Chapter 142: The True Tyrant Mountain Replica

After Yang Fan finished giving a general overview of Earth to Bashan Mo in the grand hall, Bashan Mo's reaction was vastly different—and far calmer—than that of Kun Sha previously.

Throughout the entire account, Bashan Mo maintained a serene smile, making Yang Fan wonder if he had somehow misspoken or failed to describe certain details accurately.

It simply didn't make sense!

Once Yang Fan concluded, Bashan Mo nodded, appearing well satisfied with the answer.

Then, Bashan Mo said, "Young friend, wait a moment." As his voice trailed off, a surge of spiritual energy enveloped Yang Fan.

Instantly, Yang Fan felt as though he had been struck deaf and blind; he could neither hear nor see anything, and all perception of the outside world vanished entirely.

At first, a wave of panic washed over him, but a moment later, he realized that Bashan Mo was using spiritual power to shield all his senses.

Cut off from everything outside his own body, Yang Fan slowly raised a hand and touched the invisible barrier right in front of him.

A profound sense of envy welled up within him.

This was what it meant to be a true powerhouse; this was sheer strength!

Lately, everyone Yang Fan had encountered far surpassed him in power—even Li Xianyi was stronger, having reached at least the peak of the fourth rank, while Yang Fan himself had only just stepped into the fourth-rank threshold.

...

Meanwhile, outside, within the hall where Yang Fan's perception could not reach.

Bashan Mo stroked his beard and asked Bashan Hong and the others with a faint smile, "What are your thoughts? Speak your minds."

Bashan Hong was the first to step forward. "Patriarch, according to reliable intelligence, the Azure Plain has been sealed off by fierce beasts, and no one above the fifth rank is permitted to enter or leave! Now that we have learned about the outside world, the passage leading there lies across the Azure Plain, and we have no way to cross it. Rumors say there are at least ten-rank fierce beasts prowling the Azure Plain—at least ten of them. With our tribe's current strength, we simply lack the capability to force our way through!"

As soon as Bashan Hong finished, Bashan Cangmang, standing right beside him, chimed in, "Elder Hong is entirely correct. Our clan cannot enter the Azure Plain. Therefore, in my view, matters of the outside world have nothing to do with us! Furthermore, this brat's words cannot be trusted implicitly."

The remaining two, Bashan Gui and Bashan Wujiang, both nodded in agreement.

Upon hearing their words and observing the approving expressions of the other two, Bashan Mo's expression began to shift gradually.

The smile that habitually lingered at the corners of his mouth slowly faded away.

With a placid expressionless face, he said, "I watched the four of you grow up, and I consider you my closest confidants... I always believed you were the ones I could trust most, but it now appears the four of you have also grown restless."

At these words, the countenances of Bashan Hong and the other three altered drastically. They hastily bowed and said, "Patriarch, we wouldn't dare..."

Bashan Mo rose to his feet and remarked indifferently, "Wouldn't dare? Heh, you wouldn't dare now, but what about when I truly grow old? What about when my blood qi and aura begin to wane? I have lived for nearly eight hundred years in this lifetime; how could I be unaware of what crosses your minds?" Looking down at the four figures prostrate before him, he let out a cold chuckle and continued, "My remaining lifespan is at most a hundred years—that is my absolute limit. In about thirty years, my blood qi will begin to decline. There is no need to conceal this; nearly the entire tribe knows it.

Your ambitions appear natural to me, but you must understand: as long as I have not begun to wane, you will not have a single opportunity. Originally, I had no grand designs; over the past few years, I intended to choose one of you to become the next patriarch. But the situation has changed now... I will speak plainly: I am going to the outside world. I have been trapped at the peak of the tenth rank for a full five hundred years. It is not because my talent is lacking, but because this world has imprisoned me!

Now that the passage is wide open, this is my chance. Once I break through the tenth rank and reach the eleventh, the entire world will transform, and my lifespan will be prolonged immensely!"

As Bashan Mo spoke, his gaze grew increasingly fervent and radiant, as though he were already on the verge of breaking through to the eleventh rank himself.

Below, the four prostrate figures pressed their faces deeper into the ground, exerting every ounce of effort to prevent Bashan Mo from seeing the irrepressible resentment etched across their faces!

For how many years? The four of them had long forgotten the exact count; they only knew that from the very beginning, Bashan Mo had loomed over their heads.

He was the patriarch, and they were the four great elders.

Were the four of them truly unable to break through to the tenth rank? Not at all. They were trapped by the exact same bottleneck as Bashan Mo, and that very bottleneck was the man standing right before them—Bashan Mo!

During Bashan Mo's tenure, not a single new tenth-rank expert had emerged within the entire Bashan tribe. Whenever a new tenth-rank breakthrough occurred, that person would mysteriously vanish after a short time!

He was a gleaming sword suspended above the heads of the entire Bashan tribe!

For so many years, the Bashan tribe's ranking had stagnated, neither rising nor falling. What sustained them was not only Bashan Mo's formidable strength but also the deep foundation of the tribe itself!

Yet the younger generation faced a severe generational gap; the four of them were the only ones capable of carrying the burden among the youths. Just as they had nearly outlived Bashan Mo, an outside world suddenly materialized out of nowhere!

This was precisely why Bashan Hong's attitude upon discovering Yang Fan had been far from welcoming. On one hand, Bashan Hong dared not conceal Yang Fan's existence, because discovery would mean a gruesome death—after all, he had rivals within the tribe!

On the other hand, reporting Yang Fan to Bashan Mo was something he loathed doing with every fiber of his being!

After so many years of living in close quarters, the four elders knew all too well just how tyrannical Bashan Mo truly was!

One could easily imagine: four peak ninth-rank experts, forcibly suppressed by Bashan Mo's tyranny to the point where they dared not absorb spiritual energy to cultivate, dared not take even a single step further!

Right now, Bashan Mo paid no heed whatsoever to the thoughts of the four men kneeling below.

Despite his usual smiling exterior, those familiar with him in the Kunlun Secret Realm called him the "Smiling Tiger of Bashan"—he could plot against people with a laugh and suppress them with a smile!

After a brief spell of fervent excitement, Bashan Mo sat back down and instructed the four to rise. He then continued, "Remember this: my strength is the strength of the Bashan tribe. Don't you all wish to break through to the tenth rank? Very well, I will no longer suppress you in this regard. I know there is lingering resentment in your hearts, but you must understand that I did it for the unity of the tribe. Once the leadership is fractured, the tribe will crumble—we have learned that lesson through bitter experience!

Therefore, my suppression of you was also for the good of the tribe. But things are different now. As long as you assist me with all your might in reaching the outside world and successfully breaking through to the eleventh rank, I give you my word: all four of you may break through to the tenth rank. And if your aptitude is sufficient, reaching the eleventh rank in the future is not entirely beyond hope!"

With those words, Bashan Mo resumed his characteristically amiable smile!

As if the gloomy, fanatical person from moments ago had never been him at all!

Bashan Hong and the other three stood in the hall, their faces plastered with forced excitement and elation, while their hearts were filled with utter sorrow and helplessness!