It became quieter and quieter on the surface in Changdao.
The currency war had reached everywhere in East Island, and everyone seemed to be focused on this abrupt war. This war with no gunpowder or blood covered up all the killing and chaos, the remaining of which was washed away in the continuous rain in Changdao.
It was a mess in East Island.
It was dead silent in Changdao.
The noise of all the superpowers entering Changdao had quieted down. All the power groups were hiding and waiting in silence, waiting for the right moment to ignite the final battle.
East Island had the home court advantage and could ignite the final battle at any time. But the dark power groups that were entering Changdao right now were uneasy to mess with, either. As long as they had a chance, every power group was capable to start the battle.
The elites of the Fire-flaming Realm.
The superiors of the Thunder-shocking Realm.
Half-step Invincible Realm, or even Invincible Realm experts.
And the famous murderous weapons in the Dark World were around here. As time passed, Changdao, which seemed peaceful on the surface, was actually getting more and more dangerous.
It was like a bomb whose lead wire had been ignited and could explode in the next second or the next minute.
Li Tianlan was waiting.
He couldn’t control the general trend. He had no choice but to wait and observe.
But it actually wasn’t boring while he waited and observed.
In the last period of free time when the general trend seemed to be far away but was yet very close, Li Tianlan suddenly realized that there were actually a lot of things that he could do.
Too many perhaps.
But the most important thing right now was to improve the strength.
It was already in the middle of July, and Li Tianlan, who had too much vitality to waste, had already fully recovered. It wasn’t exactly a blessing from the misfortune, but his strength had indeed improved a lot. In the battle of Zhongjing, under the pressure of Heavenly Calamity’s death threat, Li Tianlan got into a kind of unprecedented madness. Coincidentally, his strength had broken through another level.
And it was a double breakthrough.
His actual realm had gotten into the stabilization phase of the Ice-condensing Realm. In the sustainable range of medicine effect, his realm had reached the stabilization phase of the Fire-flaming Realm.
He took another step forward after fulfilling the Qi-controlling Realm, especially Shadow Formula, in which he basically achieved the third shadow. In these days, he had to spend a lot of time meditating every year, in order to adapt to the strange yet familiar strength and study his own unique techniques.
The 24 Moves of Sword and Night Walking written in the Map of God of War, the Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words, Desperate Chase, and even the two unique techniques from the Wang family of Beihai.
Li Tianlan had too many unique techniques right now, plus his Qi-controlling Realm had gotten beyond fulfillment. How to combine these strange unique techniques and his realm together and turned them into his own strength had become the top priority of Li Tianlan.
Not only in East Island, since some time ago, till his last breath, the more his strength improved, the higher his chance of survival.
Survival!
The grievances, the general trend, the past, Li Tianlan had left these farther and farther behind; only survival had become more and more important to him. It even took the most important position in his heart.
There was unprecedented pressure in his heart. Almost instinctively, Li Tianlan desired to be stronger and more powerful in every way possible. He didn’t know why; it was just a feeling.
This feeling was called fear.
It wasn’t the fear for his exposed identity, but a subtle, seemingly clear but also very vague instinct.
Li Tianlan didn’t know what was he scared of, and he couldn’t even tell when exactly did he start to feel this way. But as the general trend approached further and further, the storm got more violent and ferocious, and this feeling inside his heart got stronger and stronger.
It was another deep, dark night.
In the booming sound of the wind and rain, Li Tianlan slowly opened his eyes from the deep meditation, and his eyes looked serious and peaceful.
There was dim light in the room with luxury decoration, and he could see everything in the room with a glance. Then, he laid his eyes on the figure that was clear and pretty like ice in front of him.
There was a bamboo rattan chair in the room. Dongcheng Rushi quietly sat on it with her head down. She was playing with Li Tianlan’s Human Emperor with interest. Her dark hair fell down like a waterfall and casually covered half of her face. The girl’s face had a beautiful outline, her eyes were crystal clear, and her every move was exquisite like she was in a painting.
“Rushi?”
Li Tianlan called her name tentatively.
Dongcheng Rushi woke up about a week ago, then naturally, she started to live in this villa. Her room was right next to Li Tianlan’s. In normal days, apart from resting, she spent most of her time hanging out with Li Tianlan.
With Li Tianlan, she was this girl with no edge or arrogance. She just followed Li Tianlan around in silence, rarely talked but would always answer him. She was with him when he meditated, when he ate and when he met with the guests.
This kind of relationship that was maintained only by their engagement was subtle and weird, but maybe it was because of Dongcheng Ruishi’s silence, Li Tianlan didn’t really feel very embarrassed. So in these days, they weren’t exactly all up on each other, but they kinda looked like a couple who were always together.
In the very beginning, Li Tianlan had told Dongcheng Rushi once that she should be doing her own things. Because it seemed natural for them to be together, but it might look strange to others. Even Dongcheng Rushi herself wasn’t exactly sure that she was deep in love with him. She was trying her best to maintain her role as his fiancée and to do what a fiancée should do.
Li Tianlan still couldn’t imagine what did being his fiancée mean to Dongcheng Rushi, but before he figured out the relationship between him and Dongcheng Rushi, this kind of intimacy, or this kind of seeming intimacy, kinda made no sense to them. So Li Tianlan thought it would be appropriate for them to be apart and leave each other some space.
Dongcheng Rushi didn’t say anything about it, just stared at Li Tianlan with her big doe eyes, then nodded and left.
But in less than five minutes, she appeared in front of Li Tianlan again.
It was Dongcheng Yueshen.
Dongcheng Yueshen was a lot colder, harsher and more arrogant than Dongcheng Rushi.
From then on, Li Tianlan didn’t say anything about their relationship anymore. He just let her follow him around. It had been like this for some time. It was not long, but in a sense, he found out that he had gotten used to her following him around.
“Ah.”
Dongcheng Rushi answered, then lifted up her head subconsciously, and said in a serious tone, “It had been a long time since the last time you talked to me.”
“I was meditating.”
Li Tianlan laughed and then checked the time. He had been meditating for six hours now. It was almost twelve at midnight.
“I know that.”
Dongcheng Rushi nodded and continued to play with the Human Emperor in her hands. She could manage to lift up the Human Emperor, which weighed about 50 kilograms. But it took some efforts to play with it. After a while, her hands felt sore.
“Are you tired?”
Li Tianlan took the Human Emperor from Dongcheng Rushi, looked at her and asked.
Soft light, pretty girl, silver edges.
When he regained his composure from the meditation and started to feel the world clearly, that same feeling started to surge inside his heart again.
“I’m alright. Want something to eat?”
Dongcheng Rushi shook her head. Compared to Li Tianlan, even Li Baitian and the others, Dongcheng Rushi had the shortest meditation time. She didn’t even need the meditation. Her second personality, which was Dongcheng Yueshen, was so weird that she appeared in such a powerful and intense form, and was even more independent and self-conscious than her original personality. In this situation, when the original personality was fighting or resting, the second personality had sufficient time to meditate.
And all of Dongcheng Rushi’s Martial Arts were gained from Jade Pool, but the core was in the Silence Sword. The sword intent in the Silence Sword was Dongcheng Rushi’s Martial Arts. When the others were still struggling in the Four Realms of Martial Arts, trying their best to break through, all Dongcheng Rushi had to do was to learn and feel the sword intent in the Silence Sword.
To put it simply, everyone else including Li Tianlan was learning the unique techniques while improving their realms.
And Dongcheng Rushi just had to learn the unique technique through the Silence Sword, and her realm would be improved automatically.
The Sword Move of the Flying Fairy from Outer Space.
The Invincible Myriad Sword.
These were all of Dongcheng Rushi’s Martial Arts. When the sword intent of these two moves reached the peak and got combined with Silence, Dongcheng Rushi could get into the Invincible Realm.
The greatest truths were the simplest.
This could be considered a short cut, and the key of Dongcheng Rushi entering the peak of the Fire-flaming Realm at the age of nineteen.
This was a rare method, but it could be found in the world. The similar path of learning the unique technique also existed in the Li family. The most important thing about this path was a suitable carrier. The carrier of Jade Pool was the sword intent in the Silence Sword, and the carrier in the Li family was the unique technique.
If Li Tianlan just wanted to enter the Invincible Realm, he didn’t need to learn the whole 24 Moves of Sword; he just had to learn the Fifteenth Blade of Samsara, then he would have the chance to get into the Invincible Realm. This was a short cut, but it was still very difficult. Even if one could make it, the upper limit was too low for Li Tianlan anyway.
The reason why Dongcheng Rushi chose this path, apart from the fact that she was a girl, was that she and the Silence Sword got along with each other perfectly.
Thinking about What Dongcheng Yueshen said, Li Tianlan took a deep look at Dongcheng Rushi and felt complicated inside.
“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”
He shook his head and said softly. The pressure and fear followed him everywhere all the time, and he could feel them getting stronger and clearer. Right now Li Tianlan didn’t have the energy to think about anything else. After the meditation, he planned to continue to study Tribulation’s Buddhist Incantation of Nine Words. He had to stay up tonight.
“You’re in a bad mood.”
Dongcheng Rushi stood in front of Li Tianlan and said blandly. It was an affirmative sentence instead of a question.
Under the soft light, she stared at Li Tianlan quietly with her clear eyes, which was clean from all the impurity and dust in the outside world.
That was a kind of serene power.
In many years in the past, was she exactly like she was right now, staying on the peak of Tian Shan, growing and blooming in such a delicate and peaceful way?
Was she lonely? Was she in pain? Was she upset?
Dongcheng Rushi, Dongcheng Yueshen.
Behind the out-of-the-world serenity, what kind of power was surging inside her body?
Li Tianlan put on a mild, bitter smile. At least at this moment, in front of Dongcheng Rushi, he had let all his guard down.
“I’m scared.”
He looked at Dongcheng Rushi’s eyes and said in the most honest way.
“Of what?”
Dongcheng Rushi looked at Li Tianlan with confusion.
But she only got his silence for an answer.
Li Tianlan was thinking seriously. He didn’t even know what was he so scared of. It was just a vague feeling that was getting clearer and clearer, or it was like an instinct. It seemed that…
Lose.
“Losing?”
Li Tianlan mumbled to himself, then said softly, “I’m scared of losing?”
Dongcheng Rushi stared at Li Tianlan quietly. She was tall, so she could look Li Tianlan in the eye without lifting up her head.
At this moment, Li Tianlan said he was scared, but there wasn’t any fear or flinching in his eyes.
All Dongcheng Rushi could see were determination and the subtle but powerful madness behind the determination.
Her clear eyes were surging slightly, like the spreading ripples.
In silence, Dongcheng Rushi reached out and grabbed Li Tianlan’s palm and said in her crisp and clear voice, “Don’t be scared, I’ll be there for you.”
Li Tianlan felt warm inside. Before he could say anything, Dongcheng Rushi continued and said, “The whole Dongcheng Clan will be there for you. When you were meditating, my grandpa called and told me that the problem in East Island will be solved very soon. At least it will end with something. By then he’ll bring us back to Zhongyuan and celebrate the birthday with us.”
Li Tianlan twitched the corner of his mouth. He tried to say something but failed.
He was well aware what did the invitation from the Dongcheng Clan mean right now. When his identity was exposed, when he had turned Kunlun City, the Wang family of Beihai and many others into his enemies, the Dongcheng Clan’s gesture meant that they were on his side.
And they didn’t try to hide their full support for him at all!
Li Tianlan had been careful with the kindness the Dongcheng Clan showed to him and their possible hostility. But now the Dongcheng Clan had chosen to be against Kunlun City, so now he let go of all his doubts.
Li Tianlan felt thrilled inside, took a deep breath, and said, “Please thank him for me.”
He still had some worries, but he knew very well that he couldn’t say no to their help; he wasn’t qualified to say no.
“You’re welcome.”
Dongcheng Rushi still said in a bland tone, but her eyes slightly lit up. “Grandpa said we could save a cake when we celebrate together.”
“Yeah…”
She nodded, made a gesture, and said, “This time I want a big cake.”
Li Tianlan seemed to zone out a bit. He finally realized something was wrong, then he asked subconsciously, “Save a cake?”
“Yeah.”
Dongcheng Rushi said softly, “We share the same birthday. The same day, same month and same year.”
Li Tianlan froze.
They were born on the same day, same month and same year.
This sentence was a breeze blowing into Li Tianlan’s heart. At that moment, he could feel their fate right there among them.
Dongcheng Rushi led Li Tianlan to the bed and sat on it. Then she asked softly, “Why would you be scared?”
“To be exact, it’s a sense of urgency.”
Li Tianlan shook his head. “I have a feeling that something is about to happen. If I don’t have enough strength, I might lose something.”
“Since when did you start feeling this way?”
Dongcheng Rushi seemed to let out a soft laugh. “Could it be your instinct? Your prediction?”
Li Tianlan was also laughing but in a bitter way.
Countless images seemed to rush into his head at the same time.
Since when?
Since the moment he saw Gongsun Qi? Or, since the moment he and Saint faced the murderous weapon?
Or since the moment Duke handed him the name list?
The memories kept surging in his head, and all kinds of images appeared in his head. They kept churning and surging, passed through the storm in East Island and Sky Academy, and finally stopped in the strange yet hasty crowd.
All the images suddenly disappeared.
There was only a pair of calm and cold eyes in front of Li Tianlan.
They were perfect and flawless like fantasies.
Li Tianlan’s face looked ashen. He stood up abruptly.
Those dream-like eyes were getting clearer and clearer, and the fear inside his heart had reached the extreme instantly.
Till that moment, he suddenly realized that it had been a long time since he heard any news from Qin Weibai.
Li Tianlan took out his phone with his shaky hands and dialed Qin Weibai’s phone number immediately.
No one answered.
Li Tianlan didn’t give up and initiated a video chat.
No response again.
Li Tianlan’s ashen face started to get pale. In the past few days, because Saint, Duke, Horsewoman, some Super Masters of the Fire-flaming Realm, were with him, he instinctively thought that Qin Weibai would be safe in Zhongzhou State. Till this moment he had realized that it was strange that they hadn’t contacted each other for many days.
How was Qin Weibai right now?
Li Tianlan’s ashen face started to get pale. He held his phone and sent a voice message word by word. “Answer my call, right now!”
The phone was still silent.
Li Tianlan struggled to wait for five minutes.
The atmosphere in the room started to get depressing and mad.
Just when he was about to get up and find Duke, the long-lost ringtone of video chat finally rang out.
Li Tianlan was instantly relieved and accepted the video chat without hesitation.
The exquisite face that he seemed to miss every day and night but also seemed to ignore for a long time appeared in front of him on his phone.
Qin Weibai was wearing a white bathrobe and wiping her hair with a towel with her head tilted.
“I was taking a shower.”
She said softly, “Your tone sounds wrong. Are you mad at me?”
“No.”
The upset in Li Tianlan’s heart suddenly disappeared, along with his fear. There was only peace left.
He scratched his head and said softly, “I just miss you.”
Qin Weibai’s exquisite red lips opened slightly, and her eyes were bright, radiating a kind of breathtaking charm.
“Same here.”
She said in an affectionate tone, “Miss you a lot.”
Li Tianlan let out a goofy laugh and said, “Where are you now? Why haven’t you contacted me for such a long time?”
Qin Weibai’s face froze for a second, and she said in a low voice, “I’m still in the Sky Academy. Yeah, things are kinda busy here. And you also have a complicated situation on your side. Are you busy lately?”
“It’s not that busy actually.”
Li Tianlan’s heart loosened up slowly. “The situation seems to settle down on my side.”
“Only temporarily.”
Qin Weibai said, “You have to be careful in East Island. Tianlan, the situation is about to change very soon. I have heard the news, Shinichi Miyamoto went to see the Mikado and promised him that he’ll fix all the conflicts in Changdao in seven days. In seven days, things will come to an end no matter what.”
In seven days!
Li Tianlan’s eyes squinted, and he said slowly, “What day is it today?”
“Day one.”
Qin Weibai said peacefully.
Li Tianlan nodded. Right now everyone knew that the final battle was close, but no one knew that the final battle was this close.
Li Tianlan suddenly thought of a possibility that had been hidden in his heart for a long time. He couldn’t help but ask, “Weibai, how much do you know about that mysterious power group in East Island? They…”
“I know a lot, and yet very little. So far, they are our cooperative partner, and that’s it.”
Qin Weibai looked at Li Tianlan seriously, as if she wanted to carve his every expression deep on her soul. “Honey, no matter what I do, I would never do anything to hurt you. Do you believe in me?”
Out of pure instinct, Li Tianlan nodded and said without hesitation, “I do.”
Qin Weibai’s eyes grew brighter with undisguised joy and satisfaction.
“The storm is about to pass, and you can soon leave East Island.”
She said with a smile.
“Wait for me to go back.”
Li Tianlan nodded, then suddenly raised his eyebrows and said, “I remember that before I left, you said that there will be a reward waiting for me when I get back, does that still count?”
“What reward do you want?”
Qin Weibai looked at Li Tianlan with her tender, charming eyes. Her every move was womanly, graceful and flirtatious. She was so gorgeous and unique, and there was none such under the heaven.
“Get married and have kids?”
Li Tianlan said jokingly.
Qin Weibai’s face changed slightly. Her charming smiling face became slightly stiff. There seemed to be inexplicable fear in her eyes.
Before Li Tianlan could notice her discomfort, she managed to smile and say, “You’re still very young.”
Li Tianlan, whose mood was brightened up completely, just laughed out loud and didn’t say anything else.
Dongcheng Rushi, who had been silent the whole time, didn’t want to be ignored anymore. After a brief hesitation, her pretty face reached in and looked at the out-of-the-world gorgeous woman on the phone screen. Her tiny mouth opened slightly. But there wasn’t any jealousy in her clear eyes, just pure curiosity.
Qin Weibai also froze for a second, then looked at Li Tianlan with a faint smile.
Li Tianlan let out a dry cough. Before he could say anything, Qin Weibai already said while looking at Dongcheng Rushi, “Hello, I’m Qin Weibai.”
“I’m Dongcheng Rushi.”
Dongcheng Rushi also regained her composure, then said quietly.
After the greeting, they didn’t say anything anymore.
Qin Weibai put the towel aside, looked at Li Tianlan and said softly, “I’ll hang up first.”
Li Tianlan nodded and said yes.
Qin Weibai was holding her phone. The second before she hung up the phone, she took a deep look at Dongcheng Rushi, and her complicated eyes seemed to be apologizing.
She told Li Tianlan she was in the Sky Academy, but actually, she was in Changdao right now.
She lived in a decent hotel, not too luxury.
And she was only five kilometers away from the club Li Tianlan lived in.
As the phone screen dimmed down.
Qin Weibai, who was wearing a snow-white bathrobe, stood up gently and walked toward the French window, admiring the same storm under the same sky with Li Tianlan while being in different places.
Five kilometers wasn’t a long distance, but she couldn’t take one more step farther.
She didn’t dare to see Li Tianlan, not that she didn’t want to, but she didn’t dare to.
Just like what she said to that mysterious man in Dongdu several hours ago.
She would rather not see him.
Outside the window, the sky was still as dark as the ink, and the heavy rain was still pouring.
Qin Weibai, who was perfect as a fantasy, stood in front of the window in silence, admiring the rain and wind in the night sky.
She put on a soft smile. Her eyes looked sad and lonely.
She looked at Li Tianlan on her phone screen with her head down and mumbled to herself.
“In your final sky, I won’t be there.”
The wind and rain cut through the darkness and fell on the ground, then splashed all over the place.
At this moment, Qin Weibai stood still, but it felt like she was burning the whole world.
