Liu Buli's words were met with a very strange expression from You Siqi.
Although he said nothing, just looking at Liu Buli was enough to give the latter goosebumps.
Raising an eyebrow, Liu Buli asked, "What's with that look? Even in your plan, there was no mention of the Evil God. Now that you know of its existence, wouldn't your usual approach lead you to consider the possibility of an apocalypse?"
After all, You Siqi was the author of this novel, and Liu Buli always trusted his imagination in such matters.
As it turned out, his thoughts were correct. Upon hearing his question, You Siqi, though appearing hesitant, nodded seriously after a moment's pause. He said, "I did consider the possibility of an apocalypse, but I never imagined you would be the savior. Honestly, knowing you, I wouldn't be surprised at all if you turned out to be the demon king who destroys the world."
Liu Buli was taken aback by his response, then couldn't help but laugh.
He gently pressed his fingers to his forehead.
He didn't want to admit it, but his thoughts were the same as You Siqi's. He found his current actions incredibly peculiar.
After all, he was the villain.
As a villain, shouldn't he be happier the worse the world became? Why was the task of worrying about the world's destruction falling upon him? Just because he was associated with the protagonist?
Liu Buli pondered for a moment, then shook his head, finally offering an answer: "I don't hate the existence of this world itself, only those bothersome cultivators. Besides that, I quite like the natural environment – the changing seasons, the birds singing, the flowers blooming. And even putting that aside, there's you, and Yun Xiang and the others, and Li Qingcheng and Tan Wu. I actually have a few friends. There's no need to let my friends be buried along with those insects just to make them disappear, don't you think?"
Liu Buli spoke with utmost sincerity.
These words seemed to be an explanation to You Siqi, and perhaps even more so, a way to convince himself. It was as if his act of saving the world truly required a clear reason, otherwise, he himself would find it difficult to continue.
From this perspective, he had indeed maintained his villainous persona perfectly.
With that said, the group wasted no more time. After settling their bill at the inn and leaving, Liu Buli directly took out his sword.
He had intended to take them flying on his sword, but Lu Wuming was a step faster. He enlarged and extended his long sword, making it large enough for four people to sit on. Lu Wuming then directly controlled the sword with his spiritual power, making it soar into the sky. He then held his master in his arms, offering a sincere explanation for his actions: "Master has been tired for so many days. When it's time to rest, you should rest well. Let Wuming handle this physical labor. Wuming shouldn't be unable to do even this."
After all, flying on a sword was merely a basic introductory spiritual technique in the eyes of cultivators. So, Lu Wuming's description of it as "physical labor" was indeed vivid and accurate.
Moreover, even if he hadn't said it, Liu Buli knew he would be able to do it well. So, he completely handed over the control of the sword to Lu Wuming. He yawned and leaned comfortably against Lu Wuming's chest, even closing his eyes gently.
Liu Buli was self-aware. He knew very well that Lu Wuming was far more adept than him when it came to searching for evil energy and malevolent intent.
Since their destination had already been conveyed to Lu Wuming, there was no need for him to provide any further guidance. In fact, it was possible that his own misguided suggestions might even lead Lu Wuming astray.
With this thought, Liu Buli rested with complete peace of mind.
However, he soon realized his mistake. He had completely underestimated the situation, to the point that as they approached the mountain range, the overwhelming evil energy made him involuntarily open his eyes again.
You Siqi was as surprised as he was.
Shen Muzhi had quickly erected a defensive barrier around everyone as they neared Kunlun. Yet, even within the barrier, You Siqi still felt the oppression of the malevolent intent and evil energy.
His eyes widened slightly, and he looked back at Liu Buli beside him. After carefully choosing his words, he asked, "I don't mean to target anyone, I'm just a little curious. Are you sure this current situation is something new, added after you've already absorbed the Evil God's soul?"
This question made Liu Buli a little uncertain.
Lu Wuming, who had been acting independently, nodded and said, "The soul has been absorbed, but the malevolent intent has long since permeated the environment. It's impossible to absorb it completely. However, its expansion speed is indeed much faster than I anticipated."
Liu Buli quickly nodded in agreement.
Looking at the scene before them, You Siqi scratched his head.
He looked at Shen Muzhi beside him with concern and said, "If it continues like this, will this world be destroyed before we leave?"