Yu Bao Tianzun pursued from behind. After a short chase, Qian Mei suddenly executed a U-turn, injuring Yu Bao Tianzun again.
The remaining Saints no longer dared to pursue Qian Mei recklessly.
They realized Qian Mei was employing a strategy of picking them off one by one. If they continued the pursuit, they would undoubtedly fall into his trap.
But was stopping the pursuit enough?
Clearly not!
At a certain moment, Qian Mei suddenly appeared beside Zhun Ti, thrusting his spear towards his flank. Zhun Ti manifested his divine form, radiating immense light. Countless hands emerged, each wielding a treasure like a sword, pagoda, or file, wildly slashing through the air, shattering the spear’s illusory afterimages.
However, the spear’s true form pierced through, striking Zhun Ti's divine form and reverting it to its original human shape.
Zhun Ti revealed his human body, a gaping hole in his left chest, and collapsed to the ground.
As Qian Mei prepared to deliver a finishing blow, Nu Wa lunged forward. Qian Mei, however, utilized his teleportation ability and swiftly escaped.
At this point, half of the six Saints were injured, and the remaining three felt a tremor of fear.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi also began to move, weaving through the ranks of the lesser demons, eliminating them one by one.
However, the sheer number of these lesser demons was overwhelming, with an endless tide surging in from afar like a relentless ocean.
Mo Qi began to feel a headache. Catching sight of Nu Wa and the others faltering, he grew increasingly anxious. If this continued, everyone would perish here.
Therefore, he had to change his strategy.
He too activated his teleportation, occasionally severing a lesser demon, then returning to the fray with Nu Wa and the others. He darted in and out, drifting and weaving, quickly circling Nu Wa and the others’ battle formation and setting up a formation around them.
This formation trapped both Qian Mei and the six Saints. A few foolish lesser demons, oblivious to their fate, were also caught within, walking blindly into their own demise!
Mo Qi drew the Nine Heavens Divine Arrow and unleashed several rapid shots, obliterating the lesser demons with meteor spirit stones.
Then, he ascended into the air, suspending the Eastern Emperor Bell above him.
Qian Mei, trapped within the formation, struggled to break free. He suddenly discovered his movements were restricted!
Each time he collided with the formation's boundary, a luminous barrier would suddenly rise, repelling his body.
Yet, his evasive maneuvers were truly bizarre. Even with their Heavenly Eyes open, Nu Wa and the others could barely track him, and his sudden appearances always posed a significant threat to the three of them.
The injured trio quickly shifted their positions, moving to the edge of the barrier, their backs against it, to guard against Qian Mei's sudden attacks.
Mo Qi, also employing his Heavenly Eyes, closely monitored Qian Mei's trajectory from the sky.
He placed his hand on the apex of the Eastern Emperor Bell, which was filled with numerous Thunderbolt Pills. Once aimed at Qian Mei, he would activate the bell to attack him.
Outside, the other demons could not breach the formation. They repeatedly slammed against the barrier, causing it to glow intensely and distort, but they could not break through.
With each impact, the demons injured themselves, their bodies becoming battered and bruised. After several attempts, they dissolved into nothingness.
Eventually, fewer and fewer demons dared to assault the barrier.
Inside the formation, Qian Mei grew increasingly agitated. He gradually became desperate, seizing any opportunity to violently strike the barrier, nearly breaking it on several occasions.
At this point, the threat from the three Saints was relatively minor. The one who truly instilled fear and made his skin crawl was Mo Qi.
The one observing everything from high above!
Crucially, Mo Qi remained in the sky, silent and motionless, which unsettled Qian Mei even further.
A barking dog never bites; this was an age-old adage.
He simply didn't know how to counter this.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Who are you? Why do you have the right to threaten me?
You're nothing but a clown, why do you dare threaten me!
No one can threaten me, least of all a clown!
Thus, with rage consuming him, Qian Mei charged towards Mo Qi, spear in hand, unleashing a torrent of light and shadow as he attacked.
It seemed Teacher Jiang Xia's saying about fishing for willing prey held true!
Mo Qi's lips curved into a captivating arc as he smiled faintly at Qian Mei.
"Pangu's Divine Power!"
A dazzling white light erupted, instantly engulfing Qian Mei's body. Within it, countless black shadows swirled, followed by a world-shattering roar. The shadows within spread like a black hole, consuming Qian Mei.
Then, as the black shadows dispersed, Qian Mei's body was flung out, fragmented into countless wriggling worms that writhed through the air.
Before the worms could spread further, Mo Qi unleashed a "Phantom Sea Star Flow," shattering them into smoke that permeated the air. Amidst the dissipating smoke, a wisp of green smoke, like a spirit snake, slithered through the air.
Mo Qi activated his Heavenly Eye divine ability, projecting a golden beam that continuously tracked the movement of the green smoke.
Zhun Ti once again manifested his divine form, using his treasure mirror to reflect the green smoke, while his other hands wielded swords and sabers, slashing at it.
The other Saints unleashed their respective treasures towards the green smoke.
The green smoke knew it could not escape its fate, yet it laughed, "Hahaha, you think you are the hunters? You have no idea, we are the hunters, and you, the so-called Saints of this world, are all our prey. You have turned our lair upside down, but why has Wan Mei never appeared?"
An ominous premonition filled everyone's hearts.
Mo Qi unleashed the Phantom Sea Star Flow, bombarding the green smoke relentlessly, causing much of it to dissipate.
The green smoke spoke in an extremely faint voice, "That's right, Wan Mei has already initiated 'Clouds and Mist Fill the World.' The entire world outside is likely frozen by now. Hahaha, in a few hundred years, once we are unsealed, this entire world will be ours!"
"But you don't need to be sad. Your world is just one of many we are encroaching upon. Many worlds have already been frozen; you are not alone, you have many companions."
The great Saints were enraged, unleashing their divine abilities with even greater ferocity to pursue and strike the green smoke.
After all, it was at its last gasp, and its demise was only a matter of time.
Ling Bao Tianzun remarked, "This fellow is probably spewing nonsense to save his own life."
Tai Bao Tianzun calculated with his fingers, and his expression changed drastically, "What he says is not false. This world is indeed filled with a dark force, pervasive and dense, present everywhere."
Nu Wa unfurled the Scroll of Mountains and Rivers, capturing the last wisp of green smoke within it.
Mo Qi withdrew his formation, and the remaining lesser demons dispersed.
The Saints had no inclination to pursue them further; they exchanged glances, their faces etched with worry.
Nu Wa looked at Mo Qi and said, "Do you remember what I told you before? All of this was destined, a tribulation. However, the variable is you. Before, I didn't know what you were meant to do, but now it's all clear. The source of all this evil lies in the outer heavens. Therefore, you must go to the outer heavens and cut off the root of the problem, to stop them from controlling and harming every world."
Mo Qi felt a pang of uncertainty, "Why burden me alone with such a heavy responsibility? You can go out too, or come with me. Many hands make light work!"
Tai Bao Tianzun, Zhun Ti, and Yu Bao Tianzun all stood up, joining Nu Wa, Ling Bao Tianzun, and Jie Yin. They all looked at Mo Qi, their eyes filled with earnest hope.
"Under the current circumstances, Wan Mei has likely sealed all exits. Even if you possess the Sky-Opening Axe, you will likely only be able to leave with our escort," Nu Wa stated.
Ling Bao Tianzun walked over and patted Mo Qi's shoulder, "This is fate. I wish I could go out too, but the Sky-Opening Axe is not in my possession. And the reason the Sky-Opening Axe chose you must be for a reason. We cannot force it."
Zhun Ti also approached, saying, "Although you stole my Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, I cannot help but resent you. However, the heavens are about to collapse, and the greater cause is paramount. I still hope you will take my Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, carrying my hopes with you, go out and fight valiantly, be invincible, and ultimately achieve victory, saving this world from dire straits."
Nu Wa added, "You also took my possessions, but I do not resent you, because all the hatred of this world will be resolved by you alone. We can only support you spiritually. All I can do is bestow some items upon Ao Lianxing, so she can quickly break through to the Great Saint realm and accompany you out."
Mo Qi was deeply moved, rubbing his eyes and saying, "Please, don't say any more. If you do, I'll start crying."
The group emerged from the Tongtian Secret Realm. Looking up, they saw that the heavens and earth were vast and boundless, filled with black mist. This mist was condensed, like black ice, freezing everything in its path.
"Let's go, we'll escort you up."
The six Saints formed a wedge formation, unleashing their treasures as they advanced, carving a path through the black mist.
Mo Qi followed this path, traveling through the human realm, then the Heavenly Court, and finally reaching Nu Wa's Palace.
As they traversed the human realm, he saw Xue Nu, Long Ji, Xin Er, and others. They were all frozen, unable to move.
While passing through the Heavenly Court, he saw Luo Houluo, Yao Shuang, Li Sanlang, Yang Erlang, the Four Dragon Kings, and many others. Many were in a fighting stance but were frozen, unable to move; many were still struggling, but it seemed they too were ultimately unable to escape their fate.
Mo Qi wanted to rush out and save them several times, but he was restrained.
"At this moment, no one can save anyone. If you try to force it, you might get trapped yourself, and then the entire world will have no hope," Nu Wa said weakly.
It was then that Mo Qi suddenly realized that not only Nu Wa, but all of them had pale faces and were trembling, appearing extremely weak.
It seemed everyone was holding on by a thread to protect him.
Mo Qi almost cried again!
Thus, Mo Qi was propelled, layer by layer, through the clouds. After an unknown duration, they finally reached Nu Wa's Palace.
At this point, thick black mist had reached the edges of Nu Wa's Palace, relentlessly eroding it.
Long Qi and the others were unleashing various divine abilities to resist the attacks of the black mist, but it was clearly a futile effort. The black mist was rapidly consuming Nu Wa's Palace.
The celestial maidens were forced to retreat continuously, their foothold shrinking.
Right at the entrance of Nu Wa's Palace, the six Saints expended their last breath of true qi. Their figures fell one by one into the dense black mist, and then slowly froze.
"Remember, if this world is not unfrozen within a hundred years, then everyone will vanish into nothingness," came Nu Wa's final voice from his ear.