Chapter 365: Chapter 366: The Essence of Humanity Is
Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da watched helplessly as they themselves sank into the pitch-black flames, unable to do anything.
They knelt on both knees, hands raised high, and stably caught the longsword from Li Xiaobai’s hand. At the same time, the spiritual power inside them burned at an extremely terrifying speed.
The surrounding cultivators, who were also being controlled and rushing in, had cultivation levels that could not resist this strong force. In the blink of an eye, they were incinerated to ash, without even having the time to let out a cry of agony.
Cai Kunxu’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression on the verge of cracking.
The cultivators he brought were all easily burned to slag; in just a few breaths’ time, only he and Xiong Da were left struggling desperately amidst the flames.
“Li Xiaobai, who in the world are you, what are your purposes, and why massacre cultivators at the frontier? Do you wish for the extermination of the human race’s cultivators?”
“As City Lords, you battle each on your own, only concerned with your own benefits, expanding power, and emptying substance. I might as well ask what are you trying to do?”
Li Xiaobai spoke indifferently.
Those in front of him were all troublemakers; the cultivators they brought were also not of good kind.
Clearing out the City Lord’s confidantes would mean less constraint on the Holy City in the future.
“Hmph, the Holy City Lord is a titular figure, nothing but trash. I have been defending the frontlines for years, with mutual exchanges between the four battlefields. There’s no need for outsiders to interfere at all.”
“The Holy City is utterly useless, cowering behind the frontlines. What could Yang Guang possibly know?”
“He can’t even grasp the military strength within my city. He’s merely relying on Sky Blade Song Que!”
Cai Kunxu’s expression was cold, his eyes brimming with resentment and poison.
Xiong Da, who rarely spoke, said, “Indeed, the Holy City is nothing but a redundant existence. Our consolidation of power is our contribution to the frontier. Our cultivators all died because of Flesh Mountain. We were merely expanding power and military supply. What’s wrong with that?”
“The Holy City commands the overall situation, and all four battlefields belong to its jurisdiction. Yet now, you want to establish your own faction and hollow out the Holy City. This act constitutes disloyalty and treachery. Given time, once Flesh Mountain is eradicated, and you each grow in influence, what then?”
Li Xiaobai said coldly, “You are the true traitors with wild ambition!”
“Hehe, Flesh Mountain can never be completely eradicated. Our actions are indeed to consolidate our own powers, but more so for self-preservation. The Holy City is simply feeling threatened by our growth.”
“Now that Flesh Mountain seems to be reviving, if we don’t continue to strengthen our forces, our cities will soon be exterminated!”
Cai Kunxu gasped for breath as he spoke, his spiritual power already less than half.
Xiong Da was in a similar state; if this continued, their spiritual power would soon be exhausted, the burning speed of the Hellfire was extraordinarily terrifying.
“Senior Li, the four battlefields of the human race must be guarded by us. If we die here today, no one will be able to stop Flesh Mountain, and you will be the sinner through the ages. Even if you possess the power of a true major force, can you bear this blame?”
Cai Kunxu’s voice was fierce, but his eyes still showed unstoppable terror. Continuing like this, he would truly die, even his Mahayana Realm cultivation level could not withstand the scorching of this black flame.
“Well then, you may go.”
Li Xiaobai sheathed his sword and lifted the Hundred Percent Barehanded Blade Catch skill.
Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da, with faces full of confusion, did not linger further. With a flash, they teleported hundreds of feet away, flipping their wrists, and gobbling down elixirs, frantically restoring the spiritual power that had been drained away.
Cai Kunxu turned around, cupped his fist towards Li Xiaobai: “Thank you, Senior, for sparing our lives. I will remember this favor!”
“Mhm, just remember it.”
Li Xiaobai nodded and raised his longsword again, casually striking down.
A few seconds later, Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da, with confused faces, were kneeling in the black flames again, their spiritual power once more being crazily burned away.
“Senior? What does this mean?”
“Didn’t you agree to let us go?”
Cai Kunxu asked with a trembling voice. The spiritual power he had just hardly recovered was once again being devoured, a wave of panic and unease rising in his heart.
“Yes, didn’t I let you go just now, only to let you out for some fresh air? The elixirs were taken, the air has been enjoyed, and naturally, it’s time to come back,”
Li Xiaobai said with a smile. Cultivators of the Mahayana Realm weren’t easy to find, and they were like leveling tools, naturally not something to let go of easily.
The borderlands needed these people to keep watch, and he understood that well. However, it was no issue for them to contribute to his Hellfire for the time being. It was the perfect opportunity to wear down their sharpness and make sure they were thoroughly subdued.
“I…”
“Is that even possible?”
Xiong Da was shocked and dumbfounded, having never encountered such a shamelessly brazen person before.
“As for your words, I can’t tell if they’re true or false. Let me ask you, in the First Battlefield, there is a person named Cangying. Do you know him?”
Li Xiaobai asked after some thought.
“If we tell you, can it save a life?”
“It can.”
“Swear on your Dao Heart…”
“I swear on my Dao Heart…”
Cai Kunxu: “…”
Xiong Da: “…”
They were just testing the waters, not expecting the other party to actually agree. When did making vows on one’s Dao Heart become so trivial?
“I know this person. He is an underling of Mei Changqing, the City Lord of the First Battlefield, reportedly a master recruited from the Central Province.”
Cai Kunxu hurriedly said, knowing that the vow on the Dao Heart was unbreakable, which was a widely accepted truth. Today they were not going to die.
Mei Changqing?
Li Xiaobai had an impression of this person, the top expert on the Heaven’s List. Mei Changqing was known for accepting long-term commissions, but he hadn’t expected him to be stationed at the border, seeming like an antagonist.
“Hmm, that’s about right. You can go now,”
Li Xiaobai nodded, sheathed his sword, and signaled for the two to leave.
This time, the two of them learned their lesson and flew straight out without looking back, continuously swallowing elixirs.
Just because their spiritual power was drained, their flight speed was not fast.
Li Xiaobai counted the time in his mind and raised his sword once more.
A few seconds later.
The flames once again held two kneeling figures, Cai Kunxu and Xiong Da were close to tears. What was this maneuver? The vow on the Dao Heart had been made, so why go back on their word? Could it be that this senior had no fear of breaking their Dao Heart vow?
“Senior, what exactly do you want? Just tell us, and if we can spare the two of us, everything is negotiable,”
Cai Kunxu said, trembling. His spiritual power was cycling between being there and gone again, and his fear of Li Xiaobai had reached an extreme.
This was a terrifying man, capable of toying with them so casually.
What terrified him even more was that the other party seemed to have an endless supply of spiritual power. They had their cultivation levels drained three times already, yet Li Xiaobai exhibited no signs of strain at all.
What kind of ancient monster had emerged from a bygone era?
Seeing the state of the two, Li Xiaobai was amused and chuckled, “Nothing much, I just wanted to have a chat with you.”