Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"Let's give it a good try..."

The silvery-blue icy power condensed into a ball of light at the tip of the ink-colored spear, growing ever more intense. The surrounding air was frozen, making a soft "crunching" sound. The cracks in the blue bricks on the broken wall were sealed by thick ice, and even the wind felt sluggish.

"..."

Mo Yun's gaze was as cold as ice, fixed on the gray stone shield in front of Wu Qing, which was engraved with chaotic patterns. The shaft of his spear trembled slightly, and as he gathered his strength, even the ruins beneath his feet were covered in a thin layer of ice.

"Ice Shard Break!"

As the deep shout fell, Mo Yun suddenly exerted force in her arm, and the ice spear, carrying a bone-chilling cold air, pierced straight into the gray stone shield.

The moment the silver-blue light collided with the gray-black shield, a dazzling halo exploded instantly. A deafening roar caused the broken wall to collapse violently, and debris poured down like a torrential rain. Dust and mist completely enveloped the figures of the two.

Several feet below the battlefield, the members of the Star Luo Clan steadied themselves firmly on the earthen slope.

"Wow……"

Sugar clung to the old tree roots, the justice bell jingling, but his eyes were wide open, and he even held his breath:

"My God! This collision of energy is too intense! Brother Mo Yun's ice spear can actually withstand the Chaos Shield!"

Xiaoqing pressed her wind-blown hair, her delicate brows furrowed as she stared intently at the dust and mist:

"It's not just about brute force. Look at those flying pebbles; they've all been condensed into ice particles by the power of ice energy—that's absolute control over power. We're far behind."

"Brother, your strength after this resurrection is becoming increasingly unfathomable..."

She subconsciously gathered her water-based energy to mimic the trajectory of a gun, but she staggered half a step as soon as she exerted force, the water-based energy instantly dissipating, her eyes filled with frustration.

"It simply doesn't reach that level of refinement."

Wu Song crossed his arms, his fingertips unconsciously tapping his forearm, his expression unusually grave.

"The ruthless gray stone shield is not simple either. The pattern on the shield surface is a chaotic energy gathering array, which can withstand the 'ice shard break'. It is indeed the confidence of a sect leader who betrayed the sect."

"The sect leader is indeed worthy of being called the sect leader; ultimately, he is someone we cannot contend with..."

He suddenly recalled his impetuous and reckless actions when fighting monsters in the past. Looking at the battle on the broken wall, his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I used to think that winning was the only thing that mattered, but now I realize that any move you make without a plan is a waste of effort."

Dafei steadily supported Mo Zi, who was still breathing heavily, and comforted her in a low voice:

"Don't worry, Sister Zi. Brother Mo Yun seems to be handling it with ease."

Mo Zi gazed at the familiar silver-gray figure in the dust and mist, her fingertips tightening around the hem of her skirt:

“I’m not worried about my brother’s strength, but his aura just now was full of ruthless protectiveness. I’m afraid he won’t be able to stop himself.”

As the dust settled, the battlefield became clear: the broken wall had been blasted open with a gap more than ten feet wide, and the ground was covered with crisscrossing ice patterns and traces of chaos.

"Is this Mo Yun's strength? I knew I couldn't know so clearly without a direct confrontation..."

The blue bricks beneath Wuqing's feet shattered, the hem of his black robe was torn by ice shards, his hand holding the gray stone shield trembled slightly, and a faint gray mist escaped from the corner of his mouth—the blow he had taken had already caused him internal injuries, but his drooping brows and eyes remained cold and indifferent, as if this injury was insignificant.

Mo Yun remained atop the remaining broken wall, his ice spear pointing diagonally at the ground, his silver-blue ice energy flowing slowly. Only a few strands of hair on his forehead, damp with sweat, proved that he was not unharmed.

He swept his gaze across the merciless, cracked gray stone shield, his tone flat yet tinged with icy mockery:

"Is this all the chaotic power An gave you?"

"What do you know..."

Ruthless slowly put away the tattered gray stone shield, his hand hanging by his side quietly clenching, the gray aura in his palm growing stronger.

He knew that simple condensation of chaos could not stop the ink flow. With a flick of his finger, a token that was pitch black and engraved with intricate chaotic patterns appeared out of thin air. As soon as the Black Gold Token, a treasure of the Judgement Sect, appeared, the surrounding chaotic aura suddenly surged. The token's patterns writhed like living things, radiating a heart-palpitating pressure.

"Ink Rhyme, the outcome is still undecided."

The cold, emotionless voice remained unchanged, devoid of any discernible emotion.

"Let's see the power of the supreme treasure of the sect."

"Black Gold Token?"

Mo Yun raised an eyebrow, lightly tapping the ground with her ice spear, sending up three upright icicles.

"I've long heard that this command can control chaos; today I'll witness it for myself."

The sugar, which had been lying in the battlefield, suddenly perked up:

"This is the token of the Judgement Sect? It looks incredibly sinister! Can it really control cats corrupted by chaos?"

Xiaoqing nodded, her expression becoming increasingly serious:

"Rumor has it that it can both bind living beings and unleash chaotic attacks. Ruthless is definitely going to get serious."

"But why does he insist on helping An?"

Mo Zi suddenly spoke softly, her gaze falling on Wu Qing.

"He is also the sect leader of the Twelve Sects. Could it be that he was forcibly transformed into Chaos like the other sect elders?"

These words silenced everyone in the Star Luo Clan.

Bai Tang opened his mouth, wanting to say, "What becomes chaotic is a demon," but he swallowed the words back—he remembered Mo Yun saying, "Chaos is not entirely evil; the key lies in the user," and he also thought of those Peking Opera Cats who, despite being corrupted by chaos, still held fast to their original nature. For the first time, a wavering arose in his heart:

"Could it be... that our previous view of chaos was too absolute?"

Wu Song frowned:

“Master said that darkness is the root of all evil, but in Wuqing’s words, there seems to be an obsession with ‘order’.”

He looked at the broken wall.

"Brother Mo Yun said he has fought other sect leaders. Perhaps those sect leaders were corrupted by chaos, and they each had their own reasons?"

Xiaoqing sighed:

“In the past, we only thought about ‘clearing away the chaos’, but we never thought about why they were corrupted by the chaos. Did they follow the darkness willingly, or were they forced to? It seems that right and wrong are not so easy to distinguish.”

Dafei scratched his head and added in a simple and honest manner:

"I think no matter what, harming the innocent is wrong. Brother Mo Yun has never hurt any good people, so he must be right; although Sect Master Wuqing uses Chaos, he doesn't seem to have killed cats indiscriminately, so he was just deceived by An, right?"

As the group whispered among themselves, the confrontation on the broken wall resumed.

Ruthless gripped the black-gold token, slowly channeling gray energy into it from his fingertips, causing the patterns on the token's surface to instantly glow with a jet-black light:

"Black Gold Bind!"

Several pitch-black, chaotic chains shot out from the token, their bodies covered in barbs, carrying a corrosive, chaotic aura as they coiled around Mo Yun.

Wherever the chains passed, the ice on the ground hissed and crackled, and tiny pits were corroded out.

With a light touch of her toes, Mo Yun's figure swiftly avoided the two chains, her ice spear sweeping across with a flick of her wrist.

"Ice Silk Entanglement!"

Several slender yet resilient silver-blue ice threads shot out from the tip of the spear, precisely binding the chaotic chains.

The moment the ice silk collided with the chain, a piercing friction sound exploded, and ice shards and chaotic fragments fell continuously from where the two forces intertwined.

"These tricks are not enough."

Mo Yun spoke calmly, but suddenly exerted force in her arm, causing the ice silk to tighten abruptly, tauting the Chaos Chains.

"What An taught you were all unorthodox methods that relied solely on external forces."

His cold eyes remained unmoved as he gathered gray energy in his other hand and struck the black-gold token.

"Black Gold Shield!"

The token suddenly grew several times larger, blocking his way. At the same time, more chaotic chains shot out from around the token, weaving a dense net of chains that surrounded Mo Yun from all directions.

"The twelve sects are fighting each other, and they will be devoured by demons sooner or later. Lord An can bring order, and your insistence on stopping him is just going against the tide."

His voice remained cold, devoid of any persuasive intent, more like a statement of a "fact" he held dear.

Sugar, standing on the battlefield, suddenly panicked:

"Nonsense! Order is not achieved by suppressing chaos!"

He tried to rush forward, but Wu Song held him back tightly.

"Don't be impulsive! This is a battle between top experts. If we go up there, we'll only cause trouble."

Wu Song's gaze was fixed on the chain net.

"Moreover... what he said about 'each of the twelve sects fighting their own battles' doesn't seem to be wrong either."

Xiaoqing was silent for a moment, then said softly:

"Master only told us to defeat An, but he didn't say how to unite the Twelve Sects after defeating An. Perhaps the ruthless obsession is 'order,' but he used the wrong method."

She looked at Mo Yun's figure.

"I hope my brother can enlighten him, rather than simply defeat him."

"Hmph, as expected, they have no class..."

On the broken wall, Mo Yun looked at the closing chain net, her expression still calm, but her icy power suddenly surged:

"Ice Domain Seal!"

Centered on him, the silver-blue icy energy spread outwards, instantly forming an ice-bound domain several meters in diameter.

The moment the chaotic chains collided with the icy domain, they were frozen into solid ice pillars, unable to move.

"The order maintained by chaos is a mirage."

Mo Yun's voice echoed through the icy realm, carrying a penetrating and resolute quality.

“Nian Zong Chang Le guards his obsession, Bu Zong Feng Wu Ji pursues speed; they each have their own path, yet they never sacrifice the innocent for chaos. You use the black gold token to control your own kind—is that what you call order?”

The ruthless fingertip exerted more force, and the black-gold token shone even brighter, attempting to break through the icy domain:

"No need for further words. Either retreat, or be sealed by the token."

His tone was flat, but the hand holding the token tightened slightly—Mo Yun's words inexplicably touched the original intention hidden deep in his heart by chaos.

The ink flow slowly receded from the icy domain, the ice spear pointing directly at Wuqing's heart:

"Stubborn."

Before he finished speaking, he lightly touched the ruins with his toes and moved closer like a shadow.

The icy wind whipped up by the ice spear almost froze the air, and the spear tip precisely locked onto the merciless energy hub—he had already figured out the operating rules of gray energy during the previous battle, and this strike was aimed straight at the vital point, without holding back in the slightest.

Ruthless sidestepped and spun, his dark robes brushing past the spear tip, while three gray-tongued blades of energy materialized at his fingertips:

"Gray Blade Slash!"

The blade, shaped like a triangle, slashed towards Mo Yun's vital points, attempting to force her back.

But Mo Yun had anticipated this; the spear shaft suddenly sank, the butt of the spear precisely deflecting the two force blades, and with a flick of her wrist, the ice spear swept horizontally:

"Ice Shards!"

Fine ice shards condensed from the tip of the spear rained down on Wuqing's face, forcing him to lean back and dodge.

The two figures darted across the ruins, the sharpness of the ice spear and the somberness of the gray blade colliding repeatedly. The crisp clanging sounds mixed with the muffled thuds of exploding energy caused the surrounding gravel to fall in a flurry.

Mo Yun's moves may seem casual, but each strike is actually precisely calculated. Her ice energy sometimes condenses like a spear and sometimes spreads like a net, firmly locking down any escape routes.

Ruthless uses defense as offense, his gray aura weaving an impenetrable defense. His occasional counterattacks, though sharp and cunning, are always unable to break through the shadow of Ink Aura's spear.

Bai Tang watched intently from below the battlefield, his grip on the Justice Bell tightening as he muttered to himself:

"So this is how smoothly the energy flow can be connected! And that dodging angle, it just barely avoided the energy hub!"

He suddenly remembered that during his last battle against the monster, he had only focused on charging and attacking relentlessly, without considering the connection between his moves. His cheeks flushed slightly.

"I can't be so reckless anymore."

Xiaoqing also observed intently, nodding occasionally:

“My brother’s every move was aimed at the opponent’s weaknesses, without a single unnecessary movement. We usually pursue power when practicing moves, but we neglect precision.”

Wu Song looked at Mo Yun's freely controlled and expressive rhythm, lost in thought:

"No matter how strong you are, it's all for nothing if you can't control it precisely. It seems I need to tone down my temper a bit and focus more on the details of my moves."

The relentless breathing on the broken wall gradually became rapid. Mo Yun's icy aura was not only highly aggressive, but it was also constantly eroding his gray aura. Every collision caused his meridians to ache.

Knowing he couldn't afford to waste any more time, he abruptly took two steps back, channeling all his gray energy into the black-gold token:

"Black Gold Meteorite!"

The surface of the token burst forth with a blinding black light, and the surrounding rubble was absorbed by the power of chaos, condensing around the token into a chaotic stone sphere with a diameter of more than three zhang.

The stone sphere, its surface covered with barbs, crashed down on Mo Yun with a destructive force, leaving deep trenches in the ground and distorting the air with chaotic power.

"careful!"

Mo Zi gasped in surprise.

The members of the Star Luo Clan below the battlefield instantly tensed up. Wu Song immediately gathered his fire energy:

"Should we go up and help? This stone ball is too domineering!"

Xiaoqing quickly grabbed him:

"No! The aftershocks of that move could hurt us. Rushing in will only cause trouble for my brother."

Bai Tang gripped the Justice Bell tightly, his palms sweaty, but he forced himself to observe calmly:

"Brother Mo Yun definitely has a way! He's so calm and collected, he must have predicted this long ago!"

He stared at the chaotic stone sphere that was hurtling towards Mo Yun, and suddenly realized that a "strong person" not only needs strength, but also composure in the face of danger—which was exactly what he lacked most at the moment.

Mo Yun stared at the chaotic stone ball hurtling towards her, her expression remaining calm, though her grip on the ice spear grew even more steady.

He slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his silver-gray pupils were filled with icy resolve:

"Frozen for thousands of miles!"

This time, he didn't leave much room for maneuver. His silver-blue ice energy surged out like a tsunami, instantly forming a giant ice wall tens of feet high in front of him.

The ice wall was engraved with fine, suppressive patterns, each one exuding the power to restrain chaos. As soon as it took shape, it emitted a bone-chilling cold.

"boom--!"

The chaotic stone sphere crashed into the giant ice wall, the deafening roar almost shaking the heavens and the earth. The ground shook violently, and the shockwave swept away most of the branches and leaves of the distant forest.

The dark gray chaotic power and the silver-blue ice energy collided and eroded each other wildly, causing cracks to appear on the ice wall, but they were quickly repaired by the continuous ice energy of the ink rhyme.

His ruthless face grew paler and paler. The overexertion of his chaotic energy caused him unbearable pain in his meridians. Beads of sweat mixed with gray mist slid down his forehead, but his drooping eyebrows and eyes remained cold and indifferent. Only his hand, which was gripping the token, turned white from the force.

He knew this was his last chance, so he gritted his teeth and activated the black gold token again, but the token's light grew dimmer and dimmer, clearly reaching its limit.

"Chaos is ultimately evil, and no matter how strong it is, it cannot defeat the righteous path."

Mo Yun's voice came through the loud noise, and the power of the ice energy suddenly increased by three points.

"Seal it to me!"

The giant ice wall suddenly contracted inward, and the silver-blue light completely suppressed the black-gray chaos. The chaotic stone sphere was gradually frozen, and then shattered with a "crack", turning into ice shards and chaotic fragments all over the sky.

Ruthless was forced back by the backlash, a mouthful of grayish-black blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The black-gold token clattered to the ground, its light completely dimmed.

He staggered, trying to steady himself, but his legs gave way and he ended up kneeling on one knee. He clutched his chest tightly with one hand, his fingertips digging into his clothes with the force, while his other hand braced himself on the ground, barely managing to maintain the last shred of dignity.

Mo Yun slowly withdrew most of the power from the ice spear, leaving only a faint silver-blue halo around the tip.

He walked step by step toward Wuqing, who was kneeling on the ground. His steps were steady, and with each step, tiny ice patterns appeared on the ground.

The members of the Star Luo Clan below the battlefield fell silent as they watched this scene unfold.

Xiaoqing said softly:

"It turns out that even sect leaders corrupted by chaos can be exhausted. They are not invincible; it's just that we were too weak and too eager for quick success before."

Wu Song nodded:

“In the future, when we encounter other sect leaders, we can no longer act recklessly. We must do what Brother Mo Yun did and first figure out their moves and weaknesses.”

Bai Tang gazed at the ink marks on the broken wall, his eyes growing increasingly resolute.

"I want to become even stronger! Not only do I want to be able to protect everyone, but I also want to be able to see the right and wrong behind the battles, just like Brother Mo Yun, instead of just knowing how to fight and kill."

Mo Zi watched her brother's retreating figure and breathed a sigh of relief—her brother had ultimately held back and hadn't used his deadly move.

On the broken wall, Mo Yun had already walked up to Wu Qing.

He stopped and slowly raised the ice spear, its tip precisely aimed at Wuqing's brow, the icy silver-blue aura almost touching his skin.

Mo Yun's face remained expressionless, her silver-gray eyes calm and still, but the slight upturn of her lips revealed an undisguised mockery and disdain.

His voice was calm, yet it pierced the heart like an ice pick:

"This is the chaotic power you risked your life to protect? It seems that the 'gift' that An gave you is nothing special."

He clutched his chest, blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth, his breathing rapid but he still refused to look up.

His eyes remained cold and indifferent, but his hands, hanging by his sides, trembled slightly, clearly indicating that he was no longer able to fight. He could only silently endure the defeat as the cold spear tip pointed at his brow.