Chapter 485: The Coming Storm

Chapter 485: Chapter 483: The Coming Storm

Killing Li Qiye would be a surefire way to achieve fame and fortune. It would make one a dazzling prodigy of the younger generation and establish an illustrious reputation.

Many of the younger generation’s prodigies knew they were no match for Li Qiye in a one-on-one fight. But now, so many people were out for his life—even Saint Venerables from the older generation had personally stepped forward. Tens of thousands of experts were eyeing him like hungry tigers, all wanting his head.

As the saying goes, “even a swarm of ants can bring down an elephant.” Many young cultivators hoped to use the chaos to launch a sneak attack, lop off Li Qiye’s head, and not only claim the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s reward but also establish an illustrious reputation for themselves.

The thought of achieving fame and commanding respect made the blood of many young cultivators boil. They were eager for action, wishing they could cut off Li Qiye’s head this very instant to secure their future!

Of course, many people had no desire to wade into these muddy waters, but they couldn’t resist coming to watch the show. Thus, far from the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan’s territory, a large crowd had gathered to watch the battle unfold.

Not everyone watching from a distance was there just for the show, of course. Some hid within the crowd, nursing sinister intentions. This was especially true for certain Old Undyings from the Great Teaching Territories, who remained concealed behind the scenes. Given the chance, they would undoubtedly strike a fatal blow against Li Qiye. These individuals weren’t here for the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s reward, nor even for the Key of the First Evil Tomb. They were here to avenge their disciples and grand-disciples.

Back at the Oasis, Li Qiye had killed far too many young cultivators from the Ghost Race. The masters and ancestors of these youths would sooner or later seek revenge for their disciples.

Outside the territory of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, countless experts held their breath, awaiting Li Qiye’s arrival. In the crowd, some were excited, some were nervous, and others remained inscrutable.

Only the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, seated in her Phoenix Carriage, remained impassive and serene. It was as if victory was already in her grasp, as if she already knew the outcome.

Meanwhile, within the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, everyone from the highest elder to the lowest disciple was trembling with fear, their hearts pounding in their chests. Though their enemies hadn’t acted against them yet, who could say what the outcome would be once this great battle concluded?

At this moment, the members of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan could only pray that Li Qiye would be the one left standing, the final victor. Many of the clan’s disciples had no idea who this Li Qiye even was; they didn’t even know why their Snow Shadow Ghost Clan had become entangled with a member of the Human Race.

But for every disciple of the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan, none of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered was that their clan’s only hope for survival rested on Li Qiye being the one to emerge victorious!

If Li Qiye were to die in battle, then the Divine Burning Country and the tens of thousands of frenzied experts would likely obliterate the entire Snow Shadow Ghost Clan with little more than a flick of the wrist.

And so, at this very moment, everyone in the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan could only pray silently for Li Qiye. They prayed for him to defeat everyone, to be the last one standing. Only if he slaughtered all his enemies would the Snow Shadow Ghost Clan have a chance to live.

Under the gaze of countless eyes, Li Qiye finally appeared. He entered everyone’s field of vision and, just as he had promised, he came alone.

Li Qiye approached slowly, his pace as leisurely as a stroll in a garden. He was completely at ease, entirely unhurried. He didn’t look like a man walking to his death, much less one facing an army of thousands. He looked like he was taking a walk through the market.

“He’s here! He’s here!” At his appearance, a stir went through the entire scene. The experts preparing to ambush Li Qiye and the cultivators watching from afar all began to buzz with excitement.

Instantly, innumerable pairs of eyes locked onto Li Qiye, filled with fury, killing intent, coldness, and cruelty… The weight of their gazes alone seemed enough to tear him limb from limb.

The tens of thousands of experts gathered outside the mountain gate all secretly drew their weapons and Treasure Artifacts or moved to more advantageous positions. The moment someone made a move, the moment the time was right, they would absolutely deliver a fatal blow to Li Qiye.

Under the countless gazes from the mountains, where innumerable experts watched like hungry tigers, Li Qiye seemed like a lost lamb who had wandered into a den of wolves. The experts intent on taking his head were like starving predators, their eyes fixed on their prey.

At this moment, Li Qiye was a man in the water, and the host of watching cultivators were sharks. The instant they smelled blood, they would swarm him as one.

Even many of the spectating cultivators couldn’t help but hold their breath. Some even felt a sense of admiration in their hearts.

“Such courage! ‘To charge a mountain knowing it’s full of tigers.'” Even an older Sect Leader among the crowd couldn’t help but sigh in admiration of Li Qiye’s guts.

He knew countless experts were lying in ambush, yet he still came alone. A man like that was either absurdly confident in his Dao Practice or a complete madman.

“The man is certifiably insane,” another person commented. “Making an enemy of the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady wasn’t enough; he had to go and provoke the entire world, practically begging all his enemies to gather in one place to attack him. He’s a complete lunatic!”

Among the spectators, one expert from the Human Race couldn’t help but argue, “Perhaps he’s just that confident. Confident he can walk out of here alive. Just like the Emperor back in the day. At eighteen, didn’t he single-handedly annihilate the entire Beiling Country and move freely amidst an army half a million strong?”

Although the Human Race was considered weak in the Netherworld, the Human Race cultivators present naturally hoped for Li Qiye’s victory. If he were to win, it would be a huge source of pride for all humans.

It was a known fact that the Netherworld was the domain of the Ghost Race. With an invincible Daoist Lineage like the Ten Thousand Bones Throne watching over the Great Desolation, there was simply no room for the Human Race to survive.

If Li Qiye could sweep away all his enemies today, it would bring unprecedented glory to the Human Race. If he became an existence on par with the Three Heroes, it would be incredible news for all humans in the Ghost Sacred Realm. It would mean that a human genius from this realm had a chance to become an Immortal Emperor.

“Hmph, a mere brat from the Human Race dares to be compared to the Emperor? What is he?” The human expert’s words immediately drew the ire of a nearby Ghost Race spectator, who sneered.

“What is he? He’s the Guardian of Qianli River. If you’ve got the guts, why don’t you say that to their face?” the human expert shot back, unwilling to be outdone.

“Heh, so what if he’s the Guardian of Qianli River?” the Ghost Race cultivator jeered. “Just watch. In less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea, he’ll be torn to shreds by thousands of experts. He’ll be ripped apart like a lamb in a pack of wolves, leaving not even a corpse behind.”

The human expert retorted with a sneer of his own, “At the Oasis, Li Qiye slew a thousand foes with a single sword stroke. Here, he’ll just as easily slay ten thousand. You think numbers make a difference? If you’re strong enough, no army is too large!”

The Human Race cultivators naturally spoke up for one of their own, while the Ghost Race cultivators did the same for their side. The vast majority of the Ghost Race likely hoped to see Li Qiye torn to shreds and utterly annihilated.

After all, if tens of thousands of Ghost Race experts couldn’t kill a single junior from the Human Race, how could they possibly save face?

The Ghost Race had always considered themselves the rulers of the Ghost Sacred Realm—and if not in name, then in practice. If tens of thousands of their experts were defeated by a single human junior today, their authority would be severely undermined.

“Pinghe Ghost King, the Bone Demon of the Netherworld Well, the Black Mountain Corpse Emperor, the Eight Slaughter Saint Venerable…” Even a more rational Ghost Race expert shook his head as he recognized one famous figure after another among the gathered crowd. “Faced with such a massive force,” he said grimly, “even the Emperor himself might not be able to sweep them all aside, not unless he brought an Immortal Emperor’s Treasure. Otherwise, even he couldn’t guarantee he’d be the last one standing.”

The countless Ghost Race experts gathered here were all famous figures. The younger geniuses were one thing, but what was truly frightening were the older, long-established titans, especially those who had already become Saint Venerables back in the Tough Dao Era. Their presence was deeply intimidating.

Countless Ghost Race experts had gathered, along with experts from other races like the Demon Race, the Blood Race, the Celestial Demons, and the Stone People. The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s reward was simply too great to ignore, and many from these other races had joined the hunt for Li Qiye.

The only race not represented was the Human Race. Li Qiye was currently facing off against the entire Ghost Race; any human who dared join the ambush would be scorned by every last Human Race cultivator in the Ghost Sacred Realm.

As Li Qiye walked forward, countless eyes remained fixed on him. As he drew closer, the experts gathered in the mountains to kill him held their breath, so tense they could hear their own hearts pounding.

Li Qiye stopped just outside the mountain range. Unhurried, his gaze swept over the crowd before finally coming to rest high in the Celestial Vault, on the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady seated in her Phoenix Carriage.

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady, in turn, met his gaze with an icy expression of her own. Her sharp eyes were fixed on him, and the killing intent within them was undisguised, flickering like the cold glint of a blade.

“Oh, so you’re the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady,” Li Qiye said, glancing up at her with a wide smile. “I’m here now. Are we doing this one-on-one, or will it be a chaotic free-for-all? Either way, I’m happy to oblige.”

“With my enemies, I don’t care about the process, only the outcome.” The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady looked down on him from on high, her voice dripping with murderous intent. “Either you’ll be captured alive to kneel at my feet, or your severed head will be placed on my table!”

“I’m afraid neither of those outcomes is likely.” Surrounded by an army, Li Qiye remained perfectly at ease. He smiled and said, “How about I make a suggestion? Scram. Get as far away from me as you possibly can, and I’ll pretend this never happened.”