"Not all princesses and consorts have to rely on men," Zi Luo suddenly interjected after a long silence.
"You're an exception, alright? You can wipe out a whole family, so of course you're different," Mo Qi retorted without politeness.
"I..." Zi Luo's eyes reddened. She felt hurt but had no words to refute him.
Mo Qi suddenly considered a problem: if the pursuers caught up, his men would have to fight while also protecting that group of women. This would be incredibly difficult, so he needed to enable them to protect themselves, thereby reducing the pressure on his own small group.
Thus, he asked, "Among you, who has cultivation? Please step forward."
As a result, everyone stepped forward!
In this vein world (the branches connecting to the leaves are called vein worlds), basically everyone cultivates, but the gaps are vast. Some have Foundation Establishment cultivation, while others have Golden Saint cultivation.
Mo Qi then asked those below the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm to step back, and they all did.
Mo Qi broke out in a sweat.
As they walked, Mo Qi suddenly felt a powerful aura pressing down on him from all sides.
Not good, the pursuers had arrived!
Since they had already been discovered, there was no point in trying to hide deliberately.
Mo Qi turned to Zi Luo and said, "The pursuers are here. You lead everyone and keep running forward. I'll cover the rear."
Zi Luo acknowledged him and then led everyone to flee forward.
Mo Qi, however, ascended into the air, waiting for the pursuers.
Before long, streaks of light flashed across the sky as a large contingent of people arrived on clouds.
The leader, clad in white armor, was heroic and imposing, his gaze sharp.
He looked at Mo Qi and asked, "Are you Mo Qi?"
Mo Qi lazily replied, "Indeed. What guidance do you seek?"
"Guidance is too much to ask. I'd like to inquire if you were the one who took those princesses and consorts?" the man in white armor, Zhang Chengshi, said.
"It wasn't me."
"If not you, then who?"
"How should I know?"
"If it wasn't you, then why are you waiting for us here?"
"Who's waiting for you? I got tired from walking and decided to rest, is that not allowed?"
"It is allowed." Zhang Chengshi was furious but couldn't act on it. After all, finding the princesses and consorts was his primary mission.
He turned to his deputy general, Yun Tianchi, and said, "You take a team and continue the pursuit. I will deal with him."
Yun Tianchi accepted the order and led a team, attempting to flank Mo Qi.
Zhang Chengshi, with another group, advanced slowly, forming a standoff with Mo Qi.
Mo Qi smiled, "What is it? Do you still believe I took some princesses or consorts?"
Zhang Chengshi also smiled, "It doesn't matter anymore. In a little while, you will be a dead man."
"Are you so sure?"
"Of course. With so many of us, each of us spitting would drown you," Zhang Chengshi said.
"But why? I haven't provoked you."
"You're blocking our way."
"I'll let you pass."
"Fall down and let us pass!"
"You're going too far! Then there's nothing more to say. Either you fall, or I fall."
"That's precisely the point," Zhang Chengshi said with a solemn expression.
As he spoke, Zhang Chengshi formed a hand seal and then landed on the ground, supporting himself with his hands.
The heavens and earth changed color, and the wind and clouds churned violently!
With a series of creaking sounds, a crack appeared in the ground, and it continued to widen.
Mo Qi watched, understanding that Zhang Chengshi was summoning some divine beast or the like.
So, Mo Qi also landed on the ground, supporting himself with his hands. The originally turbulent clouds churned even more violently, forming a massive vortex.
Within the vortex, lightning flickered, like the eyes of a demon, blinking on and off.
Everyone was terrified. "What's happening? Is something terrifying about to appear?"
"Yes, I see it. I see the deepest fear ever."
At this moment, the cracks in the ground grew wider. With a roar, as if from the depths of hell, came the enraged cry of a ghost that had been hidden for ten thousand years.
Many were shaken!
People scrambled to avoid it. "Get away! That's General Zhang's summoned beast, the Shi Huan. It's incredibly terrifying. Just a touch of its skin means death."
Immediately after, the roars continued one after another, and a colossal figure finally squeezed out from the ground fissure.
As its head emerged, it scraped against the scalp, causing blood to gush forth!
The Shi Huan was enraged and roared incessantly, howling at the sky.
Zhang Chengshi pointed at Mo Qi and said, "Destroy him for me."
The Shi Huan had round ears and a pointed snout. Its feet were large, like palm-leaf fans. It glanced at Zhang Chengshi and slapped him, turning him into a pulp of meat.
"You summoned me!"
"You summoned me, and on top of that, you injured me. You're truly seeking death!"
Zhang Chengshi never dreamed he would be killed by the beast he summoned!
Everyone around was stunned!
This... is too cliché!
Many people involuntarily knelt on the ground, bowing repeatedly to the beast. "It has nothing to do with me. The wronged will find their own retribution. You've had your revenge, now it's time to get back to business, right?"
The Shi Huan was very intelligent. It thought for a moment and realized it was indeed time to get back to business!
It then turned its head, roared at the sky, and howled upwards.
The sinister look in its eyes, the bloodiness in its mouth, spread infinitely.
At this moment, clouds swirled and parted in the sky, and the wind and clouds churned. First, two enormous claws appeared, spanning the horizon.
Then came the abdomen and the sharp beak!
A bloody aura permeated the air.
The Shi Huan charged forward without hesitation. It could tell that once the Snow Eagle emerged from the clouds, it would be difficult to deal with.
Therefore, it decided to strike first!
It lunged towards the Snow Beast's abdomen. If it could just ram it hard with its head, it would tear its insides apart, and it would die.
The soldiers below cheered.
In their eyes, the Shi Huan's strategy was successful.
This blow was bound to be foolproof, bound to be a great success.
However, amidst their cheers, the Snow Beast's two claws suddenly extended, slashing violently at the Shi Huan's body a few times. With a few tearing sounds, the Shi Huan's body was ripped into pieces and fell to the ground.
Before the people's laughter had even stopped, the Shi Huan was gone, inexplicably gone.
The clouds also ceased their churning and gradually dissipated. The exposed claws and other parts retracted, and the sky quickly returned to its previous calm.
What happened?
People felt bewildered. Why had they been laughing just now?
What were they laughing about?
It was truly inexplicable.
The Shi Huan was gone, so why were they still laughing?
Meanwhile, those soldiers who had bypassed Mo Qi and were continuing their pursuit discovered a problem: no matter how they moved, they seemed to be going in circles.
This was because Mo Qi was always to their side. With a turn of their heads, they could see him. After walking a bit further, they would turn their heads and see him again.
People were extremely shocked!
They attempted to attack Mo Qi, but all their attacks were reflected back, injuring themselves.
What kind of sorcery was this?
Filled with shock and fear, they retreated one after another.
The others who had been confronting Mo Qi, seeing their commander inexplicably dead, became somewhat agitated.
Deputy General Pan Bao attempted to stabilize the situation, shouting, "No retreat! Those who disobey will be executed. With so many of us, are we afraid of just one person..."
Before he could finish, Mo Qi sent an arrow of energy, which silently struck his chest. He let out no sound, falling to the ground dead.
The others hadn't even realized what had happened when Mo Qi unleashed several more "Nine Heavens Divine Arrows" into the crowd. For a moment, chaotic energy flashed, sand and stones flew, flesh and blood splattered, and screams were endless.
The once orderly formation quickly dissolved.
People scattered in all directions, covering their heads, fleeing in disarray.
Mo Qi then unfurled his body and went to chase after Zi Luo and her group.
After flying for a short distance, he saw chaotic energy flashing ahead and heard continuous sounds of fighting.
As expected, Zi Luo's group had been intercepted!
However, he didn't know where this wave of people came from.
Upon closer inspection, he saw that the people were dressed ruggedly, and their speech was frivolous and coarse.
A large bearded man was sparring with Zi Luo. The bearded man's eyes were dry and lecherous. "Beauty, we're not going to do anything. Why the need for violence? You're all so beautiful, just accompany us for a while. Any one of you will do."
Others chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. Any one of you will do. My eyes are already dazzled. Where did you come from? Don't tell me the palace is on holiday?"
The others also pounced like wolves and tigers. Sun Qian, Xiao Yi, Yu Quanlin, and Dou Wu each engaged an enemy. A few from the harem also jumped out to fight, while the rest huddled together, trembling.
It turned out to be a group of bandits!
The world was too chaotic. So many beauties traveling together was indeed troublesome!
He would have to think of a solution later!
But for now, he had to resolve the immediate problem.
At this moment, Zi Luo was fighting the bearded man, appearing to be handling him with ease.
The bearded man used a bucket-shaped magical artifact, which he raised into the air. A waterfall of white energy poured down like a torrent, churning the seas and rivers as it surged forward, striking at Zi Luo.
Zi Luo's slender jade hand made a gesture in the air, and immediately a ball of energy appeared, shaped like a flower. As it spun rapidly, streaks of flower shadows erupted, like a flower suddenly unfurling, striking at the bearded man. The fragrance of flowers filled the air, and the powerful energy was sharp. The corrosive force within it spread forward, quickly tearing apart the white energy.
The flower shadows continued forward, spinning like a meat grinder in motion, pushing an icy, bloodthirsty atmosphere forward.
The bearded man was greatly alarmed. He pushed his hand forward, and the bucket-shaped artifact, like a beast opening its bloody maw, lunged at Zi Luo.
Zi Luo's eyes were like torches. An invisible念力 (nian li - mental power/willpower) erupted, and the bucket-shaped artifact was suddenly torn in half from the middle. The space formed by the torn artifact became like a faint sword, suddenly lunging forward, tearing the bearded man in half. The bearded man let out a scream and collapsed on the ground.
At this moment, Mo Qi flew forward. The spatial power sensed him and suddenly condensed around him, forming a cone-shaped space around him, piercing through the bandits as it moved forward.
The bandits screamed and fell to the ground, annihilated in an instant.
Xiao Yi and the others, as they fought, found only air in front of them!
They were very surprised. With grateful eyes, they searched everywhere.
Mo Qi revealed himself, and Xiao Yi cheered, throwing herself into Mo Qi's embrace. "Big Brother, you're back."