Ying Menglong paused mid-sentence, her gaze drifting forward.
At the foot of the hundredth peak, a furtive figure appeared, causing her to momentarily lose focus.
Qi Sha Guipo followed Ying Menglong's line of sight, a sneer appearing on her face. She scoffed, "That brat is everywhere, isn't he? And he's deliberately loitering at the foot of the hundredth peak, pretending to be that mysterious genius. Shameless."
The figure that appeared was Ji Hanhan.
After temporarily resolving his physical issues, he had come down the mountain.
However, with silver needles all over his body, looking like a porcupine that had gained sentience, he intentionally avoided others, which made him appear somewhat furtive.
Ji Mo also saw Ying Menglong and waved his hand sheepishly, a form of greeting.
Ying Menglong's heart inexplicably skipped a beat. The person before her overlapped with the impression she had of that other fellow, and she instantly felt a surge of vexation.
"An illusion, it must be an illusion. That fellow is already dead in the forbidden zone."
She ignored Ji Mo and decisively turned away, heading towards the hundred and seventh peak.
Qi Sha Guipo looked on in surprise. As expected of her young lady, conquering the hundred and fifth peak with such ease on her first attempt, and now skipping the hundred and sixth peak altogether. Her ambition was immense.
Judging by her actions, was she perhaps aiming to contend with Di Tianzheng?
She wondered who was stronger between the two, and who would be the first to reach the summit of the hundred and seventh peak.
Ji Mo did not continue climbing other peaks. He had no ulterior motives and wasn't concerned with competing for rankings.
Of course, the primary reason was that he was hungry.
In the eyes of a foodie, a good meal always came first.
Ji Mo intended to treat Gu Qian to a meal and headed towards where they had met previously.
Before he reached the location, he heard a girl's crying, Gu Qian's pleas for mercy, and bursts of triumphant laughter.
"This flower fairy is mine, you can't take her, sniffle..."
Xiao Ya, the straightforward young female disciple of the Myriad Beasts Sect, lay on the ground, sobbing.
There were bloodstains at the corner of her mouth, and a clear, purplish-red slap mark was visible on her fair cheek.
At this moment, she glared at the old man who was laughing maniacally before her, wanting to reclaim the flower fairy she had almost died to obtain from the sixty-sixth peak.
The situation was as follows.
Xiao Ya, being high-spirited, had ignored Gu Qian's advice and boldly ventured up the sixty-sixth peak, which was beyond her capabilities.
She encountered several dangers and nearly died on the mountain.
However, fortune favored her after escaping death. She accidentally stumbled into a secret realm and found a severely injured flower fairy.
Xiao Ya happily returned to show off to Gu Qian.
But this also brought disaster upon her.
An old man took a liking to the flower fairy and demanded it on the spot. Upon refusal, he slapped Xiao Ya and snatched the flower fairy.
Gu Qian did not stand up for his disciple. Instead, he apologized and pleaded for mercy on Xiao Ya's behalf, against his own will.
It wasn't that he was cowardly, but that the person came from the Di family, whom he couldn't afford to offend.
"Senior Di Pan, please calm your anger. The child is ignorant. I beg you to be magnanimous and spare her this once. As for this flower fairy, consider it Xiao Ya's filial offering to you, elder."
Gu Qian bowed and gestured respectfully to the old man, whose attitude was extremely arrogant, his face filled with a submissive plea.
He was seething with anger internally but dared not express it.
Di Pan was an elder of the Di family and the paternal uncle of Di Tianzheng, known for his arrogance and belligerence. If he angered the man, not only would Xiao Ya's life be forfeit, but the entire Myriad Beasts Sect could face annihilation.
The Di family was the overlord of Xuezhou. Such a colossal power was something he absolutely could not afford to offend.
"What filial offering? This flower fairy was originally my pet, and this little girl stole it. This is simply returning lost property to its rightful owner."
Di Pan was utterly shameless, completely twisting the truth and framing Xiao Ya.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ya gritted her teeth and glared at Di Pan, her body trembling with rage.
How could such a shameless person exist in the world? He robbed her of her possession and then slandered her with false accusations. Where was the justice?
Gu Qian's face turned ashen. Knowing full well that the other party was slandering them, he dared not retort. Instead, he swallowed his broken teeth along with his blood.
He wished he could fight Di Pan to the death, but if he truly did so, there would only be one outcome: he, along with all the disciples present, would die, and the Myriad Beasts Sect would be finished.
For the sake of the sect, Gu Qian had no choice but to bow and grovel, begging the man to forgive them.
The other young disciples of the Myriad Beasts Sect felt immense humiliation but dared not resist in any way.
The world of cultivation was thus cruel. Without sufficient strength, one had to endure bullying.
"I am not an unreasonable person. I have always been magnanimous. I shall not pursue this matter further."
Di Pan looked smugly at the flower fairy struggling desperately in his palm and let out a hearty laugh.
To openly snatch something from someone and then frame them, forcing them to apologize in humiliation, felt exhilarating.
Gu Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the man didn't seize the opportunity to make further demands, he considered it a loss to avert disaster.
However, before he could fully relax, another remark from Di Pan made his eyes turn red with grief and indignation.
Di Pan clearly had no intention of letting it go so easily. He appraised Xiao Ya's beautiful features and her shapely figure, then said with a lecherous smile, "This young lady is too young to be well-behaved. She needs proper guidance. How about this, let her stay by my side. I will personally train her for a year or two, and I guarantee she will become a great talent."
As he spoke, Di Pan made no attempt to hide his intentions, his eyes filled with lewdness. Anyone could tell what "training" meant.
"You old bastard, you wish! I'd rather die than..."
Xiao Ya's face was filled with shame and indignation. She pointed fiercely at Di Pan, cursing him.
Even if it meant death, she would not let him succeed.
"Hmph, I advise you to be obedient and not be ungrateful. This is an opportunity many young girls would beg for. If you are not sensible, not only will you meet your end, but the entire Myriad Beasts Sect will cease to exist."
Di Pan sneered, dropping all pretense. He directly threatened them with the sect's survival.
He had done such things many times before and was very adept at it. He knew very well that no matter how resolute the other party was, they would ultimately fall into his hands.
Xiao Ya's face was filled with despair.
She did not fear death, but she truly did not want to drag her fellow disciples and the entire sect down with her.
"My patience is limited. If you don't agree soon, I will... Ah..."
Di Pan grinned sinisterly, intending to kill to establish his authority and break through Xiao Ya's psychological defenses, forcing her to submit.
However, before he could finish speaking, he let out a piercing scream. His entire face was contorted, and several broken teeth, along with blood, sprayed out.
Ji Mo had arrived. He couldn't stand to see such things.
Without a word, he delivered a resounding slap.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
Someone actually dared to slap Di Pan in public. Their audacity was truly immense.
"You dare to hit me? You're seeking death."
Di Pan's teeth were bared, and he was furious, his eyes spitting fire, his killing intent soaring.
However, what greeted him was another resounding slap.
"I'll slap you to death, you old pervert! For snatching a girl's property, for being so shameless, you like to 'train,' do you? Let's see how I 'train' you."
Ji Mo raised his hand, delivering one merciless and loud slap after another.