Hongjun's spiritual power extended out, feeling like his fingers touching steel – so hard, so unyielding!
He knew that if he reached out to hook it, the outcome would be the same.
So he dared not try again.
A moment later, Hongjun coughed dryly, "You do have some cleverness. Fine, I won't try anymore. You win!"
Mo Qi deactivated the formation and retrieved the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.
Tai Bao Tianzun and Yu Bao Tianzun simultaneously exclaimed, "Master!"
Hongjun's expression darkened, "Be quiet. Do you want me to go back on my word?"
Ling Bao Tianzun chuckled, "Exactly. What kind of person do you think Master is? Master always keeps his word."
Unexpectedly, Hongjun secretly transmitted a message to Yu Bao Tianzun, "It's not convenient for me to appear. But you still can. You can use the excuse of reclaiming the magical treasures and the fortune tree to get the Investiture of the Gods back. You can even resort to any means necessary."
Yu Bao Tianzun was secretly delighted but maintained a calm expression.
"I will obey your command, Master!" Yu Bao Tianzun transmitted back.
Hongjun had no desire to linger. He sighed and glanced at Ling Bao Tianzun, "Let's go."
Ling Bao Tianzun pointed at Tai Bao Tianzun and Yu Bao Tianzun, "You two, don't bully my disciple while I'm away. You saw it yourself, Master let him go. Don't hold onto such a small matter. Elders should act like elders..."
Before he could finish, Hongjun forcibly pulled him away.
Yu Bao Tianzun and Tai Bao Tianzun exchanged glances, their minds in sync, a cruel glint appearing on their faces.
However, when they turned to look, the area was empty. Mo Qi's shadow was nowhere to be seen.
Although Mo Qi hadn't heard Hongjun's transmission, he anticipated that these two would not let him off so easily.
When Ling Bao Tianzun was still in the sect, these two had treated the disciples of the Shangqing Sect as they pleased, showing no regard for Ling Bao Tianzun. Now that Ling Bao Tianzun was captured, they were even more unrestrained.
Therefore, before Hongjun's figure completely disappeared, Mo Qi activated his Golden Light Shrinking Ground Technique and fled.
"Chase!" The two shouted in unison and flew away.
Mo Qi ran for a while, then looked back. It seemed he had shaken them off, so he slowed down.
Entering a forest, he suddenly remembered that he had captured three people in the Primordial Golden Cauldron. It wasn't feasible to keep them there indefinitely. Since they had no enmity with him, he couldn't kill them, so he released them.
Ci Hang Dao Ren, Pu Xian Zhen Ren, and Wen Shu Guang Fa Tianzun were all in a state of meditation, using it to resist the destructive power within the Primordial Golden Cauldron. All three were on the verge of fainting. If it had been any later, their powers might have been weakened, followed by their lives.
The three sat on the ground, recovering with all their might, not even opening their eyes.
Mo Qi also wanted to attend to them, but turned to leave.
At that moment, a flash of light appeared, and two figures blocked his path.
It was none other than Zhunti and Jie Yin.
Both of them had fierce brows and angry expressions, as if they were furious.
Zhunti said, "You took my Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree? Return it to me!"
Mo Qi looked at him calmly and said, "How could I return it to you? This item was given to me by someone else, not you."
Just as Zhunti was about to erupt, Jie Yin said, "Where is the Dragon girl who was with you? Was she taken by Nu Wa? I told you back then to let her come with me, that it was her fortune. You refused to believe me, and she ended up going astray! Everything is karma. What you sow is what you reap; it's not up to anyone else!"
These two, one came to reclaim his property, and the other came to save face.
Face could be given, but as for the item.
Mo Qi's mind raced as he contemplated a way to escape.
At an unguarded moment, he saw Jie Yin staring intently at Ci Hang Zhen Ren and the other three.
Judging by his gaze, he seemed to be guessing what Mo Qi was doing and how he planned to deal with the three.
Mo Qi had made up his mind. He lunged towards the three, simultaneously throwing a leaf from the fortune tree.
After a burst of white mist, Mo Qi's figure vanished from the spot.
Jie Yin anxiously looked at Ci Hang and the other three. To his relief, the three were unharmed.
Later, Jie Yin and Zhunti helped Ci Hang and the other three recover their cultivation and sincerely invited them to join the Western Teachings.
Unable to resist the indoctrination, the three eventually joined the Western Teachings and shone brightly in the Western world. This is a story for another time.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi returned to Biyou Palace. The Biyou Palace was now empty. Several clever disciples of the Shangqing Sect had arrived first.
Li Sanlang, Lei Zhenzi, and Tu Xingsun were ransacking the palace for magical treasures and cultivation resources when they were intercepted by Kong Xuan.
A battle ensued between Kong Xuan and the three. Although Kong Xuan could not transform into human form, his combat power was not weak. He occasionally unleashed his Five-Colored Divine Light, forcing Li Sanlang and the others to cope, making it impossible for them to advance further.
Li Sanlang revealed his three heads and eight arms, kicked up the Wind Fire Wheels, and wielded the Hun Tian Ling. He repeatedly charged into the Five-Colored Divine Light, causing considerable trouble for Kong Xuan.
Tu Xingsun used his Earth-Escape Technique, constantly shuttling up and down through the ground, dazzling everyone.
Lei Zhenzi attacked from the air with his Golden Hammer, launching continuous lightning strikes, making the sky and ground impenetrable.
Kong Xuan was almost forced to flee!
Just then, a voice descended from the sky, "You three are taking advantage of the Shangqing Sect's emptiness to plunder their wealth. How shameless!"
Upon hearing the voice, the three felt that something was amiss, and their expressions changed.
With a whoosh, the three fled in three different directions.
"I'll give you a fortune, sending you to the Investiture of the Gods." Mo Qi opened his Heavenly Eye and clearly saw Tu Xingsun's figure underground.
"Heavenly Bow, Earthly Arrow!" An arrow of light pierced the ground like a dragon entering the sea. With a muffled thud, it pierced Tu Xingsun's body.
Tu Xingsun grunted, and his soul went to the Investiture of the Gods platform!
Kong Xuan approached, chattering incessantly, almost to the point of tears.
Mo Qi comforted him for a long time and gave him some pills. He then went to the Innate Spiritual Treasure Ling Zhi, dug up the old root, and cut it in half. He kept one half and gave the other to Kong Xuan.
After consuming it, Kong Xuan felt the spiritual energy clashing within his body, and a drastic change occurred. He immediately found a quiet place to meditate.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi went to the treasure vault and packed all the magical treasures into storage bags for safekeeping.
Then, using a treasure bottle, he extracted the spiritual veins of a mountain range and stored them inside.
If the Shangqing Sect ever had a chance to rise again, these items would still be useful.
After he had properly dealt with all these useful resources, Kong Xuan had finished his cultivation.
To everyone's delight, Kong Xuan had regained his human form and his cultivation had advanced, reaching the mid-stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal.
Kong Xuan's gratitude towards Mo Qi was evident. When he was in his peacock form, he spoke without reservation, but now that he had regained his human form, he felt ashamed to utter many words.
After much deliberation, he said, "Big Brother, from now on, wherever you tell me to go, I will go. Whatever you tell me to do, I will do. I will go through fire and water without hesitation."
Mo Qi was thinking of rescuing Xue Ying first. He felt that taking Kong Xuan to the Demon Realm would be acceptable, as he had many friends there, and going to the Demon Realm would be like returning home.
But at this moment, a flash of light streaked across the sky, and Yu Bao Tianzun descended from the heavens, landing before the two.
"Mo Qi, hand over the Investiture of the Gods," Yu Bao Tianzun said.
Mo Qi sighed, "How can you not keep your word? Your Master clearly stated that the Investiture of the Gods would be under my control from now on, and I could enshrine whomever I pleased."
Yu Bao Tianzun chuckled, "That's what my Master said, not me. Besides, you caused chaos and made a mess in my Yuqing Sect. Do you think I would stop here? I will take back everything you took from the Yuqing Sect, and I will also take back the Investiture of the Gods!"
Kong Xuan, not knowing his limits, prepared to charge at him but was stopped by Mo Qi, who quietly stuffed a few leaves into his hand, "Don't get into a protracted fight. Just throw a leaf and you can escape."
Kong Xuan was a little unconvinced, but he was now obedient to Mo Qi's commands. Upon hearing this, he clutched the leaves tightly. At the same time, he formed a hand seal, and five-colored light erupted from behind him, striking towards Yu Bao Tianzun.
Yu Bao Tianzun snorted, "Showing off in front of an expert!" He raised his hand, and a Zhuxian Sword appeared in his hand. With a casual sweep of the sword in the air, a vortex suddenly appeared, spinning rapidly and absorbing all the five-colored divine light into itself, making it disappear.
"Oh? So strong?" Kong Xuan gasped and threw a leaf from his hand.
After a burst of white mist, Kong Xuan's figure vanished.
Mo Qi shook his head, "I told you to escape, not to escape so quickly!"
At this moment, Yu Bao Tianzun, fearing that Mo Qi would escape again using the fortune tree leaves, began to brandish the Zhuxian Sword. His figure flickered, creating a trail of light and shadow as he swept towards Mo Qi.
Mo Qi was quickly engulfed by the sword light. With no other choice, he had to summon the Xuanyuan Sword and unleash the Celestial Flying Immortal Swordplay to resist.
After just one exchange, Mo Qi's figure was ejected from the light.
Before landing, Mo Qi threw a Ding Hai Shen Zhu towards Yu Bao Tianzun.
The Ding Hai Shen Zhu emitted a brilliant radiance, instantly filling the entire space.
Yu Bao Tianzun advanced instead of retreating. Wielding the Zhuxian Sword, he slashed through the air, and the light energy shattered with a roar, falling into the air in pieces.
As the fragments struck him, Yu Bao Tianzun had to wield his sword to parry them. The sound of clanging continued incessantly as the light energy fragments turned into dust and dissipated.
After shattering all the light energy, the Ding Hai Zhu finally struck him head-on. Yu Bao Tianzun tried to stab it with his sword, but then felt it was a pity. He forcefully retracted his sword and reached out to grab it, using his divine power to dissipate the wind and thunder forces and catch the Ding Hai Zhu in his hand.
But this delay allowed Mo Qi to escape using a leaf.
Yu Bao Tianzun was enraged. He threw the Ding Hai Zhu, immediately destroying a mountain.
Mo Qi fled for several hundred miles in one breath and sat down, panting heavily. At this moment, a sound of breaking through the air echoed from the sky. Looking up, he saw Xing Mian's ethereal figure appearing in the sky, using some kind of technique similar to the Qiankun Mirror.
"How have you been lately?" Xing Mian's face looked somewhat displeased, as if he were constipated.