All the elders remained motionless. An elder named Lang stepped forward. "You are merely using us as cannon fodder. If you have the guts, go yourself! This was your family's affair to begin with."
"Audacious! How dare you defy my command? You court death!" Ye Gang roared, pushing his palm forward. A Palm Thunder erupted, surging towards Elder Lang.
The Palm Thunder spread like ripples, expanding continuously both horizontally and vertically. Elder Lang dared not underestimate it and also pushed his palm forward. A red light shot out.
Upon collision, the red light was sent flying backward.
Following this, Elder Lang was propelled backward.
Ye Gang unleashed another Palm Thunder, striking at Elder Lang.
Elder Lang, still airborne and unable to dodge, could only weakly project his red divine ability to meet it.
The Palm Thunder struck the red light again. As expected, the red light was scattered. Elder Lang took the full force of the blow, falling to the ground, limp as mud, and on the verge of death.
Ye Gang quickly advanced. "Don't think I can't defeat him. I simply disdained to act. Minions like him should be dealt with by other minions first; it's not my turn to act."
As he spoke, Ye Gang raised his palm, preparing to unleash another Palm Thunder to finish Elder Lang and establish his authority. Who would dare defy him then?
However, at this moment, a green light shot towards Ye Gang, and a voice rang out, "Beast who killed his brother and usurped the throne, your opponent is me."
Ye Gang knew it was Mo Qi who had arrived.
He also knew that Mo Qi had used that ultimate move against him.
Just moments ago, he had witnessed the power of this move and dared not be careless. He immediately unleashed his full strength, projecting Palm Thunder to meet it.
With a deafening roar, the light and energy shattered, fragments scattering in all directions.
The Palm Thunder and the green light vanished simultaneously.
It seemed they had fought to a draw.
Almost at the same time, Mo Qi and Ye Gang leaped into the air, lunging at each other. Green flames and Palm Thunder struck simultaneously. Amidst booming explosions and shattering light, both were sent flying backward, only to collide again, like two wild beasts, tearing and wounding each other.
Their figures flickered in and out of sight, their movements a blur, making it impossible to follow.
Eventually, people could only see two intertwined masses of light, separating and merging, weakening and surging, their forms constantly shifting.
The onlookers were greatly shocked. They never expected Mo Qi to fight the clan leader, Ye Gang, to a standstill.
Ye Gang was equally stunned. In his estimation, Mo Qi shouldn't have been able to withstand even a single palm strike from him.
Yet, not only could Mo Qi withstand one palm strike, but he could also withstand many.
After a long while, he finally understood the reason.
Was it that ball of green flame, perhaps the legendary Green Lotus Flame?
If it were the Green Lotus Flame, then it would be understandable.
The destructive power of the Green Lotus Flame could transcend levels, and it could also cause the cultivator's power to continuously grow.
This was because it was constantly burning, and the process of burning was also a process of tempering.
No matter the material, after such forging and tempering, it would become tougher and stronger.
The two of them clashed for a long time without a clear victor.
The destructive impact of this battle was no less than that of the snow beast earlier. Everywhere they passed, there were explosions, mountains collapsing, houses toppling, dust and stones flying, and smoke and dust churning, lingering for a long time.
The people fled in panic, avoiding the two masses of light and energy as if they were a plague.
The reason for this simple and brutal method was the extreme hatred between the two. There was no need for fancy techniques or outstanding spells, only absolute power.
After countless collisions, both suffered injuries, either minor or severe.
Sun Qian and the others watched the two masses of light and energy with extreme tension, regretting their inability to help.
Fortunately, Dou Wu and Consort Xian continuously reminded everyone to flee, otherwise, they might have been caught in the crossfire and suffered collateral damage.
Besides the Palm Thunder, Ye Gang was constantly thinking of other offensive methods. If he found an opportunity and adapted slightly, he could change the tide of the battle and prevent this stalemate from continuing.
At this moment, Ye Gang's figure flickered and suddenly disappeared.
The Green Lotus Flame unleashed by Mo Qi swirled around, but it missed.
Mo Qi stood his ground, extending his divine sense to locate Ye Gang.
Cracks suddenly appeared on the ground, and a rumbling sound approached from underground.
Mo Qi immediately dodged with extreme speed.
Suddenly, with a tremendous explosion, the earth and soil erupted, and rocks flew through the air. A colossal figure surged from beneath the ground, like a mountain rising from the depths.
The surrounding earth continuously cracked open, rising and then sliding down, with dust and smoke gradually filling the air.
Within the dust and smoke, a massive figure revealed itself.
It was a stone statue, but its form resembled Ye Gang. It stood tens of thousands of feet tall, and looking up, it almost reached the heavens.
Once the stone statue rose, its massive palm slammed towards Mo Qi.
The posture was such that it blotted out the sky, exactly like how the snow beast had dealt with Elder Peng earlier, except this time the target of escape was Mo Qi.
In his haste, Mo Qi could only flee.
If such a massive meteorite fell upon him, wouldn't he be crushed into pulp?
However, Mo Qi did not scramble away. He simply made a stroke in the air and elegantly vanished.
Then, the stone statue struck empty air!
A hand-shaped pit, a very deep pit, instantly appeared on the ground.
The stone statue straightened up again, scanning its surroundings with a hint of bewilderment.
Ye Gang, controlling the stone statue from afar, was also a little panicked.
His hair stood on end!
What if Mo Qi found his way here?
With this thought, he stood up and looked around.
The stone statue, having lost its control, crashed down with a roar, toppling mountains and damming rivers.
It immediately caused widespread flooding, creating a scene of desolation.
At this moment, Ye Gang suddenly felt a disturbance in the air. His bones creaked and groaned, as if some force was twisting his body.
Ye Gang was greatly alarmed and suddenly remembered Mo Qi's spatial techniques. He immediately unleashed his figure to dodge.
At this moment, Mo Qi's figure appeared opposite him, his hand in a folding motion, causing space to continuously fold away.
Crucially, Mo Qi had anticipated Ye Gang's escape direction.
Everywhere he passed, space was distorted.
And his body was gradually being distorted.
Ye Gang's heart panicked. He immediately fled in the opposite direction, only to find that the space in the opposite direction was also distorted, and it was distorted in the opposite direction. Thus, his body first folded forward, and now it folded backward.
The sound of his bones breaking was exceptionally crisp, like shattering stone.
Ye Gang endured the pain, forcing a surge of true energy to escape to the side. However, the space on the side was also controlled by Mo Qi.
Mo Qi pressed his hand down, and space instantly compressed, trapping Ye Gang within, preventing his escape.
As space rapidly compressed, Ye Gang let out screams like a slaughtered pig.
"You cannot kill me! If you kill me, Xiao Chen will avenge me when he returns. He will skin you alive, tear your tendons, and dismember your corpse." Ye Gang roared.
"If he doesn't come to me, I will go find him. Tell me where he is, and I will go find him," Mo Qi said calmly.
As he spoke, his hands did not stop their actions, still compressing space violently.
"You cannot kill me, I am your uncle!" Ye Gang continued to roar, his entire body almost flattened into a board, a terrifying sight.
"When you killed my father, did you ever consider that he was your brother?" Mo Qi remained unmoved, still channeling his power.
With a "pop," Ye Gang's body exploded, turning into a pool of bloody pulp within the confined space.
Mo Qi did not even glance at it. He hovered in mid-air, looking around with a condescending gaze, his voice resonating clearly throughout the surroundings. "Fellow clansmen, Ye Gang killed his brother and usurped the throne. He has met his just deserts and has been executed today. I have returned today, first to avenge myself, and second to lead you to rise again and return to our homeland, the Red Leaf Kingdom. My personal hatred is small; the hatred of our entire clan for tens of thousands of years is the great matter. I believe that a seed has been buried in everyone's heart, taking root, sprouting, and growing vigorously, destined to break through the cage of hatred one day and grow into a towering tree."
"Of course, after so many years, many have become accustomed to this peaceful life. Everyone has their own aspirations, and I will not force you if that is the case. I only hope that those whose hearts cannot extinguish the flames of hatred will step forward and join me."
After a moment, like mushrooms after a spring rain, people emerged from all corners, and after exchanging glances, they stood before Mo Qi.
Elder Lang tried to get up, his legs supporting him a few times, but he could not.
Mo Qi walked over and fed him a pill.
A moment later, Elder Lang was as good as new!
He immediately prostrated himself, vowing to serve as a beast of burden to repay Mo Qi's life-saving grace.
Mo Qi helped him up, saying that he would be rewarded if he worked hard in the future.
At this point, a white-haired old man approached. "You must keep your word and lead us back to the Red Leaf Kingdom."
Mo Qi nodded. "Of course, but I cannot achieve this alone. It requires everyone to work together and strive collectively to realize this wish."
Then, more people stepped forward, their hearts burning with passion and excitement. "We are willing to follow you, return to the Red Leaf Kingdom together, and fight our way back."
After everyone calmed down, the old man, Wei Sanxiao, said, "If you want us to believe you, as you said, you must enter the ancestral shrine to prove yourself. Nothing else matters, only trust."
This step could not be avoided after all!
To be honest, after these tens of thousands of years, Mo Qi had undergone countless reincarnations. Whether he could still be recognized by the ancestors, Mo Qi was unsure.
But there were reasons to try.
If he obtained the Ye family's inheritance, his cultivation would advance by leaps and bounds, and he might even encounter some fortuitous encounters. These would be necessary preparations for his future path of revenge.
Otherwise, with his current cultivation, confronting Gonggong would likely result in him being instantly annihilated.
Although Gonggong was currently only the king of the Red Leaf Kingdom, he was attacking the Ironwood Empire (which was the Heavenly Court of this world) and was reportedly close to conquering it.