Chapter 378: Chapter 375: I Can Stand Shoulder to Shoulder with the Sun

"Let me ask you one thing: do you need to fear a dead man walking?"

The middle-aged man’s final words snapped Huangfu Yu out of it.

’That’s right, why should I be afraid of Mo Qi?’

’He’s already a dead man walking!’

Within the entire Sub-Palace, the Huangfu Family controlled nearly seventy percent of the spots for the Demon Spirit Battlefield.

Once they entered the Demon Spirit Battlefield, during the year-long Sub-Palace elimination trials, the Huangfu Family would have more than enough time and opportunities to hunt down Mo Qi.

At that point, unable to use any external aid, Mo Qi wouldn’t stand a chance of getting out alive, even if he had three heads and six arms.

Just as his master had said, the only true victor is the one who survives to the end. No one cares about the process.

’Once Mo Qi is dead, who in the Hall of Envoys will be worthy of standing as my equal?’

At this thought, the gloom in Huangfu Yu’s heart vanished, and the once domineering, invincible monster returned.

"I, Huangfu Yu, have never been second to anyone in my life, and that won’t change now or in the future. Mo Qi, the victor between us has yet to be decided. Just you wait. You’ll become the whetstone I use to sharpen myself before I step into the Immortal Realm!"

Seeing Huangfu Yu’s fighting spirit rekindled, the middle-aged man nodded in satisfaction.

Huangfu Yu was an indispensable part of his plan; he couldn’t let some kid from the Mortal District ruin it.

...

In the Feng Family’s ancestral hall, before the shattered remains of the ancestral altar.

A group of powerful figures, led by the Immortal Ancestor, stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.

Feng Liang, their number one seed who had always presented a cold and aloof image, was now flushed crimson, running wild and butt-naked around the remains of the altar, flailing his arms like a crazed dog.

Around and around he went.

As he ran, he howled, spouting extremely cringey phrases and making bizarre noises.

"WHOOSHALALALA~"

"SO HOT! I’M BURNING UP!"

"I feel so full of power!"

"BLELELELELELELEH!"

"I think I can fly up and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the sun!"

Mo Qi: "..."

The members of the Feng Family: "..."

"Um... is he...?" Feng Lun asked uneasily.

Mo Qi snapped out of his daze and waved his hand. "He’s fine. It’s just a deep bloodline awakening. His power surged, and he can’t adapt to it yet. He’ll be fine once he’s vented it all."

"A deep awakening? For real?!"

Everyone was stunned.

Although they had their suspicions, hearing Mo Qi confirm it himself was still a tremendous shock.

"See for yourselves," Mo Qi said, pointing behind Feng Liang.

An image of an Exotic Beast, glowing with white light, slowly materialized behind Feng Liang’s head.

They couldn’t make out the beast’s exact appearance, but one feature was glaringly obvious: its mouth was exceptionally large.

Astonishingly so. The mouth took up three-quarters of its head.

An invisible pressure emanated from the Exotic Beast. The bodies of the Feng Family members, including the Immortal Ancestor, trembled as their backs bent uncontrollably.

They were forced into a deep, reverent bow toward the beast, like subjects before their king.

Only Mo Qi, standing to the side, remained completely unmoved.

He felt no pressure at all.

Looking at the beast’s comical appearance, he even felt an urge to laugh.

’This thing couldn’t be the Taotie, could it?’

"It’s that annoying pest, all right!" the Pig Emperor grumbled, turning over in Mo Qi’s arms before falling back into a deep sleep.

The Exotic Beast’s pressure came as quickly as it went, and the Feng Family members soon returned to normal.

They no longer held the slightest doubt about Mo Qi’s words.

This was especially true for the Immortal Ancestor. No one in the Feng Family understood the Taotie Bloodline better than he did.

He could tell that this was more than just a deep bloodline awakening for Feng Liang. He was likely on the verge of evolution and might even receive the Taotie’s inheritance!

If that were the case, the Feng Family was about to rise to prominence.

"Amazing, kid. How did you do it?" the Immortal Ancestor asked excitedly.

As he looked at Mo Qi again, his gaze held not only appreciation but also a hint of urgency and anticipation.

If Mo Qi’s method was replicable, wouldn’t that mean everyone in the Feng Family could awaken their Taotie Bloodline?

At that point, forget the Hall of Envoys—even in the Immortal Realm, who could stop the Feng Family’s rise to absolute power?

Mo Qi instantly read the thoughts in the Immortal Ancestor’s eyes and said without hesitation, "It’s mainly thanks to the Medicinal Cuisine I just gave him."

Hearing this, the image of that sea urchin-shaped Medicinal Pill flashed through the Immortal Ancestor’s mind.

His expression flickered, and he said in a surprised tone, "I know of Medicinal Cuisine. It’s a concept that once stirred up heated debate in theory, but no one has ever been able to create it. That fellow Feng Wei mentioned to me that you have the ability to make Medicinal Cuisine and that you promised to teach the Feng Family!"

"That’s right." Mo Qi nodded, then added, "I can teach you how to make Medicinal Cuisine. As for whether or not you can learn, that’s up to you."

"Also, the Medicinal Pill Brother Feng just took is one of a kind. I obtained its raw ingredients by chance, and there was only enough for one."

"Of course, if you can provide the same ingredients, I can replicate the same Medicinal Cuisine."

The Immortal Ancestor was overjoyed and quickly asked, "What are the raw ingredients?"

In his view, although Mo Qi was powerful and exceptionally talented, he had grown up in the Mortal District and thus had a limited perspective.

An ingredient that Mo Qi considered incredibly rare might be nothing special to him.

Mo Qi said, "A branch from the Five Elements Tree."

The Immortal Ancestor: "???"

’A branch from the Five Elements Tree?’

’What in the world is that?’

’And what is a Five Elements Tree?’

Seeing the Immortal Ancestor’s confusion, Mo Qi shrugged. "Don’t ask me; I don’t know what it is either. The world is full of spirits. The only reason I know the name ’Five Elements Tree’ is because the name revealed itself to me when I touched the branch."

Hearing this, the Immortal Ancestor’s racing heart calmed down, and he quickly collected himself.

Of course, he wouldn’t believe Mo Qi so easily, but he also knew that an ingredient capable of inducing a deep awakening of the Taotie Bloodline couldn’t possibly be ordinary or plentiful.

Since Mo Qi clearly didn’t want to say more for the time being, he wouldn’t press the issue.

The Immortal Ancestor understood the principle of playing the long game to catch a bigger fish.

He wasn’t about to turn hostile toward Mo Qi over this matter.

He wouldn’t do something as foolish as killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

The Immortal Ancestor could see that Mo Qi was someone who valued personal bonds.

Therefore, it would be better to appease Mo Qi and treat him with genuine sincerity.

When the time was right, Mo Qi would naturally act in the Feng Family’s best interests.

"So, are you going to learn how to make Medicinal Cuisine or not? If you are, go get your people now!"

Mo Qi’s voice cut through the Immortal Ancestor’s thoughts.

"Learn? Of course, we’ll learn!" The Immortal Ancestor temporarily set aside the matter of the bloodline awakening and ordered Feng Lun, "Go! Bring all the youngsters in the family who have a talent for Alchemy!"

’No matter what, Medicinal Cuisine is definitely a good thing.’

’If we can learn how to make it, it’ll be a massive win for us.’