Li Qingshan had been cultivating along happily when he suddenly heard the question, which he refuted almost instinctively. For a moment, he was stumped by the origins of the voice. He only felt a powerful consciousness far greater than anything he had experienced before lurking in his sea of consciousness, radiating with the surging power of the mind. He used the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression in a hurry to suppress his mind, but he found this to be slightly familiar.
The crystal skulls were the remains of powerful Bone Eating shamans of the past. The dense evil and malice within them were the central power behind the Qiongqi totems. They had been deposited behind the totemic murals hundreds and thousands of years ago, worshipped by the Bone Eating shamans. They both worshipped the god, as well as their ancestor. The two had always had a profound connection.
Now, Li Qingshan had suddenly gathered all the crystal skulls from several hundred Bone Eating tribes and cast a formation with them. It was not a ritual to connect with Qiongqi, but it was as brilliant as a star in the darkness.
If he had assembled this formation at some other time, then so be it. They were in two separate worlds, and Li Qingshan was even inside the Asura Field that formed a domain of its own. No matter how bright the star was, Qiongqi never would have been able to see it. However, the Bone Eating tribe just happened to be carrying out the Ritual of the Ten Abominations, drawing in Qiongqi’s consciousness, and the target they were asking about happened to be Savage mountain.
As a result, Qiongqi immediately cast his gaze over and discovered something that left him very intrigued.
Just like how the divine beast xiezhi could see through lies and falsehoods, Qiongqi possessed the ability to discern good and bad. It allowed him to punish good and propagate evil, eat the good people and give the bad people benefits.
The demonic nature from the ox demon and tiger demon in Li Qingshan’s consciousness was so powerful that it left even Qiongqi astounded. The “qiong” in Qiongqi had always meant ignorance and stubbornness. The ox demon was so obstinate in its ways that even gods and buddhas could not change its mind, while the tiger demon was frenzied enough to kill and destroy everything.
This had already surpassed regular immorality. It cast aside all forms of self-restraint and virtue. It was a great evil that originated from the bottom of the heart, one that was stuck in its ways, with no regrets and no repentance. Compared to that, the likes of the Ritual of the Ten Abominations was merely a child’s game.
Human morals had always been almost hypocritical. From the most primitive of tribes to the most noble of imperial families, close family killing one another was commonplace. The former did it for the sake of survival, as they had no other choice, yet they were condemned by people. Yet, the latter did it for the sake of authority, yet they earned the approval of many scholars. These scholars might even join a faction and help them kill one another before praising the final victor as a wise lord.
The morals of today might become immoral in a decade, a century’s time. The morals here would become immoral elsewhere. Using a ritual to destroy this kind of hypocrisy was only using hypocrisy to deny hypocrisy, using formalities against formalities. It could only be regarded as a small amusement that barely made the cut.
The Bone Eating Shaman King felt very proud of himself because of this, while Qiongqi only felt scorn. At a time like this, he could not help but sigh in amazement over Li Qingshan. Now this kind of evil was the original evil possessed by all creatures, surpassing the ever-changing concept of human morals. It possessed a bold, powerful, and dauntless spirit. It possessed the vigour of a blazing fire, struggling and searching for absolute freedom within the numerous obstacles, erupting with rage that could incinerate everything.
It left Qiongqi delighted, overjoyed, and sentimental. He never thought he would actually run into an existence like that in this world.
If that was all, then Qiongqi would be ready to offer some benefits to Li Qingshan in the spirit of punishing good and propagating evil. He was even prepared to make him replace the Bone Eating tribe as the representative of this world. However, Qiongqi soon saw the other side that he utterly loathed and hated—the divine nature of the spirit turtle and phoenix.
The spirit turtle was skilled at averting crises, pursuing the path of longevity. It offered a hint of rationality to the ox demon’s persistence and struggle and prevented the tiger demon from descending into frenzied recklessness, doing whatever it pleased. The phoenix, on the other hand, was a divine bird that represented world peace. Its noble heart had always been an invisible form of self-restraint.
The two of them also served as the original good buried at the bottom of the hearts of all creatures, allowing them to progress from savagery to civilisation. They seemed fragile and docile, almost hypocritical, but no matter how many times they were belittled and mocked, they would never vanish. They would be reborn from the aftermath of disaster, only to become even more glorious than before.
However, these two wills from polar extremes were even more difficult to merge together than fire and water, so how could he possess both? As a result, even Qiongqi, who was skilled in discerning between good and evil, could not help but ask, “What are you exactly, good or evil?”
Li Qingshan’s rude reply did not anger Qiongqi. Instead, he felt like it made perfect sense. It was impossible for him to not possess a temper like that with his mental disposition. It made Qiongqi snicker. “How bold of you. It didn’t have anything to do with me in the past, but it’s got something to do with me now. Kid, hurry up and renounce good and embrace evil. This god’s got great riches and honour to offer to you.”
“Renounce good and embrace evil? You’re Qiongqi! Heh, it’s not like your actual existence is in this world, so how’re you going to give me great riches and honour?”
Li Qingshan confirmed his thoughts. He did not know how he had summoned Qiongqi, but he did not panic. According to how Qiongqi infiltrated his sea of consciousness, he was not in this world.
When he decided to use Bone Eating shamans to refine the Asura Field, he had done some research too, just in case he accidentally stirred a hornet’s nest. There had been many divine and exotic beasts throughout the nine provinces in the ancient times, but by now, they had either all ascended or died.
As the ancestral god worshipped by the Bone Eating tribe, Qiongqi had left this world long ago. It was impossible for his original body to return either. The restraints from the laws and principles of the world could not be broken that easily. The threat from just his consciousness was very limited.
“If I say I can give it to you, then I can give it to you. With your current cultivation, even increasing it by a major realm will be nothing difficult. All you need to do is relinquish your beliefs of good. Of course, I understand these distracting thoughts have already taken root and cannot be relinquished so easily, so open up your mind. I’ll help you!”
Qiongqi originally thought Li Qingshan would at least hesitate for a moment. Breaking through the third heavenly tribulation and truly standing as a king was simply far too tempting of an offer. It was a boundary that many cultivators could never cross in their entire life.
However, Li Qingshan only sneered and declined rudely. “A major realm of cultivation? How tempting! You better just go back to where you came from, sir!”
A very, very long time ago, someone had offered him a deal that far surpassed that. Brother ox had once said he could directly grant him the power to wander this world unopposed. Back then, he did not even know what a heavenly tribulation was!
What kind of a concept was wandering the world unopposed? It definitely was not as simple as undergoing the third heavenly tribulation. Brother ox really was honest. When he said he could wander the world unopposed, then he really could wander the world unopposed. There would not be the slightest exaggeration. Even if he directly rushed over to the Dragon province and butchered Si Qing, it would be no problem at all. No one would be able to say no. Directly crushing him to a pulp—now that was called wandering the world unopposed.
Compared to that, Qiongqi could only give him a major realm of cultivation, which was just an absurdly weak offer. It would even twist his mind, and he would have to give up on the Spirit Turtle Transformation and Phoenix Transformation that possessed immeasurable potential. Only an idiot would agree.
“You’re pushing your luck! Kid, that’s not for you to decide!”
All of the malice and evil within the crystal skulls in the surroundings surged into Li Qingshan’s sea of consciousness furiously, condensing into Qiongqi’s figure that produced a hysterical roar.
