Kuang Tianyou was like a moth stuck in a spider’s web. Even with everything he tried, he was unable to break free from the Force Field of the Earth. The more he struggled, the weaker he became instead. He roared out, unwilling to accept this. “If it wasn’t for this damned world, preventing me from using the various techniques and arcane treasures, how could a measly Daemon King like you reduce me to such a state!”
Facing imminent danger, his thought process instead became extremely clear. He understood that the world had unknowingly clouded his senses, and his thought processes had been affected. Not only did he confront Li Qingshan recklessly for some odd reason, but he even became rather uncertain about how the successor of white bone had managed to land that strike.
Otherwise, with his cultivation, how could a sneak attack succeed so easily? There would be even less reason for him to obsess over healing his arm. Clearly, the slightest attempt was enough for him to know the impossibility of that.
The obscure will of the heavens operated in their own way.
Li Qingshan also understood why this most powerful opponent he had ever faced in his life lacked so many techniques, without even possessing a proper ultimate move. He could not help but recall the predicament he was in when he landed in the small world. He could use none of his powers or replenish his spiritual qi. He was as feeble as a mortal, and his luck was a complete mess.
He had no idea how this bastard had slipped into the nine provinces, avoiding the direct suppression of the will of the world and preserving his strength, but he still faced numerous restraints. It was impossible for him to act as freely as he did in the Hungry Ghost realm.
This was just like how even the world would lend him power when the timing was right, but when the timing was off, even great heroes would struggle to achieve anything. All creatures required a suitable world to move about freely, or they would face various kinds of tangible and intangible restraints.
Li Qingshan threw another punch, smashing Kuang Tianyou to pieces. He smiled. “If this place weren’t the nine provinces, I would have undergone the fourth heavenly tribulation already. I would have killed you with a punch. Would you still be able to talk nonsense with me?”
Kuang Tianyou refused to believe it, but he was forced to believe it. As a Daemon King, he was already so terrifying, so what would happen when he became a Daemon Emperor?
But how could such a powerful Daemon King exist in the world!?
The thought continued to echo through everyone’s minds.
Li Qingshan pulverised Kuang Tianyou a few dozen more times until all that remained was a small part of his head, which he clutched in his hand. A single eye continued to glare at him furiously, making him laugh. “Heh, this guy’s body sure is tough! Even like this, he’s still alive!” Then he asked Xiao An, “Why didn’t you kill him?”
No matter how tough his body was, its advantage greatly diminished before the Buddha Slaying sword. The only reason why this bastard could live until now was clearly because Xiao An had been holding back the entire time, without finding an opportunity to kill him in a single stroke. Instead, she controlled the power of the Buddha Slaying sword and weakened him bit by bit.
Xiao An told Li Qingshan about the battle at the ghost tower, how the Dark Queen had fallen into the Hungry Ghost realm’s trap in her place.
Li Qingshan said in praise, “What a great mother!” He showed her the part of Kuang Tianyou’s twisted, vicious head. “This guy seems to be quite important. C’mon, let’s go exchange him for your mother!”
Kuang Tianyou’s expression changed, actually gradually calming down. Originally, he thought he would be dead for sure, but he never expected he could still get out of here alive. He asked, “What’s your name?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “What, you’re even thinking about revenge?”
Kuang Tianyou said, “You afraid?”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. He raised his head and faced all the eyes in the sky. “My name is Li Qingshan.” His voice was not particularly loud or grand as if he was just stating a simple fact. “You’re in big trouble now.”
Kuang Tianyou’s eye twitched. He realised Li Qingshan had never taken him seriously in the first place. The feeling of humiliation filled him with hatred, yet he also had a strange feeling that perhaps he would never get his revenge.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and said to Kuang Tianyou, “Hopefully, you really are that important. Let’s go, Xiao An!”
“Hold on. Qingshan, your master has also been captured…”
Li Qingshan learnt about everything and furrowed his brows. “What a Spirit K?etra temple!” He bellowed, “Religious preceptor of the left, get your ass out here!”
His bellow was like a clap of thunder, creating ripples on the protective formation. A stronghold on Dragonshead mountain crumbled.
All of the officials and generals looked at one another in shock. The Formation of Gathering Dragons was the greatest formation in the world. Not only was it located in a place where the spiritual veins of the nine provinces gathered, but it was also supported by the power of belief from everyone too. It had not been completely activated, but it actually failed to stop the bellow completely.
The Corpse Emperor was gone, but someone even more vicious had come and replaced him. They were without a doubt dreaming if they thought they could complete the offerings to heaven under these circumstances.
Crown prince Si qing was pale-white, hiding behind everyone and afraid to show himself. He did not do that out of fear alone, but in reality, his behaviour would be all the same regardless. He clenched his fist before loosening it again. Impossible. How did he become so powerful in such a short amount of time?
“Amitābha!” The religious preceptor of the left stood forward, gazing at Li Qingshan from above. “Li Qingshan, you were a secular disciple of buddhism, so how can you be so blind, unable to distinguish between right and wrong?”
Li Qingshan sneered. “I’m blind? I’m unable to distinguish between right and wrong?”
The religious preceptor of the left pointed at Xiao An. “Do you have any idea what the buddha nemesis beside you has done?”
Xiao An lowered her head. Li Qingshan was surprised, glancing at Xiao An before saying, “All I know is that when she launched a full-powered attack against the Hungry Ghost realm, you launched a sneak attack on her, you shameless bald ass!”
“Alright, then I’ll tell you what she did! She opened more than half of the demon caverns across the world, leaving the provinces surging with demon qi. She brought extinction to the people of four provinces, where the number of lives she’s claimed is measured in the billions. The heinous crimes she has committed are too numerous to list. She’s even more evil and terrifying than the Hungry Ghost realm.”
The religious preceptor of the left spoke righteously, standing at the top of the mountain and radiating with golden light. He was like Yama in hell judging the fiends, imprisoning them in the eighteen layers of hell to never be reborn.
“What are you on about? Xiao An would never…”
Li Qingshan refuted him, completely unconvinced. He found the accusations to be hilarious. He placed his hand on Xiao An’s shoulder, but he felt her tremble.
“If you don’t believe me, then you can ask your master!”
The religious preceptor of the left took out the wooden fish. The wooden fish opened up its mouth, and the Unraging monk rolled out with all of his cultivation sealed up. He was completely unconcerned with that, brushing off the dust and standing up. When he saw Li Qingshan, his face beamed with joy, but when he saw Xiao An beside him, he could not help but sigh and show sorrow. He shut his eyes and remained silent.
He was not completely clueless about everything that had happened throughout the world. The religious preceptor of the left had specially informed him about Xiao An’s actions in an attempt to torture him with regret, or even make him waver, to make him wonder whether he was wrong or not and whether he should have assisted the religious preceptor of the left in killing Xiao An.
“If it weren’t for your master’s interference that day, I would have killed the buddha nemesis already. Such sins cannot be atoned even by dying thousands of times. I was about to execute him on another day, but just you watch now. This is the price for assisting the buddha nemesis!”
Li Qingshan yelled out furiously, “Stop!”
The religious preceptor of the left felt a fierce gust of wind fill his face. By now, the Formation of Gathering Dragons had already been activated, yet it still struggled to block all of Li Qingshan’s strength. However, his lips curled into a smile instead. “If you want me to release your master, I can do that, but you have to atone for his actions!”
Li Qingshan said coldly, “How do you want me to atone for his actions?”
The religious preceptor of the left suddenly widened his eyes, which shone with golden light. “Kill the buddha nemesis immediately!”
The stars in the sky lit up as if they had not expected this either.
Li Qingshan laughed out of anger. “You’re dreaming!”
However, his rebuke did not seem as powerful as before. He had also killed countless people in his life, but he did have a sense of gallantry about him. It would either be self-defence or revenge. Even when he clashed with others, he refused to drag down the innocent unless he had no other choice. He had never experienced thoughts like all living creatures were like ants and all life was worthless.
Yet right now, the person closest and dearest to him had killed so many innocent people. That included countless infants and children, as well as countless honest and good people, all going up in flames.
When he gazed out again. Whether in the sky or on the land, good or evil, buddhism or the hungry ghosts, all of them wanted her dead. The sins she committed also seemed to be so great that they actually could not be atoned for, such that she had to die.
Xiao An said nothing at all, acting as if she was a prisoner on death row, having accepted her fate as she waited for the sentence. She neither struggled nor tried to defend herself.
But in the sky and on the land, there was only a single person who could judge her!
“Qingshan, I’m sorry. I didn’t listen to you.”
Li Qingshan’s heart softened. “No, this is not your fault. I’m even glad that you did this.”
Without sufficient power, she probably would have died at the hands of the Corpse Emperor sent over by the Hungry Ghost realm already with her body that was heavily injured from the sneak attack. They would have never been able to reunite.
Xiao An smiled and threw herself into arms, without the slightest worry anymore.
The religious preceptor of the left’s plan fell through, which left him furious. “Wretched daemon! Truly a wretched daemon through and through! Unraging, look at the great disciple you’ve taught! Sure enough, he’s the same as you, unable to distinguish between right and wrong and riddled with sins!”
“Those are all my sins!”
When Li Qingshan said that, he felt like a mountain suddenly pressed down on his chest. He only raised his head even higher, like a towering mountain trying to uphold the sky.
He had no plans to hide it. He had no plans to bicker, much less any plans to suddenly go on about some great principles that the world was heartless and all creatures were no different from ants, changing the thoughts he had always believed in. People were people, not ants. That did not mean they were more noble in any shape or form, just like how a dog was a dog, different from a cat. They had always been two completely different things.
Whether it was for survival, for fending off the Hungry Ghost realm, or even for sacrificing some people in order to save the rest, they were all explanations, but sins were sins and innocence was innocence.
The world fell silent. The Unraging monk abruptly opened his eyes, gazing at this first disciple of his and sinking into his thoughts.
Rāhu Xiaoming gazed at Li Qingshan in some admiration.
The religious preceptor of the left called out, “Wretched daemon, since it’s your sins, then why don’t you go and die!?”
“Come and kill me then, bald ass!”
Li Qingshan was stern. If he continued down his path, perhaps he would commit even greater sins and drag down even more innocent people, but as long as he was still breathing, he would continue down it until he reached beyond the Nine Heavens.
“You’re so greedy, Qingshan. I was clearly the one who killed them, so I should shoulder at least half of it.”
Li Qingshan shook his head and touched her cheek. “I’m still reluctant for you to wantonly kill the innocent for the sake of cultivation, but when you find the need, then kill away! Whether you’re right or wrong, I’ll shoulder it all.”
“Alright, alright, alright! You really are up to your neck in sins and beyond help! I’ll kill your master first then!”
The religious preceptor of the left raised the mallet and slammed down, about to split open the Unraging monk’s head and kill him.
Li Qingshan did not even budge. He said coldly, “Bald ass, if you even touch a hair on him, I’ll butcher the imperial court of Great Xia!”
The mallet abruptly stopped above the Unraging monk’s head, which made him sigh wryly. “My damned disciple, oh damned disciple!”
The religious preceptor of the left’s face changed, afraid to go forward with it. He had done this in the first place to coerce Li Qingshan, so how could he really bring it past the point of no return? Or perhaps he actually wanted to do this, but others would stop him.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Master, I forgot you don’t have any hair on your head. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely save you. If I really can’t save you, then I’ll avenge you! Xiao An, let’s go!”
“Where are we going?”
“The Spirit K?etra temple!”
