Mo Changli wanted to come to his aid, a fact Ming Qi understood. However, the venom released by the Poison Emperor's clone was even more terrifying than the venom released by the two brothers previously. Even the slightest contact would likely result in instant death. Ming Qi couldn't take that risk, and certainly couldn't let Mo Changli take it either.
Ming Qi's voice caused Mo Changli to pause unconsciously. Wei Silong, who had arrived shortly after, also steadied himself, looking up at the venomous snake phantom controlled by the Poison Emperor's clone, darting through the sky as it chased Ming Qi.
"Die! Haha!"
An Qi and An Yun then combined their combined magical powers, bursting into laughter as they watched the situation reversed in an instant.
The Poison Emperor had arrived, but it was their ultimate weapon. Once unleashed, even powerful cultivators of the fifth level of the Innate Realm would have to avoid its brunt, let alone a few small, medium-sized creatures of the first and second levels of the Innate Realm.
Anyun laughed heartily and pointed. A sharp gleam flashed across the expressionless face of the Poison Emperor's clone. The staff in his right hand suddenly rose and gently drew a circle across the open space before him.
With just this casual circle, the entire Lower City seemed to erupt with the terror of a divine plague.
The earth began to rot, emitting a pungent odor. A black, unknown liquid rapidly surged out through the cracks in the earth, leaving nothing behind. Everything it passed through was instantly corroded to a depth of a full foot.
What a powerful venom!
The monks watching the battle began to retreat rapidly. While most of them knew the An brothers, few had witnessed their true combat prowess. Seeing them summon such a powerful Poison Emperor clone, they couldn't help but secretly thank themselves for not provoking these two vicious men.
Instantly, the cultivators who had bravely come to watch dispersed, leaving only a few highly skilled cultivators on the surrounding rooftops still quietly observing the unfolding events.
In this incredibly fierce clash, the most dazzling figure was undoubtedly the young man, his entire body ablaze with flaming brilliance. Almost all the innate cultivators now turned their gazes to the sky, following Ming Qi's uncanny movements in the air with unblinking eyes.
"To be able to control the Crimson Skyfire so fluidly, this boy's talent is truly unparalleled..."
From atop a tall building, a figure in a purple robe, with three long wisps of beard and a simple silver bun, muttered to himself as he watched Ming Qi soar through the sky.
At this moment, even Dabai, who had been enjoying the killing spree on the battlefield, had to retreat.
Although Dabai's murderous intent was strong, its intelligence, after all, rivaled that of human cultivators. Seeing the other cultivator unleash such powerful magical powers, it naturally couldn't confront him head-on, so it quickly retreated.
As for the An brothers, Anqi on the left commanded his venomous snakes to soar through the sky, relentlessly pursuing Mingqi, while Anyun on the right continuously directed the staff in the Poison Emperor's right hand, unleashing terrifying poison arrays on the surrounding ground.
Circles of poison arrays overlapped and activated.
The entire Lower City was instantly engulfed in boundless venom.
Mo Changli and Wei Silong were now unable to offer any assistance, and could only anxiously watch Mingqi in the sky. They absolutely could not unleash the Celestial Clan's magical power of flight; to do so would inevitably bring about fatal consequences.
At this moment, it wasn't just the purple-robed middle-aged man atop the tall building who was keeping an eye on Ming Qi. Almost all the powerful Xiantian cultivators elsewhere were also deeply interested in this young man who had mastered the Red Refining Heavenly Fire to perfection.
"Xiao Qi, you must know that the Red Refining Heavenly Fire is an excellent choice for refining medicine. If this boy could make medicine, he would definitely be a superb alchemist!"
On the eaves of a restaurant, a white-bearded old man stood. Beside him squatted a young girl in green. The girl had a pretty face, a pointed chin, and eyes as bright as gemstones.
"Oh, anyway, no matter how powerful she is, she won't surpass you, Grandpa."
The green-clad girl seemed to pay no attention to Ming Qi, who was wielding the Red Refining Heavenly Fire and battling a venomous snake in the distant sky. Instead, her delicate hands were idly toying with a snow-white, fist-sized bird.
The little white bird chirped and circled the girl's fingertips, occasionally pecking them with its beak and occasionally twirling its wings in mid-air, making the green-clad girl giggle non-stop.
"You silly girl, you weren't listening to me again!"
The old man's beard twitched in anger.
"If he keeps refining elixirs until he's my age, he might actually surpass me."
The old man was clearly not truly angry. He just pinched his beard and stared at the sky, his eyes flickering.
"Oh, well, well, by the time that guy reaches your age, I'm sure his grandson's grandson will be refining elixirs of celestial caliber!"
The girl teased the bird, speaking halfheartedly, clearly uninterested in the old man's words.
"Bullshit!"
This time, the old man was serious. He reached over the girl's head, seemingly ready to give her a slap, but his fingers only pressed gently, not hard.
The girl didn't even look up, teasing the snow-white bird for a while longer. Suddenly, she stretched her willow waist and yawned lazily. Her large, long-lashed eyes fluttered a few times, and a slight cough escaped her.
"Oh, no, no, no, Xiaoqi, it's time for you to take your medicine. Grandpa will take you downstairs."
As he spoke, the old man's right hand curved slightly, and a gentle ball of energy enveloped the green-clad girl, then gently lifted her up.
"No, no, I'll play with you for a little while longer. Just a little while. It won't delay your medicine..."
The girl immediately pleaded, her voice soft and pitiful.
The old man's eyes glared, but then he softened. He manipulated his energy to gently place the girl back on the eaves, leaving her to play on her own while he continued to gaze up at the sky.
What the old man didn't notice was that as he looked up at the sky, the green-clad girl sitting beside him also raised her head, her delicate eyes also watching the struggle between the man and the snake in the sky. A look flickered in her eyes that almost no one could understand.
In the distance, on a street,
A group of a dozen or so burly monks gazed up at the sky.
"Brother, this kid has potential. Try to recruit him to join us."
One of the big men rubbed his hands excitedly.
"Well, I'll give it a try, but I guess it's difficult." The voice was deep and rich, yet gentle and refined, clearly not the kind of voice spoken by a burly man.
The dozen or so men moved, revealing the man in the middle.
The man was thin and pale, his long hair flowing freely. Dressed in a black robe, he resembled a ghost in the night sky, and his deep eyes, in particular, shimmered like a spirit.
He was very young, appearing only in his twenties. He held a folding fan in his hand, which he occasionally flicked, but it was clear it wasn't for cooling off.
All those who could see Ming Qi's potential were tempted to woo him.
However, while battling the venomous snake in the air, Ming Qi naturally had no idea that he had attracted the attention of many powerful figures in Killing Star City. He was completely focused on fighting the snake.
Fearing the snake's venom and poisonous gas, Ming Qi battled it for a long time, but was unable to find the right opportunity to defeat it.
Mobilizing his Vermillion Bird Divine Wings, Ming Qi unleashed a barrage of fire bombs, nearly engulfing the entire venomous snake in a sea of flames. However, the snake was essentially a formless entity. Even the fire bombs condensed from the powerful Red Refining Skyfire were ineffective against it, and several times he narrowly escaped being struck by the snake's venom.
However, with the protection of the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, Ming Qi wasn't particularly afraid of the snake's venom. Seeing the battle dragging on, Ming Qi lost his patience and finally, with a flick of his finger, summoned his Silver Lightning Hammer once again, striking the flying venomous snake.
Bang!
The hammer struck, but the venomous snake instantly disintegrated into a cloud of mist, then coalesced in another corner.
Ming Qi struck several times in succession, each time accurately hitting the venomous snake, but still unable to inflict any significant damage.
Is this thing truly invincible?
Ming Qi naturally didn't believe it. He believed that everything in the universe possessed a method to restrain it. He simply couldn't dispel the ethereal venomous snake; he simply hadn't found the method yet.
However, at this moment, the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, which had been steadily providing amplified aura, suddenly began to fluctuate inexplicably!
A thought struck Ming Qi. The significance of the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map's fluctuations was now clear. Whenever the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map fluctuated, it inevitably brought unexpected events. Whether for good or ill, he longed for its fluctuations.
Swish!
Without a second thought, Ming Qi summoned the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map before him.
The mysterious scroll, previously shrouded in a cloud of white mist, had dissipated, revealing a majestic and magnificent scene, resembling the creation of the universe from the primordial past. Continuous mountains and vast lands, surging rivers and seas, rolling clouds, towering mountains and rushing rivers, the eternal sun, moon, celestial beings, and hell all encompassed it.
And within this mystical scroll of countless mountains, rivers, and celestial beings, a single golden dot silently emerged from a cluster of mountains!
What was this?
Ming Qi didn't know what this golden dot represented, but it was clear that its appearance must be related to his battle with the ethereal serpent. Perhaps it contained a method to restrain the ethereal serpent!
Thinking of this, Ming Qi quickly mobilized a strand of his spiritual consciousness and merged it into the Supreme Mountain and Sea Map, swiftly finding the golden dot.
Buzz!
Even before his spiritual consciousness arrived, a tremor echoed through Ming Qi's mind, and a powerful force suddenly crashed into his ocean of consciousness.
This power came from the golden dot!
The dot spun rapidly, growing larger, and then, a ray of golden light shot out from it, heading straight for Ming Qi's separated spiritual consciousness!