"Don't do anything foolish; stopping now would be a complete waste of effort," Wu Fan's breath grew weaker, his voice as thin as a mosquito's hum. "We old men are useless. I am destined to become a speck of dust in the vast universe, so my death is insignificant. But your future is boundless; you will eventually become the most dazzling star in the highest heavens."
Mo Qi's eyes welled with tears as he watched the blood bloom like fresh flowers.
At this moment, you are the most dazzling star in the world!
As the blood flowed out, the red mist at the breach in the barrier grew thicker and more substantial, forming a wall of red that seemed almost tangible.
The demonic beasts outside the barrier desperately pushed forward, causing the red wall to indent deeply with a resounding clang, yet it remained unbroken.
Mo Qi's tears flowed like a spring. He simply stared, watching Wu Fan gradually wither, an infinite sorrow surging wave after wave into his heart, weighing it down.
In a daze, he seemed to see a golden halo shining at the barrier.
Ren Kui, Zhao Zhou, and the others, seeing the situation on this side, rushed over, kneeling and weeping, "Sect Master..."
At this point, Wu Fan's blood had completely drained. His entire body had become a pile of dry wood. He had lost all signs of life and could no longer hear their sorrowful cries.
Yet, dark, light mist continued to flow from his body, covering the red mist. As it merged, the red gradually faded, turning colorless.
Wu Fan's withered body began to shrink, circle by circle, until, with the last of his life force, he completely dissipated.
Only a pile of clothes remained on the ground!
Mo Qi wiped the tears from his cheeks and discovered that, at some unknown moment, a token had appeared in his hand – the Sect Master's token of the Lingxiao Sect!
He showed the Sect Master's token to Ren Kui.
"Peak Master Ren, you and the other disciples take the Sect Master's clothes and return first. Build a tomb of remembrance and offer proper sacrifices. Once this matter is concluded, I will return. I will make arrangements then."
Ren Kui obeyed, stepped forward to pick up Wu Fan's clothes, and, with Zhao Zhou and the other disciples, hurried away.
At this moment, more Cloud-Piercing Beasts continuously rammed into the barrier from various locations, creating small holes.
Mo Qi took out a small box from his storage bag, opened it, and a small blood figure leaped out.
The small blood figure leaped into the air, spraying fresh blood towards the barrier, instantly forming a sea of blood that spread across it.
The blood tide flowed through the holes. Upon contact with the demonic beasts, it consumed and melted them.
The demonic beasts outside the barrier no longer dared to approach.
Mo Qi then urged his mental power, causing the torn holes to close again, slowly repairing them.
Only after the repairs were complete did he retrieve the small blood figure.
Having feasted again, the small blood figure had grown much stronger.
Meanwhile, behind him, the situation had undergone a drastic change. The cultivators of the Qionglu Realm had surrounded the demonic beasts and demon people, about to annihilate them. Suddenly, the largest Cloud-Piercing Beast emerged from somewhere, charging into the crowd, scattering the Qionglu Realm cultivators in disarray.
No matter what spells or divine abilities were cast upon the Cloud-Piercing Beast, they were like eggs hitting stones, unable to inflict any damage.
Besides charging, the colossal Cloud-Piercing Beast also spewed black mist. Anything touched by the mist would rot layer by layer, instantly turning into blood.
It was unstoppable. The Qionglu Realm cultivators were terrified. Seeing the demonic beast charging towards them from afar, they turned and fled.
The formation quickly broke. The demonic beasts and demon people within the encirclement seized the opportunity to counterattack.
In another battle formation, Tang Qianyu was entangled by a formidable opponent. The opponent continuously pulled black stones from his storage bag and hurled them at Tang Qianyu. The stones grew in size as they met the wind, exploding when they reached her.
Tang Qianyu retaliated with her flying knife. As it spun, it formed a spiritual energy shield, blocking the impact of the explosive airflow. However, it still sent Tang Qianyu staggering, her clothes slightly torn, revealing her fair skin.
Ren Xuefei, meanwhile, charged through the demonic beast formation, unleashing spells and divine abilities, eliminating countless demonic beasts and demon people.
Guan Shicheng was stabbed a few more times by the black-clothed girl and was on the verge of collapse.
He had thought he could die in peace when the reinforcements arrived and the situation was under control, believing the tide had turned.
But who could have foreseen that a single Cloud-Piercing Beast King would change the course of the battle?
Moreover, a terrifying black shadow lurked there, having not made a move so far, not even revealing its true form. Yet, the aura emanating from its every action sent shivers down one's spine. That was the true threat.
Even though the barrier seemed to have been temporarily repaired, as long as these enemies were not eliminated, they could still breach the barrier and let more demonic beasts and demon people through.
Therefore, how could he rest easy in death?
At this moment, the girl lunged forward again, enveloped in black energy, instantly causing dizziness and confusion. Her mind and actions became sluggish. From the black energy, countless black threads emerged, striking towards Guan Shicheng.
Guan Shicheng still had a sliver of consciousness, but his limbs were unresponsive, making evasion impossible. He was about to be riddled with holes like a beehive.
The white-robed young man, fanning himself, wore a smug expression.
Just then, a figure flashed. Amidst a white light, a circular magical artifact spun rapidly, creating a gust of wind that made those around it lose their footing.
A series of "ding ding ding" sounds rang out. The black threads, instead, flew towards the black-clothed girl. The girl hastily formed hand seals, conjuring countless black threads to meet them.
As each thread collided, they eventually turned into black smoke and dissipated.
The black-clothed girl retreated a few steps, staring at the figure before her with astonishment.
Standing in front of Guan Shicheng was a person who wasn't particularly handsome but possessed an elegant demeanor. His face was slightly youthful, and his brows exuded a mature and steady aura.
Guan Shicheng also scanned Mo Qi with his divine sense. Upon doing so, he was filled with disappointment. Mo Qi was merely at the Mahayana stage, while the other two were at the Tribulation stage.
And that mysterious person who had yet to reveal themselves was at least at the Human Immortal level.
Guan Shicheng couldn't help but sigh and slowly said, "What tier are you from?"
"The third tier," Mo Qi replied calmly.
"Alas," Guan Shicheng sighed heavily again. "What are the higher-ups thinking? These people are not for you to handle. Leave quickly and report back. At least get someone from the seventh tier to come."
Mo Qi felt displeased. "Seeing you on the verge of death, why are you still unrepentant?"
"When we arrived, we saw a wave of cultivators leaving. They said you were too arrogant and unwilling to risk their lives for you. I thought it was prejudice, but now it seems they were spot on."
It turned out that Mo Qi had encountered Apothecary Lai on his way from the teleportation array exit.
Apothecary Lai was overjoyed and briefly explained the situation. Despite Mo Qi's earnest persuasion, he refused to listen and left resolutely with his disciples.
Guan Shicheng ignored him and said, "Not only can you not handle these two, but you also cannot handle that Cloud-Piercing Beast King."
"Take this!" Mo Qi hurled a Qiankun Ring towards the Cloud-Piercing Beast King. The Qiankun Ring expanded violently in the air, instantly obscuring the sky. The Cloud-Piercing Beast spat out a cloud of mist, attempting to corrode it.
However, this treasure was beyond its ability to corrode. The Qiankun Ring struck it directly, and the Cloud-Piercing Beast was instantly smashed into a pulp of meat, without even a chance to scream.
As Guan Shicheng finished speaking, he looked back, and the Cloud-Piercing Beast had vanished.
His cheeks burned. He couldn't help but widen his eyes, re-examining Mo Qi.
At this moment, the black-clothed girl fixed her gaze on Mo Qi, her eyes as deep as the ocean. Simultaneously, a mass of black energy enveloped him.
His mind wavered, and darkness surged, seemingly attempting to seize and control his consciousness.
Mo Qi hastily unleashed his Soul-镇魂术 (Soul Suppressing Technique), forcing himself to calm his mind. A cool energy within his body washed over and cleansed the darkness, gradually restoring clarity to the area occupied by the darkness.
However, in the blink of an eye, his body was entwined with wisps of black energy, causing him to feel disoriented. Suddenly, he seemed to be in a sea of flowers, cherry blossoms in full bloom, exuding beauty and fragrance.
A gentle breeze blew, scattering petals that danced in the air. The air was filled with fragrance, and the scene was resplendent.
Beneath the cherry blossom trees, fallen petals carpeted the ground, creating a vibrant world.
A girl, clad in thin clothing, lay reclining beneath a tree.
Fleeting images of vanity flashed through Mo Qi's mind, almost causing him to succumb.
It was a charm technique!
Mo Qi's mind was nearly plunged into chaos, but with the enhancement of the Soul Suppressing Technique, no matter how chaotic his thoughts or how turbulent his emotions, his soul remained unbreached.
Thus, although he bled profusely from his nose, he was acutely aware that this was the opponent's doing.
Seeing Mo Qi's dazed and foolish expression, the black-clothed girl assumed he had fallen victim. A slight smile curved her lips, and a black ripple appeared in her hand. From the black ripple, countless black threads surged forth, striking towards Mo Qi.
The white-robed young man, seeing that Mo Qi was essentially incapacitated, no longer paid him any attention. He spun the seven-petaled lotus in his hand and hurled it at Guan Shicheng. Guan Shicheng knew that death was inevitable today, but he was determined to take someone down with him.
He formed hand seals, shouting, "Yan Yang Fire God Art!" A sea of fire swept towards the white-robed young man.
At this moment, his vital energy was greatly depleted, and the power of the Yan Yang Fire God Art was significantly reduced. While the coverage area remained vast, its might and penetrative power had greatly diminished.
The white-robed young man spun the seven-petaled lotus. The petals flew out one by one, rotating and extending white light like a windmill in the air. With a sweep, it tore through the sea of fire layer by layer, then ruthlessly sliced towards Guan Shicheng.
Guan Shicheng's body was cut, but fortunately, his protective shield held. Otherwise, he would have been cleaved in two.
Even so, he was severely wounded and collapsed onto the ground.
As the black-clothed girl's black threads struck Mo Qi, Mo Qi conjured the Qiankun Ring. It spun back and forth in the air, instantly ensnaring all the black threads and causing them to vanish.
At the same time, as the black-clothed girl became overconfident, Mo Qi fixed his gaze upon her, and the Soul Suppressing Technique was silently unleashed.
At that moment, her heart was completely unguarded. Mo Qi easily intruded into her mindscape.
Then, the black-clothed girl's gaze became vacant, and she walked towards Mo Qi in a daze.
This was completely unexpected, and Mo Qi was somewhat stunned.
He had only intended to suppress her, not to command her to come over. He suspected it might be a trick on her part, so he rapidly retreated.