After a passionate battle, Ming Qi contentedly slid his hands across Xing Yun's delicate skin and asked, "Do you regret coming to my world?"
Xing Yun's eyes twinkled, and she playfully said, "Even if I regret it, it's too late. Anyway, I feel like I've been at a disadvantage."
…
Half an hour later, the two emerged from the cave, soaring into the air, heading north.
Xing Yun's strength had fully recovered and greatly improved, now reaching the terrifying late Martial Emperor realm. Even Ming Qi could only barely hold her own; defeating her was impossible. Fortunately, their battle wasn't a battle of physical strength.
After leaving the nameless island in the South China Sea, Ming Qi immediately tapped into the power of the stars to perform Celestial Shift. Although the star power in the Tianhuang World was much more difficult to access than in the star field, it only took Ming Qi a little longer to fully charge the nebula, and he didn't care.
While performing Celestial Shift, he alternated with the Golden Bridge of the Heavens, achieving incredible speed. Within a day, he reached the shores of the Fire Phoenix. Here, he sensed the presence of the Ice and Fire Emperor.
Ming Qi didn't descend to find them directly. Instead, he transmitted a few messages through secret techniques and continued northward along his original path.
Xing Yun, on the other hand, had been constantly experiencing the countless novelties of the Tianhuang Great World throughout his flight. The differences between the Tianhuang Great World and the Xingchen Great World were so profound that Xing Yun was excited about this brand new world.
A few days later, Ming Qi arrived in Xilan Province.
Gazing down at the mountains below, Ming Qi was overcome with emotion. He still didn't know how long he had been away: a year? Two years? Three to five years?
But the answer would soon be known. It wouldn't be long before he could return to Qiankun Mountain. After so much time, those little ones would surely have made significant progress. Perhaps one of them had even broken through to the Xiantian realm?
Ming Qi gazed ahead toward Qiankun Mountain, his eyes filled with anticipation.
He had returned this time to lead his sect toward complete power. In the near future, Liuli Holy Land would have tens of millions of disciples roaming the world. What a monumental feat that would be!
"What's wrong? You seem a little agitated!"
Xing Yun, standing nearby, immediately sensed Ming Qi's emotional fluctuations. A cultivator who had reached the Martial Emperor realm possessed a mind as deep as the abyss. They would not easily waver under any circumstances. On the contrary, once they did, they would react violently, easily sensed by those of the same level nearby.
"Yes, we're almost at my sect. I wonder how those younger generations are progressing. Besides, I wonder if they have friends and family there."
Ming Qi's emotions were truly surging. Even at the Martial Emperor realm, it was difficult for him to calm down.
"Ah, let's just walk faster. We've come such a long way back, and there's only a short distance left to go."
Xing Yun said with a smile.
Ming Qi nodded and pointed toward the sky. A surge of Martial Emperor True Essence gushed out, rapidly flowing from his fingertips into the sky. In the blink of an eye, a long golden bridge connected the other side of the sky.
Ming Qi's mastery of the Golden Bridge of the Heavens had reached a new level. With a single fingertip, he could reach Qiankun Mountain.
As the golden bridge connected to the heights of Qiankun Mountain, Ming Qi suddenly felt an inexplicable pain in his heart, as if he had been stabbed by a sharp blade!
What happened?
Although the pain was fleeting, it caused a profound change in Ming Qi's mind.
"Xingyun, let's go!"
Without even waiting to explain anything to Xingyun, Ming Qi stepped directly onto the golden bridge and vanished in a flash of light.
Xingyun followed, somewhat horrified. She could still sense Ming Qi's intense emotions, but this was different from before. A huge murderous intent was brewing within him.
"What's wrong?"
Xing Yun followed Ming Qi and asked quietly.
"Something might have happened to the sect."
Ming Qi's face was expressionless, his slightly weathered but resolute features eerily calm.
A golden skybridge spanned the sky, appearing minutes later above Qiankun Mountain.
The moment Ming Qi appeared in the sky, he took in the ruins of the Liuli Holy Land below. A moment later, he felt a wave of daze, his entire body swaying.
Almost the moment Ming Qi appeared, a powerful aura suddenly rose from below. A dark shadow soared into the sky, hurtling towards Ming Qi. The roar of a strong wind echoed across the sky above Qiankun Mountain.
"Looking for death!"
Ming Qi's heart was in turmoil. Sensing an attack, he raised his hand without a second thought, mobilizing the power of the stars in the Soul-Calming Nebula to unleash the Soul-Slaying Finger.
At this moment, a hurried voice suddenly echoed in Ming Qi's mind, saying, "Master, don't kill him!"
At this voice, Ming Qi shuddered, his finger deflecting slightly. Simultaneously, the beam of power from his Soul-Slaying Finger instantly dissipated into a nebula, sending the oncoming figure plummeting from the sky.
"Dahei, is that you?"
Ming Qi quickly transmitted his consciousness and descended from the sky.
Stepping onto the ruined land, Ming Qi's joy at home vanished instantly. Although his expression remained unchanged, an uncontrollable rage surged up, and countless tangible black air currents swirled around him like black dragons.
Ming Qi looked up. In the distance, Changkong, who had been struck down by his finger, was struggling to rise. Dahei was running past.
"Master, you are too strong!"
Dahei approached, stunned by the drastic change in Ming Qi's form. These were the only words he could utter.
"Where are the others? What's going on?"
Ming Qi demanded, suppressing his anger.
"Master, you've been gone for years. They all thought you'd perished. Plus, the troops from the Tianzui Camp would appear from time to time. Without a powerful leader, Qiankun Mountain was constantly harassed, and many disciples from the Eighth Hall died. Later, I went out to hone my skills and seek an opportunity to break through to the Heavenly Spirit Realm. Upon returning, I discovered this situation."
"Was it the troops from the Tianzui Camp who did this?"
Ming Qi's clenched fists turned pale. According to the plan, there was a possibility of future cooperation with the Tianzui Camp, but given the current situation, Ming Qi had no intention of entertaining such an idea.
"Later, I inquired. The Tianzui Camp's troops didn't completely wipe out the area. It's said that several aristocratic families from Xilan Prefecture joined forces to attack Qiankun Mountain..."
"Do you know who they were?"
After hearing the results, Ming Qi calmed down. He needed to know who had attacked Qiankun Mountain and razed his sect!
"I don't know that yet, but it's no secret. Just ask and you'll find out."
"Alright, I'll instantly raise your strength to the Heavenly Spirit Realm. You'll have three days to find out everything!"
With that, Ming Qi waved his hand, and several streams of Martial Emperor True Essence surged into Dahei's body. The pure energy instantly enveloped Dahei in a vortex of energy, forcing him to prostrate himself on the ground. In two hours at most, he would be able to advance to the Heavenly Spirit Realm.
After this, Ming Qi turned his gaze to Changkong standing beside him.
"Who are you?"
Changkong waved his hand and threw a ball of consciousness energy at him, saying, "Take a look at this and you'll know."