Cheng Jingbai and the others never expected to see Qian Li here. After their initial shock, they couldn’t help but look toward Qiu Hong with peculiar gazes.
Qiu Hong scratched his head and said, “This is the consequence of a poor father-son relationship.”
Cheng Jingbai also scratched his head: “If he caught you to ask about Sui Qiusan’s whereabouts, I could understand, but why are we trapped in this Full Moon Seal?”
Both men looked toward Qian Li on the shore, as if seeking an answer.
Qian Li’s gaze shifted to Cheng Jingbai’s group. He spread his hands and said, “My apologies, but after my master’s death, I took over Nan Que. Given what you all did before, I can hardly pretend I didn’t see you and let you pass.”
Cheng Jingbai glanced at the three Ghost Mansion disciples standing behind Qian Li and couldn’t help but laugh, “When I went to Tai Yi, I heard you were handling the aftermath in Nan Que, preserving it against the Jiang family and various sects. But I never imagined your relationship with Master Cui Yaocen was so deep that you would take over Nan Que after her death.”
Qian Li also smiled: “You all have your places to return to. From the beginning, you never came to join Nan Que. But have you ever considered that back then, I only had Nan Que as my destination?”
Cheng Jingbai looked up at him, no longer appearing frivolous: “I truly apologize for not considering your feelings.”
Qian Li responded indifferently: “It’s fine. You Earth Ghosts were never good at considering others’ feelings anyway.”
Qiu Hong looked left and right, then asked solemnly: “I’ll only ask you one question. Are you cooperating with the Wandering Ghost Clan or with the Calligraphy Saint?”
“Even the Calligraphy Saint has no choice but to cooperate with the Wandering Ghost Clan. What do you think?” Qian Li answered him candidly. “I heard you were coming to cause trouble for the Wandering Ghost Clan. The clan leader specifically sought me out for help. As it happened, my master’s death had stirred up Nan Que’s fighting spirit again, so I made this trip.”
“I can ignore the grudges between Nan Que and Bei Dou, ignore your massacre of Nan Que’s people. I only want Sui Qiusan dead.”
Qian Li looked at Qiu Hong. “Why don’t you answer a question for me: where is he?”
Qiu Hong: “I won’t tell you.”
Fu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. He stood in the clear river water holding his sword with both hands, looking at Qian Li with mockery in his eyes: “Since you say you’ve taken over Nan Que and the remaining people follow your orders, don’t speak so righteously. If Nan Que hadn’t invaded Bei Dou in the first place, hadn’t slaughtered our seven academies’ disciples and principals, hadn’t abducted Shi Fei, and hadn’t committed all those disgusting acts over the five years, determined to fight us to the death, they wouldn’t have fallen to this state now.”
Black Fox Mask turned, flicking water from his long blade, and spoke softly while looking at Ghost Mansion disciples: “Cui Yaocen harmed Chen Zhou and Qing Ying, making them suffer for five years, a fate worse than death. Among my Jade Balance’s sixteen disciples, fourteen were controlled by Yumei’s spiritual illusion technique, forced to kill my master before dying themselves.”
“The way you speak, it’s as if those who died from Nan Que were actual people, while those who died from Bei Dou were worthless, meaningless, and seeking revenge for them should even be condemned.”
“This is no longer about individual vendettas. It’s a battle to the death between two opposing sects.” Fu Yuan said, looking at Qian Li. “If you want to attack in the name of revenge, then come. We are ready to face you anytime.”
Ghost Mansion seemed extremely angered after hearing these words. The stellar power around his body rotated rapidly. “You’re trapped in the Full Moon Seal, unable to use stellar power, yet you dare speak such nonsense!”
Lin Xiao replied languidly: “But you all don’t seem to dare make a move either. Inside the Full Moon Seal, no one can use stellar power. If you enter, you’ll face the same restriction. If you let us out, who knows who will kill whom?”
“You traitor, you’re especially unforgivable!” Zhan Mansion glared coldly at Lin Xiao. “You know how well Zhen Mansion treated you, yet how did you repay him?”
“According to your new sect leader, I’m an Earth Ghost, so such actions aren’t surprising. And Principal Zhen Mansion wouldn’t tolerate his disciple being an Earth Ghost. I’ve seen him capture quite a few Earth Ghosts from Nan Que over the years.” Lin Xiao smiled slightly. “Must those who kill without self-awareness be forgiven?”
Qiu Hong said, “They don’t remember.”
Qian Li frowned: “What don’t I remember? Please enlighten me.”
Cheng Jingbai said, “Even if you don’t remember the Divine Oracle and the Life Meridian incidents, do you also not remember when Zhou Zixi saved you and your mother when the Jiang family besieged the Zhao family?”
“Now he’s trapped in the Wandering Ghost Clan, yet you block the path to rescue him?”
Qian Li replied calmly: “I only want you to hand over Sui Qiusan to me.”
“Then you should only detain Qiu Hong and his group. Why keep the Bei Dou people captive?” Cheng Jingbai raised his hand to point at Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask. “Didn’t you say you could ignore the grudges between Bei Dou and Nan Que? Then let them go.”
Qian Li remained silent.
Cheng Jingbai raised an eyebrow slightly. “Why can’t you do it? Because you’re now Nan Que’s sect leader, you’ve chosen to stand against Bei Dou. As mortal enemies, kill if you must kill. There’s no need for pretty words.”
“I heard that on your way to Nan Que, you were hunted by the Jiang family, and Ming Li saved you, helping you reach Nan Que.” Lin Xiao also said, “Cui Yuanxi sent you away from Nan Que to the Jiang family, and when you were almost taken away, Bei Dou’s people intervened. Now you want to become enemies with Ming Li?”
Ghost Mansion shouted angrily: “Stop trying to sow discord with your honeyed words!”
“You’re right, and like what these two Bei Dou seniors just said, this is no longer about personal grudges but a war to the death between sects. Since I’ve chosen Nan Que, I won’t think about what becoming enemies with Ming Li might mean.”
Qian Li shrugged, spreading his arms and smiling: “From the day my mother and I arrived in Ji Dan Guo City, I’ve been thinking about how to find Sui Qiusan, how to become stronger, how to resolve the grudge between us.”
“I’ve lived in hatred for so many years and haven’t given up for a single day. I won’t give up until Sui Qiusan is dead.”
Qian Li’s gaze swept over Fu Yuan and Black Fox Mask, then looked at the Ice Desert Earth Ghosts and the southern Earth Ghosts: “You all have experienced the murder of your dearest ones. Pain and hatred cannot be dissolved with just a few words. It must be a fight to the death. That’s how it is between you and Nan Que, and that’s how it is between me and Sui Qiusan.”
He couldn’t remember the conversation on that snowy night in the imperial capital, so he still couldn’t understand why Sui Qiusan had done what he did.
Zhou Xiang didn’t join their conversation. Instead, she looked at the white-robed figures wearing gold-cracked masks standing on the shore. These two gave her a very odd feeling. Even though stellar power was suppressed within the Full Moon Seal, the response from the Heart Meridian wasn’t affected by the seal.
“Are they…” Zhou Xiang raised her hand to point at the masked individuals, “Earth Ghosts?”
Many people’s attention was drawn by Zhou Xiang’s question, looking toward the masked pair. Cheng Jingbai’s expression changed instantly. Catching a glimpse of someone moving with shadow-speed, he shouted urgently: “Don’t go over there!”
Li Bushuo hadn’t been walking with them. Due to his weak presence, he was easily overlooked and had fallen a step behind, thus avoiding being trapped in the Full Moon Seal.
He had been waiting for an opportunity. Since he didn’t know the Eight Meridian Formation and couldn’t break the Full Moon Seal, he targeted Qian Li, who was giving orders.
When Lin Xiao was trying to provoke Qian Li with words to expose a weakness, Li Bushuo seized the moment to strike. Moving at his maximum shadow-speed, he drew his twin blades in a killing move.
This shadow-speed was so fast that even Nan Que’s three Seven Meridian Realm principals hadn’t detected it. The blade energy had already reached Qian Li’s throat, lifting strands of his hair, but Qian Li didn’t turn around. He simply said: “I haven’t forgotten how many of you there are.”
A blood droplet exploded in the air, thin blood strands instantly forming a spider web that caught Li Bushuo’s twin blades. As the blood was reflected on the blade surface, the strands had already spread over Li Bushuo’s body.
The Zhao Clan’s hereditary divine ability: Celestial Net of Ten Thousand Forms.
The grotesque blood strands tore apart Li Bushuo’s arms and mercilessly twisted his neck. His severed head rolled on the ground, the bloodstained paper bag falling separately from the head.
Those inside the Full Moon Seal witnessed this scene with varied expressions. Zhou Xiang and Lin Xiao frowned deeply.
Blood slowly flowed into the river water.
In the instant Li Bushuo regenerated his body, he reached for the paper bag that had fallen to the ground. Just as his five fingers were about to touch the paper bag, a blood-colored scythe rose in the moonlight, piercing through him and pinning him to the ground, preventing him from moving forward.
Qian Li twisted his neck slightly and glanced at the two gold-cracked masked Earth Ghosts who were about to step forward. “It’s not time for you to act yet.”
Cheng Jingbai looked at Li Bushuo, who had been captured by Qian Li, with a grim expression.
Others might not understand why Li Bushuo, even in such a dire situation, would first reach for the paper bag that covered his face. Was he that afraid of people seeing his face?
Yes, Li Bushuo was indeed afraid. After leaving the Ice Desert and coming to populous areas, Li Bushuo had received help from many kind people and had been treated with goodwill.
But they all feared Earth Ghosts.
Li Bushuo didn’t want these people to fear him. He wore the paper bag to cover his face, hoping not to frighten them.
“I can’t kill an Earth Ghost, but Earth Ghosts can.” Qian Li looked at Cheng Jingbai’s group inside the Full Moon Seal. “It seems you care about your companion. Let’s make a deal: if you make Qiu Hong tell me about Sui Qiusan’s whereabouts, I’ll release him.”
Li Bushuo was in a near-death state, with no ability to resist or die. If the two Earth Ghosts standing nearby destroyed his Life Meridian, he would turn into a pile of black flesh, leaving only a black skull.
Qiu Hong placed one hand on the wine gourd at his waist, frowning involuntarily: “Do you have to go this far?”
Qian Li raised his head, his gaze ice-cold: “What’s wrong with killing an Earth Ghost who has killed people?”
He had always lived in hatred. When he saw Sui Qiusan in Nan Que, the fire of hatred in his heart was ignited and multiplied several times over.
This rage would not be extinguished until Sui Qiusan was dead.
In Qian Li’s view, all Earth Ghosts were like Sui Qiusan: human-like but merely monsters wearing human skin, eventually becoming bloodthirsty and cruel.
Killing Earth Ghosts was not a bad thing.
All Earth Ghosts in this world should die.
He wanted a world without Earth Ghosts.
“What will you do if you find him?” Qiu Hong said, “You can’t kill him.”
Qian Li tilted his head toward the two white-robed Earth Ghosts: “That’s why I didn’t refuse when the Wandering Ghost Clan leader asked me to bring these two along.”
“Using Earth Ghosts to kill Earth Ghosts.” Qiu Hong raised an eyebrow. “Qian Li, you should remember what I said before: why are you so certain you’re not an Earth Ghost yourself? Why not try dying once to find out?”
“Nonsense!” Ghost Mansion laughed coldly. “You ask him to try dying once, but if he’s not an Earth Ghost, wouldn’t he truly die?”
Qian Li also said, “I won’t play such a boring game with you. Now it’s your turn to choose: do you want him to die, or will you tell me about Sui Qiusan?”
Cheng Jingbai turned to look at Qiu Hong. Qiu Hong could see from his eyes that Cheng Jingbai would indeed take action. He couldn’t help but smile, raising his hand: “Fine. Release him first, and I’ll tell you.”