"Yaoqing has mentioned you."
Li Yaoqing did not answer, but Ye Xiu, beside her, had already said with a faint smile, "Qu Yang's strength is formidable; he is a titan among Divinity Transformation experts. We cannot afford to make the slightest mistake."
There were some things Ye Xiu left unsaid.
Xian Tong's aptitude was far from ordinary, but the Li family members had always said his mind was not fully developed, and seeing him today, it was indeed so.
If a person like him had known the plan in advance, one fears he would have made a mistake during the battle, allowing that old fox, Qu Yang, to become vigilant.
"Heheh, Lady Saintess, it's been over two hundred years since we last met, hasn't it? Your Ladyship's grace is as radiant as ever. I was delayed a bit on my way here this time, so I pray Your Ladyship will not hold it against me!"
The Wine Maniac, positioned highest in the sky, gazed towards Li Yaoqing.
Over these past years, he had been helping out in the small fishing village and also managing the affairs of the Li family's Hall of Heavenly Principle, Shadow Division, all over the world, receiving immense benefits from the Li family in the process.
Yet he still held Li Yaoqing in the utmost respect; his impression of her was still that of the Saintess of the Thunderfire Demon Cave from all those years ago.
Li Yaoqing glanced at the Wine Maniac; she still had a deep memory of this once top-tier cultivator from the Thunderfire Demon Cave.
Over two hundred years could change many things, for instance, the Wine Maniac's cultivation base, and the fact that he now served the Li family.
What hadn't changed was the wine gourd hanging at his waist, the reek of alcohol that clung to him, and his beggar-like appearance.
She then nodded and said, "You've come at a good time. There will naturally be a reward for you."
"Thank you for your grace, Lady Saintess!"
The Wine Maniac was ecstatic!
Within the great formation of layered blockades, Qu Yang had already assumed a vigilant posture.
If not for the great formation of the thousand-plus Hall of Heavenly Principle members resisting the oppressive might radiating from his body, the Wine Maniac feared he wouldn't even have been able to get close.
However, although the Wine Maniac had guarded the Li family for many years, it did not mean he wasn't one to enjoy a good spectacle.
At this moment, his eyes were filled with excitement as he muttered in a low voice, "To think that in this lifetime, I, Old Chen, would get to go up against figures who can prop up the heavens... This life has not been lived in vain."
With the Golden Source Bowl and Chopsticks forming the boundary, a thousand members of the Hall of Heavenly Principle forming the array, three great Divinity Transformation experts besieging him, and with a pharmacist like Li Yaoqing in support, Qu Yang in the center appeared so utterly isolated. And yet, he was truly a character who could weather any storm.
His eyebrows knitted together, the look of fear gone.
"Good, good, good!" he snarled, "It seems your Li family was not entirely unprepared! But do you, Li Yaoqing, truly believe that with this pack of pigs and dogs, you can do anything to me, let alone do anything to Lin Wudao?!!"
Faced with such an insult, the group showed not the slightest hint of anger.
"Pigs and dogs? Hahaha!"
The Wine Maniac was merely at the Mid-stage of Nascent Soul, yet facing an expert at the peak of Divinity Transformation, he showed not the slightest hint of fear. He roared with wild laughter.
"When This Old Man was out being a beggar, how many people treated me like a pig or a dog? Your insults are far too light."
Scarcely had his voice faded when the Wine Maniac's face became ferocious.
"Today," he snarled, "I'll let you, this old Divinity Transformation dog, see for yourself what it means to be worse than a pig or a dog!!!"
"Bring me the prisoner!"
As the Wine Maniac's voice faded, Qu Yang, who had originally been poised for a great battle, froze for a moment.
His body went rigid; he stared numbly towards the Wine Maniac, his mind a complete blank.
The members of the Hall of Heavenly Principle had disappeared for only a moment, yet Qu Yang already sensed familiar auras!
Figure after figure was hauled into the sky like dead dogs.
Without exception, their auras were weak and fleeting.
Fresh blood stained their clothes, either dripping from the sky or causing the fabric to stick to their skin.
These people, on the verge of death, all struggled to raise their heads to gaze at Qu Yang.
They looked as if they wanted to speak, but this slight movement alone caused the veins on Qu Yang's forehead to bulge.
Within their mouths, their tongues were gone. Merely opening them slightly was enough for blood to trickle from the corners of their lips!
The Wine Maniac sneered savagely.
"You see us as pigs and dogs? Have you forgotten that you, too, have friends and family! I hear you are an avatar. In that case, you're a truly unqualified one.
Qu Yang, a Divinity Transformation Old Ancestor, what a grand title.
Having lived for several thousand years, with such great connections in this Eternal Sun Prefecture and friends and relatives everywhere.
To us, they too are nothing but pigs and dogs."
"Do you know why we arrived so late? We were busy... bringing them here before you!"
As he spoke, the Wine Maniac even let out a teasing laugh.
"Oh, right," he added, "you should have expected this. I hear those geniuses our family's Saintess brought back have all been busy with these sorts of things.
Did you truly believe they would be safe just because they were in Eternal Sun Prefecture?
But you can rest assured, the other Tian Xing avatars are suffering the same fate as you. You are not alone."
Witnessing the Wine Maniac's madness and the impassive members of the Hall of Heavenly Principle hauling Qu Yang's friends and relatives, both Ye Xiu and Daoist Shanchen furrowed their brows.
They looked as if they wanted to speak, but stopped themselves.
Though they had been sworn friends with the Li family through life and death for many years, this was the first time they had truly witnessed their ruthless side.
They could only surmise that back in Eternal Sun Prefecture, blood must now be flowing like a river.
"Beasts... You beasts..."
Qu Yang snarled in a low voice; he didn't even dare to look directly at those people!
Having cultivated for several thousand years, he had thought he had long since severed all his worldly ties. Yet when these people connected to him truly suffered such a miserable fate, he still could not suppress the rage in his heart.
The Qi of a Divinity Transformation expert raged within the great formation!
"This is bad! He's going to fight to the death!" Ye Xiu and the others hurriedly unleashed their spiritual power.
The grief-stricken old man was roaring!
"I'll kill you! Kill all of you beasts!!!"
Outside the great formation, the Wine Maniac was still laughing wildly, his laughter causing Qu Yang's mind to fall into turmoil.
Li Yaoqing looked at the utterly crazed Qu Yang within the great formation, then glanced at Qu Yang's captured friends and relatives in the distance.
After a moment of thought, she said, "Wine Maniac, kill them. There is no need to torture them."
"Kill them one by one. Right before Qu Yang's eyes, then pile up their heads."
These words, every single one of them, fell clearly into Qu Yang's ears.
He roared like a homeless lion.
"Yes, Lady Saintess."
The Wine Maniac licked his lips and glanced at the composed Lady Saintess.
"Now this," he thought to himself, "is the good Saintess from the Demon Cave, the one worthy of all respect."
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