With the assistance of spiritual energy from outside the body, her internal spiritual energy circulation was promoted. As if self-taught, guided by an unseen force, she meticulously proceeded through all the stages of breakthrough and tribulation. After countless cycles, a divine light shot up into the sky, piercing the firmament, shaking heaven and earth.
It seemed to announce to the world that another immortal had appeared.
The heavenly lightning receded, the clouds dispersed, and Mo Qi landed gracefully.
Murong Yanran was exceptionally excited, her eyes shining as she looked at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi blinked his eyes, responding to her, acknowledging her gratitude.
Dugu Jun rolled his eyes. "Flirting in broad daylight, have you no shame?"
At this moment, several more figures sped over from a distance and landed directly in the area.
These individuals were all wearing the attire of the Ladder!
They were their own people!
However, they did not display the expected warmth of allies. Instead, they were cold, their eyes glinting with ferocity, resembling enemies.
Moreover, among them were two old acquaintances of Mo Qi: Di Wu Ci and Chao Xiyun.
"Brother-in-law, how have you been?" Mo Qi asked Chao Xiyun with a grin.
Chao Xiyun frowned. "Don't, don't call me that. You, you've gotten yourself into trouble now."
Mo Qi raised an eyebrow. "What trouble have I gotten into? I merely killed a few people who deserved to die."
"Deserved to die?" A burly man beside Di Wu Ci snorted. "Who deserves to die? Is it up to you to decide? Are you some rogue cultivator?"
Mo Qi looked at Chao Xiyun. "Brother-in-law, who is this person?"
Chao Xiyun coughed dryly. "This is Lord Zhang Quan, the acting deputy leader of the Seventh Ladder."
"Acting deputy leader?" Mo Qi scoffed. "In essence, you're taking my place. Now that I'm back, shouldn't you be sensible and step aside?"
Zhang Quan said coldly, "You are no longer the deputy leader of the Seventh Ladder. Did Gui Hailong not tell you? You caused trouble in Hell and Beiluzhou and have been removed from your post by the Heavenly Court! Stop acting like a Ladder official; you are not worthy! In fact, you are a wanted criminal by the Heavenly Court, not even considered a civilian."
Mo Qi cursed inwardly. Xing Mian had completely ignored the fact that he had been removed from his post, issuing orders and treating him like a subordinate. He felt like he was being played for a fool!
However, Mo Qi suddenly had an idea.
If he wasn't a Ladder official, then perhaps they wouldn't have a reason to deal with him.
"Alright, esteemed sirs, we were merely settling a personal vendetta and killed a few people. That's none of your business, is it?" Mo Qi said with a smile.
Another middle-aged man with a red nose stepped forward and said, "If it were a fair fight in a personal vendetta, we wouldn't interfere. But your actions, like annihilating entire sects at the drop of a hat, are the ways of demons. Of course, we must intervene and uphold justice."
Mo Qi asked Chao Xiyun again, "Brother-in-law, who is this gentleman..."
"That is Zhong Li Yun, the Hall Master of the Shenmu Hall of the Seventh Ladder," Chao Xiyun replied. "I told you, stop calling me brother-in-law..."
Mo Qi snorted. "So, you're from the Four Great Families. Are you perhaps seeking personal revenge under the guise of official duty?"
At this moment, another person rushed out from the crowd, extremely agitated. "Yes, I am seeking personal revenge! You destroyed my Tuoba family, so shouldn't I be allowed to seek personal revenge?"
Zhong Li Yun frowned. "Tuoba Wen, calm yourself. You are a Ladder official; don't speak carelessly."
Tuoba Wen, the leader of the Fifth Ladder, was now furious. "I have nothing left. Why should I care about all these trivial matters? To hell with the Ladder, to hell with the Four Great Families, to hell with the natives, to hell with the Mei..."
"Tuoba Wen!" Zhang Quan roared, stopping him from continuing.
Tuoba Wen realized he had spoken out of turn and quickly covered his mouth, his face filled with terror.
But it seemed it was too late!
Something surged out from Tuoba Wen's mouth, pushing his hands aside, and continued to erupt like a geyser.
It was like black viscous fluid, continuous, but upon hitting the ground, it decomposed on its own, forming dense black insects the size of ants. They scurried about in panic, quickly finding cracks in the ground and disappearing without a trace.
As the black liquid spewed out, Tuoba Wen's body rapidly shriveled, leaving only a husk on the ground.
Everyone around was horrified. Murong Yanran even retreated in fear. "What, what is this thing?"
Mo Qi looked at Chao Xiyun with amusement. "Brother-in-law, tell me, what's going on?"
Chao Xiyun pondered with his head bowed. "He was likely controlled by some evil power."
Mo Qi nodded, feigning relief. "Yes, indeed. This evil force is called Mei. They don't even dare to mention it. Once mentioned, it triggers something akin to a蛊毒 (gu poison)."
Chao Xiyun nodded in agreement, while many people in the Ladder turned pale. They did not want to dwell on this issue, lest they accidentally trigger something.
Zhang Quan impatiently looked at Chao Xiyun. "Chao Xiyun, stop wasting time with him. I order you to apprehend him."
Chao Xiyun looked troubled but had no choice but to step forward, meeting Mo Qi's gaze. "Lord Mo... I apologize."
Mo Qi waved his hand. "Don't rush." He then looked at Zhang Quan. "Do you dare to speak ill of Mei?"
Zhang Quan's face changed drastically, and then he roared in anger, "Whether I dare or not is none of your business. As a dignified Ladder official, I have no time for your childish games."
The others chimed in, "Yes, who has time for you? We're not interested."
Mo Qi smiled coldly, scanned the crowd, and then fixed his gaze on Di Wu Ci. "Do you dare to speak of it?"
Di Wu Ci felt that this might be a good way to expose the dark forces within the Ladder, so he immediately blurted out, "An upright person fears no slander. What is there to fear? Mei are a bunch of trash!"
He stood there beaming, straightening his back.
Everyone else watched him with various expressions.
After a moment, nothing unusual happened.
Mo Qi was about to speak when Zhang Quan looked at Di Wu Ci and said, "Are you that idle? Then go and apprehend him."
All eyes turned to Di Wu Ci. Except for Chao Xiyun, the gazes were filled with resentment and malice.
Di Wu Ci calmly replied, "He doesn't seem to be trying to escape. We don't mind waiting. On the contrary, I believe the most important thing right now is to identify the dangerous individuals mixed within our Ladder."
From some unknown time, people within the Ladder had been disappearing, or dying inexplicably on missions.
Once upon a time, everyone was tight-lipped about words like spies and traitors. They knew something was wrong within the Ladder, that something like a parasite had infiltrated, but no one dared to speak of it, nor suspect anyone lightly. The relationships between people had become extremely delicate.