Chapter 401: Chapter 119 Picking Up the Mess
The once lush and verdant mountains had been destroyed in a single moment, with streams of Yin Qi filling the ruins of the estate; occasionally, Sword Qi streaked by.
Zhong Wuqi walked upon the ground with a weary expression, his towering figure marked with numerous sword wounds from which Yin Qi occasionally seeped out.
In his battle with Li Qinglian, he had lost.
As expected of Taibai True Monarch’s incarnation, his mastery of Sword Dao was all-encompassing, delving into Buddhism, Daoism, demons, and Demonology, combining and mastering all, and with his Sixth Rank, he had defeated Zhong Wuqi, who was fifth-rank.
Although Zhong Wuqi had managed to save his life, he couldn’t prevent Li Qinglian from leaving to pursue his assassination attempt; he was uncertain about Cui Jue’s situation.
Suddenly, a chilling momentum emerged, the sky dimmed instantly, and the Yin Qi became intense as King You stepped out, his gaze sharp and cold.
"King Yan," Zhong Wuqi stood up and saluted, "Cui Jue..."
"Cui Jue is dead; I have already visited the site of his death," King You said solemnly, hands behind his back, looking at the ground, "You lost?"
"Yes," Zhong Wuqi lowered his head, "The opponent is the incarnation of Taibai True Monarch, Li Qinglian, who, according to his claim, has now acted independently, leaving the Daode Sect for the Devil God Sect. His Sword Dao is extraordinary. I could not match it."
On the ground, dark footprints were scattered everywhere, all left by Zhong Wuqi.
His Yin Qi had eroded the ground, leaving clear footprints, whereas Li Qinglian did not leave a single trace, seeming to indicate that he had acted easily and still had spare energy.
But upon seeing these footprints, King You recalled some previous clues.
"Not touching the ground!" King You’s eyes were cold and distant, "Li Qinglian’s feet have never touched the ground?"
"This..."
Zhong Wuqi was taken aback by the question, pondered for a moment, and then replied confidently, "His movements were ephemeral; although he moved on the ground, it was silent and without trace. And there were several exchanges where his sword momentum was fierce, but then the follow-through was weak. Looking back, it must be because his feet did not touch the ground, and therefore he couldn’t muster force from it."
Upon reflection, Li Qinglian indeed still had spare strength; he had always been holding back.
Even between Sixth Rank and fifth-rank, during combat, being able to step on the ground is much more stable than floating in the air. Li Qinglian still held back in an uphill battle, and the fact that he did so in such a place was cause for suspicion.
At the same time, Zhong Wuqi recalled something else, "Lawless Freedom is also known for not touching the ground."
Whether he was breaking into the Heavenly Prison or attempting to assassinate the Second Prince, the Madman had always been untethered from the ground, seemingly walking normally but with an imperceptible distance between his feet and the ground.
Especially during the assassination of the Second Prince.
Afterward, upon inquiry by King You, the Second Prince remembered that when Lawless Freedom had taken him inside the mansion, the assailant had made no sound of footsteps at all. That was one of the reasons the Second Prince believed the man had talent.
An assassination should be a covert operation to eliminate any possibility of revealing oneself, but Lawless Freedom had always been conspicuously strange, with steps never reaching the ground, which was a significant oversight.
Excluding the possibility of the Madman deliberately showing off, there was only one reason left.
——He couldn’t step on the ground.
And Li Qinglian was the same.
Despite having the upper hand, he never landed on the ground, allowing Zhong Wuqi to block his attacks several times.
Digging deeper into this, during the previous "Divination Technique of Lawless Freedom," Zhang Daoyi was divined, and Li Qinglian was an incarnation independently manifested by Taibai True Monarch, the Sect Master of the Daode Sect...
In King You’s speculation, a scapegoat was gradually shifting onto Li Qinglian’s back.
Although it couldn’t yet be confirmed that Li Qinglian was "Lawless Freedom," there was definitely a connection between them.
...
’Li Qinglian also possesses the Pure Body.’
On the other side, Jiang Li had already returned to the Divine Capital. At the moment, he sat in a wheelchair, openly heading to the Imperial City.
Behind him, the red puppy, which rarely did not lie on Jiang Li’s lap, followed instead, looking around with its menacing gaze.
The hidden Bull-headed ghost was hanging by a thread, fearing that the puppy would bite him at any moment and annoyed that the dog was quite petty. Wasn’t it just flattering? Did it need to be so wary of him?
The warming relationship between the dog and the ghost took a sharp downturn.
Jiang Li actually found the cunning struggles of these two quite amusing. Yet, what he considered more was Li Qinglian.
’Li Qinglian initially received three Ginsengfruits. If he managed to consume all three, he might be able to rid himself of the Precelestial Five Elements Qi, just like me, and achieve the Pure Body. When I encountered him before, I also sensed the ultimate purity within him.’
Jiang Li stroked his chin, pondering, "This implies that Li Qinglian faces the same dilemma as me."
Clear and turbid attract, when the pure Qi touches the ground, it will be forcibly absorbed by the earth’s Dirt Qi. Even with their cultivation, Jiang Li and Li Qinglian found it hard to ignore this force.
Therefore, they had to be careful not to touch the ground.
And when Jiang Li acted under the guise of "Lawless Freedom," due to his inability to sit in a wheelchair, he always exhibited a particular characteristic. This characteristic, during his actions, was obscured by Jiang Li using the Heart Demon Secret Sword, making it difficult to notice, but after the fact, it could be discerned.
’If someone has already noticed this characteristic... Heh.’
Jiang Li chuckled to himself.
He had always wanted to fabricate a background for his other identity, and among the current circumstances, the most advantageous would naturally be the Blame-shifting Sect, the Devil God Sect.
Jiang Li had pondered how to take on the guise of a member of the Blame-shifting Sect, but unexpectedly, it had come to pass unintentionally.
Although it wasn’t fully realized yet, this buffer time was sufficient for him to slowly plan.
Thinking thus, Jiang Li propelled his wheelchair into the Imperial City, making his way to Qianyang Palace.
As Tianxuan had always been guarding Qianyang Palace, one would seek Tianxuan there in case of trouble. At that moment, Qianyang Palace was already bustling with numerous people arguing and clamoring.
As his wheelchair entered Qianyang Palace, Jiang Li, in front of everyone present, addressed Tianxuan, "Master, I arrived a step too late, and Lord Cui has been killed by Li Qinglian of the Devil God Sect. Even the Book of Life and Death has been taken."
As soon as these words were spoken, a commotion stirred within the palace. The Ji Family’s Sect Master slapped the armrest of his chair and jeered, "Arrived a step too late? You probably omitted the words ’deliberately’ on purpose."
"Great Grandmaster, this accusation may be a bit too harsh," Jiang Li met the Sect Master’s cold gaze and patted his leg, "My mobility is impaired, arriving a step too late is to be expected. If I could keep up with the speed of space-shifting, that would be abnormal."
The Sect Master glared at Jiang Li’s legs, feeling a surge of anger welling up to his Heavenly Spirit.
Regardless of whether the claim of impaired legs was true or not, Tianxuan knew of Jiang Li’s condition and still sent him; this undoubtedly conveyed a certain attitude.