The Demon King’s body instantly transformed into a streak of light, darting through the air at extreme speed to meet the giant hand.
As the Demon King’s body approached, Jie Yin sensed the sharpness of the spiritual energy. After a brief assessment, he knew he couldn’t block it. His giant palm might be pierced, and subsequently, his own body as well.
Jie Yin immediately changed his strategy. The giant hand rapidly shrank, and a whisk suddenly appeared in his hand. He swept it towards the Demon King.
The Demon King’s expression remained unchanged. His figure flickered, appearing and disappearing, its movements elusive.
Jie Yin’s whisk missed.
Jie Yin was greatly alarmed. He retreated rapidly, pushing his divine sense to its limit. With his eyes on his nose, nose on his heart, and heart on the dust, he suddenly felt the Demon King’s form and unleashed a palm strike.
“Boom!”
Jie Yin and the Demon King clashed palms squarely. Light and energy shattered, spraying outwards in all directions. Both figures were sent flying backward. Jie Yin tumbled through the air like a fallen leaf, drifting a great distance before crashing to the ground.
The Demon King, however, reverted to just two eyes, blinked twice, and then departed.
After consuming the Immortal Slaying Flying Blade and three of the twelve Grade Lotus Platforms, the Demon King’s strength had greatly increased, making him evenly matched with Jie Yin.
If his body hadn’t suddenly vanished, causing him to lose heart, he would have continued to battle Jie Yin.
Jie Yin had not fared any better. He was heavily injured and lay on the ground in a sorry state, unable to rise for a long time.
Mo Qi seized the opportunity to press his advantage, launching the twenty-four Sea Calming Divine Pearls one after another towards Jie Yin.
If he hadn’t been injured, Jie Yin would not have paid any attention to these Sea Calming Divine Pearls.
But now, he was wounded, his Treasure Banner had sustained damage, his prayer beads had been taken by Mo Qi, and the twelve Grade Lotus Platform lay to the side. He was truly in a sorry predicament.
However, his skill and courage were still formidable. He reached out again to grab them. His giant hand swelled, reaching for the Sea Calming Divine Pearls.
With a series of “bang, bang, bang” sounds, the first few Sea Calming Divine Pearls forced Jie Yin to retreat repeatedly. His giant hand gradually returned to its original form.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi seized the chance to run towards the twelve Grade Lotus Platform.
He intended to claim this treasure for himself!
Jie Yin saw through his intentions and could not let him succeed. He immediately flew swiftly, also rushing towards the nine Grade Lotus Platform.
Unexpectedly, Mo Qi was merely feigning. He immediately unleashed the remaining Sea Calming Divine Pearls, hurling them at Jie Yin and the nine Grade Lotus Platform.
To protect the nine Grade Lotus Platform, Jie Yin took several Sea Calming Divine Pearls head-on. The spiritual energy within him churned, and his body felt as though it was about to fall apart.
He had no strength left to fight!
Jie Yin knew he couldn’t take Long Qi today. He boarded the nine Grade Lotus Platform and fled shamefully.
Mo Qi did not pursue. He knew that once Jie Yin boarded the nine Grade Lotus Platform, he would be gone in an instant, and it would be impossible to catch him.
Long Qi looked in the direction Jie Yin had fled with lingering fear, still finding it hard to believe. “He’s gone?”
Mo Qi gently stroked her head, her hair soft. “Don’t worry, he’s gone!”
Only then did Long Qi manage to calm her nerves. She looked at Mo Qi, her eyes filled with immense gratitude.
“Perhaps I should take you back first,” Mo Qi said softly, looking into her eyes, which were like black gems.
He was worried that Jie Yin might return. Jie Yin had been dealt a heavy blow to his eyes just now, and Mo Qi had capitalized on the advantage to drive him away. But if he came back, it would be much harder to deal with.
He didn’t want to stand by and watch her be taken away.
Although the heavens and earth were within Jie Yin’s sphere of influence, in the sea, the Dragon Clan had a natural advantage, at least possessing the possibility of confronting him. But on land, there was no such possibility.
“We agreed to go to Youhun Pass. How can we change our plans now? Besides, even if I wanted to go back, I wouldn’t let you escort me. I’m old enough to walk by myself, aren’t I?” Long Qi said.
Mo Qi couldn’t refuse her and thus took her towards Youhun Pass.
Youhun Pass was a necessary checkpoint on the Great Zhou’s eastward advance. Its geographical location was strategic and it was easy to find.
Logically, as the Great Zhou army drew closer to the capital, all checkpoints should have been increasingly tense. However, there was no hint of tension within Youhun Pass.
Instead, a festive atmosphere permeated the air. Lanterns and colorful banners were everywhere, exuding joy.
Mo Qi and Long Qi easily infiltrated the pass.
Within the pass, only a few high-ranking guards were cultivators, and they were all below the Minor Ascension stage. Therefore, Mo Qi, being a "master," felt confident he could take Shen Lianyun and Kan Qinglei away without any resistance.
Everything went smoothly. Long Qi and Mo Qi easily found the two men.
They were drinking together, chatting and laughing, completely lacking the vigilance and tension expected of spies.
When Mo Qi and Long Qi appeared before them, they were greatly surprised. They had never expected that after so many years, people from the Southern Continent would still remember them and be trying to rescue them from this "pit of fire."
The two men first marveled at how quickly Mo Qi had aged, his hair having turned white in just over a decade.
Then, they warmly invited the two to join them for drinks, without asking the reason for their visit.
Mo Qi also felt tired from walking and decided it was a good time to sit down for a few drinks.
While drinking, he explained their purpose.
The attitude of the two men greatly exceeded Mo Qi’s expectations. Shen Lianyun repeatedly shook his head and said, “We’re not leaving.”
Long Qi said, “You were crying and begging back then, weren’t you saying you wanted to end this life of constant espionage, darkness, and wandering?”
Kan Qinglei laughed, “That’s right. It’s all about to end.”
Long Qi was confused, but Mo Qi had a flash of insight and suddenly thought of something. “Are you referring to the fact that the Great Zhou army will arrive here soon, and then you can simply lie down and await death to be immortalized?”
Shen Lianyun laughed heartily, “Yes, we’re all thinking the same thing. Brother Mo, it’s better to arrive early than never. You’ve come at just the right time. Join us in facing death together and ascending to godhood.”
Mo Qi’s mouth twitched. ‘Ascend to godhood my foot.’
“Are there that many divine positions?” Long Qi asked curiously.
“That’s simple,” Shen Lianyun snorted. “We just expand the divine positions. Then, we can include the guardianship of mountains, rivers, lakes, seas, and every nook and cranny, as well as the trivial matters of mortals’ daily lives. We can have as many divine positions as we want.”
“I heard that this time, many malevolent gods are being added, such as the God of Plague, the God of Misfortune, the God of Ill Luck…” Kan Qinglei added.
Mo Qi almost choked. “Malevolent gods? Are malevolent gods still called gods? They might as well be called demons.”
At this moment, the Fire Demon jumped out, hands on its hips, and said, “Please call me the God of Fire.”
Mo Qi directly shoved him aside. “Get lost. When it comes to fighting, you’re the fastest to hide, and when it comes to bragging, you’re the best.”
Shen Lianyun and Kan Qinglei stared at the Fire Demon, their eyes wide. “Brother Mo, I didn’t expect you to raise such a powerful demonic creature. You must be at the Human Immortal cultivation level now, right?”
Mo Qi almost choked on his own saliva. “Yes, I’ve just broken through to the Human Immortal cultivation level.”
The Fire Demon began to circle the room. “Tell me where the enemy is! Isn’t it just a fight? Who am I afraid of?”
Mo Qi rolled his eyes. “The enemy was scared away by your shamelessness long ago.”
Long Qi, at an inopportune moment, raised her question. “If you’re all waiting to die, then who will defend the pass for King Yin?”
Shen Lianyun and Kan Qinglei immediately blushed.
After thinking for a long time, Shen Lianyun mumbled, “We are spies!”
Do spies qualify for deification?
Seeing Long Qi’s mouth open, as if about to ask that question, Kan Qinglei laughed heartily and interjected, “You two are really together now? I find that quite regrettable.”
Regrettable? Everyone looked at him with astonished eyes. What kind of thing is he saying?
Kan Qinglei said nonchalantly, “Don’t you think so? Your kiss back then was so earth-shattering. If Brother Mo couldn’t find you no matter how hard he searched, it would have been a perfect tragic love story. Now that you’re reunited, I actually feel a sense of regret.”
‘Truly perverted!’
Everyone cursed him in their hearts.
“You’re just jealous of us,” Long Qi said, blushing.
Mo Qi chuckled. “You’re too immersed in the role. But the story you want, I can’t give you, because I want life.”
As he spoke, he pulled Long Qi, who was beside him, closer and kissed her.
Long Qi struggled slightly, and he let go of her.
Then she lightly punched him and pouted, “Life isn’t meant to be lived just for others to see.”
Shen Lianyun and Kan Qinglei stared, their eyes glazed over. They drank several large bowls of wine, yet their thirst was not quenched.
Mo Qi looked at Long Qi, a captivating smile on his face. “Occasionally, let others see it, let them envy us.”
Shen Lianyun and Kan Qinglei felt a blow to their hearts, almost dying on the spot.
Long Qi, however, was captivated by Mo Qi’s smile, lost in a daze.
It was an expression that transcended worldly affairs, a transmission of emotion that disregarded all things in the world. In that instant, it felt like an eternity.
Shen Lianyun no longer wanted to be force-fed dog food. He immediately returned to the previous topic, feeling that this topic was perhaps far less damaging to him.
“Actually, King Yin is quite pitiful. In the end, it seems he was fighting everyone alone,” Shen Lianyun sighed.
Mo Qi also became interested. “Is he truly so wicked? I heard he was incompetent, extravagant, capricious, disregarded human life, and waged incessant wars. I don’t know if it’s true.”
Kan Qinglei snorted, “Isn’t this the portrayal of every king? I don’t believe King Wu was any more benevolent. Benevolence is also something put on for others to see.”
Shen Lianyun took a large gulp of wine. “The terrifying thing is that King Yin couldn’t even be bothered to pretend. In the end, he reached a point where heaven was angered and people were resentful.”
King Yin’s reign could be divided into three stages. The first stage was his period of ambition and diligent governance. At that time, he had just ascended the throne and possessed great aspirations, attempting to achieve something. Thus, he opened up avenues for criticism and implemented benevolent policies, leading to a period of favorable weather and peace for the people. The second stage was his period of indulgence in wine and women, reveling in music day and night. At that time, he was intoxicated by power, acted arbitrarily, and reversed righteous policies, causing the people to suffer and incurring the wrath of heaven. The third stage was his period of sudden repentance. When the feudal lords rose up and pointed their swords towards the capital, King Yin finally felt abandoned by everyone. At this time, he also suddenly realized that the entire dynasty was too deeply entrenched in its problems, and it was impossible to revive it and make a comeback.