In his speech, he had already formed a hand seal, and a flying sword shot out, slashing fiercely at Mo Qi.
Mo Qi also formed a hand seal, and a ball of mist appeared before him. The mist flowed rapidly, forming ripples. As the ripples spun faster and faster, they formed a vortex, from which two light energy blades shaped like Mo sabers condensed.
Mo Qi pointed his hand, and the Mo sabers shot out with a deafening roar. The edges of the light energy flowed, tearing at the surrounding air, making the entire space seem to tremble and ignite.
Pan Jinhe was greatly alarmed. This was absolutely not the strength of a new disciple; he had underestimated the opponent, but he still felt he could defeat him, because a new disciple was just a new disciple.
So he pointed his hand, sending the flying sword to meet one of the Mo sabers, attempting to shatter the Mo saber with his powerful spiritual energy, then fly back, sever the other Mo saber, and then, with momentum, advance to cut off the opponent's head.
However, upon contact, he knew his plan had gone awry.
The light energy suddenly surged, emitting brilliant rays. The Mo saber's light energy and the flying sword's light energy merged, consuming each other. Spiritual energy surged outwards, and the flying sword was reduced to a mere wisp of its former self. It struck the other Mo saber's light energy, which was barely damaged. It continued to whistle towards Pan Jinhe.
Pan Jinhe was greatly alarmed and dodged at extreme speed. With a booming explosion, the Mo saber struck the stone wall of the cave.
The air in the cave suddenly contracted, spiritual energy overflowed instantaneously, and the air exploded, filling the entire cave with dazzling light.
With a thunderous roar, the cave shook, followed by billowing dust that filled the entire space.
Amidst the deafening noise, Mo Qi and Baili Bing both retreated several steps, exiting the cave, unharmed internally or externally.
Cultivators from nearby caves heard the commotion and rushed over, cursing, "Who the hell is cultivating like this? Are we even allowed to live?"
In an instant, a large crowd had gathered outside the cave, all with furrowed brows and clenched fists.
At this moment, a cough was heard from within the cave.
Mo Qi couldn't help but frown. He's still alive, what a persistent menace.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Pan Jinhe crawled out of the cave, covered in wounds, his flesh torn, his face a bloody mess, with holes in various parts of his body. His clothes were tattered, clinging to him like irregular leaves.
"Speak, was it you? Were you cultivating, blowing up caves again and again? Disturbing our peace?" The crowd, incensed, pointed at Pan Jinhe on the ground and roared.
At this moment, they no longer cared if he lived or died; they wanted to resolve what they considered important first.
Pan Jinhe's eyes showed a look of terror. He glanced at Mo Qi and stammered, "It wasn't me, I was just trying to..."
"Yes, it wasn't him," Mo Qi said calmly. "He was just trying to go in and molest Miss Baili. I got into a fight with him, and then this happened."
His fairness and righteousness moved Pan Jinhe slightly, but Baili Bing cast him a disappointed glance, thinking, isn't this an opportunity to kill with a borrowed knife? What are you thinking?
The crowd stirred: "Shameless!"
"Trash!"
"Obscene!"
"Scum!"
Some people even spat at Pan Jinhe, while others rained blows upon him. Pan Jinhe's skin was already in terrible condition, and now it was even worse. Even a light touch would have been excruciatingly painful, let alone fierce kicks and punches.
All that could be heard was Pan Jinhe's pig-like screams, chilling the bone.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes!
This is how people are. Before, no matter how arrogant Pan Jinhe was, they could tolerate it, turn a blind eye. But once Pan Jinhe lost the ability to fight back, they didn't mind adding a few more punches.
Baili Bing finally realized: Mo Qi was still killing with a borrowed knife.
However, Mo Qi felt that this level of harm was still insufficient; it wouldn't teach people a lesson!
So he strode forward a few steps, parting the crowd, and said, "Everyone, please wait a moment, I haven't finished settling my score with him." The crowd obligingly moved aside.
Mo Qi squatted down, looking at Pan Jinhe, and said calmly and kindly, "Do you remember what I said before we started fighting?"
Pan Jinhe wriggled backward a few steps, as if seeing the Grim Reaper, his eyes filled with terror. "Brother Mo, spare me. You are magnanimous, please let me go. I will never dare to do it again."
"I said I would chop off your hand," Mo Qi said, ignoring his pleas.
"No, spare me, I won't dare again." Pan Jinhe begged incessantly, snot and tears flowing together.
"There's a next time?"
"No, no next time, absolutely no next time... Ah."
The final "Ah" was a scream of pain.
Blood gushed out, and Pan Jinhe immediately fainted.
Mo Qi tossed the severed arm aside and said nonchalantly to the people on both sides, "Alright, I'm done. The rest is your business."
The surrounding people were stunned. No one stepped forward, and some didn't even dare to breathe.
Baili Bing was also somewhat numb. This was a bit too much, wasn't it?
Jin Dan, Yu Ming, Huang Jingtian, and others seized the opportunity to stand by Mo Qi's side, silently telling the world that they were together!
Mo Qi said to Jin Dan, "Miss Baili's cave is no longer habitable. You pack up and move out, let her live in your cave dwelling."
Yu Ming nodded in agreement, "Alright."
"Then where will I live?" Jin Dan asked with a wry face.
"Find another damp cave. Don't worry, it won't be for long," Mo Qi said, patting his shoulder.
Jin Dan was about to argue, but hearing that it wouldn't be long, he stopped dwelling on it and went to pack. He believed he would do it!
The crowd gradually dispersed.
At some point, Wang Duanwu came and quietly took away Pan Jinhe from the ground. A healer's heart is a parent's heart.
After settling Baili Bing, Mo Qi retreated again.
He found another cave, this time he was more cautious, his resolve stronger, and his desire to improve his cultivation more intense.
This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. Whoever has the stronger fist has the right to speak. If you don't want to be bullied, you can only make your fist stronger.
To avoid harming innocent people, he checked several nearby caves to ensure no one was around before choosing this one.
Then, about an hour later, there was another earth-shattering roar...
This time, a large portion of Mo Qi's cave and the surrounding caves collapsed. The other caves, under continuous tremors, had rocks and soil falling from their ceilings, causing great alarm.
People gathered outside the caves again, forming a line, then gradually moving closer. Roars and curses were incessant, rising and falling. Many shouted to the heavens, "Come out! If you have the guts, come out! What kind of coward hides their head?" Besides cursing the heavens and the earth, many unleashed their divine abilities on cliff faces and trees to vent their anger.
The improvement was that they were already thinking of countermeasures.
Jin Dan said, "Every explosion must spread outwards from the cultivator as the center. We'll pay attention next time. Whoever is closest to the most collapsed cave is the culprit." Mo Qi quietly moved away from the collapsed cave and towards the center of the crowd.
Huang Jingtian said, "Let's arrange a rotation for night watch. The night watchman will patrol all cave entrances. If anyone is seen cultivating, they will inform everyone, and then we will attack them together."
Mo Qi was anxious. If this plan went smoothly, he wouldn't be able to continue breaking through and advancing. But the power within him was still surging; he couldn't miss this opportunity.
If he cultivated elsewhere, he feared being disturbed, so he could only cultivate inside a cave.
He also couldn't object, as that would be too obvious. Suddenly, an idea struck him: "I think it's a good plan. I agree, and I'm willing to be the first one on watch."
Huang Jingtian saw it was Mo Qi and thought it was feasible. Mo Qi gave him the impression of being extremely reliable. Moreover, Mo Qi had dealt with Leng Xiao last time, which had also helped him vent his anger, and he would still rely on Mo Qi in the future.
He immediately seconded, "I agree with Brother Mo being the first on watch." The others were all exhausted and wished for this matter to be settled quickly so they could go in and rest, so they all agreed.
"Then who is willing to be the second on night watch?" Huang Jingtian asked, looking around.
"We'll see," everyone yawned and dispersed.
Only Mo Qi, with ulterior motives, and Huang Jingtian, standing there in a daze, remained.
Huang Jingtian looked at Mo Qi and shook his head, then went into his cave dwelling.
The opportunity had arrived. Mo Qi found another rather secluded cave. With no one around, he looked around furtively like a thief before entering.
An hour later, as expected. Another deafening roar. Mo Qi's cultivation advanced to the fifth stage of Condensation Soul.
The earth trembled, and the entire mountain shook. Many nearby caves, under continuous external vibrations, had cracks appearing on their ceilings, a shocking sight.
"Damn it. Damn it all. Can anyone do us a favor and take this person away? Even a honey trap would do." Many were beyond furious, their words becoming incoherent.
At this moment, for these cave cultivators, besides anger, there was more despair, because they knew there was a disgusting fellow nearby, but they didn't know who it was.
Mo Qi immediately moved away from the cave he had just collapsed. Seeing others emerging from their caves one after another, he immediately ran back, shouting as he ran, "Who is it? Don't run, I saw you!" Then he pretended to run towards the forest.
Seeing a target, everyone's spirits lifted and they followed, disappearing into the forest.
Finally, everyone emerged from the forest, panting heavily, having found nothing.
Everyone questioned Mo Qi about how he was on watch and if he hadn't patrolled diligently.
At this time, Jin Dan and Huang Jingtian came out to speak for Mo Qi: "This child is a good person, just a bit lustful. He must have gone to peek at the female cultivators just now. Please be understanding." Their words carried a meaningful glance towards Baili Bing, a glance that conveyed much information.
For the first time in his life, Mo Qi agreed with being framed and nodded repeatedly.
The crowd immediately seemed to understand, casting knowing smiles at Mo Qi: "We're all men, we understand."
Baili Bing was somewhat bewildered. Just moments ago, everyone was pursuing the unreasonable and barbaric cultivator, and now, inexplicably, everyone's gaze was focused on her. She then let out a shy, coquettish sound, "What nonsense are you talking about?" and turned away.
"If you all still trust me, I am willing to atone for my mistakes and continue to stand guard for everyone," Mo Qi said opportunely.
Peng Shaofeng immediately rushed to say, "We trust you, of course we trust you. With Brother Mo on guard, we can all rest assured."
After speaking, Peng Shaofeng let out a long sigh. He had finally seized the opportunity to latch onto a powerful figure. Huang Jingtian had stolen his advantage earlier, and he was regretting it, when unexpectedly, heaven opened its eyes and gave him another chance.
"Agreed, agreed," the few people who usually chatted with Mo Qi also chimed in.
Then everyone dispersed again.
Mo Qi found another cave and continued to cultivate.
About an hour later, another earth-shattering roar.
This time, not only Mo Qi's cave and the nearby uninhabited caves collapsed, but even several inhabited caves collapsed. Fortunately, the people evacuated in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
The people's anger had reached its peak, especially those whose cave dwellings were destroyed. Unable to find the barbaric cultivator, they directed their anger at Mo Qi. But in Mo Qi's view, it made no difference; they were angry with him, and that was never wrong.
"How did you stand guard? How did you repeatedly allow him to do as he pleased right under our noses?"
"Are you in league with him?"
"Is it you who is cultivating? No wonder you rushed to be on watch, aren't you crying wolf?"
The crowd was incensed, their roars shaking the heavens. They easily drowned out the voices of Jin Dan and others who tried to defend Mo Qi.
The wrath of the masses was formidable. Mo Qi looked at the crowd with red eyes and gritted teeth, as if fangs had sprouted, ready to devour him alive. He felt helpless, isolated, and unsupported.
During the previous explosion, someone had already reported the events in the cave area to the peak master Ren Kui. Ren Kui had simply said, "I know," and there was no further action. In fact, when the second explosion occurred, Ren Kui had already noticed the area. He felt that observing the situation was the most appropriate course of action at this moment. It usually took anywhere from one year to five or ten years for an ordinary person to break through from the first stage of Condensation Soul to the second. Seeing someone break through consecutively was rare, and breaking through twice or thrice could only be described as unprecedented.
If such a rare genius appeared in Shaoxia Peak, he would be pleased and full of anticipation, not to mention stopping him.
Although all disciples below the mountainside of Shaoxia Peak were outer disciples, he, as the peak master of Shaoxia Peak, commanded them all before they entered the inner sect. Moreover, if he discovered them early and acted quickly, he would have the opportunity to recruit them in the future.
At this moment, Wu Fan on the peak was also paying attention to this matter. The events had given him a tremendous shock and impact.