Chapter 482: Going Through The Bloody Path
"The rewards are the same, whoever kills Li Qiye will be protected by the Myriad Bones Throne!" After the exchange in the air, the Phoenix Maiden immediately let out this message.
Many cultivators who were going to give up suddenly became active again after hearing about the protection from the throne of bones.
This was met with an immediate response from Li Qiye: "I welcome all those who want a piece of me. If you think you are capable, then come and kill me for the Prime Ominous Key and the rewards. Don't worry, as long as you are able to kill me, the Thousand Carp River will not find you for revenge!"
Li Qiye's declaration stupefied everyone. This was the same as screaming that he did not mind becoming enemies with the rest of the world.
A sect master was dumbfounded after hearing this news: "This guy is crazy, he's provoking even more people!"
When facing such a situation, others would try to avoid falling into an even worse state. Li Qiye had the Thousand Carp River as his backing and it was a great deterrence, but his declaration just now was no different from telling the world that he was a fat piece of meat that anyone could take a bite of.
"This brat is either crazy or confident enough to think that he is invincible." A Heavenly Sovereign predecessor couldn't help but murmur.
"The Thousand Carp River won't take revenge?" Those who were apprehensive of Li Qiye's position became ecstatic after hearing this.
"He chose the hard way instead! Excellent… Such an admirable and domineering attitude." An expert cheerfully said: "If he wishes to provoke everyone in this world, it would be an affront to our ghost race's prestige if we didn't kill him."
Suddenly, many became restless with excitement. Many great powers that were apprehensive before were now ready to take action.
Many of them gathered their experts right outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe in order to attack Li Qiye. One royal lord commanded: "Go and prepare right outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe, I don't believe that he is invincible."
Countless people then congregated right outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe. Experts and masters from the great powers were all there.
No one wanted to be the first to make a move. All were waiting for the right time to take advantage of the situation.
Li Qiye's declaration also shocked the group of Qiurong Wanxue. This was the first time the stunned Snow-shadow disciples saw an arrogant person of this magnitude declaring war against the rest of the world.
They were conquered by Li Qiye's domineering style and were full of admiration. They felt that Li Qiye was comparable to the three heroes. His aggressive challenge to the world would be a life-long goal for them to strive for.
"Are you crazy?" Even Lan Yunzhu was startled: "You mind the fact that you don't have enough enemies already?"
Li Qiye calmly said: "This much is nothing. The more the better; it is time for me to sharpen my blade. It has been a while so I can feel my body rusting."
Qiurong Wanxue's group was speechless. The Phoenix Maiden's army was already terrifying enough, but now Li Qiye wanted to challenge the rest of the cultivators in this world. This was such an insane course of action!
Doing so was suicidal in everyone’s eyes. How many actually managed to live after challenging the rest of the world? Unless it was a rare genius like Di Zuo, one could forget about surviving!
"Your head is the thing that is rusting!" Lan Yunzhu glared at him while showing a charming look, then she snappily said: "Is the Divine Spark Country and the Myriad Bones Throne not enough? Do you want to declare war against the rest of the ghost race?"
Li Qiye waved his sleeve and slowly said: "The decision is not in my hands but theirs; I can't help it if they wish to oppose me. If they stretch out their necks while waiting for me to execute them, don't you think that it would be cruel of me to let them down?" He continued to smile and said: "Moreover, so what if I face all of the ghosts in this world? Forget about just this world, I don't even mind facing the ghost race in all the nine heavens!"
People had to gasp at such a tyrannical statement. Before, the group of Elder Zhi would think that Li Qiye was blustering with an unparalleled egotism. But now, they didn't think so. These words that came from Li Qiye seemed so trivial. Nevertheless, they were still very skeptical about the extent of Li Qiye's strength; how could he have so much confidence?
Lan Yunzhu looked at Li Qiye and angrily said: "Have you become insane due to murderous urges? You're always talking about massacres and such." Lan Yunzhu knew about Li Qiye's aggressiveness and that he wasn't a good guy at all. Li Qiye had planned to slaughter them back at the Thousand Carp River, and he had no reservations against killing the ghost race.
"Killing one is a sin, killing hundreds makes one a hero, killing tens of thousands makes one a king, and killing millions makes one an emperor." Li Qiye calmly continued: "Since time immemorial, which Immortal Emperor didn't step on countless bones to reach the throne? From beginning to end, killing millions is normal for an emperor. If one wants to reach the peak, they must have the determination to slaughter millions."
Li Qiye looked at Lan Yunzhu and said: "The emperor's path is narrow; when enemies meet, one side must die. Even if you don't want to kill, the moment you set foot on this path, millions will want to kill you. So instead of offering your head to others, why not kill millions to achieve an eternal title? The years are long and future generations only remember those who shouldered the Heaven's Will to become emperors, not those stomped below their feet. After becoming emperors, killing millions will become a decorated battle record, not the act of a crazed murderer."
Lan Yunzhu quietly listened. She was a genius with dual saint talents and had a chance to walk on the emperor's path in the future, so she understood this logic. Even if you didn't want to kill people, others would want to slay you on the imperial path.
"This is a form of training." Li Qiye said with a smile: "It is not as simple as killing; one can perfect their arts during a real battle. Only by experiencing a life and death battle under the baptism of blood would one's merit laws reach their utmost limit. Even an ordinary technique would become the most frightening sure-kill move after numerous blood-tempered battles."
"The path towards becoming an Immortal Emperor is not just about learning and marching through the corpses of countless enemies." Li Qiye slowly continued: "Only after countless battles would one be able to understand more about their own self and utilize an even greater potential. They must temper their merit laws and cultivation in blood to eventually reach the ultimate sublimation."
Qiurong Wanxue also carefully pondered Li Qiye's words. She had never been exposed to these things before, so they were quite helpful in giving her a new perspective.
Lan Yunzhu had more insights about the emperor's path than Qiurong Wanxue. She leered at Li Qiye and intentionally wanted to take him down a notch: "Watch out or you'll fall on the path before becoming an Immortal Emperor." But she knew that her counterattack couldn't really faze him.
"Rest assured, throughout the nine heavens and ten earths, I alone am invincible!" Li Qiye calmly and leisurely declared.
The group of Elder Zhi couldn't help but show astonishment from this exaggerated remark. Other people, no matter who they were, would be afraid to say such a thing, but this was a simple and common routine to Li Qiye.
Lan Yunzhu wittily quipped: "Oh, Uncle, don't blow the leather hide too hard or it'll blow up." 1
Li Qiye leisurely smiled and retorted: "Just wait for my triumphant return."
Lan Yunzhu glared at him before calmly saying. "I know, I'll be waiting." She was confident in Li Qiye and trusted that he could create another miracle.
There were rolling hills right outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe. At this moment, they were occupied with endless shadows of people from the gigantic crowd that consisted of cultivators from all levels and races.
So many were here that it created a myriad of scenes. Some were floating in the sky, some were lingering on the peaks, and some were hiding in the shadows.
The cultivators that came here for Li Qiye numbered in the dozens of tens of thousands or even more; all aimed to kill Li Qiye since the Phoenix Maiden's bounty was too tempting. More importantly, Li Qiye had the Prime Ominous Key. There were also many sect masters and kings along with high elders, but the young prodigies here were too many to count.
High elders from the great powers didn't necessarily need King Medicines, precious scrolls, or even a Virtuous Paragon Life Treasure, but the key made them salivate.
Of course, some of the young ones came for fame. At this moment, Li Qiye was very illustrious after killing the group of the Divine Spark Prince; he was called the new Fierce of this generation. His cachet had nearly reached the level of the Titanic Crescent Saint Child or the Ghost Insect Evil Child from the emperor's lineages.
482 Teaser"The rewards are the same, whoever kills Li Qiye will be protected by the Myriad Bones Throne!" After the exchange in the air, the Phoenix Maiden immediately let out this message.
Many cultivators who were going to give up suddenly became active again after hearing about the protection from the throne of bones.
This was met with an immediate response from Li Qiye: "I welcome all those who want a piece of me. If you think you are capable, then come and kill me for the Prime Ominous Key and the rewards. Don't worry, as long as you are able to kill me, the Thousand Carp River will not find you for revenge!"
Li Qiye's declaration stupefied everyone. This was as if he was screaming that he did not mind becoming enemies with the rest of the world.
[collapse] Okay, this is a pun that requires understanding of the idiom. There are a number of theories, one of which is that it originates from the Chinese that lived by the Yellow River back in ancient times. They would make rafts using inflated leather hides since leather was strong, buoyant, and waterproof. The hides were inflated by blowing air into the them like bags (no foot pumps back then!), so it would take a whole group of able men to do this. If someone were to claim "I can blow up a raft by myself", it was clear to all that he was just boasting. Over time, people came to use 吹牛皮 / chuī niú pí / blow cow hide, or just 吹牛, to refer to "talking big" or bragging. I've been using bragging instead of blowing cowhide, but this pun requires me to translate it more literally. ↩Chapter 483: The Approaching Storm
Killing Li Qiye would win them success and recognition to become the most dazzling hero of the younger generation.
The young cultivators knew that they were not a match for Li Qiye one-on-one, but many wanted to take his life anyway. Even Heavenly Sovereign predecessors personally came along with several tens of thousands of experts, acting like tigers stalking their prey.
As the proverb says, "enough ants will bite even an elephant to death." These young cultivators wanted to sneak attack Li Qiye during the chaos and take his head. When that time comes, not only would they gain the bounty from the Phoenix Maiden, they would also gain an illustrious reputation.
Just thinking about the potential fame left their blood boiling with excitement. They couldn't wait to cut off Li Qiye's head and use it to pave their future path!
And of course, there were those who didn't want to become involved in these murky waters and instead came to join the fun. This group stood very far from the Snow-shadow Tribe since they only wanted to watch the battle.
There was also another group that had a different plan. This group consisted of a few undyings hiding in the shadows. Given the chance, they would definitely deliver a fatal blow to Li Qiye. They didn't come for the bounty or for the Prime Ominous Key, they came to take revenge for their disciples and descendants.
At the oasis, Li Qiye killed many young ghost cultivators. Their elders were the ancestors of sects who had been waiting for a chance to take revenge.
Outside of the Snow-shadow Tribe, countless experts held their breaths in anticipation for Li Qiye's arrival. Some were excited, others were tense while the rest hid their emotions.
Only the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden who was sitting on her phoenix chariot remained calm. It was as if her victory was already a foregone conclusion.
The Snow-shadow members were stricken with fear. Although the enemies hadn’t taken action against them yet, who could predict what would happen after the battle?
At this point, they could only pray for Li Qiye to be the victor with the last laugh. The majority of the Snow-shadow disciples didn't know who Li Qiye was or why their tribe was linked to a human.
However, these questions were no longer important to them. What was crucial was that Li Qiye's victory was the Snow-shadow's last hope of survival!
If Li Qiye died, then amidst the excitement, the Divine Spark Country and the crowd would destroy the entire Snow-shadow Tribe. Because of this, the entire Snow-shadow Tribe quietly prayed for Li Qiye to triumph over everyone for the sake of their survival.
Li Qiye finally appeared under countless gazes. Just like he had previously stated, he came alone. He strolled with leisure as if this venture was not dangerous at all; he was merely taking a stroll before a mighty army.
"He's here, he is here!" At this time, the atmosphere was tensing. Many experts who were ready to sneak attack or those who only wanted to spectate were in a frenzy.
The gazes that fell upon Li Qiye came in a plethora of emotions; there was anger, murderous intent, cold and calculating glints, and cruelness… These gazes alone seemed enough to cut him into many pieces.
The ten thousand experts outside of the tribe secretly took out their weapons or maneuvered to a better position. When the time was ripe, they would deliver the fatal blow.
Li Qiye seemed to be a lost lamb as he faced so many prowling experts among the hills. He had entered the tiger's den, and these hungry experts were just waiting to take his head. Or, one could also describe him as a drowning man surrounded by sharks that were ready to swarm him once they smelled blood.
Among the tumultuous crowd, some people couldn't help but admire Li Qiye. One older sect master said while being visibly moved: "So courageous! He knows that there are tigers on the mountain yet he still chose to come."
Even knowing full well that countless experts were lying in ambush, Li Qiye still came alone. Such a person was either truly confident in his cultivation or was a madman.
"This guy is absolutely crazy. Opposing the Phoenix Maiden alone wasn't enough, he even dared to challenge the world, resulting in him having to face its wrath. He's a freaking maniac!" Someone inside the crowd exclaimed.
A human cultivator couldn't help but say: "Maybe he is just full of confidence? He believes that he can leave in one piece just like Di Zuo. When Di Zuo was eighteen, he also destroyed the North Ridge country alone and walked freely in the midst of a 500,000 strong army."
Although the human race had a very weak presence at the Nether Border, many human cultivators here hoped for Li Qiye's victory, for the pride of humanity.
The Nether Border was the territory of the ghost race, especially when an unbeatable dao lineage like the Myriad Bones Throne presided there. The human race certainly did not have an easy time there.
If Li Qiye could sweep through all of his foes today, then the human race would shine, especially if he could become an existence like the three heroes. This also meant that a human genius would have a chance to become an Immortal Emperor in the Sacred Nether World.
However, the words of this human expert caused the spectating ghost members to become discontent. A ghost cultivator sneered: "Hmph! You dare to compare a human brat with Sir Di Zuo? He is nothing!"
The human expert strongly retorted: "Nothing? He is the Guardian of the Thousand Carp River, I dare you to go say that to the Thousand Carp River!"
"So what if he is the Guardian of the Thousand Carp River?" The ghost cultivator coldly mocked: "Just watch, before the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he will be torn apart by the thousands of experts. He is just a lost lamb waiting to be eaten by the wolves; he will die without a burial!"
The human expert sneered back and retorted: "Back at the oasis, Li Qiye killed a thousand with one swing, so he can still do it here. So what if you have the advantage of numbers? When one is powerful enough, mere numbers wouldn't be able to do anything to one!"
The human cultivators were backing Li Qiye while the ghost cultivators spoke for their own. Many ghosts only wanted Li Qiye to be dismembered and left rotting in the field.
After all, how humiliating would it be if several tens of thousands of ghosts couldn't kill a human junior?
Ghost tribes considered themselves as the sovereigns of the Sacred Nether World, but this was also very close to the truth. If they were to lose today to a human junior, then their authority would come under attack.
"Calm River Ghost Monarch, Nether Well Bonedemon, Onyx Mountain Corpse King, Eight Slaughter Heavenly Sovereign…" The more composed ghost experts looked at the experts gathered by the hills and recognized all the famous characters, saying: "Even Sir Di Zuo might not be able to face so many enemies, unless he brought an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure with him. Otherwise, he might not be the last man standing."
At this point, the ghosts that gathered here were all notoriously powerful. The young geniuses were one thing, but the more surprising part were the great characters from the previous generation, especially those who became Heavenly Sovereigns during the Difficult Dao Era.
There were also experts from the other races, such as the demon race, the blood race, heavenly devils, and stone golems among others… The Phoenix Maiden's bounty was too generous, so even the other races' experts joined in the hunt.
Only humans did not participate. This was a battle between Li Qiye and the entire ghost race; any human expert who participated in attacking Li Qiye would be abhorred by the rest of the humans in the Sacred Nether World.
Li Qiye slowly approached under countless gazes. He came closer and closer while the experts hiding in the mountains held their breaths. In this tense atmosphere, even they could hear their own heartbeats.
Li Qiye stopped right before the hills. He was as calm as ever as his gaze swept past everyone. Finally, his gaze stopped on the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden sitting on her chariot in the sky.
The Phoenix Maiden had an ice-cold expression as her sharp glare was directed towards Li Qiye. Her eyes were full of a murderous intent that resembled the cold glints of blades.
"Ah, are you the Divine Spark Phoenix Maiden?" Li Qiye looked at her and smilingly said: "I am here, do you want to fight one-on-one or all together? I welcome either choice."
The Phoenix Maiden up high above coldly looked at Li Qiye and spoke with a murderous tone: "Against enemies, I do not care for the process. The only thing that matters is the result of either you prostrating before me, or having your head placed on my table!"
"I'm afraid you won't be able to achieve either outcome." Li Qiye nonchalantly stated while standing before the mighty army with a smile: "How about I give you a suggestion? Scram now to the edges of the heavens and I'll pretend that nothing happened."