Annihilation

"Boom—" A loud noise resounded. The giant hand, formed by martial energy, seemed as fragile as glass at this moment, showing traces of cracks before disappearing with a "ding" into thin air. When the black martial energy around Luo Qing encountered the blood-red martial energy emanating from Li Yi, it was like water meeting fire, emitting a sizzling sound. Eventually, the black energy dissipated, and Li Yi's left palm and right hand simultaneously struck his chest, shattering the translucent martial energy garment he wore.

"Ah—" Luo Qing let out a miserable cry, his complexion changing rapidly. Then, he violently spewed a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing into a large tree, splitting it in two. Propped against the trunk, Luo Qing shakily got up, his legs seemingly unstable, the translucent martial energy garment almost vanished. Blood oozed from both of his hands, and blood droplets hung from his lips.

"Puff—" Another mouthful of blood sprayed out. Luo Qing looked at Li Yi with a strange expression, then, with great effort, gasped for air, suppressed the boiling blood energy in his chest, and spat out some blood. He gritted his teeth and said, "Who... are you? Why do you wield the Demonic Martial Energy!?"

Li Yi clapped his hands, waiting for the blood to disperse before smiling faintly. "Do you think I'll tell you? But... I might as well ask you, how do you know about my Demonic Martial Energy?"

Weakly smiling, Luo Qing gasped for breath and sneered, "The Demonic Martial Energy can only be cultivated by the three great demonic techniques in the world. I don't know which one you've practiced... but when the demonic energy emerges, chaos ensues in all factions... If news of your Demonic Martial Energy were to spread, I guarantee that within three days, you'd be hunted down with nowhere to hide! Haha..."

Li Yi said lightly, "You don't need to worry about me on that matter... But why don't you tell me, what does it mean when the demonic energy emerges, chaos ensues in all factions?"

"Do you think I'll tell you!?" Luo Qing laughed, "Even if I can't get my hands on your techniques and martial energy, just knowing that you possess Demonic Martial Energy is good enough... Li Yi, you wait, I'll definitely come back!"

"Kill him!" With a sudden clap, Luo Qing's figure retreated violently. At that moment, as he was about to collapse, a stoic-looking black-clothed man appeared seemingly out of nowhere, then rushed toward Li Yi's direction.

"It's a Shadow Puppet! It's highly toxic, don't let it touch you! Don't let him escape!" The Serpent Venerable's voice suddenly echoed in Li Yi's mind.

Li Yi smiled faintly, glanced back at Gong Wushuang, then flicked his right hand. The Soul Severing Blade shot out like a snake and instantly shredded the Shadow Puppet with the assistance of Gong Wushuang's martial energy, reducing it to debris. Seeing this, Luo Qing's eyes flickered strangely. He was about to fade into the air, but as he was about to form hand seals, he suddenly felt a pain in his chest. Lowering his head slowly, he saw a bloody chain passing through his heart...

"Puff—" Another mouthful of blood sprayed out. Struggling to raise his head, Luo Qing looked at Li Yi from afar. Then, his figure swayed, and he collapsed to the ground. Not far away, Li Yi smiled lightly, flicked his hand again, and retrieved the storage ring Luo Qing wore. Tossing the ring into his own storage ring, Li Yi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is it over?" Gong Wushuang's figure descended slowly, saying calmly.

"More or less... But the last words he said..." Li Yi looked at Gong Wushuang strangely.

Gong Wushuang sighed and said, "I can't control your affairs, nor can I know too much. Besides, my life is now in your hands. I won't have any other thoughts. You can rest assured!"

"You're smart!" Li Yi lightly tapped Gong Wushuang's head and finally felt relieved. Although he had some trust in Gong Wushuang now, their relationship was still awkward. It was essential to address such important matters properly; otherwise, it wouldn't work out.

"Kid! The matter of the Demonic Martial Energy is significant... If it's known to others, even I can't protect you! Since this little girl already knows, we might as well find an opportunity to eliminate her. Safety first!" The Serpent Venerable's voice echoed slowly.

Li Yi frowned but remained silent.

"If you're hesitant, you might as well keep her. Women, unless they're completely devoted to you, won't keep any secrets. Besides, even if she knows about your Demonic Martial Energy, it's unlikely for ordinary people to see through it. Unless someone else cultivates dark attribute martial energy and has keen insight, it's hard to detect yours!" The Serpent Venerable continued nonchalantly.

"I'll see..." Li Yi replied in his mind. "Old Coot, what exactly is Demonic Martial Energy?"

"Well... you don't need to know right now. Even if you knew, it wouldn't be of any benefit! Anyway, you've practiced the Demonic Nine Transformations. Even your closest relatives can't be told about it. This Demonic Nine Transformations is a serious matter, which is also why I let you enter the Martial Deity Temple! Only by practicing the martial techniques of the Martial Deity Temple can you perfectly conceal the Demonic Energy... But you don't need to worry too much. Unless someone else cultivates dark attribute martial energy, it's unlikely for ordinary people to see through yours, even if they don't have a certain level of discernment!"

After saying this, the Serpent Venerable seemed to fall silent again. Regarding this old coot, Li Yi was somewhat clear. If he didn't want to talk about something, no matter how much you pressured him, he wouldn't say a word. At this moment, Li Yi could only shake his head slightly and temporarily set aside the matter of the Demonic Martial Energy.

"What? Do you want to kill me?" as if seeing through Li Yi's thoughts, Madam Feng suddenly said indifferently.

"Hehe, Sister Feng, you're really joking. How could I..." Li Yi chuckled lightly and then glanced at the dozen or so black-clothed figures on the ground. He said, "Sister Feng, you better take care of them. Even if it's the Flame of the Soul, don't let it exist. I don't want to leak any information!"

Madam Feng nodded lightly and with a flick of her right hand, another surge of martial energy swept out, smashing the bodies of the dozen or so individuals, including Luo Qing, into mush. Occasionally, if a Soul Fire floated out, it was frozen by Madam Feng with a casual gesture and then shattered into ice.

Once it was confirmed that these dozen people were all dead beyond death, Li Yi chuckled lightly, feeling somewhat relieved. However, he could never have imagined that just a trip to Yunsui City would cause such huge trouble... The Shadow Demon Sect... seemed to have stirred up a formidable force! Thinking of this, Li Yi smiled bitterly. What kind of fate did he have? First, he offended the North Dipper Sect, and now he had provoked an even more mysterious Shadow Demon Sect. Although it seemed inconsequential now, if anything were to be discovered, it would surely be troublesome...

"Now, what should we do?" Madam Feng said calmly.

Li Yi frowned for a moment, then chuckled lightly. "Since Nalan He wants to send me on my way, I wouldn't be fair to myself if I didn't send him off, right?"

"Whatever... Are we going to kill our way back now?"

"No hurry..." Li Yi shook his head, "Since we're playing, let's play big. I think Nalan Qing should be showing up soon!"

The two of them silently waited for a moment. At a certain moment, Li Yi suddenly chuckled lightly and said, "Nalan Qing is here!"

Madam Feng frowned slightly. "He's really slow..."

Li Yi said lightly, "Can't blame them for that. They need to confirm whether we're alive or dead and react accordingly... If they come rushing like idiots, then he wouldn't be Nalan Qing!"

As soon as his words fell, dozens of figures suddenly streaked across the void and landed around the forest. And the leader of this group naturally was Nalan Qing. Nalan Qing's figure slowly descended, his eyes falling on Li Yi, who was calm. After scanning the bodies on the ground for a moment, he laughed heartily, slightly cupping his hands, "Young Master Li Yi, I received news at the banquet that my brother sent someone to deal with you. So I rushed over with my men at the first opportunity... I didn't expect Young Master Li Yi to be so brave, actually dealing with all of my brother's men! I've worried for nothing!"

"Where, where," Li Yi said with a smile, lightly returning the gesture. "Young Master Nalan is so kind. I will certainly remember it. If there's a chance in the future, I will definitely repay you!"

"Polite! Polite!"

"Where!"

As they spoke, their eyes met and they burst into laughter. Although both parties knew exactly what was happening at this moment, they were intelligent people and naturally wouldn't speak out about such matters, lest they end up at odds. After a moment, Nalan Qing with a somewhat reserved expression gestured for his men to withdraw before saying lightly, "Young Master Li Yi, I wonder what your plans are now?"

"Hehe, what can I do? After all, this is your Nalan family's territory. If I suffer a loss here, what else can I do but run?" Li Yi said indifferently. "Just hope that I won't encounter Nalan He elsewhere..."

Nalan Qing laughed and said, "Just running away like this isn't Young Master Li Yi's style... We are all clever people, Young Master Li Yi. Let me make it clear... Let's join forces and kill Nalan He!"

Li Yi curled his lips and said, "If you want to kill Nalan He, there's no need for Young Master Nalan and me to join forces. If I'm willing, the person beside me can handle it for me... Young Master Nalan is quite cunning. Under our joint efforts, you seem to benefit a lot. I don't see any benefits for myself!"

Nalan Qing smiled and said, "Although I, Nalan Qing, am not a righteous person, I also know that no one would do things without benefits... Young Master Li Yi, let me make it clear! As long as you join forces with me to deal with Nalan He... then, after the matter is settled, one-third of the territory of Yunsui City will belong to your Li family! How about that?"

"I dare not take the territory of Yunsui City. Our Li family doesn't have such a big appetite... How about this? After the matter is settled, Nalan He will be handed over to me for handling. But for external publicity, Nalan He and his collaborators will be said to have died at the hands of Young Master Nalan. As for the benefits afterward... I'm not greedy either. Just bring a few things to satisfy me from the Nalan family. I think with the strength of the Nalan family, you should be able to come up with something good, right?"

"Young Master Li Yi is indeed making things difficult for people..." Nalan Qing seemed to ponder for a moment before clapping his hands lightly and saying, "Alright, for the position of the family head and for self-preservation, I agree to Young Master Li Yi's terms. As for the benefits after this... I will definitely try my best to satisfy Young Master Li Yi... Then, Young Master Li Yi, please!"

"No rush," Li Yi said lightly. "Young Master Nalan, do you have any chance of winning?"

"I originally had only a fifty-fifty chance, but now with Young Master Li Yi, it's at least seventy percent..."

"Seventy percent chance... Then let me increase Young Master Li Yi's odds a bit more..." Li Yi smiled lightly, his face full of inexplicable mystery.