Actually, if one lost their memory, it would also be a failure, because at that time, Xiao Ling could manipulate oneself as she pleased, so how could it not be a failure?
When he arrived beside Qi Ao Lai and the others, he was about to apologize to Qi Ao Lai, but saw Qi Ao Lai looking at Mo Qi in surprise, "How did you win? I didn't understand it at all."
"How did I win?" Mo Qi felt bewildered. He looked back, but it was no wonder, Xiao Ling had already disappeared, running faster than Mo Qi!
It seemed that Mo Qi's final bluff had worked. Xiao Ling understood him very well, knowing that his poisoning skills were indeed formidable, but he was unsure if Mo Qi possessed the poison he claimed. He dared not take the risk, so he fled.
"Oh, ah, it was just luck, pure luck," Mo Qi said with a wry smile.
At this moment, Grand Tutor Du stood there stunned!
What to do?
Could he possibly renege on the bet?
Could he possibly sit idly by and await his fate?
Reneging on the bet was impossible, it would never happen in this lifetime!
So he turned and prepared to enter the city. As long as the city gates were closed, who would care about the bet? He would just pretend it was a game they had played earlier.
However, Mo Qi was not about to let him leave! He immediately summoned the Ding Hai Shen Zhen and struck Grand Tutor Du on the back of the head with his staff. Grand Tutor Du died without even a groan!
Afterward, Qi Ao Lai called out from below the city, stating that the main culprit had been eliminated and that no harm would come to others, nor would it affect Qi Ao Yun's position as monarch.
When the news reached Qi Ao Yun, he was deeply moved. He personally opened the city gates and came out to welcome them.
Subsequently, Qi Ao Yun repeatedly offered the throne to Qi Ao Lai, who politely refused!
He said, "We are brothers, and it makes no difference who sits on the throne. I also believe you can do a good job. The reason I raised my army was not against you, but precisely to make your empire more stable. You only need to heavily reward those who followed me through thick and thin. As for me, after this journey, I have seen many things clearly, and fame and fortune are like passing clouds to me. I plan to travel the world and make my home wherever I roam."
Seeing that he genuinely refused, Qi Ao Yun no longer insisted. He was overjoyed and immediately followed his request to heavily reward the soldiers who had joined him in clearing the court.
Qi Ao Lai was very satisfied with the outcome and went to discuss his travel plans with Mo Qi.
He intended to follow Mo Qi wherever Mo Qi went.
At this time, Mo Qi was refining pills in his room, preparing to leave after finishing a batch of pills.
Lian Xin suddenly appeared and stabbed him from behind.
With a crack, Mo Qi fell to the ground!
Lian Xin laughed twice. Seeing Mo Qi bleeding profusely and motionless, a complex expression appeared on her face. She threw away the dagger and turned to leave.
A moment later, Qi Ao Lai and Ling Feng walked in. Upon seeing the situation, they cried out in alarm, "Brother Mo, what happened?"
Qi Ao Lai stepped forward and helped him up. Mo Qi's face was pale, and he pointed to his storage bag.
Qi Ao Lai understood and retrieved a healing pill from his storage bag, feeding it to him.
A moment later, Mo Qi let out a long sigh and stood up, continuing to refine his pills.
Qi Ao Lai asked him what had happened.
Mo Qi, while refining his pills, recounted the story of Lian Xin, Lian Xi, and his past and present lives.
Qi Ao Lai and Ling Feng were greatly astonished, "This is too bizarre!"
Ling Feng sighed, "You are truly devoted. To protect the woman you love, you have to risk having danger constantly by your side."
"It's just lust, what's there to praise?" Qin Xiao walked in, saying with disdain, "This is the price of lust."
Just then, Lian Xin walked in again. Seeing Mo Qi sitting there refining pills perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened, she walked past everyone without expression and sprawled onto the bed.
If it were Xue Ying, she would never have posed like that in front of everyone.
Mo Qi lamented that this body was truly being wasted!
"Why did you come back? After committing such a heinous act, you still have the audacity to return?" Ling Feng questioned.
"Heh," Lian Xin sneered, "I came back just to see if he was dead. If he was dead, I would leave. If he wasn't dead, I would stay with him until I killed him."
"You..." Ling Feng was so angry he was speechless.
"Forget it, I brought it upon myself. But I will only kill you once. You've killed me so many times, surely that makes us even?" Mo Qi sighed.
"You'll be even when you're dead!"
"..."
Afterward, Qi Ao Lai told Mo Qi about his desire to accompany him on his travels.
Mo Qi thought for a moment and agreed.
Ling Feng also agreed to accompany Qi Ao Lai on his travels.
After all, even if he returned to his own star world, he would not be qualified to be king. Upon his return, he would have to witness their power struggles, which would mar his vision.
After much thought, it was better to stay far away from them, the farther the better.
Prince Bei had already departed on another flying boat. He enjoyed traveling, but he preferred power even more, so he returned.
However, before that, Mo Qi wanted to refine the Ding Hai Shen Zhen. He tried, but failed. After refining for a long time, there was no change to the Ding Hai Shen Zhen at all.
Qi Ao Lai said, "I heard that in the Light World, one can obtain the Essence of the Sun. Using the Essence of the Sun to refine this Ding Hai Shen Zhen might yield unexpected results."
Upon hearing this, Mo Qi's spirits immediately lifted, "Then let's not delay, we should depart."
The group made their preparations to depart. At this moment, the Heavenly Emperor descended from the sky. He told Mo Qi, "There is an opportunity now. We are preparing to select a group of people to go to the Light World, both for negotiation and to demonstrate our strength to them, so that they will agree to unite with us and jointly resist the Golden River World."
"You want to go to the Light World, and you are also a leader among the younger generation. I think you are quite suitable to participate."
"Alright, since it can serve two purposes, I agree," Mo Qi readily accepted.
However, Xue Ying wanted to go along.
The Heavenly Emperor said there was no problem, and Qi Ao Lai and Qin Xiao could also go.
As soon as the words fell, a section of white clouds descended from the sky, shaped like steps, ascending one by one, leading to the endless depths of the sky.
A melodious voice echoed between heaven and earth, "This is the Four Seas Cloud Climbing Ladder. No matter from which direction one ascends, they will reach the same summit, which is eight hundred steps. We are selecting the outstanding individuals of the younger generation to go to the Light World and complete a sacred and glorious mission. Anyone who ascends six hundred steps can join us."
Mo Qi looked on, bewildered. The Heavenly Emperor smiled, "Not only you can see this, but everyone in the world can. At this very moment, many people should have already started climbing the ladder. You might as well go up and see who you meet. With your strength, reaching six hundred steps should be a relaxed and enjoyable process."
Before Mo Qi could speak, Qi Ao Lai said, "I want to try too."
"Everyone can try," the Heavenly Emperor said. "But you must hurry. The assessment time is only two hours. Those who miss it will not be waited for."
Mo Qi smiled, "Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, this is where you are wrong. You transmitted the assessment news to the entire world, but only told me in person. This shows too much regard for me, and you will make me proud."
"You must guard against arrogance and impetuosity," the Heavenly Emperor said seriously. "After you go up, you will find that there are still many people who are more outstanding than you."
Mo Qi's expression also became solemn, as he saw people in the distance fall off after only climbing a few steps, unable to withstand the immense pressure.
It seemed this ladder was not so easy to climb.
This, however, ignited Mo Qi's great fighting spirit, and he decided to give it a try.
Thus, Mo Qi, Qi Ao Lai, Ling Feng, Xue Ying, and Qin Xiao all began their attempts.
Everyone leaped onto the first step, and then with another leap, they were on the second step. The third step almost reached the sky.
Beneath their feet was a vast sea of clouds, with nothing visible.
In the beginning, everyone's steps were relatively light, but after climbing several steps, it became very strenuous. Each jump was thrilling.
Mo Qi and his companions gradually began to separate into different tiers.
Mo Qi and Qin Xiao were at the forefront, followed by Ling Feng and Qi Ao Lai, with Xue Ying falling to the last position.
After climbing a few dozen more steps, Xue Ying could no longer jump. Even a slight upward movement would bring intense pain and immense pressure.
With her cultivation, reaching such a height was already a miracle. It was her agile footwork that had achieved such results. Those with the same cultivation as her had already fallen back long ago.
As for Ling Feng and Qi Ao Lai, after gritting their teeth and persisting for over a hundred more steps, they could no longer move and retreated one after another.
At this point, Mo Qi and Qin Xiao were still moving forward.
Qi Ao Lai found it very strange. Mo Qi's cultivation was clearly similar to his own, even slightly lower, so why could he go so far?
Qin Xiao was also unconvinced.
She was a Saint King, while Mo Qi was only a Saint Monarch, yet he could keep pace with her!
She desperately accelerated her pace, trying to leave Mo Qi behind, but Mo Qi followed closely, never falling behind.
In the beginning, many competitors surged up from all directions on the ground. As they climbed higher, the number of people became sparser.
However, because this ladder could connect every star world, the higher they went, the more people from all directions converged. Therefore, there was never a shortage of figures.
It was just that no matter which direction they came from, their movements became increasingly slow once they reached this point!
The force that compressed and deformed their bodies relentlessly battered everyone. Their internal organs felt like they were deforming. The thought of quitting kept flashing in everyone's minds, like demons devouring their souls.
Along the way, people from various directions kept joining them, and just as many chose to retreat or were crushed back.
After another hundred-plus steps, Qin Xiao felt she could no longer move and stopped. She said to Mo Qi, "This ladder is truly too difficult to climb. We've only reached over three hundred steps, and I can't go any further. I think no one can reach six hundred steps."
Mo Qi shook his head, "There's always someone better. If you can't do it, it doesn't mean others can't."
As he spoke, he leaped up another step.
Qin Xiao was utterly astonished, "You... you can still move?"