"I found this by chance in an ancient ruin. It's only a small, incomplete fragment," Ming Qi said with a tone of regret.
"Oh, is that so? What a pity! I once obtained some, and spent considerable effort refining it into a magical weapon. Unfortunately, what I obtained wasn't complete either, so that magical weapon is destined to remain incomplete."
The little boy also said with regret.
"Oh? I wonder what magical weapon it is?" Ming Qi asked.
The power of the Star God is rare in the world and difficult to discover and capture. If it weren't for the existence of the Supreme Diagram, Ming Qi wouldn't have been able to comprehend the power of the Star God from the Heavenly Official Tower.
After a moment's silence, the little boy spoke, "It's okay to tell you this. The magic weapon I refined is called the Heavenly Official Pagoda. It harbors the power of the star gods of the heavens, providing a perfect training ground for cultivators. However, since it only contains a fragment of star god power, the Heavenly Official Pagoda is essentially only suitable for post-natal cultivators. It's ineffective after reaching the innate stage."
The little boy spoke slowly, but his words genuinely surprised Ming Qi.
Heavenly Official Pagoda!
The Heavenly Official Pagoda of the Tianqi Academy of the Biyou Sect—it was forged by Mo Qingchen, the abbot of the Tianqi Academy!
Ming Qi's thoughts raced, and he glanced at the little boy beside him. Unconsciously, he had already identified the boy as the long-missing abbot of the Tianqi Academy, Mo Qingchen.
Ming Qi wasn't one to jump to conclusions, but he had to understand that the star god power that lingered between heaven and earth was inherently rare, and those who could perceive and sense it were even fewer.
Mo Qingchen not only comprehended the rare power of the Star Gods, but also fused it to create the Tianguan Pagoda.
If the magic weapon the boy had refined wasn't called the Tianguan Pagoda, Ming Qi wouldn't have been able to draw a conclusion. But since the magic weapon he had refined was called the Tianguan Pagoda, Ming Qi was almost certain that the boy was Mo Qingchen!
But despite this, Ming Qi was puzzled. According to the Tianqi Academy disciples, Mo Qingchen should be an adult around thirty years old, while the person before him looked only about ten years old.
Could it be Mo Qingchen?
"Tianguan Pagoda?"
Ming Qi feigned surprise and said, "I seem to have heard that name somewhere before, but I can't quite place it."
To prove his doubts, Ming Qi decisively fabricated a lie.
"Oh? That's possible. Ever since its successful creation, the Tianguan Pagoda has been placed within the sect, providing a training ground for younger disciples,"
the boy said.
That's right!
After hearing this, Ming Qi was convinced that his judgment was correct. This person must be Mo Qingchen!
"You've reached the Xiantian realm at such a young age, and have even comprehended the power of the Star Gods to refine a magical weapon as powerful as the Tianguan Tower. Truly admirable."
Ming Qi began to broach the subject of age. He concluded that the original Mo Qingchen must not have looked like this. Something must have happened to him to bring him to this state.
"Young?"
As expected, as Ming Qi finished his words, the little boy immediately said in a self-deprecating tone, "I'm not as young as you think!"
But after saying this, the little boy quickened his pace, clearly not intending to pursue the question further.
Ming Qi didn't press the issue, and the group continued on their way.
Having learned from the previous two encounters, Ming Qi became even more cautious. He would survey the area from the ground to the air every few steps to ensure there were no threats before continuing.
After crossing the Canglan River, the road widened, and the group's pace gradually increased. Everyone understood that reaching Jinchuan Baifu as quickly as possible would eliminate the threat as quickly as possible.
After several days of travel, they gradually entered a human settlement and encountered many passers-by.
The rest of the journey was relatively peaceful. Perhaps Ming Qi and his men's victory over the most powerful Sea Dragon Immortal Dao Army in the Falling Moon had completely intimidated the mercenaries of Killing Star City, and for them, this prey was no longer worth pursuing.
For mercenaries, the only criterion for whether a move was worthwhile was value. If the loss outweighed the gain, they would accept the deal no matter what.
Although Ming Qi still did not know the true mastermind behind this incident, it was clear that it had attracted enormous attention throughout Killing Star City.
Although there were no further incidents along the way, Ming Qi did not let down his guard and continued to tread carefully.
After traveling for more than ten days, Ming Qi encountered someone.
This man didn't look particularly remarkable, just a passerby. But the unexpectedly large sword strapped to his back made him seem a bit more unusual.
He wasn't very old, perhaps in his early thirties, not very tall, wearing a conical hat and a long black robe. He looked ordinary, except for the sword. The massive sword on his back was almost as tall as he was, with a blade nearly a foot wide and a pitch-black blade. The mere sight of it gave him an oppressive feeling.
Even with this enormous sword strapped to his back, he walked with a steady composure.
It was unknown where he was going, but for several days, this strange man with the giant sword on his back had been silently walking the same path as Ming Qi and his group.
"Who is this man? Why does he seem so strange?"
After walking for two or three days, Mo Changli finally couldn't help but ask Ming Qi.
Ming Qi had no idea. He was also somewhat curious about this strange individual, but he was only slightly more cautious. If he were part of a mercenary group, they would surely choose a time to strike.
"I don't know. Let's just be careful."
But what puzzled Ming Qi was that, although this strange individual wasn't far from them, he didn't seem to have any intentions at all. After several days of travel, apart from asking for directions once, there was no further communication.
Ming Qi carefully considered this single exchange. He had asked about the distance from their destination to the City of the Gods.
After pondering it, Ming Qi felt that this individual didn't seem to be a mercenary from Killing Star City. Those who had reached the level necessary to reach the City of the Gods seemed completely indifferent to the struggles between the innate cultivators. Perhaps, in their eyes, the things that the innate cultivators fought for were completely unworthy of mention.
However, as for the location of the City of the Gods, Ming Qi had only seen it on a map and had never been there, so his explanation was only a general direction.
Despite this, the strange sword-carrying man seemed quite satisfied.
After more than ten days, the group finally entered the territory of the Jinchuan Bai Mansion.
Arriving in Jinchuan, they could finally rest and no longer rush on their journey. As for the strange sword-carrying man, after bidding Ming Qi farewell, he continued along the main road.
"Well, now that we've arrived in Jinchuan, here's the rest of the reward."
In an inn in a small town, the little boy readily took out the remaining reward.
After collecting the ten royal crystals, Ming Qi sent the others to rest. Seeing that he and the little boy were the only ones left in the room, he asked directly, "Do you know Mo Qingchen from the Biyou Sect?"
"Hmm?"
At Ming Qi's words, the little boy was startled at first, a look of surprise crossing his face, followed by a brief silence.
After a moment, he finally spoke, "Do you know Mo Qingchen?"
Ming Qi shook his head and said, "Mo Qingchen, the head of the Tianqi Academy of the Biyou Sect, has been missing for several years..."
At this point, the little boy suddenly realized something and said with a wry smile, "So you're actually a disciple of the Biyou Sect? Why did you keep it a secret from me for so long?"
Ming Qi smiled faintly and said, "Haha, you're Mo Qingchen, right?"
"Yes, I am Mo Qingchen," the little boy said without denying it.
"You are Mo Qingchen, but I'm no longer a disciple of the Biyou Sect." Ming Qi didn't ask why Mo Qingchen looked like that. It was obvious that this wasn't his true self, but he had a feeling that it would be better to keep it to himself. So, although he was puzzled, he didn't intend to ask.
"Why?"
Mo Qingchen asked.
He also realized that since Ming Qi had appeared in Shaxing City and become a mercenary, he had most likely left the sect. Otherwise, he wouldn't be mingling in the mercenary world.
"In their eyes, I'm a demon..."
After a moment's silence, Mo Qingchen suddenly asked, "So, are you planning on going this time?"
"Of course, I need to go back and see some old friends, so..."
By the time Ming Qi had spoken, Mo Qingchen had a rough idea. The Biyou Sect was home to many powerful individuals, and if they launched an attack, Ming Qi would likely be hard-pressed to escape. His revealing his identity at this moment was simply a way to leverage Mo Qingchen's influence.
"I actually just wanted to see some old friends, Senior Brother Meng, Senior Sister Oona. I wonder how they're doing now."
Mo Qingchen immediately understood and said, "I can pass that on. As for whether they'll see him or not, I'm not sure."
"Hehe..."
After all, Ming Qi's return this time was purely to see his old friends. As for another conflict with the Biyou Sect, he didn't have the strength to do so at the moment, so he didn't want to make it too public.
As a high-ranking member of the Biyou Sect, Mo Qingchen was already quite satisfied that he could convey this message.
That night passed without conversation. After resting, Ming Qi gave Mo Qingchen a location, and then Mo Qingchen returned to the Biyou Sect alone.
"I'm going to meet some old friends. What are your plans?"
Before leaving, Ming Qi asked a few people. Dabai, needless to say, would definitely follow Ming Qi, but as for the others, it was up to them to decide.
Su Yuan didn't seem anxious either, and was happy to stay in Jinchuan for a while. As for Mo Changli and Wei Silong, they were in no hurry to return either, and both agreed to wait for him here.
Ming Qi had no objections. Before leaving, he handed all the royal crystals he had obtained from Mo Qingchen to Wei Silong, and chose Tianyuan Town as the rendezvous point. Then, he set off with Dabai.