The patriarch patted her shoulder and asked with concern, "What happened?"
Before Sheng'er could speak, Madam Ji pointed at Mo Qi and said, "It's this human. He suddenly barged into Sheng'er's room with ill intentions."
Mo Qi wore a pained expression. "It's true that I suddenly entered her cave dwelling, but I had no ill intentions."
Sheng'er felt her mother's words weren't entirely accurate and added, "He didn't just barge into my cave dwelling; he climbed onto my bed." As soon as she finished speaking, she blushed crimson and immediately covered her face with her hands.
"What? How dare you!" The patriarch roared, glaring fiercely at Mo Qi. "You're seeking death!"
Without further ado, he waved his hand. "Take him out and behead him."
The crowd roughly pushed Mo Qi out. After a commotion at the doorway, Mo Qi disappeared.
"A mere trick!" the patriarch said indifferently. He raised his hand, and countless bubbles rose from the ground out of thin air. These bubbles expanded in the air, filling the sky and all nearby space. Within one bubble, a figure appeared – it was Mo Qi. He was struggling within the bubble, unable to get out. He also tried to shatter the bubble, but it was unbreakable.
The patriarch beckoned with his finger, and the bubble containing Mo Qi floated before him. The other bubbles vanished.
The patriarch of the Merman tribe clapped his hands together. Amidst Sheng'er's terrified cry of "Stop!", the bubble containing Mo Qi instantly burst, and Mo Qi's figure seemed to vanish with it, as if turned to dust.
The others, having witnessed the patriarch's power, retreated after a brief moment of shock.
Sheng'er looked at the "bloody" air, tears streaming down her face. "Father, how could you be so heartless? He didn't do anything to me, why kill him?"
The patriarch's anger had not subsided. "What else did he intend to do? Entering your room is the greatest offense. I don't care who he is; he must die, especially since he's a human. Do you know the heinous crimes humans have committed against our Merman tribe since ancient times? If we are captured by them, we are imprisoned for display, which is the least of it. Worse, they will torture us in various ways, forcing us to cry, simply because they heard our tears turn into pearls. Even more malicious is to skin our tribesmen alive and make clothes from their hides..."
Sheng'er listened, trembling, but still felt something was wrong. "But..."
"No 'buts'. Let's go. The person is already dead, and your arguments are futile." Madam Ji pulled Sheng'er and left.
Just then, a large group of people pushed three individuals forward. One of them reported, "Patriarch, while hunting in the forest, we found three humans, battered and bruised, acting suspiciously. We've brought them here for your judgment."
The patriarch didn't even look. He waved his hand again. "Take them out and behead them."
The three were led out and directly towards the sea. Their heads hung low, their faces filled with despair and resignation. Mo Qi, hiding in the shadows, recognized one of them as Ling Xu, who had looked down on him in the past.
He was somewhat surprised. How did Ling Xu end up here, and in such a state?
It turned out that after the Divine Turtle Mountain sank to the bottom of the sea, Sect Leader Leng, Ling Xu, and Xiao Bai had escaped and headed towards the Southern Continent. As they had to cross countless islands along the way, some islands had restrictions or magical formations above them. They were knocked down multiple times and recaptured. After explanations, some sects let them go, but more often than not, they escaped on their own. They had endured countless hardships and twists and turns, suffering to the point of being unrecognizable. Only then did they realize that compared to the Hong Meng South Sea, the Southern Continent was like paradise. Now, they found their past idea of establishing their own sect and foundation in the Hong Meng South Sea utterly laughable.
Today, they were captured by the merfolk again. They were almost exhausted and had lost all will to fight. If they were to be killed, so be it; it was just one life.
At this moment, a dark shadow gradually appeared where the sea met the sky. The shadow drew closer, and everyone was astonished to find a massive island drifting towards them. Figures were slowly moving on the island. From a distance, it had already stirred up a wave that surged towards them. The tide directly washed ashore and rushed into their caves.
A young man's face showed fear. He said, "You continue with the execution. I will report to the patriarch."
Looking at the island, the three immediately felt a sense of "long time no see." Their faces contorted into sinister smiles. "Hahaha, we are about to die, and your doomsday is also approaching!"
"Talking too much when death is imminent. Hurry up." A young man in white pushed the backs of the three one by one, urging them to quicken their pace towards the sea.
"Sleeping Pill!" Mo Qi suddenly appeared and flicked a pill towards the people in front of them. The pill shattered, and red smoke instantly enveloped them. The people suddenly breathed heavily, their eyelids involuntarily closing. When they suddenly awoke, the three figures were gone.
By then, the island had drifted closer, its edge already connected to this island. The executioners were greatly alarmed and instinctively turned to run towards the caves. The patriarch, leading a group of people, emerged from the caves. People from other caves also came out one after another. They saw that the previously vast and boundless sea was suddenly blocked by a towering mountain peak. Moreover, the mountain peak was shrouded in dark energy, exuding an aura of malevolence that filled them with dread.
Mo Qi led the three into the woods at the corner and laid them on the ground like dead pigs. The three were already sleepy, and believing they were dead, they slept even more soundly under the effect of the sleeping pills. Mo Qi shook them for a long time before they finally opened their eyes. Ling Xu recognized Mo Qi at a glance, his emotions surging, and a look of shame appeared on his face. "It's you. How did you end up in this place?"
Mo Qi naturally understood why he felt ashamed. He had long since let go of that incident. On the contrary, he felt fortunate that he hadn't followed him to the Divine Sword Sect back then, otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered various fortunate encounters and wouldn't have had the opportunity for wild growth. However, thinking of wild growth, he remembered Wu Fan. Sometimes, that old man was more rigid than anyone else.
Mo Qi waved his hand. "It's a long story. You should tell me how you got here first. And who are these two?" Mo Qi pointed at Xiao Bai and Sect Leader Leng.
The two knew that Mo Qi had saved them and were immensely grateful.
"My humble name is Xiao Bai." "My humble name is Leng Qingshan." At this moment, past events had become like smoke. Neither dared to claim they were disciples of the Divine Turtle Sect, nor did the other dare to claim they were disciples of the Divine Escape Sect. They could only dejectedly say, "My humble name."
Just as Xiao Bai was about to recount the events to Mo Qi, he suddenly looked around and realized they had not escaped danger. He glanced anxiously at the other three. "We must leave this island quickly; it's no longer safe."
Leng Qingshan and Ling Xu nodded, their eyes also showing urgency. "Yes, there's no time to delay; further delay will lead to trouble."
Mo Qi was completely bewildered. "What's wrong? What will happen?"
Leng Qingshan and the others were as anxious as ants on a hot pan and were unwilling to linger here for even a moment longer. They repeatedly said, "We are extremely grateful for your life-saving grace, but this place is not suitable for staying. It's best to leave." With that, the three swiftly moved and fled into the distance.
The more they didn't say, the more interested Mo Qi became. He immediately flew after them, asking as he pursued, "What exactly is happening? What danger is there? Can you tell me a little?"
Leng Qingshan, already in mid-air, felt that escaping should not be a problem and that talking would not hinder their escape. He said without looking back, "The island drifting below is the former Divine Turtle Mountain. It broke away from the Southern Continent and drifted all the way here. Moreover, every island it drifts to, it annexes, pushing that island along with it, and it grows larger itself. And, it is home to tens of thousands of turtle demons, which are particularly sinister. When we followed the Divine Turtle Mountain out of the Southern Continent, there were thousands of disciples from various sects on the mountain. In one night, they were all slaughtered, leaving only the three of us who escaped. We escaped three years ago. I don't know how far the Divine Turtle Mountain has drifted now, but it's certain that it must have annexed countless islands along the way and slaughtered countless innocent lives. I think these merfolk today will also not escape disaster."
"Yes," Ling Xu said, his body still moving, his voice filled with lingering fear. "Once they surround this island, they first use soul-capturing techniques, then spew out red threads to form a net, leaving people nowhere to hide, only waiting to be slaughtered."
The bizarre incident of the Divine Turtle Mountain's escape, Mo Qi had missed witnessing the miraculous moment due to his argument with Wu Fan. But this matter soon spread throughout the cultivation world of the Southern Continent, and Mo Qi naturally heard about it.
However, no one could clearly say where the Divine Turtle Mountain had gone. He hadn't expected to encounter it here today. One couldn't help but say, what fate!
After Mo Qi had a general understanding of the events, he stopped. "If you trust me, wait here for me for a moment, and we can return to the Southern Continent together."
Indeed, life was precious, but the allure of returning to the Southern Continent was even greater. The three stopped in unison, turning back to look at Mo Qi with half-belief.
Mo Qi said again, "Wait a moment." Then he turned and sped towards the island.
The three looked at each other. "Is he going to his death? Then why are we waiting for him?"
"Misfortune stems from talking too much; troubles arise from being too eager," Leng Qingshan shouted, watching Mo Qi's retreating back.
Mo Qi walked on, deafening himself to their words.
After a moment of contemplation, Leng Qingshan said, "Our current position is far enough. The turtle demons' magic probably can't reach here. Let's wait here for a while, just as spectators. If the situation turns bad, we'll flee further away."
"That's fine too," the other two agreed in unison.
At the front of the island, amidst a rumbling sound, the island was pushed forward slowly. Dense giant turtles crawled ashore. Yu Cang's face turned ashen. He had just consulted ancient texts and couldn't help but gasp, the four words escaping his lips: "Turtle Demons Seize the Mountain!"
Legend had it that in ancient times, a turtle demon wreaked havoc on the Hong Meng Sea. It was struck by the Ancestral Dragon, scattering its soul. Who knew that the turtle demon's remnant soul transformed into a turtle mountain, crashing through the South Sea, merging with any island it encountered and pushing it along. This attracted countless turtle demons, continuing their rampage.
Later, the Ancestral Dragon transformed into the continent of the Southern Continent, and in doing so, suppressed the drifting Divine Turtle Mountain, making it a part of the Southern Continent, preventing it from wreaking havoc. The turtle demons attached to it either died or scattered, and the Divine Turtle Mountain became a legitimate spiritual mountain for cultivation.
Now, for some unknown reason, the Divine Turtle Mountain had broken free from its restraints and had resumed its rampage. It seemed that the Hong Meng South Sea would never know peace again. Most importantly, could the Cuiwei Island where they were located escape disaster today?