At the top level of the first Dazzling Warship...
"Are you done washing yourself?" Meng Yifeng said as he pushed those around him aside. His pudgy lips curved into a smile as he pushed his door open and entered his room.
"We're done. She isn't cooperating, though," Su Wuyou said, trying her best to sound coquettish. The two women were ready and waiting for their honored guest.
"You look wonderful, like a lotus out of water. Amazing, amazing!" Meng Yifeng stared them down, relishing the beautiful sight. It wasn't that he hadn't seen his fair share of beauties before, but these two had a special air about them.
His refined taste allowed him to immediately spot how awkward Su Wuyou was. He then turned to the side and saw a nervous girl standing there silently the entire time.
"Just watch for today. You need to learn how to serve," Meng Yifeng said.
The girl shriveled up in the corner upon hearing that. Su Wuyou had been stroking his neck as he spoke. She hugged the man from one side, and her sister, Su Yiran, did the same on the other.
"Jiang Qingluan, it's your turn. I'd like to see if you're able to endure it without crying out for help," Su Wuyou said as she bit her lip. She didn't have any grudges with Jiang Qingluan, but she decided she would hate her for her innocence. She wanted to drag everyone down to her level.
Jiang Qingluan didn't reply. She had secretly taken out a small dagger from her spatial ring. That was her answer to Su Wuyou's question. Just like that, they exchanged glances. Before she started serving the man, Su Wuyou pulled down the curtain.
Jiang Qingluan closed her eyes as she resolved herself to die. The security outside was too strict, so there was no way she would be able to escape. The only way out for her was by taking her own life. Placing the dagger against her neck, she was about to pull it across.
All of a sudden, someone appeared beside her and grabbed the dagger. She started and turned back, only to see a face she would never even have dreamed of seeing here. She hadn't seen the black and gold irises before, but his white hair was unmistakable.
"Shh!" he said as he put a finger to her lip.
"Mmhm!" She felt her tears flow and dared not say a single word. All she did was furiously nod. Tianming then snuck his way inside. Though she had wanted to warn Tianming that Meng Yifeng was incredibly powerful, she couldn't do a thing lest she alarm the man. All she could do was to trust Tianming.
Right then, Tianming's figure flashed as he charged inside. The two enchanting women within were currently helping Meng Yifeng disrobe, much to his enjoyment.
Without saying a word, Tianming split the Invincible Sword Ki-infused Grand-Orient Sword into two. He had moved so quickly that the moment his black sword flashed out, it had come thrusting toward Meng Yifeng.
In an instant, his saint palace was shattered. With an audible schlick, Tianming pulled the black sword out before thrusting the gold one into his mouth.
"You’d not let your lifebound beast out, or this will go through your head," he threatened as he pushed the fat man's head tightly against the wall.
"Mmmwwahhh! Whhh!" Meng Yifeng's mind was completely blank. He was in so much pain that he teared up. Even without looking, he knew that his saint palace had been ruptured, causing his saint springs to completely collapse. The spiritual energy he had gathered seeped out toward the two beauties as he ended up crippled. The pain in his mouth mingled with the despair he now suffered.
"Li...." He widened his eyes in disbelief and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. At the very least, Tianming should have been someone he could fight on even ground, yet he had been crippled in a single instant. That wasn’t something he could accept at all.
"So you're the one who calls the shots at Dazzling Pavillion?" Tianming asked.
"Yweah!" Meng Yifeng was crying nonstop. His body shook with the fear of death as his bowels and bladder gave out.
"What's your relationship with Meng Tingyu?"
"Brwotha." With the blade in his mouth, all he could do was answer the questions as best he could.
"I didn't think someone as amazing as Meng Tingyu would have an ugly and weak elder brother like you. How unbelievable," Tianming mocked.
"Mmmmhh...." Meng Yifeng's eyes were filled with despair.
Jiang Qingluan watched everything from the entrance. She was all sorts of shocked, with her eyes wide and mouth agape. Her mouth was wide enough to stuff a whole toad in.
The godlike pig in her eyes had been crippled with a single strike. Only when she heard Tianming and Meng Yifeng's conversation was she convinced that she was truly safe. Just as she was about to celebrate, however, she recalled something even more crucial.
"Tianming, my dad, Li Jingyu, your grandfather, and the rest have been brought to someone they call Fifteenth!"
"Dongyang An?" Tianming's gaze turned even colder. He had been quite lucky to find the warship right after reaching the delta where the Skyreach River connected to the sea. Bai Zijun had gone looking for Li Wudi and Tianming had decided to infiltrate the first warship, only to find Su Wuyou, Su Yiran, and Jian Qingluan in these chambers. After some waiting, he saw Meng Yifeng return and soon got a rough grasp on what was happening, based on their conversation.
Even though Li Wudi had asked him to seek him out immediately if he spotted Dongyang An, this case was different. If even Jiang Qingluan had noticed it, the others had definitely been exposed. There was no time to wait for Li Wudi, so he decided he would cripple Meng Yifeng for good first, before doing anything else.
"Which ship is Dongyang An on?" Tianming asked as he held his sword against the man's throat.
Meng Yifeng couldn't speak, so he showed two fingers.
"I'll take you with me while I go looking for him. If you lied, I'll kill you on the spot," he said.
"Mmmwwh!" Meng Yifeng changed his hand to show five fingers. It appeared that he had lied. Tianming wrapped him up with the Three-Thousand Starfield.
"If you want to live, work with me."
"Understood!" Meng Yifeng spat out fresh blood and knelt. All that had happened as Su Wuyou and Su Yiran watched. They had lost hope long ago, and were blankly staring at Tianming. The youth that had defeated the two of them had actually managed to defeat someone powerful enough to force them to relinquish all the dignity they had. Seeing Meng Yifeng kneeling and shivering like a weak little chick before them, their worldview collapsed.
"Su Wuyou," Tianming said as he approached the two with his sword. "Ever since Yuwen Taiji died, my godfather allowed the Su Clan to live on account of the contributions your family had made to the sect. I didn't think the two of you would repeat your mistakes. There's no third chance after your second, you know."
"Got it. Kill me then. Since Shendu died, I've already lost all hope for this world." Su Wuyou closed her eyes as tears of blood flowed from them.
"Oh? Do you think I'll forgive you just because you sound like you figured life out? Su Wuyou, your worldview is too shallow. All you see is cruelty and ruthlessness, and you think the whole world out there is like you. At the end of the day, you're just using that as an excuse to justify your own bad behavior. You must pay the price for your mistakes. Had you not made this choice, I would've saved you today, but since you have, you must accept the consequences."
She shook and continued bawling. "You're too terrifying! I don't ever want to see you again! You destroyed everything I had!"
"Goodbye, then."
Though others would pity those two, Tianming didn't. However, he did end their suffering.
......
Tianming quietly left with Jiang Qingluan and Meng Yifeng before meeting up with Qin Jiufu and Bai Zifeng after getting off the warship.
"Hall Kings, our family has been sent to Dongyang An on the fifth warship," Tianming said bloodthirstily.
"If their identities were exposed, they’re in danger. Li Wudi still needs some time before he can come," Qin Jiufu said.
"I have a plan, Hall King Qin."
"Let's hear it."
"Dongyang An's the only one who poses a real threat. The others are fifth level and below sky saints, so they won't be able to take you two on. Once I lure Dongyang An away, you can charge in to save the hostages. Does that work?"
"You'd be in too much danger that way. Why don't I do the luring?" Qin Jiufu said.
"No, let me. Dongyang An won't bother chasing you down," Tianming said, knowing full well how much the Theocrats wanted to kill him.
"Are you sure, Tianming?"
"Most certainly. Please don't worry."
When Qin Jiufu and Bai Zifeng recalled that Tianming was even able to kill Zhao Chenhong, they knew he was the strongest among them.
"Alright, let's not waste time," Qin Jiufu said.
Tianming left Meng Yifeng and Jiang Qingluan with them. "If Dongyang An isn't on the fifth warship, kill Meng Yifeng immediately."
"Alright."
Meng Yifeng shuddered again. He didn't dare to lie under these circumstances. Though Feiling wanted to talk with Jiang Qingluan, they didn't have time, so they quickly parted.
"It's the second time you got caught! Why are you so unlucky?" Tianming said.
"How would I know? Must be all the bad luck you're giving off!" Jiang Qingluan said. Last time, she had been Jun Niancang's hostage.
"Well, I’ll make it up to you with some treasures."
"That's more like it!" It seemed she had recovered from her harrowing experience.
After that, Tianming dove into the water and snuck his way onto the fifth Dazzling Warship. "Theocrats... once Dongyang An is dead, it’ll soon be your turn!"
Tianming hadn't come to save lives.
He had come to take them.
......
The fifth warship's security detail was comprised of nobody but Theocrats. Once Tianming made sure of it, he returned to Qin Jiufu. "Hand me this man," he said as he approached Meng Yifeng.
"What... what are you doing?! I didn't lie!"
"It no longer matters." Tianming killed him immediately.
......
At midnight, the body of a person and a lifebound beast fell on the deck of the fifth Dazzling Warship.
"Li Tianming!" The yell shook the whole ship.