Chapter 324: 324
“You! Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Han Qiongzhi stopped .
Li Qingshan’s tall figure stood before the entrance of the Qian estate as he looked back and said, “Apologies . I don’t have a habit of having women die for me!” He was apologising for his momentary hesitation earlier .
“Even if we’re trying to interrupt the formation, I have a better chance at it than you . You go instead!”
“I’m in charge here!” Han Qiongzhi caught up with him in a hurry . Li Qingshan pointed at her forehead, and a supreme grade talisman lit up, enveloping her .
Although the power of all talismans had greatly weakened within the formation, it would still be of some use . The thin cracks on her face immediately stopped spreading .
She wanted to speak, but a recovery pill was tossed into her mouth, and her injuries began to heal .
“Only women who listen are adorable . Don’t let my efforts go to waste . ” Li Qingshan said nothing more . He turned into a gale and made a beeline for the inner courtyard of the Qian estate .
Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth and rushed towards the exit of the city .
“Sometimes, there needs to be a sacrifice, but no matter who the sacrifice is, it shouldn’t go to waste . ” This was also something Han Anjun had once told her . Even in chess, the concept of bait and sacrificial pieces existed, let alone in a battle between two armies . This was the path of the school of the Military .
The familiar scenery rushed past him as Li Qingshan charged in .
His true qi was useless now . Not only was he unable to fly, but he had even lost the ability to make turns in the air . Right now, his feet could not afford to leave the ground without good reason .
Who knew how many walls he had run through . Finally, he arrived at the inner courtyard, the origin of the black lotus stalk .
There was a pond of lotus flowers to one side . The lily pads were verdant as the lotus flowers bloomed, emanating with fragrance like it was late spring . He could vaguely see a carp swimming around in there . It was brimming with life . However, it seemed like such a strange contrast to the deathly silent Ancient Wind city .
A man in black ceremonial robes with a black lotus crown sat on a lotus leaf with his legs crossed . He extended his hand to stir the water of the pond, teasing the carp . He was like a cultivated scholar . He did not even give off a hint of treachery .
However, the thick stalk of the black lotus that was about to bloom was planted right before him . It had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people .
“You’ve come . Looks like Ruiliu has already departed . No, I can say he’s come too . ” The man in black looked at the black lotus and smiled .
Under such a state, perhaps he only needed a single move to kill him . However, the more dangerous it was, the calmer he became . He searched for the slightest opening, the slightest hope of survival .
“Who are you supposed to be?”
“Names are just a form of reference for convenience, so you can call me Black Lotus!”
“Your companion has died . Don’t you feel sorrow or fury for him?”
“I feel happy for him . He’s tained with quite a lot of sins, so it’s about time they catch up to him . ” Altar Lord Black Lotus chanted slowly, “All sins annihilated, the lotus blooms . Away from the sludge, to purity and clarity!” His gentle voice had quite the charm . His eyes were clear and at ease, like an eminent monk . Anyone who saw him would want to get closer to him .
“You feel happy for yourself, as he’s made your lotus a little stronger . Though I wonder when you’ll pay for your own sins?”
“Perhaps today . ” Black Lotus smiled .
Li Qingshan was speechless . The Altar Lord had not just overcome death . He truly viewed death as relief . The thoughts of cultists truly could not be analysed with logic .
At this moment, there was a splash in the pond, and a red shadow passed through the lily pads, squirming around and swimming over . It nodded towards Li Qingshan in acknowledgement . It was the same fish that Li Qingshan had originally released . It opened its mouth, as if it was asking for pills .
“You know each other?” Altar Lord Black Lotus waved his hand . “Go, go . I don’t have any pills for you right now . ”
Even against a carp, something that was only regarded as a daemon in the eyes of regular people, his expression was so gentle that he seemed like he was coaxing a child throwing a tantrum for candy . Perhaps this metaphor was wrong, as he had personally killed hundreds, if not thousands, of children just then . The Altar Lord was helpless . He took out a pill from his hundred treasures pouch and placed it in the carp’s mouth, rubbing the carp’s head . Only then did the carp swim away in satisfaction . The pill was not as great as Virtue Accumulation pills, but it was not far off either .
No, I can’t keep dragging it out any longer . Li Qingshan took a step forward .
“You want to cut the black lotus and save your friend?”
Li Qingshan’s steps halted . Had this Altar Lord been spying on them the entire time? If that was the case, it would be difficult for him to carry out his plan .
“I saw nothing . I was just guessing you were planning that . Hawkwolf guards rarely move alone, especially when they face the likes of us . You were staring at the black lotus the entire time before . Is it a man or a woman?”
“Are you planning to use the power of belief within your divine talisman to activate a talisman and launch a sneak attack against me?”
Li Qingshan’s heart that had just settled down slightly suddenly tightened again . When he activated the talisman and opened his hundred treasures pouch, he had not used his own blood, but the Divine Talisman of Great Creation . Ever since he left the prefectural city, the power of belief within the divine talisman had gradually increased . Clearly, it came from the members of the Cloudwisp association .
The power of belief had always been an extremely special power . It was not affected by the formation at all . Right now, it played a critical role for achieving victory, but he never thought the opponent would see through and disclose everything before he could even strike .
The Altar Lord said, “The power that the divine talisman in your body radiates with is still very weak, but it’s still not something that I can just ignore . Whatever, go ahead!”
“What?”
Li Qingshan frowned . Never had he met such a strange opponent .
Black Lotus said, “Don’t worry . If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago . You can treat what I said as sincere words coming from the heart of a dead man!”“A dead man?” Li Qingshan strode towards the black stalk, but he was filled with doubts . If the Altar Lord had done everything he could in an attempt to kill him right from the beginning, he would instead be at greater ease . However, this situation was just too unexpected, which only pressured him more . He had to guard against an attack from the Altar Lord at all times, and he had to worry about whether this was a trap or not .
However, he did not purposefully maintain his distance from him either . At such a distance, they were just a few meters away, which was absolutely nothing in the eyes of a Foundation Establishment cultivator .
Li Qingshan halted . He wielded his fingers like a sword and leapt up . The remaining dozen or so strands of sword qi in his body fused with his finger and stabbed towards the black stalk .
The unstoppable sword qi stabbed deeply into the stalk, cutting off its access to nutrients . The huge bud on top tottered slightly too . The sky suddenly brightened slightly before recovering its darkness once more .
Li Qingshan returned to the side of the pond and looked at the Altar Lord in bewilderment .
Sure enough, the Altar Lord had done nothing . Instead, he praised, “The sword qi is quite extraordinary . No wonder Ruiliu crumpled from just a single strike . ”
“Now, it’s time for the matter between us,” Li Qingshan said . Han Qiongzhi must have used this opportunity to escape . Now, only the two of them remained in Ancient Wind city . He could transform and fight to his heart’s content . With the formation serving as an obstruction, he would not be spotted by outsiders either .
“Oh?” The Altar Lord was slightly surprised . Even if this seventh layer Qi Practitioner had some special powers, standing up against a Foundation Establishment cultivator when he could not even use his true qi would be overestimating himself a little .
“Even in the face of great danger, people like me will confront it calmly, without losing their composure . Why must you copy the mediocre and put up a pointless battle of desperation?” He instead lectured Li Qingshan .
“Cut the bullshit!” Just when Li Qingshan wanted to unleash his daemon qi, he heard footsteps from behind and looked back . “Why did you come back?”
“I don’t have a habit of having men die for me either . And, I’ve never been an adorable woman in the first place . There’s no need for me to please you!” Han Qiongzhi’s expression changed as she rebutted .
Even she herself did not know why she had returned . From the education she had received since young, retreat was the most optimal decision in a situation like this, and she would not be at any fault either . Whether it was the Hawkwolf Guard or the school of the Military, neither of them encouraged pointless sacrifices .
Wavering about at a time like this would instead waste the sacrifice of her companion . Originally, she hated these gestures that were no different from a little girl’s, but this time, she was unable to abandon him . In her heart, he was not just a colleague, a friend, or a companion . “I just feel like I can’t escape the pursuit of a Foundation Establishment cultivator . Instead of being defeated one after another, we might as well put on one last struggle together . Perhaps we might have a small chance . ”
“So it really was a woman, and a beautiful one too . It truly is rare to find a pair that both pleases one another and are willing to sacrifice for one another . You should treasure this fate that has brought you together . ”
At this moment, Altar Lord Black Lotus continued to study them in interest . As he spoke, he seemed more like a matchmaker .
Li Qingshan had no idea on how to react either . If someone was willing to die with you, then it would be nothing even if they found out about your secret!
He said to Han Qiongzhi, “Be careful . ” He took out all of his supreme grade talismans and was about to unleash them in a desperate battle .
“Hold on!” The Altar Lord suddenly raised his hand .
Li Qingshan would never wait if he faced other opponents, but this Altar Lord Black Lotus was just far too strange . From the beginning till the end, let alone killing intent, he even lacked hostility .
“Both of you go . The people I was waiting for have come!” The Altar Lord raised his head towards the sky .
A streak of scorching white light cut through the darkness, descending from above and landing on the black lotus that was about to bloom .
Boom! Thunder soon followed .
A few familiar figures descended from above .
Han Qiongzhi cried out, “Father!”
Han Anjun was among them . Beside him was also Liu Zhangqing, Wang Pushi, the One Thought master, and the others . Basically all the school leaders were present . As for the lightning bolt, it had originated from the peak Foundation Establishment slovenly daoist priest, Zhou Tong . That was why it had managed to rip through the formation in a single stroke .
Wang Pushi said, “Altar Lord Black Lotus, today is the day you die!”