Chapter 122 The Curtain Falls

Li Qingyue was not worried about Qin Ming’s safety, because she had already dealt a heavy blow to her former best friend and fellow disciple with whom she was now in competition.

Wang Caiwei was seriously injured. Her black and gold armor was shattered, and her face was as pale as paper. She, who usually loved to laugh, was in a terrible state at this moment, with sorrow in her eyes.

The protective golden robes worn by the disciples of the Outer Realm were worn underneath her, completely dulled, having been pierced and stained with blood.

In the past, she walked with a graceful figure, but today she came in a hurry wearing tattered black and gold armor. Although her feet were glowing and she was moving very fast, something was clearly wrong, especially when she staggered as she got closer.

Qin Ming remained calm, holding the ethereal Bagua Furnace in one hand as a weapon, while his other hand was covered with Heavenly Light Force, capable of burning away spiritual energy.

Although he wasn’t very familiar with Wang Caiwei, he didn’t have any ill feelings towards her. If he thought about it carefully, he found that when they traveled together, she was thoughtful, cheerful, and he enjoyed the time with her.

However, more than two years have passed since that one private trip, and the past and details have faded away.

Honestly, Qin Ming hoped to keep to himself and avoid conflict; that would be best. But if she tried to steal something that was close to immortality, then he would have no choice but to intervene.

Wang Caiwei lost her footing and suddenly stepped forward a short distance away. She did not attack. After losing too much blood, her beautiful but pale face had lost its usual smile, giving her a tragic beauty. She stared at Qin Ming, and then secretly transmitted her voice, saying, “Is it you? You came from Chixia City.”

Qin Ming’s expression remained calm, but she was inwardly shocked. She had investigated him and knew some of his current situation, and now she recognized him—how could this be?!

He is now wearing armor and a golden mask, and his face has been altered by Meng Xinghai using esoteric methods.

“What are you saying?” Qin Ming raised his right hand slightly. The three great skills and eighteen kinds of heavenly light energy resonated and merged into one, which was extremely terrifying. To many outside disciples, it was like being burned by the blazing sun.

“I know it’s you who’s back. Please help me this once. As long as my strength increases quickly enough, the Wang family won’t be willing to let me marry out. I need something that brings me close to immortality. I don’t want to become a sacrifice in a political marriage.” Wang Caiwei’s face was pale, and she seemed somewhat sad and helpless.

She looked at the tall figure in front of her, whose entire body was covered in golden armor, and said, “I know it’s you. I have a photographic memory. Some of your habitual movements and details were shown to me by the Wang family before I met you, so I was already familiar with them.”

Qin Ming shook his head and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The near-immortal item already has an owner.”

He was ready for a great battle, his left hand gripping the flowing Bagua Furnace of Ruixia, while the condensed Heavenly Light Energy in his right hand seemed to transform into a dazzling little sun.

“We’re old friends, yet you’re wholeheartedly helping Li Qingyue, but you’re so wary of me. And I really have no ill intentions towards you… How much do you really know about Li Qingyue?” Wang Caiwei secretly transmitted her voice, letting out a sigh.

Qin Ming frowned and said, “If you want something close to immortality, exchange it for the Sky-Supporting Force, the Tathagata Force, and the Jade Purity Force, or send me three stacks of extraordinary skills.”

“Li Qingyue aspires to immortality, and once she reaches the Eight Trigrams Furnace Shop, she will never again set foot in the mortal world. This parting today will likely be the last time you see her. In the future, she will either lead the land beyond the mortal realm to its zenith, turning all blessed lands into celestial realms and leaping into the void, or she will lead all those beyond the mortal realm to their deaths in the depths of the Night Mist World during the Great Creation Era, their paths blocked and severed. Her thoughts are different from ours. You do not understand her. Once she obtains the item that brings her closer to immortality, she will surely sever all ties and is destined to become an incomparably pure practitioner on the path to immortality.”

Qin Ming frowned, put some distance between himself and her, and remained on guard.

“You and I are actually more alike; we are both struggling to change our fate. Help me this time, and if I have an amazing performance, I can change the family’s mind, and afterwards I can give the near-immortal item to Li Qingyue. I swear by forbidden arts of the mortal world!” Wang Caiwei’s eyes were red, and she looked very helpless and desolate.

Qin Ming has been through quite a bit, and he simply listens to what others say, but the most important thing is to observe their true behavior.

Sometimes, when he couldn’t make a judgment, he would only accept one principle: judge by actions, not intentions. He didn’t approach the other person to achieve spiritual resonance, always maintaining a distance. His core disciples were more accomplished than him, so there was no need to take the risk.

“You’ve said so much, but I don’t understand.” Qin Ming quickly considered whether it would have serious consequences and cause terrible dangers if the other party recognized him and he left the Luofu Immortal Mountain Ruins.

Wang Caiwei sighed softly: “You think I love to laugh and that I’m hypocritical? Alas, most people who love to laugh are actually hiding their not-so-bright feelings. I really want to cry because I can’t control my own destiny.”

She took two steps forward, wanting to get closer.

The Bagua Furnace in Qin Ming’s hand hummed and roared under the impact of his Heavenly Light Force, ready to be unleashed at any moment.

Wang Caiwei sighed softly, and with a whoosh, she quickly disappeared into the distance, choosing to leave the Luofu Immortal Mountain Ruins without making a move against him.

Qin Ming watched her retreating figure and said, “Whether you’re acting or feeling helpless about your fate, I wish you all the best.” He was no longer Cui Chonghe; those he hadn’t known much in the past had gradually become symbols of the past.

Qin Ming noticed that the clearing battle in the distance was nearing its end.

Jiang Shengyu, Su Jingshu, Hu Tingwen and the others knew that this was Li Qingyue’s battle to establish her authority. They figured she wouldn’t kill them in front of so many elite disciples, so they used their strongest techniques.

However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t hurt Li Qingyue in the slightest. All of them were severely injured, flew out, covered in blood, and lay on the ground, unable to get up.

Undoubtedly, this decisive battle deeply shocked all the outside disciples watching, revealing a significant gap between them and the core disciples.

The golden armor on Li Qingyue’s body clanged as pieces flew off one by one. She was removing her armor and helmet, revealing her true face.

At this moment, she was wearing the earliest, damaged armor, stained with her own blood, proving that she had experienced an extremely cruel and dangerous battle, and had survived being surrounded and attacked.

Li Qingyue’s black hair fluttered in the wind, her figure was tall and slender, her skin was like solidified cream, her face was exquisite and flawless, and her whole person was shrouded in a hazy light, surrounded by a light white mist.

Her tattered armor, stained with blood, added a touch of heroic spirit to her ethereal and otherworldly beauty. She pressed towards Tang Xumi and Li Qingxu, leaving only the two of them with the strength to fight.

“I surrender, I admit defeat!” Tang Xumi shouted readily, no longer wanting to try his strongest attack.

Then, he collapsed to the ground with a thud, gasping for breath, covered in blood, and laughed a few times, a laugh tinged with bitterness and relief. Li Qingxu hesitated, wondering whether to concede defeat now, or to pay a greater price and fight another battle.

Li Qingyue was already close, giving him no chance to choose or say anything, and attacked him directly.

In an instant, the ground cracked open, the commotion was immense, and a divine rain of light shone brightly. Huge rocks continued to break off from the edge of the deep pit.

Li Qingxu unleashed his power without regard for the cost, but he was still defeated. Covered in blood, he collapsed into a pile of rocks, having exhausted all his strength.

Moreover, the treasure his teacher had helped him refine, the purple bamboo staff that had withstood the light of heaven without being destroyed, had already fallen into Li Qingyue’s hands.

Li Qingyue, holding the purple bamboo stick, looked at Li Qingxu and said, “Before entering the Immortal Mountain Ruins, I said that the person you dealt with back then was an old friend of mine. More than two years have passed, and I want to do something for him.”

With a bang, Li Qingyue swung her purple bamboo stick and struck Li Qingxu’s arm, producing a crisp cracking sound.

Everyone was shocked. Li Qingyue was really brave. Even after the duel ended, she did not stop and dealt a heavy blow to the senior’s closed-door disciple!

A purple bamboo shadow streaked across the air and fell again, smashing Li Qingxu’s left leg, the cracking sound clearly audible. At this moment, even the other core disciples were shocked, but then they understood that no matter how fierce the fight between the juniors was, the senior disciple was too embarrassed to step in.

Moreover, in the Pure Land beyond the secular world, there are some important figures who can keep that domineering and protective elder in check, and they will never allow him to act recklessly.

Today, Li Qingyue swept aside all the core disciples, winning cleanly and beautifully. She is destined to attract the attention of those important figures, and the person who controls the Eight Trigrams Furnace will be given special training and protection.

Moreover, the important figures of each sect all disliked Li Qingxu’s teacher, so Li Qingyue’s daring to beat his disciple probably suited the wishes of each sect.

“What is the best way to establish authority? There’s no better choice than beating Li Qingxu. That’s enough to build up prestige!” Tang Xumi sighed inwardly. He then quickly retreated, afraid of being beaten himself.

“Whether it’s rationality or selfishness, I wanted to do this. I’ve wanted to hit you for a long time!” Li Qingyue said, and then hit Li Qingxu six times with a stick.

Three of the blows broke his arms and one leg, while the other three were less forceful; Li Qingyue simply struck lightly, slightly cracking his skull.

“My old friend suffered from amnesia for more than two years. Your injuries are much less severe than his.” Li Qingyue withdrew her hand and threw the bamboo stick, which landed like a spear in front of Li Qingxu, shimmering with a hazy purple light.

Li Qingxu was filled with hatred and felt endless humiliation. In front of everyone, he was actually beaten with his own divine bamboo, losing all face.

He had previously attempted to use a mysterious wood-遁 (遁木, a type of magical escape technique) to escape into the distance, but he failed and was forcibly interrupted by the other party, experiencing the darkest moment of his life!

“If no one challenges me, let the competition for the near-immortal artifacts come to an end now,” Li Qingyue said.

Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her figure was as slender as a willow branch. She surveyed the surroundings with a cold and beautiful aura, and smiled as she nodded to her fellow disciples. Like clouds breaking through the mist, she was ethereal and otherworldly, as if she were about to ride the clouds away.

Qin Ming sighed, perhaps after this parting, he really wouldn’t see her for a long time.

He was about to return to the relatively remote Chixia City. The thousand-year-old family, the blessed land, and the magnificent secluded paradise were all far away from him. He needed to move forward step by step.