Chapter 365

"You live up to your reputation."

Clap, clap, clap.

After the conversation with Li Miao, Zheng Qi was silent for a moment, but Zheng Anqi, who had been listening from the side for a long time, laughed out loud, even reaching out to applaud.

"If I had known that there was someone like you among the 'roots' back then, I would have done anything to keep you and cultivate you personally. Perhaps we wouldn't even have needed to take a trip to the Central Plains; you and I could have joined forces and gotten the job done."

"However, it's not too late now."

He lifted his hand toward Li Miao from afar.

"Do you want to join forces?"

"I see your Life-Three-Paths are perfect and flawless, but your Nature-Three-Paths have yet to enter the gate. Join forces with me, and I can pass on 'Xuanlan' to you, or I can take you to attack Yingzhou."

"Everything regarding your background and the foundation of the Yingzhou heritage, I can tell you now; there will absolutely be no concealment."

Zheng Anqi's gaze swept over the corpses behind Li Miao.

"If you are unwilling to join forces with me, it can also be like this—"

"I will hand the method of 'Xuanlan' over to you, and you will hold another ritual. After you and I cultivate 'Xuanlan' to completion, we will then decide who lives and who dies. That way, if you win, you can gain a Perfection Realm for free. How about it?"

"You shouldn't care about a few human lives, right?"

Li Miao shook his head and said with a smile.

"Of course I don't care."

He actually walked directly toward Zheng Anqi. The two were not far apart to begin with, and as they spoke, he arrived close by, the distance no more than a foot.

Two identical faces smiled at each other.

One wore a high cap and broad belt, with wide robes and large sleeves, his body wreathed in protective true energy like floating ribbons, ethereal as a banished immortal; the other was entirely dark black, his fist tips, sleeve corners, and collar stained with blood, the biting killing intent making him look like a Rakshasa demon.

Li Miao raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"What's wrong? Didn't you want to cooperate? Why are you still wearing protective true energy?"

Zheng Anqi also smiled and said.

"Because I think that the moment I disperse my protective true energy, you will punch me in the face."

Li Miao tilted his head, his gaze sweeping down to Zheng Anqi's outstretched hand.

"You reached out your hand—didn't you want to shake hands with me? If you don't disperse your protective true energy, how can I shake it? You don't seem to have much sincerity."

He reached out a hand.

"Or is it that you're afraid?"

The smile on Zheng Anqi's face gradually faded.

He had only reached out his hand to put on an act; he had never thought of truly putting his hand into Li Miao's. Even if he were arrogant, he would not casually disperse his protective true energy in front of Li Miao.

But he truly could not bring himself to pull his hand back and act as if nothing had happened.

At the foundation, he was just as arrogant as Li Miao.

Zheng Qi, standing to the side, kicked her toe, and a long sword from the hand of a guard's corpse was in her grasp. She looked at the two of them expressionlessly, neither attacking nor speaking.

After a long while, the mockery in Li Miao's smile grew heavier, and Zheng Anqi suddenly laughed out loud.

"Very well, if you want sincerity, naturally you can have it."

Whoosh—

He actually really did disperse his protective true energy.

The two hands clasped together, and Zheng Anqi smiled as he looked into Li Miao's eyes.

Li Miao raised an eyebrow.

"You're really shaking?"

In an instant, black hair turned to snow.

Zheng Anqi only felt a sharp pain coming from his hand. He channeled his true energy, wanting to break free, but discovered that Li Miao's hand was like an iron pincer, impossible to shake in the slightest!

His vision suddenly blurred! The sharp whistle of air exploding drilled into his ear canals!

Li Miao gripped Zheng Anqi's hand and swung him around as if wielding a weapon! The muscles in his arm bulged, splitting his sleeve, and the stone slabs beneath his feet shattered!

Li Miao swung Zheng Anqi and smashed him fiercely toward Zheng Qi!

"Cooperate? You're not worthy!"

Zheng Qi had long since wrapped her protective true energy around her long sword and turned to the side, wanting to dodge. But Li Miao took a step out, erasing the distance she had dodged!

She had no choice but to lift her sword to block in front of her.

Boom!

Zheng Anqi had already re-condensed his protective true energy around his body while in mid-air, but it was difficult to stop the momentum of being thrown by Li Miao. His whole body smashed onto the edge of Zheng Qi's sword; if not for his protective true energy, he would likely have been cut in two!

Zheng Qi's face suddenly flushed red, then turned white. Her two feet carved two trenches several zhang long on the ground, yet she still couldn't stop the retreat!

"So heavy!"

"So fierce!"

Both of their hearts sank in unison.

Zheng Anqi finally regained his center of gravity, backhanded a palm onto Zheng Qi's long sword, and flipped his body, about to land on the ground. In mid-air, however, his pupils suddenly shrank!

Li Miao's claw was already in front of his face!

"He hasn't cultivated 'Xuanlan' to completion; he shouldn't be able to break my protective true energy! This is actually an opportunity to use my protective true energy to control him!"

The thought had just formed in his mind when his face was already gripped by Li Miao. Zheng Anqi lifted his hand, about to grip Li Miao's arm, his protective true energy climbing up, about to wrap Li Miao's arm within it!

Just an inch away from controlling Li Miao! A hint of triumph appeared in Zheng Anqi's gaze.

But the next instant, his vision blurred again.

"Again!"

Zheng Anqi gritted his teeth, helplessly swung around by Li Miao again, and smashed toward Zheng Qi.

"His Life-Three-Paths are not right! Clearly I am the one who cultivates both Nature and Life, yet my strength cannot contend with him at all! If this continues, he can't hurt me, but I can't hurt him either!"

In mid-air, Zheng Anqi's thoughts raced. Behind him, however, Zheng Qi's cold voice suddenly came.

"Join forces with me."

The long sword was pressed against his back, but it was no longer the edge, but the spine. A soft force first retracted, barely stopping his momentum, and then released, bouncing him toward the ground at a steady speed.

Zheng Anqi tapped his toe and landed on the ground. Before he could turn his head, a sword hum came from behind him, grazing his side and pointing toward the fist Li Miao was thrusting!

"I'll take the conditions you just mentioned! Kill him, restart the ritual, you and I will cultivate the perfect Xuanlan, and then we'll decide who lives and who dies!"

"With him here, the ritual cannot be completed, and neither of us can cultivate Xuanlan; kill him, and we can still have another go!"

Zheng Qi's voice poured out like a string of firecrackers, her long sword already clashing with Li Miao's fist, emitting the sound of metal striking metal!

Zheng Anqi narrowed his eyes, without the slightest hesitation, he threw his body forward and slapped a palm toward Li Miao's shoulder!

Zheng Qi was right; what they were fighting for today was the result of the ritual. With Li Miao here, the ritual had absolutely no possibility of success! Kill Li Miao, and then worry about the rest!

Two offensives, two Heaven-Men who cultivated both Nature and Life!

Together, they killed toward Li Miao!

The corners of Li Miao's mouth suddenly hooked up: "That's more like it!"

"Come on!"

His figure suddenly blurred, his whole body pouncing forward like a hungry tiger. The long sword grazed past his ribs, and Li Miao's hands suddenly gripped Zheng Qi's shoulders!

Boom!

Zheng Qi was pressed entirely into the ground! Li Miao punched toward her chest, his speed so fast it even outpaced the speed of her protective true energy coming to her aid!

Zheng Qi's protective true energy was not as thick as Zheng Anqi's to begin with, and most of it was wrapped around her long sword; relying only on the thin layer on her chest, she feared she wouldn't be able to block Li Miao's punch!

Zheng Anqi flashed behind Li Miao, slapping a palm toward Li Miao's heart without a sound, but he had absolutely no intention of stopping Li Miao.

For him, the best result was obviously for Li Miao to finish off Zheng Qi, and then for him to slap Li Miao to death with one palm, playing the role of the oriole! As for cooperation, he had never had any sincerity to begin with!

"Heh."

In this very instant, Li Miao let out a cold laugh.

The fist blasting toward Zheng Qi's chest suddenly split, one claw digging into Zheng Qi's flesh, gripping her ribs!

And then he swung fiercely, smashing toward Zheng Anqi behind him!

Zheng Anqi and Zheng Qi both gritted their teeth fiercely.

"How many more times are you going to do this, damn you!"

(End of chapter)