A pair of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness. They swiveled around, taking in all of the surrounding scenery.
The small lake that gave off the smell of sulphur gurgled as it churned about. He currently leaned against a scorching-hot boulder by the lake. All of the tension he had built up in the battle had been released. He felt the comfort of being at ease.
Only then did he look at the plump, mesmerising figure in his arms. The craziness from earlier was still visible before his eyes. He let out a smile. Suppressed by his absolute power, all of her struggles were useless. In the end, she simply gave up, choosing to cooperate with him instead, very much like if she could not resist, she would just enjoy it.
He gently slid his hand down her back, following a beautiful curve until he reached her plump, full bottom, slapping it gently.
Smack!
Lolth opened her eyes. There was no longer any hatred or enmity anymore. Instead, there was actually a mesmerising laziness. Leaning against him, she had never been so docile before.
Their strength had completely pulled apart now. Li Qingshan had already demonstrated his strength in full, proving to her that he possessed the right to mate with her. All of the hatred from the past that could not even be considered as proper hatred could only be regarded as flirting before the deed.
For the weak to hate the strong, not only was it pointless, but it would even bring them no benefits for survival. To daemons, being humiliated by the weak was something worth hating over, while submitting to the strong was not shameful.
Li Qingshan pushed away the figure in his arms that could bewitch any man and swam up the underground river alone.
Suddenly, he turned back and said, “You and your territory, all belong to me.”
“Yes,” Lolth was very straightforward. With his strength, possessing all of that was natural. As a matter of fact, it was even lacking.
Li Qingshan smiled. The simplicity and straightforwardness of the world of daemons was what he liked most. There was no right or wrong, no morals of laws. It was the survival of the fittest, natural selection.
Only when his figure vanished did Lolth let out a long sigh.
If only she had killed him the moment she saw him.
……
Near Moon Court lake, the rain poured down, the winds whistled, and the turbid waves filled the air.
Passing through the churning surface and venturing all the way down, blue light shone dimly.
At the bottom of the lake, within a semi-transparent sphere of light formed from countless hexagons, a flawlessly handsome, slender and imposing man hugged his knees and curled up.
He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth, revealing his four canines. His scarlet hair that reached past his waist floated in the water like burning fire.
The sphere of light pulsed like a beating heart.
When it brightened, the waves on the surface would become more intense, and when it dimmed, the waves would settle down.
The figure of a spirit turtle appeared as if it was doing everything it could to suppress something.
A smear of black appeared in the drifting, scarlet hair, permeating the surroundings bit by bit. His appearance changed with that, no longer as handsome anymore. He became as ordinary as a stone statue.
Boom!
There was a great eruption deep under water, sending a pillar of water over thirty meters into the air. The rain shot horizontally into the horizon.
However, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell disassembled.
Unbelievably, the raging waters settled down like it had become a huge mirror. The rain gradually lightened, now falling sparsely. As the drizzle landed on the surface of the mirror, it kicked up ripples, which intersected and merged with one another.
Li Qingshan exhaled deeply. He spread his arms and floated quietly on the surface.
His face was still handsome. His hair was still scarlet. He had still ended up failing.
He raised his right hand, waving it gently from left to right.
The clouds scattered, and the rain dispersed. The moonlight illuminated the surroundings like it was daytime as the stars twinkled throughout the night sky.
“How beautiful!”
He sighed emotionally and forgot about his worries. He stood up, seeing the specks of firelight by the shore of the lake and listening to the voices near the firelight. This was the life of mortals. It had its own sense of tranquility and peace.
He realised very soon that this was merely a false impression. The lives of mortals were filled with pain. Having gone from being a cowherd to where he was today, how could he forget about his origins and do some reminiscing or whatever that was? He was foolishly hooking himself with his own lies.
Even if the happiness were real, he would never cling onto it. What he pursued had never been so-called “happiness”. Gazing into the depths of the stars, he laughed aloud. Since he had no intentions of turning around, then he would continue forwards!
Li Qingshan leapt up, turning into a streak of red light and shooting into the horizon. Looking down, the world was bright and clear. Moon Court lake occupied a huge area, while the Clear river in the distance raged endlessly, extending into the distance.
The Marquis of Ruyi has been finished off. The group of Golden Core cultivators have been finished off. Right now, the Ruyi commandery is leaderless, so who can still stop me? I’ll continue refining water systems and strengthen the power of the Water God Seal. I refuse to believe I can’t break through to the fifth layer of the spirit turtle after I refine all the water in this region!
……
“Master, you found her? Li’l Whitey is it?”
In the carriage flying towards the Umbral Yin sect, Xuanyue curled up in the Dark Queen’s lap as she raised her head and asked curiously.
The Dark Queen’s expression coldened and said with a sternness that Xuanyue had never seen before, “Shut up!”
She frightened Xuanyue to the point where she shuddered and her hair stood on end. Only then did the Dark Queen’s expression slowly soften, stroking Xuanyue gently. “You must not mention this to anyone, or I’ll…”
She stopped there, but Xuanyue shivered. Ever since leaving Burial Mound mountain, her master seemed to have changed. Her feeling of lament had vanished, replaced by a dignified bearing of resolution.
As she stroked her, her movements were just as gentle as before, but it now lacked a sense of tenderness. She no longer looked at her either, instead staring into the endless darkness. A fire blazed in her eyes.
Perhaps, this was how she had been originally. Perhaps, this was the bearing that a demonic cultivator was supposed to possess.
A man suddenly appeared in the carriage, completely overlooking the guards in the surroundings and the many formations on the carriage.
He was disheveled, with his hair covering most of his face. His skin was pale-white as his eyes shone brightly. He wore a set of black robes, and the hem of his clothes and his cuffs were ragged, coiling about like black fire. He gave off an indescribable sense of power and influence.
“Sect master!” The Dark Queen bowed as she showed respect.
“You’ve finally returned. Looks like you’ve benefited quite a lot from this trip!” the master of the Umbral Yin sect said.
The Dark Queen told him about everything that happened near the Gate of Hungry Ghosts, but it was completely different from what Gu Yanying had said. She confessed that she killed the Marquis of Ruyi and everyone else, but even she did not disclose Xiao An’s identity.
“Very good!” The sect master revealed a sunken smile. “Do these whelps really think the world of cultivation is filled with happiness, a place where they can be at ease and lengthen their lives? Have you captured their souls?”
“Yes.”
“Torture them first and see if you can force out anything useful from them, then send them off to be sacrificed to the Myriad Ghost Banner. If you can overcome the heavenly tribulation, the position of sect master will definitely be yours in the future. The Myriad Ghost Banner will end up in your hands sooner or later. Turmoil is about to arise. The principles of the cultivation world have been twisted by the Great Xia empire for so long. It’s about time for it to demonstrate its true colours.”
The sect master revealed his ghastly-pale teeth as he grinned silently.
Xuanyue shivered, shrinking into the Dark Queen’s arms.
The Dark Queen stroked Xuanyue to comfort her as she thought, Master, even if you refuse to give me the position of sect master, I’ll never accept your decision. You have no idea how my child has turned out. Although she’s lost her identity as a human, it’s nothing compared to the power she’s obtained.
Yue’er, oh Yue’er. You are my flesh and bone. Even if you’ve turned into white bone, you’re mine. You’ll return to my side one day! If we work together, the Green province is ours.
……
To the boundless Hungry Ghost realm, a Corpse King’s death could only be considered as a small splash. It could not create too big of a disturbance, so it settled down very quickly.
However, the appearance of the white flames kicked up a ripple that spread into the distance rapidly.
After who knew how long, a wisp of black smoke sailed across the sunken sky, shooting off into the distance. A mountain range stood several hundred kilometers long like a colossal beast crouching on the horizon.
Only by arriving closer could someone realise the mountains were not mountains, but an actual, colossal beast. More accurately, it was the remains of a colossal beast. It was impossible to imagine just how powerful and terrifying it had been when it was still alive.
Vicious, bone spikes of various sizes jutted straight into the air like mountain peaks. In particular, the lone horn on the colossal beast’s skull was unscalable.
Figures stood atop the lone peak. They varied in appearance and size, but their auras were all similarly strong, even greater than the Corpse King’s. They were currently holding a discussion.
“What’s happened? Why have we all been summoned here so urgently?” Some were perplexed.
“What? The legendary white holy fire appeared?” Some were bewildered.
“It’s just a legend, isn’t it? The colours of flames vary in the first place. As we stand in the trichiliocosm, no one can be too powerful, so how can they destroy the Hungry Ghost realm? It’s merely a Corpse King. If he’s dead, then he’s dead. Do we really have to assemble over something as small as that?” Some were scornful.
“Cough, cough. All of you, shut up! What a ruckus. Do you want me to eat you all?”
A hunched-back figure arrived on the huge horn with a walking stick. He was wrapped in white bandages as he carried a few large flags on his back, all depicting vicious beasts.
His first sentence was as feeble as an old man on his deathbed, but what came afterwards seemed like the colossal beast below them had revived. It was a roar, shaking up the surroundings.
All of the undead fell silent and bowed towards him frantically.
He raised his walking stick and ordered, “Open a Gate of Hungry Ghosts as soon as possible and enter that world!” His voice became weak again. “Cough cough, only the young and weak will overlook legends.”
The undead dared not ignore him. They all stated their ideas, “The trichiliocosm has its laws. If we forcefully enter, we’ll be suppressed by that world, which will be extremely detrimental to us.”
“Even if we open a Gate of Hungry Ghosts, we can’t enter that world. However, there seems to be a sect called the “Umbral Yin sect” in that world that is closely connected to the Hungry Ghost realm. We can make a deal with them.”
“If we use the undead from that world, the suppression we’ll face will be weaker.”
“He” said, “Find undead from that world. It’s fine if they’re a little weaker. We can feed them slowly. Go contact the Umbral Yin sect and give them what they need, or even support them in becoming the rulers of that world. Our condition is that they must kill the owner of the flames.”
He tapped his walking stick, and his voice suddenly became deafening. “If none of that works, then have the Hungry Ghost realm devour that world!”
Volume 8 Afterword
It’s been a very long time since I’ve written an author’s word, so let’s use this opportunity to say something. However, despite being an author who’s written several million characters, I always find it difficult to express what I want to say every single time. How strange!
What should I say? Can I make it moving? Can I make others smile?
If I can’t, then what’s the point?
I’ve never been a confident person, but I do have a great pile of things I take pride in!
I proudly believe that I can reach beyond the nine heavens some day and pluck the moon and stars from the sky. Afterwards, I’ll lower my head and discover I’m just at the level of the “‘Three Talents of the Crouching Ox’”. I’ll ask myself with a bitter smile whether I can call someone “strong” if they can just kill a tiger with a single punch.
As a result, when I see comments of criticism, I’ll read through them all carefully if they have substance.
But when I come across some over-the-top praises and commendations, I’ll regularly stop reading half way out of embarrassment, giving it an upvote before closing the window. Woah, I can relax a little. I’m very happy, but it feels so embarrassing!
As a result, I often can’t even bring myself to ask for things like votes. I always have to pluck up my courage and cast away my shame every time I ask. Hah, it’s like a confession! Hehe, please view my requests for votes like how you would face a confession! Even if there aren’t votes, at least you can say “you’re a good person”!
Anyway, I want to become better, so good that I can eliminate this feeling of lowliness and inability, so good that I can confidently accept these praises.
This volume is the shortest volume of Legend of the Great Sage. I’ve written exactly what I’m least skilled in and least inspired and passionate about, but it is the most complete. It has the complete composition of a piece of writing, filling in holes, digging new holes, twists, suspense, and the development and closure of foreshadowing clues.
In writing, this is a summary of one and a half million characters, using a very clever way to realise my attempt at the ordinary~
I don’t lack inspiration or writing style. I need this ordinariness. Another word for it would be “foundation”.
To me, this has been another case of practice and improvement. I believe I can offer up an even better novel now.
Actually, if I wanted a better income and results, I would continue to use my talent to write female characters and write a love story of ambiguity. That should be the more correct choice. Instead, it shouldn’t be abandoning what I’m good at to go for what I’m bad at, writing a story of levelling up and battle.
However, I won’t be able to reach beyond the nine heavens like this.
Don’t be confused by why I’m dripping with sweat, digging around randomly in the soil. I’m currently cultivating a plot of land. Don’t be confused by why I’m burying steel and rocks underground. I want to build a proper foundation so that I can construct a great skyscraper.
