Chapter 474 - 472: Prelude to a Bloody Slaughter

"Li, you refuse to take the path to heaven and insist on barging into a gateless hell!" Prince Shen Ran snarled, his eyes bloodshot.

Li Qiye gave him a lazy glance. "Hell? Where is this hell you speak of? You think you lot are worthy of being called Hell? Even if this were true Hell, I would slaughter everything in it and make it crumble to dust beneath my feet!"

"My Buddha is merciful." The Ghost Monk recited a Buddhist chant. Though hymns surrounded him, he exuded a sinister, eerie aura, like a Yin Buddha that had crawled up from the grave. His sinister smile was enough to make one’s blood run cold.

The Ghost Monk was, after all, a notoriously cruel individual. Throughout the Ghost Sacred Realm, the mere mention of his name was enough to make countless hearts pound in terror.

The Ghost Monk offered a sinister smile. "Mr. Li, such astounding confidence. However, I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. This is the domain of the Ghost Race. All by yourself, you can hardly expect to make any waves."

"The Ghost Race’s domain?" Li Qiye raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "So what if it is? Even if this entire realm belongs to the Ghost Race, I’ll still tear a hole in its sky." With that, he started walking toward the Oasis.

At a shared glance from Qing Jinzi and the others, several hundred young experts from the Ghost Race rushed forward to block the entrance to the Oasis, cutting off Li Qiye’s path.

"Fellow Daoist Li, my apologies, but this is now Ghost Race territory. If you wish to enter, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay the price," the Hundred Schools’ Sons said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Li Qiye glanced at the young Ghost cultivators blocking his path, then at the several thousand more inside the Oasis, and let out a soft chuckle. The Ghost cultivators present were all eager for action. Some hailed from Great Teaching Territories, while others were from smaller sects and schools.

The treasured glow from the lake in the Oasis grew ever brighter; a great treasure was likely about to emerge. These Ghost cultivators from all corners were naturally eager to prove their worth. If they performed a great service, Qing Jinzi and the others would surely reward them with a larger share of the spoils. Better still, killing a human like Li Qiye would be a perfect example to intimidate the young cultivators of other races—killing the chicken to scare the monkeys. It was a task they would relish.

"Is that so?" Li Qiye looked over at Qiu Rong Wanxue and smiled. "I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll give you one last chance. Let my person go, and I’ll let this slide."

"What arrogance!" Prince Shen Ran sneered, his voice turning cold. "It wouldn’t be difficult to let her go. All you have to do is surrender without a fight, and we’ll let her leave safely at once."

The Ghost Monk chimed in with a sinister smile, "On this, I can give you my word. If you truly surrender, I guarantee Donor Qiu Rong will be allowed to leave unharmed. Furthermore, no one will trouble the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan. Otherwise... well, things could get difficult. The Ghost Sacred Realm may be vast, but I fear the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan will no longer have a place to stand."

"I can guarantee that as well," Qing Jinzi stated coldly. His golden skeleton frame looked completely devoid of any human warmth.

The Hundred Schools’ Sons added with a beaming smile, "Fellow Daoist Li, you must reconsider. After all, this is about more than just you. If you insist on making an enemy of the entire Ghost Race, not only will you die without a proper burial, but the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan will be dragged down with you. They will lose their home and may even face annihilation!"

For the Hundred Schools’ Sons and his allies, Li Qiye’s peaceful surrender would be ideal. The other young Ghost cultivators, however, watched him like hungry tigers. This was, after all, a rare opportunity to distinguish themselves.

The young cultivators from other races outside the Oasis felt a chill run down their spines as they watched the scene unfold. The Ghost Race was being incredibly aggressive. If they truly united, the pressure would be suffocating for anyone. From their perspective, Li Qiye had no choice at all—it was a dead end.

If Prince Shen Ran and Qing Jinzi truly united to suppress Li Qiye and the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, countless other Ghosts would undoubtedly flock to their banner.

To the Ghost Race, killing a mere human was of no consequence. As for the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, though they were also Ghosts, who would give a second thought to such a minor clan? Naturally, everyone was eager to curry favor with Prince Shen Ran and align themselves with the power of the Emperor’s Throne.

Without a doubt, Li Qiye had been backed into a corner with nowhere to run.

The determination of Qing Jinzi and the others to see Li Qiye dead was plain to see. And Li Qiye, a mere human, was surely no match for their four great experts, no matter how powerful he might be.

Moreover, making an enemy of a behemoth like the White Bone Saint Clan meant that, just as the Hundred Schools’ Sons had warned, the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan wouldn’t just lose their footing—they would invite the disaster of annihilation.

’It’s a dead end.’ The young cultivators from the other races couldn’t help but pity Li Qiye. ’In a situation this desperate, his only choice is to surrender.’

Opposing the Ghost Race in this situation was a dead end, no matter how he struggled. If he surrendered, he might at least be able to save Qiu Rong Wanxue and preserve the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan.

At the same time, a chill crept into the hearts of many onlookers. The Ghost Race was so overbearing. ’Today it’s Li Qiye, tomorrow it could be us.’ But the young cultivators from the other races were helpless. There was nothing they could do. Aside from Yao Yun, the rest of the Ghost Sacred Realm was the domain of the Ghost Race.

Li Qiye, however, simply smiled. "So, it seems I have no other choice but to surrender?"

"Fellow Daoist Li, whether for your own sake or for Clan Leader Qiurong’s, surrender is your best option. If you do so obediently, we can at least grant you a quick death," the Hundred Schools’ Sons said with that same smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"Human ant, surrender!" one of the young Ghost cultivators inside the Oasis bellowed. "Resist, and you will be shown no mercy!"

"That’s right! Anyone who dares to make an enemy of our Ghost Race, no matter who they are, will die without a grave! We’ll annihilate their clan and slaughter their sect!" Swept up in the fervor, many young Ghost cultivators began to roar in agreement.

In the eyes of the many Ghost cultivators, Li Qiye was a fish on the chopping block, and they were the butchers with cleavers in hand. An unspeakable, cruel pleasure filled their hearts, like the thrill of watching his final, desperate struggles.

"Li! It’s not too late to surrender! Get over here, kneel, and beg me for mercy!" Seeing Li Qiye cornered, Prince Shen Ran felt a surge of malicious glee. He would thoroughly humiliate this human ant today and wash away his own shame!

Having formed such a powerful alliance, Prince Shen Ran was brimming with confidence. Capturing Li Qiye would be child’s play.

"Young Master, don’t!" Qiu Rong Wanxue’s face went pale as she shook her head frantically. She had tried to escape, but the Hundred Schools’ Sons had already sealed off her retreat.

Li Qiye swept his gaze over the crowd, a faint smile on his lips. "I was in a rather good mood today," he said slowly. "It’s a shame some people are just asking for trouble." He paused for a moment.

This was, in fact, the truth. Li Qiye had poured countless hours of painstaking effort into comprehending the ultimate Mystical Meaning of those ants, finally deducing the general shape and direction of that particular Great Dao. He now had a completely new understanding, a new framework for it.

Such a peerless, unprecedented harvest had put Li Qiye in an exceptionally good mood. And yet, Prince Shen Ran and his ilk, courting death as they were, had to go and ruin it.

If Prince Shen Ran and the others had known when to back off, Li Qiye, in his current mood, truly wouldn’t have bothered with them. But they genuinely believed they held all the cards.

"Threatening me?" Li Qiye’s eyes narrowed as he scanned all the Ghosts present. He began to laugh. "Since you all love making threats so much, I’ll give you two choices. One: get the hell out of my sight. Scram as far as you can while I still have an ounce of good will left. Two: let me slaughter every last one of you and paint this land red with your blood."

Hearing Li Qiye’s outrageously arrogant words, the young cultivators from the other races could only look at each other in stunned silence. The Ghost cultivators, on the other hand, glared at him with pure fury.

"You insolent fool!" Prince Shen Ran roared with laughter. "Still spouting nonsense when you’re about to die! Brothers of the Ghost Race, hack this human ant to pieces! Let him, and every other race in the world, know that there are no good ends for those who oppose our Ghost Race!"

"Insolent bastard, die!" The Ghost cultivators were already seething with rage. At Prince Shen Ran’s command, their spirits surged. With a collective roar, they mercilessly unleashed their Treasure Weapons, blasting them straight at Li Qiye. They would gladly hack him to pieces or even blast him into a bloody pulp; they savored the thrill of such a slaughter.

"Be careful!" Qiu Rong Wanxue’s expression changed as she cried out a warning.

SHING! With a casual motion, Li Qiye drew the sword from a cultivator standing outside the Oasis. The moment he held it, a monstrous black light flooded the sky. This terrifying Black Sword was like a vast ocean drowning the world, and from its depths, a colossal Demon Tree seemed to rise, holding up the very heavens.

BOOM! The black light, like the Demon Tree itself, descended with the force of a god, instantly shattering all the Treasure Weapons hurtling toward Li Qiye. Streaks of Sword Radiance then shot out, piercing through the several hundred Ghost experts who had attacked and nailing them to the ground. A sickening SIZZLE echoed as the black light, like a Vampire, sucked them completely dry of their blood.

The Earth Talent Sword of the Three Talents Sword—the apex of Extreme Yin and demonic power. The moment it was drawn, it was as if an eternal Demon from the depths of Hell had been unleashed. The sight of it was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

"AHHH—" A cacophony of screams erupted. In the wake of that single sword strike, the several hundred Ghost experts were reduced to withered husks.

An untold number of spectators shivered at the sight, a bone-deep chill spreading through their bodies.

"Kill that little bastard!" Prince Shen Ran and the others roared, their expressions turning utterly grim.

"Kill!" The numerous young Ghost experts within the Oasis roared as one. United by a common fury and with eyes red with bloodlust, more than a thousand of them charged at Li Qiye.

Among these young Ghost cultivators, there was no shortage of powerful experts, including King and Marquis True Masters and even Ancient Saints. An attack from so many at once was a cataclysmic force, enough to shatter the heavens and split the earth.

"It seems a massacre is in order." Li Qiye smiled faintly. His sword swept across the sky, slashing toward them without a shred of mercy.