Mo Qi formed a hand seal, and an earth arrow surged forth, instantly connecting heaven and earth, surrounded by white light.
The red mist surged like a tide. Stirred by the white light, it reacted as if touched by flames, splashing countless sparks that sprayed in all directions.
The attack grew fiercer. Even from afar, a tearing force assailed him.
Mo Qi hastily reinforced his protective golden body and pointed a finger. The earth arrow shot towards his opponent with even greater speed.
The white light flared, churning the mist. The bell was shaken violently, nearly falling to the ground.
Hong Jianxin quickly formed a hand seal, desperately holding firm.
Simultaneously, he urged the bell to spin and collide with Mo Qi.
The bell grazed the edge of the earth arrow and continued towards Mo Qi, while the earth arrow pressed on towards Hong Jianxin.
The previously scattered red mist sparks exploded against Mo Qi, making him grimace and hop with pain.
At this moment, the bell, entwined with the red mist, swept towards him like an overwhelming tide.
"Pangu Divine Power!" Mo Qi brought his hands together, and a divine light flashed and vanished.
With a resounding boom, the bell, at an astonishing speed, shot back towards Hong Jianxin, spraying red mist along its path.
The earth arrow whistled, emitting a dragon's roar as it hurtled towards Hong Jianxin.
Hong Jianxin's face turned ashen.
How could he possibly resist this?
Yet, judging by its trajectory, evasion was impossible.
In desperation, he could only brace himself and summon a spherical magical artifact, the "Flame Ball."
A ball of intense fire enveloped a sphere, emitting a scorching radiance, and fiercely met the earth arrow.
A deafening explosion ensued, and the sphere instantly shattered into pieces.
Countless sparks and fiery debris violently scattered in all directions.
A surging wave also materialized out of nowhere, violently compressing the air outwards.
Hong Jianxin's body was violently thrown backward, tumbling dozens of feet away, unable to get up for a long time.
It wasn't over yet!
His Sky-Swallowing Bell was sweeping towards him with the power to devour heaven and earth.
Seeing the sky darken and the earth roar, it was unstoppable.
Hong Jianxin managed to sit up, smacked his lips, and muttered, "It's over!"
Only then did he deeply regret not heeding Linghu Xiaoxian's advice!
He truly couldn't win!
Hong Jianxin was in despair!
Reaching the Human Immortal realm was not easy, what a pity.
Linghu Xiaoxian's eyes widened. She wanted to help but was powerless.
Just then, a figure suddenly flashed into existence. He reached out and grabbed the bell, turning it ceaselessly, slowing it down until it gradually stopped, and the red mist dispersed.
Linghu Xiaoxian was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Father!"
As she spoke, Linghu Xiaoxian flew over and clasped Linghu Zhong's arm, "Father, you've arrived just in time. Senior Brother is bullying me!"
Hong Jianxin, having saved his life, let out a long sigh. Hearing Linghu Xiaoxian's complaint, he slowly got up, his face full of grievance, "I didn't! I was attacked!"
Linghu Zhong cast a chilling gaze at Mo Qi, "I heard you killed my disciple?"
Mo Qi nodded, "Yes, he brought it upon himself."
"How did he bring it upon himself?"
Mo Qi's voice boomed like a bell, "Sect Master, allow me to ask. If an outer disciple kills an inner disciple, you will pursue it to the end. Then, if an inner disciple kills an outer disciple, how will you deal with it?"
"The same punishment," Linghu Zhong replied without hesitation.
"At that time, I killed an inner disciple to prevent him from slaughtering outer disciples. It's equivalent to you dealing with a murderous inner disciple in advance. Moreover, I saved the life of an outer disciple. Should I not be rewarded instead of punished?" Mo Qi argued righteously.
Everyone around was impressed. What sound reasoning!
Linghu Zhong pondered for a moment and then chuckled, "You are quite adept at sophistry. However, killing a life for a life is the natural order. Mere clever words cannot erase your crime."
"Killing a life for a life?" Mo Qi snorted coldly, glancing at Linghu Zhong, and said sternly, "You have held so many entry selection ceremonies, and so many innocent lives were lost. Who will pay for their lives?"
Linghu Xiaoxian repeatedly shook her head, signaling him to speak cautiously. He ignored her, delivering his statement with overwhelming momentum.
Linghu Zhong was rendered speechless, a fire of anger rising in his chest. His fists clenched subtly.
"Father, he saved my life!" Linghu Xiaoxian tugged at Linghu Zhong's arm.
Linghu Zhong glanced at Linghu Xiaoxian, a hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, "One matter is one matter. He must still die."
Hong Jianxin seized the opportunity to add, "Moreover, he also released our prisoner."
Before Linghu Zhong could speak, Linghu Xiaoxian interjected, "I released him."
Linghu Zhong glared at Linghu Xiaoxian, about to reprimand her, when Mo Qi said, "I released him. In any case, one crime is killing, and two crimes are also killing. You can come at me."
Their sudden united front caught Linghu Zhong completely by surprise.
He was somewhat at a loss!
Linghu Xiaoxian suddenly tugged hard at Linghu Zhong's arm and shouted at Mo Qi, "I've got him! You run quickly!"
Mo Qi and Linghu Zhong both had a vein pop on their foreheads!
Linghu Zhong gently shook his arm, "Let go. Hurry and let go!"
Meanwhile, he anxiously looked at Mo Qi, "Idiot, why haven't you run yet?"
Mo Qi, however, was thinking, I have at least two trump cards in my hand. Why should I run?
At this moment, a whirlpool appeared on the sea, and waves surged, creating immense swells.
Linghu Zhong's expression changed drastically. He said to Linghu Xiaoxian and Hong Jianxin, "Let's get out of here first."
As he spoke, he pulled Linghu Xiaoxian and sped away. Hong Jianxin was still somewhat reluctant. He glanced back at Mo Qi before following.
Nangong Yun and the others saw them fly away and also hastened their departure.
Mo Qi guessed that Gui Si and Gui Wu had brought reinforcements again. If these unlucky fellows hadn't blocked him here earlier, he would have escaped long ago.
Without hesitation, he also sped away, his escape direction being the same as Linghu Zhong's.
Linghu Xiaoxian kept looking back and saw Mo Qi following closely behind. She couldn't help but feel discouraged, "What's wrong with this guy? Did his head get squeezed by a door?"
At this moment, a figure rapidly pursued them.
In an instant, light and shadow flashed. Mo Qi felt a fierce spiritual energy clash behind him.
With no time to think, Mo Qi swung his Qiankun Ring and, turning sharply, struck out.
A deafening roar echoed, and light and energy violently dispersed in all directions.
A tremendous propulsive force struck him, pushing Mo Qi backward.
Simultaneously, fine threads of needle-prick and blade-cut force assailed him, causing him excruciating pain.
The moment he landed, he heard the opponent exclaim, "Hmm," and another, even more ferocious attack descended.
At this point, he only saw a mass of light charging towards him, dazzling and blinding. Behind the blinding light was a figure, but its full form was completely obscured.
The blinding light raged, its violent power exploding. Loose soil and rocks on the ground were violently flung outwards in all directions, creating a scene of flying sand and soaring stones, with dust filling the air.
In the midst of it all, sparks exploded, and the scorching temperature continued to rise. Even from a distance, Mo Qi's skin sizzled and burned.
In the first exchange, Mo Qi had a rough understanding of the opponent's strength. This person's cultivation was far superior to Gui Si and Gui Wu.
He dared not hesitate. He immediately channeled all his life's spiritual energy. The berserk spiritual energy roared and clashed within him like a tidal wave, surging and receding, circulating through the heavenly cycle.
His entire body seemed to transform into a star, with ebb and flow, volcanic eruptions, and wind, snow, thunder, and lightning, circulating so intensely, complex yet orderly.
All his bones creaked and groaned, as if undergoing a qualitative hardening at that moment. His entire circulatory system flowed like great rivers, roaring and surging.
With the spiritual energy amplified, countless arrow bodies merged, forming a colossal arrow that spanned heaven and earth, like a divine statue standing between heaven and earth, looking down upon all living beings.
Its gaze held indifference, invincibility, contempt, and disdain.
The entire giant arrow emitted a resonant hum, like an arrow on a string, with the bow fully drawn, almost about to snap.
With a "du" sound, as if a volcano dormant for millennia had suddenly erupted, the arrow body shot forth violently, striking the person opposite him.
In an instant, it plunged into the white light. The white light flared violently, like white petals suddenly blooming, and then, battered by wind and rain, the scattered petals drifted outwards.
A fierce backlash struck him, and Mo Qi's body was once again sent flying backward, tracing an elegant arc through the air before gracefully landing on the ground.
A surge of blood and qi churned in his chest, nearly causing him to faint.
After the white light was dispersed, the figure paused briefly. Amidst the swirling dust, a figure once again uttered, "Hmm?"
However, it was only a slight pause. The white light flared again, like a scorching sun briefly obscured by dark clouds, then quietly peeking out.
But once it appeared, it descended from the highest heavens.
It was bound to carry scorching power to incinerate everything.
As Mo Qi lay on the ground, he felt a burning pain all over his body. His skin was scorched, some areas emitting black smoke and a pungent smell of burning.
Mo Qi ignored the pain and rolled over to get up again.
He channeled his entire spiritual energy, allowing it to flow rapidly within his body.
Since stepping into the Hong Meng Southern Sea, this was the first time he had felt fear!
This was the first opponent he had encountered that made him afraid!
Ancestor Shen's strength was even more terrifying, but he did not inspire fear in him.
At this moment, he couldn't help but recall the divination Xing Mian had performed for him: nine deaths and one life!
Could it be that he was truly going to perish here today?
At this moment, Linghu Zhong and the others, who had escaped to a distance, also turned to watch quietly.
Although Mo Qi was being beaten badly, Linghu Zhong was still astonished, "This is too outrageous! He's just a cultivator at the Tribulation Stage. And the one who arrived is Gui San. Even with my Human Immortal fifth-level cultivation, I could probably only fight him to a draw. Yet, under the opponent's full power, he can still survive so vigorously. It's incredible."
Linghu Xiaoxian said anxiously, "Father, don't just stand by and watch. Hurry and save him. He is, after all, a disciple under my tutelage."
Linghu Zhong snorted, "If he were merely your disciple, it would be simple. But he is not."
Linghu Xiaoxian was so anxious she hopped, "If you won't save him, then I will."
With that, she prepared to go back but was forcefully held back by Linghu Zhong.
At this moment, another beam of light radiating intense heat suddenly enveloped Mo Qi.