The referee Elder Li also stood there, unsure of what to do.
He had planned a hundred ways to announce Elder Xiong's victory, but not a single one for announcing Mo Qi's win.
Mo Qi paid no mind to their thoughts. He walked over, picked up the purple jade cushion, and tossed it into his storage bag.
This item, he mused, would make a potent explosive pill.
Only then did the crowd below react. "Elder Xiong lost?"
Elder Liang, filled with righteous indignation, shouted, "Mo Qi is utterly inhumane and wicked! To fight for a spot as an inner elder, he actually attempted to kill Elder Xiong. He deserves to die!"
Liang Sanjin also wailed, "Elder Xiong, Elder Xiong, you died so tragically!"
"Elder Xiong was so approachable, kind, and benevolent. Today, he was brutally murdered by Mo Qi. What kind of depraved mind could commit such a heinous act?"
"Truly heartless and inhumane!"
The people around them stirred, murmuring amongst themselves, seemingly on the verge of being incited.
Linghu Xiaoxian spoke up loudly, "What nonsense! Have you no shame? Both of them agreed to a fight to the death just now. Everyone here with ears heard it clearly. Are you trying to renege on your word now?"
Seeing that she was outnumbered and her voice was almost drowned out, she immediately leaped onto the arena, landing beside Mo Qi. She planted her hands on her hips. "If you insist on being unreasonable, I'll see it through to the end. I'm not afraid of you."
Her pose, with hands on her hips, immediately showcased her perfect figure. The eyes of the crowd below were fixed on her, and many started to bleed from their noses.
Linghu Zhong felt a headache coming on. He clutched his head to prevent himself from toppling over in a daze.
Mo Qi watched her with amusement. Suddenly, he felt a sense of happiness having such a beauty by his side.
Whether it was due to shock or some other reason, the commotion below subsided, and silence fell.
Liang Sanjin continued to weep alone, his cries heart-wrenching, but he was performing a solo act. No one paid him any attention.
Linghu Xiaoxian then looked at Elder Li. "Elder Li, have you forgotten what your job is?"
Elder Li coughed dryly and announced, "First round, first match, Mo Qi wins."
A chorus of boos erupted from the surroundings, and people began to disperse.
Mo Qi watched Linghu Xiaoxian as she jumped off the arena. "Why did you help me like that?"
Linghu Xiaoxian turned and glared at him. "What do you think?"
Mo Qi smiled. "You like me."
Wasn't that obvious?
But why did it sound like he was mocking her when he said it?
What did he really mean?
"Don't flatter yourself. I just can't stand seeing them bully others with their power. I wasn't helping anyone in particular; I was simply standing up for what's right," Linghu Xiaoxian said.
Normally, she would have left after saying that.
However, she remained standing there, waiting for Mo Qi to say more.
But Mo Qi fell silent, just looking at her.
Linghu Xiaoxian felt a prickle of unease under his gaze. She shot him a sideways glance. "You're being weird!"
Then she turned and left.
The second round of matches was scheduled for the next day, so there were no more competitions for the day. Mo Qi, with nothing else to do, went to the cave dwelling of Old Ancestor Shen.
For some reason, he felt that the day's events were not over, and he could find protection at Old Ancestor Shen's place.
Perhaps it was the precognition brought by the fragments of heavenly laws!
In any case, it was indeed a coincidence.
As soon as he stepped into Old Ancestor Shen's cave dwelling, he heard an aged voice from outside. "Senior Brother, your junior brother has something to ask."
Upon hearing the voice, Mo Qi found it unfamiliar. But hearing him address someone as "Senior Brother," he surmised this must be Elder Fei, the master of Elder Xiong and Elder Liang.
Needless to say, he was likely here to demand an explanation for Elder Xiong's death.
Old Ancestor Shen immediately emerged from within. Seeing Mo Qi, he knew he had caused trouble again and shot him a glare before walking out of the cave.
Mo Qi followed him out.
Standing outside the cave were Elder Liang, Elder Sikong, and a stranger.
It was clear that the stranger was Elder Fei!
Elder Fei, his face filled with anger, looked at Old Ancestor Shen. "Senior Brother, I just returned and heard that you've taken in a new disciple who killed my grand-disciple and my disciple. Is it permissible for newcomers to act with such impunity?"
Old Ancestor Shen forced a slight smile. "Junior Brother, look at you, you've only just returned. Come, let's talk inside. I'll have the relevant personnel brought over to explain this matter to you."
Elder Fei waved his hand. "No need, we can discuss it here." He then noticed a young man with a rather shifty look behind Old Ancestor Shen. "Is that him? Is that Mo Qi?"
Mo Qi stood behind Old Ancestor Shen. Without any sound, he felt a pressure like Mount Tai bearing down on him, making it almost impossible to stand straight.
Before Old Ancestor Shen could speak, Mo Qi took a difficult step forward and bowed to Elder Fei. "Greetings, Martial Uncle!"
Elder Fei curled his lips and exhaled heavily. "So arrogant!"
He ignored Mo Qi and turned to Old Ancestor Shen. "Senior Brother, what punishment do you think this person deserves?"
Old Ancestor Shen coughed dryly. "If both parties agreed to a duel to the death, with each bearing responsibility for their own fate, I believe he is innocent."
The air immediately became heavy. Everyone present felt a sense of tension.
Elder Fei said coldly, "So, you insist on shielding your disciple?"
"If you consider it shielding, then I shall shield him," Old Ancestor Shen replied, looking up at the sky with a calm expression.
Silence descended.
The air crackled with tension. Even Elder Sikong took a step back.
After a moment, Elder Fei sighed. "I am not an unreasonable person. If it were a normal spar between disciples, I would naturally accept it. However, what if someone with ulterior motives took this opportunity to eliminate a pillar of my sect?"
Old Ancestor Shen looked bewildered. "I don't understand..."
Elder Fei sighed again. "Alas, I never expected that Senior Brother, who has been wise his entire life, would be manipulated by a mere nobody." He then called out behind him, "Come out."
As he spoke, Nangong Yun emerged from around a corner, staring at Mo Qi with an expression that clearly said, "You're dead today."
Mo Qi's heart sank. Nangong Yun daring to betray him here indicated that something must have happened in the Qionglu Realm.
Elder Fei glanced at Mo Qi, then at Old Ancestor Shen. "According to this person's confession, he was an infiltrator planted from the Qionglu Realm's middle strata, and Mo Qi is also one!"
Old Ancestor Shen chuckled. "I already knew that..."
Elder Fei said sternly, "Senior Brother, you cannot overlook the fact that he is an infiltrator just because you know about it. May I ask, Senior Brother, does the Sun Moon Sect belong to you alone, or to all its disciples?"
Old Ancestor Shen was stunned!
This single question rendered him speechless!
He clearly knew that Mo Qi harbored no ill intentions and would never do anything detrimental to the Sun Moon Sect, yet he had no words to defend him.
All words seemed so pale and powerless!
For Mo Qi to establish himself in the Sun Moon Sect, this fact about him being an infiltrator had to be ignored.
Pretend ignorance!
But just because he chose to believe Mo Qi, it didn't mean everyone else did!
It didn't mean that those with ulterior motives wouldn't make a big fuss!
To resolve this crisis, perhaps only Old Ancestor Tan could be brought out.
But even bringing out Old Ancestor Tan might not solve the problem.
Old Ancestor Shen couldn't help but feel extremely anxious.
If the other party continued to press this point, people could die!
Mo Qi also seemed to feel the threat of death drawing nearer. He coughed dryly. "Martial Uncle, actually, I am an envoy sent by the Qionglu Realm, not an infiltrator."
Old Ancestor Shen's eyes lit up. He nodded repeatedly. "Yes, he's an envoy, an envoy!" He wiped the sweat from his brow.
Elder Fei was so angry he almost jumped.
But he restrained himself, his face turning red, veins bulging on his forehead. He looked at Mo Qi. "Then what was the purpose of your mission?"
"It was to contact the cultivation sects in the Southern Sea of the Primordial Chaos to jointly resist Divine Turtle Island," Mo Qi stated, neither subservient nor overbearing.
"Then do you have any envoy token?" Elder Fei asked, somewhat exasperated.
"Of course," Mo Qi replied confidently.
Even Old Ancestor Shen looked puzzled. Did he?
Mo Qi rummaged through his storage bag for a long time and found a letter. Together with the Southern Heaven Token, he handed them to Old Ancestor Shen. "Master, this is the Southern Heaven Token and a letter given to me by the Southern Heavenly Court. You've already seen the Southern Heaven Token. As for this letter, since I've already told you its contents, and I've become your disciple, I felt there was no need to show you the letter. It would seem too distant if I did."
Old Ancestor Shen took the letter and glanced at it. The general meaning was that Mo Qi, the领主 (leader) of the fourth stratum of the Southern Heavenly Gate, was dispatched to the Southern Sea of the Primordial Chaos to contact various cultivation sects to jointly resist Divine Turtle Island, using the Southern Heaven Token as proof.
Upon seeing it, Old Ancestor Shen felt that Mo Qi had written this himself. However, he remained composed. After reading it, he nodded. "Hmm, well done. Uh, no, this matter was handled well. There was indeed no need to show it to me." He then handed both items to Elder Fei.
Regardless of whether it was genuine or fake, the items were complete and corroborated each other. How could one possibly refute it?
Elder Fei strode forward two steps, took the Southern Heaven Token and the letter, and his expression changed after just one glance. "Fake! You definitely wrote this yourself."
Mo Qi adamantly refused to back down. "I did not write it myself. A heavenly envoy handed it to me personally."
As long as the Southern Heaven Token was real, the letter could be considered real.
Because they had no way to verify its authenticity!