As Wu Cunxin spoke, he stepped forward, reaching out to grab the pile of mud. At this moment, Mo Qi suddenly extended his hand, grasping Wu Cunxin's arm. To prevent him from shaking free, several phantom wisps extended from his fingernails, coiling tightly around Wu Cunxin's arm.
Wu Cunxin clearly saw a cold smile flicker across Mo Qi's lips. His heart sank, a premonition telling him something bad was about to happen. Instinctively, he channeled all his spiritual energy to twist Mo Qi's arm.
With his cultivation, this twist would undoubtedly shatter Mo Qi's arm into pieces.
However, the reality was that the rockery collapsed. Mo Qi emerged from it, his entire body enveloped in a golden hue. Not only his arm, but his whole body was completely unharmed.
Wu Cunxin was utterly astonished. Amidst his shock, Mo Qi produced another alchemy furnace, tore off the talisman paper, and shattered it with a palm strike.
With a thunderous roar, a red light instantly spread, engulfing everything around. From a distance, rows of houses instantly crumbled, and thick black clouds surged into the sky, spreading infinitely outwards and covering a vast expanse of the sky.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, a massive crater was revealed on the ground. Two figures lay within, both disfigured and mangled beyond recognition. However, their bodies still trembled, moving slowly.
Mo Qi slowly consumed a healing pill, his body rapidly recovering. Without waiting for his body to fully heal, he stood up, swallowed five more stimulant pills, and activated his Flame Fire power. His entire body ignited, transforming him into a humanoid figure of molten lava, radiating intense heat as he advanced towards Wu Cunxin.
Wu Cunxin felt as if death itself had descended, his eyes filled with despair. He tried to move, his fingers twitching, but the rest of his body refused to obey, already reduced to a state of decay.
At this moment, disciples of the Divine Crow Sect arrived from all directions, drawn by the commotion. From a distance, they witnessed a giant enveloped in flames raise a fist and punch through Wu Cunxin's chest. Wu Cunxin's body also ignited, and in an instant, he was reduced to ashes.
The disciples of the Divine Crow Sect were all stunned. Wu Cunxin was a cultivator at the Mahayana stage, someone they could only look up to, never dare to approach. Some among them were at the Soul Transformation stage, but the gap between Soul Transformation and Mahayana was not a mere step, but a chasm as vast as the heavens and the earth. To advance from Soul Transformation to Mahayana was not only incredibly difficult but also extremely perilous; success meant reaching Mahayana, failure meant death.
Yet, the person before them had just annihilated Wu Cunxin so effortlessly! And now, he stood bathed in radiant light, his oppressive aura unleashed in all directions, leaving everyone in awe.
"I am here today to avenge the ambush from three years ago. I know you were also involved, but every debt has its debtor, and every wrong has its perpetrator. I only seek revenge from Wu Cunxin. Now that Wu Cunxin has fallen, this grievance ends here and has nothing to do with anyone else," Mo Qi declared in a deep voice. His words were not loud, but they struck each person's heart like a heavy hammer, dispelling the anger and fury that had been building within them.
At this moment, something glittering on the ground caught Mo Qi's attention. He focused his gaze and saw a fan-shaped artifact.
He surmised that Wu Cunxin's storage bag had been destroyed, and the artifacts within had fallen out.
Mo Qi then nonchalantly bent down to pick up the artifact.
However, someone could no longer stand it. A lean old man stepped out from the crowd and said to Mo Qi, "The dead cannot be brought back to life, but you cannot take these things away!"
Several people around him also took a step forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with him, glaring at Mo Qi with fierce anger, yet their fury was tinged with a hint of fear, as if they might flee at any moment.
Why can't he take it? Because you all want it! Mo Qi's lips curled into a dismissive smile.
He then observed the hesitant demeanor of those people, seemingly wary of the artifact in his hand. With a wicked grin, he decided to test the artifact's power on the spot.
"The problem is, with so many of you, even if I give this to you, how will you divide it?" Mo Qi said. "So, it's better if I take it, to prevent infighting."
But those people continued to stare at Mo Qi with covetous eyes.
So, Mo Qi raised the fan-shaped artifact, held it above his head, and then swept it downwards. A torrent of wind formed colossal waves that roared past, causing rows of houses and buildings to collapse. Those people, like ants, were swept away to an unknown destination.
The air was filled with flying sand and stones, and turbulent smoke lingered for a long time.
This is amazing? Mo Qi was stunned.
Fortunately, Wu Cunxin hadn't used this thing against him earlier, otherwise, he would have been swept away without a trace, and how could he have killed him?
Mo Qi couldn't help but scan the people still standing around. Those on other sides instinctively took a step back.
Mo Qi couldn't help but smile.
Then, to everyone's stunned silence, Mo Qi transformed into a streak of red light and departed.
Outside the mountain gate of the Divine Dragon Sect, guards lined both sides of the stone steps. Two disciples stood on each step, with a central pathway extending from the foot of the mountain all the way to the gate.
This was a ceremony meticulously designed by Shi Jin Chun, the Sect Master of the Divine Dragon Sect, for today's beheading. His intention was for the envoy to walk from the foot of the mountain to the summit, thus appearing particularly grand.
For this ceremony, he had canceled all other affairs and personally moved a table to sit before the mountain gate. If the envoy did not arrive, he would personally preside over the beheading. If the envoy arrived, he would personally host their reception. This demonstrated the importance he placed on this matter.
The three undercover agents, Ling Fei Yan, Shen Lian Yun, and Kan Qing Lei, were bound hand and foot and thrown onto the ground. Two zhang above their heads, flying swords were suspended, and at the appointed time, with a single command from Shi Jin Chun, the three would be instantly decapitated.
As the sun gradually shifted westward, its light grew weaker.
Shen Lian Yun stared intently at the shadow of the sundial's gnomon, a trace of anxiety in his eyes.
Kan Qing Lei muttered to himself, "No one will come. If they were going to come, they would have come three years ago. Why wait until today?"
Then he shouted loudly, "Sect Master Shi, give us a quick end. Stop torturing us."
Shi Jin Chun, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, acted as if he hadn't heard him, completely ignoring him.
Ling Fei Yan sighed, "We have lived for three more years, which is already a gain. It's just that thinking about this matter makes one's heart grow cold. The enemy gave us multiple chances, yet our own people had long forgotten us. Sometimes I don't understand, whose side are we truly on?"
"If you can't understand, I can't understand either. What have we done to betray the Divine Dragon Sect?" Shen Lian Yun said indignantly. "I was merely discovered while contacting the sect, and I didn't leak any of the Divine Dragon Sect's secrets. In the end, it's just a matter of identity. We shouldn't be people of the Southern Continent. If only we had been born in Hong Meng's South Sea back then."
Kan Qing Lei glared at each of them, "Look at your pathetic state. You're about to die, can't you maintain some dignity for yourselves?"
Shen Lian Yun glanced at Kan Qing Lei, "Dignity? We've been abandoned, what dignity do we have left? If the sect were to stand up for us at this very moment, we would have dignity. Otherwise, from the moment we were exposed, our dignity was fed to the dogs."
"Think about it, these past few years, have they not been able to tie you up, imprison you, or kill you as they pleased? What dignity do you have left?"
Kan Qing Lei was speechless.
Ling Fei Yan continued to sigh, "My life is so hard. Since I began cultivating, I've always been an undercover agent. As soon as I finished my mission in one sect, I was immediately sent to another. I've never truly been myself. If there is a next life, I hope I won't be an undercover agent again."
Kan Qing Lei said, "I also hope not to be an undercover agent in the next life."
Ling Fei Yan hadn't finished complaining yet, "I'm such a beautiful girl, beheading would be so ugly! I asked them if they could substitute it with poison, but they actually refused. My life is too bitter!"
Shen Lian Yun also seemed to be infected and sighed, "My life is also bitter. I've lived for decades and haven't even touched a girl's hand, and now I'm about to die!"
Suddenly, he stretched his neck out, intending to kiss Ling Fei Yan, "Why don't you let me kiss you? We're all going to die anyway, and we'll be corpses soon. One kiss, a final utilization."
Ling Fei Yan's hands were bound, but her body could still move. Seeing this, she immediately dodged. If her hands could still move, she would have definitely slapped him.
But at this moment, all she could do was widen her eyes and angrily curse, "Get away from me!"
"You have a dao companion?" Shen Lian Yun stopped and asked in surprise.
"No," Ling Fei Yan said with a hint of sadness, "but my heart has long been set on someone..."
"Heart set on someone? You're so beautiful, I didn't expect you to have a secret crush," Shen Lian Yun chuckled.
Ling Fei Yan's face instantly flushed red, "It's not exactly a secret crush, he likes me too."
"But what's the use? You're about to die, and perhaps he's living it up somewhere else in the world," Shen Lian Yun said with a hint of disdain.
Ling Fei Yan felt a pang in her heart. Yes, perhaps he was living it up somewhere else in the world, and he wouldn't know about the suffering she was enduring today.
At the time, she had even hoped that he would appear to rescue her in her time of need. What girl hasn't had a dream where her beloved appears, clad in a halo of multicolored light, descending from the sky when she needs him...
However, dreams are just dreams, and because they are dreams, they are so beautiful. Reality, however, is always chilling to the bone.
It seemed that this noisy chatter had woken Shi Jin Chun. He slowly opened his eyes, glanced at the sky, and couldn't help but reveal a look of disappointment and regret, "You have ultimately become discarded pawns."
Then, he spoke loudly to the three people on the ground, "Before you die, there is one thing I must tell you, so that you may die with peace of mind. Your sect sent people three years ago, but they fell into an ambush and were annihilated. I only found out afterward, and I guarantee with my personal integrity that the ambush was not set by me. I genuinely wished to resolve the conflict, but your sect, when faced with difficulty and the choice to abandon you, ultimately chose to abandon you."
"Perhaps, you were already discarded pawns three years ago. It seems I was too idealistic. Who in this world remembers a few discarded pawns?" Shi Jin Chun murmured.
Upon hearing this, the three felt a mixture of emotions. Initially, they were somewhat invigorated, but as time went on, their hearts grew colder, until only a heart full of icy despair remained.
"Alright, the time has come. Let's send you on your way," Shi Jin Chun stood up.
"I heard that if you make a wish at this time, your desires will be fulfilled in the next life," Kan Qing Lei said.
"Then I wish not to be an undercover agent in the next life," Shen Lian Yun said.
"I wish not to be a discarded pawn in the next life," Ling Fei Yan said.
At this moment, someone from below the mountain reported, "The envoy from the Southern Continent has arrived."
At that moment, the air seemed to freeze. Moments later, the three on the ground were instantly overcome with tears of joy, "So, we haven't been abandoned." Shi Jin Chun could hardly believe his ears, "What did you say?"
The reporting disciple repeated himself. Shi Jin Chun was overjoyed, "Quickly invite them in."
As the words fell, firecrackers sounded, and drums and music blared, echoing throughout the entire Divine Dragon Mountain. Shi Jin Chun took a few steps forward, and the other elders gathered behind him, standing on either side. Everyone's gaze was eagerly fixed ahead.
The scene was as if a king were welcoming foreign envoys.
After the firecrackers finished and the music stopped, a solitary figure ascended the stone steps. It was a young man in white, his slightly immature face adorned with a constant smile.
Just as Shi Jin Chun was contemplating whether some child had taken a wrong turn and was blocking the path of the esteemed envoy, the young man bowed and saluted, "Mo Qi, envoy from the Qionglu Realm of the Southern Continent, pays his respects to Sect Master Shi." He assumed the imposing figure in the center was Shi Jin Chun.
At this moment, Ling Fei Yan was weeping uncontrollably, "Junior Brother Mo, is it really you?"
Hearing that voice, Mo Qi's entire body trembled. He suddenly looked over, as if traversing a thousand years of waiting, as if breaking through an eternity of gazes. All the hardships, all the desolation, vanished completely.
"Xiao Cong'er?" Mo Qi asked, his face filled with shock, his heart overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, almost to the point of tears.
"It's me, it's me!" Ling Fei Yan said, a smile on her face, her eyes blurred with tears, "My name is Ling Fei Yan!"
At this moment, all the indignation towards the injustices of reality had vanished, and all fear of death had dissipated.
In their place arose a heart full of emotion and an abundance of joy.
He seemed to be clad in a halo of multicolored light!
He seemed to be treading on clouds of seven colors!
Among the multitude of beings, his entire person shone with a brilliance of ten thousand rays, so dazzling, so radiant, so utterly unique!