Zhunti was fully engaged with Mo Qi, never expecting the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao to suddenly leap from their battle to this one. By the time he reacted, it was too late. He instinctively dodged to the left, evading the Qingping Sword, but the palm strike that followed landed squarely on Zhunti's back.
Zhunti grunted, his body lunging forward, crashing to the ground. He couldn't get up for a long time.
Meanwhile, the Golden Jiaolong Scissors, after lunging at the now vulnerable Zhunti, separated again. The two dragon serpents circled in the air before once more roaring towards the Heavenly Venerable Tai Bao.
The Heavenly Venerable Tai Bao parried the blood swords with his flat staff while darting away.
He had originally intended to pursue the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, but was entangled by the Golden Jiaolong Scissors.
The Heavenly Venerable Jie Yin pursued the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao alone. As his Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus struck towards the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao's back, the latter casually flung out the Heaven-Turning Seal. The two treasures collided with a deafening roar. Divine light shattered, and a powerful airflow formed a hurricane that swept outwards, kicking up sand and stones, engulfing everything in smoke.
The little blood figure, affected by the explosion, cried out incessantly, "My end is near, my end is near."
The soul-stirring voice sent shivers down spines.
Even with the cultivation of the Four Saints, their blood and qi surged.
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao flashed beside Mo Qi, grabbing his shoulder. "Go!"
Mo Qi quickly retrieved the Golden Jiaolong Scissors, the Little One, and the Eastern Emperor Bell.
However, the little blood figure could not be recalled. It remained nearby, wailing, "My end is near!"
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao, without a second thought, pulled Mo Qi and fled into the distance. After flying a short way, he looked back to see the Four Saints pursuing them at breakneck speed.
However, the little blood figure continued to spray blood swords at them, somewhat hindering their speed.
"Where is the Thousand-Mile Escape Pill I gave you? Have you used it?" the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao asked urgently.
"Not yet," Mo Qi replied, then took it out, preparing to crush it.
At that moment, he suddenly looked up at the sky. A light rain of blood had begun to fall from the heavens, dyeing the sky red, the earth red, and everyone's hearts red.
"My end is near..." the faint voice echoed for a long time.
Mo Qi felt a pang of sorrow. Suppressing his grief, he crushed the Thousand-Mile Escape Pill.
A white mist rose, and the figures of Mo Qi and the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao disappeared within it.
Long Qi had been observing the battle from a distant mountaintop. She hadn't expected Mo Qi's cultivation to advance so rapidly in just a few years; he was now a Golden Immortal. More importantly, he had managed to rescue the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao from the Four Saints.
A fantastical thought suddenly occurred to her: could it be...?
Then she dismissed it, thinking it couldn't be such a coincidence!
The Four Saints were still dwelling on this matter, especially the Heavenly Venerable Yu Bao, who was so furious he was jumping with rage. At this point, the Twelve Golden Immortals, unable to pursue the disciples of the Shangqing Sect, returned to the scene. The Heavenly Venerable Yu Bao immediately questioned them, "Who among you was in the sect at the time? With so many Taiyi Golden Immortals, how could you let him act so recklessly?"
The Southern Pole Immortal Elder and the others were reprimanded until their faces turned red, their heads hanging low.
The Heavenly Venerable Yu Bao became even more enraged. "When has my Yuqing Sect ever suffered such humiliation? You can't even defeat one Golden Immortal, what kind of cultivation are you pursuing? Go and consecrate the gods already."
The Southern Pole Immortal Elder and the others remained silent, too afraid to speak.
The Heavenly Venerable Jie Yin and Zhunti also looked ashamed, feeling as if they had lost something on this trip.
The Heavenly Venerable Tai Bao chuckled. "It's fine, we've already broken the formation."
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao and Mo Qi returned to the Biyou Palace. By then, other disciples had also returned after their defeats.
After regrouping, they discovered that Daoist Duobao was missing.
It seemed his fate was grim.
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao cast a divination and discovered that Duobao had defected. Already burning with anger, this news further fueled his rage, making him stomp his feet.
At this point, to ease the awkward atmosphere, the other disciples began to praise Mo Qi, calling him young and handsome, prematurely white-haired, possessing profound cultivation, and having a bright future.
They also claimed that with his stable performance, they would surely defeat the Yuqing Sect in the next encounter.
This was the only thing the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao took pride in.
He looked at Mo Qi and also offered great praise.
With everyone's encouragement, the idea of a next "revenge" quietly began to sprout.
Mo Qi was still immersed in the grief of losing the little blood figure and had no mood for anything else. Although he had narrowly escaped this time, he clearly understood the strength and predicament of the Shangqing Sect. The disciples of the Shangqing Sect were good at bragging, but truly weak in combat. Only their sect leader could hold up the facade, but a single pillar could not support a building. It was unrealistic to expect any significant achievements from these people.
If the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao continued to confront the Yuqing Sect alone, he might face eternal damnation.
He also clearly saw the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao gradually losing himself, sinking deeper and deeper, with no turning back.
Upon reflection, the current situation was also a result of the long-standing conflicts between the three sects.
Even Saints could not escape worldly disputes.
The involvement of the Four Saints in the Investiture of the Gods itself indicated that many matters had exceeded their expectations.
If they could control everything, they would not have intervened.
It was as if a larger hand was pushing events forward.
Mo Qi's initial idea was to create more conflict while keeping himself as far out of it as possible.
But now, it seemed no one could remain detached.
Once aboard the sinking ship of the Shangqing Sect, they could only share its fate.
Confrontation with the Yuqing Sect was now inevitable. However, direct confrontation would undoubtedly be a path to self-destruction for the Shangqing Sect. Therefore, Mo Qi pondered if there was any clever way to avoid direct conflict.
At this moment, seeing everyone's high spirits and brimming with pride, the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao declared, "Alright, we shall set up a Ten Thousand Immortals Formation on the battlefield again. All disciples of the sect will participate, and we will fight the Yuqing Sect and the Four Saints to the death."
Silence fell upon the crowd, and everyone lowered their heads.
Huh? Weren't they full of confidence just moments ago?
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao sighed and produced another magical artifact. "This is the Six Souls Banner. This banner has six tails, upon which the names of Tai Bao Heavenly Venerable, Yu Bao Heavenly Venerable, Zhunti, Jie Yin, King Wu of Zhou, and Jiang Xia can be written. With the talisman seal, and by bowing to it morning and evening, they will turn to dust and ashes before long."
A cheer erupted from the crowd again, and everyone was filled with confidence.
As long as the Four Saints were restrained, everything else would be manageable.
Thus, the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao announced preparations for war. He would prepare the Six Souls Banner and the rituals for bowing to the souls, while other disciples would notify and gather disciples scattered across the Three Mountains and Five Peaks to prepare for the formation.
The Heavenly Venerable Lingbao called Mo Qi to his room alone, bestowed some spiritual medicine upon him, and returned the Heaven-Turning Seal.
Mo Qi thanked him profusely, accepted the Heaven-Turning Seal, and went to cultivate alone.
During his free time, he also visited Kong Xuan in the back mountain, bringing him some elixirs and cultivation resources.
Kong Xuan was recovering quickly and could already speak. He estimated that at his current cultivation speed, he would be able to regain human form in about a year.
Mo Qi expressed his anticipation and promised that once Kong Xuan regained his human form, they would roam the heavens and earth together, conquering the world.
Afterward, he also released the Little One, attempting to let it roam freely in the area.
However, the Little One was unwilling, so Mo Qi had to keep it by his side.
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia continued to lead the Zhou army in conquering cities and territories, gradually approaching the capital city of the Great Yin Dynasty.
One day, while Yang Erlang was on his way to deliver provisions to the army, a beauty stopped him. Upon inquiry, he discovered it was Long Qi, looking for Yang Erlang again.
Yang Erlang was exceptionally excited. Was his peach blossom luck finally arriving?
However, Long Qi's words sent his spirits plummeting. "Who was the person who chased you at the Yuxu Palace that day?"
Yang Erlang stared blankly for a long time, then raised his eyebrows. "No one was chasing me. No one was chasing me at all. You must have seen wrong."
Long Qi was speechless. She hadn't expected him to deny such a small matter, which wasn't even shameful.
"Please tell me truthfully. This matter is very important to me," Long Qi said earnestly.
Yang Erlang was disappointed. So, she had come to inquire about someone else.
"There was indeed an annoying fellow who fought with me that day, but I must solemnly declare that he did not chase me, nor did he have the ability to chase me," Yang Erlang stated firmly.
Long Qi rolled her eyes. "Who was the person who fought with you that day?"
"Mo Qi of the Shangqing Sect," Yang Erlang coughed and said. "But he's definitely not the person you're looking for. He looks so wretched, and he's so out of touch with reality..."
Before he could finish speaking, Long Qi said, "Thank you," and swiftly departed.
At that moment, her mind was in turmoil, a mix of emotions swirling within her. She seemed to be starting to believe in fate again.
Although, according to the divination, there was still no concrete evidence proving that the person she was looking for was him.
But she felt that this was enough. She didn't want to delve any deeper.
What if she was wrong?
Choosing according to her inner feelings would never be wrong.
All along, a voice in the darkness had guided her to this place. Her deepest desire wasn't to find that past life, but to prove that that past life was indeed him.
Now, it seemed all her suspicions had been confirmed. All that remained was to find him and tell him.
She cheered and danced like a butterfly in a forest.
The air was so fresh, the sunlight so warm, and the world so beautiful, intoxicating her endlessly.
Just then, a chilling voice echoed in her ear: "My end is near, my end is near..."
This voice... where had she heard it before.
Within a few breaths, Long Qi remembered. It was Mo Qi's pet artifact!
Although the voice was terrifying, she was not afraid. Without hesitation, she listened intently in the forest, searching for the source of the sound.
Just then, as if sensing a threat, the voice fell silent again.
Long Qi whispered, "Friend, don't be afraid. I am a friend of your master. Shall I take you to find your master?"
The gentle voice immediately gained the little blood figure's approval, and it began to cry out again, "My end is near..."
Following the sound, Long Qi found a small blood figure lying on the ground in a thicket, trembling all over. It had a nose and eyes and was only as big as a thumb.
Long Qi didn't know how large it had been originally, but she firmly believed that its current size was definitely not its original size.
She reached her jade-like hand into the thicket. "Come with me."