With a simple strike, descending from above, it was as if it could cleave mountains and split rocks, like a galaxy setting.
Li Xingyuan only saw a world of brilliance surging towards him.
In terror, he instinctively formed a hand seal, and a ripple appeared before him. Before his spiritual energy could fully circulate, the world-destroying force had already struck.
With a thunderous roar, light and energy suddenly surged outwards in all directions, a halo expanding infinitely before vanishing.
The surrounding people were swept away by the powerful shockwave, some being lifted into the air before falling, others blown backward repeatedly, or rolling on the ground.
Flying sand and stones, withered branches and fallen leaves churned in the wind, the scene descending into utter chaos.
When the light and energy dispersed, Li Xingyuan stood there, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, clutching his waist and gasping for breath.
Once his breathing stabilized, he glared fiercely at Mo Qi, "You're courting death! Don't you know my cultivation level? How dare you attack me."
However, before Mo Qi could reply, a burst of laughter erupted from the surroundings.
As he met the strange, surprised gazes of those around him, a chill ran down his spine.
Murong Yanran, in particular, laughed heartily, "Oh dear, you've been reduced to a dwarf!"
It was then that Li Xingyuan discovered in horror that everyone around him was indeed much taller. Normally, he looked at them at eye level or from above, but now he had to look up to them.
Looking down at himself, his legs seemed to have shortened by half.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered Nangong Zhendong. Could he have suffered the same fate?
In an instant, grief, shame, and anger surged through him.
He wished he could devour Mo Qi alive. Secretly channeling his spiritual energy, he was shocked to find that his cultivation had been critically damaged.
He never imagined he would indeed follow in Nangong Zhendong's footsteps.
Li Xingyuan was so enraged he almost fainted.
This was not the end. Mo Qi raised the Qiankun Ring again and said, "Are you leaving or not? This is just a warning. If you don't leave, I won't be polite."
So, all that had happened before was considered him being polite.
Li Xingyuan was filled with shame and indignation, knowing he had been utterly defeated today, falling into a ditch!
His reputation for a lifetime!
His cultivation of a lifetime!
Meanwhile, Li Xinglan and Li Chunyu, standing among the crowd, were also indignant at Li Xingyuan's misfortune, their fists clenched in anger.
The surrounding crowd quietly surrounded the two, their gazes menacing.
The two dared not be arrogant any longer. They quietly lowered their heads, their expressions becoming much more amiable.
Li Xingyuan let out a long cry to the sky and then flew away.
Li Xinglan and Li Chunyu also sighed and followed.
Murong Mu witnessed the power of the Qiankun Ring once again, and this time his shock was no less than the previous one.
Frankly, Mo Qi was also relieved that he had launched a surprise attack first and that it had been successful.
Had the surprise attack not succeeded, he would have had little chance of winning today.
Murong Yanran's gaze towards Mo Qi held even more admiration.
Mo Qi strode forward.
There was no long corridor; he soon entered a secret chamber. Light from an unknown source illuminated the space, opening up his vision and making it incredibly clear.
Though the secret chamber was large, it could be seen through at a glance. The surroundings were cold stone walls, and nothing else.
Mo Qi felt he had been tricked and muttered to himself, "I thought there would be some treasure, but all I got was emptiness."
It was no wonder they didn't come in.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he inadvertently looked up and saw golden light flashing on the stone wall above, with characters flowing.
Mo Qi was greatly astonished. His eyes followed the flowing characters, reading them carefully.
It turned out to be a formation secret technique called the Qian Yuan Jin Guang Formation. It sounded incredibly powerful!
This formation integrated illusion, explosion, and assassination, making it inescapable from heaven or earth.
Those who entered the formation would first have their minds confused, experiencing hallucinations and abandoning resistance.
Even if their willpower was exceptionally strong and they resisted the illusions, there were still the myriad lightning strikes from the heavens, the rolling flames from the ground, and the countless arrows shot from the air, covering everything. It was so dense that not even a fly could escape.
After learning this formation, he could deduce and apply it to other formations, essentially understanding them at a glance.
Mo Qi was quickly captivated by the formation, and involuntarily began to practice and replicate it.
He took out formation flags and began setting them up within the cave.
Mo Qi stayed in the cave for a long time, demonstrating several times with formation flags, spirit stones, and other items, but he did not activate the formation's core. Once activated, it could potentially destroy the cave dwelling, and the Murong family would surely tear him apart.
After a long while, feeling he had grasped it sufficiently, he walked out.
The Murong family members, seeing him emerge after such a long time, were certain he had gained something.
Murong Shui asked, "Did you gain anything?"
Mo Qi did not conceal it and said, "I learned a formation!"
Everyone congratulated him.
Afterward, under Murong Shui's arrangement, the Murong family members entered the cave in pairs (couples) or individually.
Other branches or distant relatives could only watch from the outside.
Mo Qi then realized that the Murong family's traditions were indeed good; everyone abided by the rules, was polite and orderly, and followed a systematic approach.
Finally, everyone in the Murong family had a harvest, though the gains varied. Some learned a divine ability, others obtained a magic treasure, and so on.
Only after everyone had entered did Murong Shui reinsert the Tian Heng Sword into the stone door.
Everyone's faces were beaming with joy, and the atmosphere was unprecedentedly high.
Amidst everyone's excitement, Mo Qi walked up to Xiao Ruonan and said, "I'm leaving. My spirit stone currency should be returned to me now."
Xiao Ruonan glared at him, "Didn't you say it was a betrothal gift for us? There's no reason to take back a betrothal gift once it's given!"
What? Mo Qi was stunned for a moment. After a pause, he glanced at the people around him, "So many people are watching, you can't go back on your word. You clearly said earlier that we were just putting on a show for the Li family, and I cooperated with you. How can you renege on your promise so quickly?"
Murong Shui stepped forward and said with a smile, "That was then, but now it's different."
"What's different now?" Mo Qi asked, looking confused.
"Because you entered the secret realm, and only members of the Murong family can enter that secret realm," Murong Shui explained.
A thousand thoughts raced through Mo Qi's mind. He felt they were trying to trick him. "But why didn't you say so then?"
"I did say so," Murong Shui asserted confidently. "When Li Xingyuan wanted to enter, I said, 'Private property, no unauthorized entry.' You heard that too, didn't you?"
Mo Qi was momentarily speechless, but he still felt unconvinced. "But you didn't say it to me."
Murong Shui smiled, "Do I need to say it to you? You've already acknowledged it. Otherwise, why would you have stopped Li Xingyuan and severely injured him?"
Mo Qi was rendered speechless!
He felt as if it were snowing around him!
At this moment, Murong Yanran made a funny face at him again!
It felt so familiar!
Alas, they were setting traps for him step by step. Mo Qi felt so helpless.
It wasn't that he disliked Murong Yanran, but rather that he now needed absolute freedom and did not want to be bound by family actions.
But there was no reasoning with them now!
He decided to cut his losses and let them have the two billion spirit stone currency.
With this thought, Mo Qi prepared to leave but was stopped by Murong Shui.
Murong Shui said with a smiling face, "Alternatively, you could acknowledge me as your godfather. It would be the same."
Mo Qi thought, this could work. If he could get his money back.
However, Xiao Ruonan immediately objected.
She glared at Murong Mu, resenting his timidity and cowardice, then turned to Murong Shui and said, "Brother, you can't do this! Why are you snatching him from us now? He is my son-in-law, how can he become your godson? Wouldn't that be chaos?"
Murong Shui frowned, "But he doesn't agree. We can't force him, can we? That would make it seem like our Yanran can't get married."
Mo Qi felt a headache coming on and no longer wanted to be involved in their affairs. He then soared into the air, transforming into a green rainbow and flew away!
He decided to escape first. As for Xiao Wen, he could only let her return on her own.
He assumed that with the Murong family's vast resources, they wouldn't make things difficult for a mere maid.
Xiao Ruonan's voice echoed from the sky, "Son-in-law, you can't escape. The monk runs, but the temple remains."
Murong Yanran gazed wistfully at the sky, a hint of sorrow in her eyes.
Xiao Ruonan walked over and gently patted her shoulder. She then leaned against her mother's shoulder and began to sob softly.
As Mo Qi walked on the road to the Chao family, he received a telepathic message from Xue Nu. Chao Xiyun's poison was indeed administered by Chao Jing. Xue Nu had just entered the bridal sedan when he had already detoxified her.
Mo Qi sighed. This ordeal was not without its gains; at least he had prevented Xue Nu from falling into a pit of fire.
Thus, he turned his direction and headed towards the Heavenly Steps Academy.
Afterward, Chao Jing, fearing the Murong family's wrath, personally visited to apologize. To his surprise, the Murong family was very magnanimous. Except for Murong Jing, everyone else was cordial, saying, "It's nothing, nothing, don't worry about it."
This left Chao Jing utterly bewildered. Later, he asked a servant and learned that Mo Qi had gone through a wedding ceremony with Murong Yanran that day.
Chao Jing had a million questions, but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel happy. This was a good thing! With this excuse, he could make Xue'er leave Mo Qi.
He rushed home to tell Xue Nu this news, but at that moment, Chao Xixue had already left.
Mo Qi had not yet completed his trial mission, so he couldn't complete his studies. Having been away for several years, he didn't even know if his student status was still valid.
He had to report to the academy to find out if he was still enrolled.
He wanted to find Xing Mian to tell him he was back and, incidentally, ask if he was still enrolled.
At the same time, he transmitted a message to Tang Qianyu using a spirit stone. In the spirit stone, Tang Qianyu's voice was very excited, "Where have you been these past few years? I've looked for you several times. Some people said you were dead, others said your whereabouts were unknown. What day is it today? You suddenly appeared."
Mo Qi replied, "I'm already dead and have returned as a ghost to find you."
"Don't be silly. You're looking for me about the mission, aren't you? Recently, there's a mission where we need to go to the Annan Realm to deal with an invading force. I'm going too. If you're willing to go, register at the academy first, leave a record, and then it can be calculated as academic credit for you."
Mo Qi was overjoyed and said, "If you're going, I'll reluctantly accompany you."
Then, Mo Qi went to find Xing Mian. Xing Mian said that he had been automatically expelled due to being presumed dead.
Mo Qi was furious!
Xing Mian then added that if he wanted to reinstate his student status, he could do so by taking on a nominal teaching position at the academy, returning when needed to teach the "Chasing the Sun and Plucking the Stars" technique.
Alas, Teacher Mo was getting old, and there was no successor!
Mo Qi suddenly felt a bit lightheaded: Am I qualified to be a teacher already?
Xing Mian lied to him that he was, and Mo Qi agreed without hesitation.
Then, Teacher Guo reprocessed Mo Qi's student status and registered his trial, leaving him to await news from Tang Qianyu.
In his leisure time, he paid a visit to Tong Wuqi.
Tong Wuqi had nothing to do either and mentioned that the Song family's fighting arena had opened a few days ago and he wanted to go play.
When he mentioned it to Mo Qi, the two hit it off immediately and headed towards the Song family fighting arena.
The Song family fighting arena was divided into beast combat and蛊 (gu) combat.
Everyone bought a ticket and entered to watch the battles between demonic beasts and蛊 (gu) insects. Watching the beasts fight and tear at each other, some found it thrilling and a way to relieve fatigue.