Chapter 554 – To Not Return, to Accompany Forever
“Why, your highness?”
The sudden change in the situation took all the cultivators by surprise . Han Anguo’s face sank heavily as he tightened his grip around his spear .
The scholar in white could not help but recall Feng Buquan’s words when he behaved erratically, as well as the Dark Queen’s strange behaviours . His eyes were filled with surprise and doubt as he was on full alert .
Li Qingshan had never thought the Dark Queen would strike so ruthlessly either . He frowned and thought, She may be of noble status, but killing a marquis who was conferred by the Great Xia empire is no laughing matter . I wonder how she’ll clean up after herself .
The Dark Queen gave him an answer immediately . After killing the Marquis of Ruyi, she did not recall the Void-bellied Ghost King immediately .
The Void-bellied Ghost King’s huge, hideous head rotated slowly . His colossal body abruptly moved, striking flagrantly .
Gusts of wind kicked up the yellow sand, blowing into his face .
Li Qingshan squinted his eyes before widening them .
Within the sky filled with sand, the Void-bellied Ghost King rushed about quickly, unleashing a massacre . It basically killed off the remaining Golden Core cultivators one by one with a single strike each .
Li Qingshan wanted to say something . A hand was placed on his shoulder . He turned around, only to see Gu Yanying gazing into the distance and shaking her head gently .
Li Qingshan returned to his senses . The last sight he saw was Han Anguo merging with his spear, charging towards the Ghost King countless times larger than him . His gaze was as firm as steel as the spear burst forth from his hands, whistling and spinning like a tornado . It pierced the Ghost King’s huge hand, directly targeting the Dark Queen’s head .
Boom!
Following that sound, the fierce wind subsided, and the sand settled .
The Void-bellied Ghost King grabbed the spear like it was holding a toothpick . Han Anguo’s aura vanished .
Li Qingshan remembered how the Arts of the Boundless Ocean he practised had only been assembled by borrowing his power . He was also Han Qiongzhi’s uncle . He could not help but become heavy-hearted .
The Dark Queen rubbed her forehead gently . There was a red mark on there, but apart from that, she was unscathed .
She turned around . Her expression was as chilly as frost as the hem of her clothes swayed slightly . She hovered in the Void-bellied Ghost King, approaching the three of them .
The smear of azure in the centre of the sky began to spread and permeate sliver by sliver . A white sun radiated with light before rapidly descending in the west . The sky had been dyed red too before becoming a dark blue very soon . A lone moon hung high in the air .
Li Qingshan was unable to observe this bizarre phenomenon as he stood in the desert soaked in moonlight .
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The Void-bellied Ghost King strode towards the three of them .
She wants to kill everyone! Li Qingshan shivered inside . He was forced to admit that the Dark Queen did possess that strength right now .
The Void-bellied Ghost King extended its arm, reaching towards Li Qingshan . It did not move quickly, but it did lock onto Li Qingshan’s aura firmly, sealing off any room to dodge .
Completely exhausted, Li Qingshan was unable to dodge at all .
Xiao An leapt out and there was a flash of her sword .
The Dark Queen drew back her hand, now with a slash in her palm . She closed her hand firmly and gazed over coldly . The flames flickered in Xiao An’s eye sockets as she met her gaze .
“Your highness, it’s quite late already . It’s time for us to return . ”
Gu Yanying gazed at the sky . The rate at which everything changed was currently slowing down silently .
“I know you’ve guessed it already . If you can keep this secret, you will obtain the friendship of the Umbral Yin sect . ”
The Dark Queen shifted her gaze away and dispersed the Void-bellied Ghost King with a wave of her hand as she said that to Gu Yanying .
She had not carried out a massacre on impulse . Cultivators were thorough with their thoughts, let alone Golden Core cultivators . Every single one of them were well-versed with how to deal with people . The Marquis of Ruyi had come from an aristocratic background and had become rooted in fear and hatred, which was why he was unable to see through her strange behaviour . However, that did not mean other cultivators had not noticed or seen through it . Silencing them was necessary .
The very belief of a demonic sect like the Umbral Yin sect was to view human lives as nothing . They were not bound by any laws or morals at all, completely doing whatever they wanted . Even if it were not for this secret, she probably would still do the same for the cultivators’ golden cores and belongings . Every additional golden core gave her greater confidence with overcoming the third tribulation .
As for Gu Yanying, she was on rather friendly terms with her . Moreover, Gu Yanying stood aloof from the world and was not a so-called person of the “righteous path” . Although she could be rather heartless, she was not sinister .
Most importantly, the Dark Queen had no confidence in being able to kill her here . This was how people of the demonic path did things . As long as they could increase their cultivation, even by only a bit, it would be worth it no matter how many “fellows” they had to kill . To her, cultivators like the Marquis of Ruyi had enjoyed peace for far too long . They had forgotten about the age when cultivators fought and killed one another .
Gu Yanying lowered her head slightly and bowed gracefully . “Please exchange this friendship for three golden cores . ”
The Dark Queen immediately tossed three golden cores to Gu Yanying . One of them was pure-white and out of the ordinary . It was the Marquis of Ruyi’s golden core . Gu Yanying ingested it without minding at all and began meditating to refine it .
Only then did the Dark Queen relax, completely extinguishing the killing intent inside .
They no longer said anything afterwards, waiting quietly to return to the World of the Nine Provinces .
Li Qingshan had no idea whether Gu Yanying and the Dark Queen were communicating with their soul sense .
However, from the beginning till the end, the Dark Queen and Xiao An did not speak a single word to one another .
Only when the sky brightened did the surroundings gradually clear up . The rate at which the celestial bodies in the sky moved about returned to normal .
As soon as they returned to the World of the Nine Provinces, Li Qingshan dove into the ground immediately with Xiao An . He completely refused to look back . He could sense several tremendous auras shining in the night sky like torches . Several strands of soul sense swept past him as if they wanted to see through him completely .
In that moment, the spirit turtle gave off several warnings . Every single one of them was as terrifying as almost certain death, but no attacks rained down .
The sky was enveloped with thick clouds that constantly churned about . Half a claw could be vaguely made out, black as ink, as it traversed through the clouds . On the other side of the sky, a sword that leaned against the heavens seemed to stand in opposition .
That was a clash that the current Li Qingshan could not become involved in, the game among the kings .
A man stood in the air with his hands behind his back . His clothes were black, and his hair was combed back meticulously . His eyes were filled with an imposing sense of dignity as his soul sense chased after Li Qingshan and Xiao An . His brows were furrowed as if he was thinking of something .
The Dark Queen flew into the horizon, arriving beside this man and bowing . Only then did the man retract his gaze, looking at the Dark Queen . He was slightly surprised . “You’re close to undergoing the tribulation?”
“Yes!”
“Very good . ” The man nodded, but his brows remained locked . He did not seem particularly happy .
Gu Yanying bowed . “Greetings from subordinate Gu Yanying, lord of the province!”
The man happened to be the Fierce King of Chu who governed the fifteen thousand kilometers of the Green province . “As long as you’re fine, or I’d really have no idea how I would tell sir Hawk God about this . Just what exactly happened inside?”
At this moment, a streak of light arrived . A woman wielding a sword approached them and bowed towards the Fierce King of Chu before looking at Gu Yanying . Her expression was cold and her gaze was as sharp as a sword, but she completely overlooked the Dark Queen’s existence .
“I’d like to hear it too . ”
“Your majesty the Light Queen has arrived too!”
Gu Yanying gave a rough explanation of everything that happened, but she obviously covered up and changed a lot of details .
The Light Queen clasped her hands at the Dark Queen . “Younger sister, you’ve done a tremendous job with sealing the Gate of Hungry Ghosts . Once we get back to the estate, I’ll definitely give you a toast . ”
The Fierce King of Chu swung his hand . “Everyone, let’s disperse!”
Just like that, the powerful auras that watched from the sky or from afar receded, and the dark clouds dispersed .
Before she returned, the Dark Queen glanced back at the boundless earth . Yue’er, it’s still not time right now, but I’ll be bringing you home very soon!
Li Qingshan constantly ventured deeper underground . Only when the underground magnetic field completely wrapped around him and he was unable to sense anymore soul senses did he stop . He exhaled deeply and smiled . “It sure was dangerous this time . ”
Although it was a very close shave, he did manage to break through to the fifth layer with the Ox Demon Transformation, allowing him to witness the future powers of the ox demon . As long as he had the time to familiarise and digest everything, his personal strength would definitely increase drastically . Even if he ran into Golden Core cultivators, he would have the confidence to defeat them .
There was no reply . Xiao An seemed rather distracted, only replying after she realised he had said something, “Y- yeah!”
Li Qingshan pulled her into his arms . His expression changed constantly as he faltered . Only after a long while of hesitation did he ask, “Have you remembered where your home is?”
Xiao An nodded before shaking her head firmly .
“It doesn’t matter . If you want to go home and take a look, I’ll accompany you . I’ve promised this to you . Hehe, didn’t I even carve a tablet for you? Don’t worry, it’s fine…”
Li Qingshan’s voice gradually grew softer . Who knew who he was trying to comfort . His voice was rather hoarse and he held her firmer . If it really were like what he had guessed, why would the mighty provincial lord’s estate allow her to remain by his side? However, perhaps that would be slightly better for her .
Xiao An stood up and took out the scholar wood tablet . One side had the word “south” carved into it, while the other had the word “An” . The craftsmanship was crude and the characters were ugly . There were even traces of being burned by fire, but she held it preciously in her hand .
“No matter how many dangers, difficulties, obstacles, and hardships there are, there will be a day when I send you home!”
Under the moonlight, the young man had promised seriously . The scene was just like the red mole on her forehead, something she could never forget about .
The scholar wood tablet with the words “south” and “An” carved in was evidence .
With a crack, Xiao An closed her fingers around it, and the scholar wood tablet split open . It was crushed to pieces as splinters flew everywhere .
Li Qingshan was stunned, only to hear Xiao An say, “I’m going nowhere . Don’t cast me aside either . I will remain by your side forever, all the way to beyond the Nine Heavens, unless death parts us!”
“Where is this? Didn’t I die?”
Opening his eyes slowly, he looked at the gloomy sky and the ground piled with endless bones and corpses . A figure climbed up, supporting himself by leaning on the huge, withered tree by his side . Suddenly, he discovered that his hand had become just as withered as the dead tree, pale-white and icy-cold .
He immediately noticed the peculiarities of his body . He did not have to breathe, and when he touched his chest, his heart no longer beat either . All of his bodily functions had ceased . He had become a corpse .
It was true . He was already dead, but this world happened to be the paradise of the dead . The living could not survive here .
Oh right, I fell into the Hungry Ghost realm . “Have we met somewhere before?”
Ma Chaoqun gazed at the vast wasteland . Right as he thought of that, a voice suddenly rang out behind him . Ma Chaoqun turned around and saw a violet figure standing there gracefully . Her eyes were clear and her skin was fair . She seemed very much alive, but that was only because of how powerful she was . She was unable to hide the powerful aura of death she gave off .
“Zi’er!” Ma Chaoqung murmured . If this were hell, then he was willing to fall forever .