“Qingshan.”
Ruan Yaozhu murmured. He had become much younger than before, such that he only seemed fifteen or sixteen.
Li Qingshan had rushed back to Black Cloud city before he had completely recovered. He smiled towards her. “Senior sister Ruan, long time no see.”
“Li Qingshan! This kid is Li Qingshan?” Some of them had seen him before. Others had not, but they had all heard of him before.
Li Liehuo said sternly, “Kid, you’re not dead!?”
Li Qingshan dug at his ear before blowing gently. “Even if you die, I’m not going to die.”
“You can… go and die!”
Li Liehuo suddenly vanished from where he was. The violet temper he had repressed for all this time erupted, charging towards Li Qingshan as a ball of fire.
The temperature rapidly rose, and the waves of heat were pressing. The direct disciples all could not help but shield themselves with their powers. They could imagine that even if Li Qingshan survived, he would be heavily injured.
Ruan Yaozhu cried out. She wanted to assist him, but how could she make it in time?
With a bang, Li Qingshan raised his hand and blocked Li Liehuo’s punch. He smiled. “‘First senior brother, you still have such a fiery temper!”
He did not budge. The scorching flames arrived nearby and actually struggled to advance another inch forwards.
All of the direct disciples were tongue-tied. They wondered whether their eyes were fooling them. A measly inner disciple had actually blocked a furious, direct punch from Li Liehuo, and he seemed so composed while doing so, seeming like he had strength to spare.
Li Liehuo suddenly raised his head. His expression changed, and he recalled something. He asked in surprise, “It was you?”
Li Qingshan thought about it. He had probably created too large of a disturbance when he faced the heavenly tribulation, which had reached here, so he just admitted it calmly. “It was me!”
The Scorching Fire hall fell so silent that it was possible to hear a pin drop. The eyes all gathered on Li Qingshan like they were staring at a monster.
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Even Le Tian was dumbfounded. Good gracious. I noticed this kid was extraordinary a long time ago, a genius, but I didn’t expect him to be so genius. Just how long has it been since he faced the fourth heavenly tribulation?
Li Qingshan pried away Li Liehuo’s fist gently, and all Li Liehuo experienced was an irresistibly great force, which left him even more shocked and puzzled. Even if he had undergone the fifth heavenly tribulation, wasn’t his cultivation a little too terrifying?
From the corner of his eye, he saw the burn marks on Li Qingshan’s hand, and only then did he ease up. When he returned to his senses, he found this to be even more absurd. Just recently, his cultivation had been well beyond Li Qingshan’s, yet now, he had to carefully confirm whether he could injure him or not.
Li Qingshan gazed out and asked loudly, “I will lead the Xuanwu army and face the enemy outside the city. Who agrees? Who objects?”
The direct disciples looked at one another. No one answered.
After a moment of hesitation, Ruan Yaozhu raised her hand. “I agree!”
Li Qingshan smiled. “Thanks, senior sister!”
Dai Mengfan’s eyes lit up as well. “I agree as well!’
Le Tian sighed. “Sigh, you really are a dark horse among dark horses. Thank the heavens that I didn’t set up a new gamble. Alright, count me in!”
Before long, almost half of the direct disciples expressed their agreement, not because they were particularly confident in Li Qingshan, but because they truly had no other choice right now. Now that they saw a sliver of hope and there was no need for them to risk their lives, there was no reason for them to not agree.
Li Liehuo furrowed his brows and asked, “Are you really not a spy from the Demon domain?”
Li Qingshan smiled. “The first senior brother’s head hasn’t rusted over, has it? If I were a spy from the Demon domain, the Formation of Black Clouds and Roaring Thunder would have fallen already. If I then cooperated with the large-scale attack from the demonfolk, all of you could forget about leaving here alive. Of course, apart from senior sister Ruan.”
This time, everyone’s expressions changed. They were mighty direct disciples, yet they were actually nothing in his eyes. Even Li Liehuo was not that haughty.
Ruan Yaozhu reddened. “If you were a spy from the Demon domain, I’d definitely hate you to death!”
Li Qingshan laughed aloud. He seemed like a young man, but the heartiness he gave off swept away the gloomy and pessimistic atmosphere in the Scorching Fire hall.
Li Liehuo sank into his thoughts, no longer paying any heed to Li Qingshan’s insults. The issue right now was whether he was willing to enter the battlefield together with this kid. That was essentially entrusting his life to him.
Strangely enough, he clearly resented Li Qingshan, but it gave him confidence for some reason. He found this bastard more reliable than all of the direct disciples behind him.
He was not one to dilly-dally. He immediately made up his mind. “Li Qingshan, I am temporarily appointing you as the captain of the Xuanwu army. Gather the troops quickly. At latest, we will be leaving the city to face the demonfolk tomorrow!”
Li Qingshan glanced at Li Liehuo, also finding his open-mindedness rather admirable. Only by setting aside their past grievances could they pull together as a team. He cupped his fist. “Yes, sir!”
He turned around to leave. Like wind and lightning, he left as swiftly as he came. Even the heat in the air had yet to completely disperse, and Ruan Yaozhu was still red.
Li Liehuo turned around. He did not shut the door, nor did he take his seat again. “We’ll need your efforts as well for tomorrow’s battle. Dai Mengfan, I have orders for you!”
Orders were issued one by one. He had always been the greatest among the direct disciples, and he undertook the most dangerous responsibility too, so who could still refute him?
After arranging missions for all of the direct disciples, he added, “If anyone dares to retreat in cowardice, do not blame my military law for being ruthless!”
However, when they truly faced death, the others might not necessarily be willing to die in battle apart from a handful of direct disciples like Wan Jianfeng and Ruan Yaozhu. No matter how important the world was, nothing was more important than their own lives.
At this moment, there was a great rumble, and the entire city rocked. Even the boulders from the catapults did not create such a large disturbance.
Hu Zhigang rushed in urgently. “C- captain, L- Li Qingshan has destroyed the teleportation hall!”
“What!?”
There was an uproar in the hall. They all rushed over to the window, only to see the place where the teleportation hall originally stood had already been reduced to ruins. A great cloud of dust rose up slowly.
“Who gave him the courage!? Don’t tell me he’s actually a spy from the Demon domain, wanting to kill us in one fell swoop? We need to capture him immediately!”
The teleportation formation leading to the Myriad sect was their most important path of retreat. It guaranteed that no matter how horrible the situation became, the direct disciples as well as the high-ranking officers could quickly retreat to the Myriad sect.
The master of military provisions, Ge Xing, lowered his head with a wry smile. Only he’s bold enough to do something like that. He truly fears nothing. Thankfully, I didn’t completely offend him back then, showing him some basic respect.
Li Liehuo smiled undetectably. He waved his hand. “Say nothing more! That was my order!”
“Senior brother?” Hu Zhigang raised his head in surprise. When he saw Li Liehuo’s expression, he suddenly understood. “I am willing to go through life and death with senior brother!”
Li Liehuo patted him on the shoulder. “Alright. Gather the officers immediately, no, the entire army!”
Basically the entire mountain had been hollowed out, divided into different regions. They only maintained the structural supports and the natural fortifications the mountain provided them with before reinforcing it with thousand-year iron birch. It was more than enough to hide even an army of a million strong.
Thump! Thump thump! Thump thump thump thump!
The war drums rang out thunderously. The officers and soldiers of the Xuanwu army had all been summoned from the various caverns.
On the large drilling grounds that spanned several thousand metres across, people clustered together and gazed towards a platform. A person stood with his back towards them, wielding a pair of drumsticks and striking a large drum violently, shaking up everyone’s hearts.
Suddenly, the drums halted, and the echoes lingered.
Li Qingshan turned around slowly. “I am Li Qingshan.”
