A Lesson

This directly scared Bright Rabbit and the other two out of their wits!

"Your Highness! Don't!"

As for Li Xuan, he calmly watched the charging Qi Ying.

In his eyes, the surrounding time seemed to slow down.

Qi Ying drifted slowly toward him, fist raised to strike.

"Ding."

"Choice System activated."

"Choice One: Kill the offending Qi Ying. Reward: Ten-thousand-year cultivation experience scroll, Spirit Pill Life-Creation Pill, one drop of Taotie's essence blood."

"Choice Two: Teach the offending Qi Ying a lesson. Reward: Five-thousand-year cultivation experience scroll."

In this slow-motion process, the choices rang out in Li Xuan's ear.

Kill? Or not kill?

Li Xuan tilted his head, looking at Qi Ying, and suddenly let out a laugh.

"Little brat, asking for a beating..."

As he spoke, he swung a palm outward.

But in Qi Ying's eyes, that calm, unremarkable young man suddenly loomed as vast as the heavens!

Boundless, terrifying power crushed him with fear!

The figure, more dreadful than his own father or grandfather, slammed a palm down at him—the entire sky went dark in an instant!

Little brat!

"Ah! Don't kill me!!"

The immense fear of death and boundless illusions shattered Qi Ying on the spot.

It was a terror ten thousand times stronger than being hunted by the Golden Dragon!

He collapsed to the ground in an instant, his guts splitting, screaming for mercy.

But that palm still fell.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound rang out, and Qi Ying's entire body flew backward, half his face swelling up.

"Roar!"

Though he was a Mystic Immortal, the force of Li Xuan's slap was far from trivial.

Qi Ying screamed as he flew, reverting to his true form midair.

A several-hundred-zhang-long Kirin, wreathed in flames, twisted and writhed in the misty sea, roaring without end.

"Milord! Milord, spare him!"

"Milord, spare his life! He meant no harm!"

"Milord! Please spare him! He was truly thoughtless!"

After thousands of years together, Bright Rabbit and the other two had deep feelings for Qi Ying.

Seeing him about to be beaten to death by Li Xuan, they kowtowed endlessly, their voices trembling as they begged for mercy.

In their eyes, Li Xuan had merely waved a hand at the charging Qi Ying.

Milord is no mere Mystic Immortal!

Milord simply chooses not to reveal his true strength!

Milord... Milord is a supreme being who can even kill the ferocious beast Qiongqi!

How could you offend Milord...

Bright Rabbit's eyes glistened with tears, her heart clenched tight.

For Milord, if when she was young she still harbored some foolish thoughts of fondness or dependence, Now, she felt only reverence, awe, and looking up to him!

She had clearly understood the gap in status and power between herself and Milord.

It was a chasm of clouds and mud—unworthy, unfit for liking!

Li Xuan finally spoke calmly: "Youth and ignorance are no excuse for casually offending Me, but for your sakes, I will not kill him—only make sure he remembers this lesson."

With that, Li Xuan raised a finger and tapped Qi Ying.

"Roar!"

Qi Ying screamed again, then finally broke free from the endless illusions.

His aura had dropped by more than half, his body drenched in sweat, his flames extinguished.

"Your Highness! Come and apologize at once!"

"Your Highness, hurry and beg for forgiveness!"

Qi Ying finally saw the mountaintop again, the Mystic Immortal still calmly seated on his lotus throne, and Bright Rabbit and the other two shouting at him anxiously.

"G-Great One..."

Having experienced death once, a terror far greater than the Golden Dragon's pursuit shattered Qi Ying's mind.

With a flicker of movement, he transformed to thirty feet in size.

He rushed to the mountaintop, staying in his Kirin form rather than taking human shape, and fell to his knees before Li Xuan, lowering his head and roaring: "I was wrong. Thank you, Great One, for saving my life! Thank you, Great One, for sparing me!"

"Ding."

"Lesson for the insolent Qi Ying complete. Received five-thousand-year experience scroll."

Hearing the prompt in his ear and feeling his cultivation finally rise to Mystic Immortal level ten, Li Xuan was in a good mood.

As for killing this Kirin?

There was really no need. His crime didn't warrant death.

Besides, a living Kirin's value far exceeded killing him for meat or some other reward.

Seeing the Kirin kneeling on all fours, prostrate and trembling slightly, clearly truly terrified, Li Xuan said calmly: "Your death sentence is commuted, but your living punishment remains. I am in need of a mount. You will serve as my mount to atone for your crimes!"

Qi Ying trembled all over but dared not resist. He could only nod and say: "I am willing to be the Great One's mount. I am willing to be the Great One's mount..."

Li Xuan nodded slightly: "Alright, rise. I see you are still young, so I will spare you this once. Remember from now on: treat all things with reverence."

"Thank you for your instruction, Great One..."

Hearing these words, the immense panic in Qi Ying's heart finally began to subside.

He kowtowed in acknowledgment, then rose, shifted his form, and turned back into human shape.

But his once proud and sharp features were now deathly pale.

The arrogance in his eyes was gone, replaced only by fear and caution. He dared not meet Li Xuan's gaze.

Li Xuan then said to Bright Rabbit and the other two: "You may rise as well. No need to keep kneeling."

"Thank you, Great One."

The three stood up, all moving with care.

This was the downside of learning proper conduct.

Unlike before, when they still dared not act recklessly around him but were far less restrained than now, much more at ease.

A long, long few thousand years.

The cruel society of the Primordial Wilderness had taught them how to behave—oh, how to be demons.

Seeing them like this, Li Xuan smiled instead: "No need to be so stiff. Come, come, come. Today we have a rare gathering. Let's eat well to celebrate. Mm, five of us. Let's have a barbecue."

"Huh?"

Bright Rabbit, the other two, and Qi Ying, who had just calmed down, were all stunned.

Eat well? Barbecue?

Li Xuan waved his hand with a smile.

The boundless thick fog slowly parted, revealing a valley where a ten-thousand-zhang-long Golden Dragon lay, already without breath.

The Golden Dragon's body bore no wounds, looking as if it were still alive—but its three souls and seven spirits were gone.

In the illusion, the Golden Dragon had killed itself.

"Golden Dragon!?"

Seeing this dragon, Bright Rabbit, Little Purple, Little Blue, and Qi Ying all showed shock.

Though the Golden Dragon was dead, its lingering aura remained. The deterrent force unique to a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal was not something the four Golden Immortals could face directly.

But soon, they could sense it—the Golden Dragon was truly dead!

At that, Qi Ying let out a furious roar.

He shot toward the Golden Dragon's corpse, transforming into his true Kirin form hundreds of feet in size, and began savagely mauling the dragon's flesh.

This Golden Dragon had killed several great Kirins—his elders and brothers!

Li Xuan raised an eyebrow: "Taking out your anger on a corpse is fine, but don't ruin it. I still need to roast the whole dragon later!"

Roast the whole dragon...

Bright Rabbit and the other two stood frozen in place.

So the Great One's big meal was this Golden Dragon!?