Sang Lanfeng immediately wilted and knelt down. "My Lord, forgive me. I originally intended to resist, but I was instigated by Situ Sheng and Ximen Shi. They both advised me not to resist, saying that even if we did, we wouldn't be able to stop him, so it was better to let him pass and test you, my Lord. I was soft-hearted at the time and listened to them."
Ouyang Zhu and Hai Zheng cast disdainful glances at Sang Lanfeng, thinking, "Look at your spineless demeanor, you've utterly disgraced yourself!"
The two of them still stood ramrod straight, projecting an air of "What can you do to me?"
"I didn't see that native at the time; he was too fast and just whizzed by. Can I be blamed for that?" Hai Zheng said coldly.
"I saw the native, but I knew we couldn't stop him. It wouldn't matter how many people we sent; it would be futile. I was preserving our strength," Ouyang Zhu said calmly.
Mo Qi glared at Hai Zheng. "You deliberately withdrew your defenses, allowing Wang Xing to pass the fifth echelon without restraint, and you dare say you didn't know?"
He then turned to Ouyang Zhu. "If you couldn't stop him, you should have been lying on the ground or dead. Yet, you stand so straight, acting as if it's none of your business. Have you forgotten your duty?"
Ouyang Zhu was speechless. Mo Qi glanced at Sang Lanfeng, then turned to Fifth Command. "Send someone to tie up Situ Sheng and Ximen Shi as well."
Fifth Command vaguely sensed that the situation was becoming serious and that they might be in for real trouble.
Since they were going to get serious, he didn't dare to delay. It wouldn't be good if he got caught up in it. Thus, he immediately took the order.
Hai Zheng still arrogantly tilted his head, looking at Mo Qi. "Why are you only arresting us few? If you're going to arrest people, why not arrest the lords of the first, second, and third echelons too?"
Ouyang Zhu chuckled, his tone filled with mockery. "The lords of the first, second, and third echelons are all great beauties, and I heard they have quite a good relationship with Lord Mo. How could Lord Mo bear to arrest them?"
Hai Zheng laughed along.
Dugu Sheng wanted to laugh but held back.
Mo Qi spoke loudly. "You are dignified men, seven feet tall, yet you are not as good as some women. Those women still know their mission, their responsibility, and the courage to face adversity. You hide when faced with trouble and flee from battle. And you still have the nerve to mention the lords of the first and second echelons to me. Although I am in the seventh echelon, I have seen everything that has happened in the first through sixth echelons. The first through third echelons did fail to stop the enemy, but they had no subjective fault. As for what you did and said when facing the enemy, I know it all, crystal clear. Therefore, you know yourselves what crimes you should be convicted of."
The few of them stopped arguing, feeling that any further辯解 was meaningless.
"If you want to accuse us, you can always find a reason. Do as you see fit," Ouyang Zhu said.
Do you know how many of my people are in the echelons?
If you kill me, how many will plead for me?
If you kill me, the entire sixth echelon and below will be paralyzed.
At this moment, Situ Sheng and Ximen Shi were also brought in.
"Take them out and kill them," Mo Qi said.
Sang Lanfeng, still kneeling on the ground, kowtowed like he was pounding garlic. "Lord Mo, spare me. I know I was wrong. Please let me atone for my crimes by meritorious service. I am willing to die on the battlefield, not at the hands of my own people. Besides, I was misled by them. I was thinking of resisting."
Mo Qi snorted coldly. "Without rules, one cannot make a circle. If I let you go today, when the enemy attacks tomorrow, they will still be able to crush us like dry weeds."
Soldiers stepped forward, and without a word, they grabbed the five men and dragged them out.
Sang Lanfeng, Situ Sheng, and Ximen Shi were so terrified that they fainted. The soldiers paid them no mind, dragging them out like dead pigs.
Ouyang Zhu and Hai Zheng cast pleading glances at Dugu Sheng and the other two. Those three had faces like frost, their eyes looking straight ahead, as if they hadn't seen them.
This shouldn't be happening. Could these three be afraid of a mere stripling?
They couldn't yield. If they yielded today, he would openly lord over them in the future.
But the three of them maintained their indifferent demeanor, seemingly not understanding the desperate meaning Ouyang Zhu was trying to convey with his eyes.
The two were dragged out resolutely.
Ouyang Zhu was still unwilling to give up and shouted towards the sixth echelon. "Brothers, we have fought and bled together, making great contributions to the echelons. Today, Mo Qi says he wants to kill me. Do you agree?"
He expected a thunderous roar from below: "We do not agree, we absolutely do not agree. If you want to kill, kill us all!"
However, there was only silence from below.
Ouyang Zhu thought they hadn't heard and shouted a few more times.
This time, a few faint voices came from below: "Go to hell, what's all the fuss about!"
"You disobeyed orders and failed to fulfill your duty. Your death is your own fate. Don't try to drag us down with you. We are all going to fight bravely. It was you who stopped us. You deserve to die."
Ouyang Zhu was furious and then roared at Dugu Sheng, "Dugu Sheng, you are actually standing by and watching! Stop pretending to be so noble. Don't think I don't know about your dirty deeds. The annihilation of the Yuwen and Murong families, colluding with the natives, planning an ambush for those going to Hongmeng South Sea..."
"Shut your mouth!" Dugu Sheng chased after him, and a flash of sword light pierced through Ouyang Zhu's body.
Before Ouyang Zhu could finish his sentence, he let out a muffled groan and died. As his hands fell to his sides, he collapsed to the ground, dead.
Mo Qi walked out slowly, looking at Dugu Sheng sternly.
Dugu Sheng bowed to Mo Qi with cupped fists. "Lord Mo, this fellow has gone mad. He's slandering people in his dying moments. Please don't listen to his nonsense. He's blaming me for not speaking up for him and wants to drag me down with him."
Mo Qi snorted coldly. "The pure remain pure, the turbid remain turbid. What are you afraid of? You acted so quickly, are you worried he might say something?"
Dugu Sheng raised his head, his expression righteous. "I am afraid, of course, I am afraid. He trusted me so much before, and I didn't save him. He will surely curse and slander me with the utmost malice. No matter how upright I am, I still fear damage to my reputation. After all, three people can make a tiger, and constant slander can destroy a person."
Over there, Hai Zheng and the others were being executed. Mo Qi simply stared fixedly at Dugu Sheng. "If you want your innocence, it's simple." As he spoke, Mo Qi took out a Truth Pill from his storage bag. "This is a Truth Pill. After taking it, you will only speak the truth. If you are innocent, take this pill."
Dugu Sheng looked terrified. He had witnessed the miraculous effects of Mo Qi's pills. If it was truly effective, then he would be completely finished.
"Lord Mo, you must be joking," Dugu Sheng said with a pained expression. "I haven't made any mistakes, so why should I undergo such a test?"
Mo Qi raised an eyebrow. "You just made a fatal mistake. That is, you, who are not an executioner, were eager to play the role of one. You said Ouyang Zhu would slander you. Among so many people, why would he only slander you? Moreover, I do suspect you of all the things he said. That day, when the Yuwen family was annihilated, I was at the scene, and the dark figure I saw was you. There are already witnesses who testified about colluding with the natives. As for planning an ambush to rescue the undercover operative heading to Hongmeng South Sea..."
In reality, the dark figure seen at the Yuwen family's residence was just a shadow; he never knew who it was.
But at this moment, Dugu Sheng couldn't withstand the bluff. He suddenly leaped up, turning into a streak of green and red, and sped into the distance.
Mo Qi flicked his hands, shooting out two streams of arrow energy. With two hissing sounds, they struck Dugu Sheng somewhere on his body. Dugu Sheng let out a scream, his body plummeting rapidly. Then, he suddenly righted himself and continued to flee into the distance.
Mo Qi pursued for a while but couldn't catch up, returning dejectedly.
Later, a bounty was issued for his capture, but Dugu Sheng's whereabouts were never found.
With Dugu Sheng's influence gone, the Dugu family gradually declined.
However, because the other families had all suffered varying degrees of damage, the entire Qionglu Realm achieved a balance of power.
From then on, Mo Qi's position in the seventh echelon was consolidated, and no one dared to question him.
As for the natives, whether it was to conserve strength or for some other reason, they disappeared from then on.
Even the natives of Annan Realm stopped their expansion, content to stay within their own territory and rarely venturing out.
Mo Qi also knew that with just the few people in the echelons, it was a pipe dream to eradicate the natives.
It would be good enough if they didn't attack the seventh echelon.
But as the necessary passage to the Southern Heavenly Gate, the seventh echelon would inevitably be attacked by the natives and Asura people in the future.
Whether to wait for death or seek a breakthrough was a question worth pondering.
He suddenly realized that as the Deputy Lord of the seventh echelon, the responsibility on his shoulders was immense!
While he was contemplating these issues, Xing Mian returned. He first affirmed Mo Qi's actions, praising his bravery and composure when facing Wang Xing. He said that even if he himself were there, he probably wouldn't have been able to stop Wang Xing.
This greatly pleased Mo Qi. "It wasn't that great; I was just lucky."
Xing Mian then expressed his concern for Mo Qi's future. "The reason Dugu Sheng became the Deputy Lord of the seventh echelon was not solely due to his strength; he has connections in the Divine Realm. Therefore, since you offended him, I think you need to be careful in the future."
"But I have no connections in the Heavenly Realm, so why did I also become the Deputy Lord of the seventh echelon?" Mo Qi asked, confused.
"You have connections in the Heavenly Realm too," Xing Mian said casually.
"What? Who?" Mo Qi thought he misheard.
"No one, I'm just teasing you. You rely on your strength," Xing Mian said.
"Then it must be strength," Mo Qi agreed wholeheartedly. "I only have strength left."
"You're getting carried away."
"However, I don't want to be the Deputy Lord of the seventh echelon anymore," Mo Qi suddenly said. "I request to resign from this position."
Xing Mian was startled. "Why? Did I hear you correctly? Such a glorious position, second only to one person and above ten thousand, commanding the world and dictating the fate of nations. Don't you feel a sense of superiority and accomplishment?"
Mo Qi truly felt a sense of superiority.
Especially the ability to command Lu Xiaoyue, which was something he had always dreamed of.
However, if he continued in this position, he would inevitably face a difficult choice in the future. If the Asura realm attacked the seventh echelon then, what would he do?
Therefore, it was best to stay out of it as early as possible.
"I am a person without ambition. I prefer to live a carefree life, drifting through the world like a wild crane, and I don't want to be burdened by responsibilities," Mo Qi casually made up an excuse.
"You don't have to be the Deputy Lord forever. If you perform well, before long, you will become a god and ascend to the Heavenly Realm," Xing Mian said with a smile.