They had, in a subtle way, already come to regard Mo Qi as their junior brother.
Mo Qi felt a surge of warmth at their calls.
Guang Chengzi, hearing the thunderous cheers, felt immensely frustrated and enraged, intensifying his assault.
"Ah!"
Guang Chengzi roared, channeling the power of his whisk, and lunged at Mo Qi.
Indeed, under his full-powered attack, Mo Qi struggled to defend himself, retreating repeatedly.
His entire form rapidly retreated, and the white light emanating from the Donghuang Bell quickly dissolved.
Guang Chengzi pressed on, unstoppable and resolute.
Seeing this, he was greatly invigorated, believing victory was within reach.
Though this process was somewhat arduous and challenging, it did not alter the outcome; he was still the victor.
No matter how the Shangqing Sect struggled, they could not change the fact that they were a group of trash, even less than trash.
The Yuqing Sect, on the other hand, was a breeding ground for talent; any one of their disciples could flatten the entire mountain gate of the Shangqing Sect.
Just as he was reveling in his triumph, Mo Qi suddenly shouted, "Pangu Divine Power, Star Devour!"
The Donghuang Bell continued to emit white light, but the previous power of strangulation and tearing vanished without a trace. Instead, an infinite, irresistible pulling force emerged. The white light transformed into a vortex, spinning endlessly, bottomless.
The white light first drew in the divine radiance from Guang Chengzi's whisk, then spread outwards limitlessly, ensnaring Guang Chengzi's body like weeds.
Guang Chengzi was greatly alarmed. His body, still in its forward momentum, was contorted by the powerful suction and dragged into the Donghuang Bell.
This sudden turn of events left the onlookers somewhat overwhelmed.
One moment they thought Mo Qi was losing, destined to be defeated, and felt a pang of regret, but the next, Mo Qi had, in a twisted manner, captured Guang Chengzi!
This dramatic shift was truly heart-stopping!
Wait!
Did their junior brother subdue Guang Chengzi?
This was incredibly exciting!
It was something they had never dared to imagine before.
Disciples of the Yuqing Sect had always lorded over and intimidated those of the Shangqing Sect, and in one-on-one combat, the Shangqing disciples had never defeated the Yuqing disciples, except when ganging up!
But today, they had won!
And it was a disciple of the Shangqing Sect, one who absolutely should not have won, who had achieved this victory.
With a clang, Mo Qi threw the great bell onto the ground, trapping Guang Chengzi within, then raised his right hand and slammed it down onto the bell's crown.
With this palm strike, even Guang Chengzi, with his Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation, would be reduced to a pulp.
Many watched with anticipation, many cheered!
But everyone was pleased and watched Mo Qi with unblinking eyes!
"Stop!" A sudden roar tore through the sky, drawing everyone's attention.
Mo Qi instinctively halted his movement, his hand frozen in mid-air.
A short, stout figure descended gracefully from the sky. The crowd knelt, exclaiming, "Greetings, Master (Grandmaster)!"
Lingbao Tianzun waved his hand, "Rise!"
The crowd stood, while Mo Qi remained stunned.
Lingbao Tianzun looked at Mo Qi, "What was your name again?"
"Mo Qi," Mo Qi replied concisely.
"Ah, release Guang Chengzi first," Lingbao Tianzun said, gesturing towards the Donghuang Bell.
The other disciples immediately stepped forward to lodge their complaints. Some accused Guang Chengzi of colluding with Shen Bao to steal spirit branches, some said he had come to commit violence relying on his superior martial arts, and some claimed he had killed people and then come to boast. In essence, their plea was that Guang Chengzi must not be released.
Lingbao Tianzun simply waved his hand, and everyone quieted down.
Mo Qi's lips twitched. "He came to our place, acted with impunity, was arrogant and disrespectful, and you want to just let him go?"
"I believe that by releasing him now, you are freeing him physically, but mentally, you are tormenting him. Moreover, by letting him return, you also let the other disciples of the Yuqing Sect know that the Shangqing Sect is not to be trifled with, and that the price of arrogance is a bruised and swollen face," Lingbao Tianzun said with a smile.
Mo Qi nodded and said, "What you say seems to have some merit."
Then, he removed the Donghuang Bell.
Guang Chengzi's dejected face appeared before everyone. His previous arrogance and haughtiness had vanished. Now, his head hung low, his eyes cast down, unwilling to meet Lingbao Tianzun's gaze.
At this moment, Lingbao Tianzun felt an involuntary sense of elation. Looking at Guang Chengzi's disheveled state, he almost burst out laughing several times, but he forcefully restrained himself.
He struggled to hold it in, feeling that he could boast about this incident to his second senior brother, Yu Bao Tianzun, for five hundred years. Wasn't this a hilariously amusing matter?
"Why did you come to Biyou Palace?" Lingbao Tianzun asked Guang Chengzi.
Guang Chengzi produced the Jinxia Crown. "I have come to return the Zixia Crown. Huo Ling Sheng Mu did not understand the will of heaven and acted against it, obstructing Jiang Xia's campaign against the Yin Dynasty, violating the agreement of the Three Teachings. She was killed by me on the battlefield. I have specifically brought the Zixia Crown back to Biyou Palace, firstly to express our apologies, as this was a helpless action, and secondly, to hope that Uncle-Master will properly discipline his disciples and prevent them from making such futile sacrifices."
"I..." Lingbao Tianzun was momentarily speechless. He was actually lecturing me.
However, his mood was exceptionally good at this moment, so he decided not to argue with him.
"Hmph, hmph," Lingbao Tianzun snorted, "Obeying the will of heaven? That's just what a few of them decide. But from now on, I refuse to believe it. Go back and tell your master that I will set up the Zhuxian Formation before the armies of Zhou and Yin, so that those few can see who truly rules this world and who will dominate the destiny of the next hundred thousand years."
Guang Chengzi looked at Lingbao Tianzun with a hint of pity. "Uncle-Master, please reconsider!"
Lingbao Tianzun was furious and kicked him away. "Reconsider what? Just say what I told you to say."
Guang Chengzi rolled a few times on the ground, then scrambled away, fleeing in a disheveled manner. "Alright, I understand. I will convey your message truthfully."
Lingbao Tianzun glanced at all the disciples present. "Did everyone hear that? I plan to use the Four Swords of Zhuxian as the foundation to set up the Zhuxian Formation, to block the Zhou army, make the Yuqing Sect taste bitter defeat, and let them know the might of our Shangqing Sect. I also want those few to know that I am not to be bullied. In the past, they always had the final say, and I endured it in silence, which led their disciples and followers to become increasingly arrogant and disrespectful, none of them taking our Shangqing Sect seriously. This time, we will reclaim our lost dignity."
The disciples of the Shangqing Sect were all filled with emotion and shouted loudly, "Yes, reclaim our dignity!"
Mo Qi was also filled with fervor, "Reclaim our dignity, reclaim our dignity!"
Lingbao Tianzun then took out four precious swords, namely the Zhuxian Sword, Luxian Sword, Xianxian Sword, and Juexian Sword, and entrusted them all to Duobao. He also took out a Zhuxian Formation diagram and gave it to Duobao, saying, "Go to Jiepai Pass and set up this formation. I and other disciples will follow. Let's see how the Yuqing Sect breaks the formation."
Daoist Duobao accepted the order and departed.
The other disciples eagerly stepped forward, expressing their desire to join the battle and seek retribution. They all vied to go, their emotions running high.
Only Mo Qi stood aside, motionless, lost in thought.
Lingbao Tianzun found it strange and looked at Mo Qi. "All disciples wish to go to the front lines to demand an explanation. Why are you indifferent? Do you not wish to contribute to the Shangqing Sect?"
Everyone turned their heads and looked at Mo Qi in unison.
The scene was like facing a judgment.
Mo Qi chuckled. "If I didn't want to contribute to the Shangqing Sect, I wouldn't have intervened against Guang Chengzi just now. The reason I don't want to go to the front lines is that I have a better place to be."
"Where do you want to go?" Lingbao Tianzun asked with some curiosity.
At this moment, he was particularly friendly towards this disciple, his tone remarkably gentle.
"To Yuxu Palace. As the saying goes, 'It is polite to reciprocate.' Guang Chengzi came to our Shangqing Sect and acted outrageously and arbitrarily, so I will go to Yuxu Palace, stir up some trouble, turn things upside down for them, and make them feel vexed, to alleviate our resentment," Mo Qi spoke fluently.
In fact, Mo Qi had been silently contemplating how to complete the task assigned by Xing Mian and how to disrupt the Investiture of the Gods. He hadn't found a very good solution.
The actions of Guang Chengzi and Shen Bao suddenly enlightened him. Causing trouble at Yuxu Palace was probably the most direct way to complete his mission.
The disciples of the Shangqing Sect were all stunned. This idea seemed fun, but it was also too audacious. They certainly wouldn't dare to think of it themselves!
After a moment of stunned silence, Lingbao Tianzun cleared his throat. "Your idea... pretend I didn't hear it. I am going to set up the formation anyway, and I will bring some disciples. As for you, your presence or absence makes little difference, but... there is also a spirit branch on the back mountain of Yuxu Palace that nurtures innate spirit treasures, and its old root is very nourishing, likely capable of elevating one's realm by a major stage. There is also a Heavenly Pool for purification, and the Heavenly Pool Jade Dew within can also enhance cultivation and refine the golden body. They also have a treasure vault, a spirit vein mountain, a destiny tree, and a scripture hall for techniques... Why am I telling you all this? It's because I hope you will go and see, and experience it."
So many good things!
Mo Qi was instantly overjoyed and smiled, cupping his hands. "Thank you for your guidance, subordinate will certainly obey the sect leader's decree and go to see and experience it thoroughly."
Lingbao Tianzun waved his hand. "It's good to go and see, see it thoroughly. You've seen our back mountain, you can be even more thorough there." He then gave Mo Qi a meaningful look, as if to say, "Don't think I don't know what bad things you've done."
Mo Qi immediately understood and said with a smile, "Thank you, Sect Leader, for your guidance. The Sect Leader is benevolent and wise, unparalleled in the world!"
Lingbao Tianzun chuckled. "Don't flatter me with empty words, I don't care for it."
Afterward, Lingbao Tianzun bestowed a pill upon Mo Qi. "This is a Thousand-Mile Escape Pill. If necessary, crush it, and it will save your life!"
Such a good thing?
Mo Qi immediately accepted it and thanked him profusely.