Chapter 1404: Mount
With a splash, Li Qingshan was pulled out of the sea. Ruan Yaozhu grabbed him by the collar firmly. “Li Qingshan, you…”
Li Qingshan was surprised. He had never expected there was such a side to her. It was probably because she was a Yang Soul right now. Without the restraints of her body, her emotions were beyond control too. This was probably a major reason why his soul nascence had suddenly demonified too.
However, when he thought about that, he still felt like it was the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance who had screwed him over.
If he did not practise the Nine Transformations of the Demonic and Divine, the dangers this time would be a hundred times worse. His soul nascence would not just turn into a demon nascence and oppose him. Instead, he would demonify himself and completely lose control, as the soul nascence was the condensation of power and will to a regular Soul Nascence cultivator. Losing the soul nascence meant losing everything.
The Heavenly Tome of Liberty that no one had practised before was far too dangerous. He did not have an easy time as a lab rat. It was very difficult to say if the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance had any malicious intentions at all, but fortunately, he was no regular lab rat.
As he drifted off in his thoughts, his body suddenly tightened. The jade-green waistband behind Ruan Yaozhu wrapped around him firmly like a snake.
Li Qingshan felt wronged. “What’s wrong with me?”
“What are your intentions for infiltrating the Myriad sect? Just what have I done to let you down? Why have you lied to me?”
Ruan Yaozhu’s voice trembled. Who knew whether it was out of fury or sadness, or perhaps it was a combination of both.
“No one else believed you. Even Jiu’er told me to keep my distance from you. Because of you, I even lost my temper with first senior sister. You actually… actually…”
“Calm down! Calm down!”
Li Qingshan did not possess any strength to resist right now, but he was not afraid at all as he faced this infuriated Yang Soul cultivator. Instead, he felt strangely touched.
“I’m going to kill you!”
Ruan Yaozhu’s eyes shone with green light as her hair danced through the air. Her voice was filled with an inhuman sense of authority, echoing between the sky and sea. The feeling she gave off actually made Li Qingshan feel like he was facing the heavenly tribulations again. Even as someone unskilled with fighting and killing, she was still a Yang Soul cultivator after all, and did practising the Heavenly Tome of Nature really make her unskilled at fighting and killing?
“Oh… then kill me!”
Li Qingshan shut his eyes. He felt the aura grow stronger and stronger, almost swallowing him. That was not a murderousness of the living, but the indifference and mercilessness of nature as if all life was worthless. However, he could clearly sense the fury inside, the fury that did not belong there.
Sure enough, a while later, his entire body loosened, and the waistband slackened around him.
The glow she gave off gradually vanished. She turned around and said with her back to him, “You should go!”
Li Qingshan admired her slender and beautiful figure and smiled. “Then I’ll be returning to the Myriad sect first.”
“Daemons can’t stay in the Myriad sect. I’m not going to hide this for you.” Ruan Yaozhu raised her head proudly.
Li Qingshan thought about it. “Not even as a mount?”
“Piss off!”
Li Qingshan did not dare to joke around anymore. Even rabbits could bite people when they ran out of patience, not to mention the fact that a “rabbit” had kicked him viciously recently. However, after this period of consideration, he had already come up with a perfect excuse. “Senior sister Ruan, please stop being angry. I’m not a daemon, nor have I ever lied to you.”
“You still have the courage to claim that? Do you really think I won’t kill you?” Ruan Yaozhu ground her teeth.
“I heard the Myriad sect possesses a Heavenly Tome of True Dragon, where cultivators can activate their bloodline of the true dragon and become a true dragon. Don’t tell me they count as daemons too?”
“That’s different. Don’t tell me you also turned into like that through cultivation?”
“Of course. Have you ever seen such a freakish daemon before?”
Ruan Yaozhu thought about it. No matter how she looked at it, he just seemed like a great big daemon with his appearance and aura, but when she thought about it closely, his bloodlines were a little too mixed.
Li Qingshan made his way around her and stared straight into his eyes. He said with utmost sincerity, “I was originally a regular human. Do you believe me?”
That truly was not a lie.
Ruan Yaozhu sighed. “Alright then, I believe you. I have been wrong about this part.”
There were many cultivators of various origins that had come to the Myriad sect to cultivate. The Myriad Heavenly Tomes were all-encompassing as well, coming in a myriad different forms and shapes. He truly could not be blamed for his cultivation method.
However, she added, “But you lied to me. I won’t forgive you. You should leave the Hundred herbs garden!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Without me, do you plan on asking Shen Yushu to return? He probably doesn’t have a job right now.”
Ruan Yaozhu balled her fists. “You’re trying to threaten me as well. I have arms and legs. I don’t need others to help me out.”
Li Qingshan could not help but smile. Right now, she was basically like a little girl throwing a tantrum. He laid out his hands and shrugged. “But I haven’t lied to you! This cultivation method has always been my greatest secret. Someone extremely important to me passed it to me. Even when the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance asked for it, I didn’t give it to him.”
“The Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance also knows?” Ruan Yaozhu was dubious of that.
“How can he not know? If he didn’t know, why did he summon me to the Pavilion of Heavenly Tomes as soon as I joined the sect and try to chase me away? Why would I have received a heavenly tome like this from him too? He basically wants me to die.”
Li Qingshan shook his head. He was quite resentful about this. Originally, he was supposed to survive the fourth heavenly tribulation with ease, yet it had almost cost him his life in the end.
Ruan Yaozhu said curiously, “You’re lying. Since the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance wants to chase you away, how can you still stay behind?”
“Obviously because of my exceptional charms. Don’t look at me that way…”
Under the sky full of stars, Li Qingshan explained everything as Ruan Yaozhu listened along silently. His encounter had been far too bizarre. Not only had he managed to persuade the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance, but the Spirit Reverend of Ocean Returnance had even “plotted” against him.
“Actually, you can’t call that plotting against me. This is truly the cultivation method most suited for me. I stayed behind because I guaranteed to him that I definitely possess no ill intentions towards the Myriad sect. You know that he can distinguish sincerity from lies. Can you?”
Li Qingshan suddenly asked with shining eyes.
“Me?”
“I still have a lot of things that I can’t tell you, but I can promise you that I definitely possess no ill intentions towards you. It’s the opposite actually. I hope you stay well, and I want to help you. If you face danger, I’ll protect you even if I have to sacrifice my life.”
Li Qingshan pressed down on his chest. His expression was filled with sincerity. He had not told a single lie. An extremely kind woman that had shown him kindness and was sincerely concerned for him was truly worth sacrificing his life to protect.
Ruan Yaozhu’s eyes rippled. She was slightly touched. “You… I…”
If someone else had heard that, they would probably find it laughable. Even after the heavenly tribulation, you’re just a Yin Soul cultivator, yet you say you want to protect a Yang Soul cultivator. You’re basically overestimating yourself.
However, she could not help but recall his conversation with the demon nascence and his valiant figure as he contended against the blade and sword of lightning. She was unable to doubt a single word he had said.
Li Qingshan grinned and balled his fists in front of his chest. His eyes shone as he leaned forwards. “As a result, I beg you to let me stay in the Hundred Herbs garden! If you really can’t do that, I can be a mount too. I can transform into anything. Do you like the phoenix or the spirit turtle, or the ox or the tiger? A monkey doesn’t seem particularly appropriate…”
Ruan Yaozhu took a step back and blushed slightly. “Stop with the nonsense!”
Li Qingshan took a step forward. “I’m serious.”
With a flash of green, Ruan Yaozhu flew away like she was escaping, leaving behind a single message. “You can stay here if you’d like!”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud, making his body jolt. Every single muscle in his body spasmed. “Ah, it hurts!”
With a plop, he fell head-first into the ocean.
