"How dare you!" Zhang He raged. He had never been so insulted. "Young man, I know you hold a high position in the Void Sect, but if you want to put on airs in front of me, I’m afraid you don’t have the qualifications. It’s not your place to tell my Mountain and Sea Empire how to conduct its affairs!"

"I understand," Mo Qi said with a nod.

’Since words have failed, let’s see who’s qualified with our fists.’

With a single thought, his External Incarnation transformed into Battle Armor and enveloped his body.

It automatically adapted its shape, wrapping around Niu Kexin as well. The two of them were pressed tightly together, sealed perfectly inside.

"Kill!"

Boosted by the Incarnation Battle Armor, Mo Qi’s combat power soared to a new level.

He unleashed his Sword Skill Domain. Within its bounds, the trajectory of all things fell under his control.

Both originated from the same source, transformed from the original four-piece kitchen set.

However, the Battle Armor did not conflict with the Obsidian Kitchen Knife, so even with the armor equipped, he could still manifest the knife for his use.

Zhang He never expected Mo Qi to attack without another word. He was at the Late-stage Purity Realm, and although he reacted quickly and put up a defense, he was still sent flying by Mo Qi’s slash.

Staring at the crack that had split open on his Mystic-Level Defense Armor, a wave of fear washed over Zhang He.

If not for this Mystic-Level Armor, that single slash from Mo Qi would have taken his life.

"This kid is insane! Everyone, help me take him down!"

Zhang He didn’t dare to fight alone and tried to drag everyone else into the fray.

Mo Qi’s true strength was unknown, but it was certainly no less than his own. And that wasn’t even mentioning the even more terrifying Jin Sanpang.

The crowd of powerful cultivators looked at each other, but no one made a move.

They weren’t fools. They couldn’t afford to offend either the Void Sect or the Mountain and Sea Empire.

Besides, even if they did intervene, they had no confidence they could defeat Mo Qi and Jin Sanpang.

Staying out of it was the best choice.

"Where are the City Lord’s Mansion guards? Stop him!"

A hundred guards, with Cultivation ranging from the Refining Essence to the Refining God Realm, appeared and surrounded Mo Qi on Zhang He’s command.

As for Zhang He himself, he quickly fled the scene. He had no desire to end up like Zhou Rui.

If Zhang He had known Mo Qi was such a reckless fool who wouldn’t even give face to the Mountain and Sea Empire, he never would have stuck around to watch the show. He would have fled far away long ago.

How could guards who hadn’t even reached the Purity Realm possibly be a match for Mo Qi?

Within his Sword Skill Domain, they were like lambs to the slaughter, unable to even move. With a few casual slashes, Mo Qi neutralized their ability to fight.

Mo Qi didn’t kill them.

There was a specific person to blame for every grievance. The responsibility lay with Zhang He; these guards had no authority over the Zhou Family.

If he were to slaughter the innocent just to vent his anger, how would he be any different from Fang Min, the Zhou Family, or Zhang He?

Watching Zhang He’s retreating figure, Mo Qi didn’t give chase. ’Someone else will take care of him.’

Mo Qi scanned his surroundings. All those his gaze fell upon lowered their heads, daring not to meet his eyes.

Finally, Mo Qi’s gaze landed on Wang Ming.

A tremor ran through Wang Ming’s heart. He knew this was bad.

"How many people from my Void Sect are stationed here?" Mo Qi asked.

Wang Ming didn’t dare hesitate and quickly replied, "Reporting to you, Sir, there are ten of us stationed in Nanyang City, including this humble one."

"All of you, step forward," Mo Qi said, his face devoid of expression.

Soon, nine people stepped out from the crowd and stood trembling before Mo Qi alongside Wang Ming.

"You’re not going to tell me you didn’t know whose business the Niu Family was, are you?" Mo Qi asked, suppressing his rage.

"We... We knew," Wang Ming’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. The other nine all nodded as well.

"Good, very good. So you all knew!" Mo Qi was so enraged that he laughed.

He could understand the actions of the Zhou Family and the City Lord’s Mansion, no matter how excessive.

But the conduct of Wang Ming and his group was something he simply could not accept.

Since Uncle Niu had dared to entrust such a large family business to Niu Kexin, he must have informed Wang Ming and the others, as they all belonged to the Void Sect.

Even though Uncle Niu had been dead for many years, Niu Kexin was still practically a member of the Void Sect.

By all logic and reason, when the Niu Residence met with disaster, Wang Ming and the others should have stepped in to help.

But they didn’t. They stood by and did nothing, as if it had nothing to do with them.

They even eagerly ran over to watch the spectacle when they noticed something was happening.

’Is this how fellow sect members should act?’

’Is this something a normal person would do?!’

Even if Uncle Niu was just a servant with a low status, that was an internal matter for the sect to handle behind closed doors.

’When facing outsiders—the Mountain and Sea Empire, the insignificant Zhou Family—shouldn’t we be united?’

’Don’t they realize that with the Niu Family’s business being seized and Niu Kexin being bullied, it’s the Void Sect’s own face that’s being slapped!’

"You lot are truly the talents of my Void Sect! Huh? You’ve really opened my eyes!"

THUD!

Terrified, all ten of them dropped to their knees.

"Sir, spare us! We know we were wrong."

Wang Ming and the others weren’t stupid. They knew that any explanation would be futile at this point. They could only beg Mo Qi to be lenient and let them off the hook.

"Wang Ming, for the sake of us being fellow sect members, take your own life," Mo Qi said with a wave of his hand.

’When you do something wrong, you have to pay the price.’

By not giving Wang Ming the same fate as Zhou Rui, Mo Qi was already showing him considerable face.

Wang Ming was stunned. Although he had been begging for his life, he never imagined that Mo Qi would actually demand his life over what he considered a trivial matter.

He had thought he would, at most, be severely punished.

"No, no, no, Sir, you can’t do this!" Wang Ming panicked. He could tell Mo Qi wasn’t joking.

"I am an Outsider Elder stationed here, personally appointed by the Sect Leader, and my name is on the official records! Although you are an esteemed Core Disciple, Sir, you have no right to judge me, let alone take my life."

Mo Qi sneered. "So now you remember you’re an Outsider Elder? When the Niu Family’s business was seized and their family was being bullied, where were you? The Void Sect didn’t station you here to let you retire in peace. If you won’t even lift a finger to help your own people when they’re in trouble, what use are you?"

"N-no... that’s not it!" Wang Ming shook his head repeatedly. "It was that person named Fang Min! She was the one who insisted on doing it this way."

"Heh, Fang Min? She’s just an Outer Disciple. As an Outsider Elder, no matter how low your status, it’s still much higher than hers, right? She can sway your decision?"

Wang Ming was speechless.

He didn’t want to die. Gritting his teeth, he turned and fled.

SWISH!

A dazzling blade of light cut through the sky, and a spray of blood erupted.

Wang Ming, who had just leaped into the air and hadn’t even managed to flee ten feet, froze. A thin line of blood trickled down from between his eyebrows, running through his face, neck, and torso.

His body split in two in mid-air, and he was cleaved in half. His organs and blood splattered across the ground.

Wang Ming had fallen!

In truth, with Wang Ming’s Late-stage Purity Realm Cultivation, while he might not have been a match for Mo Qi, he shouldn’t have been killed in a single blow.

The key was that he was solely focused on escaping and had let his guard down. He had also underestimated Mo Qi’s reaction speed, thinking he could catch him by surprise with his escape.

The other nine were Wang Ming’s followers. Most of them were at the Refining God Realm. Terrified, they were now prostrated on the ground, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

"As for the nine of you, cripple your own Cultivation and live out your lives as mortals in Nanyang City," Mo Qi said in a low voice.

"Thank you for sparing our lives, Sir." Without a second word, the nine of them cleanly dissipated their Cultivation and kowtowed in thanks.

Before Wang Ming was killed, they certainly would not have accepted this outcome.

But now, they felt incredibly fortunate just to be alive.