Everything happened in a flash. Li Wei didn't even have time to properly see what was inside the treasure vault; he simply used his spiritual power to sweep its entire contents into his storage ring.
The treasure vault of the Lin family was immense; at a conservative estimate, it spanned at least ten thousand square meters. This was especially true of a large crystal in the innermost section, for within it was encased the corpse of a Qilin.
Li Wei surmised that this must be the "Qilin Crystal" that Lin Wudao had mentioned.
"I pay my respects, Old Ancestor!"
Soon after, the Blood Demon Lord made his way up the mountain and bowed respectfully before Li Wei.
Li Wei took a moment to size up the Blood Demon Lord.
The fellow stood at around one hundred and eighty centimeters tall, clad in black trousers and long boots. His upper body was bare, covered entirely in demonic tattoos. His muscles were solid and powerful, but not in the manner of a bodybuilder.
He had the features of a handsome young man, yet his expression was perpetually serious, as if his brows were always slightly furrowed. His eyes, from pupil to sclera, were a uniform, profound black, and his head was crowned with short, gray hair.
After so many years, the Blood Demon Lord had come to consider himself a member of the Li family, and thus addressed Li Wei as "Old Ancestor."
"This has been hard on you," Li Wei said. "If you hadn't drawn the attention of the Lin family cultivators and their defensive formations on Qilin Mountain, I fear I wouldn't have even been able to get near Lin Wudao."
Li Wei offered the Blood Demon Lord a slight smile.
Upon hearing this, the Blood Demon Lord maintained his usual solemn expression, though for a fleeting moment, the faintest hint of a smile seemed to cross his serious face.
His expression then turning grave once more, he addressed Li Wei, "I was merely serving the family clan. Besides, with this undying body of mine, one can hardly speak of any true hardship. However, Old Ancestor," he continued, "at present... You and I, we'll be fine. But I fear that they... will not find it so easy to depart."
He glanced at the crowd of "caged birds" behind Li Wei, who were in the process of slowly dispelling the arrays cloaking their bodies, and then gestured towards the sky.
"Indeed, departing will not be a simple matter," Li Wei agreed.
Li Wei gave a slight nod.
He knew clearly that storming Qilin Mountain itself would be easy enough.
He also understood that the reason Venerable Tian Xing had been able to crush the Li family so thoroughly back then was due to nothing more than the element of surprise.
By that same token, he and the Blood Demon Lord could also act as they pleased within Venerable Tian Xing's own territory!
The truly troublesome part, however, would be escorting Kuangren and the nearly one thousand chattering "caged birds" behind him safely out of Eternal Sun Prefecture, all while evading the lethal pursuit of Venerable Tian Xing.
He slowly turned his gaze upon the "caged birds." By now, Lin Wudao had already fled and concealed himself in some unknown location, yet the faces of these "caged birds" were still filled with incandescent rage as they searched for Lin Wudao's whereabouts.
It was likely these geniuses had once suffered the same hardships as the Li family; year after year of humiliation had caused them to hate Lin Wudao—and by extension, Venerable Tian Xing, to the very marrow of their bones!
"My friends," he addressed them, "freeing you was no easy task. I believe we all now share a common objective."
As Li Wei's words faded, gaze after gaze turned to fix upon him.
He saw the unwavering resolve in the eyes of these "caged birds," and it caused the corners of his own mouth to curve upwards slightly.
"So then," he continued, "if I can guarantee your salvation, if I can bestow upon you the hope of vengeance, what, in return, are you willing to offer our Li family?"
What were they willing to offer?!!
The atmosphere on Qilin Mountain grew sinister and cold. Within the dark clouds that had yet to dissipate from the Blood Demon Lord's battle, thunder continued to roll.
A red glint ignited in the eyes of every one of these "caged birds."
Decades, centuries, even millennia of blood feuds and deep humiliation—what would that not compel them to offer?
Everything!!!
...
High in the sky.
After fleeing from his immediate predicament on Qilin Mountain, Lin Wudao had already rendezvoused with the Nascent Souls and Primordial Spirits of his numerous other avatars.
He glared down at Qilin Mountain below.
"You Bastards!!"
Lin Wudao roared in fury. He was one of Venerable Tian Xing's most ancient avatars; for several thousand years, he had concealed himself here on Qilin Mountain, eventually becoming its revered Old Ancestor.
Everything that transpired in Eternal Sun Prefecture had been orchestrated by him, step by step.
He had always been the one sitting in the rear courtyard, masterminding every single plot.
He was a man of infinite schemes, his plans always seemingly infallible. Yet today, for the first time, he tasted the bitter sting of humiliation!
That mysterious black mist figure from the Li family, using the very same tactics of surprise that he himself had once employed, had caught him completely off guard, stormed into his Qilin Mountain, and taken everything from his treasure vault... including the Qilin Crystal!
That was the very key for this avatar of his to break through to the Void Refining realm!
And his "collection" of geniuses... all of them were supposed to be the nourishment to fuel his own breakthrough to the Void Refining realm...
"We must Kill him," he commanded, "and bring back what is mine."
Lin Wudao narrowed his eyes to slits. "And those geniuses—not a single one of them is to be allowed to escape!"
His hand trembled, a physical manifestation of his rage pushed to its absolute limit... and also, of a measure of... fear.
"Yes!"
Those Nascent Souls and Primordial Spirits all agreed without exception. Although they were somewhat disappointed that Lin Wudao had not been killed, at this particular moment, they had no choice but to assent to his command.
For they, too, were afraid.
That bastard, Lin Wudao, had captured over a thousand geniuses. They could scarcely imagine the true catastrophe that would unfold if all those geniuses were to escape!
In an instant, all of Venerable Tian Xing's avatars throughout Eternal Sun Prefecture began to move with great speed.
In the very next moment, however, Lin Wudao and every single one of Venerable Tian Xing's avatars were all frozen where they stood, staring blankly towards the direction of Qilin Mountain.
Shadow after shadow poured forth, like ants swarming from a disturbed nest; they were simply beyond counting.
Cries of alarm erupted from within Qilin Mountain.
"Puppets... They're all puppets!"
---
2/2
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 50 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!