Di Tianzheng had fantasized countless times about a moment of sudden fame, being sought after by everyone, admired by the world, and having beautiful women scream and throw themselves into his arms.
His previous two moments of glory had been snatched away by that damned "Needle Man," leaving him completely ignored.
But now.
At the very moment he least wanted to be noticed, he had drawn the attention of the entire crowd.
There was no admiration, no adulation, only suppressed laughter from men and screams from women.
"Wow, look, his... it's so small."
The soft exclamations and pointing fingers, like sharp bayonets, continuously pierced Di Tianzheng's heart.
In that instant, he was so ashamed he wanted to disappear. His resentment towards Ji Mo ran deeper than the Arctic Ocean.
Fortunately, there were still people eager to curry favor with Di Tianzheng, who quickly brought him clothes to cover himself and avoid further embarrassment.
"Where are the Di family cultivators? Get over here, all of you."
Di Tianzheng, with a grim expression, intended to punish his subordinates.
Before ascending the 108th Peak, he had specifically instructed his subordinates to block the entrance and allow no one to enter the mountain.
But these useless fools had allowed someone to intrude upon the 108th Peak and plunder him. Such incompetence warranted severe punishment.
However, after he roared a few times, not a single Di family member appeared.
"Are you rebelling against heaven? If you don't show up, you'll all die."
Di Tianzheng's face instantly lost all composure. Even his subordinates dared to defy him? Did they not want to live?
"Cough, cough..."
The people nearby cleared their throats awkwardly and cautiously reminded him, "Young Master Di, all your subordinates are dead."
"All dead? Impossible, absolutely impossible."
Di Tianzheng refused to believe it.
This group of subordinates consisted of five Immortal Emperors and over a hundred powerful individuals. Who could kill them all, and who would dare offend his Di family?
"They are indeed all dead."
The person pointed to the corpses in the distance and recounted the events.
"Curse you, Needle Man! So it was you bastard who plundered me."
Di Tianzheng roared in fury, his face contorted with rage.
At this moment, he wished he could flay Ji Mo into a thousand pieces, grind his bones to dust, and kill him a hundred times over.
Rumble...
Suddenly, the earth shook and the mountains trembled.
The 108th Peak erupted with dazzling light, and brilliant beams shot straight into the sky.
Clearly, the 108th Peak had been completely conquered.
Judging by the phenomenon, it was undoubtedly the mysterious "Needle Man" who had accomplished what no one had before, setting a precedent.
Thus, all sorts of praises, cheers, and effusive compliments filled the air.
The crowd spared no expense in praising Ji Mo, calling him the greatest genius of all time, unparalleled throughout history, and unmatched in the world.
Even many uninhibited beautiful female cultivators were shouting about wanting to have Ji Mo's children.
Seeing this, Di Tianzheng's molars were about to shatter.
All this glory was originally meant to be his, but it had been stolen by that shameless dog.
He firmly believed that Ji Mo must have used the Primordial Yin-Yang Liquid he had plundered to ascend the 108th Peak so quickly.
"Needle Man, I, Di Tianzheng, swear eternal enmity with you."
Di Tianzheng beat his chest and stamped his feet, his eyes bloodshot like a wild beast.
He decided that today, he would kill Ji Mo in front of everyone and reclaim everything that belonged to him.
At the summit of the 108th Peak.
Ji Mo absorbed another wisp of mysterious substance. His body now contained a full one hundred and eight wisps of mysterious substance, distributed across his major acupoints.
At this moment.
These acupoints began to glow, lighting up one by one, shining like stars and forming a celestial map of the 36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends.
Ji Mo's body was enveloped by one hundred and eight colorful halos, making him appear sacred and inviolable. His vital energy surged, resonating with the laws of the Great Dao.
Hum...
A crisp sound echoed through heaven and earth.
Ji Mo's body rumbled. The remaining two hundred and fifty strands of the "Fiftieth Primordial Violet Qi" hidden within his flesh and blood began to dissolve, and he absorbed them all.
His body shimmered with radiance, and his previously shriveled skin slowly recovered, emitting a gem-like luster.
Then.
Ji Mo's body became like a black hole, madly absorbing all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish his body.
Above his head, a vast vortex appeared. All sorts of energy, life essence, and more, all roared and swept towards him, pouring into his body unceasingly.
Ji Mo's body evolution progress began to climb.
51%!
52%
...
The surrounding plants and trees withered at a visible rate. All the vitality around seemed to be devoured by Ji Mo.
This commotion was immense, and even the cultivators at the foot of the mountain sensed it. Their own energy was leaking out, and they couldn't stop it.
"How can this be? Has the Dark Harvest begun prematurely? Are we all going to be food and be completely consumed?"
Long Lingli's pretty face turned pale, her eyes filled with fear.
Even with her ordinary dragon bloodline, she couldn't resist the incomprehensible suction force from the unseen realm, despite using her dragon clan's innate divine ability to seal herself.
The other cultivators were even worse off. Some of the timid ones were filled with despair and collapsed to the ground.
"This shouldn't be. It's not time for the harvest yet. What has happened?"
Di Tianzheng murmured, clearly knowing some extraordinary secret.
The cultivators nearby heard his words and looked at him fearfully, sensing that something was wrong.
But before they could react, Di Tianzheng struck them down, silencing them directly.
His secret must not be revealed.
Ji Mo finally realized something was wrong. He was plundering the life force of heaven and earth. If this endless consumption continued, all life around would be destroyed.
He moved the silver needles on his body, sealing all his acupoints, and forcefully terminated the process.
"Pfft..."
The terrible backlash caused him to spit out a mouthful of blood, and his condition weakened.
Although absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was greatly beneficial to him, he forcefully terminated this immense opportunity to avoid causing widespread death and destruction.
"You understand sacrifice, you are quite good."
The Jade Plate of Creation praised Ji Mo for the first time, then its tone became somewhat heavy, "Your body is unusually weak. The further you evolve, the more unusual things become. You'll have to be more careful in the future."
Although it wanted to offer Ji Mo some useful advice, it couldn't understand Ji Mo's physique; it was beyond its comprehension.
"Devouring the life force of heaven and earth to strengthen myself. Am I the one harvesting, or am I the one being harvested? Could it be that I am the ultimate culprit?"
Ji Mo was also somewhat frightened.
In just that short period, more than half of the vegetation on the entire 108th Peak had withered.
It was fortunate that no one was on the mountain, otherwise, lives might have been lost.
He removed the silver needles from his body, finally shedding the identity of the Needle Man.
His body was now much fuller, and he no longer had to worry about his vital energy being devoured. With some more recovery, he should be back to normal.
With a complex feeling, he began to descend the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain.
Sensing that the crisis had passed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the lingering gloom still hung over everyone's heads.
Was the end of the epoch truly imminent, and was the apocalypse about to arrive?