Dugu Jun had been watching from the side, his emotions fluctuating. He wanted to help but couldn't.
Seeing Mo Qi defeat Shi Sheng, he finally let out a long sigh of relief.
"Too impulsive," Mo Qi shook his head. "I should have spared his life and asked if he had any accomplices."
Dugu Jun glanced at him and said, "It would be pointless to ask; he wouldn't have told you."
"Then what should we do now?" Mo Qi asked, bewildered.
"Exactly, run as far as we can," Dugu Jun said cautiously.
Mo Qi rolled his eyes. "Running away isn't the solution. We need to take the initiative and find all the forces hidden behind the four great families."
"Then let's kill all four great families, and they'll surely come out," Dugu Jun said casually.
Mo Qi's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea." With that, he flickered and headed towards the door.
Dugu Jun was startled. He had said it in jest, but Mo Qi had taken it seriously.
The current four great families were not something he could afford to offend.
Dugu Jun immediately followed. "I was just kidding, don't act rashly!"
When Dugu Jun walked out, he found that Mo Qi hadn't gone far and was already blocked at the entrance.
A large crowd had gathered outside the door, including academy teachers and students.
Whether they were teachers or students, most of them were unfamiliar faces to Mo Qi.
The leading teacher was Vice Dean Yue, formerly Supervisor Yue. He was a familiar face.
After Xing Mian retired, he became the actual person in power at the academy.
Vice Dean Yue looked at Mo Qi in surprise. "How is it you? When did you return?"
Mo Qi said calmly, "I doubt Vice Dean Yue is here to make small talk, is he?"
Supervisor Yue glanced at Mo Qi and Dugu Jun behind him. "Did you kill someone?"
A student stepped forward beside him and said, "Teacher Yue, don't waste your breath on him. Let us kill him. I met Gongyang Hu on the road, and he told me that Dugu Jun and another person killed Zhongli Xin and Changsun Rong in Dugu Jun's room. They both deserved to die. Moreover, judging by the current situation, they probably came to silence them and killed Gongyang Hu. Oh, and Teacher Qian hasn't come out for half a day; perhaps you killed Teacher Qian too?"
Teacher Yue glared at the student. "Sun Youcai, you can speak if you have evidence, but don't spout nonsense without proof."
Dugu Jun snorted coldly. "Teacher Qian? What Teacher Qian? He's nothing but a savage."
There was a clamor from the surrounding crowd, some sighing, some questioning, and some cursing Dugu Jun for stirring up trouble.
Sun Youcai also snorted coldly and looked at Dean Yue. "He says Teacher Qian is a savage; isn't that the real nonsense?"
Dean Yue glanced at Mo Qi and then instructed the people beside him, "Sun Youcai, Li Linxiang, go inside and invite Teacher Qian out."
Sun Youcai and Li Linxiang acknowledged the order, bypassed Mo Qi and Dugu Jun, and went into the room.
Mo Qi frowned. There were several desiccated corpses in the room. If they saw that scene, what would they think?
Dugu Jun also looked worried and whispered to Mo Qi, "We should run. We won't be able to explain ourselves."
Mo Qi calmly looked at someone in teacher's attire within the crowd. "What is this teacher's name?"
Teacher Yue turned his head. "This is Teacher Zhou, who primarily teaches illusion techniques."
"Teacher Zhou, tell me, what kind of person is Teacher Qian? Is he a savage or a human?" Mo Qi said with a smile.
Teacher Zhou was slightly taken aback. "Why are you asking me? Everyone can see it; Teacher Qian is definitely human."
The surrounding people all nodded.
Mo Qi smiled without speaking.
At this moment, Sun Youcai and Li Linxiang came out of the room, looking panicked and frightened. "Teacher Yue, it's bad! There are many desiccated corpses inside, and Teacher Qian is gone. They must have killed him and destroyed the evidence."
Teacher Yue's expression changed drastically, and he immediately flickered towards the room.
Mo Qi, as if it had nothing to do with him, swaggered away, with Dugu Jun cautiously following behind.
Teacher Zhou, with several people, came up to block their path. "You killed people, and you still want to leave?"
Mo Qi stopped and said calmly, "I didn't kill anyone."
"Then where did Teacher Qian go?"
"I misspoke. I killed Teacher Qian, and the others were killed by him." Mo Qi maintained his calm demeanor.
"Finally admitted it," a murmur went through the crowd.
Teacher Zhou was not satisfied. "You killed everyone."
Mo Qi really wanted to slap him. At this moment, Dean Yue and the others walked out, their faces contorted, looking as if they were about to vomit.
Dean Yue walked over and said angrily, "Teacher Mo, don't you have any explanation?"
Sun Youcai said, "What's there to explain? They must have killed them."
Mo Qi raised an eyebrow. "How did I kill so many people at once?"
"How should I know? They probably killed them by surprise, catching them off guard," Li Youcai said.
"Some people clearly died days ago. Did we also kill them by surprise? And then throw their bodies at Teacher Qian? Teacher Qian didn't say anything and just put them there?" Mo Qi asked repeatedly.
Sun Youcai was stunned.
Dugu Jun's tightly furrowed brow gradually relaxed. Yes, such simple logic, how could he have forgotten it?
Dean Yue, however, furrowed his brow. "Are you implying that Teacher Qian killed these people, including Gongyang Hu?"
Mo Qi nodded. "Yes, Teacher Qian is a savage in human skin. And as you just saw, the way those people in his room died is the usual style of savages!"
Dean Yue seemed to be persuaded and nodded repeatedly.
But Teacher Zhou laughed. "How ridiculous! Now that Teacher Qian is dead by your hand, you're calling him the murderer? With no one to testify, does that mean whatever the living say is the truth?"
Sun Youcai chimed in, "Moreover, at least Changsun Rong and Zhongli Xin were killed by you. There's no denying that."
Dugu Jun was about to speak. "The deaths of those two were because..."
Mo Qi waved his hand. "I killed those two, I don't deny it. They deserved to die. But don't blame me for those I didn't kill."
Just as Teacher Zhou was about to seize the momentum, Teacher Yue said, "Then why did you kill them? Did you discover something?"
Mo Qi's eyes lit up. It seemed that Teacher Yue was not part of their group, which made Mo Qi feel greatly relieved.
Mo Qi nodded. "I did discover some things. For example," he pointed at Teacher Zhou, "he is also a savage."
The surrounding people immediately stepped back, looking at Teacher Zhou vigilantly.
Sun Youcai didn't move at first. Seeing the strong reaction from the crowd, he then symbolically stepped back.
Mo Qi continued with a smile. "Don't try to hide it. Your actions have betrayed you; you are also a savage."
Sun Youcai felt a wave of panic.
Teacher Zhou pretended to be calm and said, "Is it that anyone who opposes you and stands with me will be accused of being a savage?"
Mo Qi took out the demon-reflecting mirror he had obtained from the Yuqing Sect. "This is a demon-reflecting mirror. It reveals their true form with a single glance. Do you two dare to let me shine it on you?"
Sun Youcai's face turned somewhat ugly, and he retreated repeatedly.
Teacher Zhou remained composed. "What's there to fear? Even if they discover us, so what? Who here can defeat us? At worst, we'll just kill everyone in the academy."
The bloodlust and coldness made everyone shudder. Many people quietly began to move away.
Teacher Zhou laughed wildly. "A bunch of ants, and I've been arguing with you for so long? The thought of it makes me feel like my time is wasted. Now, let me enlighten you. I will tell you how fortunate it is to live in a daze."
As he spoke, he placed his hands on his head and then pulled them apart, shedding a layer of skin to reveal a savage.
Sun Youcai remained still. He actually felt that this human skin was quite good and there was no need to reveal his true form.
"It's really a savage," the surrounding people screamed.
"So they really are savages. We've been living with them every day without realizing it. The thought of it is terrifying."
"People have been disappearing mysteriously at the academy recently. Could they be responsible?"
"Those desiccated corpses we found in the woods last time must also be their doing."
Teacher Zhou was furious upon hearing this. "So what if we did it, and so what if we didn't? You ants, do you have the right to judge us? You are only fit to be desiccated corpses."
The sinister aura and terrifying intent spread infinitely. More people quietly fled into the distance.
"You think you can leave? Not so easily." Teacher Zhou pointed his hand, and a black energy, like a traversing dragon, undulating in the air, pierced through the chests of those fleeing. Those people immediately fell to the ground, turning into a pool of black water.
"No one is leaving today." Teacher Zhou's body gradually rose into the air, looking down with disdain, as if all living beings around were in his grasp.
Teacher Yue and the others were terrified.
Many students were already crying and fleeing, while Teacher Yue, afraid of losing face, kept his hands behind his back, occasionally checking if anyone was watching him. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he then drifted a large step backward.
Sun Youcai, who had been somewhat worried, became arrogant upon seeing this scene and also rose into the air. "Hahaha, you ants... Ah!"
The final "Ah!" was because Mo Qi suddenly shot an arrow at him, piercing his body and causing him to fall to the ground dead.
He saw Mo Qi with his left hand forward and his right hand in a drawing motion, and an arrow of energy appeared in the air.
He also responded by summoning a black meteorite into the air to protect himself. Under normal circumstances, even a saintly cultivator would not be able to penetrate this meteorite.
But what he did not expect was that this seemingly insignificant arrow of light pierced his meteorite and then pierced his body.
Sun Youcai lay on the ground, still incredulous. "You, who are you?"
"The one who's here to take your life!" Mo Qi said.
Sun Youcai, enraged, spat out a mouthful of blood and died.