The smile that had lingered on his face the entire time vanished. His face sank slightly. It was only a simple change in expression, but it was like a demon ripping off its disguise. What replaced it was a sense of malice.
The original impression he gave off was gallant and courageous, but that was only a description applied to people. The tiger demon did not have any so-called gallantry, only viciousness and murderousness, grinding its teeth for blood, ready to spring up and feast!
Just like how subjects stood up for their lords when they were offended, several merpeople and elders of the sword pavilion rose to their feet when they saw how the queen and the pavilion master had been provoked, ready to go up and scold Li Qingshan.
Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed and shone with scarlet light, sweeping past their faces.
They were tongue-tied. They were immediately overwhelmed by a feeling of fear as if he was about to lunge at them and kill them on the spot in the next moment. They retreated instinctively, assuming a defensive posture.
The group of people stood up in unison before backing away. Although they immediately snapped back to their senses, they had completely lost the momentum. Their furious words of denouncement were caught in their throats, rendering them silent.
Li Qingshan did not use any abilities, but the tiger demon had already become a part of his blood and soul. Every single gesture and every single expression manifested with the tiger demon.
What heavy malice! Mister Ram shivered inside. Although he had a protective arcane treasure on him, it did not give him a sense of safety at all. He subconsciously glanced at the Myriad Poison Ancestor beside him.
What a ruffian, digging your own grave. Humiliating a group of cultivators from the South sea is nothing, but you’re even bold enough to provoke us? Let alone the fact that we’ve already been speaking with very veiled words, even if we openly try to instigate you against each other, you have to put up with it! If you refuse to put up with it, then you die! Though, perhaps this is an opportunity. He already has a grievance with the Myriad Poison Ancestor for devastating his sect, and now, he has fallen out with the master of the sword pavilion and the Merfolk Queen. Does he really take himself to be superhuman? Should I just give up on the original plan and end his life here instead?
As the head caretaker of the King of Southern Yue’s estate, no matter where he went in the Mist province that spanned hundred thousand kilometers, people treated him with courtesy. Even great cultivators had to be polite with him. He had already forgotten how many years it had been since someone openly mocked him, so he could not help but think of some vicious things to cover up his hint of fear.
He had always been someone who planned everything out before taking action. He never expected Li Qingshan would be so “unintelligent”. He deliberated over how he would respond inside, weighing the costs and benefits and struggling to make a decision for a moment.
“What a crude simpleton!”
Gong Yuan sneered. Since she was a woman, it was impossible for her to not care about her appearance. Li Qingshan had basically hit her right where it hurt when he told her to keep the word “beauty” for herself, which left her very uncomfortable. However, what she found even more unforgivable was her dignity as a king being offended.
Since the dawn of time, the dignity of those in a superior position had always been the most fragile. A single incorrect statement was disrespect and directly using their name was a treacherous conspiracy. They would even make their own names taboo.
“With the rage of a crude simpleton, blood splashes five steps away!” Li Qingshan turned around and looked at the Merfolk Queen from his side, immediately showing off his edge.
A little impatience could spoil great plans. In order to maximise the benefits, forbearance was critical. Compared to the stubbornness of the ox demon and the bloodthirstiness of the tiger demon, the spirit turtle’s calmness and intelligence were the best for pursuing good fortune and avoiding trouble. He understood all of this. However, understanding did not necessarily mean he was willing to stick with it. If life was about calculating everything and only doing what was correct, what was the point of it?
Sometimes, he would refuse to be patient or back down. So what if he was wrong?
“Alright, I’d like to see how you make blood splash five steps away! I’ll show you what’s what! Do you really take yourself to be the King of Savages? Elder Blue, teach him a lesson!”
Gong Yuan immediately became as deep and distant as an abyss. She had always detested and been repulsed by humans. Originally, she had reluctantly accepted Li Qingshan standing on equal footing out of a hint of curiosity, so she was already slightly displeased with him. Now that he had bitten off so much more than he could chew, actually taking himself to be a big deal, this displeasure immediately erupted.
If he were a regular person, then perhaps teaching a lesson was enough, but for a genius like him, he had to be killed as soon as they had developed any ill will.
Elder Blue hesitated. He reached towards Li Qingshan’s shoulder with his huge hand.
Li Qingshan suddenly looked back without any attempt to evade it. “Do you really want to be the second?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
Elder Blue felt his heart tighten. He already knew Li Qingshan’s strength was something else, but he never thought that he could make him feel so pressured when he actually faced him. It made him think of something Li Qingshan had said in the past, “With certain people, they won’t take you seriously unless you walk over them!”
Elder Blue’s huge hands pressed down on Li Qingshan’s shoulders. He smiled. “There’s not enough room here. Damned brat, let’s go outside for our bout!” He secretly communicated to Li Qingshan. “Don’t be so stubborn! This isn’t worth it just for a single statement!”
The two of them had bickered quite a lot, but he did not hate Li Qingshan. Instead, he felt some admiration towards him, or he would have never allowed Li Qingshan to sit on his head all the way until they reached the port. After all, his age of several thousand years was still a thing. The Merfolk Queen was powerful, but in his eyes, she was merely a little girl. He did not believe Li Qingshan deserved to die over a single offensive statement.
“You’re not bad. You can leave!” Li Qingshan glanced at elder Blue deeply and loosened his right fist slightly.
Elder Blue was completely unaware that he had just paid a visit to the edge of death. If he actually listened to Gong Yuan’s orders and tried to teach Li Qingshan a lesson, Li Qingshan no longer planned on holding back. Even if he had a good impression of him, all there was for him to do was kill since he stood on the opposing side. There was some relief, as well as a hint of pity. The tiger demon’s killing intent bubbled away, blazing like fire and making his body heat up. Now this was the feeling he liked the most.
“You-” Elder Blue was secretly worried. He tried dragging Li Qingshan out, but to his great surprise, his mountainous form that stood seven feet tall did not even budge. That’s impossible! His strength actually surpasses mine!
Li Qingshan then said to the cultivators of the South sea, “The people that I didn’t name earlier, you can leave too!”
Perhaps the perfect plans of the spirit turtle did not suit him at all. Wanting to wait until his strength reached a certain level before revealing his identity as Northmoon and challenging the Dragon King of Ink Sea was a little too conservative. Whatever. He decided to stop thinking about it so much. He could practise with these people first. Without any surprise, Xiao An took off her bronze mask and stood beside him quietly.
Hearing what Li Qingshan had said, the people in the hall all shivered inside. What was he trying to do? When regular people spoke rudely and displeased the Merfolk Queen, they would definitely be thinking about how to take to the heels and avoid her wrath, yet he seemed like he was determined to remain here.
Gong Yuan frowned heavily, experiencing a hint of dread for some reason.
“My king, please reconsider!” Yu Wufeng blocked Li Qingshan.
“Apologies, No Wind. Looks like I’m going to be going back on my word!”
Li Qingshan smiled again, but it was utterly different from before. It seemed much more sincere, with joy from the bottom of his heart.
Today, if he casually killed a single elder or disciple of the South Sea Sword pavilion, that was equivalent to developing an irresolvable grievance with Yu Wufeng. He obviously would not cling onto or care about some promise he had issued anymore, such as letting Yu Wufeng go, only for him to undergo the third heavenly tribulation before coming for revenge.
“That’s just a trifle, not worth mentioning. However, those who accomplish great things don’t stick to trifles, so please think of the bigger picture, my king!”
Yu Wufeng tried to persuade Li Qingshan as he cast a glance for help towards Ye Duanhai. What he was worried about the most was not his own safety, but dragging the entire South Sea Sword pavilion into danger because of him.
“Thank you for your guidance, fellow. Your path of the sword is extremely profound and completely different from the sword pavilion’s path of the sword. It has brought me great inspiration and benefits!” The Elder of Cultivation Methods suddenly arrived before Xiao An, overlapping his sleeves and bowing with great respect.
ps: 还有一更，离前三十只差不到二十票啦!
