In an instant, a powerful, suffocating force enveloped every single person present.
The powerful figures hiding in the air also revealed themselves, all wearing expressions of shock.
Mo Jinghong’s slender, elegant hand brushed lightly through the air as a talisman brush appeared in his grasp. The brush moved across the sky like a wandering dragon, and in the next moment, streaks of golden runes emerged, drifting down and attaching themselves to the pillars of light.
At that moment, Mo Jinghong looked just like a lofty, untouchable ancient god—unquestionable and inviolable, inspiring awe and reverence in all who beheld him.
That image seared itself into the minds of the powerful onlookers, stirring a nameless fear in their hearts. Could it really be that his cultivation level was only at the Divine Transformation stage?
Yun Hai broke out in a cold sweat, his legs trembling. If it weren’t for a shred of pride holding him up, he would have already fallen to his knees.
He turned to look at his senior, only to see the same look of terror in his eyes, and the old, hunched figure seemed to stoop even lower.
Was it just him, or was everyone else feeling the same way?
Thud!—
One after another, the sounds of people dropping to their knees interrupted Yun Hai’s thoughts.
He glanced at those who had knelt—all of them were cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage.
Every powerful figure present fell silent in fear, showing reverence toward Mo Jinghong.
The scene Yun Hai witnessed that day would stay with him for the rest of his life.
That stunningly brilliant young man, with nothing more than a Divine Transformation cultivation base, had suppressed so many Virtual God experts.
The Nine Provinces were finally on the verge of a major upheaval!
Fifteen minutes later, everyone felt a sudden release of tension. The terrifying pressure vanished completely.
The red pillars of light disappeared, transforming into countless strands of red thread that spread outward from Mo Jinghong, forming an intricate pattern.
The pattern looked like a vivid, dazzling red spider lily.
Mo Jinghong radiated a vast, towering power, yet everyone suddenly felt that all the pressure on them had dissipated.
“Young master, are you trying to trap us all here?” a languid voice echoed.
Mo Jinghong looked up and met a pair of purple eyes.
A look of understanding crossed his mind. So the reason the Baili family had arrived so quickly was indeed because of Baili Yuanmo.
Every province had its own Baili family influence.
Ever since the teleportation arrays between the nine provinces fell under Baili family control…
On the surface, the Baili family claimed that each province could develop freely, but behind the scenes, they would send members of the main family line to establish power bases in every province. This allowed them to gather intelligence and control the pace of each province’s development.
The Baili family would never allow any province to produce supreme treasures or exceptional talents.
Whenever a heaven-defying treasure appeared, the Baili family would inevitably send people to interfere.
Likewise, whenever a cultivation prodigy emerged, the Baili family would go out of their way to recruit them.
The Spirit Battle Tournament was a scheme set up by the Baili family to lure gifted young prodigies into participating.
Among those who took part in the Spirit Battle Tournament, almost none were willing to return to their home provinces.
And those who chose not to return all had one thing in common: they had all entered the Youxuan Secret Realm.
That was why Ye Wentian suspected that the Youxuan Secret Realm had something wrong with it.
“I want the Baili family to relinquish control over Qingyun Province,” Mo Jinghong said. His posture was as elegant as jade, exuding an innate nobility.
“Young master, that’s a rather amusing thing to say. Qingyun Province has always been independent,” Baili Yuanmo replied, his purple eyes dark and deep. Ye Wentian and his disciples were no ordinary people.
Mo Jinghong spoke firmly, “The independence I’m talking about means all Baili family members must withdraw from Qingyun Province and stop interfering with the freedom of the cultivators here.”
“Young master, I don’t quite understand what you mean. Every province has its own governor. All development plans are made by the governor—what does that have to do with the Baili family?” Baili Yuanmo’s purple eyes flashed with coldness.
Back in the day, the Baili family had offered Ye Wentian exceptionally generous terms to recruit him, but Ye Wentian refused.
After that, the Baili family tried every possible method, yet still couldn’t get Ye Wentian to side with them.
Later, they sent Baili Yuanmo to Qingyun Province to find a way to investigate everything about Ye Wentian.
But Ye Wentian was as slippery as an eel—there was simply nothing to be found.
It wasn’t until Baili Wenyue was taken in by Ye Wentian and brought to the Lingyun Sect that Baili Yuanmo was able to track down Ye Wentian’s whereabouts.
After that, he tried to learn about Ye Wentian through Baili Wenyue, but whenever Baili Yuanmo was around, Baili Wenyue would never utter a single word about the Lingyun Sect…
Mo Jinghong’s gaze turned cold. “The Shumo Pavilion, Kunxuan Pavilion, Fuyu Spiritual Artifact Pavilion, as well as the Sheng family, Chen family, Hu family… Shall I go on? You know exactly who I’m talking about, Baili young master.”
Mo Jinghong’s words left the people from Qingyun Province exchanging uneasy glances.
The Shumo Pavilion, Kunxuan Pavilion, and Fuyu Spiritual Artifact Pavilion were the three largest powers in Qingyun Province.
Whether it was pills, magical artifacts, or spiritual plants, all of them were controlled by these three forces.
You could say that everything vitally important to cultivators came from these three powers.
Even though the Qinghe Tower and Tongwen Pavilion had risen sharply in recent years, they still couldn’t match the deep foundations of the other three.
The head of the Sheng family looked baffled. “Young master, you can’t just say things like that. The Sheng family has never had anything to do with the Baili family!”
The head of the Chen family also stepped forward. “Young master, the Chen family can’t bear this kind of accusation. We have never colluded with another province!”
Xiao Hongyu said with a grave expression, “Young master, we are grateful that you saved everyone, but with just a few words, you’ve branded two families as traitors. Do you understand the consequences?”
Mo Jinghong let out a soft laugh, and for an instant, it was as if the world lost all its color.
A faint glow passed over Mo Jinghong’s handsome face. “After stepping down as family leaders, the ancestors of other families go into seclusion and never reappear. But only for the Sheng and Chen families—whenever a major decision needs to be made, the ancestors show themselves. Am I right?”
The heads of the Sheng and Chen families exchanged glances. How did Mo Jinghong know all this so clearly?
Mo Jinghong continued, “And another thing: the Shumo Pavilion has always used the guise of auctions to control the prices of everything in Qingyun Province. The Fuyu Spiritual Artifact Pavilion and the Kunxuan Pavilion appear to be rivals, but that’s just to fool everyone…”
With every word Mo Jinghong spoke, the face beneath Baili Yuanmo’s mask grew uglier by a degree.
“Young master, you’re making all these claims without a shred of evidence. How can we know if you’re telling the truth?” Yun Hai’s eyes turned icy cold, his killing intent clear.
“Whether it’s true or not, young master Baili knows perfectly well in his heart,” Mo Jinghong said, his aura growing even stronger.
Baili Yuanmo’s purple eyes shimmered with a mysterious light. “What you’ve said, young master Mo, is truly fascinating. But I’m a little confused. These people here have never once expressed any gratitude to you from beginning to end. So why do you insist on protecting them?”
