Taking In an Old Acquaintance

Soon after, figures flickered within the temple hall, and the long-absent Dao Lord Le Zhao revealed himself, dim, faint light glimmering over his body.

The moment he appeared, he deeply bowed toward Li Qingyun's Jade Body Divine Statue and said with feeling, "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for ridding me of that Old Thief Bai Cang. For the past half year, I hid within the waterways of the Eastern Desolation, listening in on that old thief's movements at every moment. Today, hearing him scream and beg for mercy was incomparably satisfying!"

Li Qingyun smiled faintly. "It is enough that Fellow Daoist Le Zhao is safe. That old thief is not worth mentioning! But what plans do you have for the future?"

After nearly a year apart, Dao Lord Le Zhao's complexion had changed drastically. His entire person had grown much gloomier, his cultivation had greatly declined, and the clear light around him was exceedingly faint.

Yet considering how the louse clans of Great Ruin and Wind Horse Mountain had suffered grievous casualties last year, with the backlash rolling in like tide after tide, it was already fortunate that Dao Lord Le Zhao's modest cultivation had barely held on.

But in order to resist the backlash of resentment, Dao Lord Le Zhao had exhausted all his "provisions." His two Fruit Positions were dull and lusterless, perhaps impossible to restore even within a thousand years, much less attain the Third Fruit Position. The price had been enormous.

"Alas, after losing my Commanded position and wandering for nearly a year, I finally learned how hard survival truly is."

As he spoke, Dao Lord Le Zhao looked earnestly at Li Qingyun's jade body, a trace of pleading entering his voice. "From Fellow Daoist's two retaliatory strikes, I can see that Ba Snake Mountain must have