After a series of clashes, he had finally gained the upper hand. Li Qingshan was tempted to laugh aloud. Although Mo Yu had dominated the first part of the battle in the painting, his daemon qi was not endless. He had used numerous innate abilities at full strength before Li Qingshan heavily injured him a few times. It had actually taken a very big toll on him.
As for Li Qingshan, he exhibited startling endurance. As time went on, Mo Yu gradually weakened instead. Li Qingshan landed three slashes on him, defeating him. Mo Yu wanted to escape now, except how could he get away so easily?
Li Qingshan gripped the scroll firmly. Even if the Dragon King of Ink Sea was here, he could forget about prying it from his hands in a single piece. The painting did indeed possess wondrous powers, but it paled in comparison to some arcane artifacts forged from metal in terms of toughness. It definitely could not withstand the full-powered tugging of two Daemon Commanders.
“You- Northmoon- what are you trying to do?”
In that moment, fury filled Mo Yu’s face, but he immediately recovered his expressionless face of a corpse. Northmoon had the upper hand right now, but he did not strike immediately, so he was clearly planning something else.
“Why don’t you let go first, and we can talk slowly?”
Li Qingshan had noticed a long time ago that the painting was extremely important to Mo Yu. Otherwise, he would have directly teleported away after leaving the painting. It would take Li Qingshan quite some time before he could break free, and by then, Mo Yu would have been long gone already. He would not be able to chase him down. However, Mo Yu went as far as to release him just to take the scroll away with him.
The reason why he was in no hurry to strike was obviously to maximise his benefits and minimise the conflict. If Mo Yu really came from the painting, then it was highly likely that as long as he refined the painting, he would be able to control him. If he possessed a hostage like him, then even the Dragon King of Ink Sea would have some second thoughts about taking action against him.
Mo Yu’s behaviour made him even more certain about his theory.
“What are your conditions? You can ask away, but don’t even dream about this painting!” Mo Yu said firmly.
The painting was the very core of his existence. Although he was self-conscious and had turned into a daemon that could cultivate, he was still unable to break free from this relationship. From a certain perspective, he was a so-called artifact spirit. If Northmoon refined him, the only fate awaiting him was being reduced to a servant.
“You don’t seem to understand just who should be talking right now.”
Li Qingshan suddenly pulled back, and the scroll became taut. He continued to smile, but his scarlet eyes flashed with cold light. He glanced at Mo Yu’s hand that gripped the scroll. His hand that was originally pale had now become black, virtually merging with the scroll. If it were not for that, Li Qingshan would be considering a sneak attack right now.
“If you destroy the painting, then you’ll become a bitter enemy of the Ink sea, well beyond reconciliation. The Green province, no, the nine provinces, will no longer have a single place that can shelter you.”
“Are you saying that if I let you go today, we can still resolve our grievances peacefully and become a pair of good friends?”
Li Qingshan sneered. A threat like that only made Mo Yu’s bravado even more evident. If he did not subdue or kill Mo Yu today, was he supposed to wait until Mo Yu underwent the third heavenly tribulation and became a Daemon King before seeking revenge again?
Mo Yu gazed at the sky. He let out a long sigh. “Forget about it!”
Li Qingshan smiled. He’s finally giving in! However, he saw Mo Yu’s expression harden. With a great tug, there was a rip, and the scroll split into two pieces down the middle. Mo Yu would actually rather destroy it than hand it over to Li Qingshan.
Light poured out from the rip, forming a white cluster of fluid. It fluctuated in shape as it tried to envelop Li Qingshan. This was the wondrous world that existed in the painting. Before it completely dispersed, Mo Yu had turned it into a final counterattack. If he were drawn in, even Li Qingshan would definitely suffer heavy injuries.
However, Li Qingshan was constantly on guard, so how could he fall for that? He pulled back immediately, and the white fluid dispersed very quickly, merging with the space there. When he looked at Mo Yu, he had already dove into a black swirl with half of the scroll and vanished, completely severing the possibility of Li Qingshan repairing the painting.
“He sure does have some resolve, but with everything that has happened already, does he really think he can still leave?”
Li Qingshan praised him before becoming stern. He flapped his wings and rushed into the air. As the world spun around him, pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell scattered.
Li Qingshan shut his eyes before opening them again. “The south west! The Profound Light Illuminates All!”
With a wave of his hand, all of the shell pieces stacked together, extending off in the south west direction. Sure enough, he discovered Mo Yu several hundred kilometers away. He never thought he would flee in the opposite direction of the Ink sea. He sure had his wits about him.
Li Qingshan turned into a streak of scarlet light and whistled off in the south west direction like a meteor.
The moment Mo Yu completed his teleportation, black blood spurted out of his mouth violently. Ripping apart the painting had already caused him heavy wounds he could not heal right now. Suddenly, he shivered inside and gazed back. There seemed to be a scarlet eye several hundred kilometers away, staring straight at him. He forcefully controlled his injuries and immediately carried out a second teleportation, changing directions once again.
“Has he gone to the north now? The Profound Light Illuminates All!”
Mo Yu teleported three times in a row, constantly changing direction, but the feeling of being spied on followed him like a shadow. It was like a sword hanging over his head, ready to fall at any time.
And, the distance he teleported became smaller with each time. When he carried out a final teleportation after much difficulty, he only shifted several dozen kilometers away, but he was still unable to escape from the surveillance. He knew this distance to Northmoon was merely the matter of a sprint.
Mo Yu was already completely worn out, and his wounds violently acted up. The wounds left by the Three Absolutes Calligraphy had closed up after great difficulty, but they had ruptured again now, oozing with black blood.
A while later, a scarlet streak of light leapt out from the horizon, gliding over swiftly. Mo Yu knew he had no chance at escaping, so he simply stood there, calmly watching the scarlet light draw closer. “Northmoon, you’ve gone too far!”
Li Qingshan exhaled. His breath expanded along the way, turning into a whistling tornado that swept towards Mo Yu.
If I tear you to shreds, can you still recover from that?
……
In the pavilion, Si Bao saw them vanish and was about to chase after Northmoon’s scarlet light when a hand pressed down on her shoulder. Si Bao looked back in confusion. “Big sis!”
“It’s time for us to go back.”
“Aren’t we going to see the outcome?”
“Life and death has already been determined!”
Gu Yanying shook her head sternly. She hoped very much that Mo Yu could agree to Li Qingshan’s conditions. That way, there would still be leeway. She could ask the Dragon King of Ink Sea to step forward, pay a price, engage in negotiations, and so on…
However, she understood that Mo Yu would not accept it. She could try and persuade Li Qingshan to spare Mo Yu, but he would not agree to it either.
She had heard plenty of ostentatious things like “it’s for your sake” before, but she understood how many people detested such things, posing around, predicting people’s futures, and saying so-and-so would happen if they did not listen to them! Even if that really was the case, how many people could accept something like that wholeheartedly?
She knew it was useless, but she still ended up saying it, and it still ended up being useless. There was nothing worse than watching something horrible happen while being powerless to stop it. From today onwards, the cultivation community would lose another two of her acquaintances!
Mo Yu let out a miserable cry and turned into a black crow, circling around the beam of wind and flying towards Li Qingshan. He dripped with ink.
Faced with the final struggle, Li Qingshan’s face hardened. He silently raised his fist, prepared to send his opponent off on his final journey. Suddenly, he twisted around and punched backwards.
The crow vanished and turned into Mo Yu again, who appeared right behind him.
Against this lethal punch, Mo Yu spread his arms, completely fearless. He did not even show a hint of surprise. His lips curled slightly, and they opened and closed soundlessly.
You will die!
Li Qingshan’s heart sank. The moment the punch came in contact with Mo Yu’s body, he turned into a clump of pitch-black ink and exploded loudly.
He had blown up his daemon core to take him down with him!
The might was ten times greater than any Golden Core cultivator blowing up their golden core Li Qingshan had ever seen. The ink seemed to dye the sky black. The black ball filled with the power of death swelled to the limit, like a black sun had appeared in the sky.
Within a range of several dozen kilometers, all of the vegetation withered away and all humans and animals perished.
Li Qingshan had already been expecting this, so he had taken precautions. The moment Mo Yu blew up his daemon core, pieces of the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell flew out and formed a firm sphere. After reaching Daemon Commander, the defences of the most basic ability of the spirit turtle, the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, had become even greater.
The black sun swallowed it silently. Immediately, cracks appeared on the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell, already on the brink of collapse. It only lasted for a moment before shattering loudly. The darkness swallowed Li Qingshan. The power of death faced off against his flames of life one last time, invading and attacking it.
This was not because the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell was not powerful enough. Instead, having fought until now, Li Qingshan had constantly used his innate abilities and constantly predicted Mo Yu’s movements. Both his mind and daemon qi had taken an extremely great toll.
The black sun slowly shrunk, disappearing in the end.
Li Qingshan looked at the crescent moon and the sky full of stars. He exhaled deeply and smiled. “Mo Yu, I just didn’t die in the end!”
The moment that the Spirit Turtle’s Profound Shell lasted for had blocked most of the damage, and fortunately, this explosive power had no guidance, only expanding off in all directions disorderly. Otherwise, he really would be in danger.
After going through great difficulties, he had killed his enemy. That was as satisfying as it could get!
But now was the time to run!
……
Over five thousand kilometers away, before the life lamp had been extinguished, a pair of dragon eyes opened again. The Ink sea began to surge.
In the Ink sea, the dragon king roared.
In South Hub city, the lord of the Green province, the Fierce King of Chu, stood on the top of the city walls, gazing far into the depths of the Ink sea. His soul sense reached hundreds of kilometers away. All he saw was an ink dragon rise up into the air, coiling about and soaring through the sky like a colossal pillar that upheld the sky, crossing the distance between the sky and the sea. The Ink sea roared, wanting to follow along.
“Fellow Ink Dragon, what’s happened?” the Fierce King of Chu asked loudly.
The Dragon King of Ink Sea did not answer him. He flew over South Hub city, travelling directly for a place over five thousand kilometers away in the south west direction.
……
All of Li Qingshan’s hairs stood on end. He experienced terror he had never experienced before. There were clearly no enemies within the range of his senses, but the feeling of danger was like a sword swinging towards his neck. Only a millimeter remained before his head hit the ground.
He composed himself and took precautions with the spirit turtle, just in case divination locked onto his position. In the end, he erased his aura.
However, something went wrong when he reached this step. During the explosion earlier, he had been covered in ink. Upon closer inspection, the ink did not simply stick to his skin; instead, it even reached as deep as his bones. Even his daemon core had been enveloped in an aura of death.
It was unable to harm him, but he was unable to clean it all away quickly either. If he had guessed correctly, the Dragon King of Ink Sea and Mo Yu shared the same origins, so the splotches of ink were as prominent as a lantern in the dark. Even if he hid his aura, it would be completely useless.
“Is this Mo Yu’s final Death Bringer Curse? Hehe, those in the past were all a joke. Now this is a fucking Death Bringer Curse. I gotta say, nicely done!”
Li Qingshan praised as he flapped his wings, throwing himself into the atmospheric winds.
