The mountain was very regular, not like something naturally formed, but rather as if it had been carved out by human hands.
A talisman was affixed to the summit, as if suppressing some monstrous beast.
In fact, when Mo Qi had floated up from the mountainside earlier, at one moment, he had caught a glimpse of a person sealed within the mountain body. It was an old man, with white hair and a white beard.
He had thought it was an illusion at the time, as it was only a fleeting glance. He continued to ascend, and then he didn't see it anymore.
And now, he saw a skylight at the mountain's peak. Looking down from the skylight, there was indeed an old man with white hair and a white beard, his eyes half-closed, sitting in a cross-legged position.
Shui Bing was very shocked, gazing at the skylight. "There's someone down there!"
How dramatic, as if no one else had seen it.
At this moment, the old man seemed to sense someone looking at him and suddenly opened his eyes.
However, there was no ripple in his eyes. He merely swept a glance at the two of them before closing his eyes again.
"Who are you?" Mo Qi transmitted his voice.
There was a barrier inside. Without transmitting his voice, the old man wouldn't have heard him.
"Me? You don't recognize me, and I don't recognize myself," the old man said, opening his eyes.
He hadn't transmitted his voice, so both Mo Qi and Shui Bing heard this.
"You are a turtle," Shui Bing said.
"Don't talk nonsense," Mo Qi glared at her.
Shui Bing stuck out her tongue and fell silent.
The old man, however, showed a look of surprise, gazing at Shui Bing. "How did you know?"
He actually believed it. Mo Qi felt speechless.
However, Shui Bing said, "Because I've seen you before! But I can't remember where."
The old man looked at her intently for a few moments, a knowing expression appearing on his face. "I, however, know your origins. Years ago, you two sisters fought fiercely in the Silver River Heavenly Palace and were punished by being sent down to the mortal realm, transformed into twin flowers. I felt it was quite a pity. As for what happened to you afterward, I don't know. Are you the elder sister or the younger? Never mind, it's not important."
Shui Bing also looked at the old man and said, "You grew up in the River Palace, accompanying the River Soul as a turtle. Later, unwilling to be restrained, you rebelled against the River Palace, with the determination to conquer the world. You challenged and defeated countless opponents, and were finally defeated by Hongjun. We all thought you were dead, but we never expected you to be imprisoned."
"Alas, what 'challenged the world'? These accounts were distorted by the victors. I was tricked by Hongjun to come here, and then sealed."
These two were actually striking up a conversation, like old acquaintances. What did that make him? A junior?
Mo Qi felt a bit awkward.
"Then how did he deceive you?" Shui Bing asked with great interest.
"He said there was an old demon here, causing endless trouble and that no one could deal with it, but perhaps I could. As soon as I heard this, I was like a rooster injected with blood and immediately came. As it turned out, the old demon had already been killed, and I was sealed by him."
"So... do you have a grudge against him?"
"What grudge could I possibly have with him? It's just because I knew his secret. The old demon told me. He said that Hongjun was raising giant ant people in a certain star world, with the intention of dealing with the demons and preventing their infinite expansion."
"Raising giant ant people isn't a big deal. Demons are so overbearing; it's true that some effort is needed to deal with them," Mo Qi interjected.
"Yes," the Turtle Immortal stood up. "I think so too. But he seemed afraid that I would reveal it, so he sealed me. There must be something shady going on here."
What was Hongjun up to? Mo Qi also vaguely felt that there might be something fishy going on.
But no matter what, Hongjun definitely owed him a life-and-death debt.
At this moment, the Turtle Immortal saw Mo Qi lost in thought, and Shui Bing looking a bit at a loss. He smiled and said to Shui Bing, "Our meeting is fate. Since we are so fated, why don't you do a good deed? Tear off that talisman, and I can get out."
Shui Bing looked at Mo Qi, her expression questioning.
Mo Qi shook his head. "If you're asking for my opinion, my opinion is not to save him."
"Then we won't save him," Shui Bing said decisively.
The Turtle Immortal wilted. "How can you be so cold-blooded?"
Mo Qi ignored him, sat down cross-legged, and began to concentrate and circulate his energy, slowly absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy.
Shui Bing also sat down and began to cultivate her mind.
No matter how much the Turtle Immortal shouted from below, it was useless.
Then the Turtle Immortal started cursing from below. After a round of cursing, no one paid attention. He then began to reason.
"If you don't let me out, you won't be able to get out either. Actually, it's quite good for all of us to wait here to die. At least I'll have company, and I won't be so lonely anymore."
"One benefit is that your cultivation can continuously improve, and there is inexhaustible spiritual energy around for you to absorb. However, it is a bit boring."
Mo Qi suddenly opened his eyes. "Do you have a way out?"
The Turtle Immortal stroked his beard. "My strength can rival Hongjun's. I can come and go freely in any space."
"Then why were you sealed here?"
"...Uh, don't mind the details. Anyway, I just have a way."
"Anyway, I think you're just bragging," Mo Qi said with a smile. "Actually, I'm not bored at all. I have a beauty by my side, so why would I be willing to leave?"
As he spoke, Mo Qi reached out and grabbed Shui Bing's hand.
Shui Bing's eyes suddenly opened, and cold light shot out. "Let go!"
Mo Qi was startled and quickly let go of her hand.
He even averted his eyes, not daring to meet hers.
Then he looked up at her in surprise. "Shui Han?"
"Are you calling me that for fun?" Shui Han said coldly.
The Turtle Immortal chuckled. "Twin flowers, I didn't expect them to still be one even after transforming into humans."
Mo Qi shook his head. "No, they weren't like this before."
"Perhaps this is the punishment they deserve," the Turtle Immortal said thoughtfully.
Shui Han seemed to recall something, but was unsure. She looked at Mo Qi. "Did you see my sister?"
Mo Qi pointed at her. "She's here."
Shui Han was stunned!
"So, when I don't appear, she appears?" Shui Han asked after a long while.
"Something like that," Mo Qi smiled.
Then, he foolishly took Shui Han's hand again. "Let's not talk about these things. It's been a long time since we last met, let's catch up properly."
"Catching up is fine, but don't be so handsy," Shui Han said indignantly, shaking off his hand.
"Look at where we are," Mo Qi turned to look around.
Shui Han followed his gaze and looked around, her expression blank. "Where is this place?"
"A tomb," Mo Qi slumped down dejectedly, his face ashen.
Shui Han looked around again, walked towards the edge of the mountain, and felt the biting wind. She immediately walked back inside.
She sat down beside Mo Qi again, lost in thought.
Mo Qi picked up a dagger and was about to slit his own throat. "There's no point in living anymore."
Shui Han immediately went to snatch the dagger from his hand, but he grabbed her hand instead. "Why are you being so handsy?"
Shui Han's face turned red. "You scoundrel!"
The Turtle Immortal below felt a bit overwhelmed and couldn't help but shake his head. "Hey, be mindful of your influence. There's still someone here."
"Actually, it's not a dead end yet. If I show you the way, you can get out."
Mo Qi said nonchalantly, "Then show me the way. If it's reliable, I'll help you break the seal."
The Turtle Immortal shook his head. "I don't trust you. If I show you the way, you'll just leave, and who will I complain to?"
Mo Qi snorted coldly. "I don't trust you either. If I help you break the seal, and you can get out yourself, what about us with our weak cultivation? Or perhaps you need to devour us to get out. You'd definitely eat us without hesitation."
The Turtle Immortal sighed helplessly. "Your imagination is quite vivid. Forget it, I'm afraid of you. I'll tell you first. This star world was originally connected to the Tree World, and the spiritual energy originally flowed back to the Tree World. Hongjun sealed that entrance, which is why the spiritual energy here is inexhaustibly abundant. You just need to..."
"I just need to find and break that entrance, and the spiritual energy will flow away, and this place will no longer have the terrifying spiritual energy flow," Mo Qi said, his eyes gleaming.
The Turtle Immortal nodded. "That's right, you're very smart, you understand at a touch. However, without my guidance, it will still be difficult for you to find that entrance."
Mo Qi smiled. "Since you want to say it, let's say it all together."
"I won't say it."
"You'll feel bad if you don't say it."
"Alas, it's directly in front of you, about a hundred zhang away," the Turtle Immortal said helplessly.
Mo Qi felt that he wasn't lying, so he stepped forward and tore off the talisman.
He was now quite certain that this Turtle Immortal had no ill intentions. The reason for his various words was simply to gauge his reaction.
Moreover, if someone shows you the way and helps you, how could you be heartless and ignore their difficulties?
The Turtle Immortal was still a bit incredulous. "You actually tore it?"
"As you can see," Mo Qi said.
"Good, you two go first. I need to recover a bit, and then I'll go out and seek revenge on Hongjun," the Turtle Immortal's voice was excited, yet he feigned calmness.
"Alright, then we'll be going," Mo Qi reopened a space, wrapped himself and Shui Han within it, and then pushed the space away from the mountaintop, moving forward.
A hundred zhang was not far, but under the powerful spiritual energy currents, it was difficult to maintain a single direction.
Mo Qi exerted all his strength to adjust, ensuring that the space was not blown away. Finally, with great difficulty, he reached a hundred zhang away.
Indeed, he saw a mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a stone door, a sealed stone door.
Mo Qi did not hesitate. He summoned the Wuzui Spear and struck it.
At this moment, on the ground, Yu Chushi had pushed Chang Yunin and Chang Xunhuan out and tied them to the plaza, preparing to execute them.
Chang Yunin and Chang Xunhuan looked dejected, never expecting to meet their end.
Yu Chushi was very satisfied. When he first heard the thunderous sounds from the secret realm, he thought Mo Qi would come over. He had worried for a while, but after a moment, when there was no more movement, he felt at ease.