The stone gate endured as much impact as Mo Qi endured tearing force!
The talismans had almost completely dissipated.
Mo Qi took out another talisman and affixed it!
It should have been difficult, but for some reason, it proceeded with such fluid grace!
Linghu Xiaoxian wept profusely, staring at him blankly.
She knew his efforts to hold on there were futile.
Before long, he would vanish into thin air along with the stone gate.
Following that, this entire secret realm would be reduced to ruins!
Then, she would be buried with him!
So she stood motionless, quietly in her spot.
Meanwhile, Mo Qi’s body bore increasing tearing forces, each one feeling like a part of him was being ripped away!
Eventually, he dared not look at his own body!
It was either reduced to a skeleton, or it was shaped like exploded popcorn!
In any case, it was surely terrifying!
At this point, he felt death was a release!
It no longer mattered!
If he were to die, his shape would be irrelevant, as he wouldn’t be able to see it anyway.
Then, a flash of inspiration struck him. He recalled fragments of heavenly laws, the laws concerning runes that were quietly flowing out of his mind. He freed up one hand and began to etch onto the talisman from memory.
The talisman suddenly emitted a golden light!
The pattern he had drawn seemed to come alive, circulating on the stone gate. The stone gate shimmered with golden light, and the cracks, like rusted iron gates, let out a loud groan before beginning to creak shut.
Mo Qi shouted, buying himself a moment of time, and quickly swallowed a healing pill.
Then, he continued to exert his mental power, urging the iron gate to close.
The demon within was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, it flicked a finger at Mo Qi, sending a red light towards him. Mo Qi had no time to dodge, and the light struck him without fail.
Mo Qi’s body trembled, his grip loosening slightly. The stone gate began to crack open again.
At this moment, Mo Qi distinctly felt something moving within him, like a giant snake rampaging through his blood vessels!
His veins felt like they would burst!
His entire body felt like it would explode!
His skin began to rot with destructive decay!
The pain was as if he were simultaneously being chopped, axed, burned in a volcano, scalded in oil, and struck by lightning.
He couldn't even cry out!
Yet, he endured the excruciating pain, channeling his mental power to continue pushing the stone gate!
The golden light of the talisman intensified, and in conjunction with Mo Qi’s mental power, the stone gate slowly closed!
Linghu Xiaoxian was stunned!
How…
What was that world-destroying power?
He actually held it back?
However, Mo Qi’s entire body was a gruesome sight.
She dared not look a second time after a single glance!
One could only imagine what Mo Qi was enduring at that moment!
She couldn't help but compare him to Pang Qing.
Bah! How could Pang Qing be worthy of comparison to him?
Meanwhile, something was constantly moving within Mo Qi, plunging him into an abyss of suffering. He didn't know what it was, but he assumed it was nothing good, so he had to use his Earth Arrow spiritual energy to "hunt" it.
As the stone gate slowly closed, a faint voice echoed from within, "Alas, I am not a bad person! Why do you all treat me like an unpardonable demon?"
Mo Qi snorted coldly, ignoring him.
The voice then seemed to muse aloud, "My name is You Qiong. I was a prince and had some insights into cultivation. Later, at my father's arrangement, I married a princess from a neighboring country. Though it was arranged, we fell for each other, cherishing and loving one another, and our lives were filled with warmth and sweetness. But later, my wife, Xin'er, was unfortunately murdered by villains. At that time, I was utterly devastated and heartbroken. Later, a master guided me to learn soul-shaping the heart. I found her soul in the deepest hell and used soul-shaping the heart to awaken her. I was overjoyed, thinking we could return to our former days. However, as time went by, I discovered that we could never go back. Although her consciousness was completely clear, she no longer seemed to be the original Xin'er."
"Firstly, she became exceptionally bloodthirsty and cruel. The sight of blood excited her, and she lost her humanity. Except for me, she would possess anyone she saw. After destroying one person's body, she would immediately seek another target. Later, as she continuously absorbed vital essence, her cultivation grew, and she was able to break free from my control!"
"After breaking free from my control, she became even more greedy and unrestrained, doing as she pleased. It was then I realized she was no longer my Xin'er. Xin'er had already been killed by the villains before. I wanted to destroy her, so I later created countless such Yin spirits, all with the purpose of dealing with Xin'er."
"How could I have any ill intentions? I am merely a handsome and elegant prince. But people do not understand me; they call me a demon. Various forces united to assassinate me. If they couldn't kill me, they sealed me away. By heaven and conscience, I am a good person. They treat me like this, and they are destined for hell."
"The one who unsealed me just now was a clone of Xin'er. Her true form is likely tens of thousands of miles away. The reason she unsealed me is that she still wants to kill me, because after killing me, no one will be able to create Yin spirits more powerful than her. She is the peerless Yin spirit. And the reason I want to get out is that I want to personally kill her, to prevent her from continuing to do evil."
While listening to him speak, Mo Qi continued to direct his Earth Arrow to deal with the entity moving within him. However, the entity was cunning, darting everywhere, sometimes concealing itself, making it seem as if it had disappeared, only for Mo Qi to experience intense pain moments later as it became active again.
"What is this thing?" Mo Qi asked angrily.
You Qiong chuckled, "If you don't let me out, I can only ask you to kill for me. If you cannot kill her, then this Gu will remain in your body forever, tormenting you until it devours you completely."
With that, the power from within vanished.
With a loud bang, the stone gate completely closed!
The surroundings fell silent!
The cataclysmic destruction disappeared!
The earth-shattering tremors vanished!
It was as if everything had settled!
Mo Qi slumped to the ground!
Although he had saved his life, it was as if he were living with a shackle on his neck!
He would always carry a shadow in his heart.
At this moment, Linghu Xiaoxian also collapsed to the ground, as if she had exhausted all her strength.
In her eyes, Mo Qi's skin was severely ulcerated, and he barely resembled a human, just a mass of bloody flesh. Seeing that lump of flesh fall to the ground, she thought he was beyond saving.
Just then, a figure appeared out of thin air!
Linghu Xiaoxian had seen this figure from afar before, and it felt somewhat familiar.
But Mo Qi found it completely strange!
He thought another demon had descended and stood up warily, ready for battle!
Ancestor Tan was stunned, staring. What in the world was this?
Could this demon have escaped?
Regardless, he would deal with it first.
He slightly raised his hand.
Linghu Xiaoxian suddenly cried out, "Ancestor, this is Mo Qi! It was he who stopped that demon from escaping."
The ancestor glanced at Mo Qi and felt a sense of tragic grandeur!
This young man, regardless of how he stopped the other party, his courage to be the first to face danger was rare and precious. In this materialistic era, such people were hard to come by.
But alas!
He was already in such a state; he was afraid he could do nothing.
Even if a supreme deity descended, it would likely be beyond recovery.
He raised his hand again, looking at Linghu Xiaoxian, "Let me grant him release."
Linghu Xiaoxian, also with tears streaming down her face, hesitated for a moment before nodding heavily.
Mo Qi sat down again, weakly saying, "Actually, I can still be saved."
"How can you be saved?" Ancestor Tan asked incredulously, thinking he was afraid of death.
"I cannot count on you all; I can only save myself," Mo Qi said.
As he spoke, he consumed another healing pill.
His body quickly began to recover, and he could feel significant changes within him.
However, because Mo Qi's muscles were severely damaged this time, they had lost their regenerative function.
Therefore, from the outside, there was almost no visible change.
Linghu Xiaoxian shed another tear!
"Even your powerful pills had little effect; it seems you are truly beyond saving," Linghu Xiaoxian murmured.
Ancestor Tan raised his hand again.
Mo Qi suddenly roared, "What's the hurry? Are you rushing to be reincarnated?"
The voice was full of vigor, shaking the secret realm.
Ancestor Tan and Linghu Xiaoxian were both stunned.
Mo Qi took out a pill furnace and began to refine a Blood Coagulating and Regenerating Pill.
The last time he helped Tang Lin refine it, he had been cautious and brought some ingredients with him, just in case.
He never expected that he would actually need them today.
However, this type of pill could only be refined and used immediately; it lost its efficacy if stored for a while. Therefore, at this moment, he had to endure his broken body and save himself!
As Mo Qi processed the herbs and refined the pills, Linghu Xiaoxian watched with great interest!
Ancestor Tan, however, had no time to watch him fuss. He stepped forward and added several more restrictions to the stone gate.
Then, he examined the corpses nearby and inquired about the events.
Linghu Xiaoxian recounted the entire incident truthfully.
Ancestor Tan sighed and pointed at Hu Yanming and Lian Xun, "These two disregarded the overall situation and lacked propriety. While the edifice was about to collapse, they were still haggling over trivial gains. They indeed deserved to die."
Linghu Xiaoxian nodded, "Ancestor, you see clearly. Ancestor, you are wise. Mo Qi was forced to act out of desperation and kill them. It was truly because he had the greater good in mind. After we leave, people will surely say he harmed his fellow disciples. I hope Ancestor will speak for him."
Ancestor Tan waved his hand, "Don't tell me about this. I have long since stopped inquiring about the sect's affairs, so it's useless to tell me."
Linghu Xiaoxian rolled her eyes. If he wasn't inquiring, why did he ask me just now?
While they were talking, Mo Qi had already finished refining and consumed the pill.
Soon, the muscles in his body began to repair themselves rapidly, and new flesh quickly grew in the empty spaces.
In a moment, he felt his body become full again.
He wiped his face, looking as if he had undergone a transformation, with a hint of baby fat.
Ancestor Tan was astonished!
This was definitely a demon, a demon a thousand times more ferocious than the one inside!
If not tamed, its destructive power could be world-ending!
As Mo Qi was tidying up his belongings, Linghu Xiaoxian felt as if they had met again after a lifetime. She suddenly rushed forward and hugged him from behind.
Ancestor Tan coughed dryly and drifted away.
Mo Qi felt a bump against his back, and blood flowed from his nose.
Seeing the blood dripping onto the ground, Linghu Xiaoxian immediately let go of him and asked nervously, "What's wrong? Are you not completely healed yet?"
Mo Qi tilted his head back, not daring to turn around, "There's still a slight internal injury. You, please don't... get too close. I'm afraid you might hurt me."
"Oh, okay." Linghu Xiaoxian, believing him, nodded repeatedly.