Two swaying, white lotuses rose up from the wounds of the two Demon Kings. Only at a closer glance did it become clear that they were two pale-white flames. Suddenly, they turned into scorching Samādhi Flames of White Bone and rushed into the air, gathering in Xiao An’s hand. She closed her hand around it gently, and the traces of the two Demon Kings’ existence completely vanished.
What is that sword!?
Ye Duanhai stared straight at the shiny bone sword, completely shocked. Even if he used his full strength, he was not confident about killing two Demon Kings in a single stroke, let alone doing so in the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous. The Sea-splitting sword was a renowned sword in the world, but it definitely did not have power like that.
Everything he had seen today was far beyond his wildest imaginations.
“Fellow, I think I’m finally convinced that Qiongqi has come for them. What are their origins exactly?” the King of Southern Yue asked in alarm. He was unable to imagine whether his fate would be the same as the two Demon Kings, dying in such a mysterious way, if the sword struck him instead.
“I’m not too sure either.” The Great Banyan Tree King shook his head, but he had a slight guess. As it seemed, the dream beyond the Nine Heavens that Li Qingshan had once mentioned was not without reason.
“That’s definitely not power that belongs to this world.” The King of Southern Yue concluded. Even the Three Graves and Five Classics passed down through the imperial family definitely did not possess such power.
Now, all of the Demon Kings that had participated in this were dead, but what blocked their way was the Twelve Citadel Demon Formation of the Ominous, as well as the one behind it all, Qiongqi.
“Interesting. This is far too interesting!”
Abruptly, hearty laughter rang out, echoing through the world, which made the faces of everyone change. It was Qiongqi’s voice. Sure enough, he had been paying attention the entire time.
There was no fury from the plan’s failure within his laughter. Instead, it was filled with intrigue and joy, even a little innocent in a sense, like a child that had obtained their favourite toy.
As the laughter echoed, demon qi rapidly condensed around the Demon God Qiongqi that had never been injured. His figure gradually consolidated and came alive.
A pair of moons lit up within the surging demon qi, which were his eyes. He was shaped like a black tiger with a pair of wings on his back, revealing an extremely distinct smile. His huge mouth unhinged to a terrifying angle, and it was riddled with huge, sharp teeth. The laughter had emerged from there.
Boom!
Qingqi took a step forward leisurely and left the bounds of the demon cavern. Countless cracks riddled the space there like black chains, but they were unable to stop Qiongqi’s advance.
An invisible aura radiated outwards; it made the breathing of the King of Southern Yue and everyone else who had backed off into the distance come to a halt. They felt an urge to immediately flee from there on the Silver Dragon King.
“Qiongqi has actually descended!?”
The Great Banyan Tree King frowned heavily. He was unable to estimate how great of a price Qiongqi had paid for this, but it was definitely much more difficult than descending with only his consciousness. Even if it was merely a clone condensed from demon qi, controlling the situation from behind the scenes and directly jumping onto the stage were two completely different matters. Even he had never imagined Qiongqi would go so far!
Rumble!
A chain of thunder erupted in the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, the sky had already become a pool of lightning. The atmospheric winds that only blew at high altitude roared furiously, ripping apart the demonic clouds. The ground cracked upon and lava poured out. The invisible underground magnetic field surged and rose up too, directly making contact with the atmospheric winds.
The world seemed to be angered, giving a terrifying warning. The great swamp had already been reduced to an apocalyptic landscape.
Qiongqi ignored the wrath of the world and continued to advance calmly, travelling through the apocalyptic landscape. He made his way towards Li Qingshan and Xiao An as if he was mocking the uselessness of the world.
Xiao An raised her sword and stood in front of Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan grabbed her hand and arrived beside her, staring at the approaching Qiongqi. He did not mind being protected by her, but the enemy they were facing this time was well beyond their imaginations.
“Looks like it’s really over this time!”
The King of Southern Yue sighed. Even when the power that Qiongqi could unleash in this world was limited, the tremendous difference between them had already determined that Li Qngshan and Xiao An had absolutely no hope at all. Moreover, Qiongqi’s current power was already approaching the absolute limit that this world could withstand, equivalent to the peak of the third heavenly tribulation. Even across the entire nine provinces, there was probably no one who could serve as his opponent.
Ye Weiyang originally wanted to express her agreement, but she looked at the Great Banyan Tree King again.
“Indeed.” The Great Banyan Tree King shut his eyes. By going as far as to descend, he had already demonstrated his utmost determination. No matter what gods wanted to do, it was very difficult for mortals to oppose them.
Ye Weiyang looked away in disappointment. Yeah, why would miracles keep happening?
Boom!
Qiongqi’s huge claw stopped before them, which was immediately swallowed by the lava. He ignored it and lowered his head, looking at Li Qingshan from above. “What a fascinating performance!”
The terrifying aura swallowed Li Qingshan, but he did not budge, as he had once seen someone even grander than that. He smiled brightly. “Then do I get a reward?”
“Everything you can ever want in the Demon domain! You will become a ruler only second to me on Qingqi mountain. The countless Demon domains and the billions of demonfolk will all listen to your command, where you will be free to do whatever you please. By then, you will only find this world to be too small and cramped.”
The conditions that Qiongqi had put on offer left everyone dumbstruck. The King of Southern Yue had originally been thinking that Li Qingshan might become the ruler of this world if he joined the Demon domain. Only now did he realise that his vision was far too puny. Even his wildest imaginations seemed so minor.
“Hopefully we don’t become one of the countless Demon domains!” The King of Southern Yue sighed.
“Oh my, he’s someone prominent! If I had known earlier, I would have fawned all over him. Elder banyan tree is still the most insightful!” Ye Weiyang joked, but she struggled to hide the envy in her eyes. Just who could resist something so enticing?
The Great Banyan Tree King smiled wryly. He really had no idea whether he should be happy or sad!
“Hehe, it’s a pity that you can’t give me what I want!”
“Spit it out then. Stop wasting time like a coward. Every second I spend here comes at a tremendous price.”
Qiongqi’s head drooped a little lower. The lightning and atmospheric winds in the surroundings had already begun barraging his body, but faint rings of demon qi blocked it.
The laws of the world were like invisible shackles. The greater their strength was, the higher their cultivation was, the greater the rejection they faced. No matter how powerful Qiongqi was, he could not oppose an entire world. However, his undisguised composure was even more terrifying than cold threats.
“Your life!” Li Qingshan’s smile vanished as he said firmly.
At that moment, space and time seemed to freeze. He did consider how hope would still remain as long as he got out of here alive, but he could still clearly remember that someone had once told him, “Remember, don’t lower your head to anyone, as you have once ridden on my back.”
From that day onwards, he could suffer humiliation, he could flee desperately, but he would never lower his head, or he would never be able to bring himself to stand beside him even if he made it beyond the Nine Heavens!
ps: 昨天去爬了爬嵩山，找了找灵感，发现李青山的神魔之躯已经比嵩山更高了!好吧，真的好高!
