“Li Qingshan, I actually want to thank you.”
When he reached there, Si Long bowed slightly. His fury had vanished a long time ago, except it did not affect his demeanour as a sovereign at all. Instead, he recovered his bearing like everything was under his control.
“If it were not for you, I would be forever caught under Mirao’s bewitchment. Perhaps I’ve never really known her. She is a fox of Yousu after all! Though, if it isn’t for that, what right does she have to become my empress?”
“Si Long, do you remember how she said she wanted to marry me?”
When Li Qingshan spat out that last word, he suddenly unleashed the Tiger Demon’s Killing Roar. Fierce winds swept through the sky.
Wielding his fingers like a sword, Si Long cut through the winds in a single stroke. It had not even managed to lift the hem of his clothes. “Only the strong can claim the beauties of the world for themselves.”
“Well said!” Li Qingshan’s right arm suddenly swelled up. A single arm stretched across the sky with its fingers open, enveloping Si Long. “Lock!”
Si Long’s fluttering clothes and hair abruptly froze as if they had been sealed in invisible amber.
Li Qinghan closed his fingers, forming a fist. “Destroy!”
Si Long’s body fractured and collapsed, turning into clumps of golden, hazy dragon qi.
“Quite an impressive innate ability, but it’s useless, unfortunately. The Yang Soul can achieve both the limits of flexibility and rigidity.”
The dragon qi condensed together, turning back into him. Even his smile was no different from before.
Li Qingshan launched consecutive attacks, unleashing various innate abilities, but not a single one of them managed to truly harm Si Long.
Rāhu Xiaoming gripped his slingshot silently, while Xiao An pressed down on her sword without striking either. They watched as Li Qingshan circled around Si Long alone.
It was vastly different from the violence when he had transformed into a golden dragon. Si Long allowed Li Qingshan to unleash his attacks to his heart’s content, but he never fought back, like an adult teasing a child.
Li Qingshan finally stopped, gasping for air a little. The restraints from the laws of the world made it rather difficult for him to absorb spiritual qi, so his daemon qi recovered at an extremely gradual rate.
On top of that, the Phoenix Transformation’s only innate ability, the Phoenix’s Nirvā?a, had yet to completely recover. He could rebirth once at most in this battle. If he went for another, he would turn into an egg.
“Good. You’ve finally realised the difference between us. You don’t need to glare at me. Out of gratitude, I’ve already let you unleash many attacks against me without fighting back. I know you three all possess extraordinary identities and legacies. If any of you possessed an equal cultivation to mine, I would definitely do all that I can to avoid conflict. As a result, I don’t actually want you as an enemy, so why don’t we try and turn this hostility into friendship?”
As Si Long prevailed, he instead revealed his intentions for a compromise as if he feared their identities and backgrounds and did not want any trouble.
“How do you want to do this?”
Li Qingshan glanced at Rāhu Xiaoming and Xiao An as if he actually wanted a compromise as well.
Si Long smiled. Nothing was easier to deal with than enemies that had lost their fighting wills.
Yes, he had never considered a compromise. If he feared their backgrounds, he would have tried to find a way to reach a compromise a long time ago. However, how could the struggle of cultivation allow for even the slightest sign of weakness? Having reached their cultivation, who had not encountered countless dangers before?
However, with risk came reward. The divine blood of asura, Xiao An’s white bone legacy, and Li Qingshan’s cultivation method were all rare treasures in the Human realm. They were worth risking his life. If he spared them today, they would definitely cultivate much faster than him with their bloodlines and legacies, so he could not ensure they would not come for revenge in the future. By then, that would truly be a fate worse than death.
Xiao An said, “He still hasn’t completely recovered from his injuries. He’s trying to buy time.”
Si Long shuddered inside. He never expected her to see through him.
Yang Souls achieved the limits of flexibility and rigidity. They were fast like lightning and almost indestructible, but they feared inner demons the most. The body was the vile skin-bag to be discarded in the very end, but it was also the ship that traversed the sea of suffering. Under a projected state, he required a great disposition and mental cultivation to control it. Once he suffered from cultivation deviation, the consequences were unthinkable.
Rāhu Xiaoming said, “We can put up a fight, but we need to wait until Yanying returns so that we can triumph over his speed as a Yang Soul. Hmph, to think that even a mere Human Sovereign has the courage to pose around in front of me.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Don’t say that. He’s still very strong, requiring the four of us to work together to put up a fight. However, if he’s going to pose around in an attempt to demoralise us, why doesn’t he check who he’s trying that on first? Si Long, your life is mine!”
“You!”
Fury appeared on Si Long’s face, unable to maintain his bearing as a sovereign anymore. He became stern. He could not spare anyone in the battle today.
……
“We’ve arrived at the East sea.”
Gu Yanying descended from above with Su Mirao, landing on a cliff that met the East sea.
Embraced by the white clouds, the precipice stood thousands of metres tall, jagged and craggy like it had been chiselled away by blades and axes. They could see hundreds of kilometres away.
The moist sea wind filled their faces as the water rippled and the seagulls soared through the sky together. It was a grand and tranquil sight.
“Cloud Cliff mountain. It’s been very long since I last came here.”
Su Mirao sank into her memories. This was a scenic spot renowned throughout the Cloud province, as well as the entire world. Throughout the many years, she had visited this place many times until she grew sick of it.
When time was overwhelmingly abundant, it would become a great burden.
“Yanying, you are technically a disciple of the school of Legalism. Legend has it that the deepest Avīci hell of the Hell realm has no other punishment. It just extends every moment indefinitely. I wonder if that’s true or not.”
“I don’t know. No one has ever managed to connect with the Avīci hell.”
They held hands. One was a disastrous beauty, enough to destroy cities, while the other was graceful and elegant, standing out brilliantly. At first glance, they were like a beautiful couple, visiting and admiring the scenes of nature.
“Must you go back?” Su Mirao tightened her grip around Gu Yanying’s hand, afraid she would let go and slip away.
“I must!” Gu Yanying said firmly. She could rush back to the Dragon province and re-enter the battle quickly by turning into a kunpeng through the Heaven-stirring’s feather. That was something she had decided before she had brought Su Mirao to the East sea.
Su Mirao grumbled charmingly, “You said you wanted to hear me tell you about the Kingdom of Green Hills. So you were lying to me.”
“Sorry about that. Maybe next time!” Gu Yanying apologised seriously.
“What if I just refuse to let go?” Su Mirao wrinkled her nose, except it seemed more like she was just throwing a tantrum.
“If you like it, I can give you this hand.”
When she held Su Mirao’s hand, she had already prepared herself for this. Great warriors were not the only ones bold enough to chop off their arms for the greater good.
“Hmph, who would want that? You have no idea how much it hurts just by holding this hand,” Su Mirao grumbled loudly before suddenly stroking her hand gently in deep concern. “Does it hurt?”
Gu Yanying shut her eyes and smiled wryly. If this continued, she would probably fall to her charms as well. If it were not for her experiences of traversing through outer space, she probably would have declared her surrender already.
With a thought, she opened her eyes. A wisp of atmospheric wind swept down, cutting off her right hand along the wrist. Blood scattered on the cliff.
Shortly afterwards, the great winds picked up. The kunpeng spread its wings, striking the water several hundred kilometres away and scattering the clouds.
“You can keep that as a memento. If I can still return, tell me about the Heaven-stirring Great Sage!”
Su Mirao gazed at the great peng with wings that resembled clouds and felt slightly defeated inside. Am I the one who knows how to bewitch people, or is Li Qingshan the one who knows how to bewitch people? All of you take his side like you’re possessed. She tossed the severed hand back at her furiously. “I said I don’t want it!”
Gu Yanying thanked her with a smile, flapping her wings and taking off.
Su Mirao sat down on the edge of the cliff with her legs dangling down. She said sadly, “Am I really unable to avoid this? I’m clearly just trying… to be a good person.”
Anyone who possessed the slightest understanding of the Yousu clan would probably be left dumbfounded by that.
“Whatever, whatever. I didn’t want to take part in this great danger, but what can I do about the fact that beauties are cursed to an unfortunate life? The will of the heavens toys with people.”
After taking pity on herself, she became filled with violent spite.
“Li Qingshan, if you really can survive this, then I’ll assist you in throwing the trichiliocosm and the six realms of sa?sāra into a mess, such that my great name reaches beyond the Nine Heavens. Even if I become eternally doomed, suffering eternal damnation, I will make this life as a fox of Yousu worth it!”