched the unfolding battle with an intrigued look on his face.

At this point, Han Li and Shi Chuankong had also descended onto the stone platform after ducking and weaving their way through the chaotic battlefield.

Shi Chuankong's expression remained unchanged at the sight of Mo Guang, but internally, he was utterly astonished, and he turned to Han Li with a hesitant expression as he asked through voice transmission, "Who is this, Fellow Daoist Li?"

"You can call him Fellow Daoist Mo Guang. I suppose you can say that he's a contracted ally of mine. He was unable to appear prior to this due to some special reasons, but he'll be around a lot more from now on," Han Li explained in a concise fashion.

Mo Guang gave Shi Chuankong a smile and a nod, in response to which Shi Chuankong cupped his fist in a salute and gave a self-introduction.

"I read in the records of the Gray Lizard Tribe that the Void Integration Tribe has three main surnames, namely Tusu, Dongling, and Jiang. From now on, your name will be Jiang Gu, and we are your servants," Han Li said through voice transmission.

Mo Guang nodded in response, but then pursed his lips as he objected, "I don't really like that name. It sounds like I'm about to die soon." [1]

Han Li's brows furrowed slightly, and he was just about to say something when he spotted Miao Xiu approaching them.

She stopped quite a few steps away, then extended a respectful curtsey as she said, "I am Miao Xiu, the daughter of Monarch San Miao of our Black Teeth Region. May I know your name, Senior?"

Mo Guang turned to Miao Xiu with a smile, then blatantly scoured his gaze over her body, and hew as just about to reply when Han Li's voice rang out in his mind.

"Fellow Daoist Mo Guang, we are in a different realm right now, so please do be careful with your words and actions."

"Ah, so you're a young mistress of the San Miao Tribe. My name is Jiang Gu, and these are my servants, Li Han and Shi Chuankong," Mo Guang said with a smile.

"It's extremely fortunate for us that you're here today, Senior Jiang. Otherwise, all of our Black Teeth Region tribes would've suffered extremely severe losses," Miao Xiu said as she extended another curstey.

"I just so happened to be passing through the Black Teeth Region, and I wasn't going to get involved, but that green monkey was really annoying me," Mo Guang said in a casual manner.

"This attack from the Nirarbuda tribes is a declaration of war against our Black Teeth Region, so I have to get back to our San Miao Tribe to report everything to my father. You are the savior of our Black Teeth Region, so please allow us the opportunity to show you our hospitality," Miao Xiu said with a serious expression.

Mo Guang didn't immediately respond to the invitation. Instead, he appeared as if he were mulling over the offer while internally asking Han Li about how to proceed.

"We can go with her. We have no set objective at the moment anyway, so it wouldn't be a bad thing to go somewhere more safe and secure. On top of that, there should be more information at the San Miao Tribe as well," Han Li communicated through voice transmission.

"I suppose it would be rude to turn down such an earnest invitation. Having said that, I'm trying to keep a low profile at the moment, so please keep this a secret. Ideally, don't even tell your father about me for now," Mo Guang said in a serious manner.

Miao Xiu was ecstatic to hear this, and she immediately replied, "Rest assured, Senior, I won't tell anyone about you before we arrive at Serene Millet City. I'll only inform my father of your arrival once we get there, and of course, I'll ask him to keep your presence in our tribe a secret as well."

"That would be best," Mo Guang said with a nod.

"In that case, please allow me to take care of the matters at hand, and after that, I'll make arrangements for our journey to Serene Millet City," Miao Xiu said.

Mo Guang offered no response, merely dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Following Miao Xiu's departure, Mo Guang turned his gaze back to the battlefield, which was filled with baleful qi from the slaughter that had just taken place, and he inhaled deeply with a content look on his face.

"Fellow Daoist Li, are we not taking too much of a risk here?" Shi Chuankong asked with a concerned expression.

"It's fine. With Fellow Daoist Mo Guang's identity as a Void Integration being, the people of the San Miao Tribe wouldn't dare to examine us too closely. All we have to do is be on our guard, and we should be able to maintain our covers," Han Li replied.

Shi Chuankong didn't say anything further, but the concern in his eyes didn't fade away, either.

1. The name that Han Li proposed (将古) can translate to imminent history, implying that Mo Guang is about to become history. Having said that, 古 (Gu) is also a pretty common name, and as far as I can tell, there's no intentional foreshadowing here or anything like that. ☜