Chapter 208: Chapter 205: The Pig Emperor’s New Ability (Part 1)
At first, the powerful stranger’s pride had made him refuse to submit to Mo Qi.
Now, that same pride compelled him to honor his promise and follow Mo Qi.
A word, once spoken, is like spilled water—impossible to take back.
Besides, the miraculous abilities Mo Qi had displayed made him far less resistant to the idea.
"Think this through," Mo Qi said, his tone serious. "I won’t force your decision. But once you become my follower, if you dare to be disloyal, the consequences will be severe."
He wasn’t running a charity.
’I can bring you immense benefits, so naturally, I expect you to serve me with complete devotion.’
"Please, Master, grant me a name!" The powerful stranger remained resolute, his decision made.
Having made his decision, he would have no regrets.
"Very well. Strictly speaking, you are my first official follower. I will grant you the surname Mo. I hope you won’t treat this matter as a joke. From this moment on, ’Mo Xiao’ will be your name."
Although Liu Hui had always acted as a subordinate, Mo Qi had always seen him as a brother.
Therefore, as far as Mo Qi was concerned, Liu Hui was not a follower.
The powerful stranger—now Mo Xiao—was the very first.
"This subordinate, Mo Xiao, pays his respects to the Master!" Mo Xiao knelt on one knee before Mo Qi and bowed his head, his voice filled with sincerity.
"Rise," Mo Qi said with a smile, helping Mo Xiao to his feet. "Later, give me the Cultivation Technique you practice. I’ll help you improve it."
What? Improve a Cultivation Technique?!
Not only was Mo Xiao stunned, but Wu the Old Ghost and the others standing nearby were also aghast, their faces etched with disbelief.
No matter its grade, a Cultivation Technique was always the result of countless trials and refinements by one’s predecessors. It wasn’t something you could just casually improve.
Especially not a Void Realm-level Cultivation Technique.
Even the slightest mistake could be fatal!
"What? You don’t trust me?" Mo Qi asked with a smile.
"Not at all," Mo Xiao replied, shaking his head repeatedly after snapping out of his daze.
For some reason, he now had absolute faith in Mo Qi. Even if Mo Qi claimed he could punch a hole in the heavens, Mo Xiao would believe him without a shred of doubt.
’Perhaps after submitting to Mo Qi, my entire perspective and way of thinking have shifted.’
Mo Qi simply smiled and said no more.
He walked over to the Old Tomb Digger.
"Give me your hand."
The Old Tomb Digger froze, utterly baffled. "What are you doing?"
"If I recall correctly, you said you’d agree to my terms if I could defeat Mo Xiao in a battle of techniques. I have no interest in taking on a dead man as a follower, so of course I’m going to cure your poison."
The Old Tomb Digger’s expression shifted between flushed and pale as he seemed to wage an internal war with himself.
After a long moment, he gritted his teeth and held out his hand.
"If you truly have the ability to purge the corpse poison from my body, then following you wouldn’t be beneath me."
Mo Qi placed three fingers on the Old Tomb Digger’s pulse. With a mere thought, the Nether Soul Flame surged forth and entered the old man’s body.
The Bone-Eating Worms were minuscule, undetectable by the naked eye, and notoriously difficult to eliminate. But against a Celestial-level Fire Seed, they were utterly defenseless.
Furthermore, being Within the Pass allowed Mo Qi to draw upon the power of the Dragon Vein to augment his own. As a result, his control over the Nether Soul Flame reached an entirely new level.
If Qian Duoduo were here now, Mo Qi could have effortlessly annihilated the Soul-Draining Mother Spider within him.
As Mo Qi guided the Nether Soul Flame through a full circuit of the Old Tomb Digger’s body, a pungent, burnt smell began to emanate from the old man’s pores.
Next, using his finger as a scalpel and his energy as a blade, Mo Qi made a small incision on the Old Tomb Digger’s wrist.
A stream of ink-black blood was forced out of the wound.
It was a veritable army of dead Bone-Eating Worms!
After nearly two large bowls’ worth of black blood had been expelled, fresh, red blood finally began to flow.
The pain of his flesh and bones being devoured vanished.
The feeling of relief, absent for over a thousand years, was so intense that the Old Tomb Digger nearly cried out in pleasure.
"I... I’m cured? Just like that?" Although the Old Tomb Digger had felt a searing heat spread through his entire body, he had no idea it was a Celestial-level Fire Seed.
All he knew was that Mo Qi had simply taken his pulse, and the Bone-Eating Worms that had tormented him for a millennium were all dead.
It seemed far too simple, too effortless!
"Quiet down and focus your mind," Mo Qi instructed. "Next, we’ll begin clearing out the Soul-Scattering Flower!"
The Old Tomb Digger didn’t dare to be careless. He immediately shut his mouth and did as Mo Qi instructed, gathering his focus and bracing himself.
The Power of the Soul is formless and intangible, untouched by the mundane world.
But the Soul-Scattering Flower was a bizarre species. Its pollen could adhere to the soul and, tracing it back to its source, burrow into the Sea of Consciousness to take root and sprout.
It wouldn’t kill a Cultivator, but it inflicted immense agony—a pain that came directly from the soul, making it impossible to escape.
Unlike how he dealt with the Bone-Eating Worms, Mo Qi couldn’t just let the Nether Soul Flame rampage through the Old Tomb Digger’s Sea of Consciousness.
That would certainly get rid of the Soul-Scattering Flower, but it would also destroy the man’s Sea of Consciousness.
The only solution was to separate off a strand of Yin Fire, which could bewitch the Divine Soul, and use it to lure the Soul-Scattering Flower out.
The plan was a success. Less than an hour later, as the Soul-Scattering Flower was drawn out of the Old Tomb Digger’s Sea of Consciousness and enveloped by the Yin Fire, the old man’s expression suddenly slackened. A look of pure, unrestrained bliss spread across his face.
The Bone-Eating Worms that tormented his flesh and the Soul-Scattering Flower that tormented his soul—both were gone. The Old Tomb Digger felt a pleasure akin to ascending to the heavens and becoming a Divine Being.
He’d never imagined that merely feeling unburdened could be so intoxicating.
Wu the Old Ghost and the others had been watching the Old Tomb Digger closely. Seeing his blissful expression, the way he swayed his head back and forth, looking for all the world like he was about to break into a youthful dance, they all had to re-evaluate their understanding of Mo Qi’s abilities.
They had assumed that even if Mo Qi could heal the Old Tomb Digger, it would be a long and complicated process. In reality, from start to finish, Mo Qi had done nothing more than hold the old man’s wrist and stand there quietly.
Aside from speaking once to remind the Old Tomb Digger to focus his mind, he had made no other unnecessary movements.
"The Bone-Eating Worms and the Soul-Scattering Flower have both been purged. All that’s left is the Dragon Plague," Mo Qi said, withdrawing his hand.
’Dealing with the Dragon Plague will be even simpler. The Pig Emperor is a Longevity Dragon Pig. It can dissipate even Dragon Energy and has absorbed the Dragon Source. Won’t handling the Dragon Plague be a piece of cake?’
"Pig Emperor? Pig Emperor? Where did you go?"
At some point, the Pig Emperor had secretly slipped out from Mo Qi’s robes.
Mo Qi scanned the area and quickly spotted the familiar, rotund figure. At the same time, he saw something that left him utterly dumbfounded.
His mouth fell slightly agape, his eyes fixed on the distance with a look of complete and utter bafflement.
Eh?
Wu the Old Ghost and the others blinked in surprise. Mo Qi had always projected an air of mystery, confidence, and power. This was the first time they had ever seen him with such an expression.
Curious, they all turned to look in the same direction.
The moment they looked, they, too, followed in Mo Qi’s footsteps and were struck completely dumb.
There was the Pig Emperor, its front trotters held behind its back, lecturing the dozens of Void Realm Cultivators, spittle flying from its mouth as it spoke.
And as for the Void Realm Cultivators, their faces were all twisted in what looked like immense agony.
