She was suddenly immersed in a strange atmosphere, as if returning to her maiden days. Back then, she could be willful, fiery, and utterly uninhibited. She did whatever she pleased, throwing tantrums if others didn't think as she did, and resorting to force if they still didn't.
For nearly ten years, she hadn't experienced such a feeling, even though her appearance hadn't changed at all during this time.
Mo Qi reminded her, "Didn't you say we needed to hurry to Dragon Bone Mountain? There's no time to delay, as delays can lead to complications. Why aren't you in a hurry anymore?"
"Ah, yes," Pei Ruxue said, as if waking from a dream. She stopped what she was doing. "I almost forgot. Let's set off quickly." With that, she took the lead and sped off.
Mo Qi followed behind, unfurling his form and moving with lightning speed.
Dragon Bone Mountain, its terrain resembling dragon bones, was already bustling with a surging crowd outside its gates when Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue arrived. Upon inquiry, they learned that all the cultivators were from all corners of the land. Moreover, their intentions were surprisingly consistent with Pei Ruxue's; they all believed the Gu Diao would return to this place, and thus, everyone had gathered to hunt it.
Many had already ventured into the mountain to search, but found nothing. Fearing they were too weak to face the demonic beast alone, they retreated. They gathered at the mountain gate, feeling a sense of security.
Many displayed various magical artifacts and treasures in the air, emitting divine lights of various colors, brilliant and dazzling, in an attempt to lure the demonic beast out.
However, the demonic beast never showed itself.
Since they had come, they couldn't help but search the mountain. Without any communication, Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue reached a tacit understanding and entered the deep mountains of Dragon Bone Mountain.
At this moment, there was no one else in the mountain; everyone had searched and then retreated.
The deeper they went into the mountain, the more sinister it felt.
They reached a fork in the road, with two paths: one leading further up the mountain, and the other extending into the heart of the mountain.
If the Gu Diao were to hide, it would surely choose the deep mountain interior. Thus, the two of them unhesitatingly chose the lower path.
At this moment, two people, pale with panic, ran out from the path. Seeing Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue, they showed a flicker of joy. "Finally, we've found people."
Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue were somewhat bewildered by their abrupt words.
"Don't go any further in. There's no one left inside," the two continued.
As they spoke, they bypassed Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue and continued their exit.
Seeing that Mo Qi and Pei Ruxue had no intention of turning back, one of them turned and said, "We don't know what's inside. Many people just disappear as they walk. It's truly terrifying. Don't go in there anymore."
"Thank you!" Mo Qi said, turning back, and continued forward.
The man shook his head and followed the other person out.
Pei Ruxue hurried a few steps behind Mo Qi and whispered, "Do we really have to go in?"
Mo Qi replied without looking back, "Of course, we have to go in. If people are disappearing, doesn't that just prove the Gu Diao is inside?"
"But I feel a chilling, bloody, and terrifying aura, as if there's something more fearsome than the Gu Diao," Pei Ruxue said.
"If you're scared, you can go back. I won't escort you," Mo Qi said, still without turning his head.
"Who do you think you're looking down on?" Pei Ruxue quickened her pace and caught up.
At this moment, a beam of red light flew in from outside the valley, circling within the valley, rising and falling, approaching and receding, as if searching for something.
The two stopped to watch for a while. Pei Ruxue said, "It's a magical artifact used by people outside the mountain to search for the Gu Diao. It's a treasure mirror. Once the trace of the Gu Diao is found, its owner will sense it."
A sly smile appeared on Mo Qi's face. "Since we've already come in, their actions are a bit redundant."
As he spoke, Mo Qi sent out a flying sword, which struck the white light and knocked it down with a bang. He rushed forward and found it was indeed a treasure mirror. This was a good item!
Mo Qi picked it up and put it into his storage bag.
Pei Ruxue cursed, "Bandit!"
Mo Qi turned back and chuckled, "Yes, and I also rob for pleasure!"
Pei Ruxue's delicate face turned cold. "Try it if you dare."
"Too bad you don't have anything!" Mo Qi laughed heartily and floated forward.
It took Pei Ruxue a while to react. Gritting her teeth in anger, she immediately chased after him.
Mo Qi suddenly stopped and looked ahead with tension, causing Pei Ruxue to stop as well. Looking ahead, she saw a bottomless abyss, and her heart leaped into her throat.
The deeper they went, the denser the trees became. Towering trees rose from the ground, covering the entire sky. The surrounding light was dim, like nighttime, with only scattered points of light filtering through the gaps in the leaves, falling onto the ground.
Gusts of black mist drifted by intermittently, spreading a sinister aura, and the chilling air penetrated to the bone.
The rustling sound of their footsteps on the ground echoed eerily.
Just then, a low growl, as if from hell, was heard. A figure suddenly burst from the earth and lunged at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi saw only the outline of a demonic beast, its body shrouded in a layer of white mist. The mist was dotted with tiny points of light. Countless points of light coalesced to form the body of a demonic beast, as large as a tiger, but more wolf-like in shape. It was clearly not the Gu Diao.
As the demonic beast lunged, it extended its front claws towards Mo Qi. Mo Qi formed a hand seal, and a divine ability of blazing fire erupted. With a bang, the demonic beast burst into flames like burning firewood, resembling a fiery wolf that lunged at Mo Qi, pinning him to the ground.
Its sharp claws and gaping maw attacked Mo Qi's body.
Everything happened so quickly that Pei Ruxue hadn't even had time to react before she saw Mo Qi pinned down. Just as she was about to rush to his rescue, she saw Mo Qi endure the intense pain, wave his hand, and five claw shadows erupted, instantly piercing the fiery wolf's body. A dark shadow was drawn into Mo Qi's body and disappeared.
The fiery wolf let out a mournful cry and died.
Mo Qi kicked away the demonic beast and instantly felt his internal strength increase. It wasn't an increase in spiritual power, but a pure increase in physical strength.
As he was secretly rejoicing, light flickered, and several more of the same demonic beasts lunged from ahead.
He crossed his hands and moved them continuously, killing each demonic beast one by one, and absorbing their beast souls into his body.
However, the demonic beasts only grew in number, gradually surging towards them like a tide from all directions. Some lunged at Pei Ruxue, while others lunged at Mo Qi.
As Pei Ruxue formed hand seals, her flying sword weaved back and forth, constantly striking the demonic beasts lunging at her. However, the demonic beasts were incredibly resilient. Even when their bodies were pierced, they still lunged at Pei Ruxue; even when their heads were severed, their claws still reached for Pei Ruxue.
This caused Pei Ruxue to cry out repeatedly, dodging and weaving.
However, the swarm of demonic beasts grew denser, gradually restricting her space to dodge. She was in imminent danger.
At this moment, Mo Qi unfurled his form, weaving back and forth in front of and behind Pei Ruxue. His claw shadows struck like a dense rain, eliminating the demonic beasts one by one. Moreover, with each beast soul he absorbed, he felt his physical strength grow, and his claw shadows became sharper. Eventually, he only needed a light touch to pull the beast souls out.
Later, in the heat of battle, he repeatedly charged into the beast horde, as if entering a realm devoid of beasts, leaving destruction and annihilation in his wake.
Seeing Pei Ruxue in trouble, he immediately returned, charging in and out multiple times, with ease and exhilaration, finding it immensely satisfying.
At this moment, in a hidden corner, countless pairs of eyes were watching the battle unfolding.
A hunched figure with wings on its back, its eyes gleaming with ferocity, spoke in a deep voice, "It's him. Why is it him again!"
Another person with a high, protruding forehead and sunken eyes spoke anxiously, "Xiao Shuang, quickly recall those Asura beasts. Otherwise, he'll kill all the Asura beasts we brought out."
A young girl stepped forward. She was petite, delicate, and her face was as exquisite as if meticulously carved.
She raised her hand to her mouth and let out a low whistle into the air.
The Asura beasts, upon hearing the whistle, seemed to obey a military command and retreated like a tide in an instant.
The Asura beasts that had densely covered the mountains and plains moments before vanished without a trace.
Mo Qi hadn't had his fill of killing and chased after them for a while, but he couldn't catch a single one.
After the recent feast, he felt his strength had increased significantly, and his body's defensive capabilities had also been enhanced.
Most noticeably, his five-claw hand shadow had been strengthened, becoming sharper and more rapid.
He wanted to test it, so he reached out and grabbed forward. With a roar, a nearby mountain peak was shattered, and debris rained down, creating a shower of stones.
"Very good, very good," Mo Qi nodded with a smile.
At this moment, the hunched figure in the shadows revealed killing intent. "He's truly persistent. We came all the way here to hide, and he still followed us. Is this fate?"
The young girl said indignantly, "Brother, let me go kill him."
"Alright," the hunched figure said. "Go out, use your charm to lure him away and finish him. Do it cleanly, with minimal commotion."
"Okay," the young girl agreed and sped out.
After verifying his five-claw hand shadow, Mo Qi turned back and found that Pei Ruxue was nowhere to be seen. He figured he had chased the demonic beasts too far and had lost her.
Just as Mo Qi was about to go back to find her, a flash of light caught his eye. In an instant, he saw a beautiful, slender figure dressed in white, with a pair of translucent wings faintly visible on her back. As they flapped, she sped past him.
Mo Qi was immediately captivated, or perhaps, in that instant, he was completely enchanted.
He immediately unfurled his form and chased after her.
A moment later, the beautiful figure reappeared in his sight. Mo Qi's heart swelled with excitement, though he didn't know why. Perhaps it was because he had never seen someone with a pair of crystal-clear wings before.
If he had to describe what he saw with one word, he felt it would be "elf."
The figure was moving incredibly fast. As soon as she appeared in his sight, she weaved through the air like a shooting star, instantly becoming a small dot, seemingly...