"Master Xiaoyi?"
Li Minghan did not respond. He only stood there with a serious face, his eyes fixed on Ouyang in scrutiny.
Seeing the reaction of the man before him, Ouyang was first a little curious. He stood up and looked him up and down.A smile curved at the corner of his mouth, and the softness in his eyes instantly turned ghostly.
"What brings YOU here?"
"Was it you who killed my adoptive father?" Li Minghan asked.
"I thought you had already cut all ties with that man long ago." Ouyang said indifferently as he fanned himself with the fan in his hand.
"Was it you who killed him?" Li Minghan asked again.
Hearing the anger in Li Minghan's voice, Ouyang smiled faintly in his eyes. He lightly waved the folding fan in front of him a few times, lowered his gaze, thought for a moment, and then said,
"Yes.I did."
"Your honored father insisted on meddling and had to go to Mirror Cloud Residence to take whatever that old Medicine King had left for him. Of course I could not let him live. You know me. I only believe the dead can keep secrets. Once he died, the old Medicine King's secret would never be known by anyone again. Everything I did was for us." Ouyang explained slowly with a half-smile.
"My adoptive father was a descendant of the Yinglong. How could a mere high immortal like you possibly be his match?" Li Minghan asked.
"All things in this world restrain one another. The greatest weakness of the dragon clan is the blood of the Tiangou clan. It just so happened that while traveling outside before, I killed some of the Tiangou clan. Their corpses were lying everywhere with nowhere to bury them, so I casually made a weapon out of them, just in case. I did not expect it would really come in handy." As Ouyang spoke, he spread out his palm, and the weapon he had used to murder Yingde Gengchen floated above it.
"You despicable, shameless bastard!"
"You know me well. I have always liked collecting rare treasures from the world. This Flying Lian Bloodthirst Dagger had never once found a chance to be used since the day it was forged. Being able to test it on your honored father was quite satisfying. Besides, had you not already broken with that old Dragon King long ago? I merely helped you... kill him, so there would be no trouble left behind. After that, once your twin brother is dealt with, you can go back and take over the Dragon Palace as well. Would that not kill two birds with one stone?" Ouyang seemed to be deliberately provoking Li Minghan.
"I will kill you!"
Ouyang quickly stepped backward, yet the smile on his face remained strange and teasing. As if he had planned it all, when he retreated to a half-open window, he suddenly stopped and shifted his body slightly, letting Li Minghan's palm strike his shoulder. Then he pushed off with his foot and sent himself flying out through the window. He landed right in front of Li Luoning and Yue Ruling, who had just hurried over.
Ouyang's expression changed at once. His face filled with fear, and he kept begging, "Please do not kill me, please do not kill me."
Hearing footsteps, Li Minghan waved a spell in front of himself and put his mask back on.
"Immortal Ouyang!" Yue Ruling drew her blade and leaped in.
"Master Xiaoyi, inside... inside there is... there is someone..." Ouyang said weakly on purpose. With his other hand, he lightly tapped two pressure points on his own side and used spiritual power to disturb his pulse.
Li Luoning felt Ouyang's pulse, wanting to check his injuries. But before he could spare even another moment, he saw Yue Ruling being thrown out of the room.
Li Luoning rushed forward to catch Yue Ruling before she hit the ground.
There was blood at the corner of Yue Ruling's mouth. She tried to stand up again, but her legs suddenly gave out and she collapsed to the ground.What she did not know was that just before she fell, Ouyang had secretly flicked a small stone at one of her pressure points, which left her completely unable to move.Li Minghan slowly walked out from the pill chamber. During the fight just now, Yue Ruling's blade had struck his mask.
The cracked mask fell in front of everyone. The moment he raised his eyes, Yue Ruling was stunned. She looked at Li Luoning, then pointed at Li Minghan.
Li Minghan's eyes were full of killing intent as cold as piercing ice. He spread out his palm and summoned many strands of black energy. As the black energy slowly gathered, he called forth a black whip covered in barbs and flickering with lightning.
"The Cloud Wing Mao Staff! What is your connection to Yingde Dragon King?" Li Luoning had once seen it in Yingde Dragon King's study, and at the time the Dragon King had said it was meant to be a birthday gift for someone.
"It's none of your business.But you, are you really not curious what my relationship with you is?"
Li Luoning had long been mentally prepared for the fact that Li Minghan looked exactly like him. He only stood up, took two steps forward, and placed himself in front of Yue Ruling.
"My account with you is not for today. I came here for him." Li Minghan pointed at Ouyang nearby.
"I have no old grudge and no recent grudge with you. You killed my adoptive father, the Medicine King, and now you have come to silence me as well. What are you trying to do?" Ouyang asked .
"What, did you really think those two could defeat me? Do you think their presence is enough to keep you alive?" Li Minghan looked at the three people before him.
"What exactly do you want?" Li Luoning asked.
"What do I want? What can I want? I want kill him, now!" The moment Li Minghan finished speaking, he raised the whip in his hand and lashed it toward Ouyang.
"Master Xiaoyi,help me!"
Li Luoning summoned his sword and knocked away Li Minghan's whip.Li Minghan flipped once, lifted the whip, and knocked Li Luoning's sword aside. Then he twisted his wrist downward and slashed toward Ouyang again. Once again he blocked Li Minghan's whip and stood in front of Ouyang, blocking left and right, answering move for move, doing everything he could to keep the whip from reaching Ouyang.
Li Luoning's cultivation was not weak, but because he had earlier given up part of his power to prove Mi Xingzhe's innocence, and then heard the news about the Dragon King, his grief and anger had already thrown his energy into disorder. Li Minghan's every strike was almost made with full force, and each move aimed straight at vital points.
In fewer than a dozen exchanges, the Cloud Wing Mao Staff in Li Minghan's hand had wrapped tightly around Li Luoning's sword.
He gathered a powerful mass of demonic energy in his hand. Black mist filled with frost slowly rose and then shot toward Li Luoning.
Li Luoning's sword was bound fast by the Cloud Wing Mao Staff and could not move. But if he abandoned the sword and leaped away, that strike would hit Ouyang behind him without fail.
Left with no choice, Li Luoning could only draw a barrier with one hand and try to block the attack.
"Li Luoning, since you want to die so badly, then I will grant your wish!" Nearly crazed, Li Minghan swung his hand and summoned an even more powerful force toward Li Luoning.
"Master, watch out!"
The moment he heard Mi Xingzhe's voice, Li Luoning's pupils shook. He turned around in alarm and saw Mi Xingzhe flying toward him.
Li Luoning hurriedly tried to stop him, but it was already too late.
In that instant, wind and clouds changed color. Black mist covered the area, and from time to time lightning flashed inside it, surrounding everyone.
Li Luoning watched helplessly as Mi Xingzhe was struck by Li Minghan's power and then swallowed by black smoke. After that, a powerful golden light burst forth so brightly that Li Luoning could not keep his eyes open.
When he came back to himself, he saw that a powerful barrier had appeared in front of Mi Xingzhe, blocking Li Minghan's power outside.
As the two forces clashed, the wind they stirred accidentally lifted the hair at the back of Mi Xingzhe's neck.
"The floating light golden seal!" Li Luoning gradually made out the mark on the back of Mi Xingzhe's neck, and his heart jolted in shock.
Mi Xingzhe stood in front of Li Luoning with his eyes tightly shut, both hands pushing forward. Mi Xingzhe himself had thought he was doomed, but when he slowly opened his eyes, even he had not expected that he could release such overwhelming power.
As Mi Xingzhe pushed his palms outward, the same mark behind his neck also appeared glowing on both his hands.
"The floating light golden seal!" Li Minghan saw the mark clearly.
The tremendous protective force unleashed by the floating light golden seal not only completely shielded Li Luoning and the others, it also blasted Li Minghan several meters away.
"The power of the floating light golden seal is extraordinary. There is no way I can break it by myself. It seems I have no choice but to return to Wuming Demon Mountain and make plans again." Li Minghan though unwilling, then turned into a streak of black smoke and disappeared.
"Master, are you alright?" As soon as he saw Li Minghan leave, Mi Xingzhe hurried over to check on Li Luoning.
"I am fine."
"Sister Ruling!" Mi Xingzhe helped Yue Ruling up.
"Why are you here?" Yue Ruling asked.
"I just..." Mi Xingzhe had just begun to explain when Qingyuan's voice came from behind them.
"What happened here?" Qingyuan asked.
Inside the Upper Pure Hall, Situ Fanzhi listened to their account.
"So,Master Xiaoyi would have a twin brother," Situ Fanzhi said.
"I only learned of this not long ago. Since it was a matter of the Li family, I did not report it to the Immortal Venerable. But as for what happened today, I truly do not understand why this man would murder the Medicine King and then chase after Immortal Ouyang," Li Luoning replied.
"Qingyuan, you said this man carries demonic energy, so take a squad of immortal soldiers to Wuming Demon Mountain and explain this matter to Demon Sovereign Shentu Zhuojia. See whether you can find any clues," Situ Fanzhi ordered.
"Yes, Immortal Venerable."
"Master Xiaoyi, since Yun Qingyi is still badly injured and not yet recovered, you need not come along." Situ Fanzhi added.
About the time it took one stick of incense to burn, the group had just walked out of the hall.
"Qingyuan, please wait," Li Luoning suddenly called out.
Qingyuan stopped walking.
"Qingyuan has fought in countless battles and seen much of the world. There is one matter I do not understand, and I would like to ask for your guidance." Li Luoning said.
"You are too polite, Master Xiaoyi. I only know a little about some things myself. But if it is something I do know, I will surely tell you everything without hiding anything,"
"May I ask whether, aside from the puppet control art from those years ago, there is any other technique in the three realms that can disturb a person's mind and control them like a puppet? The controlled person would have dark red eyes and show no reaction to anything at all," Li Luoning asked.
"The pulling demon!"
"I heard that after the Demon Sovereign came out of seclusion last time, he began using this pulling demon on many mortals taken from the human world and turned them into puppet demon soldiers. The symptoms you just described are very similar to the pulling demon." Qingyuan nodded as he spoke.
"Does the pulling demon have any way to be broken?" Li Luoning asked.
Qingyuan shook his head.
"I have never heard of an antidote for the pulling demon. I only heard that someone once accidentally killed the blood brotherwho came to rescue him, and after that he was never controlled by the pulling demon again. But later that man could not bear the guilt in his heart and hanged himself, so the way to break the pulling demon was never learned."
"Accidentally killed his blood brother?" Li Luoning thought for a moment. Then he remembered that when Yun Qingyi's blood had splashed onto Mi Xingzhe's face that day, the red in his eyes had indeed flickered a little. "Could it be..."
Li Luoning seemed to realize something.
"How did Master Xiaoyi come to know of this controlling art?" Qingyuan asked.
"When I was searching for my disciple before, I encountered it on the way, so I wanted to ask a little about it." Li Luoning did not tell Qingyuan exactly what had happened. He only answered vaguely and ended the conversation.
Inside Mirror Cloud Residence, Yun Qingyi slowly opened his eyes on the bed.
He forced himself to lean against the headboard. Looking around, he realized he had already returned to Mirror Cloud Residence.
"Brother Qingyi, you are finally awake!" Mi Xingzhe had just come in. The moment he saw Yun Qingyi sitting up, he ran over happily, knelt by the bedside, and reached out to take Yun Qingyi's hand.
As soon as he saw Mi Xingzhe move, Yun Qingyi had not yet fully calmed down from the fierce fight before he lost consciousness. Instinctively, he raised his hand and grabbed Mi Xingzhe's wrist, studying him with guarded eyes.
"Qingyi!" Li Luoning called out from the side to stop him.
Mi Xingzhe froze as well. He had never seen his senior brother look at him with such eyes before. What had happened that made Brother Qingyi recoil so much from his touch and guard against him like this?
"Brother... what is wrong?" Mi Xingzhe confusiond.
Yun Qingyi looked at Mi Xingzhe with caution, then raised his head and looked at his master. When he saw his master quietly shake his head, he finally let go of Mi Xingzhe's wrist.
"It is nothing. I have medicine ointment on me. Be careful not to rub against it, Niannian." Yun Qingyi returned to his usual gentleness and raised his hand to rub Mi Xingzhe's head with affection.
"Brother Qingyi, how do you feel? Are you uncomfortable anywhere? What exactly happened? Who injured you like this? Master has refused to tell me. Do you remember who it was? Tell me and I will avenge you." Mi Xingzhe threw out one question after another.
Yun Qingyi was surprised that Mi Xingzhe remembered nothing at all, and he looked again at their master nearby.
"It was only an ordinary fight. I am already fine. There is no need for you to worry, Niannian,"
"Brother Qingyi, let me tell you, I was amazing today. I even saved Master's life..." Mi Xingzhe said excitedly as he began telling him about what had happened recently.
At the side, Yun Qingyi met his master's eyes, and the two of them seemed to silently reach the same decision.
At Wuming Demon Mountain,
Hua Qiuyuan followed Li Minghan. After seeing him leave the grounds of the demon palace, Hua Qiuyuan immediately turned back and went to the Demon Sovereign's sleeping hall.
Seeing no one around, he lightly leaped in through the air and landed inside the hall, then began searching all around. He had originally come to look for the antidote to the Crystal Orchid poison, but by chance his eyes once again fell on the candle stand nearby.
Looking at the faint scratch marks on the ground and the clear footprint left on the fallen candle, Hua Qiuyuan understood that there was something wrong with the wall in front of him.