The Red and White Chimes lowered their heads, listening to the scolding, not daring to act rashly.
More formidable figures had appeared. Mo Qi felt his doom was near, his heart filled with dejection. He said to Yao Shuang and the clan elder, "While they haven't focused their attention on you, you must escape quickly."
Yao Shuang resolutely shook her head, "I won't leave. We'll die together."
The clan elder also stated resolutely, "With me and the Ten Great Warriors staying behind, we never intended to return alive."
Mo Qi sighed helplessly. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him; it seemed they hadn't reached the end of their rope yet!
He turned to Yao Shuang and said, "Help me open my storage bag and release the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors. Let's see if they can cut this ring."
Yao Shuang was also overjoyed. As long as there was a way, it was good news!
So, Yao Shuang did as he asked.
The next moment, the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors whizzed out. Nourished by both Mo Qi's artifact refining and elixirs, the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors were already worlds apart from when they were in San Xiao's hands.
With a few cracking sounds, the circular ring broke into pieces.
The Black Chi was still lecturing the White and Red Chimes, completely unaware of the commotion on the other side.
Mo Qi then led Yao Shuang and the clan elder to flee into the distance.
The Black Chi was still lecturing with gusto. The White Chi saw Mo Qi and the other two escaping and immediately alerted, "They're trying to escape."
The Black Chi reacted swiftly, his figure darting out like a flash of lightning. In an instant, he was behind the trio. With a flick of his finger, the clan elder's body directly exploded with a loud bang.
With another flick towards Mo Qi, his body, like a kite with a broken string, flew out, landing dozens of feet away, half-dead. Da Feng Novel Network
As he prepared to flick towards Yao Shuang again, a flash of light appeared, and an old man suddenly materialized, holding a staff. He lightly tapped the air, and a bowl-shaped light projection suddenly roared out, gently catching the finger projection and absorbing it. With a muffled sound, the light projection shattered, scattering in all directions.
This was a match for him. The Black Chi felt it must be an accident. He continued forward, using his momentum to push forward, and a light screen descended from the sky. It appeared before him, then suddenly expanded, like a wall connecting heaven and earth, continuously thickening as it collided with the old man.
The old man stomped his staff on the ground. With a roar, the earth trembled and cracked. A chasm suddenly appeared where he stood. One side of the chasm abruptly lifted, the very ground flipping over, the entire ground meeting the expanding light wall.
Yao Shuang, having never witnessed such a grand battle, stood frozen in shock.
Mo Qi, however, recognized the old man. It was the Turtle Immortal he had rescued from the Jupiter world.
Indeed, he was skilled at dealing with all sorts of old Chimes!
The next moment, the light and energy shattered, rocks exploded, and large chunks of stone flew in all directions.
The Black Chi emerged from the rain of stones, his figure like lightning, flicking his fingers.
Unexpectedly, the Turtle Immortal's movements were even faster. Using a peculiar movement technique, he arrived before the Black Chi and forcefully struck the Black Chi's finger with his staff. Blood splattered, and the Black Chi's index finger was cleanly knocked off!
The Black Chi endured the pain, his body retreating explosively. He stopped dozens of feet away and finally got a clear look at the old man, "You, you are the Turtle Immortal?"
The Turtle Immortal did not pursue aggressively. He stood his ground and said with a relaxed expression, "Indeed. You all still remember me. It seems I have inflicted deep damage upon you!"
"Don't be shameless," the Black Chi snorted. "We remember you simply because we abhor every enemy."
The White and Red Chimes hurried over, both eager to pounce and deal with the Turtle Immortal, but the Black Chi stopped them.
Mo Qi looked at the Turtle Immortal with profound gratitude, "Thank you, senior. I saved your life that day, and then I lost track of you. I thought I had saved a thankless wretch, but I never expected you to appear today. Thank you so much."
The Turtle Immortal rolled his eyes, "That statement of yours is a bit superfluous."
Mo Qi chuckled awkwardly, "I was too excited and got a bit incoherent."
The Black Chi stepped forward and said to the Turtle Immortal, "Are you sure you want to be an enemy of our clan? You only managed a draw with me, but we have many more powerful experts in our clan. Anyone we pick can deal with you. If they target you, you might not have a moment's peace."
The Turtle Immortal snorted, "Stop the nonsense. Your invasion of humanity has already begun. If we tolerate it, will you stop? If you occupy the entire Milky Way in the future, will you spare me?"
The Black Chi paused and said, "That's not entirely impossible to negotiate. In fact, we are considering methods of coexistence."
"Methods of enslaving us humans, I presume?" Mo Qi interjected.
The Black Chi took a deep breath and said, "That is merely your subjective assumption. We do not think that way."
"Then why did you seal the Earth Star world? Don't you just want to make it your own place? And then do as you please, becoming kings and overlords?"
The Black Chi shook his head, "We considered doing that, but we did not."
"You, with the facts laid bare, are you still quibbling?" Mo Qi gritted his teeth.
"The fact is, Hongjun did this," the Black Chi stated calmly.
"You're good at shifting blame. Why don't you say I did it?"
"Hongjun used the Taiji Diagram to immobilize the Earth Star world and applied ice and snow sorcery to cultivate giant ant people to deal with us. These giant ant people grow in a low-temperature, tranquil environment. Once they mature, they will break free and feed on Chimei."
He spoke with such conviction that Mo Qi was momentarily stunned, unsure of the truth.
The Turtle Immortal nodded, "What he says is true. Didn't I tell you about him cultivating giant ant people some time ago? After I came out, I continued to investigate and found some clues. With the confirmation from this Black Chi, it's basically nine times out of ten true. And Hongjun is capable of such things. Didn't he seal the entire world on Jupiter?"
Mo Qi almost fainted. Hongjun's scheme was grand indeed, sacrificing the freedom of an entire star world's inhabitants to deal with the Chimei and specters.
The Black Chi said something else that almost made Mo Qi explode, "And Hongjun had no intention of lifting the restriction within a hundred years. He wants to continuously cultivate giant ant people, and during their growth, they feed on everything that is frozen..."
Mo Qi cursed, "Hongjun is simply insane..."
Then he looked at the Turtle Immortal, "I want to unseal the Earth Star world. What should I do?"
The Turtle Immortal said, "The same method. First, open that passage connecting to the Tree World, and then... it can be broken with fire ball techniques, but with your attacks, it's unlikely to suffice."
"What about with your cultivation?" Mo Qi asked somewhat dejectedly.
"It can be broken, but the people inside will vanish into thin air."
Mo Qi's heart sank halfway.
If even the Turtle Immortal had no solution, then who in this world could?
Yao Shuang said cautiously, "Husband, perhaps you can do it."
"Me? Don't flatter me."
"Have you forgotten your strengths?" Yao Shuang smiled.
Mo Qi's eyes lit up. Yes, he could try refining some widespread, yet relatively subtle, fire elixirs. For example, the Blazing Fire Ice-Breaking Elixir.
"We can try," Mo Qi nodded.
"What do you need us to do? We can cooperate with you," the Black Chi seized the opportunity.
They were eager for this plan to destroy the giant ant people to proceed. Although they hadn't witnessed the prowess of the giant ant people yet, they were still wary.
Hongjun's meticulously devised strategy would not have been implemented without significant confidence.
Mo Qi said, "You only need to return to your original places."
The White and Red Chimes said in unison, "Simply wishful thinking."
Unexpectedly, the Black Chi said, "I agree. However, I cannot make the decision alone. I will report back, but I estimate this matter can be settled."
Huh? The White and Red Chimes couldn't believe their ears. They stared blankly at the Black Chi.
The Black Chi turned to look at them, "What are you two standing there for? Hurry up and organize your troops and prepare to return."
"Yes!" The two could only obey.
However, they soon understood. The Black Chi's decision was actually understandable.
No matter how fast the Chimes moved, or how much human territory they encroached upon, if they encountered their natural predators in the future, it would all be in vain.
For the sake of the greater picture, to go further and more steadily, they could retreat temporarily. Da Feng Novel
A temporary retreat did not mean failure; on the contrary, success might just begin from here.
The Black, White, and Red Chimes departed.
Mo Qi, the Turtle Immortal, and Yao Shuang then hurried towards that passage.
Along the way, there were piles of white bones, and the land was desolate.
Where the Chimei had passed, it had become barren wasteland.
Mo Qi couldn't help but hesitate, "Are we making a wise decision by doing this?"
The Turtle Immortal said firmly, "Not necessarily wise, but certainly the correct course of action."
"How so?" Mo Qi looked at the Turtle Immortal, utterly bewildered.
The Turtle Immortal said with seasoned maturity, "The fate of the people of the Earth Star world should be controlled by the people of the Earth Star world themselves. It should not be decided by Hongjun, nor by anyone else. If he wants to deal with the Chimei, he can improve his cultivation, he can widely mobilize his disciples, but he should not gamble with the lives and futures of others."
Mo Qi nodded, "As expected, you old sir sees things clearly."
The Turtle Immortal narrowed his eyes, "Naturally."
As they spoke, they gradually approached the Star Tree passage.
As expected, the passage had been sealed. No river water flowed out, nor did any spiritual energy circulate.
Mo Qi began refining elixirs on the spot, while the Turtle Immortal started working on opening the passage.
At this moment, lights flickered, and several figures descended one after another.
The Turtle Immortal took one look and laughed, "So, it's Ancestor Hongjun and the Five Peak Masters, Ri, Yue, Di Shi, Da Fan, and Bian Cai. Are you coming together, or one-on-one?"
Any one of these individuals was enough for him to contend with, yet he dared to tell them to come all at once.
It was clear that he was worried they would all attack together, hence his deliberate provocation.
Hongjun saw through his trick and chuckled, "Then let's go together."
If they attacked together, the battle would likely end in just one round.
"Do you have any shame?" the Turtle Immortal exclaimed angrily.