Zeng Xinggui did not truthfully relay Lian Dao's words when he met Zeng Xincheng.
If he had told Zeng Xincheng the truth, he worried Zeng Xincheng would not send troops, so he deliberately avoided mentioning the opponent's strength.
However, he was also concerned that Chengye might not be able to take Hongye, so he privately went to the Green Leaf Kingdom to persuade them to jointly attack the Hongye Kingdom, which would increase their chances of success.
Zeng Xincheng, however, did not want the Green Leaf Kingdom to share in the spoils, so he dared not report this matter to Zeng Xincheng.
While Shi Shui was still preparing, he heard that Ye Yun had already captured the Hongye Kingdom, renamed it the Hongye Empire, and declared himself emperor.
He actually considered this a good thing, because now his only enemy was Ye Yun. Otherwise, if he had marched all the way, he wouldn't have known how many obstacles he would have to overcome before encountering Ye Yun.
Things had become simple!
At least, that's what he thought.
After reporting to Zeng Xincheng, he led his army and set off, marching mightily towards the Hongye Empire.
And the cloud text that Mo Qi saw in the sky was written by Zeng Xinggui!
During this period, too much resentment had accumulated in his heart, and he could not vent it, so he thought of this method.
On his way to the capital of the Chengye Kingdom, Mo Qi encountered Shi Shui's army.
Shi Shui led his army through the sky, traversing at high speed.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of them, hovering in the air, holding a fishing rod with the line dangling below the white clouds.
The young man stared intently at the white clouds below, as if he were genuinely fishing.
But could one really catch fish by fishing like this?
Would it be more effective to go down to the ground?
What bad luck!
It's better to avoid trouble than to create it. Shi Shui ordered his men to change direction and take a detour.
Under his command, the convoy skirted around the youth.
However, after a moment, they saw the same young man still fishing ahead.
Shi Shui was furious. This was clearly targeting him!
If you don't show your true colors, you'll be treated as a sick cat. Shi Shui looked at Mo Qi and shouted fiercely, "Hey, who are you, and why are you deliberately fishing in our path?"
The young man turned his head and looked at him, then shushed him, "To correct you, I'm not fishing, I'm bird hunting. Who fishes in the sky? Are you stupid? Don't disturb me, or I won't let you off if you scare away my birds."
"Bird hunting? Hunting birds this high up? Are you stupid?" Shi Shui retorted, unwilling to be outdone.
"Is it any of your business?" Mo Qi shot back.
"If you weren't blocking my path, I wouldn't care. But you are blocking my path, so... either leave, or die," Shi Shui said, looking at Mo Qi coldly.
"Such big talk. Then let me ask, who are you, and where are you going?" Mo Qi raised an eyebrow and asked.
"We are the army of the Chengye Kingdom, going to war. If you don't move, we'll fight you," Shi Shui said.
"Oh, so it seems I am indeed blocking your path. My name is Ye Yun," Mo Qi said.
Many soldiers instinctively took a step back.
He was Ye Yun? He dared to come alone to meet the enemy. What kind of courage and cultivation did it take to be so unrestrained?
Shi Shui was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, "This is good too, it saves us a lot of effort."
Mo Qi put away his fishing rod and flicked his sleeve in the air.
Shi Shui quickly held his breath and then shouted behind him, "Hold your breath, everyone! He's skilled in poison."
The soldiers behind him immediately held their breath and retreated rapidly.
Shi Shui shouted, "Those who retreat will be executed!"
The soldiers barely managed to hold their ground.
Mo Qi then tidied his hair and laughed, "Don't be so nervous, I haven't poisoned anything."
Shi Shui still didn't believe him, continuing to hold his breath while preparing hand seals, ready to fight Mo Qi to the death.
However, Mo Qi merely flashed his Azure Lotus Fire, and then he vanished!
The remaining soldiers and generals were all stunned, unsure of what to do.
At this moment, the sky suddenly lit up, or rather, with a fiery red glow.
That fiery red was as if lava was flowing in the sky, about to drip down at any moment.
The entire world instantly became a "furnace."
People panicked, forgetting about fighting enemies, and fled in all directions. They instinctively descended to the ground, thinking that staying away from the flames would prevent them from being burned.
However, upon reaching the ground, it was still scorching hot and blazing.
The heat caused their entire bodies to emit smoke, and their muscles felt as if they were being cooked.
People were scratching their ears and cheeks, and dancing wildly from the heat.
At this point, they no longer cared about their appearance or dignity. Clothes, shoes, and socks were naturally shed.
But after taking them off, there seemed to be no change; it was still extremely hot.
Mo Qi also landed on the ground, feeling unable to breathe. He forced himself to take a breath, which was filled with the smell of fire, burning his internal organs.
Looking up, he saw several figures moving within the fiery red expanse.
The sound of explosions was incessant.
Mo Qi instantly understood. This was a battle between several unknown great deities. This was what they meant by "when gods fight, mortals suffer."
And the people in the sky were not merely gods; they were likely rulers in any world.
But by fighting like this, they completely disregarded the feelings of the common people!
At this moment, the trees and houses on the ground began to burn, from near to far.
People struggled and flailed in the sea of fire, a scene of desolation. Many perished in the flames, while the survivors, though alive, endured suffering more painful than death with every passing moment.
After a moment, just as people could no longer bear the torment, the blazing and fiery red vanished instantly.
The suffering was finally over! People rejoiced immensely.
Just as people were cheering and jumping for joy, the sky suddenly changed. A fierce wind arose, carrying with it ice shards and snowflakes, chilling to the bone.
Visible cold air permeated the atmosphere.
The ground was instantly covered with a thick layer of ice, which continuously spread outwards. People huddled together from the cold. Those who had shed their clothes earlier desperately searched for any clothes, not caring whose they were, and put them on.
Some even wore multiple layers of clothes from different people, yet they still couldn't resist the pervasive chill.
Those who couldn't grab any clothes began to go mad, tearing and fighting with those who had clothes.
At this point, no divine abilities or techniques could be used; it was a primitive form of fighting, tearing and biting each other.
Mo Qi initially dodged various attacks and applied defensive techniques, but they were all useless.
Later, he had no choice but to set up a formation, as if creating a world of his own.
The entire world was exceptionally peaceful, free from suffering, heat, or cold.
Seeing this, others became extremely envious, like frenzied beasts, howling as they charged towards Mo Qi's formation.
The formation roared loudly, constantly being squeezed and deformed, almost breaking.
Mo Qi, within the formation, looked at the people around him like wolves and tigers, their eyes red, baring their teeth and claws, emitting beast-like growls from their throats, their ferocious faces no different from beasts.
A chill ran down Mo Qi's spine. He could foresee that if this formation broke, those people would swarm him and tear him to shreds. The thought alone was terrifying.
He could only channel his spiritual power to maintain the formation as best he could.
However, it was extremely difficult to maintain a formation while being inside it.
Seeing the formation creaking and on the verge of shattering, with cracks appearing in several places, Mo Qi began to feel anxious.
But at this moment, he had already prepared poison. Once the formation broke, he would release the poison.
His only concern was that the poison might take some time to take effect.
Before that, could he withstand their tearing?
At this moment, suddenly, the snowfall stopped, and the cold air also abruptly disappeared.
People also stopped attacking the formation.
But the sky was still unsettled. A fireball would fall, then a fragment of a magical artifact.
People covered their heads and fled in all directions, scrambling about.
Mo Qi emerged from the formation and looked up. He saw a graceful figure drifting down from the sky.
Judging by her disheveled appearance, she seemed to have been defeated or killed, falling downwards.
"It's finally over," the survivors said with great relief. Without further thought, they just wanted to quickly leave this troublesome place.
Mo Qi had the same idea and prepared to leave.
At this moment, Zhu Yan's voice suddenly sounded, "Go and see if she's dead. I think she's a beauty."
Mo Qi felt that his own life was more important now. What did he care if she was beautiful or not?
"What does it have to do with me? I have important matters to attend to," Mo Qi said impatiently.
His intuition told him that Zhu Yan seemed very concerned about the woman's life or death. Could it be that she knew her?
It didn't matter!
Zhu Yan said, "Go and take a look. Perhaps she can be my resurrected body."
Really? Was that what she truly thought?
It didn't seem like it!
At this moment, several figures descended from the sky. Judging by their falling direction, they were all heading towards the direction where the previous woman had fallen.
"They are looking for her," Mo Qi said, shaking his head. "I'd better leave to avoid drawing trouble upon myself."
Zhu Yan was so anxious she was about to cry, "So, you should go save her, otherwise she will die."
"Why should I save her? We are strangers, and it's possible that I won't be able to save her and will get myself into trouble. Forget it, I'm not going. I'm going to do my own thing."
"It's alright, I will protect you."
"I'm not going."
"I promise you, if you go save her, I will do anything for you."
Mo Qi thought for a moment and said, "If you know her, just say so, and perhaps I'll consider it."
"I'm not sure. It's too far, I can't see clearly. I just saw her clothing and thought she might be from my hometown."
Mo Qi followed the direction where the woman had fallen. After walking not far, Zhu Yan said, "No, it's not this direction. Turn right."
Mo Qi felt inexplicably confused, "I clearly saw her fall from this direction, and others are also pursuing in this direction."
Zhu Yan said resolutely, "Trust me, my judgment is not wrong. Besides, for you, if you go the wrong way, at worst you won't save her, and there's no loss."