A great many fell in an instant, and those still standing were terrified beyond measure. They activated their protective divine lights, simultaneously wielding their magical treasures wildly to shield themselves, rendering their surroundings impenetrable.
Yet, flashes of light would suddenly appear from unknown spaces, and one by one, everyone except Yu Xiulian fell.
Yu Xiulian was going mad. "Who the hell are you?"
He swung his iron hammer while retreating down the mountain.
Mo Qi ultimately found no opportunity to kill him, and he managed to escape.
Mo Qi also had no intention of pursuing him.
His greatest concern now was Zi Luo's life or death.
By then, the medicinal effects were circulating within his body. He hastily put Zi Luo down again, grabbed her hands, and began to channel the Azure Lotus Flame. He discovered that using the Azure Lotus Flame as a furnace fire also yielded unexpected results.
The Azure Lotus Flame heated up quickly, and the medicinal effects were soon activated.
When he first touched Zi Luo's hands, they were ice-cold and gradually stiffening.
This drove him to near madness, but he did not give up. He continued to channel his spiritual power and flames, allowing the medicinal power to flow continuously into Zi Luo's body.
White mist began to rise from Zi Luo's head…
However, her hands remained ice-cold, and her head drooped!
Two streams of tears instantly flowed from Mo Qi's eyes.
"Didn't you say we were fated? Didn't you say no one could escape? But why did you have to flee?" Mo Qi roared hysterically.
His only answer was the echo from the mountains.
Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, Mo Qi was still unwilling to give up. His mind raced, considering every possibility of saving her.
He was determined to try every avenue!
So, he consumed the Nine Lives Grass, Nether River Water, and other ingredients for refining the Soul Returning Pill, hoping to awaken her before her soul departed.
If the soul had already left, it would be beyond saving.
The medicinal power flowed ceaselessly through Zi Luo's hands into her body, but there seemed to be no change.
Mo Qi's heart sank deeper and deeper.
He felt that she was already dead!
But he was unwilling to let go of her hand. Perhaps, as long as he didn't let go, she wouldn't leave.
Perhaps his persistence was favored by heaven;
Perhaps his devotion made Zi Luo's wandering soul turn back.
At a certain moment, Mo Qi suddenly felt warmth in Zi Luo's cold hand!
The pulse in her hand also seemed to have a faint beat.
Mo Qi was overjoyed and continued to channel the Azure Lotus Flame, refining the pills.
Now, with the two types of medicinal effects mixing in the body, it would affect their efficacy.
If her soul returned, the Soul Returning Pill would not be needed.
He then deployed his divine sense, forcefully absorbing the ingredients for the Soul Returning Pill within his body, while continuing to refine the medicine for treating the Immortal Severance disease.
Zi Luo's originally pale face gradually regained its color. Although her drooping head did not lift, she unconsciously tried to raise it in her unconscious state.
The joy in Mo Qi's heart was immense.
At this moment, several figures emerged from the surroundings.
Mo Qi's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Why now of all times?"
He heard Yu Xiulian's voice, "Yes, it's this guy. Look, all these brothers around here, he killed them."
"What is he doing?" another sharp voice asked.
"He seems to be cultivating and healing," Yu Xiulian replied.
"Then this is the best time to eliminate him!" another voice said.
Yu Xiulian responded, "Indeed. But, do not underestimate him. This scoundrel is somewhat sinister. I fear he might counterattack suddenly."
Another deep voice chuckled, "What is there to fear? Will he grow teeth on his back? I'll attack from behind. Let's see how he defends himself. If he stops now, that woman will likely be beyond saving."
"I have a better idea," the sharp voice suggested. "We attack both the woman and him together. He will surely be unable to attend to both."
"Damn it," Mo Qi cursed silently in his heart. "Can you please not reveal whatever insidious and vicious tricks you have?"
Yu Xiulian said, "Good, this plan is excellent. We will attack simultaneously."
Then he began to assign roles: "Niu San, you attack from the woman's front, targeting her head."
"Ma Er, you attack from behind this fellow, also targeting his head."
"Zhu Wu, Yang Da, you attack from their sides, attacking both of them at the same time."
Zhu Wu asked, "What will you be doing then?"
"I will provide backup. Rest assured, with me watching, there will be no unexpected incidents."
"This… it doesn't seem like backup is needed!"
"Stop with the nonsense. Just do as you're told. Why so much chatter?" Yu Xiulian cursed.
At this moment, Mo Qi, having accumulated power, suddenly exerted force while channeling the Azure Lotus Flame. A green halo spread out, encompassing everyone.
He quickly fed Zi Luo a healing pill.
"What happened?" Yang Da asked in terror.
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. Hurry up and attack," Yu Xiulian urged after checking himself.
These four also assumed nothing was amiss and proceeded with their attacks as Yu Xiulian had instructed.
This greatly troubled Mo Qi. If he only needed to ensure his own safety, it would be easy.
But to ensure the safety of both himself and Zi Luo was extremely difficult.
Two fists are no match for four hands!
Moreover, if he focused all his efforts on dealing with these attackers, his treatment of Zi Luo would have to stop. He had no idea what the consequences of stopping would be.
In his desperation, he chose spatial manipulation. He freed one hand, slashing through the air, creating a rift.
Mo Qi pulled Zi Luo into the rift. However, just as they were entering, Yu Xiulian, from a distance, unleashed a divine ability that struck Mo Qi's back, almost expelling his soul.
But Mo Qi mustered his strength, activated his spatial ability, and escaped.
The attacks of the four men missed, only gouging out several pits in the ground.
Following that, the four men spat blood and collapsed to the ground, dead.
Yu Xiulian also spat blood, but he staggered without falling. This was partly because he was standing further away and partly because he wore a magical treasure. At that moment, a blue light flashed, striking the treasure.
Thus, he narrowly escaped death.
Only then did he realize that the blue light was indeed fatal.
He also secretly rejoiced that he had been cautious enough to let others charge ahead, otherwise, he might have died on the spot.
By then, Mo Qi had already escaped down the mountain.
He jumped up in anger, vowing to kill this person before stopping.
Because he knew this person wouldn't get far!
And his reinforcements were still arriving in waves.
Mo Qi, with Zi Luo, did not go far. Spatial manipulation consumed a great deal of divine power; otherwise, he would not have been able to kill Chen Xuemu back then.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, his spatial ability automatically deactivated, and he reappeared from the air.
One hand still held Zi Luo's.
He was severely injured and couldn't afford to be careless. After placing Zi Luo on the ground, he extended his other hand to grasp her other hand.
Due to the forced channeling of his power, his blood and qi surged, and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. A few bloodstains splattered onto Zi Luo's face. Zi Luo, stirring from her stupor, opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Mo Qi's pale face and his blood-soaked body.
She didn't know what he had gone through, but the only certainty was that it must have been extremely perilous.
Even more perilous was that she saw someone behind Mo Qi raising an iron hammer to strike his back.
Mo Qi remained motionless, only reinforcing his protective golden light, showing no intention of dodging.
She thought Mo Qi hadn't seen it and tried to pull her hand free, attempting to reach out to deal with the attacker behind him, while shouting a warning: "Dodge quickly."
However, Mo Qi remained still, and he held Zi Luo's hand tightly, saying, "Don't move. It's almost done. Don't let it be in vain!"
Zi Luo struggled to pull her hand away, but it remained unyielding.
She only saw the black hammer strike Mo Qi's back like a meteor. She only managed to let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Ah!"
Mo Qi's entire body flew backward. Since he was still tightly holding her hand, her body was also flung forward. They tumbled several times in the air and then several times on the ground, finally coming to a stop with difficulty before a large tree. Mo Qi, with his eyes tightly shut, lay pressed against Zi Luo, bleeding all over.
And his hand still clutched hers tightly.
At this moment, Yu Xiulian unleashed his black hammer again, striking with lightning speed!
Its momentum was like a rainbow!
Zi Luo struggled to pull her hand free but couldn't. She cried out, "I'm better, I'm better…"
At this moment, Mo Qi, in his dazed state, released his hands!
Zi Luo gently pushed him away, flipped over, and got to her feet. Simultaneously, she clasped her hands together and struck downwards from the air.
An invisible, traceless force of will spread silently, splitting the black hammer in half from the middle, and continuing to spread, it split Yu Xiulian's body in half as well!
Yu Xiulian's two halves crashed to the ground!
Zi Luo didn't even glance at him. Tears streamed down her face. She bent down and began searching Mo Qi's storage bag. She quickly found a healing pill and eagerly fed it to Mo Qi.
"I, I completely believe you are Yuwen Yan," Mo Qi said weakly as his eyes slowly opened.
If she weren't Yuwen Yan, she wouldn't have been able to find the healing pill so skillfully.
"Why would I lie to you?" Zi Luo wiped away her tears and smiled.
At this moment, behind another large tree, a person with a mole on their lip and a scar on their forehead, having witnessed Yu Xiulian's death firsthand, covered their mouth in terror and then quietly slipped away.
Mo Qi's injuries gradually healed, but he didn't get up immediately. "If only you weren't the Saintess!"
Zi Luo sighed, appearing both physically and mentally exhausted, and sat down with her back against the tree.
Mo Qi also sat up, reached out to hold Zi Luo's wrist, his gaze distant and unfocused, looking into the distance.
"Am I better?" Zi Luo asked with a hint of worry.
"Didn't you say you were better?" Mo Qi retorted.
"If I hadn't said that, would you have let go?" Zi Luo asked playfully.
Mo Qi felt a jolt, immediately withdrew his hand, stood up, and turned his back. "Let's go back."
Zi Luo pouted and also stood up immediately. "You still haven't told me if I'm actually better."