All the powerful individuals who had been closely observing the situation in the Black Forest looked up at the sky almost simultaneously, their expressions varied.
The falling of blood rain was a harbinger of the demise of an unparalleled expert at the peak of the Emperor realm.
Clearly, the battle within the Black Forest had concluded, with one side defeated and killed.
"As expected, daring to provoke Old Ancestor Jiu You was simply courting death."
The vast majority believed that Old Ancestor Jiu You had emerged victorious.
Since Old Ancestor Jiu You was unkillable and inherently held an invincible position, the one who died could only be that reckless fool who knew no bounds.
These individuals were satisfied with their choice. The strong often break, while the weak endure; only by assessing the situation and acting within one's capabilities could survival be ensured.
They all felt fortunate to have chosen to observe and not engage Old Ancestor Jiu You, otherwise, they themselves would have been the ones to perish.
"No, it seems Old Ancestor Jiu You was defeated."
A discerning observer noticed something amiss; the deathly aura above the Black Forest was dissipating.
Soon, the sky above recovered its brightness, and the aura of Old Ancestor Jiu You completely vanished.
Instantly, everyone was filled with shock and disbelief.
How could Old Ancestor Jiu You, whom even Emperor Bai could not eliminate, be killed?
Did that not imply that this mysterious expert was even more terrifying than Emperor Bai of that era!
"When did such a powerful expert appear in the Southern Domain? Could they be from another region? If so, let's hope we haven't invited a tiger after driving away a wolf."
Many Spirit Emperors found the situation highly unusual. After some thought, they decided to band together and investigate.
They had to ascertain the identity of this mysterious expert, whether they were human or from another race, and what their intentions were.
...
Old Ancestor Jiu You was indeed dead.
He had died a most ignominious death, hacked into pieces by a crude chopping knife.
And it was wielded by Zhang Zheng.
Zhang Zheng had originally intended only to assist the mysterious expert, but upon arriving, he happened to intercept the fleeing Old Ancestor Jiu You and stopped him without a word.
Although Old Ancestor Jiu You was a cornered dog, seeing a mere Spirit Emperor dare to block his path was unbearable.
Without hesitation, he pounced, intending to eliminate this ant who dared to obstruct him.
And so, it was all over.
Zhang Zheng, wielding the chopping knife, dismembered Old Ancestor Jiu You into eight pieces.
It was only when the blood rain began to fall that he realized with a jolt that he had killed an expert at the peak of the Emperor realm.
And this pile of ghastly bone fragments before him was undoubtedly Old Ancestor Jiu You.
"I have slain an Emperor!"
Zhang Zheng collapsed onto the ground, unable to accept this reality.
An Emperor of the Ghost realm who had roamed for ten thousand years, once contended with Emperor Bai, and struck fear into the hearts of countless human cultivators – Old Ancestor Jiu You – had been killed by him just like that?
This was utterly surreal!
Then, he realized that all of this was the work of the mysterious expert, who had severely wounded Old Ancestor Jiu You before handing him over for the finishing blow.
"Esteemed expert, I have not failed in my mission. I successfully intercepted and killed Old Ancestor Jiu You, preventing his escape."
Zhang Zheng believed this was all a meticulous plan by the expert. The reason for leaving the chopping knife behind was to prevent Old Ancestor Jiu You from escaping, allowing him to intervene at the opportune moment.
And he, Zhang Zheng, had not failed the expert's trust; he had succeeded.
To contribute even a little to the esteemed expert's cause, Zhang Zheng felt an unparalleled honor.
Ji Mo, following the desperate screams of Old Ancestor Jiu You in his final moments, stealthily approached.
Upon realizing it was Zhang Zheng, he felt embarrassed to show himself, fearing the latter would blame him for not heeding his advice and for lingering there.
Just as he was about to leave.
He heard Zhang Zheng say, "The great task is accomplished. Please take back this weapon."
Though reluctant in his heart, Zhang Zheng felt it was right to immediately return the Emperor weapon in his hand to the esteemed expert. Otherwise, he might develop selfish desires and wish to keep it for himself.
After all, who wouldn't be tempted by a weapon capable of slaying an Emperor as if slicing vegetables?
Ji Mo, not understanding, thought Zhang Zheng was speaking to him and replied, "It's just a broken chopping knife. If you don't mind, I'll give it to you."
With that, he waved his sleeve and strode away.
"Give it to me?"
Zhang Zheng couldn't believe his ears.
Such a divine weapon, and the esteemed expert was gifting it to him? Could it be a hallucination caused by a demon in his heart?
Then, he found the voice familiar, seeming to belong to the young man he had met before.
A mortal, yet appearing unharmed in this perilous place.
Facing danger, his face had never shown a trace of fear.
Moreover, when they first met, the person had indeed had a chopping knife tucked into his waist.
Recalling carefully, it was indeed the same Emperor weapon he now held.
"The young man is the mysterious expert!"
Zhang Zheng's mind reeled.
As he pieced together the clues, the truth became startlingly clear.
"So, the esteemed expert was by my side all along! I am truly an idiot for not realizing it sooner."
He slapped his forehead, cursing himself for being a blockhead and not seeing it earlier.
He truly had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai, having wasted these eyes.
Thinking back on his words and actions towards Ji Mo, Zhang Zheng's face flushed with embarrassment.
Fortunately, the esteemed expert not only did not blame him for his rashness but also entrusted him with an important task and ultimately bestowed upon him an Emperor weapon. Such kindness was higher than the heavens.
Wielding an Emperor artifact, slaying a Ghost Emperor.
This was something Zhang Zheng had never dared to dream of, yet in the span of just half a day, Ji Mo had helped him achieve it.
At this moment, Zhang Zheng's reverence for Ji Mo reached an unparalleled level.
He suddenly remembered that Ji Mo had given him other things before. He quickly took them out from his embrace.
Only then did he discover that only two talismans remained.
He immediately understood that the golden light that had protected him on several occasions was these talismans.
Next, he opened the bottle of medicinal powder. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out, and just by inhaling it, all his fatigue vanished, and his spirit and energy were restored to their optimal state.
"Ninth-grade spirit medicine!"
Zhang Zheng's eyes welled up with tears.
It turned out that from the very beginning, the esteemed expert had bestowed upon him life-saving elixirs and talismans for his safety. His intentions were truly profound!
He wiped away his tears and looked for Ji Mo's figure, but the latter had already disappeared.
Not long after, several Spirit Emperors arrived at the Black Forest and found Zhang Zheng.
After they had a general understanding of the entire sequence of events, their hearts were stirred by immense waves, and they could not calm down for a long time.
No one could have imagined that Old Ancestor Jiu You had been killed by a Spirit Emperor!
"The esteemed expert disdained to kill Old Ancestor Jiu You, thus leaving him for me to finish."
Zhang Zheng explained it this way, believing that Ji Mo had deliberately given him the opportunity.
Otherwise, with Ji Mo's unfathomable methods, how could Old Ancestor Jiu You have escaped?
The Spirit Emperors exchanged glances, their expressions of shock deepening.
To have the presence of mind to cripple an expert of Old Ancestor Jiu You's caliber and leave him for a Spirit Emperor to kill, such a feat was truly unimaginable!
Upon learning that the esteemed expert was human, their guard was finally lowered. As long as it wasn't another race, there was no need for concern.
The Spirit Emperors eagerly inquired about Ji Mo's information from Zhang Zheng, but Zhang Zheng was tight-lipped, only revealing that the esteemed expert's surname was Ji, while his age, appearance, and other details were not disclosed at all.
The esteemed expert was low-key and unassuming, hiding his achievements and fame. They could not allow these selfish individuals to disturb him.