As everyone pursued Mo Qi, they tried to keep an eye on their surroundings, fearing being picked off individually if they fell too far behind. Yet, when they got too close, they worried about being wiped out by his elixirs, forcing them to spread out again. This cautious dance slowed their pace, allowing Mo Qi to escape.
Once Mo Qi vanished from sight, everyone grew even more anxious. They all, without a word, shoved the disciples who hadn't yet established their foundations to the front. Those disciples, unwilling to be cannon fodder, cried out in unison, "Senior brothers, we came here to establish our foundations, not to kill people."
"Enough nonsense. Killing is the sect's mission, and the sect's mission is everyone's mission."
"But we still need to find the artifact spirits. How about we find the artifact spirits first and then come help?"
"After we kill Mo Qi, we'll all help you find artifact spirits."
"No, we don't have enough time. I heard that the Asura Realm's spiritual energy leakage doesn't last more than seven days each time, and it's already been five days since the spiritual energy started leaking. If we delay any longer, there won't be any time left."
Huangfu Lin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and stopped.
Everyone else also halted, turning their gazes towards him.
"He's here to establish his foundation, so he must go to the sealing platform. Why else would we be looking for him?" Huangfu Lin's face contorted into a sinister smile.
"Yes, we just need to wait at the sealing platform for him to walk into our trap," Hua Ci said.
They reached a consensus, and the group headed towards the sealing platform.
Mo Qi, hiding in the shadows, breathed a sigh of relief, but his brow furrowed. If they were truly waiting there, what should he do?
Should he retreat and find peace?
Or should he take a risk, for 'fortune favors the bold'?
At that moment, he saw a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect being surrounded and attacked by a group of cultivators. Upon closer inspection, he realized with a jolt that it was Bai Cheng! Heaven was truly looking out for him!
Mo Qi shouted and charged forward. While still at a distance, he formed a hand seal and pointed, "Flying sword, emerge!" The flying sword shot out from his storage bag, piercing through a cultivator's body in an instant. It continued forward, knocking away another cultivator's flying sword, and then, transforming into countless sword shadows, it attacked the other cultivators. After a brief resistance, seeing they couldn't hold on, the other cultivators fled in all directions.
Bai Cheng, who moments before felt the weight of Mount Tai pressing down on her, suddenly felt a sense of relief. She looked at Mo Qi, her eyes filled with gratitude. When she saw his blood-stained body and numerous wounds, a pang of pity arose in her heart, accompanied by a sense of sorrow. "Why are we, from small sects, destined to be bullied?"
Mo Qi was taken aback. He had expected her to express her thanks, but instead, she was met with a lament.
"Why did you get into a fight with them?" Mo Qi asked.
Bai Cheng calmly replied, "I saw an artifact spirit first, and when I went to chase it, they came to snatch it. The artifact spirit escaped, and they took their anger out on me." Regardless of her emotions, her speech always carried a sense of serenity.
"You still haven't found an artifact spirit?" Mo Qi asked, feigning ignorance.
"No, I've seen a few, but they all ran away, or were snatched by others." Her tone remained placid.
Mo Qi took an artifact spirit from his storage bag (the one without eyes; he decided to keep the one with eyes for himself) and handed it to Bai Cheng. "I have two, here's one for you."
Bai Cheng froze, staring at him. "Why are you giving it to me?"
*What a question, I have an extra one! Why are you so vigilant?*
Mo Qi smiled. His face was covered in blood, making his smile appear particularly ferocious. "Because we are fellow disciples."
Looking at his ferocious face, Bai Cheng's body and mind trembled.
Yet, in this dangerous place, surrounded by formidable enemies, having such a "fierce" person care for her inexplicably gave her a sense of security.
"Alright then." Bai Cheng took it and put it into her storage bag.
At this moment, Han Yang's voice came through the communication spirit stone, "What's the situation now? Haven't you retreated yet?"
Mo Qi pondered for a moment. "I'm still hesitating. I've taken down over ten of them. What do you think I should do?"
"Over ten?" Han Yang exclaimed, "Are they all at the Foundation Establishment stage?"
"Yes," Mo Qi replied calmly. "There are probably over ten more who haven't established their foundations."
Han Yang fell silent, seemingly contemplating his own decision. After a while, he decided to report the matter to Sect Leader Wu Fan.
Mo Qi, on the other hand, thought that since he had come this far, he had to at least go and see the Foundation Establishment Platform.
Mo Qi and Bai Cheng continued downwards. Along the way, they encountered Chen Zui, Wang Shaozhong, and others. They helped Zhao Zhou and Wang Shaozhong capture artifact spirits. As they continued to converge, they eventually gathered thirteen people. With Mo Qi's elixirs, they all successfully captured artifact spirits. It was clear that one Lingxiao Sect disciple had been killed by disciples from other sects while trying to snatch an artifact spirit, and another was missing, likely also meeting a grim fate.
As they neared the Foundation Establishment Platform, Mo Qi stopped advancing. He knew the disciples of the four great sects were waiting for him.
"Hmm," he thought, worried about his troubles dragging them down. He said, "You all go ahead. I have a minor injury and need to deal with it before I go for Foundation Establishment."
"Don't lie to us, we know you're being hunted," Chen Zui said. "It's no big deal, we'll face it together."
"Yes, we'll face it together," Zhao Zhou added. "Just as you helped us capture artifact spirits, you helped us carry our burdens. It's impossible for us to ignore your troubles."
As Zhao Zhou spoke, his emotions grew, stirring the feelings of the others. They all said in unison, "Yes, we'll face it together, we'll carry it together."
Mo Qi's eyes welled up.
Since entering this Asura Mountain, he had been fighting alone, completely isolated and without support. At times, it felt as though he was facing attacks from the entire world, feigning strength on the surface, but in reality, having no one to rely on.
"Alas," Mo Qi blinked, trying to hold back his tears. "Carry what? You go establish your foundations. I had already planned to give up. I just told my master that after I sent you all here, I would go back. That's it, I've done all I could. I wish you success."
He finished speaking in one breath, waved his hand, and turned away cleanly.
Tears welled up in his eyes but never fell.
At that moment, he finally understood that being exceptionally talented was merely a synonym for loneliness.
*Why did I, a talented alchemist, provoke anyone?*
The others watched his somewhat desolate back, their hearts filled with a thousand feelings of helplessness.
With a collective sigh, they turned and continued towards the Foundation Establishment Platform.
However, the further they went, the more they noticed disciples from different sects staring at them with predatory eyes.
As Mo Qi walked, he felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow. When emotions reach their extreme, they can reverse. At a certain moment, a spark of stubbornness ignited within him.
*No, as someone so talented, I cannot be looked down upon! I must go back.*
So, after making a circuit, he turned back.
From a distance, he perched on a high, hidden spot. In the dim twilight, he quietly activated his spiritual power, observing the situation at the Foundation Establishment Platform.
The most striking features were the two towering, solemn sculptures flanking the sealing platform. Legend had it that in ancient times, when the Asura wreaked havoc across the three realms and resisted the Heavenly Court, two celestial gods, You Shan and Zuo Ci, after a fierce battle with the Asura, sealed him within the Asura Realm. To prevent the Asura from breaking free and disturbing the human world, the two celestial gods, using their last vestiges of strength to erect the final sealing platform, transformed into two statues, forever guarding the exit of the Asura Realm.
There were a total of five Foundation Establishment Platforms, each several zhang square. By convention, the four great sects each occupied one, with the remaining one designated for the smaller sects and rogue cultivators.
In reality, whenever the Asura Realm's spiritual energy leaked, the combined number of Foundation Establishment cultivators from smaller sects and rogue cultivators was only slightly more than that of a single great sect. Moreover, they wouldn't all compete for artifact spirits at the same time. If they took turns ascending to establish their foundations based on who acquired an artifact spirit first, conflicts would be rare. However, some individuals chose to disregard the rules, with some opting to snatch others' artifact spirits at the Foundation Establishment Platforms. This would then trigger chaos.
Just like now, whenever a disciple of the Lingxiao Sect attempted to ascend the Foundation Establishment Platform, others would intervene to stop them and further contend for their artifact spirits. Furthermore, there seemed to be a group specifically targeting the Lingxiao Sect disciples. They paid no mind to disciples from other sects or rogue cultivators, but as soon as a Lingxiao Sect disciple tried to ascend, they would appear.
The Foundation Establishment cultivators from the four great sects stood before the platforms, gazing forward, indifferent to the events unfolding behind them. However, it was possible that the events behind them were orchestrated by them.
This was too much! Mo Qi's anger surged, and malice arose from his heart!
He immediately consumed an invisibility elixir, the last one. He decided to fight those people to the death; whether he established his foundation or not was no longer important!
He stealthily approached the group. However, this time, the others seemed to be on high alert. While still at a considerable distance, he saw Xue Nu about to make a move, seemingly preparing to unleash "Thousand Miles of Ice Seal" again!
He immediately held a Soul Departure Elixir between his fingers, flicked his finger, and using the force of the arrow energy, detonated the elixir in front of those individuals. A mist spread, and they activated their spiritual energy to resist. Mo Qi's body flickered forward rapidly, and he flicked another Soul Departure Elixir towards them. Another wave of mist enveloped the area... Wang Shengyue, Hua Yu, and Xia Musheng began to exhibit signs of idiocy. Mo Qi's figure swiftly slid past Xia Musheng and Wang Shengyue, leaving five claw marks on their chests respectively. Then, he flicked his finger again, and a stream of arrow energy pierced Hua Yu. Simultaneously, his figure closed in on the nearest Xue Nu.
However, as he was dispatching the three individuals, the remaining few rapidly retreated, creating distance. Xue Nu sensed the spiritual energy striking her and formed a hand seal, immediately erecting an ice wall in front of her. At the same time, she lightly tapped the ice wall with her palm, and ice swords shot out. Mo Qi, not expecting such a swift reaction from the opponent, found it too late to dodge. He could only rapidly fluctuate the hand he had intended to use to grab Xue Nu. His reddened arm encountered the ice swords, emitting wisps of white smoke and a sizzling sound. With a clatter, the ice swords shattered and then dissipated. However, Mo Qi's entire hand was gradually covered in a layer of ice, and the coldness seeped into his heart along his arm.
Seeing that he could not withstand Xue Nu's ice swords and his position had already been exposed, he immediately flashed his body as the other cultivators' flying swords and divine abilities struck, rapidly heading towards Hu Hua's direction, appearing as if he was charging directly into Hu Hua's mist divine ability.