Chapter 292: Chapter 289: The Past Glory of the Five Elements Tree

Given the Royal Li Family’s iron grip on the Mountain and Sea Empire, they clearly had no need to engage in such convoluted and unnecessary schemes.

If the Li Family were planning something major, Nangong An, despite not being weak, certainly wouldn’t be the best choice given his personality.

Besides, during the battle in the Imperial City, Li Shimu had already made his stance clear by drawing upon the Empire’s providence.

Therefore, there was a ninety percent chance that some members of the Six Great Clans, or perhaps a single individual, had colluded with the Hall of Envoys many years ago behind the Li Family’s back.

Nangong An was likely just a pawn.

As for how many similar pawns existed, who the true mastermind was, or what he—or they—planned to do, Mo Qi had no way of knowing.

’Looks like the waters in this Empire run incredibly deep!’

’Someone’s planning to make a huge move!’

’In that case, with the Hall of Envoys descending this time, the Empire is likely headed for a major upheaval.’

’I wonder if the Royal Li Family can handle it.’

After a painful struggle to recall his memories, the empty-minded Nangong An’s face was deathly pale. He leaned against a large boulder with his head bowed, lost in thought.

Even Mo Qi, a mere outsider, had managed to deduce so much. How could he, the one at the center of it all, fail to realize the same?

He had thought all his years of hard work were in preparation for leaving the Mountain and Sea Empire and soaring to new heights.

But in the end, he discovered that it had all been arranged by someone else.

Even his memories had been tampered with; he wasn’t even qualified to know the truth.

How utterly suffocating!

If the Pig Emperor hadn’t pointed out that glaringly obvious temporal contradiction, he might have gone to his grave without ever realizing it.

This just went to show how miraculous and heaven-defying the methods of the person orchestrating all this were.

Every time he thought of his past self-righteousness, Nangong An was overwhelmed with a shame so profound he wished the earth would swallow him whole.

In the eyes of many, he was probably nothing more than a clown, endlessly hopping about.

"Nangong An, were you the one who targeted Qian Duoduo eleven years ago?" Mo Qi asked.

Nangong An froze for a moment, then shook his head. When he looked at Mo Qi, not a trace of fear remained in his eyes.

After realizing that his many years of effort had all been for naught, his spirit was completely broken.

Death, or even torture, had now become a form of release for him.

Thus, Mo Qi’s threats were useless against him.

Of course, if he knew that the Pig Emperor not only possessed the ability to "impregnate with a glare" but also had a "wonderful" singing voice, he might not be thinking this way.

Seeing Nangong An’s denial, Mo Qi asked again, "Then do you know who did it?"

Nangong An shook his head again, but this time he spoke.

"I don’t know what your relationship with Qin Daye is, nor do I know who went after Qian Duoduo. But I can tell that you are no Immortal, nor do you possess the ability to Spacewalk. You captured me simply by using a Teleportation Array."

"So, if this is all you’ve got, then I can tell you in no uncertain terms that you are a dead man. The Hall of Envoys will never let you go!"

Mo Qi smiled. "Oh? And why is that?"

Nangong An didn’t answer, instead asking, "Do you know what the first task that great personage gave me after his arrival was?"

"What was it?"

"To investigate the relationship between Qin Daye and Liu Ruyan!"

Mo Qi was startled. He had interrupted Nangong An’s account earlier, so Nangong An hadn’t had a chance to get to this part. He never expected it to contain such a major clue.

’Why would the Hall of Envoys want to investigate the relationship between me and Ruyan?’

’Could it be that Ruyan and her grandfather aren’t citizens of the Empire, but actually come from the Hall of Envoys?’

Nangong An sneered. "Why? Can’t you guess from the Cultivation Technique they bestowed upon me?"

’Cultivation Technique? Yin Yang Replenishment?’

At this thought, the color drained from Mo Qi’s face.

’The Hall of Envoys wants to use Liu Ruyan as a Furnace Cauldron for their cultivation?!’

"Damn it, those bastards!"

A nameless fury surged through Mo Qi.

He wished he had the power to annihilate the Hall of Envoys right now. He would capture the person who wrote such a Cultivation Technique, have the Pig Emperor glare at him for three days and three nights, and then make him listen to ten thousand poems!

"Unless you ignore Qin Daye’s safety, you will certainly die at the hands of the Hall of Envoys!" Nangong An’s tone was flat, as if he were stating a simple fact.

"Hah, we’ll see about that!" Mo Qi exhaled, forcibly suppressing the rage in his heart.

’The fact that Li Shimu dared to attack Shi Hao and even cut off his arm shows that the Hall of Envoys must be under some sort of restriction. They can’t act freely in the Mortal District.’

’Otherwise, Li Shimu would never have had the guts.’

’I don’t know the specifics of what happened, but this is a great opportunity for me.’

"Youthful ignorance! You have no idea how powerful the Hall of Envoys is!" Seeing Mo Qi’s tough talk, Nangong An couldn’t help but sneer.

Mo Qi was already pissed off that Liu Ruyan was being targeted.

Now, with Nangong An running his mouth again, Mo Qi snapped. He strode forward and sent Nangong An flying with a hard slap across the face.

"You still have the nerve to talk? After being a dog for so many years, what can you do besides mindlessly worshiping the Hall of Envoys?"

Mo Qi was utterly speechless. ’They’ve already kicked you to the curb, yet you’re still defending them?’

’Is that slave mentality ingrained in your very bones?!’

Mo Qi waved his hand, and the Transmission Channel reappeared. He tossed Nangong An inside, sending him back Within the Pass.

He was afraid that if they continued talking, he wouldn’t be able to resist killing the bastard.

It was just so disillusioning!

"Mo the kid, what’s your plan?" the Pig Emperor suddenly asked.

Mo Qi flipped his hand over, and a Storage Ring appeared in his palm.

He sent his Divine Sense inside and retrieved a small tree, as tall as a man—the Five Elements Tree sapling.

"I have a feeling the Imperial City is about to descend into chaos. First things first, I need to cure this weakness."

"The Dragon Vein is only enough for self-preservation; it won’t let me confront the people from the Hall of Envoys head-on. So I have to explore and excavate these Ancient Ruins as much as I can. I’d better find some incredible treasures. Otherwise, any hope of learning my mother’s whereabouts will be a distant dream."

When he took out the Five Elements Tree sapling, Yan, who was standing to the side, looked as if her eyes were about to pop out of their sockets.

"This tree... How can it still be alive?! During the Divine War, its crown touched the heavens while its roots trod upon the earth! It pierced through and devoured the vital essence of countless experts, nearly sinking the entire continent!"

"If not... if not for that one being who suddenly appeared and fought it to the death, ultimately perishing together with it, this world might have already crumbled!"

"But why is it still alive! No... The aura is the same, but it no longer has that terrifying, savage feeling. Instead, it feels extremely weak and juvenile."

"Could it be... that back then, before its demise, it used a Secret Technique to preserve an essential seed and produce an offspring?"

"No! I absolutely cannot allow such a terrifying creature to mature! Otherwise, it will spell a great calamity!"

In that instant, Queen Mo Yan thought of many things and made her decision.

Just as she prepared to destroy the Five Elements Tree sapling, she witnessed a scene that she would never forget for the rest of her life.

Mo Qi and the Pig Emperor, one man and one pig, were gathered around a large black wok. A fierce fire blazed underneath, water from a Spiritual Spring bubbled within, and lined up next to it were various seasonings: oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar.

Mo Qi held a knife, gesturing toward the Five Elements Tree a few times as if trying to figure out the best angle for his first cut.

"Don’t tell me those two are planning to eat it?!" Yan’s jaw dropped, her face a mask of stunned disbelief.