Seeing that even his own Yin-Gold Snake Seal was being restrained, Protector Mo was finally moved.
He shifted his hands frequently, channeling his energy and continuously integrating it into the Yin-Gold Snake Seal. Within seconds, beads of sweat had already formed on Protector Mo's forehead.
Yes, his energy was beginning to run low.
The Yin-Gold Snake Seal was meant to be a killer move, designed to kill with a single strike, but he was now entangled in a stalemate. Such a drain would be too much for a cultivator like him, a weaker cultivator at the First Level of the Xiantian Divine Ability Realm, and even a powerful Xiantian with deep energy, to withstand.
Looking at Ming Qi again, his raised sword remained motionless. At its tip, a strange blood line could be seen, connecting it to the sword energy surging back and forth within the Snake Seal.
Another battle of attrition!
Protector Mo was expending his energy, while Ming Qi was expending his physical vitality!
In a simple comparison, Ming Qi was undoubtedly at a disadvantage.
But at this moment, the two of them didn't care. Protector Mo's energy was depleted, his strength at its limit!
Ming Qi saw it clearly, and he suddenly raised his sword upward. He saw the sword energy that had been raging within the Snake Seal suddenly surge with momentum, instantly shattering the seal into pieces.
Finally, as everyone watched in disbelief, Protector Mo's signature Yin-Gold Snake Seal shattered into pieces, dissipating into streams of heavenly and earthly spiritual energy. The Molten-Gold Yin-Gold Snake Hook's light quickly dimmed and fell from the sky.
Having broken the Yin-Gold Snake Seal, Ming Qi showed no sign of stopping. After striking once, he swung his sword again.
Crack!
As the Molten-Gold Yin-Gold Snake Hook fell, it made a sound similar to a spring, yet not quite.
Although the snake seal formed by the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook had been broken, it remained under Mo's control. Even if Ming Qi were to obtain this spiritual weapon, he would be unable to use it.
In the distance, Mo's face was gloomy, his eyes wide, as if he were determined to reclaim the Molten Gold Yin Snake Hook before Ming Qi could.
A spiritual weapon is, after all, an artifact, devoid of its own intelligence. Without the blessing of its master's energy, it would become extremely fragile. A single strike from Ming Qi against the Yin Snake Hook would likely shatter it completely.
Of course, Mo's meticulously crafted spiritual weapon had a back-up plan. With a click, a sound similar to a spring, the falling Yin Snake Hook suddenly transformed again. Its left and right spikes instantly opened, transforming into two metallic wings. As soon as these wings appeared, they flapped, dragging the Yin Snake Hook through a mid-air turn, turning ninety degrees and flying directly towards Mo!
The change happened so swiftly that before Ming Qi could even react, before his sword could even touch it, he saw the Yin Snake Hook sprout wings and fly towards Protector Mo.
"Trying to escape?"
Ming Qi snorted inwardly. Although he was almost at his limit at this point, he couldn't let this guy so brazenly take the spiritual weapon. A single misstep would lead to endless trouble.
Without hesitation, Ming Qi suddenly exerted his full strength and leaped up like a bullet the moment the Yin Snake Hook above him turned and flew away!
A strange red flashed in his eyes, and the Wind-Reverse Sword in his hand thrust out.
His strike was perfectly timed. Not from behind or from the side, but directly in the direction of the Yin Snake Hook's flight. Just as his longsword reached below the target, Ming Qi's arm suddenly shook, and the tip of his longsword suddenly thrust upward.
Snap!
The sharp blade curved upward at a ninety-degree angle, striking directly against the Yin Snake Hook.
Seeing this, Protector Mo, not far away, was startled. He generously channeled the last ounce of his energy with both hands, attempting to propel the Yin Snake Hook out of the sword's range once more, powered by his wings.
But it was too late.
Ming Qi raised the tip of his sword, then took a Blood Shadow Step. His body transformed into a blood shadow, swiftly advancing. Raising his hand, he drew his sword, slashing with lightning speed.
The Yin Snake Hook, depleted of its energy, was instantly shattered in two by the powerful blow of the mid-grade spiritual weapon, the Windward Sword. It completely escaped Protector Mo's control and fell to the ground with a clang.
The Yin Snake Hook was a low-grade spiritual weapon, a notch lower than Ming Qi's Windward Sword in terms of rank. Moreover, it lacked energy to support it. While it possessed a few more pliability and agility than ordinary iron weapons, it was impossible for it to withstand the blow of a mid-grade spiritual weapon.
With a single sword strike, Ming Qi severed the magical weapon that Protector Mo relied on. He knew the situation had been completely reversed.
Although Zi Yue was a ninth-level cultivator, she seemed intimidated by the scene. Several people attacked Zi Yuan, yet they were unable to capture her. Instead, Zi Yuan injured one of her female cultivators.
Although Protector Mo's magical weapon had been severed, his expression remained calm, unlike Duan Feng, who stood behind him, whose face had turned a bit pale.
"Boy, I must say, you're quite talented."
Protector Mo's eyes shifted. He gazed at Ming Qi, who was approaching, and began to praise him, as if he had been the one defeated.
"You've killed too many people. It's time for you to pay your debt."
Ming Qi swung the sword in his hand, then pointed the tip at Protector Mo.
Protector Mo had set up a demon-gathering formation, slaughtering tens of thousands of people in Qinglong Town in a single day. His hands were stained with blood, and he deserved death. Although Ming Qi couldn't be considered charitable, he couldn't bear to see this happen.
Now that Protector Mo had failed to provoke a fight and had actually been defeated by Ming Qi, Ming Qi naturally wouldn't let him go.
"You dare to offend the Wandering Soul Valley? You're courting death!"
Protector Mo didn't say a word, but Duan Feng, standing behind him somewhat timidly, began to roar.
Ming Qi didn't even glance at him, merely glancing at Protector Mo in front of him. "I don't know about the Wandering Soul Valley, but I do know that you were the first to offend me, so you must pay the price!"
With a swish, Ming Qi's longsword advanced two inches, directly approaching Protector Mo's throat.
The strike was incredibly fast, and even when the tip of the sword touched Protector Mo's throat, it seemed as if it showed no sign of stopping, clearly aiming to end Protector Mo's life.
"You'll die a miserable death!"
Duan Feng's voice trembled as he watched Ming Qi draw his sword. He involuntarily stepped back.
He didn't want to die. He didn't care whether Protector Mo lived or died. At least he couldn't die. He still had a bright future ahead of him, and the glory of the innate world awaited him!
Protector Mo remained calm, as if awaiting Ming Qi's strike.
As the sword approached, Protector Mo's right hand, which had been at his side, suddenly rose. A flash of light flashed from his hand, and a talisman rose.
The ochre light instantly ignited a gust of wind, and the talisman rapidly grew, enveloping Protector Mo's body.
"Earth Escape Talisman!"
Duan Feng, who had retreated several steps, watched this scene with immense horror. His eyes fixed on Protector Mo, who was now enveloped by the Earth Escape Talisman. His mouth opened, but he didn't know what to say.
He wanted to escape, but Protector Mo silently and single-handedly cast the Earth Escape Talisman.
Swish!
As the Earth Escape Talisman was cast, Protector Mo's left hand also moved, this time flashing a ball of green light.
As the green light passed, the shadow of a small circular shield accurately blocked Ming Qi's sword tip, as if the phantom shield were an indestructible barrier.
The Earth Escape Talisman is an earth-element talisman, while the green shield is a wood-element talisman. Their different properties naturally lead to different functions.
The green talisman blocked Ming Qi's potential sword thrust, thus ensuring complete escape before Ming Qi could launch his next attack.
Protector Mo's calculations were truly meticulous. Even with his absolute advantage, he had considered every possible scenario, demonstrating his meticulousness.
More importantly, Protector Mo acted with impeccable precision, leaving behind a backup plan that even Duan Feng was unaware of!
"Duanfeng, I know you wish me dead, but you'll just have to take care of yourself."
Protector Mo, confident of a sure victory, seemed to suddenly brighten his mood. He looked at Duanfeng, who stood stunned ten steps away, and chuckled.
"Meng Ling!"
Almost as soon as Protector Mo cast his two talismans, Ming Qi understood clearly that Protector Mo was trying to use the opportunity to escape!
So, without hesitation, he summoned Meng Ling, who had been hiding in his ring.
Logically, Ming Qi should have summoned Meng Ling long ago; that would have made the battle with Protector Mo and the others less arduous.
Ming Qi didn't do so, not because he didn't think about it, but because of his nature.
Because he had long since developed the habit of handling everything on his own, he preferred to fight alone to the end rather than summon Meng Ling.
But the current situation was different. Ming Qi no longer had the ability to perform the Jade Blood Sky Slash, and unable to pierce Protector Mo's talismanic shield, he was completely unable to prevent him from using the Earth Escape Talisman to escape. If Protector Mo successfully escaped, there would be endless trouble.
Meng Ling was quite obedient at this point. Upon hearing Ming Qi's call, she instantly appeared before Protector Mo, who was now shrouded in an earth-yellow light.
With a delicate flick of her finger, a blood-red ripple erupted.
This blood-red ripple was like a silent death signal. Though silent, it clearly contained a profound secret and terrifying power.
"Innate Yuan Power!"
Almost instantly, Protector Mo exclaimed in shock.
He knew Ming Qi hadn't reached the Innate Realm, which was why he calmly used the talisman to escape when the sword tip was at his throat. He knew that even a low-level talisman couldn't be stopped without Innate Yuan Power.
Unfortunately, while Protector Mo had meticulously planned to leave a lingering shadow on Ming Qi, he had never anticipated the sudden appearance of someone so unassuming as a stream of innate energy!
Popping!
With a gentle ripple of energy, the earth spirit energy generated by the Earth Escape Talisman rapidly crumbled and disintegrated, disappearing inch by inch.
Protector Mo let out a shrill scream as he was completely pierced by a stream of innate energy unleashed by Meng Ling!
Looking at the fallen Protector Mo, Ming Qi was shocked. He knew Meng Ling possessed innate strength, but he hadn't expected her to be so formidable!