The Solar System, space station.
After a long time, Baili Qiu, who had returned to the Solar System, was clearly no longer the same as before.
Time had etched frost onto his temples, and his figure had become hunched, bearing a resemblance to Xuanyizi.
I have countless feelings I want to express, but there's not a single companion around to sit with.
The struggle for power is so cruel; once you lose power, even the dogs on the street won't pay you any attention.
Using their intelligence advantage, they secretly attempted to sabotage the operation right under the noses of the three major powers. If they found something, great; if they found nothing, then this whole thing would be a disaster.
Even the most foolish civilization wouldn't believe that its underhanded tactics could escape the investigation of these major powers.
Baili Qiu naturally became the scapegoat.
This has been going on for hundreds of years.
Although the Sihali Kingdom also possesses the technology to extend lifespan, in order to control these immortal individuals, they must undergo a re-injection every hundred years.
Having fallen from grace, Baili Qiu naturally lost the right to have his life extended. If it weren't for the new discovery on Earth Star that gave him some value, Xuan Qingzi wouldn't have kept him alive and imprisoned until now.
Once again driven to the Solar System, Baili Qiu was somewhat at a loss.
He's here to negotiate.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who came. The problem was that the people accompanying him were all projections, while he was the only one who came in his real body.
He also learned that the person he was negotiating with was Li Xingkong.
Thinking back to when they met before, I was full of vigor and confidence, but now, looking like this, I find it hard to even walk.
While Baili Qiu was still hesitating, Li Xingkong had already sensed this group of "guests".
With the improvement of his cultivation, Li Xingkong's Divine Sense range has been greatly enhanced. Although he is on the moon, he can still observe what is happening in this teleportation station with his Divine Sense.
Perfect timing! Now that he's cleaned up all the parasites on Earth Star, it's time to settle things with the Sihali Kingdom.
Since Li Xingkong's actions only target crimes and punishments, regardless of his position or power, how to reassign those vacant positions and how to resume interrupted matters all require someone to direct the process.
Li Xingkong was not interested in these matters, and he only had a vague understanding of the overall power structure of Divine Land.
But that doesn't stop him from randomly assigning people to handle these miscellaneous tasks.
I'm talking about you, Ge Baoqi.
Li Xingkong wouldn't just pick anyone; he knew someone who was relatively reliable, so he decided to leave the task to him.
Ge Baoqi, who had been singled out by Li Xingkong, was completely bewildered. How did this kind of thing happen to him?
It's like being forced into something you're not meant to do; one day you're chopping wood and boiling water, and the next you're thrown out to be deified, like Jiang Ziya.
Besides, how could he compare to Jiang Ziya? Jiang Ziya was the most upright and respected senior disciple.
In everyone's eyes now, he is nothing more than a lackey who has suddenly gained power, the kind who sits at the same table as Zhao Gao and Wei Zhongxian.
But I couldn't refuse their kind invitation, haha.
Who can blame them when Li Xingkong is so incredibly strong? Even when the Three Pure Ones were making their way into the Investiture of the Gods, there were some sibling rivalries between them, but Li Xingkong didn't have a single opponent.
If you appoint him, he'll be second only to the emperor, above everyone else.
But it's just a pleasant feeling; it's not a good job. If you handle it well, it's fine, but if you don't, it's a hot potato.
Furthermore, Li Xingkong entrusted him with this task out of consideration for their relationship, which meant he recognized his abilities. If he dared to take this opportunity to act recklessly, he would be the next one to be dragged out and beaten to the ground.
After appointing Ge Baoqi to handle the aftermath, Li Xingkong directly crossed space and arrived in front of the space station.
The people from the Sihali Kingdom had already cleared and brought the area under control. When Li Xingkong arrived, a large group of people had already set up their formation and were ready for battle.
Upon seeing Li Xingkong's sudden appearance, the entire platform fell into an eerie silence.
After a long silence, Baili Qiu gave a bitter laugh and slowly stepped forward.
"Brother Li, we meet again."
Li Xingkong had initially thought the visitor was hostile, but now that he saw it was Baili Qiu, things were getting interesting.
It seems the Spiritual Root Server is quite attractive to the Sihali Kingdom; even now, they're still planning to negotiate.
"It's you. So many years have passed, and things have changed."
Li Xingkong still remembered Baili Qiu's expression back then, and looking at the hunched figure in front of him, it was hard to imagine that they were the same person.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh. You've remained as charming as ever after all these years. It's just a pity we can't have another drink this time."
Baili Qiu gave a wry smile.
"Brother Li, you must know why I've come here today—regarding this cooperation..."
After being released, Baili Qiu had already been told clearly what Xuan Qingzi had done.
No matter how you look at it, the Sihali Kingdom is in the wrong, and Baili Qiu knows that bringing this up won't change anything.
Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do. He had no resources and no support, so he had no control over the situation.
"Now that you're here, you should already know what they've been doing in Divine Land."
Li Xingkong shook his head.
"Is this the morality you're talking about?"
Baili Qiu was speechless after being rebuked by Li Xingkong.
What could he say? The Sihali Kingdom is too large. The kingdom is founded on virtue, but that doesn't mean everyone there has good moral character.
This is exactly what happened to him; now he's in a bind, unable to explain himself.
"Brother Li, everything is negotiable."
After a moment of silence, Baili Qiu said bitterly.
"Talks are fine, but hand over the person behind this, and we'll let bygones be bygones."
Li Xingkong's goal was simple: none of those ordinary people who reached out to him would escape.
Baili Qiu could not agree to these conditions, nor did he have the right to do so.
He knew perfectly well who was behind this; he was merely a pawn, how could he possibly turn the tables on the one in charge?
"That's impossible, there are too many things involved, perhaps..."
Baili Qiu shook his head.
Li Xingkong interrupted him.
"I'm not discussing this with you; I'm informing you."
Before Li Xingkong could finish speaking and before Baili Qiu could say anything, the projections that had come with him had already drawn their weapons.
Given that the Sihali Kingdom is a renowned and powerful civilization within the entire Convention, how could they possibly tolerate being harassed like this by an obscure little civilization?
"If we can't reach an agreement, then let's not talk about it anymore."
A projection standing a few steps behind Baili Qiu, looking angry, said coldly.
"If we can't reach an agreement, don't blame us for being ruthless."
As he spoke, he casually swung his light blade sword, about to cut down the now useless Baili Qiu.
However, the weapon was only halfway through its swing when it seemed to be gripped by someone, and it remained motionless for a long time.
"Perfect timing, my patience is almost worn out too."
Li Xingkong snorted coldly; it was he who had made the move.
After taking Baili Qiu into his spatial dimension, Li Xingkong manipulated his Divine Sense and began a merciless massacre.
The torrent of Divine Sense acted like two walls, shattering all the projections present.
Baili Qiu is still useful; the position of the Sihali Kingdom still needs to be obtained from him.