Translator: AnubisTL
Martial Alliance Dao Guardian!
The moment these words echoed through the arena, a deathly silence descended upon the crowd.
The Blood Lotus Sect Leader, draped in a crimson kasaya, gradually froze in place.
The Martial Alliance Dao Guardian? How could the Martial Alliance, a mere organization, possess such a formidable guardian?
When he first encountered the Martial Alliance, he had dismissed this so-called Dao Guardian with contempt.
Later, as the Blood Lotus Sect demonstrated its overwhelming power and completely subdued the Martial Alliance, he paid even less attention to the rumored guardian.
Years passed. The Martial Alliance fully submitted, annually offering vast quantities of strange beast materials as tribute.
Throughout this period, the legendary Dao Guardian never once appeared, as if he had never existed at all.
"Hahahaha! The Martial Alliance Dao Guardian! The Martial Alliance Dao Guardian! Hahahahaha!" The Blood Lotus Sect Leader erupted into manic laughter, as if he had heard the greatest joke in the world.
The onlookers—whether citizens of Precious Lotus City or Martial Artists from the alliance—all wore expressions of disbelief and shock.
"The martial alliance? The one in the north? Aren't they subservient to the Blood Lotus Sect? How could they have such a powerful dao guardian?"
"This person is incredibly strong. Why has he never appeared before?"
The vital energy martial artists were initially stunned, then erupted in wild joy.
Could this impossibly powerful figure truly be the dao guardian of their martial alliance, the one who hadn't been seen for decades?
"Brother Fu, did you hear that? He's actually our martial alliance's dao guardian!"
"There's no mistake. Look, Guardian Lin is in his arms. This must be Guardian Lin's master."
"I always thought Old Man Gao and the others were just telling stories to trick me. I never believed the martial alliance's dao guardian actually existed!"
The "Old Man Gao" they referred to was one of the martial artists Li Qing had rescued from Tianliang Mountain years ago. Time had passed, and those survivors had become elders, holding considerable seniority within the martial alliance.
Lin Jing, feigning death in Li Qing's arms, trembled uncontrollably upon hearing the words "martial alliance's dao guardian."
For years, the martial alliance had lived under the shadow of the Blood Lotus Sect. Every year, countless martial artists died hunting strange beasts to appease the sect's demands.
Even her two senior brothers had died because of him!
Now, her master had finally appeared, single-handedly driving the entire Blood Lotus Sect to the brink of annihilation.
"Master..."
Li Qing glanced down at his disciple and said gently, "Xiao Jing, come down first. I'll handle this final threat to the martial alliance."
With those words, he carefully set Lin Jing down.
Lin Jing cast a worried look at her master, her voice trembling with concern. "Master, be careful."
The Blood Lotus Sect Leader was immensely powerful. Even Alliance Leader Miao Xi and Senior Brother Xishan, who had pioneered the new path of vital energy martial dao, knew they were no match for him.
"Don't worry about me. He can't harm me," Li Qing said with a confident smile. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the massive Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer back from the air.
Grasping the Peerless Hammer once more, Li Qing felt an overwhelming sense of security.
"You're Li Qing, the martial alliance's dao guardian, aren't you? You've destroyed my life's work. This blood feud leaves no room for reconciliation."
The Blood Lotus Sect Leader's manic grin vanished, replaced by a gaze burning with hatred as he glared at Li Qing.
"This battle between us was inevitable from the start."
"I am the dao guardian of the martial alliance, and you are the sect leader of the Blood Lotus Sect. That is all," Li Qing said calmly, showing no remorse for his actions.
Since he couldn't remain in the World of Eternal Night indefinitely, the Blood Lotus Sect's continued existence posed an ongoing threat to the martial alliance.
This wasn't a matter of right or wrong, but simply that their paths were diametrically opposed.
After all, how could he abandon his own disciple to certain death?
And as the saying goes, "Cut the grass and pull up the roots." This was a principle he had adhered to throughout his life.
Once a deed was done, it should be carried out thoroughly, to the end. Any mercy shown to enemies could become a source of future regret.
"A mere 'that is all'? Truly, a mere 'that is all' indeed!"
The Blood Lotus Sect Leader's eyes turned bloodshot. He let out a bitter laugh before slamming his palm violently against the ground.
Bang!
Deep beneath the earth, the blood pool shuddered violently, and a crimson lotus slowly bloomed.
A scarlet light instantly enveloped Precious Lotus City as the blood lotus rapidly ascended.
Yue Qiusheng, his face resolute, leaped onto the lotus and slashed his wrist.
Drip!
A stream of fresh blood flowed from the wound, dripping onto the lotus petals.
The lotus flower, having absorbed Yue Qiusheng's fresh blood, instantly radiated an even more sinister aura.
In moments, the blood lotus rapidly expanded, its roots digging firmly into the ground as its petals unfurled at an alarming rate.
Li Qing, observing this spectacle, narrowed his eyes slightly.
"How is this possible? Its aura bears a faint resemblance to that willow tree in the Black Wind Domain."
Of course, while the auras were similar, the disparity in power remained vast.
That willow tree had been terrifyingly boundless, its presence overwhelming. Even after achieving core formation, Li Qing had no confidence in facing it.
Perhaps only a nascent soul old monster could confront that dreadful willow tree directly.
Yet this blood lotus now evoked a similar sensation in Li Qing, albeit on a far weaker scale.
"Heh heh heh," the Blood Lotus Sect Leader chuckled. "Originally, this blood lotus would have become an existence akin to the Demonic Willow in the Black Wind Domain. But I discovered it too early and seized its good fortune."
"Today, I will return all that I have gained over the years. Limitless True Lord, dao guardian of the martial alliance, Li Qing—you will regret this day."
The Blood Lotus Sect Leader's voice hardened as he accelerated the flow of blood from his body. In an instant, his face and demeanor aged dramatically.
The Red Moon Secret Power had granted him an extended lifespan. Now that this power was being stripped from his body, his physical state naturally reverted to its original form.
He now resembled a withered lotus, its shriveled petals drained of moisture and luster, gradually decaying.
Yet the blood lotus beneath him grew increasingly vibrant!
Soon, the blood lotus seemed to develop its own consciousness. It autonomously dragged Yue Qiusheng into its heart.
Yue Qiusheng offered no resistance, allowing his fleshly body to be devoured by the blood lotus.
A hint of relief flickered in his eyes, as if he were both liberated and nostalgic.
"The Red Moon path... am I the founder of this world's lineage?"
"Seizing the blood lotus's good fortune to achieve eternal life—this is Yue Qiusheng's legacy, a new path for this End of Dao Era, where the Great Dao has been severed."
As his words faded, Yue Qiusheng transformed into a crimson lotus seed, settling quietly at the heart of the blood lotus.
Li Qing's expression turned grave. He hadn't anticipated Yue Qiusheng's decisive move—sacrificing everything to this sinister blood lotus.
"Kill!"
Knowing that further delay would only worsen the situation, Li Qing leaped into action. Gripping the Primordial Chaos Peerless Hammer with both hands, he channeled his true essence.
Boom!
The massive hammer expanded explosively, instantly growing to the size of a small mountain. It crashed down upon the eerie blood lotus with overwhelming force.
The air shattered under the colossal impact.
As the hammer descended, the blood lotus seemed to possess its own consciousness, its petals closing tightly around the seed.
Bang!
Contrary to expectations, the blood lotus didn't shatter immediately. Instead, it withstood the full force of the earth-shattering blow.
Li Qing's heart sank slightly. He opened his mouth and spat out a torrent of crimson pill fire.
The searing flames surged forth, instantly forming a sea of fire that engulfed the blood lotus.
Boom!
A terrifying scene unfolded. The lotus remained completely unaffected, swaying serenely amidst the sea of flames conjured by Li Qing's pill fire.
The blood lotus even unfurled its heart, launching a counterattack against Li Qing, attempting to devour him as it had Yue Qiusheng.
Sensing the danger, Li Qing swiftly withdrew the Peerless Hammer with a flicker of his divine sense and retreated.
But in the next instant, countless lotus petals erupted into the air, forming a crimson storm that surged toward Li Qing's fleeing figure.
As the blood lotus storm swept across the battlefield, the Blood Lotus Sect disciples Li Qing had just slain were engulfed, their bodies dissolving into nutrients to further nourish the demonic lotus.
"Truly a demonic lotus," Li Qing muttered, his brow furrowed. "Has it developed its own consciousness?"
He knew that if he failed to eradicate this blood lotus today, the Autumn Mountain Domain would soon birth a creature akin to the Demonic Willow of the Black Wind Domain.
The storm unleashed by the blood lotus surged toward Li Qing. He swiftly retrieved the Black Furnace and hurled it into the tempest.
The incredibly sturdy Black Furnace was engulfed by the storm, erupting in a dense barrage of crisp, metallic clangs like a torrential rain.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hearing the relentless clanging, Li Qing's heart tightened with apprehension, fearing the furnace might be damaged.
Fortunately, the Black Furnace had never disappointed him with its resilience. When the blood lotus storm finally subsided, the furnace emerged unscathed.
And this was something he'd bought for just a few hundred spirit stones!
The furnace's power had repeatedly astonished him. Not only had it withstood the void turbulence during his journey across the void, but now it had effortlessly withstood the force of a core formation cultivator, remaining completely undamaged.
The value for money was simply absurd.
With this thought, Li Qing resolved to collect all the fire seals inscribed on the Black Furnace's inner walls in the future.
But for now, the battle remained his priority.
His gaze turned icy as he formed a massive crimson seal with both hands.
Shattered Origin Great Fire Seal!
In his palm, the shattered origin great fire seal was one he had nurtured back at the Lingyun Sect.
He had used one during his battle with Gui Fan, and now he was deploying the second one here.
"It's not over yet!"
As his words faded, Li Qing's mind stirred, and the searing, icy-white Netherworld Cold Fire surged forth once more, engulfing the great fire seal.
In an instant, the seal, etched with mysterious patterns, blazed with two starkly contrasting colors: crimson red and icy white.
"Go!"
Li Qing hurled the shattered origin great fire seal, now infused with the Netherworld Cold Fire, directly at the blood lotus ahead.
(End of the Chapter)
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