All Creatures Compete for Freedom Under the Frosty Sky

In the heavy downpour, the frequency of the ringing bells accelerated. A figure emerged from the rain, walking toward the protruding rock formation of the canyon.

Li Qing's breath hitched, and his body, already chilled by the rain, trembled slightly.

An inexplicable fear began to rise from the depths of his heart.

"Don't come over!"

"You, don't come any closer!"

He muttered to himself, his gaze drifting, though the corners of his eyes swept repeatedly toward the figure approaching through the rain.

It was an old man with graying hair, dressed in a cyan robe, with a small golden bell hanging from his waist.

By now, he had crossed through the heavy rain and arrived at the recessed cliff wall of the canyon, under the shelter of the protruding rock.

He stood not far from Li Qing.

Li Qing kept his eyes fixed on his nose, his mind centered, ready at any moment to bolt back into the downpour.

He only tracked the man's figure with his peripheral vision; if the man made any move, he would flee at the first opportunity.

The air felt incredibly stifling; even though the rain had quenched the summer heat, it could not break this strange, oppressive atmosphere.

The white-haired old man did not have a single drop of water on him, and even his boots were free of mud. His white hair was straight, and his face was covered in a white beard, giving him the air of an immortal sage.

Yet, with just a slight glance, Li Qing had already categorized him as an extremely dangerous individual.

In such a torrential downpour, to remain completely dry—there was something wrong with that, no matter how you looked at it.

A good while passed in the blink of an eye, followed by what sounded like a soft murmur.

"This rain will claim many lives."

Hearing this, Li Qing's heart immediately went on high alert. He didn't say a word, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.

He was already prepared to run; this old man seemed very strange.

"They have come to my doorstep. Should I respond, or should I not?"

The low voice sounded again. The old man seemed to be asking himself, or perhaps he was asking Li Qing.

Li Qing's heart hammered against his ribs, and he was cursing internally.

Damn it, whether you respond or not is none of my business! Don't look for me, don't come near me!

Big shot, I can't afford to play this game!

Li Qing remained silent, his eyes fixed on the tip of his nose as if there were a flower blooming there.

Seeming to sense that Li Qing did not want to talk, the old man did not speak again.

He simply stared quietly at the sky, his eyes flickering with a strange, eerie light.

He did not know how much time had passed, but the rain showed no sign of stopping, and Li Qing had already sensed that something was wrong.

Such a massive downpour was usually a thunderstorm, lasting at most half an hour.

It had now been going on for at least two hours.

The rain had not stopped at all; in fact, it showed signs of intensifying.

Li Qing's anxiety grew; he felt that this was likely a massive problem.

Could this rain be related to this old man?

"Come to my doorstep?" Could someone be causing him trouble?

Does that mean if he goes to resolve it, the rain might stop?

Thinking of the two sentences the old man had spoken earlier, Li Qing grew increasingly restless.

An inexplicable sense of crisis loomed over him; he had a feeling that if things continued this way, he would be dragged into a world of trouble.

Damn it, a Cthulhu-style cultivation world—everything is so bizarre.

Thinking this, he let out a deep, heavy breath. This old man appeared out of nowhere; why did he have to find me of all people?

Perhaps he needs me to help him make a decision?

Or maybe he just needs someone to help him justify his choice?

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Thinking rapidly, a flash of determination crossed Li Qing's eyes. I'll test it. If there's really a problem, I'll run immediately.

Looking at the darkening sky, Li Qing swallowed hard.

"Ahem."

"This rain is coming down quite hard, isn't it?"

Li Qing forced a dry laugh, looking at the white-haired old man as he spoke.

The white-haired old man slowly turned his head, his gaze resting calmly upon him—a pair of eyes devoid of any emotion.

"It will rain even harder."

Those eyes held no warmth, as if he were facing a heartless machine rather than a human being.

Li Qing felt a chill run through his heart, and he continued, "How did you know, old man, that this rain would only grow heavier?"

The white-haired old man gazed at the sky. "Let me ask you a question."

The old man did not answer Li Qing directly, yet Li Qing felt a weight lift from his heart.

The main event is here.

"What would you like to ask, old man?" Li Qing replied cautiously.

"If you possessed an item that was useless to you, but useful to your descendants."

"Someone comes to your home to demand this item, and the other party possesses formidable strength; you might not necessarily win if you were to fight."

"What would you do?"

Li Qing's heart stirred upon hearing this; he already roughly understood what the old man was trying to ask.

After a moment of contemplation, he said, "There are only three choices."

"The first choice: if you know you cannot win, you hand the item over. As for the descendants, that depends on their own luck. The saying 'children and grandchildren have their own blessings' is merely a fig leaf for a predecessor's incompetence."

"The second choice: fight to a draw. You keep the item, preserve the future of your descendants, and force the other party to retreat."

"However, if the other party is truly determined to have it, they will always find ways to cause trouble. You can protect them for a while, but not for a lifetime."

"It all depends on whether the descendants can grow strong enough before the enemy delivers a fatal blow."

"If they can grow, they have nothing to fear. If they cannot, they can only blame their own misfortune and face total destruction."

"The third choice: defeat the opponent outright, slaughter them all, and leave no one alive."

"Although it is said that a nation without external threats is doomed to perish, no matter how rotten things get, the item remains in your hands. Without enemies, at least your descendants are free from worry."

"All these choices ultimately rest upon the predecessor."

"It depends on whether the predecessor has self-awareness and absolute rationality to make the most correct choice."

"However, as the saying goes, if you retreat step by step, there will eventually come a time when you have nowhere left to retreat."

"Today they covet your treasure, tomorrow they might covet the lives of your entire family."

"After all, greed is infinite. As long as you possess something that attracts others, you cannot escape the pursuit of the greedy."

"It is merely that all creatures under the frosty sky compete for freedom."

Listening to Li Qing's calm words, the white-haired old man's eyes suddenly flashed with a divine light, and his entire aura underwent a thunderous transformation.

"What a 'all creatures under the frosty sky compete for freedom.' Throughout the ages, it has all come down to a single word: struggle."

"With one sentence, little friend, you have truly cleared the fog from my mind."

"Meeting is fate; I shall gift this item to you."

Having said this, the old man in the green robe produced a cyan jade tablet and tossed it toward him.

Li Qing scrambled, catching the jade tablet with both hands, while the white-haired old man took a single step and vanished into the rain.

In an instant, the sky turned dark, and the entire world was shrouded in boundless storm clouds.

Rumble.

Terrifying lightning flashed across the sky, and amidst the gloom, two massive figures could be seen rolling through the clouds.

By the light of the lightning, Li Qing caught a glimpse of those gargantuan shapes flashing across the heavens.

Damn, is that a dragon? Does this world have dragons?