Chapter 356: Chapter 353: You’ve Successfully Annoyed Me

News of Xiao Zhize’s death was immediately transmitted back to the Hall of Envoys.

"Didn’t Zhize go to the Mortal District with Liu Chen? How could he have died?"

"He had a Fortress-level Flying Magical Artifact with him! In the Mortal District, no one should have been able to threaten him, let alone kill him!"

"Are the Liu Family all a bunch of useless freeloaders? They couldn’t even protect one person!"

The entire Xiao Family was furious, especially Xiao Zhize’s father, Xiao Shan.

He wished he could give the order right now for the entire clan to march on the Mortal District and find his son’s killer.

Xiao Zhize’s mother, Liu Luoyan, was the daughter of Liu Hong and the aunt of Liu Ruyan.

Now, she too was stunned by the news of Xiao Zhize’s death. Hearing Xiao Shan curse the Liu Family so viciously, she was momentarily too shocked to retort.

"Impossible! My brother would never have abandoned Zhize!" Liu Luoyan couldn’t believe the news of her son’s death.

But the Soul Jade Token that recorded Xiao Zhize’s life force had already shattered right before her eyes. She had no choice but to believe it.

"Brother Shan, you have to avenge Zhize," Liu Luoyan sobbed hatefully, slumping into her chair.

"Hmph!" Xiao Shan glanced coldly at his wife and said sarcastically, "You really have a ’fine’ big brother. With his strength, how could he possibly let Zhize die in the Mortal District?! Heh!"

Liu Luoyan opened her mouth, wanting to say something in Liu Chen’s defense, but she couldn’t find the words.

Just as the atmosphere became exceptionally awkward, a piece of intelligence appeared before the members of the Xiao Family, delivered through some special channel.

"The one who killed Xiao Zhize is Mo Qi of the Mountain and Sea Empire in the Mortal District."

The message contained only a single sentence, but it set off a tidal wave of shock within the Xiao Family.

"Who is this Mo Qi? And what godforsaken place is the Mountain and Sea Empire?"

"Forget about that for a moment. Who sent this intelligence?" a Supreme Elder of the Xiao Family suddenly asked.

Everyone looked at each other, all of them completely bewildered.

"We only just found out about Zhize’s death ourselves. So how did the person who sent this message know beforehand?"

Another question was thrown out, and the Xiao Family instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Indeed, everyone present was a core member of the Xiao Family.

But even so, less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed since they learned of Xiao Zhize’s death.

But how did the sender of this intelligence get the information? And how did they manage to insert it into the Xiao Family’s own intelligence system to present it to them? 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

’Could there be a mole?’

’Impossible!’

Moles were an unavoidable problem for any faction, but the Xiao Family was confident that one could never exist among their core members.

That being the case, the situation became all the more intriguing.

The sender of this intelligence not only had extensive sources of information spanning the Hall of Envoys and the Mortal District, but they also had incredible reach and unfathomably deep schemes.

Who on earth could pull off such a grand maneuver?

Just as the members of the Xiao Family were pondering this, the defensive warning array on the clan’s perimeter let out a piercing shriek.

"What’s going on?" Xiao Shan asked coldly.

"This is bad! A large group of powerful experts from the Huangfu Family is approaching!"

...

In the Imperial Palace of the Mountain and Sea Empire, Mo Qi was caked in dried blood, and the ground beneath his feet was stained black.

The phantom of the Five Elements Tree stood behind him, swaying in the wind, the veins on its trunk glowing with a dark, bloody light.

He had been in this state for two full hours.

Niu Kexin, Liu Ruyan, and the members of the Void Sect were all growing anxious and impatient. Their worry was plain on their faces, impossible to hide.

If not for the Pig Emperor watching over them, repeatedly stressing that Mo Qi must not be disturbed, they would have long since given in to the urge to wake him.

Meanwhile, within Mo Qi’s Sea of Consciousness, he gathered his Power of the Soul and stood before the Chaos Scripture, his expression blank and still.

Mo Qi knew that everything he now possessed had been granted to him by the Chaos Scripture.

In just a few short months, he had gone from a worthless Kitchen Hand to a legendary figure capable of defeating Huangfu Yu of the Hall of Envoys in a direct confrontation. This too was a gift from the Chaos Scripture.

’Then, is the Chaos Scripture also the reason my mother is being targeted by the Immortal Domain Ancestors?’

Mo Qi had no way of knowing.

After a long silence, Mo Qi spoke. "I am a mortal. I was before, I am now, and I always will be!"

The Chaos Scripture floated above Mo Qi’s Sea of Consciousness, looking ordinary and unremarkable. It had no magnificent radiance, no overwhelming aura. If one didn’t look closely, they might not even notice its existence.

"I’m just a nobody. Even though it seems like I’m not far from success, I know that in the eyes of those experts from the Immortal Realm, and in the eyes of you, this mysterious... ’scripture,’ I’m probably just a clown. A puppet on a string for someone to manipulate, a plaything for some person, some being, or some consciousness to watch for their amusement."

As he spoke, memories flashed through Mo Qi’s mind.

Uncle Niu’s tragic death during the sect’s entrance trial, his body left dismembered; Fang Min’s betrayal for personal gain, turning from friend to foe before her own demise; Niu Kexin being dragged into his troubles, nearly tortured to death.

And now, his master, Yu Liang, had also become a thing of the past, along with the entire Void Sect.

"My life hasn’t been long, but it’s certainly been eventful. I won’t talk about how much I’ve gained, but I’ve learned at least one thing: there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

He stared at the Chaos Scripture and said, word by word, "I don’t know what your purpose is for possessing me, but I’m certain you aren’t just trying to help me get stronger out of the goodness of your heart."

"I know you have your own consciousness, or perhaps, a mission. You can definitely understand what I’m saying. Right now, I want to make a deal with you. What do you say?"

The Chaos Scripture remained as it was, giving Mo Qi no response.

Mo Qi wasn’t discouraged. He continued, "I may not have been on the path of the Martial Dao for long, but I’m no longer a rookie."

"The Creation Golden Body Technique, the External Incarnation, the ability to identify all things, and even suppressing the Five Elements Tree—every single one of these is an earth-shattering ability!"

"I, Mo Qi, don’t have an extra head, or extra arms and legs compared to anyone else. In fact, fundamentally, I have no talent for Cultivation."

"So I’m guessing the reason you chose to possess me is that you had no other choice, right?"

BUZZ!

The moment he finished speaking, the Chaos Scripture trembled slightly before falling silent again.

Seeing this, Mo Qi’s eyes lit up. ’There’s a chance!’

He pressed on, "The Medicinal Cuisine I cook retains nearly one hundred percent of the medicinal properties, but the Innate Souls contained within those Spirit Medicines all disappear. You’re the one devouring them, aren’t you!"

Mo Qi’s tone was certain. "So... you’re injured! And badly! You need a large amount of Innate Souls, or something similar to them, to heal!"

DONG!

The Chaos Scripture suddenly shone brightly. The cover of the scripture slowly turned, revealing a line of large, gilt characters.

"Everything you said is nonsense, but you have successfully annoyed me. State your deal."