A massive hand grasped, sending shockwaves through Ming Qi's scalp, and his hair exploded like a frightened cat. He felt a surge of force coursing through his acupuncture points, the immense pressure making it difficult for him to breathe.
But fortunately, in the blink of an eye, the pressure subsided and he returned to normal.
"It seems you weren't lying. You truly don't possess the divine body, but you have inherited the Path of Tiger Wood, which is a hidden danger!"
"I simply had no intention of accepting the Path of Tiger Wood. It was simply an act of indifference."
Ming Qi suppressed the turmoil in his heart and responded.
He wasn't strong enough at the moment. He had no power to resist the rumored supreme master. He had to yield, or he could utterly destroy him with a single thought.
"I know you didn't mean to do it. Otherwise, how would you still be alive?"
Hong Lian's voice was incredibly commanding, and the aura of a supreme master was unmatched by those gods.
Ming Qi stopped talking. He had already made his point clear, and further words would be pointless.
After a moment's silence, Hong Lian spoke again: "Fine, I'll keep you for now, but Xiao Jiu needs to be by your side at all times. If you do anything against the will of Heaven, don't blame me!"
"Thank you, Supreme!"
Ming Qi responded immediately. The other party had clearly let him off the hook. To hold back a word at this point would be rude.
Hong Lian didn't respond again. After a moment, the pressure dissipated, and the woman in red opened her eyes and smiled at Ming Qi. "You know everything. From now on, I'll follow you."
"Uh..."
Ming Qi thought for a moment before realizing that this woman in red was probably an avatar of the Western Supreme. What had just happened was the manifestation of her true will. However, this Xiao Jiu didn't seem entirely a clone; it seemed she still had her own consciousness.
"My name is Ninth Hong Lian. You can also call me Xiao Jiu."
Okay, Xiao Jiu.
Ming Qi nodded helplessly. This was like a ticking time bomb right next to him.
"Well, Xiaojiu, let's go."
Ming Qi frowned and turned back. He needed time to process this. Honglian hadn't said anything he couldn't do, but the scale was hard to grasp. If he messed up, he might die without even knowing how.
However, Xiaojiu didn't follow him immediately. Instead, he tilted his head, thinking for a moment. Suddenly, he exclaimed, "No, no, I'm the messenger of the Supreme Control. How can you use such a casual and disrespectful address? This is disrespectful to the Supreme Control!"
Ming Qi had just turned to leave when he heard this and was stunned.
You say you can call me that, and then you say you can't. What's going on?
"Let's go first."
Ming Qi glanced at Xiaojiu, who was still tilting his head, trying to figure out how to address her, and shook his head helplessly.
"Why not just call you Honglian?"
Ming Qi kept looking back and noticed that although Xiaojiu was following him, she seemed completely lost, her mind racing.
"Oh, that's even more unacceptable!"
Xiaojiu immediately perked up, shouting and yelling, frightening even Ming Qi.
"Why not?"
Ming Qi was completely bewildered. This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work. What was going on?
"That's the title for the Supreme Master of Control. Forget it, forget it. I can't think of one. I'll think about it later." Xiaojiu's face was agonized, as if she'd encountered a daunting problem. If anyone knew she was struggling with how to get others to address her, they'd probably laugh their asses off.
The two of them returned to the circular valley, one in front of the other, and saw quite a few people waiting for him.
"Sure enough, you've taken in another in just a short while!"
The Purple Star Jade Lord, standing nearby, chuckled upon seeing Xiaojiu following Ming Qi.
Ming Qi knew this guy was the type to look for trouble, so he simply ignored him.
It must be said that Ming Qi's place now boasted a diverse collection of women. Not only were they strikingly beautiful, but their abilities were also exceptional. If one were to compare them on this level, Ming Qi could undoubtedly be considered the overlord of the area.
Of course, no one knew what these women were thinking, and Ming Qi naturally didn't have the time to consider it right now. He simply didn't want to. His principle was to take whatever he could get his hands on. Perhaps the only person he could truly conceal within his heart was Meng Ling, but she was still unable to recover. Mo Changli was one of them, to say the least. Others, though hidden, had their secrets, but their extent was uncertain.
Ming Qi's style remained unchanged, categorizing everything, including women.
Putting all that aside, even after bringing Xiao Jiu back, while no one had said anything, a few glances had already been raised.
Ming Qi pretended not to notice. It wasn't a big deal, after all. Besides, Xiao Jiu was the avatar of the Supreme Control, representing the almighty Supreme Control, and had nothing to do with him.
In the circular valley, there was a house built specifically for Ming Qi. It was magnificent in both its layout and scale. After sending everyone back, Ming Qi took Xiao Jiu to his house.
"Rest for a while. I need to think about what to do next."
Leaving Xiao Jiu alone, Ming Qi retreated to his bedroom and closed his eyes to think deeply.
Logically, eliminating Tian Yi would prevent further damage to the origin of Tian Huang. However, repairing it proved difficult. If Tian Huang's fortune was truly to be restored, a method to repair the origin of the world would be necessary, or at least a method to enable it to repair itself. In this way, even if human intervention was unavailable, the origin could slowly recover on its own.
After much deliberation, Ming Qi still couldn't find a good solution. This matter concerned the origin of the world, and it wouldn't be an overnight task. Furthermore, it was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. After all, the operation of the world's order involved numerous factors and was of great importance.
"Beishen, do you know how to repair the origin of the world?"
Desperate, he could only seek help from others.
"The origin of the world is a derivative of the order of heaven and earth. Mortals simply cannot repair it. Not only mortals, but even gods cannot. The only one who can do it is probably the Supreme Master."
"Is there nothing that can help the origin of the world recover on its own?"
Beishen's explanation was clear, but Ming Qi still had some hope. After all, if it couldn't be repaired, Tianhuang would remain in a state of ruin. While it wouldn't be destroyed, it would at best be considered an abandoned world. With a lack of vitality, the creatures of Tianhuang would struggle to survive.
"As far as I know, there isn't."
After all, the North God wasn't omnipotent, and he didn't know about this. As Tianhuang's native deity, he was even more eager to restore the world to vitality than Mingqi, so he truly didn't know.
Unable to find any results from the North God, Mingqi turned to the Wuxiang Boy, whose origins were mysterious and peculiar, and who knew more.
But Mingqi was disappointed again. The Wuxiang Boy didn't have any information on how to restore the world's origins, but his answer was similar to the North God's: perhaps controlling the Supreme Being could help.
After much deliberation, Mingqi finally had to seek out Xiaojiu.
Xiaojiu was an avatar controlled by the Supreme Being. Logically, she should know. However, Mingqi had previously experienced the power of the Controlling Supreme Being, whose emotions were entirely determined by his mind. Given his current strength, he didn't want to interact with her much.
But for the sake of Tianhuang's restoration, it seemed necessary to ask.