"Where?" Mo Qi and Chang Yu Ning asked in unison.
"The Chang family ancestral land in the back mountain."
"The Chang family ancestral land?" Chang Yu Ning shook her head. "It's the ancestral land, but also a forbidden area. The elders always warned us not to go there, saying it was fraught with danger, and that anyone who entered would never return."
"At a time like this, who cares about danger? No matter how dangerous it is, it's not as terrifying as the Ni family," Chang Xun Huan said.
"I agree with him," Mo Qi said.
"Alright, I agree too."
And so, the three of them headed towards the back mountain.
There was a hidden entrance in the back mountain, marked by a massive stone tablet that read, "Forbidden Area, Enter Not Unless Facing Death."
Mo Qi and the other two walked past without even looking.
A narrow, winding path led into a dark abyss.
They walked until they reached a stone gate. The path ended there, unless the stone gate was opened.
On the wall beside the stone gate was a button. Pressing it would open the gate.
Chang Yu Ning said, "Pressing this button might trigger unforeseen circumstances, perhaps even a catastrophic outcome. You need to consider this carefully."
Just then, a commotion could be heard from behind them.
The three of them faintly heard a voice, "I saw them heading in this direction."
This was followed by an exclamation, "There's an entrance here. They must have gone in."
"Should we chase after them? They might have set up some traps inside."
"What are you afraid of? What great waves can a bunch of ants stir up? Chase them!"
"It's the Ni family pursuing us. What should we do?" Chang Xun Huan asked.
"What else can we do? Keep moving forward," Mo Qi said, pressing the button without hesitation.
A series of rumbling sounds echoed, and the entire mountainside trembled.
Immediately after, the stone gate creaked open.
At that moment, a booming, furious voice came from behind them, "Stop running! I see you. Come out and face death! I'll give you a whole corpse to be buried, for killing my nephew Tian Yang! How will I explain this to my elder brother when I return!"
Before Mo Qi and the others lay darkness, accompanied by a chilling wind and the intermittent scent of blood.
Without hesitation, the three plunged into the darkness, charging forward by instinct.
Suddenly, a low growl came from ahead, like the breathing of a ferocious beast, or the prelude to its roar.
Mo Qi couldn't help but stop. He felt a soft hand suddenly grasp his, its palm trembling like a heartbeat, initially cold, then gradually warming.
It was Chang Yu Ning. He clearly felt her fear transform into a sense of security.
Mo Qi nonchalantly extended his other hand, pointing his finger upwards. A spark ignited at his fingertip, flickering like an oil lamp, illuminating the surroundings.
It was a passageway with countless branching paths. Chang Xun Huan was nowhere to be seen; he must have entered one of the side paths.
Footsteps grew louder from behind. Mo Qi, without hesitation, pulled Chang Yu Ning into one of the side paths.
With the light, Chang Yu Ning was less afraid and tried to pull her hand out of Mo Qi's grip, but he held on tighter.
After entering this side path, it remained a narrow passage, wide enough for three people to walk abreast.
The pursuers followed the light.
Mo Qi frowned, extinguished the spark at his fingertip, and then, relying on his divine sense, hurried forward.
"Don't extinguish the flame, I'm scared," Chang Yu Ning said weakly.
"It's alright, I'm here," Mo Qi reassured her.
At this moment, Ni Gun's furious voice echoed from behind, "I know you're in there. Don't let me catch you, or I'll tear you to pieces."
Mo Qi ignored him, continuing to pull Chang Yu Ning forward.
The scent of blood grew stronger ahead, and the roars became louder.
Yet, Mo Qi walked faster, while Chang Yu Ning's steps grew heavier.
There must be some ferocious demonic beasts inside, but at this moment, Mo Qi hoped the more ferocious, the better.
Demonic beasts didn't distinguish between friend and foe; they attacked anyone who intruded indiscriminately.
Therefore, with them present, the Ni family's attack power would be dispersed.
What he needed to do was to avoid the demonic beasts and try to make them attack the Ni family instead.
Chang Yu Ning, seeing Mo Qi walk faster and faster, asked with some confusion, "Are we going to our deaths?"
"No, we're fleeing for our lives."
At this moment, a thick fog began to spread from ahead, a vibrant green, like vegetable juice.
"Poison!" Mo Qi whispered. As he spoke, he quickly fumbled in his storage pouch, pulled out a pill, and handed it to Chang Yu Ning. "Quick, eat this."
Chang Yu Ning swallowed the pill without hesitation.
Immediately after, the poisonous gas billowed in, quickly enveloping their bodies.
They moved through the poisonous gas, almost hearing the rustling sound of the poison biting at them, sending shivers down their spines.
Chang Yu Ning closed her eyes tightly in fear, allowing Mo Qi to lead her forward.
A moment later, screams erupted from behind, along with Ni Gun's furious curses.
Mo Qi continued to pull Chang Yu Ning forward. The poisonous gas seemed unable to harm them in the slightest.
After a while, the poisonous gas dissipated, and the cave ahead lit up. The entire cave suddenly became warmer.
Looking up, they saw fiery red lava surging like a tide, filling the entire cross-section of the cave.
Chang Yu Ning's face turned green. She looked at Mo Qi, her eyes questioning.
But this madman showed no sign of retreating. He continued to pull her forward without hesitation, rushing towards the surging lava.
Behind them, Ni Gun, covered in pustules, gritted his teeth and followed. All his followers were dead.
He saw Mo Qi charging towards the fiery red lava like a madman, his eyelids twitching in fear.
He couldn't help but slowly retreat.
At this moment, Mo Qi formed a hand seal, drawing a few strokes in the air. Patterns appeared in the space around him and Chang Yu Ning, forming a square, enclosing them like an invisible cage.
The lava roared forward, instantly engulfing the cage.
"We're finished, doomed!" Chang Yu Ning closed her eyes in terror, awaiting the moment of being shattered into pieces.
However, she felt no pain, only the wind whistling past her ears, a sensation of riding the waves.
She couldn't help but open her eyes and saw herself and Mo Qi, as if on a boat, bobbing and weaving in the lava, breaking through the waves, constantly moving forward.
Soon, they traversed the entire passageway and entered an open area.
It was pitch black all around, stretching as far as the eye could see, giving the illusion of being in a vast wilderness.
Two enormous stars hung in the sky, a deep, ethereal blue, which felt strange.
Why were the stars blue, and why did they seem to be moving?
As Mo Qi pondered this, a figure enveloped in lava walked towards them. With a shake of its body, the fiery red lava, like molten iron beads rolling out of a furnace, fell to the ground, pockmarking it and emitting white steam with sizzling sounds.
After shedding the lava, a hideous face was revealed, its features burnt, teeth bared, its entire body ulcerated and still smoking, emitting a foul odor.
However, after escaping the lava, his body was rapidly recovering, the ulcerated areas healing quickly.
It was Ni Gun.
Mo Qi watched, inwardly startled. How could this guy be so powerful?
He himself could barely achieve such self-healing effects with the help of pills, yet this guy relied entirely on his own cultivation.
One could imagine how high his cultivation level was.
Ni Gun, seeing Mo Qi, was so enraged he blew his beard and glared.
"Did you kill Tian Yang?" Ni Gun roared.
"So what if I did?" Mo Qi replied provocatively.
"I will tear you to pieces!" Ni Gun, in his fury, threw a sword into the air. The sword then extended into countless blades in all directions, densely filling the entire space, forming a circle.
Ni Gun pointed at the sword, and the surrounding blades flew out, one by one, two by two, countless forming a line. Midway, the front ones suddenly stopped, waiting for the ones behind to catch up. They then stood side-by-side, arranging themselves into circles, squares, or strange shapes, constantly shifting.
A mournful wind wailed, and the air was filled with a murderous atmosphere.
The scent of blood spread endlessly.
Ni Gun pointed his hand, and the aligned blades struck Mo Qi in unison. The entire mass of swords continuously changed formations, their distances widening, yet they all emitted dazzling light. The light merged into one, forming an unbreakable sword body that reached from heaven to earth.
This colossal sword body struck Mo Qi with an arrogant might, the entire world enveloped in its sword energy. Wherever it passed, energy exploded in a riot of colors.
What's more, massive fissures appeared on the ground, continuously extending towards Mo Qi.
From a distance, Mo Qi felt a heart-wrenching force, almost tearing him apart. The scorching heat burned the air, making it feel as if it would ignite.
Mo Qi's cultivation was far superior to Chang Yu Ning's. Even he found it unbearable. One could imagine the pain and torment Chang Yu Ning was enduring!
Mo Qi shielded her behind him, blocking most of the spiritual energy with his own body, allowing her to catch her breath, but she was still suffering.
At this moment, the colossal sword body roared forward. If Mo Qi didn't intervene, he would be burned to death by the sword energy before it even passed through his body.
Therefore, Mo Qi dared not delay. He summoned the Sky-Opening Axe and struck the colossal sword body with "Pangu's Divine Power."
The Sky-Opening Axe continuously expanded, emitting light, and met the colossal sword body.
The light energy at the front of the colossal sword body surged, striking the Sky-Opening Axe, causing it to shake and slowly move backward.
Mo Qi and Chang Yu Ning's figures shifted in unison.
Mo Qi struggled to maintain his stance, yet it seemed he couldn't escape the fate of a collapsing mountain.
The giant sword moved like a moving mountain, emitting creaking sounds, like the breaking of iron chains.
The sharpness of the Sky-Opening Axe couldn't be fully unleashed and was suppressed by the giant sword's power. It began to shake violently in the air, its light dimming.
It seemed the entire balance was about to collapse!