Spectators Outside the Arena

Having planned this all along, Li Qi completed the transaction without hesitation, thus completing a 'sacrifice'.

The Polaris Golden Core Method was offered as a sacrifice to Ao Guangxiao.

The dragons had long desired this item, but they did not do as Li Qi had planned, secretly offering bait or something similar to make a deal with Li Qi.

The True Dragons liked Li Qi's idea of handing over the Polaris Golden Core Method, but they disliked Li Qi's attitude.

What they wanted was for Li Qi to willingly hand over the items to them, preferably with servility and deference, just like he was doing now.

Although I didn't grovel, I did it willingly, so it's not bad.

However, Li Qi was not too discouraged.

Although he didn't get the 'bait' he had originally imagined, he achieved his fundamental goal.

Donghai has entered the fray.

With the discovery of the Polaris Golden Core Method by a true dragon, the original power struggle between humans and sorcerers was broken, and the true dragon gained the right to enter the fray.

The water began to murky at that moment.

The true dragons have their own ideas; they will not allow themselves to be manipulated by other Dao Lineage.

With both sides vying for power, the most likely outcome is a peace negotiation.

However, if the three parties fight each other, any single party will feel that the other party is cooperating with another opponent to destroy them, and the foundation of trust will be broken.

This is similar to calculating the motion of celestial bodies.

Two-body motion is easy to calculate.

But the three-body motion becomes a chaotic model.

In this way, the dead end of Mount Luofu and the long-standing future of Wushen Mountain, which had to be delayed by Human Path, were both broken.

With the involvement of a third party, the struggle for control of the Sun and Moon Path must be decided quickly; a stalemate is no longer possible. The three-way power struggle is destined to continue.

However, in this competition, Wushen Mountain has two advantages.

First, the true body of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron is located on Wushen Mountain, and the remnants of Mount Luofu have also made a long-term nest in the cave heaven of Wushen Mountain.

Secondly, there's Li Qi's status as the son-in-law of Mount Luofu. With this connection, Mount Luofu naturally has a greater chance of siding with Wushen Mountain.

This was Li Qi's plan. In this way, Wushen Mountain's chances of winning were two points greater than the other two sides from the very beginning, turning a predetermined draw into an advantage.

This may not meet everyone's expectations. There are definitely conservatives within Wushen Mountain, and these conservatives will likely think, "If others can't get it, then it's okay if I can't get it either."

Therefore, they are happy to see a stalemate with Human Path. They can even maintain a stalemate for tens of thousands of epochs without caring. The Sun and Moon Path is of great importance. Unless there is a 90% or higher chance, they would rather not take action.

Therefore, they would oppose Li Qi's actions and even feel disgust towards Li Qi himself.

But where there are conservatives, there are bound to be radicals.

Radicals would likely approve of Li Qi's actions.

Having a two-point advantage is already quite good. Often, a one-point advantage can snowball to an infinitely large extent. The radical faction will definitely seize this opportunity and try to use their advantage to directly and decisively obtain the Sun and Moon Path in this era, avoiding any unforeseen complications.

Li Qi never wanted things to drag on for too long.

If the stalemate between the human and witch paths continues, it means that everyone from Mount Luofu, including himself, will be held hostage in the Tang Kingdom for a long time, in units of 'ten thousand years,' and will be subject to surveillance.

This is not something that can be resolved by studying at the Imperial Academy for a few years; it is a long-term, potentially hundreds of thousands of years-long house arrest, during which security is also a major concern.

If it were just Li Qi alone, it wouldn't matter, but there's also Shen Shuibi... She would definitely suffer the same treatment as Li Qi, and even the entire Mount Luofu would be bound in this delicate situation, making it impossible for the Lady Luofu and the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron to awaken.

Before the truth comes out, no one will wake them up; they might even actively seal them away.

These are things that Li Qi doesn't want to see, things he doesn't want to see.

That's why he took the risk and chose to stir up trouble and break the stalemate. In this way, the outcome will be decided quickly, and Wushen Mountain will have the upper hand.

As for the opportunity that led to the Sun and Moon Path...

From the very beginning, Li Qi had no intention of staying, and I believe the people of Mount Luofu understood this as well.

After the two great Dao Lineage have ended, it will be impossible to grasp the Sun and Moon Path.

At such a time, trying to cling to the Sun and Moon Path will inevitably lead to a gruesome death.

However, there are nuances to how to relinquish control, because handing over the Sun and Moon Path requires the awakening of Lady Luofu and the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron.

What Li Qi needs to do is use his own plans and identity to motivate Wushen Mountain and truly awaken Lady Luofu or the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron. Only in this way can Wushen Mountain put its advantages into practice.

After all, Li Qi is the son-in-law of Mount Luofu, so they are naturally on the same level.

If the radicals can take the initiative, then according to Li Qi's prediction, soon... the Wushen Mountain side will take the initiative to awaken Lady Luofu.

As for the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron, it may be delayed for a while, because the awakening of the Sun Moon True Lead Cauldron will inevitably mean that the whereabouts of the Sun and Moon Path will be revealed.

At that time, there will be war.

Moreover... it's a very fierce battle. After all, all disputes, after all the intrigue and trickery, must eventually come to the battlefield to determine the victor.

This is also why Li Qi believes that the outcome will be decided in a short period of time, probably within this era.

The Tang Kingdom is already engaged in a fierce battle with the East Sea, which will inevitably tie down some of its forces. As long as the timing of the Wushen Mountain is well-timed, it can seize a greater opportunity to win this war.

Of course, these were all just Li Qi's 'plans'.

Li Qi couldn't participate in the real decision-making of Wushen Mountain, so from the beginning, he thought of doing the same thing as now: make it a fait accompli, and once there were solid facts, both the conservatives and the radicals within Wushen Mountain would have to make corresponding reactions.

And then there's Zhu Fengdan...

Li Qi was absolutely convinced that even though he had never spoken to his teacher, he would definitely have done something about it, and that he himself was definitely a member of the radical faction.

As a high-ranking shaman, Zhu Fengdan has a significant voice in the decision-making process at Wushen Mountain.

Now that things have come to this, Li Qi can only hope for the best.

The deed is done; now, let's wait for 'Heaven's Will' to decide.

With the end of the ritual, Ao Guangxiao returned to his entanglement with the Giant Spirit God spirit puppet.

Li Qi also continued his standoff with the Demon Prince, with both sides using all their means.

Meanwhile, on the edge of hell, several truly powerful beings are facing off.

On the edge of hell, four beings who were clearly not ordinary were sitting together.

In fact, their attire was very simple, and they didn't have any divine aura. They were almost no different from ordinary people. The reason why they looked extraordinary was simply because the place they were sitting in was the karmic fire of the underworld.

Those who are consumed by karmic fire repay their past debts and are reborn as animals. All these people fall into depravity due to their pure hearts. Only when the karmic fire dries them up can they ascend to become ghosts.

This is something used to burn people who have committed the most heinous sins. These people look ordinary, but they sit in the flames of karma and are completely unharmed, which shows that they are extraordinary.

They chose to meet deep within the flames because there would be almost no one to disturb them there.

After all, those who came to disturb them were burned to death by the karmic fire.

Of the four people, the one sitting on the east side was a chubby, half-human, half-dragon creature, who sat upright on a floating coral chair.

His skin was dark, his head had a dragon head with very long horns, and his body resembled that of a plump middle-aged man. He wore black boots and a royal robe, and did not look dignified, but rather somewhat approachable.

However, the dragon head with sharp teeth growing on its human body is still somewhat frightening.

Seated in the south was a demon, without a body, his entire being a cloud of Black Mist, faintly protected by some kind of Dao principle, but his appearance was not clear, perhaps... he never had an appearance to speak of.

Seated in the north position was a cultivator from the Human Path Legalist School, who appeared to be in his thirties. He wore a blue hat and a white silk robe, and was handsome and dashing. He was the most serious-looking person there, and he looked like a refined gentleman from a turbid world, the kind of serious senior who had always been number one in his class since childhood.

And, sitting in the west position— Zhu Fengdan.

He still had that carefree, nonchalant attitude, his manners were frivolous and lacked manners, and he even crossed his legs. However, he was dressed quite handsomely, his gorgeous clothes shimmering, gold and white, with a jade pendant hanging at his waist. He had a hint of what seemed like a light, chuckling laugh on his face, and he looked like a refined gentleman, but the kind of cynical, playboy who had been flirting with maids at home since he was a child.

"Haa~" Zhu Fengdan yawned first, and then said, "Isn't it already decided? Do we still need to have a symbolic fight? Anyway, the higher-ups have already made their decision, so let's just call it a day. They sent us here because they know that we can't kill anyone in a fight, so it's pointless."

At this moment, the handsome, noble-looking Legalist School cultivator beside him shook his head and replied with a hint of helplessness, "Those who give up on themselves always say similar things. Why can people like you still advance to a higher rank? I really don't understand. Just because you are carrying out a plan, you deliberately give up everything. Why hasn't your Dao heart collapsed yet?"

"Oh, taking it easy is human nature. Why live life so seriously? Anyway, if you're going to be serious, you're just helping others live. Just do whatever you want." Zhu Fengdan crossed her legs and waved her hand, even taking out a set of teacups and a teapot and starting to pour herself a drink.

"Really? But your apprentice is still inside. If I just gently squeeze my fingers..." The young nobleman stretched out his hand.

In the next instant! Zhu Fengdan crushed the teacup in her hand!

The young nobleman's wrist suddenly snapped, and the snapping trend spread directly to his body, as if his entire body was about to be crushed and folded into a lump of flesh.

This is Curse!

Similar to making a straw doll, this method transfers the damage from a substitute to the real person.

The young nobleman frowned slightly, then said in a low voice, "Punishment will surely stop evil."

As the words of truth were spoken, the Curse was forcibly ended, and Zhu Fengdan's teapot shattered, spilling tea all over the floor.

This is a method of substitution, similar in principle to Curse, which transfers the damage to a specific object.

"Oh dear, I really thought the famous Young Master Zhu didn't care about anything. It seems there are things he does care about. Since you've come all this way yourself, why pretend to be so indifferent?" The young nobleman sat down, his broken wrist already healed.

"Really... what a waste of my good tea! This is a fairy tea tree from Penglai. Remember to compensate me, or next time I'll go to Dali Temple and dig up your floor tiles. I heard the underground array is very expensive. If it gets damaged, you'll be responsible too, right?" Zhu Fengdan rolled her eyes and changed her posture, crossing her legs.

At this moment, the demon spoke up, trying to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, we're all here to do business, why be so tense? But Young Master Zhu, you do surprise me. I've heard from many demon kings that you once realized the path the Witch God had arranged for you, and discovered that your cultivation up to this point had always been the Witch God's arrangement. So you shattered your inner world on the spot and never recovered. But seeing you today, your cultivation level is really not like someone who has started over."

Zhu Fengdan glared at him; "What's it to you?"

The fat man with the dragon head and human body chuckled and said, "So that's why someone as talented as him has fallen to this state. If he had just given in back then, he would probably be the youngest Ranked Shaman by now, right? He's still stuck at the third rank because the Witch God himself said he was wrong. It's a pity that he doesn't strive for improvement now and acts recklessly because of the Witch God's favor. I'm afraid that's how his life will be."

Zhu Fengdan, with a roguish air, spread her hands and said, "Third Prince, I only took your Crystal Palace to play with back then, didn't I? After I was done playing with it, didn't I return it to you? Why are you being sarcastic now? When I apologized to the Dragon King, didn't your father say that we should shake hands and make peace? I'm not that lotus root person. He cut off your Dao Path, but I didn't. Why are you targeting me?"

These barbed words made the chubby Dragon Qi, his fat jiggling. He immediately turned away, refusing to speak further.

After their conversation, Zhu Fengdan had offended everyone present except for the demonic cultivator. The demonic cultivator also seemed to have a bad attitude, as if they had a past conflict but hadn't made a move on the spot.

At this moment, the demonic cultivator clapped his hands, interrupting the argument. "Alright, let's get back to business. We're all a bit late. Your disciple has already betrayed the sect, and now the Polaris Golden Core Method is on Ao Guangxiao. Great Witch... now that things have come to this, you have no other choice, do you?"

"However, the Great Shaman has always been someone who thrives on chaos, so he probably doesn't see anything wrong with this. I won't try to persuade him. Let's be frank, Great Shaman, what brings you here?" The demonic cultivator stared intently at Zhu Fengdan.

Because Zhu Fengdan was the only one who came uninvited; his arrival was not something anyone had planned.