This day, Mo Qi was cultivating in his room when he heard some movement outside the window. He looked out and saw a young girl in a water-green dress, holding a book, pacing back and forth outside the window.
He had previously told everyone not to come near his room while he was cultivating. Logically, no one would dare to disobey him, but what was this girl doing today?
He looked closer and saw it was Xie Wenya, the young lady brought by Xie Yucai. He immediately understood that this was Xie Yucai's doing!
Why wasn't he tired of these tricks? They were all the same, couldn't he come up with something new?
Mo Qi opened the window, intending to send her away. Just as he was about to speak, Xie Wenya spoke first, "Old Grandpa, am I disturbing you?"
Old Grandpa? Mo Qi spat out two jin of blood on the spot!
"Mm," Mo Qi gritted his teeth, "Good granddaughter, go read your book next door. Grandpa needs to cultivate."
Xie Wenya obediently left.
Although he had left the Stairway, Mo Qi still felt he should go back, at least to formally announce his resignation, rather than being inexplicably removed from his post.
Lu Xiaoyue also clamored to go. She faced the same question as Mo Qi: whether to continue her position or not, and she should also go back to make things clear.
There was no other way, so Mo Qi took her with him. On the way, Lu Xiaoyue seized an opportunity to ask, "How did Murong Yanran's cultivation increase so quickly? She's even stronger than me now!"
"She's just more diligent," Mo Qi replied.
"I'm diligent too, and I've suffered much more than her," Lu Xiaoyue said indignantly.
Mo Qi fell silent. He didn't think this was a topic worth delving into.
However, in Lu Xiaoyue's eyes, he looked guilty. So, she asked with slight anger, "Did you cultivate with her?"
Mo Qi said without hesitation, "Yes, we cultivated together. And you've hit the nail on the head. Cultivating with me is definitely twice as effective with half the effort."
Lu Xiaoyue's apricot eyes widened, "You have no shame!" With that, she stormed ahead.
Mo Qi stood there, stunned. How did he have no shame?
It was truly inexplicable!
But in an instant, he understood. She had probably misunderstood!
Mo Qi chuckled and chased after her, "Wait for me. If you cultivate with me, your cultivation can also advance by leaps and bounds."
Lu Xiaoyue's face was flushed red. Without looking back, she shouted, "Beast, I won't cultivate with you."
Mo Qi suddenly turned and headed towards the direction of the Hongdu Sect, "Come with me, I can make your cultivation skyrocket right away."
"I'm not going," Lu Xiaoyue stopped and shouted at his retreating back.
After the previous incident, the Hongdu Sect was severely weakened. With the demise of all its elders and leaders, the sect fell into chaos.
It so happened that no one invaded, and the Charm didn't intervene, leading to utter disarray and a foul atmosphere.
As one of the few survivors of the Changsun family, Changsun Xuanling felt it necessary to preserve the family's assets. He returned to the Hongdu Sect to take charge. He adopted a strategy of combining leniency with iron-fisted rule, quickly quelling the disputes.
He then selected the heads of each hall and established the sect's rules. Just as his enterprise was flourishing, people began to spread rumors that the Lingdu Sect could help people remove restrictions, and many had already been cured.
But upon further inquiry, they learned that Mo Qi was now in charge of the Lingdu Sect. Although he wasn't called the Sect Master, he held more authority than one.
Changsun Xuanling's heart sank by half. Knowing that his hatred for Mo Qi was irreconcilable, he refused to go for treatment.
He not only forbade himself from going but also forbade the disciples from going.
However, the disciples still went in secret. Thousands of them left in one night, and within a few days, the sect was empty.
Moreover, those who were cured dared not return. Thus, after a few days, the Hongdu Sect was deserted.
Only a sweeping old man remained at the entrance, who was not afflicted by any restrictions. He spent his days sweeping the grounds, rain or shine.
Mo Qi walked straight to the main entrance of the Hongdu Sect.
A moment later, Lu Xiaoyue also arrived, her face still flushed red, "You, where are you taking me? I'm telling you, I won't cultivate with you."
"Alright, then just watch me cultivate," Mo Qi said calmly, striding into the mountain gate as he spoke.
"Watch me... Beast, what do you take me for? I won't watch," Lu Xiaoyue said, following Mo Qi inside.
The old man at the entrance paid them no mind, still diligently sweeping.
The two of them walked all the way to the mountaintop. Changsun Xuanling, disheartened, was sitting on the stone steps, staring blankly into the distance, lost in thought, or perhaps not.
Mo Qi and Lu Xiaoyue walked right up to him before he shifted his gaze, looking at Mo Qi calmly.
It was a strange feeling. Mo Qi had never met him, but he immediately recognized this man as the Changsun Xuanling he was looking for.
"Did you kill Tang Qianyu?" Mo Qi asked directly.
"I don't remember, but I have indeed killed many people," Changsun Xuanling replied.
"Then killing you today would not be unjust," Mo Qi said.
"I said the same thing when I killed people back then. Those who were killed had no right to claim injustice, and it was useless to say so," Changsun Xuanling said indifferently.
"If you were given a choice, would you prefer to die here or return to the Otherworldly Haven?" Mo Qi stared at him and said.
Changsun Xuanling's eyes lit up, then he said, "Return to the Otherworldly Haven."
Then Mo Qi suddenly flew up, and a white light pierced through Changsun Xuanling's body.
Changsun Xuanling's eyes widened in disbelief, and he died with his eyes open, "Didn't you say you would let me return to the Otherworldly Haven?"
Mo Qi coughed dryly, "I only said you could choose, I didn't say I would send you back. The moment you killed Tang Qianyu, your fate was sealed. It wouldn't change because you apologized, nor because you were not afraid of death."
Changsun Xuanling spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed on the ground, breathing his last!
Lu Xiaoyue pouted, "Many people in the Stairway died because of them, and you're only avenging Tang Qianyu?"
Mo Qi snorted coldly, "Some things can be done without saying, while for others, one must both say and do."
Lu Xiaoyue was stunned by his words, unable to recover for a long time. What did he mean?
Mo Qi continued up the mountain, all the way to the peak!
Seeing that they were alone, Lu Xiaoyue's face became flushed again!
Mo Qi didn't notice her unusual reaction. He squatted down, placed his hands on the ground, and secretly circulated his spiritual energy.
"What are you doing?" Lu Xiaoyue asked, not understanding.
Mo Qi ignored her and continued to channel his spiritual energy to draw out the spiritual veins.
After a moment, a faint white mist emerged from the ground as he lifted his hands, coming into Mo Qi's grasp. It curled up like a caterpillar, trembling slightly, as if it were alive.
"Is this a spiritual vein?" Lu Xiaoyue's eyes widened in disbelief.
To be able to draw out a spiritual vein so casually, what kind of ability was this?
Mo Qi nodded and swallowed it without a word.
Afterward, he took Lu Xiaoyue to several other mountain peaks and successively extracted three more spiritual veins. He gave two to Lu Xiaoyue and absorbed two himself.
"Now, you can sit down and cultivate your spiritual power," Mo Qi said, and then sat down himself.
Lu Xiaoyue felt the spiritual energy surging within her and sat down on the ground before he could finish speaking.
Lu Xiaoyue was considered a person of extraordinary talent. When she was in the Stairway, she had already successfully passed her tribulation and advanced to the Human Immortal realm.
Now, after absorbing two spiritual veins, her cultivation advanced to the True Immortal realm.
As for Mo Qi, his cultivation advanced to the Great Luo Golden Immortal perfection, just one step away from the Supreme Saint.
After finishing her cultivation, Lu Xiaoyue was overjoyed and leaped with excitement.
Then she asked Mo Qi, "Is this how you and Murong Yanran cultivated together?"
Mo Qi gave her a sidelong glance, "Otherwise?"
Lu Xiaoyue blushed deeply, "I thought..."
"Thought what?" Mo Qi asked with imposing momentum.
"What are you doing?" Lu Xiaoyue suddenly punched him.
Mo Qi was sent flying backward, falling dozens of feet and landing on the ground. He then propped himself up and pointed at Lu Xiaoyue, "You, you want to kill me again." Then he collapsed.
Lu Xiaoyue looked at her palm. It shouldn't be that heavy, was it that exaggerated?
She slowly walked over and extended her hand, "If you want to break my heart, you can die for real."
Mo Qi immediately stood up, staring intently at her, "Will you really be heartbroken?"
"Not before, but now I will be."
At this moment, Mo Qi reached out and gently stroked her fair cheek.
This was a face he had wanted to touch since he was a child, so pure, so delicate.
His hand trembled slightly.
Lu Xiaoyue did not dodge, but looked deeply into his eyes.
Mo Qi suddenly flicked her shoulder, "You've got dust on you." Then he turned and left.
Lu Xiaoyue rolled her eyes and followed him, feeling a sense of loss.
"I suddenly have an idea," Mo Qi said without looking back.
"What?" Lu Xiaoyue asked casually.
"It's so peaceful here, and the Lingdu Sect is so crowded. We can transfer some people over. At worst, we can use four Meteorite Spirit Stones to set up a formation here as well."
Lu Xiaoyue nodded, "That's entirely possible."
"Then I'll make you the leader here, the Sect Master."
"Me? I don't think so. I have no experience."
"You've been a Stairway Lord, what's so difficult about being the leader of a small martial sect?"
"..."
The two continued towards the Stairway. The Stairway was now desolate. Mo Qi's large-scale annihilation of the Four Great Families had gradually revealed their origins. They could no longer establish themselves in the Stairway. Some left quietly, while the rest were killed by a mysterious force.
One day, a group of masked figures suddenly appeared in the Stairway, targeting only the people of the Four Great Families. Their cultivation was exceptionally high, and within a short time, they had completely wiped out the Four Great Families' influence in the Stairway.
Then the masked figures mysteriously disappeared, truly vanishing without a trace.
Afterwards, people began discussing the origin of these masked figures during their leisure time. There were many theories about their origins. Some said they were gods eradicating evil, others said they were the Charm silencing witnesses. But as the rumors spread, the theory of gods descending to earth to eliminate evil gradually became the mainstream.
Some also said that those members of the Four Great Families who had left the Stairway earlier had not escaped their fate and were eventually killed.
They spoke so vividly, as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
Mo Qi returned to the Stairway and was warmly welcomed. There were many new faces and a few old ones, but everyone was enthusiastic, all saying, "Welcome back, Lord Mo."