Chapter 707: The Play
The Alchemy Saint's crowd actually thought that Li Qiye would keep on denying the claim or make up excuses or even push this crime onto Madam Zi Yan. They didn't expect Li Qiye to fall into this trap so easily, so they had prepared many different methods to force him into submission.
However, Li Qiye agreeing and readily jumping into their trap caused them to be unable to carry out their best schemes.
The spectators were astounded as well. Admitting to killing Heavenhoof disciples was a heinous crime. A light punishment would be death, a grave one would be sect-destruction.
Everyone could see that Li Qiye still had a chance to refute, yet he chose not to and directly admitted to the accusation. This was too irrational; was Li Qiye confused?
Even the madam found this to be unexpected. She didn't know what her Young Master was planning. Could he have an even better plan to counter the opponents?
Him directly admitting to the act left the Alchemy Saint's group at a loss; they didn't know what to do. From their perspective, this was simply too illogical!
The Alchemy Saint composed himself and cleared his throat to say: "Both our Radiant-Sea Sect and the ravine are reasonable. We will not wrongly accuse others. Although the punishment for murder is one's death, we will give you a fair chance. Before the trial, our three great sects, including the Huangfu Clan, will take you into custody. After the end of the celebration, we will give you a fair trial."
Li Qiye chuckled after hearing what the Alchemy Saint had to say. To all of these powers, revenge was only a ruse. It was clear that they simply coveted his treasures.
Li Qiye had revealed his hand back at Dao-sense Peak and made many people realize that a prodigal son like Li Qiye had countless treasures, including king medicines and emperor medicines. Both treasures and herbs were things that made people salivate.
However, the thing that his opponent craved even more was Li Qiye's supreme alchemy skill.
The Radiant-Sea Sect and the ravine were already powerful enough with a dao system from Immortal Emperors. However, the dao of alchemy was not their forte since they lacked systems passed down by Alchemy Emperors.
This was especially true for the ravine since its ambition was great. If they could steal Li Qiye's supreme dao of alchemy, then maybe they would be able to produce an Alchemy Emperor in the future. This would allow them to have the capability to compete against the behemoth that is the Alchemy Kingdom.
Because of this, the ravine wanted nothing more than to seize Li Qiye's method. This was the thing that they coveted and required the most. In fact, his skill was why the Heavenhoof Elder was able to throw away his disciple, the Vinepill King, like a pawn. As long as they could obtain his supreme alchemy method, so what if they lost one disciple?
The group didn't want to kill Li Qiye right away with this trap, they only wanted to capture him alive and force out his treasures along with the alchemy method until he has nothing left!
The Alchemy Saint's suggestion seemed fair and impartial to the point where he seemed to be mediating for Li Qiye and the ravine. However, the truth was that his intent was extremely sinister and vicious!
Many eyes were fixated on Li Qiye at this moment, especially the great big shots whose eyes were flickering rapidly.
At this place, no one was stupid, especially the rulers and lords of their own domains. Which one of them wasn't a sly fox? The moment they saw Li Qiye, a few of them were already able to guess the scheme of his opponents.
However, no one dared to expose this conspiracy because to do so at this key moment was akin to becoming enemies with the Radiant-Sea Sect and the ravine.
Many people had the same thoughts. Innumerable treasures and spirit medicines, a supreme dao of alchemy, either of these would be enough to excite people. If they could capture Li Qiye alive, they wouldn't hesitate to squeeze every last drop out of him.
Li Qiye smiled cheerfully and asked: "So, should I be thanking you for being so merciful?"
The Alchemy Saint coughed as he replied: "There is no need for that. Young people will always make mistakes, so nothing could be better than turning back time. If you obediently let us take you in, then out of consideration for your repentance, we of the Radiant-Sea Sect will ask the ravine to give you a chance to start over on the day of the trial. Brother Fu, what do you think?"
"Hmph!" The Heavenhoof Elder acted as if nothing could calm him down. He snorted and coldly replied: "Because the Alchemy Saint is asking in his stead, if this little animal gives up now, then I can give him a chance for a fair trial. Otherwise, blood will be paid with blood!"
"I have been moved after hearing your words. At this moment, I feel as if I am the worst sinner, and dying ten thousand times still wouldn't be enough for atonement."
The Huangfu High Elder coldly spoke: "Hmph. To realize this now is not a bad thing, it shows that you can still be saved. If you admit your mistakes now and choose to repent, then despite the fact that you murdered our descendant, our clan can still show benevolence and give you a fair trial as well as a second chance. Turn yourself in — this is your only way out!"
At this time, the Alchemy Saint and the Heavenhoof Elder were both glaring at Li Qiye. In their eyes, he was nothing more than a piece of fat meat, a priceless treasure trove, so they couldn't carelessly take action. They wanted to capture him alive instead of causing an accident. If Li Qiye died, then everything would have been meaningless!
"I see…" Li Qiye appeared to be wavering. He looked a bit hesitant as if he was struggling internally.
Meanwhile, his opponents all watched him with bated breaths. For them, nothing could be better than Li Qiye obediently accepting his captivity. As a result, there would be no disturbance at Allpine Mountain, and they would also have captured him alive!
Many guests were full of anticipation as well. However, they all had different thoughts and intents. A few of them didn't want Li Qiye to go down without a fight because, by doing so, he would fall into the hands of the opposing group; this would mean that other people wouldn't be able to get a cut.
There were also guests who could see through this conspiracy and wanted to remind Li Qiye to not fall for this trickery. However, these kind guests didn't dare to open their mouths at this moment. There was a great saying: to stop someone's path to fortune was akin to killing their fathers and stealing their wives; it would be an irreconcilable feud!
By interfering with the business of the ravine, it would absolutely bring about a catastrophe, so no one was willing to take such a risk.
The madam, on the other hand, naturally didn't believe that her Young Master would be stirred by a few words from the Alchemy Saint, so she didn't say anything. Her Young Master had his own plans, and she didn't want to ruin them.
"I've thought it through now." Said Li Qiye as he clapped his hands while smiling.
These words left the Alchemy Saint's group heaving sighs of relief. They didn't have to do a single thing, Li Qiye gave up right away. This was the best possible outcome for them.
"Acknowledging one's mistakes and repenting is a good thing." The Alchemy Saint revealed a smile and added: "Don't worry, the Radiant-Sea Sect and the Heavenhoof Ravine are imperial lineages with reputations to uphold, we will certainly give you a fair trial."
"No, I think you are mistaken." Li Qiye shook his head and smilingly continued: "I was trying to say that if I am a heinous villain who will never be able to atone for my sins, then why should I change my ways? How great is it to be a bad guy? How free is it to be a brute? To be able to kill whoever you desire, to destroy whoever you please — what could be better than this?"
This response immediately dazed the Alchemy Saint's group. They quickly became furious as fierce gazes were directed at Li Qiye, wishing to cut him into a million pieces.
They finally understood that from beginning to end, Li Qiye was only toying with them!
The guests wanted to laugh after seeing how the Alchemy Saint's group was played by Li Qiye and were pleased to see them suffer. However, they had to suppress their laughter since they didn't want to offend the ravine.
Li Qiye smiled leisurely and gazed at the Alchemy Saint's group to say: "To me, all of you are nothing. In my eyes, the dead Vinepill King isn't even equal to a fart. Whether it was a conspiracy or if I actually killed him, it doesn't matter to me because all of you, along with him lying dead on the ground, don’t mean shit. I just wanted to play along with you since you wanted to lure me into a pit, that's all. As for the crime of murder, you can announce it as you please. Don't just mention killing this lowly Vinepill King, even if you all accused me of massacring countless races, robbing and stealing, raping and pillaging… I simply wouldn't care."
At this point, Li Qiye laughed and added: "It appears that all of you thought too highly of yourselves and thought that I would give in. In fact, in my eyes, all of you are no different from the dead. I just wanted to tell all of you that you should never touch a woman on my side. Anyone who dares to do so will die without a grave!"
After finishing his declaration, he turned and smiled to ask the madam: "Zi Yan, what do you think is the best way for them to die? Tearing them into pieces or incinerating them? Or should I crush them into a paste?"
All of the guests became silly after hearing this. This was the same as declaring war against the ravine — such unbridled arrogance!
The Alchemy Saint's group was shaking with anger, their fury knew no bounds. They had the urge to tear Li Qiye into countless pieces!
707 TeaserThe Alchemy Saint's crowd actually thought that Li Qiye would deny the claim or make up excuses or even push this crime onto Madam Zi Yan. They didn't expect Li Qiye to fall into this trap so easily, so they had prepared many different methods to force him into submission.
However, Li Qiye agreeing and readily jumping into their trap caused them to be unable to carry out their best schemes.
The spectators were astounded as well. Admitting to killing Heavenhoof disciples was a heinous crime. A light punishment would be death, a grave one would be sect-destruction.
Everyone could see that Li Qiye still had a chance to refute, yet he chose not to and directly admitted to the accusation. This was too irrational; was Li Qiye confused?
Even the madam found this to be unexpected. She didn't know what her Young Master was planning. Could he have an even better plan to counter the opponents?
[collapse]Chapter 708: Immortal Devouring Evil Jar
"Little animal, I will grind your bones into dust and tear you to pieces!" The Heavenhoof Elder was livid after being mocked like this by Li Qiye; his expression was unsightly to the extreme. He roared as his blood energy became as vast as an ocean. The moment he took a step forward, others would feel as if the world was collapsing. A terrifying momentum appeared, causing people to feel as if their bodies were about to burst.
"Wow, incredible. Even though Elder Fu specializes in alchemy, his cultivation is quite scary as well. He's actually a Myriad King! If he could take a step forward to become a Life King and defeat his Life Reduction, then he would be able to live for another ten thousand years." Many cultivators standing to the side became emotional after seeing the Heavenhoof Elder take action.
The ravine had many characters like this Elder Fu. Moreover, he was far from being the strongest among its elders, and yet he was already a Myriad King. This was enough to show how powerful the ravine was.
When Elder Fu was approaching Li Qiye, a cold scowl appeared on his face. The madam stepped forward and instantly soared through the crowd to act as a shield in front of Li Qiye.
"Elder Fu, if you want to fight, then I will entertain you." Madam Zi Yan, who was always benevolent, was now fierce and decisive. Despite her gentle nature, she was still decisive when it mattered due to being a great Demon King!
Elder Fu stared at the madam and slowly said: "Madam Zi Yan, although you have become a Demon King with great prestige in the Alchemy Realm, you need to know your own strength! Your power, at best, is only at the Thousand King's realm. Do you think you can handle all of us on your own? Even if the Alchemy Saint and the others do not get involved, I alone am more than enough to take you down!" 1
At this point, the eager crowd was watching to see how this storm would end.
Although the words of Elder Fu came out contemptuously, they were not without logic. The madam was the ruler of a country and was extremely brilliant and powerful among her generation. It was incredible that she was able to reach the Heavenly King realm at such an age.
Nevertheless, her cultivation was indeed not as strong as Elder Fu's. Moreover, he was an elder from the previous generation. Whether it was his battle prowess or experience, they were all superior to the madam's. In addition, he was an elder from an imperial lineage and cultivated emperor laws. This was something that normal great powers couldn't compare to.
The Alchemy Saint raised his voice and declared: "Madam Zi Yan, all of us respect you as a king. However, a villain like Li Qiye is not worthy of your protection. His wanton actions are outrageous. A cruel and vicious person like him should be severely punished. You have to give the ravine an answer for him murdering the Vinepill King. Give the people of this world an answer as well!"
The Huangfu High Elder also snorted and coldly added: "Madam Zi Yan, although your cultivation is not bad, don't forget that even though you are a Thousand King, it is not much compared to Brother Fu."
The Alchemy Saint's group all wanted to capture Li Qiye alive. A dead Li Qiye was of no value to them; only by capturing him alive would they be able to maximize his value. They naturally didn't hope for the madam to take action. Although they were certain of defeating her, if Li Qiye were able to escape, that would make it more problematic.
"Is that so? Since this is the case, I would like to try the emperor laws from the ravine." The madam calmly spoke. Although she was a woman, she was still able to uphold an entire realm by herself. She stood before Li Qiye with an impregnable momentum.
"Such a big tone, I also want to see if the Giant Bamboo Country has anything special in its repertoire!" With a cold expression, Elder Fu took a step forward, accompanied by his destructive aura.
The madam's eyes became serious as a violet aura rushed to the sky like a towering, purple bamboo tree. She slowly spoke: "Since all of you wish to follow this through, then we'll end it here. All of you, come together so that we don't have to waste time.”
This bold statement caused many people to glance at each other. Many knew that the Giant Bamboo Country had always maintained a low profile and didn't compete with the world. However, the madam was now challenging the Radiant-Sea Sect, the Heavenhoof Ravine, and the Huangfu Clan just because of a junior named Li Qiye. How domineering was this?!
"Madam Zi Yan, you are too arrogant! You think you alone can challenge all of us?" The Huangfu High Elder immediately became angry. Her actions were simply shaming him, so he uttered: "Just I, alone, am enough to take you down!"
"Omm—" However, a buzzing sound appeared at this split second. The madam opened her fate palace, and a jar emerged. The moment this jar opened, it signaled the opening of a world of darkness.
This jar was entirely black with flashing black glimmers that would frighten even people's souls. The coming of this jar marked the beginning of a dark world ruled by an evil god. Faint howls emanated from within, stirring the souls of the listeners. It was as if there were immortals inside being refined into nothingness.
"The Immortal Devouring Evil Jar!" Even Elder Fu, who came from a sect with two emperors, was frightened at the sight of the jar floating above the madam's head. He was forced to take several steps back!
"That is the Immortal Devouring Evil Jar?" Although the Huangfu High Elder and the Alchemy Saint didn't recognize this jar, the moment they heard Elder Fu, their expressions greatly changed as they unconsciously staggered several steps backward as well.
The name of this jar was foreign to many people, especially the younger crowd. Very few had seen it before since it had always been hidden in the Giant Bamboo Country.
"What is the Immortal Devouring Evil Jar? Is it that terrifying?" Among the spectators in the distance, a young cultivator who had never heard of the jar's notorious name asked his senior.
A Heavenly King from the previous generation gazed at the evil jar. His face was also shaken as he answered his junior: "It's not just terrifying… Although no one has ever seen its true power, anyone would be dreadful of it. Legend states that it is the defining treasure that guards the Giant Bamboo Country, an item with an unknown origin that's rarely seen by the rest of the world. Another tale claims that this jar had once refined an ancient True Immortal, but no one knows if this is true or not."
After hearing such a story, anyone would have to take a deep breath. Refining an ancient True Immortal… this was too frightening! Keep in mind that the world had never seen a True Immortal before.
The madam coldly stared at her opponents and uttered: "I wonder if Elder Fu had brought a true treasure from Immortal Emperor Qilin or Immortal Emperor Jin She or not!" 2
At this point, the madam was no longer the woman who was as gentle as water and instead was a Demon King ready to kill!
Elder Fu's expression became unsightly as he retorted: "Do you think you are unbeatable with just this evil jar?"
With two emperors, the Heavenhoof Ravine was one of the strongest demon lineages in the Stone Medicine World. Both of their emperors were demons; Immortal Emperor Qilin was the first while Immortal Emperor Jin She was the second.
Although the ravine had Immortal Emperor True Treasures, items of this level were the sect's defining artifacts. Even the ravine would not easily give these weapons to the traveling Elder Fu.
"You are correct." The madam glanced over them and tyrannically declared: "Elder Fu, even if you have an Immortal Emperor Life Treasure on you right now, it still wouldn't be enough to enter my sight. You would either have to bring a true treasure or become a Virtuous Paragon right this instant in order to match me!"
The madam's domineering aura filled the sky. Normally, she carried herself in an amiable manner in front of everyone. However, it seemed that after following Li Qiye, she had been infected by his aggressive attitude.
"Madam Zi Yan, do you think you can rampage everywhere with just one treasure?" The Alchemy Saint sneered: "Not to mention the invincible ravine, my Radiant-Sea Sect's true treasure alone is enough to suppress you!"
"That is a matter of the future. We can talk about it when you actually bring out a true treasure." The madam aggressively declared: "But now, either all of you come together or get the hell out of here!" She was ready to kill at a moment's notice.
The madam's domineering aura and her courage to shout at her opponent left them — and even many spectators from afar — shocked from surprise.
No great powers would dare to oppose these imperial lineages. Even when they were wronged, they would still choose to acquiesce because once they opposed these imperial lineages, at best, they would come out heavily wounded. The worst case scenario would be complete destruction!
But now, the always-peaceful Madam Zi Yan of the Giant Bamboo Country was acting extremely aggressively and actually challenged the ravine's group, so how could people not be astonished?
"You!" Elder Fu's group was shaking with anger as all of their expressions paled. This was simply humiliating them!
However, they had to admit that the evil jar was very frightening. The damnedest thing was that they didn't bring along items that could stop the evil jar since they came for the birthday celebration. Elder Fu didn't bring along a life treasure, let alone a true treasure of an Immortal Emperor.
It could be said that in just a moment, all of their plans were derailed. They didn't expect for the madam to be carrying the Giant Bamboo Country's defining treasure!
Heavenly King realms: Hundred King, Thousand King, Myriad King, Life King, Earth King, Heaven's Equal King. ↩ Qilin = Qilin. Jin She = Golden Serpent. ↩Chapter 709: Slaying Enemies Like Butchering Chickens
"Ahem…" While Elder Fu's group was stuck riding the tiger, Li Qiye coughed behind the madam and leisurely said: "Zi Yan, this was our fault, wouldn't you say? It was just a little argument, yet we are unleashing this scary intent. This is not good, not good at all."
"Young Master is implying?" The madam was dazed and didn't know what her Young Master was trying to do at this moment.
Li Qiye pulled her back next to him and cheerfully smiled: "Our Immortal Devouring Evil Jar is too scary, yeah? We should just take it slow so that these old geezers on the verge of death won't defecate themselves. It is not nice to make these elders soil themselves. After all, how would they have the face to see anyone else from now on?"
These vicious words enraged the ravine's group to the point where they almost died from vomiting blood.
The madam didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but she still listened to him and withdrew the evil jar. However, her putting away the jar allowed Elder Fu and the others to secretly heave a sigh of relief.
"There is this saying, what was it…" Li Qiye stared at his opponents and slowly spoke: "Ah, I remember now, there is a great saying: there is no need for a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. For this bunch of insects, is there a need to use such an invincible immortal item like the jar? This would be too wasteful and vastly overestimating them."
"Such a big tone!" The Dragon Princess sneered in response and said with disdain: "Hiding behind a woman to brag, are you still a man? If you dare, then come out and fight us!"
"Fight you guys?" Li Qiye chuckled and took a step forward before calmly speaking: "For a bunch of ants like you lot, is there a need to use the word 'fight'? I can kill all of you with one stomp — no problem. I might be someone who hates killing, but if all of you wish to die, then I'll gladly help you out."
The first reaction from many spectators was that Li Qiye was insane. Both the ravine and the Radiant-Sea Sect were imperial lineages, but a nobody like Li Qiye was now calling them ants. How unbelievably arrogant!
"Ignorant fool, do you dare to fight against this princess?!" Before the Alchemy Saint and his group could respond, the Dragon Princess raised her voice.
Li Qiye had previously humiliated her twice, so all she wanted to do was to kill him and drink his blood. She was under the assumption that someone like him could be killed by her without any trouble!
"Only an ant." Li Qiye dismissively said as he didn't even bother looking at the princess.
This attitude was extremely humiliating to her, so she immediately became enraged and shouted: "Little villain, die!"
However, before she even finished her sentence, she had already rushed forward with swift speed like a soaring dragon towards Li Qiye.
However, within this split second, it seemed as if time had stopped. Everyone's vision blurred. The moment they could see clearly again, the Dragon Princess's neck was gripped by Li Qiye, and her entire body was dangling up high.
No one saw how the princess fell into his hands. They only saw her attack and then everything became blurry, so no one saw Li Qiye's move at that moment.
"Clank!" Before everyone could calm down, Li Qiye had already crushed the princess's neck. It didn't matter that she had a great cultivation and was a princess of a dynasty, she was immediately crushed to death by him.
At the time of her death, her eyes were wide open, not knowing how she had died to him. A great beauty, a princess adored by many with countless suitors had been killed mercilessly by Li Qiye.
This scene was too shocking since everyone could only watch him kill her. Even Elder Fu's group had yet to compose themselves.
"Little bastard, die!" The Alchemy Saint furiously roared and unleashed a huge palm towards Li Qiye. How could he swallow this anger after Li Qiye killed one of his sect's disciples?
However, before his palm could crush Li Qiye to death, he was immediately dragged back by Elder Fu. The elder gravely said: "Brother, you have to take it easy!" 1
"Take it easy?!" The Alchemy Saint snapped and roared: "This little animal killed my disciple, yet you're telling me to take it easy?! I'm going to rip him to shreds!"
"Brother, didn't my disciple also die at the hands of that animal?" Elder Fu coldly said: "However, we have to catch this little animal alive to see if there is someone backing him, ordering him to kill our disciples, to see if they have malicious intentions against our sects. We must capture him alive to get information out of him!"
He raised his voice at the last sentence as a reminder for the Alchemy Saint! He sacrificed his disciple, the Vinepill King, and he didn't want it to be in vain. A dead Li Qiye held no value to them, thus they must capture him alive.
Elder Fu wanting to keep Li Qiye alive instead of staying true to his earlier attitude of wanting to kill him made their goal very apparent to some of the spectators watching from afar.
Although the Alchemy Saint was livid, after being reminded by Elder Fu, his mind returned. He glared at Li Qiye with red eyes and coldly said: "Little animal, will you accept your capture obediently, or do we have to break your hands and legs first!"
The madam was about to step out again, but Li Qiye pulled her back and chuckled while speaking to her: "My Zi Yan, since they are coming for me, let me deal with this trivial matter. Otherwise, other people would actually think that I am living off of you."
The madam couldn't help but smile. She didn't say anything else and stepped to the side. If the situation went south, then she would take action.
Li Qiye stepped forward and lazily looked at the Alchemy Saint's group and said: "It is almost midnight, but we are still here. Since you all dared to provoke me, I actually thought that you made some preparations like having a Virtuous Paragon in the shadows. Now, it seems that all of you are just a bunch of fools. Well, let us end this quickly as I still have to sleep after massacring all of you."
To this rage-inducing statement, the Huangfu High Elder coldly replied: "Little animal, come!"
In an instant, the high elder, the Alchemy Saint, and Elder Fu seemed to have reached a mutual understanding and all took action at the same time. They immediately sealed the place completely since their goal was to capture him alive!
"Aizz, ignorant fools." Li Qiye only chuckled and stamped one foot on the ground. At this moment, a gray death energy appeared below his foot and penetrated into the ground.
With a buzzing sound amidst the action, a praying mantis crawled out from below. It was as big as half a man. Moreover, it had been dead for who knows how many years; only its skeleton was present.
However, this skeletal mantis was emitting a gray death energy that belonged to Li Qiye!
"Pluff! Pluff! Pluff!" Right when the spectators still didn't understand what was going on, three heads flew up into the sky, followed by streams of blood spurting about!
The first three heads belonged to the Alchemy Saint, the Huangfu High Elder, and Elder Fu of the ravine. As their heads flew up high, they could still see the blood spurting from their own necks.
The next moment, a group of heads all flew up at the same time along with accompanying pillars of blood. Eventually, thumping sounds appeared as a group of heads fell onto the ground and rolled around along with numerous headless corpses.
The three big shots, as well as all the disciples from the major sects who surrounded Li Qiye, were decapitated instantly, and the culprit was the skeletal mantis that crawled out from the ground!
At this point, the sickle-like legs of the mantis still had blood dripping down from them.
Everyone in the Alchemy Saint's group was killed without knowing how or why. It could even be said that none of the spectators were aware of the events that transpired!
From beginning to end, Li Qiye stood still and didn't do anything outside of stomping once. He didn't even lift a single finger.
The entire mountain suddenly became still. It was as if time had stopped and even the wind didn't dare to blow by as if it was afraid of something.
Even those who were far away were shocked and awed by this scene. Nothing could be more astonishing than this event!
Three Heavenly Kings and more than one hundred experts were slaughtered in an instant without a chance to fight back or knowing how they even died — such a thing was too terrifying and unbelievable.
Li Qiye stood there quietly while the skeletal mantis posturing next to him, creating a spine-chilling scene under the cover of the night that caused people to shudder uncontrollably!
Raw is Brother Alchemy Saint, but that just sounds silly, right? ↩