Chapter Forty-Five: The Man in Black

"Senior Brother!"
Seeing this, Wang Er could no longer care about Yuan Feixue. He broke away from the battlefield and rushed to Wang Yi's side. He lifted Wang Yi, only to find him unconscious. Injecting his own vital energy into Wang Yi to staunch the bleeding, he then glared viciously at Shi Qi and his companions.

By now, Su Xiaomu had landed and stood beside Shi Qi. Yuan Feixue's illusion had also ended; she leaped to stand before Shi Qi, and together the three faced Wang Er.

Wang Er declared, "This enmity, Qingshan Sect shall not forget!"

With that, he waved his hand to dispel the barrier, hoisted Wang Yi onto his shoulder, and retreated. He knew Wang Yi was now defeated, and he alone could hardly contend with Shi Qi's group. Healing Wang Yi back at their sect was of utmost importance.

"Phew..." Yuan Feixue exhaled deeply, thinking how truly fortunate she was.

Suddenly, a large hand seized her by the neck and lifted her off the ground.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Yuan Feixue shouted at Shi Qi.

Shi Qi hoisted her with one arm and grinned. "What am I doing? I, Shi Qi, am not in the habit of fighting for others for free. Of course, I have to collect some interest!"

Clutching her chest, Yuan Feixue retorted angrily, "You... you shameless scoundrel!"

Shi Qi paused, "Hey, I just wanted to ask about that bottle of medicine. What are you imagining?"

Yuan Feixue blushed and stammered, "I... I thought you were going to ask about that bottle..."

Shi Qi: "???"

At that moment, Su Xiaomu suddenly frowned. "Big brother, something's wrong."

Shi Qi immediately grew alert. Su Xiaomu's intuition had never failed before. Sensing carefully, Shi Qi was suddenly overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of danger. He slowly released Yuan Feixue, setting her back on the ground.

"Hey, hey! Don't carry me around like a chicken. It's humiliating!" Yuan Feixue protested.

Shi Qi pressed a finger to his lips, "Shh!"

Seeing Shi Qi and Su Xiaomu so serious, Yuan Feixue guessed something was amiss and stood ready to flee at the first sign of trouble.

Abruptly, in the sky, Wang Er convulsed and fell straight down, crashing to the ground beside Wang Yi!

Shi Qi frowned. "What happened?"

Su Xiaomu replied, "I... I didn't see clearly. I just saw a flash of red light on the horizon, and then he fell."

Shi Qi exclaimed, "Something's fishy—run!"

He grabbed Su Xiaomu and bolted.

"Trying to escape? Do you really think you can?!" boomed a man's voice from the sky. At the same time, Shi Qi realized that the entire sky had turned blood-red.

"Run!" Shi Qi pulled out the "Thousand Mile Escape Smoke" from his storage pouch, channeled his energy into it, and smashed it onto the ground.

The "Thousand Mile Escape Smoke" was a life-saving gift from Bai Qiu. Shi Qi had used it once before during his encounter with Bai Qiu, and again during the battle with Bai Yunxin, allowing a minor disciple skilled in Azure Dragon Talisman Escape to flee the field against Master Egret. Now, he had only one left.

This smoke was far more than a simple smokescreen; it contained a complex array. Once activated, thick smoke would obscure the area, and a teleportation array within the smoke would randomly transport the user up to several miles away—an ideal means of escape.

Shi Qi smashed the "Thousand Mile Escape Smoke" to the ground, and thick clouds billowed forth. Pulling Su Xiaomu and Yuan Feixue into the array within the smoke, they waited a few breaths.

When the smoke cleared, Shi Qi was astonished to find that he, Su Xiaomu, and Yuan Feixue were still standing in exactly the same spot—they had not moved an inch.

---

"Could the teleportation array have been sealed as well?" Shi Qi wondered.

As Shi Qi pondered, a black figure slowly descended from the spot where Wang Er had fallen.

"Run!" At the first sight of the dark figure, Shi Qi grabbed Su Xiaomu and Yuan Feixue and fled.

The man in black landed beside Wang Er, about to speak, but then noticed Shi Qi’s group fleeing in haste. He shook his head and sighed, "Such impudent juniors."

Unhurriedly, he waved his hand and collected the golden wheels from the arms of Wang Yi and Wang Er, feeling their power.

"What a fine treasure," he murmured, gripping the golden wheels and slashing downward.

With two sickening thuds, the heads of Wang Yi and Wang Er were severed by the golden wheels, blood spraying everywhere—both perished on the spot.

Thus perished the unfortunate brothers of Qingshan Sect.

Meanwhile, Shi Qi led Su Xiaomu and Yuan Feixue in a desperate sprint toward Yongzhou City. He reasoned that, bold as the man in black might be, he would not dare cause trouble within the city.

But as they ran, Shi Qi felt something was wrong. "Is the sky still red?" he asked.

Yuan Feixue answered, "Yes, blood-red. It's terrifying."

After several more breaths, the South Gate of Nanzhou City, which should have appeared, was nowhere to be seen.

Shi Qi said, "I think we’re still trapped in some kind of array. No matter how strong that man is, he can’t have the power to overturn heaven and earth."

No sooner had he spoken than the trio saw, up ahead, the figure in black—and at his feet lay the corpses of Wang Yi and Wang Er.

Shi Qi muttered, "It seems we ran in a circle and ended up back here."

The man in black looked up, saw them, and sneered, "Weren’t you running? Why have you returned?"

Shi Qi stared coldly at him. "Who are you?"

The man in black smirked. "The one who’s here to claim your lives!"

With that, he waved his hand, and a crimson light shot toward the three at blinding speed.

Shi Qi, ever vigilant, instantly threw out his Thousand Strands Shield.

Boom!

The red light struck the shield. Shi Qi saw clearly—it was a tiny flying needle.

Small though it was, its power was immense. The Thousand Strands Shield was instantly forced into a dormant state.

Poor shield—after just two days with Shi Qi, it had already been rendered dormant once in an illusion and now again in reality.

Thankfully, illusions did not affect reality; otherwise, if the shield truly were dormant, Shi Qi would have had no defense against that strike.

He guessed that Wang Er, too, had been caught off guard by this needle, struck straight through.

With the shield disabled, Shi Qi realized that his current strength was no match for this opponent. His mind raced for a strategy, but in the face of overwhelming power, he felt painfully insignificant.

"Is this the end…?" Shi Qi shielded Su Xiaomu behind him.

The needle, having been blocked, returned to the black-robed man's sleeve.

He looked at Shi Qi, surprised, then broke into laughter. "What a day! Not only do I get these golden wheels, but you also have a high-grade defensive treasure. And then there’s your head—just wonderful!"

---

As he spoke, the needle recharged. The man in black waved again, sending the glowing needle at Shi Qi and his companions.

Shi Qi raised his hand to conjure an ice wall—anything to buy a moment more!

Suddenly, from the earth beneath Shi Qi, three thick wooden walls sprang up, each seven feet thick.

Clang!

The needle slammed into the wood, embedding itself deep but failing to pierce through.

"Who is it?!" the black-robed man bellowed.

"A grown man bullying three juniors—do you not feel any shame?" came a powerful, aged voice from above, resonant with immense cultivation.

Shi Qi looked up to see an old man in black robes descending slowly.

The elder addressed the man in black, "Isn’t your behavior a bit disgraceful?"

The man in black frowned. "And who are you?"

The old man replied, "I do not change my name or surname wherever I go—Mo He of the Mo family!"

So it was him!

Shi Qi immediately recognized him—the Nascent Soul stage powerhouse who had struck him in Nanhai City, nearly making him cough up blood in a single blow. He was, if memory served, the bodyguard for Bai Qiu’s wife.

It turned out that just moments ago, upon seeing Shi Qi dash out the south gate of Yongzhou, Mo Jingjing had hurried to the Human Alliance branch in search of Mo He.

Mo He had just arrived and was chatting with President Ouyang Qun when Mo Jingjing burst in.

"Uncle Mo!" she cried.

"Yes?" Mo He turned, seeing her flustered. "Weren’t you looking for a place to rest? Why are you here, and in such a hurry?"

Mo Jingjing said, "I just saw the boy who was with Bai Qiu!"

Mo He frowned. "Which boy?"

She replied, "The one with the umbrella in Nanhai City—the one who fought you to a draw with just one blow."

Mo He’s eyes narrowed. "So it’s him."

She insisted, "If we find him, we’ll find clues to Bai Qiu! He went toward the south gate—there’s no time to lose, Uncle Mo, let’s go!"

Mo He nodded, bade farewell to Ouyang Qun, and followed Mo Jingjing out toward the south gate.

Ouyang Qun stroked his beard and mused, "The boy with the umbrella… could it be Shi Qi? I hope old Mo doesn’t give him any trouble. I’d better go have a look myself."

He too stepped out, following close behind.

---

The man in black sighed, "So you’re a master of the Mo family. Still, you have no reason to meddle in my affairs."

Mo He spat, "My Mo family may not be paragons of virtue, but we walk upright and do not bully the young!"

Shi Qi thought to himself: Wasn’t that blow in Nanhai City bullying the young? But judging by this old man's cultivation, that strike had not been full force—if it had, I’d have been dead in a single hit.

Mo He continued, "And I have business with this boy with the umbrella. You cannot kill him!"

The man in black sneered, "So you want him for yourself!"

Mo He replied, "If you want to see what I’m capable of, then come and find out!"