The four Demon Kings were very far away from Li Qingshan and out of range of the Gravity of the Earth. Li Qingshan gave it some thought and did not pursue after them in a hurry. Instead, he turned around, arrived beside Gong Yuan, and asked, “Are your wounds fine?”
“They’re alright. You…”
Gong Yuan had already cleaned up her blood stains, and her surface wounds had all closed up too. However, her face was a little pale and feeble. There was even a rare hint of delicacy about her, which made the cold, proud Merfolk Queen particularly enchanting.
But after that kiss, their relationship seemed to change in a subtle way. For a moment, she had no idea what to say. Only after hesitating did she do her best to recover her cold expression.
“Don’t misunderstand!”
“Misunderstand what?” Li Qingshan grinned mischievously and even licked his lips as if he was savouring it.
“You know what I’m talking about!” Gong Yuan shot a vicious glance at him, but her normal, cold expression had vanished. Instead, she seemed rather embarrassed and irritated.
Li Qingshan originally wanted to tease her a little more, but he became serious again. “Don’t worry. I understand.”
He never tried to hide his desires, but he would never turn his back on honesty. Sometimes, the more attached he was, the more he could not act as he pleased. Even if he adored her, it was impossible for him to remain in the South sea, much less give her the same infatuation she had given him. As a result, this was all he could do. At least it would not lead to hatred out of love, right?
Gong Yuan sighed inside before sneering. “As long as you understand. At least you haven’t undergone the third heavenly tribulation for nothing. You do possess a bit of a Daemon King’s bearing now!”
Li Qingshan’s wounds had already recovered, and his exhaustion had vanished. His face was composed and calm. Even after killing the two Demon Kings, there was not much murderousness to be seen as if he had completed an insignificant task.
When she thought about it now, she still found it rather unbelievable. Her successful sneak attack on the Black Thorn King could be explained by how the Black Thorn King had lowered his guard, so it was not strange that he died. However, the Meditative Brain King had been fully aware and vigilant, yet he had still been slain so easily. Just how powerful had he become now?
“You’re too kind, too kind! I personally don’t think I possess any bearing of some Daemon King!” Li Qingshan laughed aloud. He pressed his hand against her shoulder, circulating the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to heal her.
“Really? But I think you’ve changed quite a bit. Please maintain it!”
Gong Yuan shut her eyes. Perhaps because of her changed perspective of him, he no longer seemed so frivolous and flippant. He actually gave off a sense of charm and attraction. In the past, he would have used this opportunity of healing her to pull her into his arms and take advantage of her a long time ago, which made her sigh slightly inside for some reason.
She did not realise that this feeling might very possibly be a change in her own thoughts.
Li Qingshan shook his head. When they were closer at heart, they were instead more distant physically. How strange.
Gong Yuan’s wounds mostly recovered, and Li Qingshan used this opportunity to adjust himself slightly, familiarising himself with the power of a Daemon King.
Gong Yuan asked, “What should we do next? There are still four Demon Kings and a Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous outside.”
“I’m thinking.”
Li Qingshan did not take the four Demon Kings seriously at all. If they cast aside their selfish motives and worked together, then they could pose some threat to him, but the possibility of that was almost non-existent.
What mattered was the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous. Even now, he had no confidence in breaking out of the formation. If he had to fight four Demon Kings at the same time, then defeat would be almost certain.
“Then you better think properly!” Gong Yuan said.
“Don’t worry. There’s me around!” Li Qingshan said confidently. As long as he had the time to comprehend and familiarise himself with his new innate abilities, his strength would definitely climb even higher.
If it really did not work out, he could simply remain here, balancing fire and water and adjusting himself to peak condition. That would give him three opportunities to undergo Nirvā?a Rebirth, which would definitely be enough to change the situation.
“Hmm? We probably don’t have much time.” Li Qingshan frowned. He felt a great danger pulling closer by the minute. He turned around and gazed in the direction of the Demon domain before waving his hand. “The Profound Light Illuminates All!”
Pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell flew over and stacked together, like a huge telescope. The scenery rapidly extended towards the depths of the demon cavern. When it was about to cross through the demon cavern and reach the Demon domain, a dark purple colour filled his eyes.
The dark-purple demon qi rushed over from the Demon domain, surging about and swift like lightning. It was so fast that even Li Qingshan believed he could not match it.
The demon qi’s strength was terrifying too, filling the entire demon cavern. Wherever it reached, the demon cavern even showed signs of shattering as if it could not contain the demon qi.
“A Demon Emperor!” Gong Yuan’s face changed slightly. Demon Kings definitely were not capable of creating such a disturbance.
As if they had sensed that someone was spying on them, a gaze swept out from the demon qi, and the image from the Profound Light Illuminates All immediately shattered, reduced to fragments.
Li Qingshan brought his blade forward to parry. With a clang, the blade halted and trembled away. A sword slash appeared on there.
“Impressive!” he said in praise.
The person approaching them was a Demon Emperor, and he seemed to be very accustomed to battle and slaughter. He was very likely to be the commander that led the demons in their attack on the nine provinces this time. Having only recently undergone the third heavenly tribulation, he had not even familiarised himself with his new innate abilities, so he stood absolutely no chance.
“Let’s go!”
Li Qingshan swung his fist as hard as he could, and the space before him shattered, but he was uncertain if this could stop a Demon Emperor. The difference between a major realm of cultivation was the comparison between clouds and mud. He wrapped his arm around Gong Yuan’s waist and flapped his phoenix wings, flying towards the other end of the demon cavern.
After rising up to Daemon King, he had not comprehended his new innate abilities yet, but his old innate abilities had strengthened substantially, whether it was the range of the Profound Light Illuminates All or the speed at which he flapped his wings of wind. He seemed to become a fierce gust of wind, arriving at the other end very soon!
He was about to stop and check whether the Demon Emperor had rushed over when he experienced a tremendous killing intent, staring him right in the face.
The Demon Emperor had already crossed through the shattered space and caught up. He was clearly still hundreds of kilometers away, but the dark-purple demon qi turned into a flood of sword qi, filling the demon cavern and gushing over.
Li Qingshan immediately flew out of the demon cavern with Gong Yuan. The landscape around them changed, and they returned to the south once again. The skin on his back stung as the flood of sword qi tailed right before him, rushing out of the demon cavern in an unstoppable manner!
Right when the flood of sword qi was about to swallow him, the flood seemed to encounter some kind of invisible restraint, shattering and dispersing in the air.
Even Demon Emperors could not overcome the restraint from the laws of the world. Even the power he released was subdued.
The Demon Emperor stopped several hundred kilometers away from the entrance of the demon cavern. Within the surging demon qi stood a sombre, middle-aged man with stubble. He wore slippers woven from grass and a pair of shorts, with a sword hanging from his waist and another one on his back. He did not seem like a terrifying Demon Emperor of great evil and wickedness, but more like a regular swordsman who wandered the jianghu.
The suppression from the nine provinces was already growing stronger and stronger. Each step would come at a price.
The Demon Emperor thought, Li Qingshan. After so many years, the nine provinces have produced another person like him! He even seems to be connected to the Sword Collection palace somehow. To think that he actually caught Qiongqi’s attention. Though, having come so far, does he still think he can escape?
