Chapter 70: Chapter 68: Wow, You’re So Amazing

"Zheng Xiao, you’re up!"

A young man in a white robe stepped out from the Wolf Fang Sect. He was the one who had killed the first Void Sect disciple and won a match earlier.

Zheng Xiao’s Beast Pet was a White Fox about a meter tall. It was a high-tier First-level Demon Beast, infinitely close to the Second Level—the equivalent of a human at the Peak of Divine Refining.

"You trash from the Void Sect, do you dare to fight?"

Zheng Xiao stood with his hands behind his back, man and beast facing the Void Sect, his expression filled with provocation and disdain.

Over on the Void Sect’s side, Qi Tian was covered in wounds, his face pale and his spirit listless. He was clearly in no condition to fight.

Diao Qing’s condition was still decent, but he had just been through a vicious battle. Although he’d won, he had expended a great deal of energy and wouldn’t be able to recover quickly.

Only Liu Hui was still able to fight.

Ji Lin and the other Elders were filled with worry.

Since Jin Quan dared to initiate his final plan, it meant he was completely confident.

Sending Liu Hui to take such a risk was clearly not a wise choice.

But if they didn’t fight, Jin Quan would definitely not let the matter rest, and it would also be against the rules.

For a moment, the Void Sect was trapped in a dilemma.

"What, you don’t even have the courage to fight?" Zheng Xiao sneered, raising his left hand. "How about I give you a one-hand advantage?"

His flippant tone was filled with contempt and humiliation.

"This is too much!"

The members of the Void Sect were burning with rage but could do nothing. They could only turn their gazes to Liu Hui.

Liu Hui was actually indifferent. He didn’t care in the slightest what happened to the Void Sect.

However, he wouldn’t turn down a fight that came knocking on his door.

Just as Liu Hui stepped forward, ready to fight Zheng Xiao, a voice stopped him.

"Hold on!"

Hearing this voice, a rare smile appeared on Liu Hui’s perpetually cold face.

Qi Tian and Diao Qing, who were resting and healing off to the side, snapped their eyes open. There was surprise and shock, but even more so, killing intent.

A young man with a simple, honest face walked out of the darkness. He had no trace of True Essence fluctuations and looked like an ordinary person. It was Mo Qi, who had just arrived.

"Master!"

Liu Hui immediately abandoned all thoughts of fighting and ran to Mo Qi’s side.

Mo Qi looked Liu Hui up and down and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. Your cultivation has grown stronger."

"Hehe, I’m still a long way off from you, Master," Liu Hui said with a foolish grin.

"Enough of your chatter," Mo Qi chided with a smile, then said seriously, "Don’t get involved in this fight."

"Yes, Master."

Liu Hui would not hesitate for even a moment to follow Mo Qi’s orders.

Even if Mo Qi told him to slit his own throat, he wouldn’t so much as frown.

"Mo Qi, you’re not dead?" Ye Lei and Ye Dian were overjoyed and ran over to him.

Mo Qi rolled his eyes speechlessly. ’Can’t you phrase that better? Do you want me to be dead?’

"Even though you couldn’t break the array, it’s good that you’re okay. It’s good that you’re back!" Ye Lei patted Mo Qi’s shoulder forcefully, clearly happy.

Mo Qi froze. ’What do you mean, I couldn’t break the array?’

’I used the last-resort Life-saving Talisman that Yang Ming gave me! It took everything I had to break that Basic Beast-Attracting Array!’

"So you’re the Mo Qi who fled from battle?"

Ji Lin walked over, his tone hostile.

From the very beginning, he had labeled Mo Qi a deserter who had abandoned his fellow sect members, even using them as bait to ensure his own safety.

"And you are?"

Mo Qi heard the hostility in Ji Lin’s tone and was completely bewildered. ’I don’t have any grudge against this guy, do I?’

"This is Elder Ji Lin, the overall person in charge of our Void Sect’s operations at the Spiritual Ore. It was he who broke the array and saved us from the Beast Tide," Ye Lei explained from the side.

Hearing this, Mo Qi’s expression turned strange.

’Didn’t I break the Basic Beast-Attracting Array?’

’Can someone just steal credit like that? Is that even a thing?’

But he didn’t argue or explain. He’d never intended to seek credit for it anyway; he was much happier getting rich quietly.

After all, he had already reaped enough benefits from the Earth-level Spiritual Ore. No matter how the Void Sect and the Wolf Fang Sect fought tooth and nail, they would only be drinking his bathwater.

"Ah, so it’s Elder Ji Lin. My apologies for the lack of respect. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving. Please, continue."

Mo Qi cupped his fist in a salute, then turned to leave with Liu Hui.

"Stop!" Ji Lin was furious. "Mo Qi, I don’t care if you’ve given up on yourself, but the Void Sect needs Liu Hui’s strength right now. You can go, but he can’t."

Mo Qi gave a cold smile and turned back to face Ji Lin directly.

"Liu Hui is my man. You have no right to send him to his death."

In truth, Mo Qi had been back for some time. He had witnessed the entire series of duels between the disciples of the Void Sect and the Wolf Fang Sect.

In his view, the deaths of the other seven disciples were entirely the fault of the Void Sect’s so-called upper echelons.

They knew perfectly well that the Earth-level Spiritual Ore was a resource all sects would fight for, and they knew that the Four Great Sects were allies in name only, yet they hadn’t taken the situation seriously enough.

As a result, they were schemed against by the Wolf Fang Sect, failing to even notice the Array Formation that triggered the Beast Tide. What was even more frightening was the near-total lack of any emergency response.

Setting all that aside, they hadn’t even prepared any Elixirs of Life for the disciples to quickly recover their injuries and True Essence. Such a lax attitude was simply outrageous!

What dissatisfied Mo Qi the most was that after seven disciples had died in battle, Ji Lin and his group of so-called Elders only showed anger because they were losing face, without a shred of grief.

Perhaps in their eyes, the lives of the disciples were less precious than a ten-percent share of the Spiritual Ore, and less valuable than their own pride.

What bullshit rules? The Wolf Fang Sect’s actions were already a declaration of war, yet Ji Lin and the others were still clinging to the rules like their lives depended on it. It was utterly pedantic!

These Elders knew nothing about their opponent Zheng Xiao’s true strength. Under such circumstances, they were still clinging to unrealistic fantasies.

Mo Qi could ignore everyone else, but he couldn’t just stand by and watch Liu Hui be sent to his death.

"Mo Qi, what is this attitude? Believe it or not, I’ll execute you on the spot!" Ji Lin roared.

Mo Qi sneered, "I am a Core Disciple and the leader of this expedition. Though you are an Elder, you have no authority over me. Execute me? You can try!"

"I return respect with respect."

Mo Qi was usually easygoing, but he was no pushover.

"You!" Ji Lin was so angry he was speechless.

"Hmph. A mouse carrying a spear—brave in its own nest. If you’re so tough, go show your ferocity to the Wolf Fang Sect!" Mo Qi didn’t usually engage in verbal spars, but once he started, he could infuriate someone to death.

"Mo Qi, how dare you say that? While we were fighting a bloody battle against the Beast Tide and the Wolf Fang Sect, where were you? Have you made a single contribution to the Void Sect?" Qi Tian couldn’t help but mock him.

"You piece of trash who only managed a draw. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to even show my face," Mo Qi retorted.

’Contribution?’

’If it weren’t for me, Zhang Cheng and his group would have probably already emptied out all the Top-grade Spirit Stones from the Earth-level Spiritual Ore.’

’Even if the Void Sect had won all ten matches, they would have only gotten a Profound-level Spiritual Ore with slightly larger reserves.’

’A Spiritual Ore without Top-grade Spirit Stones is practically useless to the Four Great Sects.’

"So what if it was a draw? At least I won a five-percent share of the Spiritual Ore for the Sect! Unlike some people, who accomplished nothing," Qi Tian added.

"Heh, a five-percent share? Wow, good for you," Mo Qi chuckled, amused.

"If you’re so great, why don’t you go fight!" Qi Tian’s breathing grew ragged, pulling at his wounds and making him grimace in pain.

"Sorry, I’m the team leader. According to the rules, I can’t compete." Mo Qi looked at Ji Lin, deliberately emphasizing the word "rules." "Isn’t that right, Elder Ji Lin?"

"Hmph!" Elder Ji Lin turned his face away and snorted coldly.

He had already decided that after this was over, he would report the matter upon returning to the Void Sect and demand that the Sect severely punish Mo Qi.

"Hey, hey, hey, if you’re going to argue, go do it behind closed doors. Just give me a straight answer: are you accepting the challenge or not?" Jin Quan urged impatiently.

Just a moment ago, he had received a report from a subordinate at their encampment that Jin Sanpang had unexpectedly arrived.

This made Jin Quan eager to rush back.

Logically, Jin Sanpang should be at the Wolf Fang Sect’s headquarters right now. Why would he appear here, thousands of miles away?

"We accept! Of course, we accept!"

Ji Lin looked at Diao Qing. Qi Tian was a lost cause, and Liu Hui only listened to Mo Qi’s orders. Now, Diao Qing was their only hope.

Diao Qing took a deep breath, stood up, and walked into the center of the field.

He was an ambitious man, but he was also cunning and hid it well, not usually letting it show.

Diao Qing had been resentful about Mo Qi becoming a Core Disciple and about Ye Lei arranging for Liu Hui to fight after him.

This was the perfect opportunity. If he could defeat Zheng Xiao and turn the tide, his status in the Void Sect would skyrocket. It wasn’t even impossible that he could be promoted to Core Disciple.

At this thought, Diao Qing’s fighting spirit soared, and a crazed look in his eyes grew more intense.

"Finally, someone dares to fight me?"

Zheng Xiao chuckled and patted the White Fox Demon Beast beside him.

Instantly, the White Fox Demon Beast transformed into a streak of light and drilled into the space between Zheng Xiao’s eyebrows.

"ROAR!"

Zheng Xiao’s eyes flashed with green light as a roar that was neither human nor beast escaped his lips.

Immediately after, his body suddenly shot up in height, tearing through his shirt to reveal a muscular physique.

His arms twisted and swelled, transforming into sharp claws, while his facial features gradually scrunched together, becoming half-human, half-fox.

An aura far exceeding the Refining God Ninth Heaven erupted from him, and a dense demonic qi stained the night sky a smoky red.

"This... This is the aura of the Purity Realm!" The faces of the Void Sect Elders changed drastically.

The madness in Diao Qing’s eyes was quickly replaced by shock and panic. His fighting spirit receded like a tide, and he involuntarily retreated.

Aside from Mo Qi, no one from the Void Sect had expected the Wolf Fang Sect to have this card up their sleeve.

’He can perform Human-Beast Unity?!’

"Come and fight!" Zheng Xiao growled, his voice hoarse, neither male nor female, sending shivers down their spines.

"I forfeit!" Diao Qing surrendered immediately without a shred of hesitation.

’What’s the point of fighting?!’

The Purity Realm and the Refining God Realm were two completely different concepts. Not to mention the complete suppression in terms of physique and True Essence, the Domain of a Purity Realm expert alone was enough to overwhelm anyone in the Refining God Realm.

"Forfeiting before we’ve even started? Does your Void Sect not have a single person who can fight?" Zheng Xiao shook his head, looking utterly bored. "A bunch of trash. If my senior brother Zhang Cheng were here, you lot wouldn’t even dare to step outside your gate, would you?"

The members of the Void Sect fell silent. If, at the beginning, they had felt indignant about the Wolf Fang Sect’s scheme to trigger a Beast Tide and ambush them, then now, Zheng Xiao alone was enough to sweep through all of them.

And that was to say nothing of the even more terrifying Zhang Cheng from the Wolf Fang Sect, who hadn’t even appeared.