"You seem very confident."
Li Changqing couldn't help but smile upon hearing Li Xuanxi's words.
"I've always been confident."
"Hope your confidence brings you good luck." Li Changqing shook his head, "I won't see you off."
Li Xuanxi said nothing more and disappeared into Li Changqing's Divine Soul.
At this moment, Li Changqing sighed softly. He knew very well how deeply Li Hengsheng was wounded by Lu Qiaoqiao's sword.
When a person dies, their heart dies too.
How could it be so easy to rekindle a dead heart?
Mu Qingge was safe, merely staying by Li Xuanxi's side, which made Li Changqing feel slightly relieved. Now that Li Xuanxi had left the Longevity Sect, he shouldn't pose any threat to Mu Qingge.
Originally, Li Changqing had no interest in watching this duel, but because Mu Qingge was in Li Xuanxi's hands, he decided to go to Mount Wan Jie to witness the battle between the Cangyuan Realm Master and Li Xuanxi.
A battle between two top terrestrial immortals was not something one could easily see.
It was worth a look.
However, just as Li Changqing was about to leave his Divine Soul Lake, he glanced at the lake beneath his feet. The lake was still very calm.
Li Changqing knew that this lake was a manifestation of his Divine Soul.
But at this moment, Li Changqing fell into deep thought. His Divine Soul cultivation had completely stalled at this point.
No matter what methods he tried, there was no breakthrough.
Recently, Li Changqing had been carving many wooden sculptures. He always felt that his Divine Soul grew during the carving process, but for some reason, this growth did not enhance his Divine Soul at all, as if it had completely dissipated somewhere unknown.
Li Changqing also tried to comprehend the heavens and the earth, to understand all things, hoping to borrow the power of the heavens to help him break through.
If his Divine Soul could step into the Realm of Great Freedom, he could truly rival terrestrial immortals and become one of the top experts in the Cangyuan Realm.
By then, who would dare to scheme against him?
Whether it was Yue Hanjun or Yue Qingwu, they would have to step aside.
But after so long, Li Changqing's Divine Soul Lake remained unmoved, and he still had no way to break through.
***
Endless Prison.
Yue Qingwu's figure appeared here once again.
Looking at Yue Hanjun, who was bound in chains, Yue Qingwu walked forward and murmured, "Brother, the time is almost up. You will be out soon. Everything is going according to plan."
"Qingwu, you've worked hard all these years." Yue Hanjun's voice came through, "But I've always been puzzled by one thing. Why didn't Jiang Tianyun find that thing on Li Hengsheng?"
"I don't know either." Yue Qingwu shook her head.
"Could it be related to Li Changqing? I saw Li Changqing in Tianhai City recently, but I'm not sure what he was doing there. However, it's clear that Li Changqing is still wary of me," Yue Qingwu said to Yue Hanjun.
"He came to Tianhai City…" Yue Hanjun smiled upon hearing this, "Let him do as he pleases. If he wants to cause trouble, let him."
"Brother, Li Changqing is not simple now. He probably has the Divine Soul cultivation of a high-level Painting Sage and is very close to entering the Realm of Great Freedom. If he really enters that realm, it will be a big problem for us," Yue Qingwu said with some concern.
"Don't worry about that." Yue Hanjun remained calm and composed, "Li Changqing will never become a problem for me."
"More importantly, Li Changqing will never enter the Realm of Great Freedom," Yue Hanjun said with certainty.
"I see." Yue Qingwu didn't ask why, just nodded.
"The time is almost up."
At this moment, Yue Hanjun slowly stood up. As he rose, the chains on his body tightened, pulling at his body. If one looked closely, they would see that the chains were not bound to his flesh but were completely attached to his bones.
He didn't feel any pain from this. In his eyes, there was only freedom and an unfathomable ambition.
In the following days, the entire Cangyuan Realm seemed to fall into a state of silence.
Everyone, even all the sects, closed their doors to visitors and stopped many major activities. They didn't know what they were busy with.
Everyone seemed to have their own plans.
No one knew what anyone else was secretly doing.
But everyone was well aware that Li Xuanxi challenging Jiang Tianyun was the most promising battle in years.
Others were not Jiang Tianyun's match and could not shake his position as the Cangyuan Realm Master, but Li Xuanxi was different.
Both were among the Four Saints of humanity.
The title of Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal once resounded through the nine heavens.
Although Lu Qiaoqiao's current body was not Li Xuanxi's original one and might not be able to exert peak strength, everyone knew Jiang Tianyun's current state. He was old and long past his prime.
If Li Xuanxi and Jiang Tianyun fought to the death now, they believed Li Xuanxi had a better chance of winning.
Some even opened betting pools in the Cangyuan Realm, guessing whether Jiang Tianyun or Li Xuanxi would win.
The mastermind behind the betting pool was the boss of the black market.
Many speculated about the black market boss's identity, but no one had ever known who it was.
Hearing about the bets, even Li Changqing became interested.
The odds were ten to one for Jiang Tianyun and three to one for Li Xuanxi.
Seeing these odds, Li Changqing was surprised that so many people didn't favor Jiang Tianyun.
But upon reflection, it made sense. In Li Changqing's view, Jiang Tianyun was indeed old, and it might be difficult for him to contend with Li Xuanxi.
Li Changqing also wanted to place a bet.
But he didn't know how to bet.
On the surface, Li Xuanxi seemed to have a better chance of winning.
But from another perspective, it wasn't so clear. After all, Li Xuanxi had fallen in the Black and White Forbidden Zone years ago, while Jiang Tianyun had been the Cangyuan Realm Master for many years. In terms of foundation, Li Xuanxi couldn't compare. So the outcome of this battle was still uncertain.
After some thought, Li Changqing felt that the Cangyuan Realm Master had a better chance of winning, so he placed a bet.
He didn't have a good impression of Li Xuanxi, so he directly bet ten million taels of silver on Jiang Tianyun to win.
Even if he lost, it would just be a drop in the bucket.
Ten million taels meant nothing to Li Changqing now.
As the duel approached, Zhang Yuanzi also emerged from seclusion.
Zhang Yuanzi specifically came out to watch the duel between two terrestrial immortals.
Such opportunities were rare and invaluable for a martial artist of Zhang Yuanzi's level.
But Zhao Beiming was still the same as before, uninterested in anything. He only thought about guarding the North Cold Country and going to the market to buy groceries after work.
Just these two things.
He didn't care about terrestrial immortals at all.
The day drew closer.
***
One day, someone came to Changqing Mansion, surprising and delighting Li Changqing.
It was Xue Qianbai!
"You've come out of seclusion?" Seeing Xue Qianbai, Li Changqing was very happy. He could tell that Xue Qianbai was completely different now.
Just standing there, he exuded an invincible aura!
With the Qianxue Sword on his back, Xue Qianbai seemed to naturally create a world around him.
Clearly, Xue Qianbai had entered the realm of the Great Martial Sect!
A true top Prenatal Realm expert!
The name of Qianxue Sword Sovereign was already famous in the Cangyuan Realm, and now, it had truly entered the ranks of the top experts.
Xue Qianbai of the Great Martial Sect was like a reborn person.
"Brother Changqing, thank you." Xue Qianbai came to Li Changqing as soon as he emerged from seclusion. Without the wooden sculpture 'Jiang Xue' that Li Changqing had given him, he wouldn't have had the chance to break through to this realm.
Or he might have, but it wouldn't have been so easy.
It could have taken ten years.
Or twenty years.
No one could say.
"No need for thanks between brothers," Li Changqing said with a smile.
"Yes, we are brothers." Xue Qianbai nodded.
"Brother Changqing, are you also planning to go to Mount Wan Jie?" Xue Qianbai asked, "If you want to watch, we can go together."
"Of course, I have to go to Mount Wan Jie. After all, the battle between the Cangyuan Realm Master and Li Xuanxi is something worth seeing."
Li Changqing didn't mention that he had bet ten million taels of silver. He had to go see the outcome.
"Fate is unpredictable," Xue Qianbai sighed, "Who would have thought that the Heavenly Maiden Sword Immortal Li Xuanxi was a disciple of the Peak of Ten Thousand Slaughters in the Dao Mountain Ancient Land?"
"And who would have thought that the Medical King Valley was related to the Longevity Sect?" Li Changqing said helplessly.
"Oh?" Xue Qianbai was stunned and quickly asked what was going on.
Li Changqing didn't hide anything and explained the whole story.
Xue Qianbai was shocked after hearing it and quickly asked, "Has the Medical King Valley shown any signs of activity recently?"
"No."
Li Changqing said, "The Medical King Valley is still the same. Although I don't know what method they used, the people of the Medical King Valley have come back to life, making it very mysterious. Even if we tell others about this, I'm afraid no one will believe it."
"That's true." Xue Qianbai pondered for a moment, "But we must be cautious. The Longevity Sect is still active despite being severely weakened in the Ghost Devil. Moreover, the giant cage you saw in the Ancient Medicine Cave is also very concerning. They might be up to something again."
"Their goal is to revive their immortal." Li Changqing snorted, "I don't know what their immortal is, but if it ever descends, it will not be a good thing for the Cangyuan Realm. It could be a great catastrophe."
"Unfortunately, we have too little information about the Longevity Sect."
"By the way, I heard you defeated Su Zheng of the Su Family?" Xue Qianbai suddenly remembered the Su Family matter.
"I sent him back," Li Changqing said, "in exchange for three drops of dragon blood essence."
"Three drops of dragon blood essence for an ancestor of the Su Family, a Great Martial Sect expert. They really got off easy." Xue Qianbai snorted.
"But it doesn't matter. Even if Su Shi Zhong himself comes, he can't do anything to me now," Xue Qianbai said confidently.
Li Changqing knew Xue Qianbai wasn't boasting. Even as a Grandmaster, Xue Qianbai had already comprehended the 'domain,' making him comparable to an ordinary Great Martial Sect expert. Now that he had entered the Great Martial Sect realm and had 'Jiang Xue,' Xue Qianbai was among the top experts in the Great Martial Sect.
There was no need to fear the Su Family.
"By the way, now that you are also a Great Martial Sect expert, after returning from Mount Wan Jie, you should go to the Qingyang Dynasty and tell Princess Qingyang about your identity, right?" Li Changqing teased.
Hearing this, Xue Qianbai was stunned at first, then pondered for a while and nodded.
Some things had to be said.
After returning from Mount Wan Jie, he would go to the Qingyang Dynasty to see the woman he loved most and tell her that he liked her.
The name of Qianxue Sword Sovereign was more than enough to match a princess of the Qingyang Dynasty.
Li Changqing smiled. It was amusing to see Xue Qianbai, a renowned Sword Sovereign, so shy about matters of the heart.
***
In an unnamed valley.
For the past few days, Mu Qingge had been attending to Li Xuanxi. Li Xuanxi spent his days either eating, sleeping, or cultivating.
He didn't seem to be practicing any sword techniques, just meditating.
Perhaps the cultivation methods of terrestrial immortals were different from those of ordinary people.
Mu Qingge didn't think much of it.
But she keenly noticed that Li Xuanxi's complexion didn't look good.
"I feel like your complexion is off. Are you feeling unwell? I'm from the Medical King Valley; let me check your pulse."
Mu Qingge stepped forward to touch Li Xuanxi's wrist.
But Li Xuanxi's face changed slightly, and he pulled his hand back.
"I'm fine. Just do your job. My body is fine." With that, Li Xuanxi stood up and walked to the lakeside again.
He continued to meditate.
Mu Qingge increasingly felt that something was wrong with Li Xuanxi.
"Could it be a side effect of the Three Lives Flower?" Mu Qingge didn't know much about the Three Lives Flower, but since Li Xuanxi wouldn't let her check, she had no choice.
But instinctively, Mu Qingge felt that something was wrong with Li Xuanxi's body.
Unbeknownst to her, Li Xuanxi, with his back to her, had a very unpleasant expression: "Brother Li, is this your way of getting back at me? Or is it the karma of me killing you?"
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas