Chapter 324 – Arrival of the Hundred Schools (1/2)

“You! Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Han Qiongzhi stopped.

Li Qingshan’s tall figure stood before the entrance of the Qian estate as he looked back and said, “Apologies. I don’t have a habit of having women die for me!” He was apologising for his momentary hesitation earlier.

“Even if we’re trying to interrupt the formation, I have a better chance at it than you. You go instead!”

“I’m in charge here!” Han Qiongzhi caught up with him in a hurry. Li Qingshan pointed at her forehead, and a supreme grade talisman lit up, enveloping her.

Although the power of all talismans had greatly weakened within the formation, it would still be of some use. The thin cracks on her face immediately stopped spreading.

She wanted to speak, but a recovery pill was tossed into her mouth, and her injuries began to heal.

“Only women who listen are adorable. Don’t let my efforts go to waste.” Li Qingshan said nothing more. He turned into a gale and made a beeline for the inner courtyard of the Qian estate.

Han Qiongzhi gritted her teeth and rushed towards the exit of the city.

“Sometimes, there needs to be a sacrifice, but no matter who the sacrifice is, it shouldn’t go to waste.” This was also something Han Anjun had once told her. Even in chess, the concept of bait and sacrificial pieces existed, let alone in a battle between two armies. This was the path of the school of the Military.

The familiar scenery rushed past him as Li Qingshan charged in.

His true qi was useless now. Not only was he unable to fly, but he had even lost the ability to make turns in the air. Right now, his feet could not afford to leave the ground without good reason.

Who knew how many walls he had run through. Finally, he arrived at the inner courtyard, the origin of the black lotus stalk.

There was a pond of lotus flowers to one side. The lily pads were verdant as the lotus flowers bloomed, emanating with fragrance like it was late spring. He could vaguely see a carp swimming around in there. It was brimming with life. However, it seemed like such a strange contrast to the deathly silent Ancient Wind city.

A man in black ceremonial robes with a black lotus crown sat on a lotus leaf with his legs crossed. He extended his hand to stir the water of the pond, teasing the carp. He was like a cultivated scholar. He did not even give off a hint of treachery.

However, the thick stalk of the black lotus that was about to bloom was planted right before him. It had claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people.

“You’ve come. Looks like Ruiliu has already departed. No, I can say he’s come too.” The man in black looked at the black lotus and smiled.

Under such a state, perhaps he only needed a single move to kill him. However, the more dangerous it was, the calmer he became. He searched for the slightest opening, the slightest hope of survival.

“Who are you supposed to be?”

“Names are just a form of reference for convenience, so you can call me Black Lotus!”

“Your companion has died. Don’t you feel sorrow or fury for him?”

“I feel happy for him. He’s tained with quite a lot of sins, so it’s about time they catch up to him.” Altar Lord Black Lotus chanted slowly, “All sins annihilated, the lotus blooms. Away from the sludge, to purity and clarity!” His gentle voice had quite the charm. His eyes were clear and at ease, like an eminent monk. Anyone who saw him would want to get closer to him.

“You feel happy for yourself, as he’s made your lotus a little stronger. Though I wonder when you’ll pay for your own sins?”

“Perhaps today.” Black Lotus smiled.

Li Qingshan was speechless. The Altar Lord had not just overcome death. He truly viewed death as relief. The thoughts of cultists truly could not be analysed with logic.

At this moment, there was a splash in the pond, and a red shadow passed through the lily pads, squirming around and swimming over. It nodded towards Li Qingshan in acknowledgement. It was the same fish that Li Qingshan had originally released. It opened its mouth, as if it was asking for pills.

“You know each other?” Altar Lord Black Lotus waved his hand. “Go, go. I don’t have any pills for you right now.”

Even against a carp, something that was only regarded as a daemon in the eyes of regular people, his expression was so gentle that he seemed like he was coaxing a child throwing a tantrum for candy. Perhaps this metaphor was wrong, as he had personally killed hundreds, if not thousands, of children just then.

The Altar Lord was helpless. He took out a pill from his hundred treasures pouch and placed it in the carp’s mouth, rubbing the carp’s head. Only then did the carp swim away in satisfaction. The pill was not as great as Virtue Accumulation pills, but it was not far off either.

No, I can’t keep dragging it out any longer. Li Qingshan took a step forward.

“You want to cut the black lotus and save your friend?”

Li Qingshan’s steps halted. Had this Altar Lord been spying on them the entire time? If that was the case, it would be difficult for him to carry out his plan.

“I saw nothing. I was just guessing you were planning that. Hawkwolf guards rarely move alone, especially when they face the likes of us. You were staring at the black lotus the entire time before. Is it a man or a woman?”

“Are you planning to use the power of belief within your divine talisman to activate a talisman and launch a sneak attack against me?”

Li Qingshan’s heart that had just settled down slightly suddenly tightened again. When he activated the talisman and opened his hundred treasures pouch, he had not used his own blood, but the Divine Talisman of Great Creation. Ever since he left the prefectural city, the power of belief within the divine talisman had gradually increased. Clearly, it came from the members of the Cloudwisp association.