Yin Qing was alarmed, arriving in the desert with a few flashes.
Standing on a sand dune, all she saw was a tall, thin figure in the centre of the desert, standing there without budging at all. He leaned on his blade with both hands to support himself while he rested his head on the hilt. His thin, scarlet hair drifted in the air, obscuring his appearance.
He was covered in wounds, such that basically none of his skin remained intact. It exposed his thick, sturdy bones, which shone with a metallic lustre. He seemed so feeble as if there was not even a single hint of life left.
Had he succeeded?
Yin Qing was uncertain. She slowed down and arrived beside him carefully. She extended a hand, wanting to touch him, but she hesitated and pulled it back again. She was worried he would turn into a pile of dust from the slightest touch.
The wind blew over, lifting some of the crystalline sand into the air. The thin, messy hair drifted in the wind, and a speck of scarlet light suddenly lit up within. That was a scarlet-red eye, as beautiful as a ruby, staring straight at Yin Qing.
His gaze was incredibly calm, without even a hint of emotion.
However, it made Yin Qing grow numb. Her heart trembled like it had been electrocuted. She was stunned there, becoming immobilised.
After making out that it was her, the scarlet eye blinked and became quite friendly.
Yin Qing felt like she had just jerked awake from a nightmare, but she still took a step back instinctively. “My king?”
It was not that she could not recognise Li Qingshan, but his changes left her far too astounded.
In the past, he had been extremely powerful, far greater than any regular Asura Commander. He would demonstrate a startling aura from time to time too, but he had never possessed this bearing that could stun people simply by standing there. Even the Asura Kings she had seen in the past did not possess that.
His powerful aura was completely withdrawn and melded into his body. He did not give off any direct pressure, but that only added to his depth. His vitality was recovering, like some new sprouts in a fire-razed savannah. It was extremely weak, but it represented new life.
“Greetings, my king!” Yin Qing dropped down on one knee and lowered her head.
“I’m still alive!” Li Qingshan said hoarsely as if he was talking to himself, yet also like he was sighing to Yin Qing.
The might of the third heavenly tribulation far exceeded his imaginations. Towards the end, the warnings from the spirit turtle basically said, Stop struggling. You’re dead for sure!
After all, he definitely was not in prime condition after going through three months of continuous battle. He had been forced to undergo the tribulation against his will, so it was actually extremely difficult, even dangerous.
However, he still ended up lasting through it.
“Yeah!” Yin Qing nodded heavily.
“Very good.”
Hearty laughter rang out from within the messy, scarlet hair. The laughter became louder and louder with a metallic resonance. The great wind picked up, drifting through the desert.
With a clang, he drew his blade and pointed it at the sky. He staggered before gaining his footing and thought, I’m one step closer, beyond the Nine Heavens!
The blood-red swirl spun away, gazing at him deeply like an eye.
……
In the deep demon cavern.
“This is an Asura Field! What, has Li Qingshan abandoned you and fled, Gong Yuan?” The Bone Eating Shaman King gripped the Asura Field and stared at Gong Yuan viciously. She had never expected all of her efforts to still go to waste in the end.
As a king, he was highly knowledgeable. Asura Fields were existences akin to demon caverns. They could connect with the Asura realm. Now that the shattered space had recovered, Li Qingshan must have fled from here already. No matter how powerful they were, it was impossible for them to enter the Asura realm in pursuit, or it would be horrendous once they were sucked into the eternal battle of blood.
Gong Yuan was bound by black thorns. Her beautiful, silken dress was stained with blood. She spread her slender arms, like a butterfly trapped in a spider web, possessing a brutal sense of beauty about her. Even her blue eyes struggled to focus on the enemy.
The Bone Eating Shaman King’s voice seemed to ring out from an extremely distant location. It took her all of her efforts to control her tongue and mouth, saying gently, “Don’t worry, he’ll return.”
It was exactly because she believed in this so much that she did not choose to perish with them, instead holding them off for a little longer for his sake, hoping he could overcome the heavenly tribulation safely. However, as she was facing seven Demon Kings, that also meant she lost the ability to make that choice forever, which would lead to a fate even worse than death.
Apart from the thorns around her, there was a purplish-black existence that resembled a brain above her head, which had a terrifying, distorted face on it. That was the Meditative Brain King’s demonified form. He constantly used his powers to influence her mind. The other Demon Kings had also surrounded her, all poised with various techniques and abilities ready to be unleashed, which would be enough to make her beg for death.
“You fool. You’ve been deceived. He tricked you out of the South sea into this mess before tricking you here to die in his place. What an idiot!”
The Bone Eating Shaman King had failed Qiongqi’s mission, which left feeling rather frightened within his anger, so he was in an especially bad mood. He did not even spend time trying to forcefully breach or refine the Asura Field. Given the situation, everyone would choose to flee, so it would be too late even if he opened it up.
The other Demon Kings in the surroundings all took pleasure in his misfortune. They failed the task even after going so far. After all, there were no Demon Gods known for possessing a good temper.
“You’re wrong,” Gong Yuan said gently.
“I’m wrong!? Oh, I think I recall it now. Your younger sister was a fool just like you, having been lured to Fire Melt mountain by the fire devourers and tortured to death by burning. The two of you sure form a great pair of sisters. You’re even foolish in the exact same way. Though, I don’t like to play with fire. I only like to eat meat. The taste of merfolk flesh is delicious. I’ve always taken a liking to it, though I’ve yet to taste the flesh of a Merfolk Queen!”
The Bone Eating Shaman King extended his crimson tongue and licked his lips, smiling viciously. “You will live for a very, very long time. I’ll slice off your flesh piece by piece and enjoy it slowly. How’s that? It’ll be a perfect match for the way your sister died!”
“Heh, then do you know what ended up happening to Fire Melt mountain?”
Gong Yuan was calm. He was such a horrendous person, but she neither regretted leaving the South sea to face these dangers with him, nor did she resent him for her current situation.
Suddenly, she understood how her younger sister felt back then. She could not help but smile. They were both holding onto hope.
“How dare you still…” The Bone Eating Shaman King became furious.
“He will return. It might not be now and instead be in the future, but he’ll find you one by one and give you payback for today.” Gong Yuan’s eyes suddenly focused, staring coldly at the Bone Eating Shaman King before her. However, she smiled inside. He was very vengeful after all!
“I’ll eat your mouth first!” The Bone Eating Shaman King shivered inside and became even more angered. Suddenly, he opened his huge, gaping mouth, revealing his sharp teeth and biting towards Gong Yuan.
Gong Yuan shut her eyes. The foul breath filled her face, but the Bone Eating Shaman King’s howl rang out beside her ears!
A blood-red blade rushed out of the Asura Field, plunging into the Bone Eating Shaman King’s head from below. With a twist, the head was ripped to pieces, and the howl halted.
Li Qingshan climbed out of the Asura Field and said rather tiredly, “This woman’s lips belong to me!”
ps: 第二更奉上!
