Li Qingshan frowned heavily. There were very few people or matters that could make him frown now, but Qian Rongzhi would always be at the top of the list. She could get a frown out of him every single time. There were no bitter feuds worthy of mention between them, but he simply felt disgust instinctively when she was mentioned.
However, he could not help but admit that after hearing the name, his confidence in Gu Yanying’s plan had multiplied strangely enough, but it still left him feeling very uncomfortable.
Rāhu Xiaoming asked curiously, “Who are you talking about?”
“Let’s talk after we get to Dragonshead mountain!”
The kunpeng spread its wings, speeding the three of them into the winds and shooting off for Dragonshead mountain.
Li Qingshan said, “She’s just a Golden Core cultivator.”
“She’s already undergone the third heavenly tribulation several months ago.”
“Then she’s just a Soul Nascence cultivator.”
Even Li Qingshan had forgotten how many people of that cultivation he had butchered already. Now, a single glance from him might be enough to frighten a few cowardly ones to death. However, the progression of Qian Rongzhi’s cultivation did not particularly surprise him.
“That first disciple of mine is a Reincarnated Celestial. She wields the Heaven Climbing Vine that connects the Human realm and the nine provinces.”
“Reincarnated Celestial. Don’t tell me…”
There was a flash in Li Qingshan’s head; he thought of a certain Reincarnated Celestial who was called Chu Tian at first and then Lin Xuan later. Just like that, the drastic increase in Qian Rongzhi’s cultivation made sense. He immediately thought of something else. Lin Xuan had probably perished at her hands.
He could tell as soon as he heard about the Heaven Climbing Vine that it was not from the nine provinces. It must have been a chess piece Si Long prepared beforehand to open a path between the nine provinces and the Human realm. That person should have been Chu Tian originally, but he foolishly became involved with her, almost losing his life. Afterwards, he turned into Lin Xuan, but by the looks of things, not only had he failed to get his revenge, but he had even been replaced instead.
Gu Yanying said, “That’s what it is.”
Li Qingshan sneered. “In other words, if it weren’t for her, Si Long never could have descended here in the first place.”
Of course, he was also aware that it was rather unreasonable for him to say that. On the other hand, if it were not for her, Si Long would have descended here a long time ago.
That was what made her freakish. When regular people obtained such a rare treasure, they would all keep it a secret carefully. Why would they proactively give it away and lure in an extremely powerful enemy? Si Long only needed to sense her intentions slightly, and she would meet a horrible end. She was basically like a great, greedy snake, devouring everything that she could devour with maddening malice, without any regard for whether she would swell up and burst to her death.
“Some people live to make the world burn.”
Gu Yanying shrugged. Even Su Mirao, someone born as a harbinger of disaster, still possessed great caution despite possessing unbelievable power, prioritising her safety above all else. However, perhaps it was exactly because she was of noble birth and possessed great knowledge that she had many more worries.
Rāhu Xiaoming became even more curious. “In other words, she’s truly suited to cultivate in the Demon domain. Perhaps she might even be blessed by the heavens. Sigh, there sure are a lot of mad people in this world.”
He glanced past Gu Yanying, Li Qingshan, and Xiao An. It was no wonder why he felt more and more “ordinary”.
The kunpeng moved swiftly. As they spoke, Dragonshead mountain had already arrived before them, even one step faster than Si Long. Moving through the earth was safe, but it was not as free as flying through the sky.
Over a hundred great cultivators and several dozen Daemon Kings were atop the mountain, currently prostrating towards the altar. They saw the kunpeng’s colossal figure, and their faces all changed drastically. “Don’t tell me Si Long has actually been defeated!?”
“Continue the offerings! Don’t become distracted!” The previous emperor of Great Xia ordered, but he was tense inside too.
At this moment, a golden streak of light shot through the ground. Dragon cries rang out from the foot of the mountain. Si Long burst out of the soil and flew towards the top of the mountain.
Li Qingshan leapt up, gripping the Swelling Earth of the Nine Heavens firmly in his right hand as he threw a punch.
There were no rumbles. There was no destruction. His punch seemed to be blocked by an invisible membrane, producing a series of ripples in space that dissipated instantly. He actually struggled to destroy anything.
Nine cauldrons were arranged around the altar.
They were the cauldrons of the nine provinces that had been forged by gathering all the god seals throughout the world. Not only had the Frost Province cauldron been reforged, but even the cauldrons that the Great Banyan Tree King had originally devoured had been condensed again.
The nine cauldrons emitted nine columns of light, stirring up the clouds and wind and rushing straight into the sky, revolving around the Heaven Climbing Vine like towering pillars that upheld the sky. They also resonated with each other and connected with their auras, forming an impregnable entity.
“The Barrier of the Nine Provinces!”
Li Qingshan’s heart sank. This was no longer a formation by cultivators but a formation condensed from the laws of the world. If he wanted to take down the barrier, he had to defeat the world.
“Very good. So you have come. You can die here and now then!”
Si Long smiled at Li Qingshan with the same confidence as before as if everything was within his grasp. There was also a hint of complacency like victory was near.
By now, the offerings to heaven were completed already.
The god seals produced by the world were a bridge that linked the living creatures with the world, while the nine cauldrons forged from the god seals were also symbols of the empire.
Without the nine provinces, no matter how many people he won over, it would all be for nothing. It could not be converted into true power, much less completely break free the restraints from the laws of the world, even when he was facing the demon king who tried to destroy the world.
Only by gathering the wills of the living creatures and making the heavens hear his will could he twist the intangible will of the heavens, becoming one with the heavens. Then he could unleash his true strength as a Human Sovereign. No, that was not all. The power he possessed in this world would be countless times greater than in the Human realm. He could completely crush the four of them.
Under everyone’s watch, Si Long made his way through the people and onto the altar.
At that instant, his inner demons vanished without a trace. The wills of the living creatures could pacify any distracting thoughts, while the intangible will of the heavens made him extremely calm, no longer with any emotional fluctuations.
He was the lord of the world, the son of the heavens. There was no need for him to be worried about anything. Everything would follow his will.
Li Qingshan looked over, but he could not find Qian Rongzhi. Where had she gone? Surely she had not fled in fright?
Coincidentally, Si Long thought of the exact same thing.
Suddenly, a great feeling of uneasiness plunged into his heart like an arrow. There was no reason. There was no explanation. That was the senses of someone who had become one with the heavens, as well as the senses he should have possessed as a Human Sovereign.
Ever since he arrived in this world, he had basically devoted all of his attention to Li Qingshan, thinking night and day about how he would deal with him. During the other times, he was extremely busy as well. Reforging the cauldron and understanding the laws of the world were all extremely strenuous tasks. He had to examine his subjects too and consider what he would do with them once he returned to the Human realm.
Unknowingly, he had neglected the most important person, as this person had helped him complete his great cause, paving the path between the nine provinces and the Human realm. After all, this person’s cultivation was nowhere close to his, spending most of her time cultivating.
It might have even been the intangible will of the heavens shrouding his senses the entire time, only recovering some clarity at this precise moment.
She should be standing watch over the altar and controlling the Heaven Climbing Vine. Where is she now?
An even more terrifying thought appeared. Until this exact moment, he was actually unable to sense his body of the true dragon that was right beside him.
Yang Souls could be projected from the body, but they still maintained a subtle connection with the body. Entering the Jade palace and raising the Barrier of the Nine Provinces would both affect this connection, but it was far too strange given the current circumstances.
He could no longer bother with his image and composure as a Human Sovereign. He lunged towards his body of the true dragon seated on the throne. As soon as the tips of his fingers touched the body, it collapsed. It was merely an empty husk. There were countless tiny vines inside, squirming around like thousands of snakes.
Gu Yanying smiled. “If there’s a will, even a venomous snake can devour a heavenly dragon!”
