"They never took me seriously. Never…"
Prince Qian stared ahead, his eyes vacant.
By now, Li Yaozu had already ascended into the high sky to battle the God of War, without sparing Prince Qian so much as a second glance.
"Your Highness, shall we give the order to strike?"
A black mist materialized beside Prince Qian.
Hearing this, Prince Qian's gaze fixed intently on Solaria City ahead. The Li family's Grotto-Heaven and Blessed Land was located in the skies above Solaria City.
All one had to do was break through their teleportation array, and they could enter the Li family's home with ease!
Right now, the Li family's Old Ancestor isn't here; their younger generations are scattered far and wide, and the agents of Skynet are hunting them down. Merit City is now an undefended Grotto-Heaven.
And outside Solaria City, the forces he brought from the Duravia Trade Prefecture lie in wait.
Yet even with Merit City right before him, he didn't dare advance a single inch!
"Leave! The Li family was prepared for this. We're returning to Duravia at once!"
Prince Qian clenched his fists, his mind now in turmoil.
The Li family had exposed his secrets. Li Yaozu had given the tiger-shaped token to the God of War, shaking the man's loyalty to its very core. He couldn't be sure if the other members of Skynet would face the same predicament.
"Min Youguo… Look at what you've done!"
Prince Qian cursed under his breath. Without a moment's hesitation, he stood upon the spirit ark and commanded all of his subordinates to turn back.
He issued a vicious order: "Send word to the great powers of Eternal Sun Prefecture! Tell them the Li family has gone mad!"
"Tell them that we have killed Li Dalong! Tell them the Azure Cloud Army is about to storm Eternal Sun Prefecture, and that the Li family heirs intend to slaughter every last member of the great powers!"
"Tell them to release the floods, to let the forest fires spread, to unleash the plagues !"
Hearing this, even Prince Qian's own subordinates turned pale, but they could only nod in acknowledgement.
…..
Meanwhile, high in the skies above the Azure Cloud Region, Li Wei and the old Daoist Baimei were locked in a standoff.
"Retribution. This is all just retribution."
The old Daoist Baimei let out a long sigh. "Years ago, Tian Xing killed your clansmen, and in turn, you killed Tian Xing. But in doing so, you also shattered my ten-thousand-year plan and severed my path to immortality. And now, your retribution has come. The heavens have always been fair."
"What Tian Xing failed to finish all those years ago, it seems I, his master, must now complete in his stead. Consider it a settling of karma."
"Prince Qian controls a force called 'Skynet,' and right now, his agents are on their way to kill your descendants!"
But, to Baimei's surprise, the Li family's Old Ancestor showed none of the rage he had expected. The ripples of the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram continued to spread, resisting the pressure of the Void Refining realm.
Li Wei's deep voice rang out. "In truth, as a master, you are not even Tian Xing's equal."
"What did you say?"
Killing intent surged from Baimei.
In the face of this pressure, Li Wei instantly flickered to the far side of the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram. He raised his head. The oppressive might of a Void Refining expert made Baimei seem like a towering mountain high in the sky.
Yet Li Wei's expression remained calm.
"And to think, you placed your bet on an arrogant piece of trash."
Hearing this, Baimei was taken aback. He had never imagined that Prince Qian—a man whose intellect he considered almost demonic—would be nothing more than an 'arrogant piece of trash' in the Li's Old Ancestor's eyes. How absurd!
"Hahaha! What kind of man do you think Prince Qian is? Do you have any idea what his cultivation realm was when he first went to the Duravia Trade Prefecture? Golden Core!"
Baimei sneered. "But do you know that even back then, he had already taken Nascent Soul cultivators from Skynet with him? Now, he has several Divinity Transformation experts under his command, and even some at the Void Refining realm! The three great immortal sects are already secretly under his control. A man like that—and you think he's trash?!!"
…
Gazing up at Baimei, Li Wei suddenly felt the old Daoist was rather pathetic.
It seemed this old bastard was truly blind.
He suddenly let out a long breath. "You old thief Baimei, did you really think I didn't know this was your trap?"
"What?"
Baimei's expression turned strange.
A black and white light flashed in Li Wei's eyes, and he vanished from the spot in an instant. Baimei gave a cold snort. The surrounding space instantly compressed, and his eyes locked onto a single point. There, Li Wei's teleporting figure was forced to reappear!
The Yin-Yang Fish Diagram's Primordial Spirit technique was so utterly vulnerable before the power of a Void Refining expert.
As he came within ten thousand meters of Baimei, Li Wei felt as if he were sinking into quicksand. If a Divinity Transformation expert could command the Rules within their Domain, then a Void Refining expert could make the very void their Rule. They were the law of the world; within a certain range, they were the Heavenly Dao!
A Void Refining expert could live for a hundred thousand years. Every last one of them was a monster the likes of which the world rarely sees.
As Baimei reached out, a multicolored hand pierced into the black mist surrounding Li Wei. Baimei was attempting to use a Void Refining art to probe Li Wei's secrets, but trying to see through the strangeness that shrouded him was exceedingly difficult.
The Void Refining expert's brow furrowed tightly, and he muttered to himself, "What in the hell…"
That hand pierced into Li Wei's Primordial Spirit and began to crush it, bit by bit.
Enduring the agony radiating from his Primordial Spirit, Li Wei remained calm and said, "Old ghost Baimei, I'll tell you right now—our Li family is not what it once was! Not only are you no match for Tian Xing, but you also underestimated him!"
"And we devoured everything that was his."
"Aren't you curious? Even while facing Prince Qian, why are the descendants of my Li family still scattered across the world, instead of staying within the safety of Merit City?"
"From the moment we discovered Prince Qian had a secret force at his side, we have been waiting—waiting for them to show themselves!"
"And in the same way, we were waiting for you. I was waiting to personally send you to hell!"
As Li Wei's last words faded, the black mist dissipated!
Baimei was certain he had crushed the Primordial Spirit of the black-misted figure; his opponent was as dead as one could be.
And yet, Baimei was horrified.
It wasn't just the Li's Old Ancestor's confidence, but also…
The Li's Old Ancestor, who should have been utterly destroyed, reappeared. As another of the Li clan's ancestral spirit tablets floated into the air, his aura returned, and the all-too-familiar Yin-Yang Fish Diagram began to materialize once more at a visible speed!
"Fine, fine, fine! Enough of your cheap tricks! You are not yet qualified to kill me. I'd like to see just how many times you can come back from the dead!"
The old Daoist Baimei was enraged.
He employed his old trick once more, unleashing the power of the Void Refining realm.
This time, however, as the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram materialized again, a semi-transparent cube appeared in the black-misted figure's hand. Inside it, a chaotic black mist churned.
"That's…"
Baimei's eyes went wide. He knew what that was. Back then, it was the one thing Tian Xing had feared most!
"Bastard!"
With this new resurrection, the Li family's Old Ancestor had reappeared a mere eight thousand meters from him!
Even as a Void Refining expert, Baimei had no desire to personally test the power of that 'dark weapon.' He instantly used his control over space to halt the Li's Old Ancestor and swiftly retreated.
And then.
"BOOM!"
…
The world lost all color. Space itself trembled. The clouds in the sky were blasted thousands of miles away, only to rise up and slam against the membrane that separated this world from the void.
Far from the site of the explosion, Baimei stared in horror at the spot where he had just been. When the object exploded, all he saw was a blinding white light.
Baimei's hair was now in disarray. His Daoist robe, a Dharma Treasure in its own right, had been blasted open by the explosion, revealing his fair skin beneath, now marred by an array of jagged scratches.
"What was that thing?"
Baimei was aghast. He couldn't believe that he, a Void Refining expert, had actually been physically wounded by a mere Divinity Transformation cultivator—an attack that had even damaged his spiritual power!
If he hadn't escaped as far as he did, his condition would have been even worse!
But he didn't even have time to investigate what had happened.
A voice sounded from behind him.
"As expected of a Void Refining expert."
It was the black-misted figure—the Old Ancestor of the Li family!
Baimei gritted his teeth. "You… you're like a ghost that refuses to disperse! I refuse to believe I can't kill you!"
…
[You have descended into the world once more. Family Will consumed: 200 points.]
[Current Family Will remaining: 5432 points.]
The Yin-Yang Fish Diagram materialized!
He didn't even bring out the North Star Spirit-Breaking Spear; Li Wei was afraid his 'old friend' would be destroyed in this fight.
He was already burning his Primordial Spirit, his physical strength surging. It was the only way he could hope to break through the spiritual power of a Void Refining expert and get close to Baimei!
His eyes were fixed on the old bastard, who was once again channeling his spiritual power.
Forty years had passed.
Not a day went by that he didn't want to kill Baimei.
His body and soul were screaming in agony, yet it was nothing compared to the anguish he had felt while sitting desolate in the clan's ancestral hall for five long years.
His body and soul were being torn apart.
But he had to kill the old Daoist Baimei, the chief culprit behind it all!
Only by killing him could he appease the departed souls of his descendants!
Again.
The old Daoist Baimei's power imprisoned Li Wei, but Li Wei only smiled. He was closer now.
"Die!"
The old Daoist roared in fury, channeling his spiritual power and unleashing a killing blow against Li Wei.
And then…
"That's…"
The old Daoist was struck with terror. Forgetting all about killing Li Wei, he turned and fled.
Because… Another semi-transparent, black cube had appeared in Li Wei's hand!
"BOOM!"
…
Another moment passed.
The old Daoist panted, staring at the site of the explosion. His Daoist robe was now battle-worn, and the defensive technique he had just cast had been shattered into fragments.
His face was grim.
The Li family's Old Ancestor appeared before him once again.
This time, however, the old Daoist didn't dare linger for even a moment. He turned and fled!
Because… This time, there were two of them. That damned Li's Old Ancestor was holding a semi-transparent cube in each hand, and he was using the Yin-Yang Fish Diagram, burning his Divine Soul to teleport and charge straight at him!
"How is this possible? How can this be?!!"
"This indestructibility of yours, and those things you carry—where in the world did you get them?"
"Don't you ever run out?!!"
Dharma Treasures!
Defensive Dharma Treasures materialized around him. He never would have imagined that he, a Void Refining expert, would be forced to use his life-saving trump cards against a cultivator at the peak of the Divinity Transformation realm!
He was trapped in a dilemma. If he wanted to kill Li Wei in a single blow, he would have to stop and cast a spell. But if he tried to flee… the Li's Old Ancestor's Yin-Yang Fish Diagram possessed a pursuit ability rarely seen in this world.
The Li's Old Ancestor could use his teleportation!
"Just what kind of monster are you?!!"
As the old Daoist Baimei's furious roar echoed,
"BOOM!"
A black and white light flickered in Li Wei's eyes.
At that moment, countless people in both the Eternal Sun and Duravia Trade Prefectures raised their heads, feeling the horrifying explosions high in the sky.
The members of the Li family did the same. They merely raised their eyebrows, a knowing feeling in their hearts.
The Old Ancestor just blew himself up.
A moment later, hmm…
The Old Ancestor blew himself up again.
As expected of the Old Ancestor.
---
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