In his words, Patriarch Wuliang glared at Mo Qi. The air before him churned into a vortex, spiraling to form a massive black hole. An invisible, irresistible suction emanated from its center, pulling at Mo Qi. Strangely, Mo Qi's body remained unmoving, not falling into the void.
Instead, countless black energies emerged from Mo Qi, coalescing into a colossal shadowy figure that drifted towards the black hole.
It was a soul-devouring technique!
Not only him, but the Saintess and others around him also had black energies surfacing, drifting towards the black hole.
Mo Qi was greatly alarmed and dared not delay. He hastily formed seals, also unleashing the Myriad Forms Soul Devourer. Another wisp of black energy spiraled around him, forming a giant disk. Within it, endless black energies flowed and accumulated. Suddenly, a beam of black energy shot out from the center, striking the vortex's core.
The vortex shuddered violently and momentarily paused. Mo Qi's shadowy human form then boomed back into his own body.
However, Long Ji and Murong Yanran, whose cultivation was too weak, continued to have their emerging black energies slowly drift towards the black hole.
Mo Qi was filled with dread. In a moment of inspiration, the Dinghai Divine Needle suddenly appeared. Following the center of the disk and within that wisp of black energy, it struck the vortex's core.
The vortex shuddered again. Long Ji and Murong Yanran's soul forms then returned to their bodies.
"Xiao Feng," Mo Qi said to the Saintess, "Take them away. This is my battle alone."
The Saintess frowned, "I can offer you some assistance..."
Zhu Yan immediately chimed in, "Oh my, let me do that! I'll take them away so you can focus your entire being on the fight without distraction."
As she spoke, Zhu Yan turned to Zi Luo and the others, "Let's go, we should leave. Don't distract him."
Zi Luo glanced at her dismissively, "If you want to go, you go. We are here to help him. This is not his battle alone."
Long Ji, Xue Nu, and Murong Yanran also remained motionless, not even looking at Zhu Yan.
"Alas, force is unavoidable," Zhu Yan declared.
With a flick of her hand, countless white threads surged from her fingertips. The threads forked in the air, binding the bodies of Linghu Xiaoxian, Long Ji, Xue Nu, Zi Luo, and Murong Yanran.
Then, without further ado, Zhu Yan pulled them away into the distance.
The women struggled desperately. Zi Luo broke free from the restraints and moved towards Mo Qi.
Long Ji, Xue Nu, Murong Yanran, and Linghu Xiaoxian, unable to break free, were helplessly dragged away by Zhu Yan.
Mo Qi truly felt a considerable ease in his heart. At least he no longer had to constantly guard against Hei Jun and the others suddenly attacking Long Ji and the others, as they possessed no power to resist even a single move.
In this regard, Mo Qi was immensely grateful to Zhu Yan. She truly understood him.
But people like Zi Luo were so stubborn, truly a headache!
At this moment, Mo Qi and Patriarch Wuliang were locked in a stalemate, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Patriarch Wuliang was indeed somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected this little bug to have cultivated to the Wuliang realm in such a short time, matching him blow for blow.
But this was truly preposterous!
He had accumulated cultivation over countless years to reach his current level, yet this little bug, what had he experienced?
Patriarch Wuliang became enraged. Suddenly, a black shadow emerged from behind him, revealing a vortex. The vortex spun, drawing Hei Jun, Zi Jun, and the others into its depths.
Hei Jun and Zi Jun were greatly alarmed and struggled desperately, trying to break free from the pull.
However, caught off guard and unprepared, by the time they reacted, they were already firmly ensnared, making escape incredibly difficult.
In an instant, everyone around Patriarch Wuliang was sucked into the vortex. The vortex before him then suddenly expanded, its black energy becoming even denser. In the ensuing confrontation, it gradually gained the advantage, and Mo Qi's shadowy figure began to sink back into the vortex.
Patriarch Wuliang laughed triumphantly, "I can absorb power infinitely, while you are stagnant. How can you fight me?"
Mo Qi struggled to resist the suction force and replied, "Actually, I can too, I just disdain to use it."
"Then you are doomed," Patriarch Wuliang roared with laughter. "I can absorb the power of all cultivators from the five peaks behind me. Let's see how you cope."
As he spoke, the vortex behind him surged, its phantom extending like countless tentacles reaching out towards the worlds behind him.
In an instant, vast amounts of black energy flowed into the vortex along these tentacles.
The vortex before Patriarch Wuliang swelled even more ferociously, gradually enveloping Mo Qi. His entire body seemed to be covered by dark clouds, blocking out all light.
The shadowy figure on his body gradually detached, unable to be pulled back.
The Saintess hesitated for a moment, then said to Mo Qi, "Quickly absorb my soul, or we will all die."
"Take mine too," Zi Luo said without hesitation.
As they spoke, they gradually moved closer to Mo Qi, entering the range of his Myriad Forms Soul Devourer.
Their bodies suddenly trembled, and black energies flowed out, rapidly moving towards Mo Qi.
How could Mo Qi bear to watch them sacrifice themselves? He pushed them away with a backhand.
After being flung back, the Saintess said to Mo Qi, "Don't be stubborn. I should have sacrificed myself long ago. Having been reborn, I've already gained. Moreover, if you don't defeat him, we will all perish anyway. My sacrifice to you will at least have some meaning."
In a flash, Mo Qi thought of something and said, "No need. We are not yet in a desperate situation. Don't forget we also have a pond behind us, and that pond is brimming with spiritual energy."
As he spoke, Mo Qi tossed the Tai Chi diagram into the air. A rainbow bridge extended from the diagram, reaching into the pond in the backyard and then into Mo Qi's divine ability circle.
A torrent of black energy rapidly flowed into the circle along the rainbow bridge. Within the swirling circle, thunderous sounds echoed incessantly, like the rise and fall of ocean waves.
The black energy erupting from the center of the circle grew thicker and darker. An invisible power surged, pulling Mo Qi's soul form back into his body.
Furthermore, it pulled Patriarch Wuliang's phantom form out of his body.
Patriarch Wuliang was greatly alarmed and hastily formed seals, rapidly activating the vortex behind him, quickly absorbing the soul forms of the five peaks behind him.
The vortex before him gradually swelled, and slowly began to pull his phantom soul form back towards him.
"My apologies," Patriarch Wuliang chuckled. "I have five ponds behind me, while you only have one. The spiritual energy you gain is only temporarily abundant. As time passes, my foundation is far richer than yours. You are still destined to die."
Things unfolded as he predicted. As time went by, his soul form gradually entered his body, while Mo Qi found himself struggling more and more, his soul form on the verge of escaping.
The Saintess said anxiously, "Don't hesitate, absorb my soul power quickly."
"Didn't you hear him? He has five ponds. Even if I absorbed the soul power of everyone in the Galaxy World, I would still be no match for him. Wouldn't your deaths be in vain?" Mo Qi said angrily.
As he spoke, he gritted his teeth, for the effort was becoming incredibly difficult and strenuous.
He felt as if his body was not his own, and his control over his soul was weakening.
"If you absorb our soul power, and make a concerted effort, there's always a chance to kill him. If you hesitate further, the only opportunity will be lost," the Saintess insisted stubbornly.
As she spoke, she moved towards Mo Qi's black circle again.
Zi Luo followed suit without hesitation, also moving towards the black circle.
Mo Qi panicked, "Don't harm me! When have I ever harmed my own kin?"
"If you say that now, I won't argue with you. I'll admit I'm your kin," the Saintess said calmly. "However, if you refuse to harm me now, he will harm the entire world. That kind of harm, to me, is far greater. For I have also protected this world and do not wish to see it vanish. If you save this world, I will be grateful to you, not consider it harm."