When Mo Chong clamped a hand around Yang Qing's neck, Yang Qing's mind buzzed, leaving him unable to react.
In that instant of stunned hesitation, Jiangli, which had been hiding in his arms all this time, suddenly darted out.
But it did not charge at Mo Chong. Instead, it raced behind Yang Qing and the others.
At first glance, it looked as though Jiangli was so afraid of the Fierce Beast Qiongqi inside Mo Chong that it had abandoned Yang Qing to his fate and fled for its own life.
Bu Er, Jiang Zhizhou, and the others froze for a moment as well, but they quickly recovered and continued rushing toward Yang Qing.
Yang Qing was the one in danger now. They had no attention to spare for anything else.
By then, Yang Qing had also regained some awareness. He saw Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou restraining Mo Chong's arms, one on either side, while Ouyang Lin and Mu Feng, who had followed them over, each thrust a sharp blade toward Mo Chong's back.
Qiongqi had already come close to taking control of Mo Chong. Now that Yang Qing's blood and the Signet Ring were blocking its power, that power would surely spread outward through his back.
That was why, at Mu Feng's signal, Ouyang Lin aimed the sword in his hand at Mo Chong's back and stabbed down hard.
Just as their sword tips pierced Mo Chong's clothes and were about to enter his back, Yang Qing mustered every last ounce of strength and shouted, "Stop!"
By this point, Mo Chong's death grip had nearly made Yang Qing's eyes roll back. They were riddled with bloodshot veins.
"If we don't restrain him now, young master, you'll be in danger!" Bu Er said urgently.
Yang Qing said weakly, "This is