Chapter 301: Chapter 298: Three Kowtows of the Unmoving Nether King (3)

The young man said nothing. Instead, he touched a finger to the center of Mo Qi’s forehead.

Before Mo Qi could even react, a massive stream of information flooded his mind. Although he didn’t faint, his thoughts slowed to a crawl.

In truth, even if he had been able to react, he would have been powerless to do anything about it.

Just then, the young man’s voice echoed in his ears.

"Remember! The power of the Three Kowtows of the Unmoving Nether King is only as great as your will to be invincible!"

At the mouth of the fissure in the Ancient Ruins, the Pig Emperor tentatively approached Yan.

Seeing that Yan didn’t seem to mind, it scurried to the edge of the fissure, poked its head over, and focused its gaze on the black mist below.

"What in the world is down there? That Mo kid... he’s not going to be in any trouble, is he?" Sensing the intense Energy fluctuations from below, the Pig Emperor couldn’t help but ask with concern.

Yan stopped swinging her feet and said softly, "He should be fine."

"Should be?!" The Pig Emperor’s voice shot up an octave.

"So you’re not sure either?"

The relief it had just felt vanished, and its heart was in its throat again.

Yan nodded and said with a smile, "Is anything in this world ever truly safe?"

She paused, then added, "But I believe in him."

The Pig Emperor was speechless. ’Are you just trying to pick a fight?’

’It’s true, nothing is ever completely safe. Some people trip while walking and end up dead.’

’What damn good is just believing in him?’

’Shouldn’t there be a backup plan, an escape route, just in case something goes wrong?’

Just as the Pig Emperor was about to press for more details, the black mist in the fissure below suddenly erupted.

"This is bad! That Mo kid is in trouble!" the Pig Emperor cried in alarm, grabbing Yan’s arm. "Quick, you have to save him!"

Yan’s brow furrowed, her eyes fixing on the Pig Emperor with an icy, murderous glare.

With a flick of her arm, she sent the Pig Emperor flying and said coldly,

"This is the first time, and it will be the last. Do not think that just because you are that foolish boy’s Beast Pet, I will not kill you!"

She could be unabashedly close with Mo Qi, letting him hold her hand, pat her head, or even wash her feet, but that did not mean anyone else had the same privilege.

After all, she was Queen Mo Yan!

Her authority was not to be challenged!

Not even the Pig Emperor.

’I hate arrogant females,’ the Pig Emperor cursed under its breath, rubbing its sore backside.

BOOM!

The black mist surged toward the sky, forming a tall, indistinct phantom with its back to the Pig Emperor and Yan.

It radiated an aura of untamable confidence, of utter invincibility—the heroic spirit of one who looked down upon the world itself!

"Magnificent!" The Pig Emperor couldn’t help but cry out in admiration. "Such heroic spirit! Magnificent!"

Yet, before the words had even faded, the phantom lifted the hem of its robes and, without any warning, knelt.

The Pig Emperor’s cry of "magnificent" was still caught in its throat, leaving the rest of its praise to die there.

’It... it knelt down?’

’What the hell is going on?’

’What happened to being untamable? To being invincible? What about that heroic spirit?’

Yan’s expression, however, was exceptionally grave. Deep within her eyes was a flicker of shock, a hint of delight, and a touch of relief.

’It’s the Nether King’s ultimate technique... That foolish boy truly didn’t let me down!’

As the phantom knelt, the entire Ancient Ruins flipped upside down, and a powerful, vortex-like force pulled Yan and the Pig Emperor inside.

Yan did not resist, allowing the force to pull her along.

The Pig Emperor, however, grabbed the still-unconscious Li Yuanhao at the last second before they both vanished into the darkness.

At that same moment, on the surface world outside the Ancient Ruins, the desolate, thousand-zhang-tall mountain vanished without a trace.

All that remained in its place was an enormous, bottomless sinkhole.

...

「Mountain and Sea Empire Imperial City.」

The recent uproar caused by the middle-aged Shi Hao had forced His Holiness, Li Shimu, to take decisive action. By borrowing power from the Empire’s very destiny, he had not only severed one of Shi Hao’s arms but had also purged the entire upper echelon of the Nangong Family in a near-massacre.

For a time, a sense of peril pervaded the Empire, from the common folk to the nobles within the Imperial City.

Many who had never quite understood how the Royal Li Family managed to rule the nation and command the unwavering loyalty of the Six Great Clans now witnessed the Royal Family’s terrifying power firsthand.

If Li Shimu alone was this terrifying, just how powerful was the hidden strength the Li Family had accumulated over so many years?

That was something no one knew.

But everyone had reached a consensus: the Mountain and Sea Empire still belonged to the Li Family!

Because the news was deliberately suppressed, no one apart from those who had been present knew the specific details or the reason for Li Shimu’s actions.

As a result, "Who exactly angered His Holiness?" became the hottest topic of discussion across the Empire.

Some speculated that the Nangong Family harbored treasonous ambitions and was personally punished by His Holiness.

Some guessed that the recent commotion surrounding "Master Liu’s search for a son-in-law" had drawn out a reclusive powerhouse who, relying on his own strength, broke the Empire’s laws and was subsequently slain by His Holiness.

Still others theorized that a powerful expert from a force outside the Empire had invaded and been annihilated by His Holiness.

While almost everyone was caught up in the gossip, Mo Qi remained holed up in the Imperial Academy, same as always.

In the Fighting Cultivation Room, he accepted gifts, offered free sparring, beat people up, accepted more gifts, offered more free sparring, and just kept on beating people up.

’Only an idiot would pass up a good deal. When people show up at your door with gifts, who in their right mind would refuse?’

He had already healed the injured Liu Hui and Nangong Yan. The pair had gleefully taken over Jin Sanpang’s post, screening suitable "poor saps" at the entrance to the Cultivation Room.

Jin Sanpang, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying the throes of first love. He spent all his days with the adorably naive Princess Li Xuemiao, their bond growing stronger by the day.

As for whether it was purely friendship or something more, only the two of them knew for sure.

Qian Duoduo was the only one having a truly miserable time. Without the Nether Soul Flame to suppress it, the Soul-Draining Mother Spider tormented him every moment of every day.

The physical pain was nothing, really. The worst part was that Liu Hui and Nangong Yan would, without any warning, engage in some public display of affection, essentially force-feeding him their romance.

He suffered ten thousand points of critical emotional damage.

If he weren’t too weak to even move, he would have gotten up and annihilated that wretched couple!

BOOM!

The door to the Cultivation Room swung open, and Mo Qi’s voice drifted out.

"Drag him out. Next!"

Liu Hui stepped forward, hauled out an unconscious youth, and tossed him aside.

"Anyone else want to challenge him?" he asked, looking at the long line of people waiting outside.

Everyone’s eyes fell on the youth, who was covered in injuries. No one dared to make a sound.

He was already the sixteenth person today.

They had no idea what had gotten into Qin Daye today; his attacks were unusually vicious.

This rarely ever happened before.

How could they have known? Mo Qi was frustrated that his main body couldn’t get any news about his mother from Nangong An, so of course he wasn’t holding back.

Seeing that no one was stepping up, Liu Hui yawned. "Since there are no more challengers, we’ll call it a day. You can all..."

"Hold on!"

A hoarse voice cut Liu Hui off.

"I’ll have a go!" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

The moment the words were spoken, a chill washed over the crowd, as if their hearts could freeze solid at any second.

Even Liu Hui, who possessed the Dragon Transformation Divine Technique, was no exception.

’This is a true master!’

Liu Hui immediately shed his dismissive attitude. His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on a sickly-looking young man.