"It was I who killed him," Zi Luo said.
Yu Chongchi glared at them venomously. "I don't care who killed him. Neither of you will escape. You will both die."
Mo Qi glanced at him dismissively. "Coincidentally, I was planning to find you. You've come to my doorstep instead. This saves me a lot of trouble. Families like yours, arrogant and tyrannical, causing harm to the innocent, will plunge ordinary people into misery if not eradicated."
Yu Zhengchang said, "What big talk!"
Yu Chongchi raged, "Just you? You little brat, are you trying to scare me? I originally only intended to kill the two of you. Now that you've said this, I plan to exterminate your entire family, no, your entire clan. Come, tell me who you are."
Zi Luo smiled. "Do you think we're fools? We're going to tell you who we are?"
"I have no need to change my name or hide my surname. I am Ye Yun, formerly the Third Prince of the Red Leaf Kingdom," Mo Qi stated calmly.
"You're crazy," Zi Luo said, looking at Mo Qi askance.
Mo Qi looked back at her. "Don't worry, they will all die here."
Yu Zhengchang's expression shifted slightly. He whispered to Yu Zhengfeng beside him, "Ye Yun back then was invincible. Should we..."
"You're listening to his bragging," Yu Zhengfeng said, looking at him disdainfully. "Ye Yun has been dead for a long time, so thoroughly dead that not even ashes remain. He's merely trying to use Ye Yun's name to scare you."
Yu Zhengchang glanced at Mo Qi again, then turned to Yu Zhengfeng. "The way you put it is quite reasonable. I was almost fooled by him."
Yu Chongchi's heart had initially tightened. Now, he burst into wild laughter. "Never mind that you're not Ye Yun. Even if you were, you couldn't scare anyone. What is there to boast about for a fallen family? You actually have the nerve to bring up the former Red Leaf Kingdom. The Red Leaf Kingdom has been destroyed for tens of thousands of years, and there's a reason for its demise. It was too weak."
"The former Red Leaf Kingdom has perished, but a new Red Leaf Kingdom is about to rise. Unfortunately, you won't live to see it," Mo Qi said nonchalantly.
Yu Zhengchang couldn't stand it any longer. "I'm too lazy to waste words on him. Let's fight."
As he spoke, Yu Zhengchang attacked first. He held a cylindrical artifact and struck its surface. A torrent of massive fire roared out, instantly igniting the surrounding space.
The entire world was suddenly plunged into a purgatory, the heavens and earth illuminated in a fiery red.
The ground heated up abruptly, smoke rising. Stepping on the ground produced a sizzling sound, as if it were about to be cooked.
The blazing fireball continued to surge towards Mo Qi.
The fire's dominance, its unstoppable momentum, made Yu Chongchi somewhat smug.
He believed that Mo Qi would be helpless, left with no choice but to await his doom.
However, he had no idea that his Primordial Fire was truly child's play before Mo Qi's Azure Lotus Fire.
Mo Qi, on the contrary, smiled.
But in Yu Chongchi's eyes, Mo Qi was so terrified and flustered that he had given up struggling, so he chuckled self-mockingly.
This made him even more pleased. "Die! Let you know what happens when you offend my Yu family. I'll tell you, since you've claimed to be Ye Yun, I don't care if you have any relation to the Ye family. After you die, I will go and destroy your clansmen."
"Unfortunately, you won't have the chance," Mo Qi said, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on his face.
This smile sent a tremor through Yu Chongchi's heart. He immediately cursed himself, "What is wrong with me? I was actually startled by him."
"This kind of trash, and I was startled by him."
"This must never be spoken of, or I'll be laughed at!"
"Well, if I remain composed, no one will know."
"My previous movements weren't very large, no one should have seen them."
"If no one saw it, then it's fine. Nothing is wrong!"
However, Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng behind him exchanged glances. They had clearly sensed a strong killing intent just now.
They were shocked. Such a dense, powerful oppressive aura and scent of blood should not be emanating from this insignificant brat before them.
Was it their imagination?
At this moment, Yu Chongchi was still immersed in a state of self-delusion. He felt that with this move, the outcome would be decided, and the two opposite them would be utterly annihilated.
So he shouted, "Lian'er, Father is avenging you. Do you see? Those who killed you will ultimately pay the price."
At this moment, Zi Luo, who was behind Mo Qi, was also startled by the opponent's aura. Her telekinetic power was instantly activated.
Simultaneously, an Azure Lotus bloomed above Mo Qi's head. With a "whoosh," a blue ripple flashed in the air and then disappeared.
That ball of fiery red flame also vanished!
The entire world was clear and bright, harmonious, as if nothing had happened.
Mo Qi gave Zi Luo another healing pill.
He was also thinking that this indiscriminate attack method needed improvement. Otherwise, he would have to give his own people a healing pill every time to ensure they weren't harmed, which would consume a lot of healing pills. And what if he didn't have enough healing pills one day?
Therefore, active improvement was the best course of action.
As he handed the pill to Zi Luo, he said, "Ah..."
Zi Luo rolled her eyes at him and immediately opened her cherry-like mouth. Mo Qi gently placed the pill inside.
And this action, which they enjoyed immensely, was a blatant provocation to Yu Chongchi and the others!
With a formidable enemy before them, they were flirting. It was as if they didn't take them seriously at all.
And Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng behind Yu Chongchi, besides anger, also felt shock and fear.
Because the blazing fireball Yu Chongchi had unleashed was actually extinguished by Mo Qi in an instant (which Yu Chongchi saw as an accident, thinking his artifact had malfunctioned), and at this moment, Yu Chongchi's body had been torn into two halves, yet he was unaware.
Yu Chongchi looked at the cylindrical artifact in his hand. There seemed to be no problem.
So he struck it again.
He suddenly realized that he couldn't muster any strength, and the entire world seemed to be spinning.
No, he was falling to the ground!
And he was falling in two directions!
How could he be falling in two directions? When he finally understood, he was terrified to death!
These two were too bizarre!
Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng were trembling like sieves, their faces ashen.
Mo Qi strode over.
Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng prostrated themselves on the ground, repeatedly begging for mercy. "Spare us! We were blind and failed to recognize your eminence, Your Highness the Third Prince. Please give us a chance. We are willing to serve you."
Mo Qi shook his head. "Angering me is not a great crime. The key is that you have been here, acting arrogantly and bullying others, engaging in forced sales and extortion, causing widespread resentment. You truly deserve to die."
"We will definitely reform, repent, and start anew," Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng said.
"Very well, then I will not attack you," Mo Qi said.
So easy to talk to?
Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng found it incredible. They stared at Mo Qi, unblinking.
A mysterious smile flickered across Zi Luo's face, making the two men even more uneasy. "Are you truly letting us go?"
Mo Qi stated with certainty, "Yes, I am letting you go."
Yu Zhengchang and Yu Zhengfeng still found it hard to believe, but seeing Mo Qi's certainty, they felt there was no reason to press further. They tentatively tried to stand up slowly.
Mo Qi ignored them and walked past them, heading into the distance.
This seemed to be his way of showing them that he truly would not attack again.
Thus, the two quickly straightened their bodies.
However, after only a few breaths, they collapsed.
Mo Qi turned back and smiled, "My not acting doesn't mean you are out of danger."
Zi Luo also smiled, "Why does your Azure Lotus Fire always take effect after a delay after injuring someone?"
Mo Qi shook his head. "I don't know. Perhaps it's because the speed is too fast."
He then urged, "Don't dwell on the details. Let's go."
Zi Luo shook her head. "I'm not going with you. I need to go back and persuade my father. Otherwise, in the future, we will stand on opposite sides, and it will always be a rift."
Mo Qi pondered for a moment and said, "Very well, then you go back."
Xiao He tied up Xiao Tie and headed towards the river region.
As they were about to break through the Ironwood World, an old man appeared and blocked their path.
Xiao He recognized him as Hongjun and said with slight anger, "If I didn't come to find you, you dare to block my path? How audacious."
Hongjun lowered his head slightly and said, "Actually, my purpose is the same as yours: to preserve this world. However, I believe the Tree Soul cannot leave the Tree World. If it leaves, the Tree World will wither!"
Xiao He said, "You are thoughtful, but you only know half the story. The Tree World cannot be without its Tree Soul, but as long as the Tree Soul remains, it has no impact on the Tree World, regardless of its location."
"However, wherever it is, others can control the Tree World from there," Hongjun said with a smile.
Xiao He stared intently into his eyes. "Do you think I would use the Tree Soul to threaten the Tree World?"
Hongjun met his gaze. "I simply have this concern. I know you might not do so."
"Then please let me pass," Xiao He said.
"Get lost!" the hunched old man said.
"Leave the Tree Soul, or today, this old man will have no choice but to fight you," Hongjun said with an unruffable expression.
"You dare to call yourself 'this old man' in front of me," Xiao He said dismissively. "You are not qualified to fight me."
"Whether I'm qualified or not, we'll find out after fighting."
Xiao He took a step back. The hunched old man suddenly raised his head and lifted his hand. Void power erupted, and countless invisible tendrils extended from the air, instantly enveloping Hongjun's body.
Hongjun's body suddenly expanded, filling the heavens and earth in an instant, and then it exploded with a roar. Primordial energy dispersed in all directions, heaven and earth.
The entire Tree World shook violently, and a light rain began to fall.
Xiao He and the hunched old man then escaped amidst the rain.
Hongjun's shattered body scattered everywhere. A wispy black smoke rose from a corner, gradually condensing into Hongjun's form. With a tremor of the air, flesh and blood were bestowed upon him. Moments later, a "new" Hongjun reappeared in the world.
Looking at the vast heavens and earth, Hongjun seemed somewhat bewildered. "It seems we are ultimately subject to the River World!"
At this moment, a drop of water fell from the boundless space, landing before Hongjun. It began to spin, and as it spun, the water droplet gradually expanded, gradually taking on a human form, finally forming a water being with a human silhouette.