Chapter 927: One Twist After Another
Chapter 927: One Twist After Another
"So, you want the techniques that badly..."
"Since you're such a charmer, I suppose I can give them to you."
"But on one condition."
Li Qing froze for a moment at One Heart Heavenly Venerate's words.
From the shadows, a curvaceous, tall woman emerged, stepping forward with unhurried grace.
She appeared to be in her thirties and exuded a mature, sensual allure that contrasted with the youthful Senior Sister Zhao seated before him.
"You were quite skilled in that illusion," she purred. "I wonder... how are your skills in the real world?"
"If you can... satisfy me... perhaps my good mood will compel me to gift you a few more techniques."
"Very well,"
Li Qing replied with a firm nod, agreeing without hesitation.
A moment later...
A straight, black sword materialized in the air before Li Qing.
Its tip was aimed squarely at One Heart Heavenly Venerate.
Li Qing's expression turned grave. "I have a sword. I invite Senior Sister to test its mettle!"
His voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the grand hall and lingering in the air.
The seductive expression on the mature woman's face froze instantly.
She cast a deep, searching look at Li Qing before her form retreated back into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
"Be gone!"
A silver glint of light shot toward Li Qing.
It contained exactly what he had been longing for: the cultivation techniques of the Xuantian Sect.
In addition to the techniques he already knew of, such as the *Heaven and Earth Converging Manual* and the *Eternal Sole Dominance Art*,
there were two others he had never encountered before: the *Secret Canon of Sitting in Oblivion* and the *Three Perils of Ghosts and Spirits*.
Overjoyed, Li Qing began, "Thank you, Heaven—"
But before he could finish, a wave of dizziness washed over him.
In the next instant, the scene before his eyes changed dramatically.
He was no longer within the Great Dao Sect; Senior Sister Zhao had thrown him out.
He found himself back in the territory of the Five Elders Council.
"Looks like Senior Sister Zhao is furious that I rejected her advances," Li Qing thought with a wry smile.
He had successfully used his bargaining chips to obtain the Xuantian Sect's techniques.
But Li Qing didn't let the success go to his head.
He remained deeply wary of the Longevity Heavenly Venerate.
Losing himself in the illusion was one thing—a matter of a bewildered mind. But to indulge in a tryst with the Longevity Heavenly Venerate in the real world...
...would surely carry unforeseen dangers.
That was why Li Qing had decisively refused.
"I must remain vigilant at all times."
Li Qing admonished himself once more.
He scanned his surroundings, trying to get his bearings and find the way back.
His mission was complete, and his original self had already been updated on everything that had happened.
However, the contents of the Xuantian Sect techniques were vast and profound.
It would take time to fully absorb them, so he needed to get them back to his main body as quickly as possible.
"This area seems unfamiliar," he mused. "I wonder whose territory this is within the Five Elders Council."
He had no intention of asking for directions, though. Li Qing simply focused, pinpointing the location of his original self.
Then he shot off in the corresponding direction.
Initially, his journey was as smooth as it had been on the way in.
He encountered no patrols from the Five Elders Council.
But just as he neared the provincial border, the unexpected happened.
Suddenly, three figures shot up from the ground below, intercepting his path.
Li Qing's heart seized. Before he could react, one of the three figures called out, "Who are you? State your destination!"
Li Qing prepared to spin a plausible lie.
But as the words formed on his tongue, they twisted into something else entirely.
"I am Li Qing of the Xuantian Sect! I have infiltrated the Five Elders Council, secured the techniques, and am now returning!"
The words spilled out as if bypassing his mind entirely, exposing his deepest secrets without a filter!
The moment the words left his mouth, the color drained from Li Qing's face.
The three cultivators from the Five Elders Council stared, momentarily stunned.
Then their expressions shifted to pure shock and horror.
"Enemy—"
But before they could finish the thought, a black sword shadow flashed like lightning.
It sliced through all three of them in an instant.
"Pop!"
In a flash, the three cultivators erupted into a fine mist of blood, leaving not a single bone behind.
The celestial phenomenon marking a cultivator's death began to form in the sky.
Li Qing seized the moment to flee at top speed.
"The Realm of Reality!"
"Senior Sister Zhao, so petty!"
Just moments ago, the lie he had intended to tell had been replaced by the absolute truth.
This made Li Qing realize instantly where he was.
"The power of the Zhenshi Immortal Venerable... it's truly something else!"
As he fled in a panic, Li Qing replayed the incident in his mind, a cold dread settling in his heart.
Even with his formidable willpower, he hadn't sensed anything amiss.
He only realized something was wrong after the words had already left his mouth.
Worse, Li Qing had a sinking feeling that even knowing the rules of this place, he would be utterly incapable of telling a lie!
This was the power of one who could Reverse the Logic of Heaven and Earth!
"Powers that beguile the mind are the most difficult to guard against."
His heart sinking, Li Qing pushed himself to fly even faster.
Though his cover was blown, he was fortunate. This was deep within the territory of the Five Elders Council, a region that had known peace for a long time. Security wasn't as tight as it could be, and for the moment, no one was on his tail.
Besides, he figured Senior Sister Zhao had only meant to give him a scare, not to genuinely harm him. Otherwise, their entire transaction would have been pointless.
That must be why she had teleported him only to the very edge of the Realm of Reality.
It wasn't long before Li Qing crossed back into the territory of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
Crossing the Alliance's border defenses, however, came with its own little complication.
In the time he had been away, the grand protective array along the border had been completely altered.
The weaknesses his original self had identified were no longer valid, and he was nearly spotted by an Alliance patrol.
Fortunately, his original self sensed the predicament and quickly deciphered the new formation.
This allowed Li Qing to slip through without being exposed.
Once he was safely back within the Alliance's borders, Li Qing finally let out a sigh of relief.
"I may have gotten the techniques, but this return journey has been one twist after another."
"Is this what they mean when they say the path to success is never smooth? I just hope there are no more surprises."
With that thought, Li Qing sped toward the Spirit Wood Realm.
But perhaps fate had other plans, for just as he was about to reach the entrance to the Spirit Wood Realm...
...for reasons he couldn't fathom, a Sky Patrolling Arrow on its ceaseless patrol high above locked onto him.
A brilliant flash of light erupted from the arrow, and caught completely by surprise, Li Qing felt it pierce straight through his body.
If Li Qing hadn't forged his grotto-heaven with a celestial treasure, granting him extraordinary power;
if he hadn't, in the split second before impact, unleashed a flurry of sword techniques to partially neutralize the arrow's force;
that single strike would have annihilated him on the spot.
Even so, Li Qing was gravely wounded.
Furthermore, the arrow's attack had drawn the attention of nearby Alliance cultivators.
Fortunately, Lin Ling, who had been dispatched to meet him, arrived swiftly and whisked the severely injured Li Qing away.
By the time the Alliance cultivators arrived on the scene, all they found was a massive crater and a few scattered drops of blood.
Within the Spirit Wood Realm.
Li Fan personally tended to his clone's wounds.
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