Chapter 258: Chapter 255: Whose Life Isn’t a Purgatory?

"I am..."

Mo Qi was about to introduce himself when the thick stench of blood assailed his nostrils, and the desperate cries of wailing reached his ears.

Looking down, he saw a great city below, now nothing but ruins. Corpses were strewn everywhere, and countless mortals were crying their hearts out.

In the center of the city, a large group of young women had been rounded up. Nearly every face was streaked with tears and filled with hatred, but what stood out most was a profound sense of helplessness.

Mo Qi frowned, his gaze snapping sharply to the group of cultivators.

"Did you do this?"

He didn’t know where these cultivators came from or what their goal was, but their wanton rampage and massacre in a city of mortals had struck a nerve.

He had been a mortal for nearly sixteen years and knew firsthand the powerlessness mortals felt before cultivators.

He knew all too well how low the status of mortals was in the Martial Arts World.

They were like fish on a chopping block, able to do nothing but struggle fearfully to survive.

Thus, the scene before him filled him with rage, and an irrepressible killing intent began to surge from within.

Sensing Mo Qi’s hostility, the cultivators immediately went on high alert, as if facing a powerful foe.

"I’ll ask one last time, who exactly are you?" The leader of the cultivators didn’t answer Mo Qi’s question, instead barking one of his own.

He possessed a cultivation at the Peak of Purity Realm. With a slight wave of his hand, the cultivators moved swiftly and in unison, shifting positions to form a joint-attack formation.

Had it not been for the bizarre way Mo Qi’s group of three had appeared, he wouldn’t have even bothered asking—he would have just attacked.

Mo Qi snorted. ’There’s no point in talking anymore.’ He had no interest in wasting his breath.

Mo Xiao immediately understood Mo Qi’s intent. He casually pointed a finger.

VMMMM!

The world itself seemed to tremble. The cultivators’ faces paled in shock as they found themselves suppressed and immobilized by an incomparable power. Even the True Essence within their bodies had ceased to circulate.

"We are disciples of the Wuji Sect! How dare you move against us?"

Terrified, the leader hastily declared their affiliation. He knew the three people before him were far beyond anything they could handle.

The Wuji Sect was one of the Four Great Sects of the Mountain and Sea Empire. Unfortunately for them, that title held no weight with Mo Qi.

"Speak. Why did you wreak havoc on a city of mortals?" Mo Qi asked coldly.

The leader faltered for a moment, then said, "I don’t know who you are, but I advise you not to meddle in affairs that don’t concern you, lest you get burned!"

Before Mo Qi could respond, the Pig Emperor couldn’t hold back. "Mo the kid, just give this Emperor the time it takes to recite a poem. I guarantee I’ll make them spill every last detail."

Only then did the cultivators notice the Pig Emperor perched on Mo Qi’s shoulder—a bizarre creature with the head of a dog and the body of a bird. The color drained from their faces.

It could speak the human tongue—something only a Fourth-Level Void Realm Demon Beast was capable of.

’What kind of terrifying background must he have to command the loyalty of a Void Realm Demon Beast?!’

"That won’t be necessary. I have my own methods."

Mo Qi snapped his fingers. A wisp of black flame shot from his fingertip and bored into the space between the leader’s eyebrows.

"Wh-what are you doing?" the leader stammered in panic, but in the next instant, his eyes turned vacant.

The Yin Fire of the Nether Soul Flame had the power to throw a person’s mind into chaos and seize control of their soul.

"Answer my previous question," Mo Qi commanded.

Like a puppet on strings, the leader spoke with a wooden expression, "The Sect Leader personally ordered us to sweep through every city in our sect’s territory within half a month. We are to select all young, beautiful women who possess talent for the Martial Dao and bring them back to the Wuji Sect."

Mo Qi was stunned. ’Every city?’

It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the Wuji Sect’s leader had sinister intentions.

"Why would your Sect Leader do this?"

"I don’t know the specific reason, but I heard the order came down from the Empire’s Imperial City. These women will ultimately be sent to the Imperial City as well."

Mo Qi was puzzled. ’Why would the Empire issue such an order?’

’Li Shimu doesn’t seem like the type to covet women.’

’Besides, as the Sovereign of the Empire, he shouldn’t have any interest in these mortal women.’

"Do you know who in the Imperial City gave the order?"

The leader shook his head.

"Then what about the other cities? How are they now?" Mo Qi asked again.

"This city is on the fringe of our sect’s territory, so we were the last to act. The sweep of the other cities should be finished by now."

"Damn it!"

Looking at the devastated city, Mo Qi cursed under his breath. ’How many mortals had to suffer?!’

’Whoever gave this order had better hope I never find out who they are, or I’ll make them pay the price!’

Seeing that he could get no more information, Mo Qi withdrew the Yin Fire.

The leader snapped out of his trance. His earlier arrogance was gone, his eyes now filled with terror. He didn’t dare to meet Mo Qi’s gaze.

"Young Master, how should we deal with these people?" Mo Xiao asked.

Mo Qi had instructed him to use the title "Young Master"; it sounded more comfortable to him than "Lord."

"A life for a life, a debt for a debt. It’s the natural order of things. In my eyes, a cultivator’s life is no more precious than a mortal’s."

"Understood." Mo Xiao nodded. With a mere thought, all the Wuji Sect cultivators exploded, turning into a mist of blood that dissipated into the air.

As the leader perished, a figure flew out of the Storage Ring on his finger.

"I am Han Wen, an Elder of the Wuji Sect. You who have killed my junior, do you dare leave your name?" The figure’s voice was cold, yet it seethed with boundless fury.

"A mere Realm Divine Thought conjured by a piddling Void Realm cultivator dares to act so insolently before me? Scram!"

With a grand wave of his sleeve, Mo Xiao shattered the figure.

Just before it shattered, Mo Qi added via voice transmission, "If you want revenge, come to the Wolf Fang Sect. We’ll be waiting for you there."

He had left that message for two reasons. First, neither the Wuji Sect nor the Wolf Fang Sect were full of good people, so he didn’t care if they ended up fighting each other.

Second, if that Han Wen actually came looking for them, it would be the perfect opportunity to capture him and force him to reveal who in the Imperial City had issued the order.

After annihilating the Wuji Sect cultivators, the three of them descended into the city.

The surviving mortals in the city all fell to their knees, prostrating themselves on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly in gratitude.

This was especially true for the young women who had been rounded up. Their eyes were all red-rimmed, their faces filled with gratitude.

"Please, everyone, rise," Mo Qi said, waving his hands.

He failed to notice that among the women was a little girl in a long purple dress, who looked to be just over ten years old. She was sitting on a large rock, curiously sizing him up.

’How convenient,’ the girl thought. ’This King was planning on searching for you, and you’ve delivered yourself right to my door.’ The corners of the purple-skirted girl’s lips curled into a smile that did not belong to a child her age.

Not only had Mo Qi failed to notice her, but even Mo Xiao and Hu the Eighth, both at the Void Realm, were completely oblivious.

Her behavior was jarringly out of place, yet it was as if everyone was selectively ignoring her.

Their homes destroyed and families slaughtered, the women were physically and emotionally exhausted, finding it impossible to accept what had happened.

They were heartbroken, helpless, and lost. Many had even lost the will to live.

Mo Qi saw this and sighed. ’In this world, whose life isn’t a living purgatory?’

’That’s true for ordinary people and cultivators alike.’

He couldn’t imagine what fate would have befallen these women, now without the protection of their families, had he simply ignored their plight.