It was impossible to control a large number of Cultivators using the Ancient Ice Ants.

For one, there weren’t enough Ancient Ice Ant eggs.

For another, to implement the parasitic soul-stealing, one first had to beat their opponent until they were powerless to resist.

The only reason he could control Zhongli was because Mo Qi had taken a shortcut, borrowing the Power of the Dragon Vein. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Not everyone would willingly walk into the Transmission Channel to come Within the Pass.

The Power of the Dragon Vein was immense, but as soon as Mo Qi left the area Within the Pass, he would revert to his original state.

And in the outside world, if he could already beat someone to the point of helplessness, was there any need to control them with an Ancient Ice Ant?

Therefore, without considering the Dragon Vein Within the Pass, this ability of the Ancient Ice Ant was actually quite useless.

"Speak. Why did you abduct so many young women?"

Zhongli lowered his head and said, "The order came from Grand Elder Nangong An of the Nangong Family. The Wuji Sect is a force he secretly supports."

As one of the Wuji Sect’s patriarchs, Zhongli knew quite a few inside stories. Without waiting for Mo Qi to ask further, he spilled everything.

"Eleven years ago, people from the Hall of Envoys descended upon the Empire. That was when Nangong An established a connection with them, hoping to curry favor in exchange for a chance to break through to a higher Realm."

"It is said that a major figure in the Hall of Envoys practices a strange Cultivation Technique that requires pure women with good foundations to serve as Furnace Cauldrons. That’s the reason for the scene you witnessed, Master."

"Seven days ago, Nangong An sent word that people from the Hall of Envoys were about to descend again, and he demanded we prepare a sufficient number of Furnace Cauldrons."

"He promised that if he ever made it big, he would take us with him."

Hearing this, Mo Qi was speechless.

’It’s that old bastard Nangong An again. How is he involved in everything!’

Just a few days ago, a man named Nangong Jie had been killed by his External Incarnation. It seemed that it was revealed then that Nangong An also practiced some kind of perverse Cultivation Technique that required Furnace Cauldrons.

Liu Hui’s mother was one of the victims.

’In that case, Nangong An must have gotten this Cultivation Technique from the so-called people of the Hall of Envoys.’

’Looks like the Hall of Envoys isn’t a good bunch either!’

"What is this Hall of Envoys?" Mo Qi asked.

Zhongli’s face was filled with confusion. "It seems to be a powerful faction from outside the Empire. Nangong An didn’t reveal much."

"Uncle, I know!" Li Yuanhao stepped forward.

"I heard my father, the king, mention it. The continent is divided between Immortals and mortals. Our Mountain and Sea Empire is just an ordinary power within the Mortal Territory, and there are thousands upon thousands of similar empires."

"The Mortal Territory is ruled and protected by the Immortals. The Hall of Envoys is their representative, specifically responsible for governing the Mortal Districts."

"So strictly speaking, the Mountain and Sea Empire is just a subordinate of the Hall of Envoys. They hold absolute authority to lead and judge."

Mo Qi was startled and frowned. "Doesn’t that make us fat sheep they’re raising in a pen?"

Li Yuanhao gave a bitter smile. "You’re not wrong, but it’s not as bad as you might think. The people from the Hall of Envoys look down on us. Sometimes, they won’t show up for tens of thousands of years, to say nothing of the high and mighty Immortals themselves. They..."

Halfway through his sentence, Li Yuanhao froze and stared at Mo Qi. "Uncle, aren’t you an Immortal? How could you not know this?"

"Who told you I was an Immortal?" Mo Qi shot Li Yuanhao a look.

"But you... just now... that sword..." Li Yuanhao stammered incoherently.

"That’s enough," Mo Qi said, cutting him off with a wave of his hand. "We’ll talk about that later. You, continue."

Although his heart was filled with doubt, Li Yuanhao could only suppress it and continue, "In short, whether it’s mortals or the Mortal Districts, to the Immortals, we are all just pitiful, abandoned wretches. They wouldn’t deign to pay us any mind unless absolutely necessary."

As he said this, no one saw a flicker of mockery and disdain flash deep within Yan’s eyes.

’Immortals? Abandoned? Bullshit! More like they don’t have the guts to come here themselves, so they send their low-Cultivation lackeys instead! If they really woke up and pissed off those few... things would probably be thrown into chaos again.’

’But then again, with an anomaly like this foolish kid showing up, tsk tsk, the peace won’t last much longer.’

Mo Qi pondered for a moment before asking, "Then why did people from the Hall of Envoys appear eleven years ago, and again this time?"

Li Yuanhao replied, "Eleven years ago, they descended with a specific goal. It seemed they were searching for something. As for this time, I don’t know."

Eleven years ago...

Mo Qi frowned. Hearing that time frame again, his heart couldn’t help but tremble.

He suddenly realized that the very origin of his memories was from eleven years ago!

He had spent ten years at the Void Sect.

And in the year before he joined the Void Sect, his memory contained only a few vague fragments of time spent with his mother.

He was only five years old back then, so it was understandable that he couldn’t remember things clearly.

He hadn’t paid it much mind before, but now, he couldn’t help but connect the two events.

He remembered the scene from his dream: a large group of black-robed men besieging his mother, who was finally seized by a giant hand.

’Could it be... my mother escaped?’

’Did the people from the Hall of Envoys appear in the Mountain and Sea Empire eleven years ago just to find her?’

The more Mo Qi thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

If these speculations were true, then the people from the Hall of Envoys very likely knew his mother’s whereabouts!

Mo Qi never would have imagined that an unintentional act would lead him to a clue about his mother.

Wasn’t this the greatest motivation and desire behind his diligent Cultivation ever since he set foot on the Martial Dao?

"Tell me, when will the people from the Hall of Envoys arrive?" Mo Qi grabbed Zhongli by the collar, his voice filled with agitation.

"Based on the timeline, in eight days," Zhongli answered truthfully.

’Eight days!’ Mo Qi’s mind raced.

It was obvious that the Hall of Envoys’ strength was far beyond his imagination.

But no matter what, he would not let this opportunity go.

Forget envoys dispatched by Immortals—even if a true Immortal were to arrive, Mo Qi would find a way to pry his mother’s whereabouts from their lips!

"Mo the kid, don’t do anything reckless! With your potential, there’s no need to rush," the Pig Emperor warned him via telepathy.

It knew Mo Qi best, so one look at his expression was enough to tell what he was thinking.

"I know." Mo Qi nodded. "I’m anxious, but I won’t be impulsive."

"The people from the Hall of Envoys wouldn’t descend upon the Empire for no reason. Something big must be happening, so they probably won’t be leaving anytime soon."

"I have enough time to do what I need to do!"

Hearing Mo Qi say this, the Pig Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. "What’s your plan?"

A corner of Mo Qi’s mouth lifted into a smile. "The plan hasn’t changed. First, I’ll accompany Li Yuanhao to the Ancient Ruins and try our luck. We might find something unexpected. Then, I’ll return to the Imperial City and find a chance to cure my weakness. As for the Hall of Envoys, I’ll let my External Incarnation go meet them first."

"Then what about these people?" The Pig Emperor jutted its snout toward the members of the Wuji Sect kneeling on the ground.

"We’ll keep those four old guys from the Wolf Fang Sect suppressed here. Once the Ancient Ice Ants lay more eggs, we’ll control them one by one. As for the others... how about I leave them to you? Are you confident you can tame them?"

Mo Qi, of course, knew the purpose of the Pig Emperor’s question. Its poetic inspiration had been suppressed for far too long and was in desperate need of release.

"WOOF! Just leave them to this Emperor, hahaha!"