"Alright, I agree," Wei Sanxiao immediately chimed in, playing the role of a sycophant to perfection.
Ye Qingqing was desperate, tears streaming down her face. She tried to push Zi Luo away. "Fine, if my living makes you uneasy, then I will fulfill your wishes."
However, Zi Luo remained in front of her, and Xiao Yi held her tightly, preventing her from breaking free.
Ye Xingchen's fury erupted. He strode to Zi Luo and the others. "You beasts! If you want my niece's life, you'll have to step over my corpse first."
"And me..." A slender female figure appeared beside him.
The woman had a delicate face and clear eyes.
Ye Xingchen glanced at her, a relieved smile appearing on his face. "Xiao Wei!"
The newcomer was Ye Xingchen's daughter, Ye Xiaowei!
Their family had been imprisoned together beneath Broken Stone Cliff and had only recently been released.
Ye Changhe also wore a gratified smile. Today, they could capture them all in one fell swoop.
"Good, then I'll grant your wish. Attack! Kill them all, leave no one alive," Ye Changhe commanded.
Ye Heng struck first, his treasured sword radiating a dense black aura as he lunged at Ye Xiaowei.
Ye Xiaowei parried with her sword, and the two engaged in a fierce, evenly matched battle.
Concurrently, others like Ye Dan and Ye Changwu launched their attacks on Zi Luo and her group, while Ye Changhe and Ye Xingchen clashed.
Elder Lang engaged Wei Sanxiao.
The remaining elders remained stationary, observing the proceedings.
Ye Dan and Ye Changwu had brought too many clansmen, and they quickly scattered Zi Luo's team. Ye Qingqing was exposed, appearing before everyone.
Ye Heng forced Ye Xiaowei back with a sword strike and, with lightning speed, lunged towards Ye Qingqing.
Ye Qingqing was disheartened and made no attempt to dodge. As the sword approached, a bitter smile spread across her face, a sense of release washing over her.
Ye Heng saw her desire to die and felt no pity. Instead, he grew more excited, increasing his speed as he thrust his sword at Ye Qingqing. Before the blade even reached her, its aura, like a rainbow, whistled towards her.
Zi Luo attempted to intervene but was blocked by Ye Changwu. Not only could she not save Ye Qingqing, but she also took a sword strike. Ignoring the flowing blood, she shouted, "Qingqing, don't give up!"
Sun Qian was also struggling to defend herself and only managed to shout, "Qingqing!"
Qingqing heard nothing, her heart filled with eager anticipation for the sword and its aura to strike. Just one blow, and it would all be over.
She had endured for tens of thousands of years, and now, she couldn't bear it for another moment!
What hope was there?
None.
Living was the greatest pain.
Not only was she suffering, but she was also causing others pain.
There was truly no reason to continue living.
Hearing the urgent cries and seeing the anxious gazes, she felt she couldn't face them and simply closed her eyes.
The rest, she presumed, would be someone else's concern.
Ye Heng's sword flashed with brilliant, multicolored light. Dense spiritual energy surged towards Ye Qingqing like an unstoppable river.
A triumphant expression appeared on Ye Heng's face, his eyes gleaming with bloodlust. At this moment, eliminating Ye Qingqing was a paramount achievement.
In truth, the achievement itself was secondary. He simply felt Ye Qingqing deserved to die, though he couldn't articulate a reason. He just felt she deserved to die.
He felt his wish was about to be granted!
"Die!" he roared ferociously.
"Who the hell are you?" a voice boomed from the sky.
Immediately after, a dark, clod-like object flew through the air, traversing space and pushing the entire area backward. The radiating light and sword energy flowed like water around the edges of the object.
The stone continued its whistling trajectory towards Ye Heng, who raised his sword to block.
With a boom, a red substance erupted from the stone, resembling flames or lava, instantly engulfing Ye Heng.
"Ah!"
Ye Heng let out a scream, flailing in the sea of fire.
The Heaven Burning Stone then whizzed forward again, reducing him to a shower of sparks.
Following that, the Heaven Burning Stone spun rapidly, and wherever it passed, it turned those who were attacking Zi Luo into sparks as well.
The situation on the battlefield abruptly changed.
Everyone stopped their attacks in unison!
Looking up, they saw Mo Qi descending gracefully from the sky.
Sun Qian and the others' faces instantly lit up with surprise.
Ye Xingchen glanced at him and nodded. "This must be my unfortunate nephew!"
His appearance had changed, unrecognizable, but his aura, his demeanor, his every movement, had never changed, even after countless reincarnations.
"Brother!" Qingqing's eyes opened. Seeing Mo Qi, tears of joy welled up, and she rushed into his arms.
Mo Qi stroked her head. "Qingqing, you've been disobedient again. I told you I wouldn't let anyone bully you, but you have to trust me. Brother won't abandon you."
"Brother, I was wrong. I won't be self-destructive anymore," Qingqing sobbed.
"Oh, good. You rest over there for a bit. I still have some matters to attend to," Mo Qi said.
Ye Qingqing obediently moved to the side.
Mo Qi turned his gaze to Ye Changhe. "Did you say Ye Qingqing must die?"
The sharp gaze struck Ye Changhe, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
He then shook his head, regaining his composure, and said, "You killed my son, Ye Bao. Shouldn't I kill her?"
"Debts must be paid by the one who owes them. I killed your son, so you should seek revenge from me!" Mo Qi said calmly.
Ye Changhe forced himself to speak. "I'll seek revenge from you. Do you think I'm afraid of you..."
Before he could finish his sentence, a green ripple spread out, passing over Ye Changhe and then disappearing.
Ye Changhe, having witnessed the power of Mo Qi's Green Lotus Fire, realized he had been struck. His remaining words turned into, "Am I dead?"
"Yes, but you can stand for a moment longer if you wish," Mo Qi said.
"Then I'll pass," Ye Changhe said, collapsing to the ground and closing his eyes in despair.
Mo Qi then cast his sharp gaze towards Wei Sanxiao.
Wei Sanxiao trembled all over and immediately fell to his knees. "Third Prince, I am now absolutely certain that you are the Third Prince, without a doubt. I will announce to the entire clan that you are the Third Prince. Please give me a chance, and I will persuade everyone to pledge their loyalty to you."
Mo Qi chuckled coldly. "Why should I let you announce it? Who do you think you are?"
Tears welled up in Wei Sanxiao's eyes as he kowtowed repeatedly. "Your Highness, spare me. I am an insignificant person. I was misled by a demon to become your enemy. It was all harmless, really. Just consider me a fart and let me go."
Mo Qi walked over slowly. "I can forgive you for being my enemy, but I cannot forgive you for bullying my sister. Not even for making her angry or scared. Not at all."
Wei Sanxiao kowtowed like he was pounding garlic, snot and tears flowing together, but he still did not receive Mo Qi's forgiveness.
Mo Qi directly unleashed the Heaven Burning Stone, turning him into a shower of sparks.
He had, in effect, tested the power of the Heaven Burning Stone again and was satisfied with the result. "Hmm, not bad."
"Could this be the Old Ancestor's Heaven Burning Stone?" Ye Xingchen asked Mo Qi, his voice filled with surprise. "It seems you have truly inherited the Old Ancestor's legacy."
Mo Qi bowed. "Greetings, Uncle. Nephew met the Old Ancestor in the ancestral shrine. He not only passed the Heaven Burning Stone to me but also imparted much cultivation, allowing my cultivation to advance significantly."
Ye Xingchen nodded with satisfaction, his eyes moistening. "What is yours will be yours. Others' attempts to force it are futile."
Ye Xiaowei came up and patted Mo Qi's shoulder. "Brother, do you still recognize me?"
"Sister Xiaowei, how could I forget? We even wore the same pair of pants when we were kids."
"Ah, this... you brat, you don't need to be so loose-lipped just to prove you're Yun Di," Ye Xiaowei said, a mix of shame and anger in her voice.
Mo Qi laughed. "Sister, I'm not trying to prove I'm Yun Di. I'm trying to prove how close we are."
Ye Xingchen also nudged her. "You child, you're usually so carefree, yet you're acting shy now. Between siblings, what's there to be said about childhood matters?"
Ye Xiaowei chuckled and patted Mo Qi's shoulder again. "Good explanation. Don't do it again next time."
"Alright."
At this moment, Elder Lang seized the opportunity to speak. "The Third Prince's glorious return and his acquisition of the legacy is a blessing from our ancestors. This is a sign of our clan's resurgence!" He then scanned everyone present. "Gentlemen, if anyone has any objections to the Third Prince, you may voice them now. I will be the first to disagree, and I will fight them to the death."
This flattery was perfectly timed.
Everyone nodded in unison. "We are willing to obey the Third Prince's commands and submit to all his orders."
"Good. I do not wish for today's events to happen again. If you have any dissatisfaction with me, please voice it now. Do not resort to backstabbing, and do not take your anger out on my sister. She has endured too much over these tens of thousands of years," Mo Qi said, also surveying the crowd.
The people responded in unison. "We will protect the Princess as we protect our own lives."
Meanwhile, Zi Luo, standing to the side, was filled with emotion and a myriad of thoughts.
Seeing Mo Qi's ruthlessness towards his enemies, his utter lack of mercy, she couldn't help but think of herself and her family.
What would be their fate?
Initially, she thought he was not yet formidable, that she and her father could suppress him.
However, over the past period, he had not had a single day without improvement; his cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds.
His growth rate was simply heaven-defying!
She had an subconscious feeling that he was truly on the verge of rising!
From the Flowing Cloud Tribe, he would defeat Wei, Jin, and Liang, break out of the Red Leaf Kingdom, sweep through the Green Leaf, Orange Leaf, and other kingdoms, ascend to the Heavenly Court, and then break out of the Iron Tree World... As for his ultimate destination, it was truly immeasurable.
And his rise meant for her family, she understood very clearly.
So, how should she respond?
In fact, when she was in Liang, she had truly had the chance to kill him, but why hadn't she acted?
Yet, thinking back now, she still felt no regret. Why was that?
Afterward, Mo Qi was appointed Great General by Ye Xingchen, with an agreement to set out to conquer Wei in three months.
Ye Xingchen accepted the order and began training troops day and night.
Mo Qi, on one hand, intensified his cultivation day and night, and on the other, he carefully studied medicinal formulas. He found a formula in "Medical Immortal's Soul Chaser" that he believed could cure Zi Luo's illness.