“Almost forgot about something, you still owe me for devouring one darkness for you three, saving you all a lot of trouble.” Li Qiye brought something else up.
“True, but isn’t it extremely nutritious for you too?” The old man admitted.
“Got anything else like it? If yes, then the negotiation will be very easy. In fact, I’ll do it free of charge.” Li Qiye smiled.
“No idea. If we could bring something like that to you, the present day wouldn’t be messy like this.” The old man smiled wryly.
“Looks like you’re not very reliable.” Li Qiye narrowed his eyes: “There’s something I don’t understand. There is no world tougher than Three Immortals, so why are these things showing up? I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the nine worlds but here? It’s impossible unless you all courted death.”
“Unfortunately, that was indeed the case.” The old man had a bitter expression: “Yes, we brought this on ourselves. We were simply curious but didn’t expect evil to sneak in.”
“You couldn"t find it in the ocean.” Li Qiye said.
“Right, everything happened so quickly and caught us off guard. An explosion sent us away. We barely suppressed one side but I’m sure some still made it in.” The old man said.
“Hence the phrase - one might be able to survive an act of G.o.d, but no one can survive a self-brought calamity.” Li Qiye smiled: “You have been living too peacefully and decided to mess it all up. Three Immortals is a blessed world allowing its inhabitants to escape so many tribulations and total destruction. Now, they all know that there is a fat piece of meat right below and are salivating. You think they’ll just let it go?”
“That’s why we need to patch it up, waiting for you to deliver.” The old man said.
One misstep nearly ruined everything. Though they managed to stop it, evil ent.i.ties still snuck in and became seeds of discord. [1]
“You know that it is on the move.” Li Qiye chuckled. [2]
“It is hiding too well. It has never stopped though, still scheming in the darkness and affecting many.” The old man helplessly said: “When you devoured its kin, the thing became restless and nervous, thinking that we have found reinforcement. That’s why it’s on the move now, not that it’s a bad thing.”
“Right, you guys haven’t been able to find it so this could be a good opportunity. You’re using Three Immortals as the bait though.” Li Qiye smiled.
“As long as the sky moat is around, it can only stare and not eat.” The old man said with confidence.
“Who knows? What if future generations are worthless? I believe in your power but unfortunately, the world can’t handle it, pierced into a billion holes.”
“We had no choice but to resort to this plan.” The old man said: “It is a source of problems as long as it is around. It is extremely evil, even more frightening than the one you devoured. It had poisoned many despite our constant vigilance. If we let up for a single second, all inhabitants will be done for.”
“So that’s where I come in with the delivery.” Li Qiye smiled: “You want to use me to bait it out then we’ll mount a joint attack from all sides to destroy it.”
“It’s a good opportunity for you too since you want to go to the ocean anyway. Take advantage of this to train, isn’t it good to have such a strong opponent?” The old man calmly admitted.
“You think too highly of me. First, I don’t have that much time to waste and second, you three have been searching for so long to no avail. How am I going to bait it out so quickly? It’s impossible. In my opinion, stay even more cautious. This might be a bait in an attempt to divert your attention. What if it appears out of nowhere and catches you off guard, killing one of you in the process?”
“Perhaps.” The old man nodded: “We can’t judge it using conventional wisdom. Prudence is necessary. Hmm, this might just be a scouting attempt too.”
“Well, all of this has nothing to do with me.” Li Qiye said: “I will deliver the goods since the ocean is indeed a good place to train. It’s time for me to take the next step anyway. However, I won’t stop here and waste time with you all and will be leaving after this matter.”
Meanwhile, Bai Jinning has been resting her chin on her hands, listening to the whole thing. They spoke the same language as hers but she didn’t understand anything.
However, she felt as if they were up above the clouds while she was an ant on the ground.
“For the expedition?” The old man asked.
“That’s something worth musing over if I can take the next step.” Li Qiye said: “It just depends on the situation.”
“Ah, you still haven’t made up your mind. Have you thought about the situation after an expedition?” The old man said.
“Did you think it through back then?” Li Qiye asked.
“We’re not like you and have different goals. Moreover, we’re lucky enough to have Three Immortals. I won’t deny your abilities but even in the case of victory, have you thought carefully about what comes next?” The old man said.
“The thing I want is very simple.” He chuckled.
“I believe you.” The old man nodded: “But I also know that you’re not as free as you like to think. You can’t abandon your world and that’s your biggest shackle. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be trying so hard to gather items and consolidate more power. It’s definitely for yourself but more so, your world.”
“There is no savior but guardians do exist!” The old man looked straight at Li Qiye: “Where are the guardians for your world when you are gone? Most importantly, if heaven were to break after your final battle, the result is quite grim for a world without defenders. That’s why you haven’t made up your mind. I’m sure you have an outline in mind but it’s not time yet. Taking the next step for you might not mean starting the expedition right away.”
“That’s why you want to borrow my power.” Li Qiye chuckled.
“I do want to see you take the next step. You have been acc.u.mulating for a long time now. Plus, no other place is more suitable to do so than this ocean. If you really want to do it, then do it there! Is that why you’re coming?”
“Yes.” Li Qiye didn’t deny his plan.
“Just hang around the ocean for a bit. It’s best if we work together because our side is lacking manpower.” The old man invited.
“This is where our styles are different.” Li Qiye shook his head: “What was on your mind when you were standing at the very edge?”
“The truth is… we didn’t win back then.” The old man smiled: “The consequences were heavier than our imagination so we stopped.”
“So your preparation was inadequate; your heart unprepared.” Li Qiye chuckled.
The old man looked at him and said: “You are the strangest man we’ve met. Despite your unwillingness, you will really do it, not giving a d.a.m.n about anything. Your heart is colder than any overlord. But, it looks like you still can’t drop it so you rather pull the entire world up.”
“Why not? Where I go is where my world shall be, in my heart.” Li Qiye smiled: “That’s why, don’t question my determination. I will fight the final battle without looking back!”
“Yes.” The old man sighed: “Though we didn’t win, we still had a chance but ultimately decided to turn back.”
“We’re just different.” Li Qiye added: “In my opinion, offense is the best defense. If anyone dares to cross my line, I will take the fight to their nest. It is that simple.”
“I got it.” The old man nodded: “Once you have a subst.i.tution method in place, that’s when your expedition will start.”
“The villainous heaven and I… perhaps we can co-exist, not one of us must die. However, all of those fiends, they must die!” Li Qiye’s eyes became all-piercing after declaring this. [3]
Bai Jinning lost control of her body and felt chills all over the moment she saw this gaze.
1. I don’t know if it is plural or singular for evil ent.i.ties. In such cases, I always a.s.sume plural
2. From this, it is singular but I don’t want to change the plural above just in case there are more
3. The word for fiend here is hard to translate without more context. It can be monsters, ghosts, evil creatures, d.a.m.ned things. These are all good choices but the only way to translate correctly is if I know what they are. From the context so far, they’re probably evil immortals. Fiends seemed like an okay choice