Xia Er's eyes widened, his old face filled with nothing but fear and confusion; he had no idea what was happening.
How did a talking sword suddenly appear, and a flying person too?! Wait, he's flying in the sky?!
So much happened in a short time that even this experienced Sandman adventurer was momentarily bewildered.
With his Kog'Maw, old Xia Er then saw the young man in the sky reach out his hand, pull the dark greatsword that had been stuck in the sand from the ground, and fly into the sky, where he grasped it in his hand.
With a relaxed and effortless grip on his sword, he swung it downwards.
Call out--
The veil covering his face trembled, and Xia Er felt his hair flying wildly. Then, the Xer'Sai, who had been emitting low growls, all let out a unified scream.
The sound that rang out beside him was like an insect being crushed. Starting with the first Xer'Sai beside Xia Er, like dominoes collapsing, all the Xer'Sai that had surfaced on the sand exploded into a cloud of purple blood mist in the blink of an eye.
The Xer'Sai, foul-smelling blood splattered on Xia Er's face finally brought him back to his senses.
Kneeling on the ground, Xia Er clasped his hands together and worshipped the sky. Behind Xia Er, the surviving sand people and the mentally broken youth from before also followed Xia Er's actions and worshipped the black-haired youth in the sky.
"Don't bow." From the air, Li Ke saw Xia Er's actions and quickly spoke up.
He wasn't used to being worshipped. Zaunite were used to being tough and unruly, and Li Ke, who considered himself a true Zaunite, naturally couldn't stand seeing others kneel before him.
When Janna performed a miracle and appeared before the Zaunite, Silco's first reaction was not to kneel Janna, but to reprimand Janna for her inaction regarding the state of Zaun, giving Janna a thorough scolding.
If Silco hadn't later learned that Janna also had her own reasons, he would definitely have continued to criticize Janna.
Therefore, in Zaun, the so-called Deity are only Deity if you help me. If you can't help me but still claim to be a god to exploit me, then you are a demon and someone the Zaunite want to kill.
But Li Ke told them not to kneel, but it was clear that Xia Er and the others wouldn't listen to Li Ke now.
Seeing this, Li Ke felt somewhat helpless.
Looking in one direction, I saw Taliyah, Jax, and the others arriving. Jinx was sitting at the front, looking around with binoculars.
Li Ke closed his eyes, projecting his divine sense to perceive the movements beneath the earth. The Xer'Sai were darting beneath the yellow sand, with dozens of them lunging upwards to attack the sand people who were kneeling in worship.
Xer'Sai has no sight, but he can sense vibrations. An organ around his eyes, which is like a radar and can detect sound waves, compensates for this.
Therefore, the act of kneeling was perceived by Xer'Sai, and these mindless creatures would naturally attack the Sand People.
Did they expect the deaths of their compatriots to frighten them into retreating?
No, they will only become more insane because of it.
Li Ke, of course, would not show any mercy to these disgusting creatures. From the very beginning, Li Ke was very clear that the Void was only his enemy and there was no question of "befriending" it. So, Li Ke reached out and swung his sword again.
He raised Aatrox high, and then a green light appeared on Aatrox's blood-red sword. The light was emerald green, and with a sweeping motion, the green light on the sword transformed into flowing Sword Light, passing through the bodies of the Xia Er and the Sand People, and penetrating deep into the sand. In the next moment, the surging and trembling sand surface calmed down.
The sword strikes, severing souls; this is the Way of Wuju!
"."
"How was my sword strike?" Seeing that Aatrox, who had been complaining and grumbling while being held by him, had quieted down, Li Ke smiled and looked down at Aatrox, asking.
The eye on the crimson greatsword rolled its eyes, and Aatrox snorted coldly, "Not bad, you've got a bit of my former glory."
This sword strike was indeed formidable, as it was a sword technique that struck directly at the soul. Therefore, even Aatrox in his Ascended form would have been injured if he hadn't been careful when facing such a sword technique.
Furthermore, the creatures being killed now are Void beings. If we were to say what Aatrox hates most in this world, the first would naturally be the Zoe who sealed him away and turned him into the form he is now, and the second would naturally be the Void beings.
Therefore, Aatrox, who was usually proud and complacent and never praised others, surprisingly offered a compliment.
Faced with Aatrox's "arrogance," Li Ke just smiled and didn't intend to continue teasing Aatrox.
As Li Ke landed from the sky, Taliyah and the others arrived.
The moment the little sparrow stopped her magic, she went to Xia Er and reached out to help the elderly Xia Er. Yes, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, Taliyah is indeed a very good girl.
"Get up, all of you, stop kneeling," Li Ke said gently as he approached Xia Er.
Xia Er was helped to his feet by Taliyah, and looking at Li Ke, he trembled as he asked, "Are you... Deity?"
Li Ke shook his head. "I'm not some kind of Deity. To be honest, I'm just a traveler who came to Shurima on some business."
"But you can fly." Xia Er didn't believe it.
It can fly, and can wipe out a group of Xer'Sai. If this isn't Deity, then what is?
"There are plenty of people who can fly, I just happen to be one of them. Look at me carefully, do I look like Deity at all?" Li Ke said with a laugh.
Mages who control the wind element, especially those with a modicum of power, can fly. Does that mean they are Deity?
Deity my foot! Garen just smashed one of his big swords at them and they'd be quiet.
Hearing Li Ke's words, Xia Er finally mustered the courage to look at Li Ke. Then, as if recognizing Li Ke, he cautiously asked, "Are you the Lord of Zaun?"
Li Ke nodded, not surprised that he had been recognized, and simply asked Xia Er, "I have a question I'd like to ask you."
"Please speak," Xia Er said quickly.
Li Ke asked, "This place has a notorious reputation. The people of Shurima around here all know it's dangerous and a place you shouldn't come to. But you dared to lead a caravan through here, so I'll assume you're an adventurer with considerable experience here. My question is, do you know anything about Rek'Sai?"
Upon hearing Xia Er immediately replied, "You mean the largest Xer'Sai? If so, I know a little about it."
Tell me about it.
"As you said, there are very few adventurers in Shurima who can lead a team through the Sea of Bones, and I am one of them. If it weren't for the inexperience of my companions, following my method, there wouldn't have been much danger. As for Rek'Sai, which you mentioned, I saw it when I crossed the Sea of Bones last time."
After thinking for a moment, Li Ke realized that the Sea of Bones was probably the name the locals of Shurima used for this place.
Xia Er continued, "We were about to leave the Sea of Bones and reach the boundaries of Zerima when the earth behind us collapsed, creating a massive crater. From it emerged a colossal creature several times the length of a normal Xer'Sai. I recognized it instantly—it was Rek'Sai, the king of the Xer'Sai race."
"It seemed to be burrowing underground in Shurima, causing the ground to collapse. This panicked my caravan, and our commotion attracted it. It charged towards us instantly. I immediately ordered my men to stab the horses carrying the goods with knives. The horses went out of control and ran in all directions, abandoning most of the goods and the horses. That's how we survived."
Xia Er seemed to have thought of something, his face flushing slightly. He looked at Li Ke and continued, "I can't determine its range. As far as I know, they can be found in most parts of Shurima. In the beginning, they only appeared in the Sea of Bones, but in recent years, they have also been seen in places like Faraj, Zurita, and even Kalamanda."
"But I can be sure that the Sea of Bones is their lair, and if you're looking for Rek'Sai, this is the place to look."
Li Ke nodded after listening, then looked at Taliyah.
"Teacher, I can only find my way." Taliyah shook her head at Li Ke. She couldn't possibly find Rek'Sai. Taliyah already felt quite accomplished that she could actually find the right direction.
Li Ke then looked at Jax.
Jax looked up at the sky.
Are you kidding me? He hasn't been back to Shurima for centuries. What, you expect him to come looking for Rek'Sai?
Jax was left with no choice but to bend over and dig a hole in the endless yellow sand.
"That..." Old Xia Er suddenly spoke up. He seemed to be hesitating about something, and then, when Li Ke looked over, he clenched his teeth as if he had made up his mind.
"Lord of Zaun, I can help you find Rek'Sai." Old Xia Er said these words, his voice almost squeezed out from between his teeth.
He clenched his Riot Games, not knowing why he was doing it, but old Xia Er knew this was the best opportunity.
He was indeed a seasoned adventurer, one of the few who could make a living on the Sea of Bones, but he also knew that as long as Xer'Sai remained on the Sea of Bones, this place would never be peaceful.
Even a horse can stumble, and one cannot succeed every time. If he makes a mistake even once, what awaits Xia Er is his life, becoming food for Xer'Sai.
Now, the Lord of Zaun has come to Shurima and is specifically investigating Rek'Sai. After much deliberation, Xia Er decided not to let this opportunity slip by.
Even so, it is truly risky.
Li Ke looked at him and said, "Do you know that this decision could cost you your life?"
"I know, but I had no choice," Xia Er said earnestly.
Behind him, the sand people who accompanied Xia Er seemed to have guessed what Xia Er was going to do, and one by one they showed complicated expressions, looking at Xia Er with admiration.
"Why is there no choice?" Jax coldly questioned. He walked to Li Ke's side, looked at Xia Er, and said, "You can leave with your things and people right now. No one will say anything to you. This has nothing to do with you."
"How could this not concern me? My lord, I am Shurima. The Sea of Bones has buried countless Shurima, and now that I have the opportunity to change it, I certainly won't let this chance pass me by."
Xia Er gave a wry smile, looked at Jax, and continued, "Besides, I'm already sixty-one years old. Very few people in Shurima live to my age. I've lived long enough."
"You're tired of living and want to be eaten by Void creatures? If you want to die, there are plenty of ways to die. Wouldn't it be better to go back and lie down and wait to die?" Jax's voice grew even colder.
Looking at Jax like this, Li Ke was somewhat puzzled, wondering what was wrong with Jax's temper.
The next second, in Li Ke's mind, Aatrox laughed and provided the answer for him.
Aatrox laughed wildly, his laughter filled with pride and joy, and he shouted:
"Ha! Saijax, you're fucking jealous! Jealous of the Shuriman Empire!"
"Li Ke, he's jealous! He's jealous that we Shurima have such a spirit of dedication!"
Li Ke suddenly realized, "That's right, Jax is from Icathia, and Icathia and Shurima are sworn enemies."
Li Ke understood what Xia Er meant, and seeing Xia Er do this right now, Jax naturally felt complicated.
His hero is my enemy.
As long as the nation and its people exist, this statement will never be wrong, at least that's what Jax believes.
"That's true, but I want to die with some value," old Xia Er said earnestly.
The veil fell from his face, revealing Xia Er's aged features. His cloudy eyes looked at Li Ke, and he bowed slightly, saying in a deep voice, "Lord of Zaun, please allow me to travel with you."
Jax fell silent, turning away without another sarcastic remark.
It's true that he dislikes the Shurima, but he also admires people like the Xia Er who sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
After all, Icathia no longer exists.
"No, Uncle Xia Er, we're traveling together." A voice sounded from behind. Xia Er turned around and saw the sand people surrounding him, each with a look of impending doom on their face.
"If you can truly eradicate the Xer'Sai from the Sea of Bones, then we are all willing to give our lives for it," a middle-aged man said.
Seeing this, Xia Er was somewhat moved. Then, he made a decision, turned to Li Ke and said, "Please allow us to travel together. We will lure Rek'Sai out for you."
"Rek'Sai is different from the ordinary Xer'Sai. It possesses a certain level of intelligence. So many of its people have disappeared in a short time, and you are so powerful. Even if I give you the method to lure it out, Rek'Sai will still be too wary to come out."
Xia Er stepped forward and said seriously, "But it would be different if we were the ones to seduce them."
Looking at Li Ke, Li Xia Er felt a pang of emotion. Who said the Shurima people were just a disorganized mess?
Beside Li Ke, Taliyah was flushed, and she clenched her small Riot Games. If there were a Xer'Sai in front of her, Taliyah would definitely have attacked and killed Xer'Sai.
She was Shurima, so her feelings were naturally deeper than Li Ke's.
The only one at the scene who wasn't infected by Xia Er was Jinx.
The sun was scorching. Although Xiao Jin wasn't hot, the sunlight was blinding, so she put on her sunglasses again and stood there, mouth agape, lost in thought.
"I understand, I promise you."
"Thank you, Lord of Zaun."
A bright smile spread across his wrinkled face; Xia Er smiled sincerely, his eyes filled with joy.
"But you seem to have misunderstood something. If you help me, I guarantee there will be no danger whatsoever. I will guarantee your safety with the honor of the Lord of Zaun. I assure you that none of you will lose your lives because of this."
Before setting off, Li Ke smiled and said to the Xia Er and his group.
He pointed at Jax and said with a smile, "This guy is called Jax. The Rek'Sai you all fear is probably just a goat that charges at people in his eyes? So don't worry, he'll protect you with me."
Xia Er then quickly looked at Jax. Xia Er had no doubt about what Li Ke said and did not think that Li Ke was trying to comfort him.
Just looking at Jax's image gives me a sense of security; it really, really gives me a sense of security.
As Xia Er looked over, he saw Jax turn his back to him, snort coldly, and then walk away, keeping a distance from them.
"This..." Xia Er gaped, wondering what he had done to offend this lord.
"Haha, he's already agreed. As for why he didn't give him a good look, well... that's a long story, and you don't need to know."
Li Ke patted Xia Er on the shoulder.
"Let's go find Rek'Sai."
"Taliyah."
"Yes, teacher."