Chapter 1067: Wooden Sword Dark Saint
"Young Noble wants to go meet Heaven Relinquish…" Li Shuangyan's expression changed. After looking at her Young Noble, she knew just how terrifying this Devil King was. If the two met while Li Qiye was still in this disguise, the consequences were easy to imagine.
"No, Heaven Relinquish will come and see me." Li Qiye smiled: "Legend states that he has been missing for a long time, but I know he is still here in the Devil World!"
"You are trying to bait him out." Mei Suyao immediately understood Li Qiye's true purpose.
He chuckled: "That and grabbing some treasures along the way. It would be foolish not to do so since the medicines here are indeed supreme."
"Young… Young Noble, just what is the Evil Slaying Platform?" Bai Jianzhen spoke. Her "Young Noble" was forced compared to the others, but in the end, she still chose to say it. Since she had decided to stay behind, she had to put aside her arrogance.
Moreover, even the number one beauty, Mei Suyao, was not reserved, so why would she need to be? In terms of background, talents, and creations, Mei Suyao was above her.
"Evil Slaying Platform." Li Qiye glanced into the distance at eventually murmured: "It is a very interesting location. Don't worry, after taking care of a few matters, I'll take you guys there."
Having said that, he withdrew his gaze and ordered: "Continue, Heaven Relinquish will appear soon."
The group moved on with the palanquin. The places they went to rarely saw visitors due to their great peril.
Eventually, they came before a vast emptiness. The sky here was shattered in several places. It was easy to see that a supreme war took place here.
After crossing this shattered space, they found a huge mountain with a bamboo forest at the peak. The gentle breeze caused the bamboo to flutter, giving a very pleasant feeling.
Eventually, the girls carried Li Qiye to the summit. The moment they reached it, they felt a frightening sword intent.
There was a middle-aged man sitting there in a meditative pose with his eyes shut tight. In front of him was a wooden sword.
However, the terrifying sword energy did not come from this man or the wooden sword on his knees, it came from a green bamboo branch right in front of him.
It was a tiny bamboo branch only three feet long. There were some leaves on it while the branch itself had a yellow tint. It was quite thick, but judging from the yellow hue amidst its green body, it was apparent that it had been growing for many years.
This inconspicuous branch emitted a terrifying sword intent. Anyone would tremble after feeling this power that, once unleashed, was capable of slicing a Virtuous Paragon to pieces.
The middle-aged man opened his eyes the moment Li Qiye was brought to the top of the mountain. Bai Jianzhen quivered after seeing the sword glint that flashed in the man's eyes.
She was praised as the Sword Goddess with incomparable achievements on this road. Thus, once she saw the sword light in his eyes, she knew that he was extremely gifted in the dao of the sword.
"Heaven Relinquish Devil King!" The man uttered after seeing Li Qiye on the palanquin. He didn't stand up to greet Li Qiye as he was still very proud.
Li Qiye acted as if he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the high heavens. He slightly glanced at the middle-aged man and spoke: "Wooden Sword Dark Saint, after so many years, your crappy manner still hasn't changed. Cold and arrogant like a pebble in an outhouse, refusing to bow even after seeing me!"
The middle-aged man didn't speak and instead closed his eyes. He was a Dark Saint, so compared to Heaven Relinquish, there was still quite a gap. However, his pride didn't allow him to bow.
"After so many years with no news of you, I thought you must have boarded the Evil Slaying Platform." The dark saint spoke.
"Soon. The bald donkeys are about to take action, so I have to board the platform soon." Li Qiye sat imposingly on his throne with a suppressive momentum as the king of all devils.
The man's eyes slightly shifted after hearing this. He lifted his head to look at Li Qiye. After a while, he slowly said: "You finally want to board the Evil Slaying Platform!"
"Many people have boarded it, so my joining the fray shouldn't be that surprising." Li Qiye slowly responded: "I have been quiet for countless years since I didn't want to tread lightly into that place. However, my preparations are now sufficient, it is time to follow the footsteps of the Devil Lord."
The dark saint pondered for a long time before asking: "What do you need?"
Li Qiye's eyes fell on the small bamboo branch and spoke: "I want your Fragmented Bamboo Sword."
The dark saint's eyes rolled again as he stared at Li Qiye: "This is a bit unexpected. Just a little thing like this can enter your sight."
The girls were quite alarmed after hearing the dark saint. They were afraid that he had seen through Li Qiye's disguise.
However, Li Qiye was unperturbed. He still acted imperiously and coldly glared at the guy: "Since I want to board the Evil Slaying Platform and have taken quite a liking to these little girls, I want to give them something nice to play with."
"Devils like us do not have emotions." The dark saint stated coldly.
The girls held their breaths and became quite nervous. They were really afraid of being caught now. It looks like this dark saint was much harder to trick than the devil dragon.
"This is the gap between you and me. Your current state can't even catch up to me, let alone thinking about catching up to the Devil Lord." Li Qiye spoke emotionlessly: "You are no different than those bald donkeys! This is the best you can do!"
"You think you can become the Devil Lord?" The dark saint narrowed his gaze a bit.
Li Qiye haughtily replied: "Devil Lord? This is not worth contending over. We have an even better destination, so what's the point of competing for it against those donkeys?! The Devil Lord is gone, the Imperial Lord is gone, so it is time for me to go as well!"
The dark saint fell into quiet contemplation. Perhaps this was a question that had always weighed on his mind.
"I actually enjoy your bad temper a bit, so I came to say hello. Whether you want to give it up or not, I shall have your Fragmented Bamboo Sword." Li Qiye's eyes became cold after declaring in a tyrannical manner.
The dark saint didn't say anything in the end. He directly pulled the bamboo branch from the ground and threw it at Li Qiye.
"I don't want to owe you a favor, so leave behind your wish." Li Qiye spoke insipidly.
The dark saint hesitated for a moment. Eventually, he carved down his prayers and then turned around to disappear into the horizon.
After confirming that the dark saint was truly gone, the girls finally heaved a sigh of relief.
"That was pretty close, we were almost caught." Even Li Shuangyan who was usually calm murmured.
Li Qiye smiled and gently shook his head: "Shuang'er, you're truly underestimating your Young Noble too much. Even if I wasn't disguising myself as Heaven Relinquish, I can still handle him."
Back then, he was also a supreme Devil King with the same illustrious fame.
"Who are the Devil Lord and Imperial Lord?" Chen Baojiao asked: "Are they the masters of the Lesser Imperial Devil World?"
Li Qiye didn't answer and only smiled. He pointed a finger towards Mei Suyao so that she could answer Chen Baojiao: "Legend states that the Devil Lord is the master of the Devil World and the Imperial Lord is the master of the Imperial Border. However, this is only limited to the legends, no one has actually seen them before. Some even speculate that they do not exist and they are just a baseless rumor."
"No, the Devil Lord and Imperial Lord do exist." Li Qiye sat on his palanquin and gently shook his head.
Chen Baojiao was quite inquisitive: "What kind of existences are they? Very unbeatable?"
"Who knows? No one has seen them before." Li Qiye's eyes were quite profound at this point while staring at the far distance.
"In addition, the Buddhist Funeral Plateau has a Buddhist Lord as well." The reticent Bai Jianzhen also joined in: "Same as before, no one has seen the Buddhist Lord either. Just what kind of existences are these three?"
Mei Suyao couldn't answer this question either. This was an eternal secret that even Immortal Emperors couldn't figure out.
"There is a difference in opinions on this matter." Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and elaborated: "There are two distinct beliefs about the Buddhist Lord. One is the Buddhist Lord that people always talk about, the ruler of the Buddhist Kingdom."
"What about the other one?" Li Shuangyan's curiosity was aroused.
Mei Suyao softly answered in Li Qiye's stead: "The other belief is that there is an even higher existence at the plateau. However, no one has seen this person before, just like the elusive Devil Lord and Imperial Lord of legends."
"What is all this about? So mysterious." Chen Baojiao muttered.
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "It is not a legend, this person definitely exists. Of course, ordinary people wouldn't be able to meet this Buddha." Having said that, Li Qiye handed the Fragmented Bamboo Sword to Bai Jianzhen: "This bamboo branch is the greatest sword, so take it."
Chapter 1068: A Sword's Sharpness
After accepting the fragmented sword, Bai Jianzhen was dazed for a moment before she spoke: "I already have a sword, it is of the finest rank."
Bai Jianzhen was not being conceited when saying this; her sword was indeed incredible. Her sacred ground didn't have a lot of treasures, but they did have an abundance of swords. If there was a place with the best swords in the world, then it would certainly be her sacred ground. Otherwise, how could they have produced a Sword God?
"Swords are not about their sharpness or power." Li Qiye gently shook his head: "For example, I know of your Immortal Emperor Ye Ti's sword. It is powerful to the point of being invincible, but such a sword is not necessarily suitable for you."
Having said that, he looked at her and continued: "A sword has to be unsheathed naturally without any restraints and in accordance with one's desires. Both the Mad Sword and Buddhist Sword lies in your state of mind, your sword heart."
Bai Jianzhen hugged her sword while quietly taking in Li Qiye's advice with great attentiveness.
He lightly said: "The most important thing is that in the future war, both true treasures and life weapons will not necessarily be the most suitable, but the Fragmented Bamboo Sword in your hand right now is definitely the best one for you."
She didn't say much and put away the bamboo sword before bowing to Li Qiye. She finally learned of Li Qiye's generosity today and understood why the other girls still chose to follow him despite cultivating Immortal Physiques.
With her peerless dao of the sword, a single glimpse was enough for her to tell that the bamboo blade was extremely precious. It was comparable to even nine heavenly accumulation destiny stones or maybe even more valuable. Otherwise, a heaven-defying existence like the dark saint wouldn't be guarding it in this place.
However, Li Qiye gave something so valuable to her this easily while she had only just joined him and had yet to make any notable contributions. How could people not follow a lord that was so generous to those under him?
Li Qiye let the girls carry his palanquin again. Along the way, they met a few regular cultivators and experts. Their eyes revealed their astonishment after seeing the female bearers.
Needless to say about Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao, they had Immortal Physiques and great mastery of the sword and saber. Meanwhile, Bai Jianzhen was the contemporary Sword Goddess and Mei Suyao was the number one beauty from a sect with three emperors. They were dazzling stars no matter the location.
But today, they were carrying a palanquin for someone. It was truly unbelievable. Even a Godking was not qualified to enjoy such a privilege.
The even more shocking part was that the person sitting on the palanquin was not Fiercest Li Qiye but a Devil King full of evil aura.
"Where is Li Qiye?" A stunned spectator murmured at this sight.
"Haha, Li Qiye must have provoked the great Devil King and got annihilated while the girls were captured." A youth sneered gloatingly.
"Fool, how can you become a sect master with this kind of vision?" His senior slapped him and coldly said: "That person is Li Qiye."
Many experts from the previous generation noticed the girls' natural demeanors and understood that the person on the carriage was Li Qiye.
"What is he doing? First he disguised himself as a Buddhist Lord, and now he is playing as a Devil King?" A Virtuous Paragon saw the Li Qiye shrouded in evil energy and became quite puzzled.
Very quickly, their question was answered. Wherever Li Qiye went, the dark cultivators would prostrate on the ground. Even if they didn't come out, their reverence was obvious.
"He is pretending to be a Devil King." An old paragon understood right away: "What is the best identity to take to travel freely at the Devil World? Naturally, it is a Devil King."
This was a source of inspiration to many people, especially the powerful older generation. They immediately changed their appearance and let their disciples carry their palanquins to pretend to be Devil Kings.
After the transformation, they went to fool the dark cultivators, trying to trick them out of their spirit medicines. However, not one was successful.
"The White Bell Ancestor wanted to copy Li Qiye. He turned into a Devil King and tried to fool a dark cultivator protecting a Myriad Era Vine. Alas, he was immediately killed on the spot."
"Not just the White Bell Ancestor. An eternal existence copied Li Qiye too and wanted to catch an Immortal River Clam, but the devil guarding that location sucked away all of his blood energy."
"Indeed… The Cloud Saint Child also pretended to be one. He hadn't done anything yet, he only walked by a sleeping dark cultivator, but the thing woke up and chopped him to death." Someone laughed while recalling the event.
In a short day, those who tried to imitate Li Qiye all died miserably. Their deception was without reward, unless death was considered a sweet release.
"Why is it that Li Qiye can pretend to be a Devil King and be treated so well by the dark cultivators? They're even kneeling on the ground respectfully! But when we do it, the only fate that awaits us is death, what kind of joke is this?!" A great power's disciple exclaimed bitterly after a senior from his sect failed and died.
"Because he has a devil heart." An eternal existence saw through the mystery and murmured: "One thought to become Buddha, another to become Devil. At this time, he is a devil, there's no need for pretension. He's even a Devil King at that." He went on: "Just like back at the plateau, he was not playing as Buddha, he was one! Thus, he was able to control the power in that place."
"This brat is too devilish and heaven-defying." Another perceptive ancestor spoke with emotions: "Many people trained for thousands and thousands of years just to begin the process of converting to a Buddhist heart, but he immediately changed into one right away. Buddha and Devil at his whim for his heart has both… just what kind of terrifying dao heart is this?"
Many people knew that the conversion process was not completed overnight. The popular phrase was supposed to be only a legend, but now, Li Qiye was able to carry it out to their dismay.
Of course, outsiders didn't know that in the distant past, Li Qiye spent countless years to become a devil. This process and pain were beyond imagination.
While Li Qiye was infiltrating the Devil World as the Heaven Relinquish Devil King, there were also a few notable others in the lesser world.
The most eye-catching one was Jikong Wudi. Under the protection of Venerable Ninesword, he entered a palace and managed to steal an ancient imperial cauldron at the Imperial Border.
"Jikong Wudi is quite a badass." Many people lamented while talking about this: "He entered so swiftly and made his way into a palace then forcefully snatched a cauldron? Truly a great vanguard."
Such actions, however, caused more people to become vigilant. An ancestor murmured: "The kingdom of the Imperial Border has many powerful existences. Jikong Wudi wasn't the only one who contributed. His army had great merits in this assault as well."
"Hmm, an old cauldron shouldn't warrant such a grand maneuver from him. Perhaps there is something else going on behind the scenes." A different paragon spoke.
A junior curiously asked: "Something else?"
The senior angrily glared at the kid and knocked on his head: "Use your damned brain instead of just swinging your fists around all day! Just what kind of existence is Space Trample Mountain? Jikong Wudi doesn't lack treasures, so why did he suddenly attack a palace? Why the need to show off his might? He, or perhaps Venerable Ninesword, simply wants to show others that their sect is strong enough to fight just about anyone!"
"Yes." A different senior nodded: "Recently, Fiercest's momentum has soared since Jikong Wudi's group all lost to him. Right now, even Goddess Mei and Sword Goddess Bai are siding with him. This is enough to show that no one in the younger generation can oppose him."
"Li Qiye's might is making the other geniuses insecure." The paragon continued: "I'm afraid all the young ones right now are worried that one day, Li Qiye would suddenly go crazy and make mincemeat out of them all. Right now, Jikong Wudi's attack on the palace is the same as the Space Trample Mountain giving everyone a warning — no matter how powerful you are, you cannot touch Jikong Wudi since their mountain has the strength to fight anyone!"
Besides Jikong Wudi, other geniuses also took actions that attracted a lot of attention. However, they were more subdued compared to attacking a palace.
For example, Zhan Shi had been staying at the Imperial Border the entire time and observed all the battles that were going on.
"What is Zhan Shi trying to do? He's not looking for treasures or medicines." People became curious since Zhan Shi was using all of his energy to observe fights.
"He wants to build an invincible legion on top of becoming an Immortal Emperor." A sect master personally went to check on Zhan Shi and said: "He has a powerful legion that consists of eight members. Moreover, all of them are the same age as him. I heard this team has challenged Jikong Wudi before and came out with their bodies intact."
A different person who was maintaining a low profile was Heavenly Emperor Lin. He entered the Devil World and stole an immortal grass from a dark cultivator. By the time they reacted, Lin had already long escaped.
Many people felt sorry for him: "I feel that Lin Tiandi has more potential than anyone else. What a shame that he is a vagrant cultivator."
Chapter 1069: Blazing Devil
All along, people were optimistic about Heavenly Emperor Lin. In fact, compared to the imperious Jikong Wudi, Lin was much more amiable. Moreover, he came from humble origins, so there was a sense of closeness felt by many people.
However, his background was also his biggest flaw compared to Jikong Wudi's group.
"Sigh, if Heavenly Emperor Lin had the same background as Jikong Wudi's group, he wouldn't need to flee just because of an immortal grass. Look at Jikong Wudi, he directly attacked a palace and took a cauldron away. This is the power of an imperial lineage." Someone commented with emotion.
Everyone knew that in the competition for the Heaven's Will, outside of one's own strength, their backgrounds mattered a lot; it was a direct influence on their chance of success.
Compared to Zhan Shi and Heavenly Emperor Lin who were relatively inconspicuous, there was another person who commanded the limelight — the Jewel Pillar Mortal King.
Recently, he had been fighting against the imperial troops around here. He would jump into the fray time and time again, gaining many victories.
At the same time, he was chased around by the great army here while stricken with grave injuries. No matter what, he became fiercer the more he fought with a world-sweeping momentum.
"What is the Mortal King doing? Imperial troops only care about digging metals; they are too lazy to deal with us." Someone noticed his actions and stated: "He isn't seizing treasures or metals, so what’s the point of struggling against the imperial troops?" 1
"He is just training." A paragon watched everything and explained: "He is polishing his flaws, most importantly, his speed. If his speed could increase, then he would be much more frightening; nothing would be capable of stopping him."
Someone murmured: "Does he want to take revenge against Li Qiye?"
Everyone knew about his beating from Li Qiye at the terrace a few days ago. Li Qiye himself said that the Mortal King was too slow.
In fact, it was no secret. The Hell Suppressing Physique had infinite weight which resulted in its flaw of being slow. Many people who cultivated this physique all tried to find a way to make up for this shortcoming.
"That's for sure." Someone who knew the Mortal King well spoke: "He definitely cannot swallow this anger after losing three times to Li Qiye, but the last time was the worst. Moreover, the sacred school had been wanting to bring Chen Baojiao back to marry the Mortal King, so this is both a feud between the sects as well as a personal matter. The Mortal King will have to obtain vengeance. One of them will have to die!"
"Li Qiye is too heaven-defying though." Even the people from the previous generation could only say this about the situation. They knew that the Mortal King had nothing going for him against Li Qiye.
Contrary to the Mortal King's peers, Bing Yuxia was the most leisurely. She didn't seem to be treasure hunting at all with her large female entourage. They took many breaks during their scenic stroll. Gathering medicines and plants was only part of their relaxed process.
Of course, no one wanted to provoke her. It was a big relief to others that she wasn't causing trouble herself.
Li Qiye led the girls to a very remote and barren land. It was a volcanic region painted in a crimson shade. One could see lava gushing all over the place.
He ordered the girls to take him next to a huge volcanic crater. The hot magma rising and flowing here could melt all things.
They descended as far into the crater as possible. Before them was a molten sea of magma with nothing else in sight.
The Devil King sat on his palanquin and coldly scowled. His flames surged to the sky with an aura capable of tearing apart this molten sea.
"Blazing Devil, do I need to go down myself?" He uttered coldly.
"Splash!" The magma whirled and revealed a long stairway that reached into the depths.
The girls raised the palanquin and followed the staircase. At the end of the pathway, they found that below the molten sea was a huge palace.
"My Lord…" A dark cultivator was kneeling in this palace. He was made from the condensation of magma and had a fiery body.
Li Qiye coldly looked down at the prostrating devil and scornfully spoke: "What now, Blazing? You think I am a fake?"
"I wouldn't dare, My Lord." Blazing Devil quickly bowed again.
"You don't dare? If you didn't, then I shouldn't have needed to speak." With that, his devil flame instantly erupted like a Devil King awakening from his slumber, capable of tearing this underworld apart.
"My Lord, please calm down. This lowly one was wrong, please punish me!" Blazing Devil's body grew limp from fear. His forehead touched the ground and he didn't dare to move at all.
Li Qiye glared at him and slightly waved his sleeve: "Rise, I don't blame you. Recently, some ignorant fools have indeed been posing as me."
At this time, how could Blazing dare to doubt Li Qiye? For dark cultivators like them, other things could be disguised, but not the devil heart. This was the most fundamental essence of their very being. In the Devil World, very few people had a devil heart of this level, but Heaven Relinquish was one of them!
After Blazing stood up, the imperious Li Qiye glanced over this palace and spoke emotionlessly: "You have picked up quite a treasure. This palace wasn't yours back then."
Blazing smiled dryly and replied: "My Lord, after the old Devil King went to the Evil Slaying Platform, this place lost its master, so this lowly one became bold and decided to stay here. If My Lord likes it, this lowly one will hand it over to you right away."
"I didn't come today for your broken palace. If I wanted it, I would have taken it long ago, it wouldn't have been your turn to stay here." Li Qiye said conceitedly.
"Yes, yes. My Lord is the one who holds the key to the Dark Maxim Palace, a little palace like this, of course, can't get into your sight." Blazing hastily replied.
Li Qiye batted his eyes and coldly asked: "You were born underground, correct?"
"Yes." Blazing answered right away: "That was a story from long ago. This lowly one is one of the few dark cultivators born down here."
Li Qiye took out an item then threw it to him before speaking dismissively: "Have you seen this thing before?"
The item was the thing Mei Suyao took from Vedas Vajra and was finally put together successfully by the Mortal Monarch.
Mei Suyao was not surprised to see the complete form of this item. Since Li Qiye wanted it, he must have known of its effects.
Blazing carefully looked at it. After a while, he murmured: "I'm afraid this lowly one has never seen this thing before."
"Look closer, there should be a similar type of runes underground like the ones on there." Li Qiye coldly spoke.
Blazing looked again. After pondering for a long time, he was jolted and exclaimed: "Yes, I think there was a place like this."
"Tell me the exact location." Li Qiye commanded.
Blazing mused it over before answering: "This lowly one dares not deceive My Lord. It was too long ago, so I am not sure. I think that place should have runes like this, but I am not one hundred percent certain."
"Draw a map. As long as you remember the terrain, it should be simple." He ordered once more.
Blazing naturally didn't dare to snub Li Qiye. He held a calligraphy pen and began to draw. After each stroke, he tilted his head in contemplation and made many modifications since he didn't dare to make the slightest mistake.
After drawing for some time, he finally finished it and handed it to Li Qiye to let him take a look. Li Qiye checked it meticulously and gently nodded: "This should be right."
Keep in mind that Li Qiye had stayed in the Lesser Imperial Devil World for a long period in the past, so he understood it quite well. However, he wasn't completely certain of the location he was searching for. After narrowing the range with Blazing's drawing, he finally knew where it was.
After putting the drawing of the terrain away, he coldly glared at Blazing: "If I remember correctly, this inner earth gave birth to a Fire God’s Calmheart."
"That, that, heart of the fire god…" Blazing felt quite awkward once Li Qiye brought up this topic.
Li Qiye coldly stared at him: "I have calculated with my fingers. Since the last sacrifice, the heart here has reached maturity."
"Yes, that's true…" Blazing coughed nervously.
Li Qiye waved his sleeve gently and commanded: "Go fetch it."
Blazing didn't know what to do, so he only stood there while hesitating.
"You have been protecting it through the long years, so I won't mistreat you. I, Heaven Relinquish, never owe anyone a favor." Li Qiye imperiously declared: "I will grant you a devil wish!"
"My Lord wants to climb the Evil Slaying Platform!" Blazing startlingly murmured after hearing this.
"That's right." Li Qiye chillingly confirmed without batting an eye.
Blazing stood there in a daze. After a while, he spoke: "Ever since the God-Tyrant Devil King went up there, no other kings have done so. If My Lord is going this time, who will be the future holder of the key to the Dark Maxim Palace?"
"You don't need to know that. Just leave behind a devil wish." Li Qiye's eyes turned cold.
Blazing didn't dare to make Li Qiye unhappy. He immediately took out the Fire God’s Calmheart. He knew that his refusal was useless. Who could actually stop Heaven Relinquish if he wanted to seize it by force?
Remember, the word "imperial" in this world is not related to Immortal Emperors. Maybe I should have used royal for it instead… ↩