novelraw Chapter 1139: Half-Step Dao Fruit
Chapter 1139: Half-Step Dao Fruit
Splash—!
The 71st generation of Heavenly Heart crashed into the ornamental fish pond inside Croaching Dragon Estate.
Ripples spread across the water, and foam was pushed to the pond’s edges… From within the water, the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart stood up looking rather battered. His already pale face was now as white as paper, and a trace of blood at the corner of his lips made it obvious—he’d suffered internal injuries.
Mo Mo landed on the roof tiles of a side courtyard, not using his advantage to press the attack. He simply looked down calmly.
“You’ve already reached the Enlightened Dao Realm?” the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart asked with a frown, raising his head.
Mo Mo said blandly, “There’s no need to get caught up in my current realm. Knocking you into the water was just to help you sober up. Are you clear-headed now? If so, we can continue our conversation.”
The 71st generation’s pupils shrank sharply.
In that instant, his robes began to inflate wildly. He raised both hands, and between each of his ten fingers were long, thick steel needles.
Mo Mo frowned slightly… and in the next moment, the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart stabbed the needles directly into his own skull.
“Golden Needles to Stimulate Meridians?” Mo Mo wasn’t surprised by the move. In the fifteen years spent within the cycle of reincarnation, he’d learned much based on his existing foundation—his insights had deepened tremendously.“Exactly,” the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart said. His pale face quickly regained a healthy flush. “I admit it. Your realm is beyond expectations—so high that with such weak spiritual power, you still fight at near-Dao levels. But! In this world, brute strength can still defeat skill! No matter how high your realm, weak spiritual power remains your Achilles' heel!”
“That’s the Guiyun Twelve Needles from the Hundred Herbs Sect, right? You only managed to use eight. Your body can’t take more, huh.” Mo Mo shook his head. “Still, your Plain-Clothed Dao has it good—so many people begging you for fortune readings. These secret techniques must be part of your revenue stream.”
A flicker of fear crossed the 71st generation’s face. The young man before him had a strange, indescribable maturity—far beyond what someone his age should possess.
No matter how talented someone was, this kind of composure and knowledge was too extraordinary. Even the name “Guiyun Twelve Needles,” from the hidden and low-profile Hundred Herbs Sect, was known to few—yet Mo Mo not only recognized it, he identified it instantly.
Was this really the same Mo Mo who, just on New Year’s Eve, was drunk like a lost lamb in a hotel lobby?
It felt like he’d been possessed by some ancient monster.
“Fire God!”
But now wasn’t the time to reflect—71st generation of Heavenly Heart clapped his hands, and a fire dragon surged upward from his side.
The extreme heat instantly vaporized the fish pond’s water. Steam billowed like mist, and the fire dragon tore through it.
Feeling the intense heat rushing toward him, Mo Mo stepped back slightly. He swept his black wooden sword across, and at the same time, twelve talismans shot out from his sleeve, sticking to both sides of the blade.
“My spiritual power just doubled… hopefully that’s enough.”
Mo Mo inhaled deeply. The other was right—spiritual strength was his current weakness. Training it took time, unless he used something like acupuncture. In the reincarnation, he’d endured a decade with golden needles in his meridians just to catch up to Ye Fei… meaning his life had long since been overdrawn.
Spell markings floated around Mo Mo. The fire dragon halted three feet away, but instead of weakening, it grew stronger under the 71st generation’s desperate control.
Mo Mo focused, face slightly flushed, and began to chant:
“With my vital spirit, I summon the god of the void. With my breath, I merge with the void… Great Divine Lord of Jade Purity, heed my call—Imperial Edict!”
In an instant, all the talismans burned away. A purple glow descended from the void, merging into the black wooden sword.
With a hiss, purple lightning engulfed the sword.
Mo Mo moved, slashing down!
Like thunder calling to earthfire, an immense Dao technique erupted. A large portion of Croaching Dragon Estate collapsed under the force!
The fire dragon’s head was split in two. Mo Mo, like a Thunder God, dragged the sword from head to tail, cleaving it cleanly in half!
The sword's lightning didn't fade but surged onward—straight toward the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart!
He frantically formed dozens of defensive seals, layering barrier after barrier. But under this peerless thunderstrike, each shield crumbled like paper.
When the final barrier shattered, the 71st generation's pupils contracted to pinpoints—
Divine Sky Lightning blasted into his body!
A pillar of thunder shot skyward from the estate…
…
The terrifying Lightning Technique scorched the courtyard, reducing the fish pond to charred earth. Mo Mo slowly lowered his sword, residual lightning crackling across his body.
From the blackened ground, the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart stood rooted in place, legs sunk into mud, arms raised, frozen. His eyes rolled up, body charred black—unconscious but still barely alive.
Mo Mo exhaled slowly and approached… he may have overdone it.
“Well, this saves some trouble. With him captured, Yan Xiaoxi’s side should have it easier too.”
Mo Mo pulled out two talismans. With a flick, they turned into iron chains, wrapping tightly around the 71st generation’s body, binding him completely.
Finally, Mo Mo sighed and looked for a place to meditate and recover.
But just then—two piercing sounds came from behind.
Reacting instinctively, Mo Mo turned, sword raised in defense, body flowing backward several meters.
His black sword now had two hairpin-like golden needles embedded in it.
He frowned. He liked this sword—it fit his hand well.
At that moment, a figure dashed to the unconscious 71st generation’s side.
Dressed in black, face veiled—clearly a woman by her form.
“Usually, when you beat the small fry, the big boss appears. So I figured, beat the old guy, and the small fry would show up. Didn't expect it to be a woman.” Mo Mo calmly commented, “Your sneak attack was decent, but the finish lacked control. Your aura’s a bit chaotic… Are you scared?”
The veiled woman clenched her fists, assuming an ancient boxing stance. But her eyes darted nervously.
“You’ve got guts. You hid well, and even dared show up after watching me fight the 71st generation… But your aura—yeah, it’s too heavy again,” Mo Mo said indifferently.
The veiled woman was silent for a while before she spoke. “You fought the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart and won, but you must’ve exhausted yourself too. How much strength do you have left now?”
Mo Mo smiled slightly and shrugged. “You can try me. Just because I don’t make a move doesn’t mean I can’t deal with you. I simply didn’t want to go all out on someone I had a bit of a good impression of… Miss Gong, I thought you were a righteous person. Didn’t expect you to be on Lai Caisheng’s side.”
The veiled woman’s eyes narrowed. After a moment, she frowned. “When… did you recognize me?”
“Your figure, your scent, your aura, things like that,” Mo Mo chuckled. “Just now.”
The woman slowly lifted her veil, revealing her face—it was the dignified and heroic woman who had served as the Daoist Association’s Secretary at the start of the Penglai Grand Gathering.
“You really have changed,” Miss Gong said warily, still guarded.
“Enough talk.” Mo Mo shook his head. “I’m not letting you take the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart. Will you come quietly, or do I have to do it myself? Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
Miss Gong seemed momentarily shaken… but in the next instant, the scorched earth beneath her feet suddenly cracked open. The soil turned into liquid, surging up around her body and hardening instantly—she was completely immobilized!
“You tricked me!” she shouted coldly at Mo Mo.
“Life on the road teaches you a few tricks.” Mo Mo walked slowly up to her. “Sorry about this.”
He raised a talisman and gently pressed it toward her forehead—but the instant it touched her, Miss Gong melted into a blob of black matter, dissolving right before Mo Mo’s eyes.
His pupils narrowed.
From all around the scorched ground, black matter surged up like spring water, instantly submerging his legs.
It was like a black ocean, already reaching his chest. Within it, countless phantoms and wraiths appeared, completely surrounding him!
Mo Mo’s expression shifted—but he didn’t panic. He bit the tip of his tongue hard, and a spurt of blood shot from his mouth. “Break!”
The black sea and the wraiths dissolved like a tide retreating… all of it had been illusion.
“I knew it—beat the old guy, and the young one shows up next… Representative Lai, we meet again.” Mo Mo took a deep breath.
At some unknown point, a gray-haired youth had appeared beside the unconscious 71st generation of Heavenly Heart. The earthen shackles binding Miss Gong also shattered.
Freed, she quickly rushed to the youth’s side and lowered her head. “Forgive me, Honored One… I was too careless.”
The youth—Lai Caisheng—waved his hand gently and said warmly, “Even my master couldn’t match him. It’s no shame you lost. He held back.”
Miss Gong opened her mouth, then raised her head and looked at Mo Mo with a complicated expression before retreating behind Lai Caisheng.
“It really is you again.” Lai Caisheng looked Mo Mo over and said suddenly, “I’m curious—how did your state of mind reach the Enlightened Dao Realm so quickly… and even stabilize completely?”
“Take a guess,” Mo Mo replied coolly. “You’re supposed to be a master diviner. Don’t disappoint me, or I’ll lose all respect for you.”
“More experience leads to deeper understanding. Just a matter of time,” Lai Caisheng said calmly. “There are ways to ‘smuggle’ across time. The Plain-Clothed Dao has a reincarnation method that allows a person to live through several lifetimes overnight. But Dragon-Tiger Mountain doesn’t have such things… so it was that person, wasn’t it? The mysterious one beneath the ancient well.”
“Keep guessing.” Mo Mo smiled without confirming.
So he did figure it out…
“I’ve been curious about him too,” Lai Caisheng said slowly. “I’ve long wanted to track him down and ask him a few things. But he evades all calculations… Mo Mo, I won’t kill you. Just tell me—where is he?”
“As expected of the Plain-Clothed Dao’s hidden genius. Always looking down from above,” Mo Mo laughed. “So high and mighty.”
“All living beings have their fated paths,” Lai Caisheng shook his head. “I’m not above anyone. I just see a bit more than others. Like you said—whoever has the bigger fists gets to call the shots… So, will you tell me where he is, or not?”
If Lai Caisheng ever found Senior Luo, who knows what he might gain… He was already a monster—if he emerged from that encounter stronger, he might become unstoppable.
Mo Mo sneered but said nothing.
Lai Caisheng let out a slow breath and waved his hand. The iron chains binding the 71st generation of Heavenly Heart shattered. Miss Gong rushed over to support him.
“My master was dull by nature, insignificant within the Plain-Clothed Dao—but he outlasted everyone else.” Lai Caisheng said softly, “He had a senior brother named Qingxiaozi, a true prodigy. He was meant to be the next Heavenly Heart, but he was expelled. My unremarkable master inherited the title instead.”
“What’s your point?” Mo Mo frowned.
“Even so, he is still my master,” Lai Caisheng said quietly. “A son does not scorn his mother’s ugliness. He took me in, taught me, raised me, and passed on the Heavenly Heart legacy to me. I will do whatever I can to fulfill his wish. You stand in his way—so I will remove you. But if you had accepted his offer to be a guide for the new era, this wouldn’t be necessary.”
“I’ve got a bad temper and a lowly soul—definitely not cut out to be a great man,” Mo Mo exhaled deeply. The black wooden sword in his hand flared with purple lightning once again.
He slashed!
Ten-thousand-jin thunder rolled across the sky, making the winds surge and the clouds churn once more.
Lai Caisheng stood motionless. As the thunderblade descended, he merely lifted one finger—and tapped the lightning.
In an instant, the thunder dissipated and vanished into nothing.
Mo Mo’s body was suddenly locked in place, as if shackled by the power of heaven and earth. The pressure was immense—his knees nearly buckled.
“Give it a few more years, and you’ll be among the Divine Land’s true peak. But for now… you’re too early,” Lai Caisheng said as he flicked his finger.
The black wooden sword flew from Mo Mo’s grasp.
“Half-Step Dao Fruit…”
Mo Mo took a deep breath, gazing in shock and awe at the gray-haired youth. There was a trace of helplessness and bitterness in his expression. “If not for the suppression of heaven and earth in this Divine Land… you would’ve already attained the Dao, wouldn’t you?”
The Enlightened Dao Realm—with both mind and power reaching that level—was the current peak of cultivation in the world.
Everyone was chasing the next step: the Dao Fruit Realm. But no one had ever reached it.
There was, however, one theory—a unique state beyond Enlightened Dao but not quite Dao Fruit: when the seed of Dao Fruit had been planted but couldn’t yet sprout, yet still contained a trace of true Dao power…
Half-Step Dao Fruit.
“Ninety-seven lifetimes of reincarnation… truly terrifying,” Mo Mo said with a bitter smile.
And then, his body collapsed.
The overwhelming Dao force had shattered his organs and ruptured his meridians…
(End of Chapter)