The person sitting upright was none other than Lei Tianxiao from Qianjie Star.
He suddenly opened his eyes and saw Li Qiang standing in front of him with a grin, tapping his palm with a folding fan. Since being defeated by Li Qiang, Lei Tianxiao had racked his brains to cultivate using Evil Dao methods, and was now at the Early Spirit Severing Realm realm.
Upon seeing Li Qiang appear, Lei Tianxiao was both surprised and delighted, thinking that his chance for revenge had arrived.
He said casually, "Yes, it's quite rare to see you again. Please sit down! Haha! Please sit down!" But his face revealed excitement and anticipation. The two cultivators behind him stood silently.
Li Qiang sat down opposite Lei Tianxiao and laughed, "Old Lei, what are all those people doing downstairs? Did they just scam another bunch of laborers?" He had once been sent by Situ Yong of Qianjie Star to do hard labor in the Black Prison of Tanbang Star, an experience he remembered vividly.
Nashan and Zhao Zhi's expressions both turned cold. Nashan asked, "Who are they?"
Prefect Jiang Weiguang of Hanlin City wiped his sweat and said, "My lord, they are... they are..." He suddenly realized that what these people had said earlier must have been a lie, because the prince from the capital seemed to know these people very well.
Nashan pressed impatiently, "What is it? Speak up! Don't beat around the bush... Oh, have you done something wrong?"
Li Qiang tapped the table with his folding fan and said, " Nashan, don't ask him anymore. He won't know. With Lao Lei's methods, Prefect Jiang is just a figurehead. Lao Lei, am I right?"
Lei Tianxiao; his habit was that whenever he smiled, it meant he wanted to kill someone.
Lei Tianxiao said slowly, "Originally, I just wanted to take the person away quietly and come back later. But since you saw through my plan, I might have to silence them. Sigh, it's strange, kid, why do you always appear at the most inopportune times?"
Nashan grinned and said to Zhao Zhi, "Wow, is he that impressive? He dares to talk to the boss like that... Damn, I really admire him."
Li Qiang laughed too, "Old Lei, the first time I met you was also in the Gusong Kingdom. You chased me pretty badly back then. Hmm, the time I saw you in the Gobi Desert, you ran away very quickly. As for this time... hehe, you're unlucky. Not only did you not get a chance to make a move, but you couldn't even escape."
Lei Tianxiao burst into laughter. "Haha, do you think I'm still that bad? Kid, let me show you my strength!" He was extremely angry, and a sword light suddenly flew out.
Li Qiang raised his folding fan and lightly tapped it as if swatting a fly, and Lei Tianxiao's flying sword fell to the ground.
Li Qiang said calmly, "You still haven't improved! Don't embarrass yourself with this little thing. Try something else."
The flying sword landed on the table, and the entire table collapsed silently. The sword thrashed about on the ground like a live fish.
Lei Tianxiao was terrified, cold sweat pouring down his face. The flying sword had been rendered unusable after being struck by Li Qiang's folding fan.
He stared at the flying sword on the ground, but he couldn't retrieve it. He had never seen or even heard of such power before.
Li Qiang leisurely waved his folding fan and chuckled, "Old Lei, you're about to Qi Deviation, hmm, it's the result of your forced cultivation. Old Lei, what are you planning to do with these people?"
Lei Tianxiao could no longer sit still. He suddenly stood up, only to see Li Qiang point at him with his folding fan and say, "What's your hurry? Sit down!"
Lei Tianxiao felt an immense force pressing down on him. His legs went weak and he sat back down in his chair, but the chair couldn't withstand the force and shattered with a "crack." Lei Tianxiao landed on his bottom, his face flushed with embarrassment, and his whole body trembled with anger.
Li Qiang laughed and said, "Oh, Lao Lei, you're too modest. Why are you sitting on the ground? By the way, you haven't answered my question yet."
The two cultivators behind Lei Tianxiao were stunned. They took a step back without saying a word, exchanged a glance, and suddenly flew upwards, trying to escape.
Li Qiang had been on guard against them all along. He calmly said, "You haven't finished speaking, why are you running away?"
A faint golden light flashed, and the two of them crashed into an impenetrable wall, falling to the ground with a "bang".
Nashan laughed triumphantly, "You guys better behave yourselves. Our boss even dared to fight immortals; you're far from being good enough for him."
Lei Tianxiao and the other two looked ashen-faced. They didn't care what Nashan was saying; what mattered was that Li Qiang's strength was too great.
Lei Tianxiao sadly realized that the gap between himself and Li Qiang was now vast, and he was utterly powerless to resist. He still possessed a sinister magic Law Treasure, but he dared not use it in a fight.
His eyes darted around, and after a long pause, he finally said, "These people are to be sent to Qianjie Star; we lack mortals there."
Li Qiang asked, "Which group of people is this? Are they all from the Gusong Kingdom?" He was puzzled; how could the Gusong Kingdom be completely unaware of such a major event? These officials were utterly incompetent.
Lei Tianxiao looked down at the mess of broken pieces on the table. His flying sword was stuck in the ground, gleaming with a faint green light. He muttered, "With only this group of people, we've only just begun... This..." He suddenly realized that he was surrounded by restrictions, unable to even move his fingers, and fear surged up in his heart like a tide.
After restraining the three men, Li Qiang said, "Prefect Jiang..." He turned his head and saw that Jiang Weiguang had already collapsed to the ground.
Hearing Li Qiang calling him, he scrambled forward, stammering, "M-M-Sir, this humble official... is here." His fat face was covered in sweat, and his entire body was trembling with fear.
There were also some accompanying officials, clerks, and yamen runners kneeling on the ground, all looking uneasy and trembling.
Li Qiang shook his head slightly and asked, "Prefect Jiang, how many times has Lei Tianxiao come in total? How many people did he take away?"
Jiang Weiguang shifted uncomfortably in his obese body and said, "He... he came four times. Except for the first time when he didn't bring anyone, he took seventy or eighty people with him each time after that, saying he was building some kind of palace... they were all... all young and strong men... he gave them a lot of resettlement money..." He glanced at Li Qiang secretly and saw that Li Qiang's gaze was like a knife. He panicked even more and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
Li Qiang said, "Settlement fee? Prefect Jiang, have your men bring those two men up here. Nashan and Zhao Zhi, you two go with them too. Those two cultivators aren't very powerful. Also, call up a few laborers."
Nashan said enthusiastically, "Fatty, hurry up!"
Jiang Weiguang said with trembling hands, "Master Zhou, you go... you go."
A fellow about as fat as Magistrate Jiang led Nashan and Zhao Zhi downstairs. If Nashan hadn't grabbed him by the collar, Master Zhou would probably have tumbled down the stairs; his legs were weak.
A moment later, a great commotion was heard downstairs, with clattering and crashing sounds coming up.
Li Qiang asked nonchalantly, "How much resettlement allowance did they give us?"
Knowing he couldn't hide it from Li Qiang, Prefect Jiang said tremblingly, "About five hundred taels of silver per person, this..." He couldn't finish his sentence because he had already skimmed off the vast majority of it.
There was a commotion on the stairs, Nashan pushed the two cultivators who had been sitting downstairs up, followed by Zhao Zhi and Master Zhou with several laborers.
Nashan said smugly, "These two brats actually dared to fight me, hehe, too bad they're a bit lacking."
Li Qiang discovered that Nashan had used a strange magical Law Treasure to completely seal the power of the two cultivators. Little did he know that Nashan had frequently visited Fu Shan when he was at the Ancient Sword Academy. Although this guy was a roughneck, he was very good at flattering people. Later, he became very familiar with Old Master Fu. The old master had many Law Treasure and was very generous, Nashan had indeed acquired quite a few good Law Treasure. This invisible spell used for sealing— the Cankun Set —was obtained from Fu Shan.
Li Qiang's mindset is very different now than before. He doesn't really care about Lei Tianxiao's actions, but he always remembers Hou Pijing's words—to help the Gusong Kingdom, which is why he intervened in this matter.
Li Qiang was unaware of his current indifference; if he had encountered this situation when he first arrived on Heavenly Court Star, his thoughts would have been completely different.
Li Qiang asked the laborers, "How much resettlement allowance did you receive in total?"
The laborers knelt down and replied, "We have one hundred taels of silver."
With a thud, Magistrate Jiang collapsed to the ground, fainting from fright.
Li Qiang gestured for Zhao Zhi to shake him awake, then asked, "What are you being sent to do? Do you all know?"
" Elder Da, they said they'd let us work as long-term laborers, with a chance to visit home once a year, and a decent income," several laborers said contentedly. It was a great opportunity for them.
Li Qiang nodded and waved for them to leave.
After a moment of silence, Li Qiang looked at the now-awakened Jiang Weiguang and said, "Prefect Jiang, make up for their resettlement expenses and immediately send them home. Do you understand?" Prefect Jiang nodded repeatedly, still kneeling motionless in a daze.
Li Qiang said, "Hurry up, what are you standing there for?"
As if granted a pardon, Prefect Jiang stumbled and crawled downstairs with his men.
Lei Tianxiao suddenly felt a lightness in his body; he could finally move, but he didn't dare. He gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want?" He felt not only anger, but also sorrow. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and he felt that he had completely lost the will to resist.
Li Qiang said, "Tell me honestly, what will happen to these people from the Gusong Kingdom after they are teleported to Qianjie Star?"
Nashan muttered to himself, feeling that his boss seemed different than before, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He couldn't help but mutter, "Just cripple him already, why bother talking to him so much?"
Lei Tianxiao said, "We just want to create another Sealed Fate Planet, but we lack mortals as a foundation, so the Purple Immortal King ordered us to find people on various planets and relocate them to Qianjie Star. If you don't believe me, you can go and see for yourself on Qianjie Star."
This was beyond Li Qiang's expectations. He stared at Lei Tianxiao, his voice suddenly filled with a heart-stirring power as he used Mind-Bewitching Technique: " Purple Immortal King? Is she the successor of Old Man Baihuang? Then what is Situ Yong's current status?"
Lei Tianxiao's eyes suddenly glazed over, and he subconsciously said, " Old Man Baihuang is gone... He... he handed over the leadership of Qianjie Star to Purple Immortal King... Later, Situ Yong was dissatisfied and led a group of subordinates to the Heavenly River. Now Qianjie Star is divided into two parts, with cultivators each belonging to different factions..."
Li Qiang asked, "Whom are you attached to?"
Lei Tianxiao mechanically replied, " Purple Immortal King, she's a little easier to talk to than Situ Yong."
A louder commotion arose downstairs. Zhou, the clerk, rushed upstairs and knelt before Li Qiang, saying, "The people downstairs don't want to go home; they want to go with... them..."
Li Qiang ignored him and continued to ask Lei Tianxiao, "How many of these laborers will die if they go there?"
Lei Tianxiao said blankly, "This time is different. We don't intend to hurt anyone. They are just ordinary people raised by Qianjie Star... so we won't do anything to them."
"Controlling mortals"—this was the most absurd thing Li Qiang had ever heard of. He pondered for a moment, thinking that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was simply using the methods of cultivators to allow mortals to live and reproduce on other planets. The more mortals there were, the stronger the foundation of the Cultivation Realm would be. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Are they all going voluntarily?"
Lei Tianxiao said, "We don't care whether they want to or not, as long as they receive the resettlement fee, they have to go."
Li Qiang couldn't help but smile bitterly. He desperately wanted to kill Lei Tianxiao, but then he remembered the Azure Emperor's words—to exercise restraint. After much hesitation, he raised his hand and sealed Lei Tianxiao's power.
Lei Tianxiao suddenly regained consciousness and discovered that his internal energy was suppressed. He screamed in terror, "You... you kill me..." He had many enemies, and if they found out that his internal energy was suppressed, he would be doomed.
Li Qiang flicked his finger, and a golden light shot into his wide-open mouth. Instantly, he couldn't utter a single word, only letting out endless "ah" sounds.
Li Qiang sneered, "Kill you? Wouldn't that dirty my hands! You don't need to whine. I can't be bothered with your nonsense. Just tell Purple Immortal King that I don't care if she relocates mortals, but don't hurt anyone, or I'll come to Qianjie Star to settle accounts with her. Understand? Get lost!"
The four cultivators nodded repeatedly, seemingly terrified as well. They helped Lei Tianxiao hurriedly downstairs and led the mortals away in a panic.
A short while later, Prefect Jiang and his group of men timidly walked upstairs, knelt obediently on the ground, and awaited Li Qiang's judgment.
In fact, Li Qiang had just escaped a disaster. If he hadn't been able to resist killing Lei Tianxiao, he would have been unable to control his Heart of Slaughter.
He was always very cautious. Thanks to the Azure Emperor's reminder, he restrained his inner impulse. If the realm of the Heart of Slaughter is broken by slaughter, one will completely lose oneself, become immersed in the pleasure of slaughter, and be unable to extricate oneself. Therefore, this realm is also a difficult hurdle in Heavenly Recommendation Scripture for God Cultivation.
Looking at the officials of the Gusong Kingdom kneeling on the ground, Li Qiang suddenly found the secular world utterly boring. He waved his hand listlessly and said, "Go back."
Prefect Jiang mustered his courage and asked, "May I ask your name, sir? This humble official... um... um..."
Li Qiang shook his head and said, "It's better if you don't know. Go back."
Prefect Jiang's fat face was contorted, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He looked around pleadingly, like a helpless child.
Li Qiang was both amused and annoyed. He tossed a jade tablet to the ground and said, "Since you insist on knowing, see for yourself."
Prefect Jiang glanced at the jade tablet, then collapsed to the ground with a thud, unconscious.
Li Qiang reached out and grabbed, but the jade token flew back. He said indifferently, "Pathetic! Alright, send Prefect Jiang back to the government office. He's a disgrace!"
The group of yamen runners and clerks hurriedly carried Magistrate Jiang away. Although they didn't know who Li Qiang was, they could guess from Magistrate Jiang's reaction that Li Qiang must be a big shot.
The once bustling restaurant was now deserted and empty, save for a dozen or so waiters who stood there like puppets, lost in thought. The restaurant owner was on the verge of tears; he'd worked tirelessly for half a day without earning a single penny, and everyone had vanished. Seeing Li Qiang coming downstairs, the owner couldn't help but call out, " Elder Da..."
Nashan shouted, "What?"
The restaurant owner knelt down with a thud, pleading pitifully, "Sir, spare my life!"
Li Qiang asked curiously, "What are you doing? We wouldn't harm you."
Zhao Zhi was the first to understand. He casually tossed down a gold ingot and said, "Don't kneel, we'll pay." Then he couldn't help but laugh, "Boss, look, we didn't even get to eat, but we're paying the bill. If this happens a few more times, I'll be broke, haha."
Li Qiang then understood what was going on, and he became even more annoyed. He said, "Let's go." A golden light flashed, and he teleported away with the two of them.
The restaurant owner was overjoyed with the gold, not knowing what to do, when suddenly he saw a flash of golden light and the three people vanish in an instant. He was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground with a thud and fainted.
Li Qiang, along with Nashan and Zhao Zhi, teleported directly into the Sacred King's Residence. As soon as their protective golden light dissipated, a night patrol guard spotted them. A loud shout rang out, "Who goes there?" Immediately afterward, a series of rapid gong sounds rang out, and countless lanterns and torches lit up all around.
Nashan praised them highly, "These lads are quite alert, not bad! Boss, the guards of the Sacred King's Residence should be rewarded, haha."
A dense crowd surged forward, but no one could get within ten paces of Li Qiang. The leading guard, his voice softening with suspicion, asked, "Who are you?"
Li Qiang laughed and said, "They're here to find someone."
The guard was stunned. He'd never heard of anyone coming to the Sacred King's Residence in the dead of night looking for someone. He asked again, "Who are you looking for... who exactly are you?"
Li Qiang raised his hand and shot out a jade identification token.
The guard suddenly felt something in his hand. He opened his palm and shuddered.
Li Qiang then said, "Now you know who I am, right?"
With a thud, the guard knelt down and loudly proclaimed, " Zhang Lu, the third-class guard in charge, respectfully welcomes Your Highness back to the manor." Upon hearing this, the guards who had gathered around all knelt down as well.
Recently, people have been kneeling before him frequently, and Li Qiang has gradually gotten used to it. He said, "Everyone, stand up and speak. Has the Holy King returned to his residence?"
Zhang Lu said, "The Holy King has gone to take care of something and is not in the palace at the moment."
Li Qiang asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhang Lu said, "This humble official is not entirely sure. I only heard that the Holy King needs to find some kind of spirit medicine and has been away for a long time."
Li Qiang understood, and he nodded, asking, "Did the Holy King mention where to look?"
Zhang Lu rubbed his hands nervously, and said somewhat awkwardly, "The Holy King didn't tell us."
Nashan patted his Baldy. "Does Old Master Hou still need to find any spirit medicine? He's already at the Mahayana, why would he need to look for that stuff? Boss, this is going to be difficult to find him now."
No sooner had he finished speaking than all the guards glared at him angrily. They knew that the Holy King was like a god in their eyes, Nashan's words were extremely disrespectful.
Li Qiang pondered for a moment and then said, "The Holy King must have gone to a very far place."
Zhao Zhi asked, "Are we going to find him?"
Nashan clapped his hands and cheered, "Boss, that's great! I haven't been to many places. It's a good opportunity to go out and explore, haha. It'll broaden my horizons, and maybe I'll even run into Old Master Hou. What do you say?"
The guards were dumbfounded, wondering how this guy could be so rude to the prince. But because Li Qiang was there, they didn't dare to reprimand Nashan, though they all felt very awkward.
A guard announced, "The Grand Steward of the Prince's Palace has arrived."
The chief eunuch, a man in his sixties dressed in the robes of a fifth-rank official, rushed over and said repeatedly, "Your Highness, this servant has a message from the Holy King."
Li Qiang flashed in front of him. "What message?"
The head steward said, "This servant, Fei You, the head steward of the Prince's Mansion, Fei You to Your Highness." He performed the salute with perfect decorum.
Li Qiang smiled wryly to himself, and said impatiently, "Alright, alright, no need for so much formality, just tell me, what's the message?"
The head steward Fei You- pitched, delicate voice, "Yes, His Highness the Holy Prince instructed me to tell him not to deliberately seek him out. If fate allows, they will meet again."
Li Qiang couldn't help but sigh, "Brother, you've finally reached the Mahayana of cultivation! Good! Good! Good!" He had already decided not to go looking for his brother anymore.
Li Qiang said to everyone, "You may all leave now. Steward Fei, arrange a place for me to stay. Also, I'm leaving tomorrow, so don't disturb the Emperor." He didn't want to linger in the Gusong Kingdom any longer, and since he couldn't find Hou Pijing, he planned to leave.
The three of them meditated in the room all night. The next morning, Li Qiang quietly left the Sacred King's Residence with Nashan and Zhao Zhi.
Standing on the street, Nashan touched his Baldy and said, "Boss, are we going back now?" He felt that he hadn't had enough fun yet. It seemed a bit of a waste to go back to Heavenly Court Star after finally making the trip.
Li Qiang walked slowly along the street. The early winter sun felt warm on his body. The street was bustling with people, but Li Qiang felt as if all of this was far away from him, and he even felt a sense of disgust.
He patted his head hard, wondering what was wrong with him. He always enjoyed being around people and having fun, and his current State of Mind was a bit strange even to himself.
In fact, it was Five-Pillar Heaven's Heart of Slaughter that was influencing him. His indifference to all things was only the first step. Once Li Qiang lost all feeling for everything around him, as long as he killed a mortal, it would be difficult for him to surpass this Heart of Slaughter realm. As his power increased further, self-destruction would be only a matter of time.
This was the first time Nashan and Zhao Zhi had seen Li Qiang so taciturn. Nashan tugged at Zhao Zhi and whispered, "What's wrong with Boss? I feel like something's not right... uh, is he...?"
Zhao Zhi asked in a low voice, "What is it?"
Nashan touched his Baldy, unable to find the right words. After a long pause, he blurted out, "It feels like losing a wife... weird..." Before he could finish speaking, Li Qiang slapped him on the head.
" Nashan, what nonsense are you spouting!"
Nashan shrank back in fright and hid behind Zhao Zhi, laughing, "It's been a long time since I've seen the boss lose his temper, hehe, it feels quite heartwarming."
Zhao Zhi couldn't help but laugh, "You're being cheeky again, aren't you? Why are you saying such random things?"
Although Li Qiang slapped Nashan Shan, he was awakened by Na Shan's words. He suddenly realized that this was the consequence of cultivating to the level of the Heart of Slaughter.
He couldn't help but feel grateful to Nashan. If he hadn't been careful, he would have been in big trouble. The progress of his cultivation this time was too fast, and he was losing control of himself.
Li Qiang took a long breath and laughed, "Let's go shopping, let's relax a bit."
As they were talking, a commotion broke out ahead, and pedestrians quickly gathered around.
Nashan said, "Boss, I'll go take a look." He then ran over with the crowd.
Li Qiang laughed and said, " Nashan still loves watching the excitement."
Suddenly Nashan roared, "Boss, come quick!" The crowd was scattered by the thunderous roar.
Li Qiang darted to Nashan's side, and upon seeing the person lying on the ground, he was horrified.