Intuition told Mo Qi that nothing good would come of this.
Xing Mian slowly said, "A new force has invaded the Southern Continent, quietly infiltrating every corner. You should come back quickly."
Damn it, they start issuing all sorts of tasks without even asking about my situation. I'm being chased like a stray dog, how can I manage other people's affairs?
"Dean Xing, I request to resign from my position as Deputy Lord of the Seventh Tier. I'm busy escaping for my life right now and don't have time to deal with other matters," Mo Qi said helplessly.
"It won't affect your escape. If you go to the Southern Continent, they might not pursue you there," Xing Mian said with a smile.
"Might not? You don't sound very confident," Mo Qi said, lying down on a patch of grass. He was so tired.
"You seem very relaxed. Let me tell you something. If you can still be this relaxed after hearing it, I'll be impressed."
"What is it? Just say it," Mo Qi replied lazily.
"In the confrontation with the mysterious forces, Xiao Yin and Tang Qianyu were killed in action, Chao Xixue has retired, and Lu Xiaoyue's whereabouts are unknown," Xing Mian said.
"What?" Mo Qi sat up abruptly, his voice cracking. "Who, who killed Tang Qianyu... and Xiao Yin?"
As he finished speaking, tears welled up in his eyes.
"I, I don't know either. If I knew, why would I need you?" Xing Mian stammered, then his figure vanished rapidly, appearing somewhat flustered.
Mo Qi, filled with grief and indignation, took to the air and sped away into the distance.
At this moment, several streaks of light were seen shuttling rapidly across the sky.
One of the figures seemed to be Huomo. Mo Qi quickly pursued.
As they drew closer, the other two figures also became clearer.
They were also two balls of fire, one green and one blue.
Mo Qi was momentarily bewildered. Why would Green Fire trouble Red Fire?
At this moment, Huomo shouted, "Help me quickly! They're going to eat me."
"What are they?" Mo Qi asked curiously.
"Fires from beyond the heavens, perhaps... Stop the nonsense and help me! Don't say useless things," Huomo continued to shout.
Mo Qi no longer hesitated. He directly unleashed the Hunyuan Jindou. A beam of light erupted, sweeping like a gale. It forcefully engulfed the green fire, causing it to faint and float in the air. Huomo turned around and directly swallowed the ball of green fire.
The blue fire was terrified and fled as a streak of blue light.
Huomo's belly swelled up, and he mumbled, "Catch, catch him."
Mo Qi released the Jin Jiao Jian and chased for a while but couldn't catch up.
Huomo felt uncomfortable from being too full. He fell to the ground and lay there, unable to move.
Mo Qi glanced at him. "I'm leaving. Rest well here."
Huomo revealed a pleading expression. "I need to digest. If you leave, any wild beast could eat me."
Mo Qi rolled his eyes. "Who told you to be so greedy?"
Huomo stuck out his tongue. "If I didn't eat it, it would have eaten me! Besides, this is a great fortune for me. After absorbing it, my cultivation can increase by several major realms. How could I miss such a rare opportunity?"
"But I have urgent matters," Mo Qi said with some difficulty.
Huomo showed a pleading expression. "Please, do me a favor and protect me. At worst, I'll follow you through fire and water, and be your servant for life."
Mo Qi squatted down. "Even if I didn't guard you, you should have this awareness. If it weren't for me, you would have been eaten just now, and those two balls of fire would be digesting."
Huomo laughed. "Yes, yes, I am grateful for your great kindness."
In a dimly lit dormitory at the Heavenly Stair Academy in the Southern Continent's Qionglu Realm, several people were beating and kicking Dugu Jun, shouting, "Get out!"
"We gave you a chance to rise to prominence, but you refused. You still act high and mighty, thinking you're special, hiding here and pretending to be pure."
"Why don't you learn from your brother? Look at how sensible Dugu Sheng is. He relies on a strong backer for shade. Look how well he's doing now!"
"You should hide in the mountains! No one will bother you there. What are you doing hiding here? Wasting the academy's resources, occupying a spot without contributing. What a disgrace."
Dugu Jun seemed to have lost all hope. His face was ashen. He endured the rain of punches and kicks without a sound.
In an instant, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He took the opportunity to wipe the blood, smearing his face with grime.
These people were beating him with great gusto and couldn't stop. The sounds of thuds and bangs were continuous, occasionally interspersed with the sounds of bones cracking.
The assailants unleashed their fists and feet with abandon, even closing their eyes at times to savor the pleasure of hearing the sound of bones breaking.
However, at one moment, when they opened their eyes, they were startled to find that someone else had suddenly appeared in the room.
Then, one of them asked, "Who are you? How did you get in?" He threw a punch, only to be sent flying by a palm strike from the newcomer.
After a brief silence, figures blurred and the sounds of clashing echoed. Several people were successively sent flying out of the room, some unconscious, others limping away.
Dugu Jun suddenly felt as if the surroundings had changed. He looked up and saw that Mo Qi had appeared in the middle of the scene at some unknown time, and the previous people were gone.
Dugu Jun calmly wiped the blood from his mouth and tried to get up, but couldn't. "You're back?"
Mo Qi gave him a pill. Dugu Jun took it and swallowed it before slowly standing up.
Mo Qi found a stool and sat down, returning the Qianrong Yimian to Dugu Jun, as he no longer needed it.
Dugu Jun took the Qianrong Yimian and sighed heavily. "You shouldn't have come back."
As he spoke, Dugu Jun slowly sat down as well.
Mo Qi looked at his state, as if he had lost all will to live, his heart as still as water.
"Tell me, what exactly has happened in Qionglu Realm?" Mo Qi asked, looking at his vacant eyes.
"The entire situation has undergone a tremendous change. The Tuoba, Gongyang, Zhongli, and Changsun families have suddenly risen to power. We had never even heard of them before. It's as if they descended from the heavens. Overnight, their influence permeated every corner of the stairs, academies, and sects, replacing the original four great families. The original four great families have completely declined. My brother returned at this time and, although he regained control of the Shendu Sect, it's clear he's also under their control," Dugu Jun said slowly, gazing at the distant sky.
"Such a grand undertaking must have been orchestrated by a mysterious force in the shadows. Is it the Turen?" Mo Qi asked after a moment of thought.
Dugu Jun shook his head. "I don't know, but I feel that the Turen are also being manipulated. There must be an even greater force behind them."
"Then how is the power of the five major sects distributed now?"
"The Shendu Sect is controlled by the Dugu family, the Lingdu Sect by the Tuoba family, the Xindu Sect by the Gongyang family, the Tiandu Sect by the Zhongli family, and the Hongdu Sect by the Changsun family."
"What about Chao Jing?"
"Chao Jing was quite sensible. He handed over the Xindu Sect to the Gongyang family. The Gongyang family treated him well, making him a hall master. As for Yuwen Cong, he was rather unfortunate. Because he resisted to the end, he was ultimately beheaded."
Hearing of Yuwen Cong's death, Mo Qi felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but sigh.
"What about the forces of the Heavenly Stairs?"
"The Heavenly Stairs have long been defunct, infiltrated by the four great families and the mysterious forces. Except for Guihailong, the Lord of the Seventh Tier, most of the people below have been replaced, including you, the Deputy Lord of the Seventh Tier."
"Ah?" Mo Qi was greatly shocked and stood up abruptly.
The actual situation was far more serious than Xing Mian had described.
"That's why I said you shouldn't have come back," Dugu Jun said, looking at him.
"It's alright. Now that I'm back, I will eliminate all enemies," Mo Qi said calmly after a moment.
"With your own strength? How easy that would be. These suddenly rising four great families are far beyond comparison to any family before, not to mention the terrifying mysterious force behind them," Dugu Jun said dejectedly.
Just as Mo Qi was about to speak, several screams were heard from outside the door. It seemed that the severely injured and incapacitated people outside had been killed.
Immediately after, three people suddenly burst in, three young men who looked like students from the Heavenly Stair Academy.
It was clear that the events of today could not be resolved peacefully.
They even killed their companions, so they were clearly determined to kill Mo Qi.
The three were Gongyang Hu, Zhongli Xin, and Changsun Rong. All were Heavenly Immortal cultivators, arrogant and overbearing within the academy, bullying everyone except the four great families. They would snatch any girl they fancied, their actions were outrageous.
Upon seeing them, Dugu Jun's face showed fear. "These are from the four great families. You should escape quickly. They will still give my brother some face and probably won't do anything to me."
Gongyang Hu laughed heartily. "Your brother is nothing! Your brother is just a dog. We don't want to deal with him, but if we wanted to, it would be a matter of an instant."
Changsun Rong looked at Mo Qi's young face and white hair, finding it incredible.
However, he was certain that the group beaten moments ago was not something Dugu Jun could have done.
Dugu Jun still had that punchable face, with a look of near-death and no will to live.
Therefore, there was only one possibility: the stranger in front of him had done it. So he glared at Mo Qi resentfully. "Who are you? How dare you stir up trouble? Are you tired of living?"
"Yes," Mo Qi nodded. "I'm tired of living. Can you help me find release?"
Changsun Rong was stunned, while Zhongli Xin angrily said, "Then I'll fulfill your wish."
As he spoke, Zhongli Xin leaped forward. "Li Huo Shen Lei Jue!"
A dazzling golden light lit up in his hand, with streaks of lightning intertwined within the golden light, emitting a crackling sound, like venomous snakes flicking their tongues.
Gongyang Hu's face changed drastically. He grabbed Changsun Rong and fled outwards. "Run! This move has great destructive power and a wide range of effect. Stay far away from him to avoid being caught in the crossfire."