Elegy

Ye Chang was certain of his victory. Seeing that Li Ziye was beyond saving, his mind had already drifted elsewhere. When the fluctuation of Magical Power appeared behind him, his reaction was a beat too slow.

"A Magical Power fluctuation? What's going on? How could this brat break free from my restraints!"

Caught off guard, Ye Chang couldn't help but turn back. What met his eyes were three red lights hurtling towards his face!

"Not good! This brat wants to commit suicide!" Ye Chang had fought cultivators of the current era more than once and naturally recognized the Flame Explosion Talisman, the most commonly used in current era cultivation. This Talisman posed no threat to him, but it could easily kill Wang Qi at the Qi Condensation stage. If Wang Qi died, Li Ziye would have no more reservations!

Ye Chang formed a hand seal, and the Magical Power around him transformed into golden light, rushing towards Wang Qi, attempting to annihilate the power of the Flame Explosion Talisman. At the same time, his mind raced. He thought, 'He actually unsealed part of his Magical Power without me noticing? An Immortal Weapon? No, he can't use it... Did he learn that technique from Mount Luofu Mystic Clarity Palace that simultaneously operates thirty-seven streams of Magical Power? What a joke! That technique is useless except for dealing with my Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao's sealing methods, and it's incredibly complex. Why would he bother practicing it!'

The power of the Flame Explosion Talisman was largely offset by Ye Chang, but the remaining shock still made Wang Qi feel a jolt in his chest. Without hesitation, he activated the remaining Talisman in his left hand. The double layer of mist separated Ye Chang's Magical Power, and Wang Qi immediately felt his body loosen, his lost Magical Power fully restored! The healing Talisman turned into a warm current, flowing from his hand throughout his body, and combined with the stimulating orange mist, Wang Qi felt a surge of energy!

Wang Qi didn't dare to delay. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he immediately turned his back to Ye Chang and ran outwards. Under the effect of the Talisman, his speed far exceeded the limit of a cultivator at the early Qi Condensation stage, and in the blink of an eye, he had shot out dozens of meters.

"Damn it!" Ye Chang was greatly alarmed. If this brat escaped, he would not only lose the clue to the Immortal Weapon and the inheritance of the Ancient Method, but also lose the hostage that restrained Li Ziye. He subconsciously raised his hand to cast a grasping spell. Just then, a hand passed under his armpit and pressed on the acupoint of his left hand, forcing him to raise both hands slightly. The spell grazed Wang Qi's body and missed.

"You're finished." Li Ziye chuckled. His usually gentle face, stained with blood, looked somewhat ferocious. He beckoned, and the Heavenly Sword sword box actually vibrated violently. Ye Chang found the seal he had set crumbling and was immediately filled with dread.

Having seen through the secrets of Emperor-Grade Heaven-Splitting Dao's cultivation, Li Ziye would no longer give Ye Chang a chance to capture Wang Qi. And with the Heavenly Sword breaking free, he was doomed!

"Damn it, damn it, damn it..." Ye Chang was flustered, and the thought of escape kept flashing through his mind. But he knew that with the Heavenly Sword about to break free, turning around would be equivalent to exposing a huge weakness to Li Ziye. Moreover, even if he managed to escape, the strongholds of his Ancient Method cultivation would also be exposed. Then, he would face a fate worse than death!

So, now I... am dead?

Dead?

Dead...

Once the thought of despair appeared, it could no longer be contained. In the mind of this Nascent Soul Cultivator, it took root and spread rapidly!

Li Ziye sensed a violent fluctuation in his opponent's aura and inwardly cursed. He had pushed too hard, forcing his opponent into a corner while he still had some strength left! This aura was clearly a suicidal, mutually destructive technique that traded one's life for a devastating blow!

"Wuwuwu... Hehehehahaha... Brat, you forced me!" Ye Chang roared, "Heavenly Devil Blood Dissolving Technique!"

Wang Qi lay on the ground, struggling to stand, but the strain aggravated his injuries, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.

"This is truly the worst luck... cough... I haven't been this badly injured in two lifetimes combined," Wang Qi sighed, then rolled over and circulated the remaining Magical Power in his body to repair himself. It was only then that he had a chance to observe his surroundings.

At this moment, the Jade Rabbit was setting in the west, and the morning light was faint. By the light of day, Wang Qi could barely make out that this was a plain west of Dabai Village.

"He flew so fast." Wang Qi's thoughts were a bit hazy, and he actually envied the Spiritual Power of higher-level cultivators. "This time I've really lost face. Alright, old man Zhen Chanzi was right, learning some combat skills needs to be put on the agenda... hiss, starting tomorrow—right, old man!"

He used his spiritual sense to tap the ring on his finger: "Old man, don't sleep at your age. You fell asleep then."

After a long while, Zhen Chanzi's voice reappeared in Wang Qi's mind: "So soon?"

Wang Qi paused and retorted, "What's so soon?"

"You reopened the seal so quickly?" Zhen Chanzi's voice was filled with disbelief. "That technique can't be mastered without half a month of hard practice. I thought with your comprehension, it wouldn't be impossible to grasp it in three to five days. And that Li Ziye and that Nascent Soul Realm junior could fight for three to five days too..."

Modeling abilities help with learning spells... Why would someone who always gets stuck on high trees learn spells!

Wang Qi grumbled internally, then his expression changed. "Right, a blast from behind knocked me down just now. I'm about a hundred zhang away from where Li Ziye and they were fighting. I had two Talisman protections on me at the time. With that power, they should have decided the victor by now, right? Can you use your spiritual sense to check?"

Zhen Chanzi pondered for a moment: "It was just the aftershock... With that kind of power, I'm afraid both of them used self-sacrificing, life-risking techniques. Fine, I'll take a look."

With that, the jade ring glowed slightly, and Zhen Chanzi's Mahayana stage spiritual sense surged outwards in all directions.

"It's actually a mutual destruction situation..."

"What?" Wang Qi's face changed drastically, and he struggled to stand up.

"Hey, what are you doing? Sit down and heal!"

Wang Qi grunted, not answering.

"With your current injuries, if your internal organs are jolted again, you'll really die!"

Wang Qi asked, "What's the situation over there now?"

"Are you listening to me..."

Wang Qi intensified his tone: "What's the situation over there?"

Zhen Chanzi said helplessly: "That Nascent Soul Realm Ancient Method cultivator is utterly annihilated, likely a self-destructive technique like the Heavenly Devil Blood Dissolving Technique to achieve mutual destruction. Li Ziye... his life force is extinguished. Even at my peak, I couldn't save him."

Wang Qi continued walking: "If I can't even hear his last words, then I'll owe him a great debt."

Zhen Chanzi said angrily: "If you feel you owe him, then even a small life is still a life!"

"At least now, I have a chance to fulfill his last wish!"

With every step Wang Qi took, he felt his shattered internal organs jostling within him. Fortunately, the explosion site wasn't too far from Wang Qi, so he didn't walk for long.

The air here was saturated with the smell of blood that the night wind couldn't disperse. The soil that had been scoured by the power of a Ancient Method Nascent Soul Cultivator's self-detonation had turned into fine sand. At the center of the explosion, only a large pit remained. In the faint morning light, one could vaguely see a person lying at the bottom of the pit.

Wang Qi slid down along the edge of the pit. Fortunately, cultivators' self-detonation involved the surge of spiritual energy rather than high temperature and pressure, so the soil in this pit was actually looser than the surrounding area. Wang Qi endured the pain, crawling on all fours to Li Ziye's side, and reached out to shake him: "Hey, Senior Brother Li, hey..."

The physique of a Golden Core stage cultivator was indeed strong. Li Ziye's life force had already been extinguished, but he still had consciousness: "Ah... you came back..."

Wang Qi nodded, and for fear that the other party couldn't see, he replied again: "Yes."

"You... call me Senior Brother... looks like you've decided... to go to the Immortal Alliance?"

"Stop talking." Wang Qi grabbed Li Ziye's hand: "Is there any way to open your storage bag or other magical artifacts? There should be medicine inside..."

Li Ziye's hand moved slightly, and Wang Qi quickly let go. Li Ziye arduously moved his right hand to his waist and lightly brushed a small bag: "Open it... find some pills. Inside your ring... the senior should be able to distinguish the basic medicinal properties."

"Is there anything that can save your life?"

Li Ziye thought about shaking his head, but in the end, he just tilted his head. "Life force extinguished... resurrection... no."

Wang Qi let out a breath. "Do you have any last wishes?"

"Last wishes... let me think..." Li Ziye pondered for a moment, then let out a low, unpleasant laugh. "Cough, cough... you'll help me?"

"Yes."

"Cough, cough... I wanted to pursue a girl, but what's the point if you help me chase her?"

"That chief disciple of Piaomiao Palace? I can relay a message."

"But I'm dying." Li Ziye's tone was quite relaxed. "Even if the message gets there, what's the use besides earning a bit of pity... just adding to her troubles..."

Unrequited love ruins a lifetime...

Wang Qi sighed inwardly and asked, "Anything else?"

Li Ziye said, "Come to think of it, I don't actually have many... cough, cough... how should I put it, ideas that would make me die with regret if they weren't fulfilled. This life has been quite easy and free. There are things I still want to do, but those things... I want to do them myself. You doing them in my stead means nothing to me."

"Any regrets?"

"Quite a few regrets... this world, I can never see enough of... and that supreme Dao... to have not heard the Dao in this life..."

"Do you regret it? Regret saving me?"

"Actually, I quite regret it." Li Ziye's voice grew fainter. "I really don't want to die. I truly don't want to die. Actually... if I had known... I would die, I might not have saved you. But, who told me my math was bad..."

"Don't joke, Myriad Dharma Sect built its foundation on mathematics, how could your math be bad?"

"I just couldn't calculate it... couldn't calculate if I could win... nor could I calculate which would make me feel worse, watching you get captured or die here..."

Both fell silent for a moment.

Li Ziye continued, "Actually, you don't have to treat my affairs as a burden... If this causes a mental block for you... wouldn't I have saved you in vain... hehe."

Wang Qi tried to steady his voice. "Actually, my living is for the sake of a brilliant life, for enjoyment, and cultivating immortality is the same."

"That's good..."

"If you feel you owe too much to others, you can't be happy."

Li Ziye finally smiled. "If you truly want to do something for me... if someone in the future solves Xi's Twenty-Three Calculations... burn a copy for me. Oh, my sect uncle is about to solve the 'Pearl Question' and reach the peak of Free and Unfettered... by then..."

"I'll remember. Burn a copy for you, right?"

Another moment of silence.

"How much longer until dawn?"

Wang Qi glanced at the sky. "Soon."

"I've been unconscious long enough... I quite want to feel the sun before I die."

"You'll see it. Dawn is coming soon."

Wang Qi said, looking at the overcast sky.