Chapter 123: The Appearance
“Oh?”
“There’s something else.”
Having just killed Luo Hao and preparing to casually discard his corpse, Li Ju suddenly looked at it in surprise.
With a wet thud, Li Ju plunged his hand into Luo Hao’s chest and tore out a large hole. From within, he retrieved a stone shimmering with a faint white light.
“That is my tribe’s sacred relic!”
The moment Man Kesitu saw the stone in Li Ju’s hand, his eyes lit up.
“The Riftburst Stone.”
The members of the Black Lotus Cult also turned their gazes toward the stone, greed flickering in their eyes.
“The Riftburst Stone is mine!”
Whoosh!
A dark figure shot into the air and lunged forward.
The other members of the Black Lotus Cult saw the reckless newcomer charge ahead. Their eyes flickered, but none of them tried to stop him. The newcomer’s origins were unknown, and so was his strength. Since a fool had volunteered to test that man’s power for them, why interfere?
“What a reckless madman.”
Li Ju had been examining the rather peculiar stone in his hand. Irritated at being disturbed, he turned toward the charging figure.
“Whoever you are and whoever sent you, you can die now!”
A cruel smile spread across the attacker’s face. Four more black arms suddenly emerged from his back. Together with his original two arms, all six assumed striking positions and aimed themselves at Li Ju.
Whoosh!
Black flames abruptly ignited across his body. They spread rapidly into the surrounding void, covering the entire area in the blink of an eye.
This was the outward release of true qi, a feat only experts of the True Qi Realm could accomplish.
“Nothing but trash from the True Qi Realm…”
Li Ju remained unmoved as the attacker came roaring toward him with overwhelming force. His expression was calm, one hand holding the Riftburst Stone while the other rested behind his back.
Li Ju’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Boom!
The surrounding flames instantly burst apart and scattered before vanishing without a trace. The attacker remained frozen in the posture of his charge, standing motionless with vacant eyes.
Then he collapsed to the ground.
“How weak.”
After killing him, Li Ju merely glanced at the corpse. There was not the slightest trace of satisfaction on his face.
No matter how strange the true qi of a True Qi Realm martial artist might be, in essence, such a person was still only an ordinary warrior who had not opened his sea of consciousness or strengthened his mental essence. With the power of his mental essence, enhanced by the Sun Crown Pearl, a single mental impact had been enough to kill him.
“How is this possible?”
“Even an expert of the Consciousness Realm couldn’t kill a True Qi Realm master so easily!”
Several inspectors of the Black Lotus Cult stared at Li Ju in horror.
The dead man’s strength ranked among the upper echelon of all True Qi Realm experts in Cai Prefecture. Yet he had been killed in an instant, and they had not even seen what method had been used. It was enough to fill them with dread.
The Black Lotus Cult’s elder and Man Kesitu, both experts of the Consciousness Realm, understood that Li Ju had crushed the man directly with spiritual power. But even after learning the cause of his death, neither dared relax. Instead, they stood on full alert.
After all, even a Consciousness Realm expert could not instantly kill a True Qi Realm martial artist with spiritual power alone.
“May I ask who you truly are, sir?”
The elder of the Black Lotus Cult took a deep breath and cupped his fists toward Li Ju.
“Where are you from?”
Li Ju ignored the elder and instead questioned the man whose attire was clearly different from that of the people of Dayong.
“I am Man Kesitu of the Leopard Tribe, under the Snowland Holy Court. I have come to Cai Prefecture to retrieve the sacred inheritance relic of my faith, which was stolen by thieves.”
Man Kesitu answered honestly. After witnessing Li Ju’s strength, he understood that he could never reclaim the relic by himself. He could only see whether some other condition might persuade Li Ju to return it.
“The sacred inheritance relic should be this, then.”
Li Ju looked down at the stone in his hand.
“This is the sacred inheritance relic of my tribe—the Riftburst Stone,” Man Kesitu replied.
“Since it belongs to your tribe, then…”
Li Ju tossed the stone directly to him.
“Sir, why would you…”
Man Kesitu fumbled as he caught the relic. Overwhelmed by the sudden joy, he was momentarily unable to find the words to speak.
The happiness had fallen from the heavens. He had been worrying over how to recover the sacred relic, and this turn of events had come far too abruptly.
“I have no interest in your tribe’s sacred relic. I came here solely for the Black Lotus Cult.”
Li Ju smiled at Man Kesitu.
Relics of inheritance like this were useless in one’s hands without knowledge of their precise method of use. Worse, keeping one would only create enmity with its original owner. By the time he spent researching how to use it, Li Ju could not say how many treasures he might have retrieved from dungeons. He was not lacking this one.
“Your righteousness is admirable, sir. May I ask your name? My Leopard Tribe will surely repay you handsomely in the future.”
After confirming that the inheritance relic was genuine, Man Kesitu put it away and bowed sincerely to Li Ju.
“It is nothing. Once I have dealt with the trivial matters at hand, you and I can have a proper conversation.”
Before he had finished speaking, Li Ju’s figure vanished from where he stood.
“Where do you gentlemen think you’re going?”
Li Ju’s smiling figure appeared before the members of the Black Lotus Cult.
Moments earlier, after sensing the malice toward the Black Lotus Cult in Li Ju’s words, the inspectors had begun quietly retreating, preparing to withdraw.
“Why must you make things difficult for my Black Lotus Cult?”
“Are you not afraid of inviting our retaliation?”
The elder of the Black Lotus Cult stepped forward and positioned himself in front of the inspectors.
“There is no great grudge between us. I simply want to kill everyone here.”
Li Ju raised a hand lightly.
Boom!
Pure white flames rose from the void. Unlike the sinister flames formed by the outward release of true qi, these flames were supremely yang and intensely powerful, their might far surpassing that of the earlier fire.
Facing the flames head-on, the Black Lotus Cult elder, who stood between them and Li Ju, felt as though even his soul were being faintly scorched.
“You are a friend of my Leopard Tribe. If you intend to strike at the Black Lotus Cult, I am willing to assist you.”
Man Kesitu stepped forward of his own accord and came to Li Ju’s side.
After Li Ju had voluntarily returned the sacred inheritance relic, Man Kesitu’s impression of him had become exceptionally favorable. Naturally, he did not mind joining forces with Li Ju against their common enemy.
At the same time, remembering the Black Lotus Cult’s attempt to seize the relic, Man Kesitu was eager to join this powerful ally in killing several of its experts and venting the anger in his heart.