Chapter 462 - Arranging the Battle
Chapter 462 - Arranging the Battle
“A daemon!” “Run!” “Daemons are coming!”
Among the screams, people scattered in all directions chaotically. The busy streets immediately became extremely desolated.
All that was left was a child, around eight or nine, sitting in the centre of the street, bawling out loudly. Countless pairs of eyes looked over from the two sides of the streets, through cracks in doors and windows. All of them trembled in fright. As they watched the daemon approach the child, they all felt like the child was done for.
As they imagined the horrific sight that was about to unfold, many of them could not help but close their eyes.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, the cultivators saw this through the Watermirror disc too. It was already too late for them to save him.
The child raised his head and saw the figure strolling over. He became stunned from fear before erupting in tears. Normally, his mother said daemons would eat him whenever he was mischievous, so his fear for daemons had been deeply ingrained within him since young. Only a single thought remained in his head, I’m really going to be eaten!
“Kiddo, you’re blocking the great Northmoon’s path! Why don’t you piss off?” Li Qingshan bared his teeth. The child quivered before scampering off to the side of the street. Hearing a resonant laughter from behind, he could not help but look back, but the figure had already travelled away. His scarlet hair drifted about, like a flickering bundle of fire.
Daemons did not seem as terrifying as his mother described them to be.
In the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were all mildly surprised. He had actually done nothing? It must have been because regular people were like ants in his eyes, so he was reluctant to stoop to their level! However, if he was so reluctant to stoop to their level, why did he speak to him instead?
Their fear of the moon demon was deeply ingrained because the moon demon had killed a large number of Foundation Establishment cultivators, making him the existence that threatened them the most.
Liu Zhangqing was relieved. As it seemed, the moon demon had no plans on slaughtering the city. With further thought, he recalled that the moon demon had never been like the rock demon or the blood demon, who liked to massacre people. As a matter of fact, he had never even caused any problems for the Academy of the Hundred Schools, not even the slightest inconvenience.
Wang Pushi also recalled how he only killed the Lone Grave Elder and the Golden Pheasant Elder on the Green Vine mountain back then, letting the disciples of the Green Vine mountain escape with their lives intact. He was not a daemon that killed blindly.
In other words, he has been specially targeting Fu Qingjin and the Daemon Suppression alliance with everything he has done. This is clearly just for counter-attacking and revenge!
The people of the academy all thought of this, and suddenly, the moon demon no longer seemed so despicable anymore. If the Daemon Suppression alliance had not been so aggressive, the situation would have never deteriorated to its current state.
Fu Qingjin said in thought, “Northmoon, oh Northmoon. You really are different from regular daemons!”
Qiu Haitang’s pink lips curled up slightly, with the same comfort as seeing an acquaintance of the past again. She had not been wrong. Behind his terrifying infamy was a simple and passionate heart, which made him seem approachable. She actually could not help but worry for him as she watched him enter the belly of the beast.
Ru Xin found the moon demon’s confusion expression rather familiar. Looking at Li Qingshan beside her, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. She was stern.
The effects of the Water of Oblivion gradually faded away, so his mirror clone had obviously returned to his senses at the same time too.
A clone from the Watermirror’s Image was a reflection of his main body. No matter what Li Qingshan’s main body went through, it would be reflected in his clone.
Raising his head, the Parlour of Clouds and Rain had already arrived before him.
Li Qingshan smacked his forehead and thought, I’ve already gotten out of the situation, so why’d I still make my clone come here?
He wanted to turn around and leave, but it was already too late. He currently stood at a crossroad, and figures emerged from the streets in all directions. On the towering structures in the surroundings, resentful gazes landed on him one by one.
Basically all the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Clear River prefecture were there, trapping him in an encirclement.
Li Qingshan was obviously among them too. He stared at the moon demon coldly without the slightest hint of fear, as if he was ready to call out, “Die, moon demon!” at any time and rush over for a battle to the death with this daemon who had shaken up the entire prefecture.
Facing almost a hundred cultivators alone, the moon demon was fearless. A murderous aura rushed into the air, circling above the city, which made everyone tense up.
The formation activated. A barrier of light enveloped the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, protecting the Qi Practitioners in there. The light twisted the colours of the sky, enveloping the entire city.
The Qi Practitioners in the parlour all eased up, and some of the Qi Practitioners even became excited, standing by the window and bellowing through the formation, “The moon demon has already become a sitting duck! He’s dead for sure!” “Kill this daemon! For revenge!”
However, most of the Qi Practitioners just stared at this terrifying daemon of the legends silently, “So this is the moon demon!” They looked down on the Qi Practitioners who bellowed out, “Why don’t you go out and yell at him?”
The Foundation Establishment cultivators all furrowed their eyebrows in thought. Why had the moon demon come? Where were the night roamers? They all believed the moon demon was not stupid enough to throw himself into the enemy’s net, but little did they know it was all because the moon demon had a little too much to drink, even though he had not drunk alcohol!
“Hahahahahaha!” Mad laughter filled the sky. Li Qingshan placed his hands on his waist and swayed back and forth from laughter. Even his molars were visible.
This was a small mistake on his behalf, but he would be losing a clone at most. It would be nothing.
There were many ingenious clone techniques in the world. Their clones would be extremely flexible and could share the main body’s strength, but the main body would often be affected when the clone was injured, or the clone might even develop self-consciousness and break away from the main body.
However, there was no need for Li Qingshan to worry at all with the Watermirror’s Image. Even if the flower in the mirror or the moon in the water shattered, the actual flower or moon would be completely unaffected.
If the flower did not move and the moon stayed put, the mirror image would not change either. It was a little troublesome when it came to control, but after reaching the fourth layer of the Spirit Turtle’s Method of Sea Suppression and developing an intricate mind, this problem had basically been dealt with.
Not only did the laughter shut up the bellowing Qi Practitioners, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivators became more afraid to move recklessly. If he did not have something to rely on, the moon demon would have never behaved like this.
Ru Xin stood near Li Qingshan and bore a serious expression on her face for once, but she asked him secretly, “Does this moon demon have issues?”
You’re the one with issues! Your whole family has issues!
Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “That’s something women can’t understand. The moon demon possesses a wild, brutal aura of valiance. Even enemies can not help but be impressed!”
“Really? I don’t feel it at all!” Ru Xin rubbed her chin before studying the moon demon again. Li Qingshan’s face heated up slightly.
The moon demon’s laughter came to a sudden halt. He said sternly, “Fu Qingjin, I’m bold enough to come, yet you’re not bold enough to meet with me?”
When all the Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared, Fu Qingjin had instead vanished.
With a flash of green light, Fu Qingjin appeared behind the moon demon, standing sideways. “You’re just a clone, so are you worth meeting? Northmoon, if you have something you want to say, go on ahead!”
Li Qingshan did not look back at Fu Qingjin. He thought very hard just what he was supposed to say. Surely he could not say, I’m just passing by. I don’t actually have any matters here, so you do you.
Ru Xin’s scornful voice rang out in his ears again, “What valiance? If I had a clone, I’d be bold enough to do the same.” Li Qingshan became so infuriated that he was tempted to directly transform, capture this bastard, and give her a thorough spanking.
He thought of something. Perhaps this is a chance!
The moon demon said, “Fu Qingjin, I’ve heard since a long time ago that you want to fight me to the death. I’ve waited all this time, but what? You’ve fallen silent. Turns out you’re just scheming and coming up with traps with this group of people, leaving me with nothing better to do.”
“Where’s your main body? I can clash with you right now.” Fu Qingjin pressed against his sword. His gaze was sharp, no longer possessing even a hint of laziness, like a drawn sword.
“Are you looking for a chaotic battle? As well as massacring the weaker people on your side? That’s completely tasteless. I only want to kill you. I only want to destroy your Daemon Suppression alliance!”
It’s true! Liu Zhangqing thought, Only if all daemons were as reasonable as this moon demon.
The moon demon said, “The fifth of the fifth month, the Boundless mountains, just you and me, a battle to the death!”
Everyone looked at one another. A great battle was clearly on the brink of erupting, yet the moon demon had instead sent over his clone to arrange a battle. The timing was a little too strange.
“What about this battle?” Fu Qingjin stroked his hilt gently, contemplating what Northmoon was trying to say.
“We won’t participate, just in case it undermines the atmosphere of the deathmatch.”
Li Qingshan finally expressed his true intentions, which was to avoid this battle!
Because he had to participate in the battle under the identity of “Li Qingshan”, “Northmoon” would not be able to participate. Although he could fool everybody with his clone, he would give himself away as soon as he began fighting. He definitely would not be Fu Qingjin’s opponent.
The circumstances were very disadvantageous to him, so he came up with this idea. He used the prearranged battle to prevent Fu Qingjin from fighting, and he would also have a reason that could appease the Spider Queen. It was basically perfect.
“What about your clone?” Fu Qingjin studied him.
“My clone obviously won’t participate in this battle either.”
“Very good! I agree!” Fu Qingjin said decisively, but he had already come up with his own plans inside.
The threat that Northmoon posed was tremendous. Not only did it come from his own strength, but it also came from the night roamers he led. Without Northmoon as a commander, it was very likely for the night roamers to remain in a state of disunity, which would benefit them greatly. It might even have a direct influence over the outcome of this battle.
After reaching this agreement, Fu Qingjin was extremely magnanimous. He made Liu Zhangqing open the formation and let the moon demon’s clone leave.
Li Qingshan snickered. Actually, I’m still participating in this battle!
“Fellow Fu, this isn’t a scheme by the daemons, right?”
The cultivators returned to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain, and Liu Zhangqing asked in worry.
“Please use the Technique of Aura Observation to watch over any movements across the entire prefecture, sir Liu. I will keep watch in the Parlour of Clouds and Rain. I’ll enter battle the moment he appears.”
Fu Qingjin pondered to himself. He could not fight, but he could give a few talismans and pills to the cultivators of the Daemon Suppression alliance he trusted. The items all came from the Sword Collection palace, so they were extremely powerful. They would definitely be able to deal a heavy blow to the daemons.
Li Qingshan’s clone returned to his dwelling underground. The matriarchs had all been gathered already, ready to set off at any time.
“The humans have already learnt about the Spider Queen’s orders. They’re currently making preparations in Clear River city. This battle probably won’t be as easy as last time.”
Li Qingshan’s words left everyone surprised. Before they had even digested this information, he continued, “I won’t be participating in this battle! You will do as Ye Liusu orders! Her orders are my orders!”