The black dragon let out a violent roar. He wriggled around as he tried to break free from the chain and shake off Li Qingshan from the top of his head.
The black dragon dove into the water at times and produced startling waves, or he rushed into the clouds and fragmented them even more.
However, Li Qingshan stuck to his head like he had been hammered in, standing there firmly. He would casually pull the chain and the dragon head would tilt to one side. The pitch-black chains dug deeply into his flesh.
Si Qing sank into madness. Compared to the physical pain, he found the humiliation and despair even more unbearable. Suddenly, he straightened himself out and rushed forwards, slamming head-first into a mountain.
Boom!
Dust filled the air. The mountain trembled as if it was going to collapse.
However, when the black dragon emerged from the dust, Li Qingshan was still standing on his head. As a matter of fact, he stood as straight as before, without any changes to his posture.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The black dragon circled through the mountains and slammed through over a dozen of them in a single breath. The peaks tilted and snapped, sending rock and soil falling into the deep, black water and producing great waves.
However, a few more chains wrapped around the black dragon now. Even wriggling his body became extremely difficult. These chains continued to tighten around him, giving off the great power of suppressing demons.
In order to power the lightning, the black dragon had already used up all of his strength. Exhaustion finally caught up with him after his furious rampage. Choked by the chains, he constantly shrank until he returned to human form. He fell on the top of a mountain, which happened to be a close neighbour of the tallest peak where the Unraging monk and the others stood.
Si Qing was dishevelled. His dragon robes were in tatters, and blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. He was in an extremely sorry shape. He continued to glare at Li Qingshan with hatred, refusing to accept this as his fate. He was like a wolf that had fallen into a trap, gazing at the hunter outside.
“That gaze! That’s more like it!”
Li Qingshan crouched down and stared at Si Qing. The demonic markings covered his body as the demon qi surged. Compared to Si Qing who radiated with imperial nobility, he seemed more like a great villain.
“Who are you exactly?” Si Qing still found this all to be a little difficult to accept.
“Me? I’m a citizen of Great Xia, a loyal subject of yours, your majesty!”
Li Qingshan grabbed Si Qing by the head and tightened his grip. Within the sounds of the shattering skull, Si Qing’s furious roar rang out, “I will never spare you!”
The figure of a black dragon flashed past as if it had leapt into a different space, directly passing through the restraints of the Asura Field and flying towards the distant Dragon province.
Li Qingshan was surprised. He did not expect the way his soul escaped would be so special. It must have been a life-saving technique unique to crown princes of Great Xia. He immediately formed a fist, about to hurl it out with the power of tremors, but after some thought, he still ended up loosening his grip.
Now was not the time for him to expose himself. If he wanted to learn the ninth layer of the Demon Suppression Statuary, then he had to access the Demon Suppression hall. He did not want to make an enemy out of the Chan Monastery of Deva-Nāga just yet, especially his own master, the Unraging monk.
Li Qingshan had destroyed Si Qing’s body, so it was definitely a heavy blow to his cultivation. Who knew how long it would take before he recovered. By then, he could obviously crush Si Qing with ease. There was no need for him to be in such a hurry.
“Victory to Li Qingshan!” Yue Wuyang announced loudly. His voice echoed through the surroundings.
Li Qingshan picked up Si Qing’s corpse and leapt up to the highest peak. After being refined by the lightning, he no longer needed to use the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression to keep his demon heart suppressed. The demon qi dispersed, and the demonic markings faded away, but he still seemed a little eerie.
There was a blood-red flash, and the Asura King blocked Li Qingshan’s path. Murderousness surged into his face. “You’re called Li Qingshan, right? Are you bold enough to face me in battle?”
“Boring.” Li Qingshan’s eyes lit up slightly, but he continued forwards without stopping. The Asura King’s murderousness fluctuated unceasingly as if he could strike at any time. Holding back was not a concept that existed to asura. They were definitely out to kill the moment they struck.
However, Li Qingshan did not respond to that at all as if he could not see the danger involved. You can fluctuate all you like. I’ll just remain steadfast. He directly brushed past the Asura King.
A sliver of surprise flashed through the Asura King’s eyes. He did not end up striking.
Li Qingshan arrived before Gu Yanying and extended his hand. “My spoils!”
Gu Yanying placed two sumeru rings into Li Qingshan’s hand. Their eyes met, almost as if they were holding a conversation.
Han Qiongzhi embraced Li Qingshan as soon as she rushed over, saying excitedly, “Wonderful! You won!”
“It’s a pity that I let that bastard get away,” Li Qingshan said with some regret.
The Unraging monk said, “That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Including Si Qing, there are only three crown princes of Great Xia. His status cannot be compared to regular great cultivators. Even if he dies in a duel, the imperial clan might not necessarily be willing to simply drop the matter.”
Li Qingshan smiled. “In other words, it’s still a win-win in the end. I got the spoils and he got to live.”
“How is this a win-win? He came to the Green province in high spirits to collect his debt, yet not only did he lose his sumeru ring in the process, he was almost beaten to death!” Yue Bing refuted.
“I still think there’s something wrong with your Demon Suppression Statuary!” The Unraging monk did not understand. From Li Qingshan’s appearance and behaviour, he did not seem like he had fallen into the demonic path.
“We can talk about something unimportant like this in the future! Master, I need to spend some time with the madam.” Li Qingshan brought his hand around Han Qiongzhi’s waist, and she reddened slightly.
“Damned disciple, oh damned disciple!” The Unraging monk shook his head. “Alright. I’ll be waiting for you on Great Buddha mountain!”
They left the Asura Field and returned to the main hall of the Han estate.
“There’s something else that I’d like to discuss, seeing how fellow Gu happens to be here,” said Yue Wuyang.
“What is it? Didn’t the Great General King come here because of the Asura Field?” Li Qingshan smiled.
“That’s just a private matter. You are indeed worthy of an Asura Field.”
Yue Wuyang spoke mildly, no longer criticising Li Qingshan for his lack of modesty and respect towards his elders. As a disciple of the school of the Military, he followed the basic principle of the Asura realm. Strong warriors were all worthy of respect.
“There’s official business aside from that. The Soaring Locust King hates you very much. Could you tell me the reason for that?”
Li Qingshan glanced at the Unraging monk, and the Unraging monk nodded. Actually, even he did not understand too well why the Soaring Locust King hated Li Qingshan so much.
“Actually, it was nothing major. He tried to delude me back then in the Demon Suppression hall and I cursed back at him!” Li Qingshan gave a rough explanation of everything that happened.
“I see. Sure enough, impressive courage! I believe this hatred can be used. I mean no offence, but you can serve as bait to lure out the Soaring Locust King’s main body!”
“Whether it’s private or official, none of it seems to be any good business!” Li Qingshan remarked.
“Originally, there was great danger involved in this. You master and I were giving this some further thought, to see how we could ensure your safety, but from your performance today, the Unraging master has absolutely nothing to worry about. We just wanted to ask what you thought,” said Yue Wuyang.
“I don’t mind, but while the Soaring Locust King seems brash and short-tempered, he’s actually very cautious and vigilant. He won’t fall for it so easily.” Li Qingshan did not think the Soaring Locust King had become blinded by hatred. During their few, short interactions, he could sense the cold and calculating nature of an insect beneath his brash and irritable appearance.
“Even if there’s just the slightest chance, it’s worth a try!” Yue Wuyang said.
“Then I’ll be waiting for your call.”
In a certain, glorious palace within the Dragon province, the figure of a dragon suddenly appeared on an imposing altar engraved with nine, colossal dragons. The figure gradually assumed human form, translucent in appearance. His face was twisted with viciousness as he roared at the sky.
“Li Qingshan, you will never be forgiven!”
