Chapter 298: Chapter 295: A City-Toppling Smile

His Nine Transformations into Spirit Body was no longer weak.

Mo Qi stared intently at his surroundings. The world that had once seemed pitch-black was now a riot of color in his eyes.

Each object emanated a unique colored glow according to its properties.

It was as if he could see through to the very essence of objects.

This once murky and chaotic world was now layered and exceptionally clear to him!

"This ability is simply divine!" Mo Qi’s face lit up with joy.

As a chef, what was the most important thing?

A keen eye, of course!

Only with a sufficiently keen eye could one master a god-like Sword Skill. Only then could one clearly perceive the strengths and weaknesses of ingredients, allowing for perfect preparation and pairing. And only then could one find the perfect moment to add the most appropriate seasonings during cooking!

Setting aside the Martial Dao, Mo Qi knew that in his culinary arts, at least, he had made a giant leap forward thanks to these eyes.

He looked happily toward the Pig Emperor and Yan. When his gaze fell upon Yan, his brow twitched, and his expression stiffened slightly before immediately returning to normal.

The Pig Emperor didn’t notice. It leaped onto Mo Qi’s shoulder, grinning as it asked, "Mo the kid, how are you feeling?"

Mo Qi looked perfectly normal as he smiled. "I feel very strong. It’s fantastic!"

"How strong?" The Pig Emperor’s interest was piqued. It had, after all, witnessed Mo Qi’s growth step by step.

Previously, before his Nine Transformations into Spirit had reached Great Success, he was able to slay Purity Realm Cultivators.

Now that his Cultivation had broken through and his strength had soared, who knew how terrifying he had become?

"I don’t know exactly how strong I am either. Let’s test it out."

Mo Qi clenched one hand into a fist, his aura condensing. He instantly became like an unsheathed sword, his sharp presence overwhelming.

Yet at the same time, he projected a grand and majestic presence, as solid as a mountain.

"Hah!"

He let out a low shout and smashed his fist into the ground.

If someone could see through him at that moment, they would discover that with his torso as the core and his legs as the roots, his internal organs were all connected, each supporting the other, just like a complete, great tree.

BOOM!

The earth shattered. Centered on Mo Qi’s fist, an area a thousand meters in radius sank downwards, and a terrifying shockwave spread out in all directions.

"Oof... That hurts!"

In the distance, Li Yuanhao was just groggily waking from unconsciousness. He was shaking his head, trying to clear it, when the shockwave from Mo Qi’s punch hit him head-on.

"An ambush?"

Li Yuanhao instantly grew alert, but before he could even make a move, he was thrown to the ground by the force. His head slammed hard against a rock wall in the darkness, his eyes rolled back, and he was once again honorably knocked unconscious.

RUMBLE!

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The ground split and mountains crumbled. Spiderweb-like cracks spread uncontrollably in all directions.

For a moment, the sound of collapsing earth and rock was endless.

"My heavens, Mo the kid, you didn’t just destroy the Ancient Ruins with one punch, did you?!" the Pig Emperor exclaimed, clicking its tongue.

Mo Qi retracted his fist and stood tall. No matter how the earth trembled, he remained motionless, his legs seemingly rooted in the void, completely unaffected.

He shook his head, his gaze piercing the darkness as he looked down into the fissures in the ground.

There, he sensed an incredibly terrifying fluctuation.

It wasn’t Energy, but a suppressive force that originated from the soul.

The Pig Emperor felt the pressure as well, but a joyful expression appeared on its face.

"A treasure! It’s definitely a Precious Treasure! Mo the kid, you’re amazing! You punched out a supreme treasure!"

Seeing the cracks on the surface grow ever larger, Mo Qi flicked his finger. His True Essence flared, illuminating the surroundings.

The man and the pig focused their gazes, wanting to see what kind of Treasure lay deep within the fissure.

However, all they saw was a mass of black mist.

"What do we do? Should we go down and take a look?" the Pig Emperor suggested.

Mo Qi pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No. The source of the power is unknown, and it’s extremely strong. If we accidentally trigger some taboo within it, we could lose our lives in an instant. We can’t take that risk."

"Then what? We just watch?" The Pig Emperor’s face was full of frustration. "This emperor guarantees that thing down there is absolutely badass! If we can get our hands on it, we could even kill an Immortal!"

It would be a lie to say Mo Qi wasn’t tempted, but compared to his life, what was a mere treasure?

"Let’s not be hasty. We’ll wait and see."

After speaking, Mo Qi habitually turned his head, searching for Yan’s figure.

He found Yan taking slow, small steps, picking up the scattered Nether Crystals one by one. She gathered them in the hem of her clothes, came before him, and simply stared at him with her big, beautiful, blinking eyes, biting her lip without a word.

Mo Qi met her gaze for less than three seconds before he was defeated.

Because his weakness was gone, his Perception Power toward living beings had reached a new height.

Even though Yan’s power was heaven-defying, allowing her to intimidate the continent and protect the Nether Race all by herself, Mo Qi could now see some clues about her.

At the very least, Mo Qi now knew that Yan was not human, but an unimaginably powerful existence.

Even so, he found it impossible to feel even a hint of rejection or vigilance toward her.

"You want these?" Mo Qi asked.

Yan nodded.

Although there weren’t many Nether Crystals, they were enough for her to transform at least ten of her kin, giving them the potential to become super-powerful experts.

She had shouldered the pressure of an entire race by herself for all these years, and it was truly exhausting. If ten of her kin could share her burden, her life would become much easier.

"If you want them, take them. Why be so formal with me?" Mo Qi smiled and raised his hand, wanting to gently pat Yan’s head as he usually did.

But his hand stopped halfway.

Things were different now. It was one thing when he didn’t know, but now that he knew Yan was a supreme expert, how could he dare to be so casual and presumptuous?

This time, however, Yan actually took the initiative, leaning her head into his palm and rubbing it gently. And for the first time, she smiled at Mo Qi.

A smile that could topple cities!

Mo Qi was dumbstruck.

If Niu Kexin was mature and dignified with a hint of charm, and Liu Ruyan was youthful, lively, cute, and innocent, then Yan’s smile was a combination of them both!

Mo Qi bit his tongue hard. The pain shocked him back to his senses.

He wanted to slap himself.

’Beast!’

’How could I have impure thoughts about a little girl who looks like she’s only eleven or twelve?!’

’What a sin, what a sin!’

To hide his awkwardness, he reached out and grabbed at the empty air. His "Gorging and Drinking" ability activated, gathering a massive amount of Nether Energy and rapidly condensing it into one Nether Crystal after another.

Mo Qi didn’t stop until all the surrounding Nether Energy had completely vanished.

By then, the number of Nether Crystals had accumulated to a truly terrifying amount.

Yan’s smile grew even more brilliant. With these Nether Crystals, she was confident she could increase the overall strength of her race several times over.

When that time came, it would no longer be certain that humans would still have the final say on the continent!

If not for her status, she would have loved to grab Mo Qi and give him a big kiss or two.

Though she didn’t act on it, she made a very important decision!

She secretly pricked her fingertip and dripped a single drop of purplish-gold blood into the black mist in the fissure below.