Chapter 128 - Crushing Zhao Liangqing to a Pulp

Furong was surprised. “Are you planning to?”

Zhao Liangqing said, “I’m going to use them. From today onwards, none of these people are allowed to appear again.”

Use! That was an extremely cold word, as if he treated them as objects, but the reality was even colder. Not only did he treat them as objects, but he even wanted to use them as consumables.

“Doesn’t the sect forbid this?” Furong shuddered. She knew that he wanted to use a vicious cultivation method from the Sect of Clouds and Rain to drain away the vital yin qi of the girls. This was basically casting aside long term benefits for the sake of short term benefits. It was truly an art of the demonic path, which was why it had been stringently banned by the Sect of Clouds and Rain. If anyone was discovered using it, they would become an enemy of the world and be hunted down until they were dead.

Sects of dual cultivation had always been orthodox sects within daoism. The Minor Method of Clouds and Rain was not an evil cultivation method, but taking this path of cultivation required greater willpower than other cultivation methods. Otherwise, their minds would be gradually corrupted by lust, sinking into the demonic path and becoming a demonic art practitioner.

Zhao Liangqing said, “How am I supposed to break through quickly if I don’t use that? If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, who will know? Don’t you hate that kid as well? Once I open my Girdle meridian and break through to the sixth layer, I’ll be able to control weapons. I can assassinate him using a flying sword. It’ll basically be avenging you!”

As soon as Li Qingshan was mentioned, Furong immediately made up her mind. Without even putting on clothes, she made her way out, while Zhao Liangqing just laid on the bed with his eyes closed, resting.

As soon as Furong emerged from the room, a large hand with sharp claws grabbed her neck. With a crack, she collapsed on the ground. The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration quietly spread over. In just an instant, it swallowed her completely, reducing her to a white skeleton.

Furong’s aura had vanished!”

Zhao Liangqing suddenly snapped open his eyes as he bellowed out, “Who is it?” His voice reverberated through the underground palace.

Zhao Liangqing raised his guard to the limit, but all he saw was Li Qingshan pushing open the door and making his way in. There was a relaxed smile on his young face. “It’s me!” He had completely reverted to human form now, so his aura was only a first layer Qi Practitioner’s. He was exactly the same as when he made a mess out of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain earlier tonight.

When enemies met, their eyes would redden from rage. Zhao Liangqing stared at Li Qingshan with red eyes as he roared out, “You killed her?”

“Yep, I killed her. Sorry for interrupting you. I’ll be leaving first.” With that, Li Qingshan actually just backed out of the room again.

“Do you still think you can escape!?” Zhao Liangqing leapt up from the bed and dove outside. He did not even bother to grab his hundred treasures pouch on the side. He utterly hated Li Qingshan, so all he wanted to do was end his life as soon as possible. How was it possible for a mere first layer Qi Practitioner to be the opponent of him, a fifth layer Qi Practitioner? Even if he was empty-handed, he could easily kill him.

He really is looking for his own doom.

As soon as Zhao Liangqing barged through the door, he suddenly turned around and saw a skull condensed from blood-red flames bite down on him from the left. There was no heat, but he could feel the horrors of the fire from the bottom of his heart.

The true qi that surged out kicked up a wild gust of wind in the long, gloomy corridor. Zhao Liangqing raised his right hand and condensed a palm print out of true qi, smashing the fire skull to pieces. Just when he wanted to advance, he suddenly froze up as if he had been rooted to the spot.

A murderous aura and daemon qi that was ten times more terrifying than the fire skull surged out from behind him like the flowing and ebbing tide. He felt like as soon as he moved, the monster hidden in the tide would rip him to shreds. Cold sweat ran down his back.

Only now did he find the origins of the blood-red flames. A small skeleton stood right in front of him as blood-red flames flickered in its eye sockets. It did not show any intentions of attacking. Instead, it just stared behind him.

What was behind him?

Unprecedented fear seized him, but inside, he roared out that he refused to accept this. He was a Qi Practitioner with a great future. As long as he broke through to the sixth layer, a very good position would be waiting for him in the Sect of Clouds and Rain. He felt a lot of regret, regretting over why he had not slowed down a little and taken his hundred treasures pouch with him. He regretted facing something so terrifying while naked.

He slowly turned around and saw the true appearance of the horror.

The small, narrow corridor struggled to contain the colossal body that seemed to be forged from black iron. It could only crouch there, crouching in the darkness, even darker than the darkness. Long, scarlet hair draped down, seeming like both roaring flames and waterfalls of blood. The huge, scarlet pupils stunned him, immobilising him completely.

I’m dead!

This was the first time he had experienced a thought like that in his entire life, and it clearly appeared in Zhao Liangqing’s head. However, his instincts for survival urged him to fight back. He turned around as quickly as he had ever done so in his entire life, utilising every shred of true qi in his body to receive this terrifying monster.

He had no actual plans on taking this monster on in a deathmatch. He only wanted to slam it with his true qi and borrow the rebounding force to flee to the other side of the tunnel. The tiny skeleton was strange, but he was confident that he could deal with it. The monster’s size was so large that it would struggle to move through the corridor. He could escape with his life intact through another secret door.

There was still a chance! There was still hope!

Zhao Liangqing suddenly halted as blood and shattered organs sprayed out from his mouth. He lowered his head in disbelief. A huge claw had grabbed him with terrifying speed that he was unable to react to before gradually bringing him closer.

It was like a cat that had just learned how to hunt, studying the first rat it had caught.

Pain basically drowned out all of Zhao Liangqing’s thoughts. How did he encounter something like this? He was chasing a mere first layer Qi Practitioner. Did it come from that? How did he come across a monster like this?

He realised something. He said with difficulty, “Y- you’re… Li Qingshan?”

“That’s me!” His voice was like resonating metal, yet it was also like the gurgling of magma in a volcano that was about to erupt. He stated a truth with a solemn voice, a truth that brought Zhao Liangqing disbelief.

Li Qingshan truly felt surprised, as he was too weak! Zhao Liangqing was just too weak! The tremendous pressure he felt from Zhao Liangqing when he was in human form had vanished completely. Right now, all he needed to do was use a little bit of force, and he would be able to crush this fifth layer Qi Practitioner like a bug.

So it has always been me? I’ve never held enough confidence in myself? Li Qingshan was amazed.

“S- Spare me!” Zhao Liangqing said with difficulty as he constantly coughed up blood.

“Don’t even think about it!” Li Qingshan used some force, and with a squelch, there was an explosion of blood between his fingers. Zhao Liangqing was crushed to a pulp.

The Blood Flames of Corpse Incineration surged over, converting every droplet of blood into a part of itself. It cleaned up the mess that Li Qingshan had created perfectly.

Li Qingshan reverted to human form. He stretched his arms and legs as he stood there while muttering to himself, “So much for taking you so seriously back then. Turns out, this is all you are.”

Xiao An extended his fingers like a sword. The bones scattered across the ground suddenly trembled, flying into his hundred treasures pouch. He had completely removed all traces of anything happening at all.

Just like he was in his own home, Li Qingshan walked into the extravagant bedroom in the underground palace, or should you say cultivation room. He picked up two hundred treasures pouches from the side of the bed before raising his head and studying the erotic art drawn on the walls. He evaluated, “How ugly!”

Xiao An gathered Zhao Liangqing and Furong’s scattered clothes as well. After hesitating, he did not tidy up the bed. He carefully removed the many tiny traces. As such, it seemed more like the two of them had fled in fear of punishment instead of being killed.

Li Qingshan was unable to do something like this. After confirming there was nothing else worth his attention, he asked, “You done?”

Xiao An nodded, and the two of them returned the same way they had come, silently leaving the Parlour of Clouds and Rain.

By the time they returned to the mountain, it was already very early in the morning. Li Qingshan did not light a lamp either. He used the moonlight that flooded through the gauze window to inspect his harvest.

Furong’s collection and the earnings from the years that Zhao Liangqing was in charge of the Parlour of Clouds and Rain amounted to one million two hundred thousand taels of silver and a pile of gold and silverware.

There were a few talismans, and not a single one of them were inferior. They were low grade at the very least. There were even two mid grade talismans.

The Qi Gathering pills, over fifty of them, immediately made up for the pills that Li Qingshan had just consumed.

There were a few stones the size of pebbles that contained pure spiritual qi. They must have been the legendary spiritual stones.

However, these were not his greatest harvest from this trip. The greatest harvest was a small, translucent sword that he had found in Zhao Liangqing’s hundred treasures pouch. The sword was only a foot long, and it did not have a hilt. It was completely translucent as light basically flowed through it. It was clearly made from metal, yet it had the qualities of jade.

Li Qingshan held the small sword in his palms as he carefully inspected it. He could sense a gentle but extremely powerful spiritual qi flowing through it, surpassing the Wind-entwining blade on his waist. It was a mid grade spiritual artifact.

However, the sword did not even have a hilt, so how was it supposed to be used? Li Qingshan suddenly thought of the Soaring Dragon Elder, as well as Wang Pushi’s pitch-black baton. Was this sword supposed to be controlled like that too? He was uncertain, so he could only stow it away for now.

Li Qingshan was utterly delighted. As it turned out, things really were easier with the evil path. Human society sure was a good place. If he remained in the mountains and forests, he would never have so many pills to eat. His cultivation speed would definitely be much slower.

Although the cultivation of daemons would be calculating with centuries, he was confident that if this continued, he could drastically reduce his time.

The battle tonight had given him quite a lot of confidence. No matter how powerful a sixth layer Qi Practitioner who had split open a sea of qi like Zhuo Zhibo was, he was confident he could take them on in battle.

“Zhuo Zhibo, oh Zhuo Zhibo. What nice things do you have in your hundred treasures pouch? Li Qingshan licked his lips as he wondered malevolently.

They truly targeted one another.

……

A long, long time ago, a young man walked through the deep mountains. A hawk flew in the sky while a wolf ran in front of him. They were his pets and playmates since young. They hunted for him and ensured that he was not lonely. They had gone through many difficult times with him.

As the will of the heavens went in the way of the boy, he picked up his treasured sword, and the hawk and wolf became daemons. They waged wars across the world, defeating countless powerful opponents with him and enduring many disasters at his side.

Until one day, the young man swept through the world and established the nine provinces, gaining the title of the dragon son of heaven. He had many gifted officials, many like the droplets of rain in the world. He also had many valiant generals, many like the clouds in the world, serve beneath him. His harem reached tremendous proportions, and he became the wealthiest in the world.

However, there was nobody, no other human, that he trusted more than his two most loyal friends. He crowned them as kings, giving them the authority to stand above all. When he returned to the heavens, he ordered them to protect this empire.

These were the origins of the Hawkwolf Guard.

Oh right, as for the name of the empire, it was called Great Xia.

Author’s Postscript

I like the name ‘Great Xia’. It’s the beginning of five thousand years of culture, while its creator is the legendary figure, Yu the Great. The people that came after him could only remain earnestly as humans, unable to be like their ancestors who mended the heavens, created humanity, served by many. What a pity!

The name ‘Great Xia’ by itself seems like a boundary between legends and history, also serving as a beginning and an end. Even more wondrously, its existence has been questioned. This kind of existence where it seems to exist yet is also debatable, this point of both beginnings and end, it where this novel and I lie.

Since I’ve said so much already, then I might as well ask for some tickets. Whether it’s monthly tickets, recommendation tickets, or review tickets, any ticket is fine!

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