Chapter 1445: Benefits
Li Qingshan slept for eight days and seven nights before waking up, but he still felt pain and powerlessness. He was lethargic as well. It had been a very long time since he had suffered such heavy wounds!
Or perhaps it was better described as him having never suffered such terrifying damage before. Before, even when he had been smashed to pieces, he could make a complete recovery with a rebirth, but this time, he had almost just died before the Nirvāṇa Rebirth kicked in. Even after a long slumber, he had not recovered. He gained a deep understanding of the existence of gods and buddhas and the danger involved as well.
If he were a normal person, he would probably want to keep his distance now, but he felt an urge instead. Even just a glance was so exciting. If he were standing right before them in person, he wondered what it would feel like.
That day would not be too far away. He would experience some close contact with Demon God Qiongqi very soon.
Time waited for no one. He had to make his preparations, venture to the depths of the Demon domain, and arrive before Qingqi mountain.
But right now, he had to pay a visit to the Xuanwu hall and meet with the first senior sister Chao Tianjiao.
Because the Upraised Light abbot was still unconscious, it had already caused a great shock in Black Cloud city. If it were not for the strict military law within the army, the warrior monks of the Pure Land temple would have dismantled the stone tower already.
“Hmph, he got what he deserved!”
Li Qingshan felt no sympathy for him at all. If it were not for Xiao An, he either would be completely dead right now or even worse off than being dead.
Xiao An nodded in agreement.
Li Qingshan pinched her cheek with a smile. “It really is all thanks to you!”
“It’s all thanks to the Buddha Slaying sword.” Xiao An dodged his hand and took out the Buddha Slaying sword. After slaying the image of the great buddha, the edge shone even brighter and more smoothly, yet it gave Li Qingshan a feeling that it was extraordinarily sharp.
Xiao An had benefited tremendously from coming to Black Cloud city. Not only did she obtain the corpses of several hundred thousand demonfolk as resources, but she had further strengthened the Buddha Slaying sword from slaying the image of the buddha too. On top of that, she had gained a deeper comprehension of the Path of White Bone and Great Beauty from the process. She could feel that she was nearing a breakthrough.
Li Qingshan passed the sumeru ring with the demonfolk corpses to her and smiled. “I’ll go out for a stroll. You can just stay here and cultivate! According to the current situation, the battles in the future will be even more intense. I won’t be able to go without you.”
Xiao An nodded sternly, like she was accepting an important mission.
Li Qingshan smiled and lowered his head, about to kiss her on the forehead and leave.
Suddenly, she raised her head, gazing at Li Qingshan with her clear eyes.
Li Qingshan was taken aback. Abruptly, he noticed she really had grown up a lot. Her skin was still as soft and tender as before, fair but not ghostly pale. She was even slightly rounded now, and the red mole on her forehead gave off a solemn beauty of its own.
She was not some goddess that had descended in the mortal realm. Instead, she was the exact opposite. She had a fleeting appearance, like she had brushed away the dust of mortality and was about to transcend.
Despite all the beauties he had seen in the world, none surpassed her. By heavenly beauty and fragrance, it was just referring to her.
Li Qingshan lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. He smiled. “Are you happy now?”
Xiao An touched her lips. She sank into her thoughts.
“This little girl sure knows how to make trouble!” Li Qingshan laughed as he made his way down the tower.
Xiao An bit her lip and fumed. “What was that supposed to be?”
……
Li Qingshan arrived in the Xuanwu hall. It was empty with only Chao Tianjiao there. She stood with her back to him, on a terrace in the air, as if she was gazing at the Demon domain in the distance.
Even when Li Qingshan clasped his hands and said, “Senior sister, I’m here.” she behaved like she had not heard anything.
Li Qingshan thought, This woman is messing with me again! He just said nothing more and began admiring her figure. He could not help but confess that her figure was wonderful. Standing in the snow and wind, even with her back to him, she seemed valiant.
Her legs were long and slender, while her waist was supple and powerful. As for buttocks… heh, check out that ass. She was truly the first senior sister!”
Li Qingshan licked his lips and ogled away.
Crack! The stone railing in Chao Tianjiao’s hand fractured. “If you take another glance, I’ll dig out your eyes!”
Li Qingshan knew she was not bluffing. He could even guess that she was actually tempted to do something like that. Taking his current feeble state into consideration, he looked away and smiled. “Senior sister, why are you looking for me?”
Chao Tianjiao looked back. “Do you know what will happen to you if Upraised Light does not awaken?”
“He will awaken.”
Li Qingshan was not worried at all. As one of the people involved, he believed the Upraised Light abbot would not die. After all, he was a fifth heavenly tribulation monk who had attained two fruits of buddhism, and he was in his own territory as well. Most importantly, as one of the buddha’s most devoted lackeys…
Li Qingshan pointed above. “The buddha is watching over him!”
“Hah! That’s not a bad reason.” Chao Tianjiao returned to her senses and studied Li Qingshan with interest. “Then who’s watching over you?” Right now, the Upraised Light abbot was still unconscious, while he seemed like he was completely fine.
Li Qingshan said proudly, “I’ve always been watching over myself.”
Chao Tianjiao mocked him. “I heard you crawled back.”
The wind and snow that day was intense, but someone still ended up seeing him. Spread by the officers of the Scorching Fire army, he became a laughing stock in the army very soon.
Li Qingshan grinned. “There are also times when I’m not enough.”
Chao Tianjiao was surprised inside. She had always thought he was merely an arrogant ruffian. Even when it came to a regular soldier, they would view something like that as a great disgrace, so she never expected him to admit it so easily. Instead, it made her develop a hint of admiration towards him. If he did not possess lofty aspirations and great willpower, he would not possess such broad-mindedness.
In her knowledge, Li Liehuo did not laugh when he heard about this. Instead, he grew sterner.
It’s a pity that he joined the sect so late, or perhaps he really might be able to contend for the position of first senior brother with us.
Of course, she would never say something like that openly. She said sternly, “Tell me about what you encountered in Cold Blood pass the other day again.”
Eerie affairs always left her slightly uneasy. The internal conflict and grievances were all small matters. The war to hold off the Demon domain was what truly took priority over everything else.
During the endless war across the years, Demon Sovereigns fell frequently, but many Human Sovereigns had died in the process as well. They would not show any mercy just because you were a direct disciple or a first senior sister. They would only be even more vicious and brutal.
“Alright!” Li Qingshan nodded. He also understood the importance of matters. His main enemy was Demon God Qiongqi, not Chao Tianjiao or Li Liehuo. Even if he was not afraid of fighting back against Li Liehuo, it was only because an opportunity had presented itself. He would never waste time setting up some kind of trap. Blindly wallowing in these grievances was a path that led to death.
He furrowed his brows and sank into his thoughts for a while before saying, “The situation was complicated, so it’s difficult to describe. I’ve only just arrived here, so I don’t know what you want to know either. If you trust me enough, then I can show it to you yourself!”
Chao Tianjiao crossed her arms. “Is this a method of Maheśvara?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “It’s not that great. It’s only the method of a demon.”
“Come then.” Chao Tianjiao opened her mind.
Li Qingshan shut his eyes and projected out with his Yin Soul, diving into Chao Tianjiao’s body.
At that moment, the sight before Chao Tianjiao’s eyes changed. Standing beneath Cold Blood pass, the winds whistled as the snow drifted through the air. Even the reeking of blood in the air was sharp to her senses. She could not help but praise him. “Truly impressive!”
Being able to pull her into an illusion so quickly, even when she had opened her mind to him, was quite impressive.
Li Qingshan just stood right by her, but he was half-transparent as if he could disperse at any moment.
After being suppressed by the great buddha, his Yin Soul had suffered severe damage. Even now, it had yet to make a complete recovery, and after losing the image of Maheśvara, his various techniques like the Illusionary Demon Movement Technique had been drastically affected. They had become far weaker.
However, the Heavenly Tome of Liberty had reached a whole new realm. The Yin Demon became even closer to a Yin Soul. He no longer had to worry about losing control. It had become much more “liberal”.
When he made offerings to Maheśvara, that was because he had no other choice. Worshipping gods and buddhas was still a wrong path. Now, he had finally returned to the proper path.
“C’mon, let’s go in and take a look!”
At the same time, the Upraised Light abbot strolled around slowly. The climate was warm as the breeze brushed past his face. A gentle, buddhist glow filled the air. The ground was level, allowing him to see as far as he wanted. There were neither towering mountains nor bottomless chasms.
Black flames that could destroy everything burned on his body, but there was no pain or fear on his face. Instead, he smiled calmly, like he was a wanderer that had finally returned home. His gaze was enchanted and devoted.
Suddenly, like falling flowers, rain descended from above and landed on him. The flames were immediately suppressed before being extinguished very soon.
He immediately knelt down and brought his palms together. He was rather excited. “Is the buddha calling me to enter Sukhāvatī?”
Afterwards, he woke up. Even the hole in his forehead had healed. He came to a slight understanding. He still had not completed his duty yet. He had to continue with it.
“Li Qingshan!”
Compared to converting a myriad common people, he was better off converting just this one person.
