Many Yin spirits, with their ethereal physiques, weaved through the gaps, seizing opportunities to nimbly slip in and begin gnawing at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi's movements faltered, and then countless more Yin spirits surged forward.
In an instant, a dense mass of Yin spirits engulfed Mo Qi, layer upon layer, forming a mountain.
Shi Siyao watched with eyes about to split, wanting to help but unsure how. If she used the Asura Pestle, she might end up striking Mo Qi as well.
But without the Asura Pestle, she couldn't deal with so many Yin spirits simultaneously.
She was frantically pacing.
Just then, a clear whistle echoed!
A ball of red light erupted from the dense crowd, like a series of red meat grinders, and with a violent twist, most of the dark figures turned to ash in an instant. A smaller portion of the dark figures were flung upwards, falling in all directions.
The Phoenix Fire Dance Technique continued to spread outwards, striking at the approaching Yin spirits, turning wave after wave of them into dust.
However, more Yin spirits emerged, seemingly endless.
Shi Siyao tried to help but was also surrounded by Yin spirits, unable to break free.
Shen Tu was also encircled, struggling to cope and appearing quite disheveled.
Xin'er's clone, however, was leisurely playing a short flute in the distance, all attacks unable to get close.
Countless other Yin spirits were also assaulting the First Hall.
How could the little ghosts withstand this? Just as the defenses were about to crumble, a deep voice resonated through heaven and earth: "Amitabha!"
From the depths of hell, a figure slowly emerged, enveloped in golden light. The golden light gradually expanded, like the rising sun, its radiance stretching for miles in an instant.
The Yin spirits let out strange screeches, instantly bathed in a layer of golden light, becoming calm, no longer clawing and biting as before.
Subsequent Yin spirits emerging from the black hole also gradually became tinged with golden light, turning calm and serene, and orderly queuing up towards the First Hall.
The little ghosts in the First Hall, seeing that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had arrived and seemed to have subdued the Yin spirits, no longer obstructed them and allowed them to enter.
Xin'er's clone, seeing her released Yin spirits being "whitewashed" by the opponent, washing as many as she released, and having preliminarily assessed the power gap between herself and the opponent, decided it was best to leave for now. She twisted her body and vanished into thin air, and the black hole also disappeared.
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva performed another ritual, repairing the damaged bridge. The once chaotic underworld quickly returned to order.
The judges from all the halls emerged to pay their respects to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva appointed them as acting heads of their respective halls and promised to record their merits, ensuring a fair arrangement for their future ascent to the heavenly court or promotion to the kings of their halls.
This was akin to giving everyone a reassurance, and they all expressed their commitment to serving with utmost dedication and loyalty until their dying breath.
However, regarding the heavenly court's pursuit of Mo Qi, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva stated he was powerless, as it did not fall outside his purview.
But he added that he would indeed suggest to the heavenly court that Mo Qi participate in the Investiture of the Gods calamity to atone for his sins.
Shen Tu was also persuaded to return.
But Shen Tu stated that as long as the heavenly court did not revoke its order, he would continue to pursue Mo Qi, and that more people would pursue him besides himself.
With that, he departed.
At this moment, the Demon King arrived, appearing as a two-year-old child. Earlier, a few Yin spirits had attempted to absorb her soul, but she had killed them in return. She then transformed from one eye to two, then revealed her head, followed by her upper body, and finally her entire being.
She was now overjoyed, emitting a pleasant, tinkling laughter that was delightful and harmless.
However, upon seeing her, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva was shocked by the malevolent aura emanating from her and couldn't help but shout, "Wicked creature, give me your life!"
As soon as he spoke, his entire body emitted a golden light, which surged towards the Demon King. The Demon King giggled coyly, darted away, and fled into the distance.
The golden light surged behind her, but it always remained about ten feet away, unable to close the gap.
At the edge of sight, the golden light still had not caught up to the Demon King.
The Demon King had escaped!
Mo Qi also shook his head, "This child is beyond saving!"
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sighed, retracted his golden light, appearing weary. Gazing at the teeming masses in the vast underworld, he resolutely declared, "Until hell is empty, I shall not become a Buddha."
Mo Qi looked up at the distant sky, "There will be that day, when the roads will be safe, no one will lock their doors at night, everyone will be humble, every family will be happy, there will be no wrongdoing, no mutual harm, no deceit, no evil trends, and naturally, no one will go to hell."
Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also looked at the distant sky, "If everyone looks forward to it, it is merely a vain hope. The child wishes to be filial, but the parents are no longer there. The tree wishes to be still, but the wind does not cease!"
Mo Qi found Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva's words profound and wished to inquire further. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva said, "You should leave now."
Mo Qi bid farewell and flew in the opposite direction of the Yellow Springs Road. Upon seeing the location of the Bian Hua flowers, he called out to Xin'er.
Xin'er cast a spell from above, and the gates of hell opened again. Mo Qi saw a crack appear in the sky and, pulling Shi Siyao along, flew out through it.
Xin'er breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Mo Qi return.
Mo Qi felt the trip was worthwhile. Firstly, Shi Siyao received treatment and would no longer live in the shadows of others. Secondly, he recovered the remnant soul of Yao Shuang. Lastly, he obtained a large amount of Jiǔshēng Grass and Ming River Water, allowing him to resurrect many people in the future, as long as their souls were not completely scattered.
The only regret was that he couldn't uncover the past and present lives of Xue Ying, Xin'er, Wan'er, and himself.
For now, he could only place his hopes on his deceased father's dreams.
He hadn't realized it when he was young, but now he suddenly understood how unreliable his own father was!
Furthermore, his father had left him with another question: where had his mother gone?
Had her soul been scattered?
It was unlikely, as he clearly remembered that she had died of illness after his father. How could someone who died of illness have their soul scattered?
Then, had she ascended to the heavenly court?
But she had neither built bridges nor paved roads, nor had she accumulated good karma. By what merit could she ascend to the heavenly court?
This was truly a great mystery.
In the Demon Realm's Revenge Mountain, within the Demon Emperor's sleeping quarters, Lian Xin was reporting to the Demon Emperor: "I investigated the underworld, and it is absolutely true. He is the person we are looking for, the reincarnation of Li Fan. I have also found the reincarnation of Lian Xi in the northern region of the southern continent."
Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor roared, "It must be him. He is truly a persistent nuisance. It was bad enough that he obstructed us in the New Wilderness, but he has actually pursued us into the Demon Realm. He is too arrogant. This time, we must kill him, and his soul must be scattered. Send Yi Shan."
"I'm afraid that won't work. Cui Mao was also killed by him. At that time, I saw Cui Mao capture him, but later Cui Mao's whereabouts became unknown, and he vanished without a trace, while Mo Qi is still alive. I suspect he killed Cui Mao," Lian Xin said.
"Then I will have to go myself. With my cultivation as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, would it be overkill to bully an ant?" the Demon Emperor hesitated.
Lian Xin's eyes flashed with a venomous gaze, "It is not overkill at all. If we hadn't used trickery in his past life, having me impersonate Lian Xi, we wouldn't have been able to kill him. A starved camel is still larger than a horse; this life might also be difficult to deal with. Moreover, we must ensure success with no room for error, or the consequences will be endless."
The Demon Emperor suddenly looked at her meaningfully, "What is it? Are you afraid? Afraid he will take revenge on you?"
Lian Xin raised her delicate eyebrows, "How, how could that be?"
The Demon Emperor looked into her eyes, "How about this: go and bring back Lian Xi's reincarnation. She might be useful when necessary."
Lian Xin's eyes curved into a smile, "That was exactly my intention. My dear sister, I miss her so much. It's been over thirty years since we last met, hasn't it?"
On the other side, upon hearing that Qiu Ci was leading troops to attack the Northwest Garrison, Mo Qi paid no heed. He instructed Xin'er and Huo Chengfeng to hold the fort, while he himself led Ye Zhixun, Wei Li, Gao Yuan, Lü Pinghou, Shi Siyao, and others to set off, beginning the assault on the Western Garrison.
The Northwest Garrison was strategically defensible, and coupled with the training over the past few days, the soldiers were well-disciplined and their combat effectiveness had greatly improved. They could absolutely withstand the enemy's attack.
Even if they couldn't hold, they could send a signal for him to return and reinforce them, thus creating a diversion for the opponent.
If he didn't come out, they would all be surrounded inside. If they could hold out, it would be fine, but if they couldn't, they would be wiped out in one fell swoop.
Mo Qi led his army in conquering cities and territories, capturing over ten more mines and several cities. His forces rapidly increased, and his army expanded quickly.
There was a city called Beixu City. The deputy general guarding it, Meng Li, killed the main general Wei Xinxin and voluntarily revolted, surrendering to the Heretic Demon Sect. However, when he opened the city gates and the army entered, he saw Mo Qi's appearance and regretted it somewhat.
He was a straightforward person and said to Mo Qi, "The reason I surrendered to the Heretic Demon Sect was because I discovered you were doing the right thing, and I was willing to join you in this endeavor. But you also need to show me that I haven't followed the wrong person. However, so far, I have a feeling that I've boarded the wrong ship."
Upon hearing this, everyone knew he was dissatisfied with Mo Qi. Lü Pinghou and Gao Yuan immediately reprimanded him, "How dare you speak like that? If you hadn't thought it through, you could have simply not revolted or surrendered. Now that you have rebelled and surrendered, you say you regret it. Do you intend to go back on your word?"
Ye Zhixun said calmly, "What are you? How dare you question our Sect Master? I wouldn't dare."
Shi Siyao chuckled and said, "Why don't you let me absorb him?"
Mo Qi glared at her, and Shi Siyao stuck out her tongue.
Meng Li was also a Profound Immortal, but after a brief scan with his divine sense, he realized that Ye Zhixun and Shi Siyao had much higher cultivation than him. He was somewhat shocked but remained expressionless, "Why can't I question? I risked my life to rebel against the Demon Emperor. If I've placed my trust in the wrong person, won't I regret it immensely?"
The fact that so many people with higher cultivation than Mo Qi were willing to die for him made Meng Li secretly astonished and greatly puzzled.
If he couldn't figure out the reason, then these people must be foolish.
Lü Pinghou, Wei Li, and others were itching to beat him up, each one furious and impassioned.
This was because they were the ones who had initially incited the rebellion against the Demon Emperor.