Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 1572 - 1572 0921 Why Should I Stop You

Chapter 1572: Chapter 0921: Why Should I Stop You? Chapter 1572: Chapter 0921: Why Should I Stop You? Chapter 0921 Why Should I Stop You

Beneath the eaves, one must bow their head. Whether Li Qingping was willing to accept the reality in front of his eyes or not, at this moment, he had no bargaining qualification whatsoever to negotiate with Qi Tian. Whatever conditions Qi Tian offered, he only had one option to choose from, “acceptance.”

Though Li Qingping was extremely reluctant, he could only plead with Qi Tian, hoping that Qi Tian would show mercy, spare him this time, and at least leave him a glimmer of hope to retain a shred of dignity.

“Qi Tian, let’s not talk about whether I agree to your first condition. Can I ask you to first tell me what your second condition is? If you want me to become a person who goes against humanity, to become your puppet, to lift my blade against my friends or other innocent people, then I must apologize, as I cannot agree to such terms.”

Li Qingping spoke with decisive conviction, and those unaware of the truth might think him a man of integrity. Only Qi Tian, who had first-hand experience, knew how absurd these words were, coming from Li Qingping. However, he chose not to deliberately expose Li Qingping’s true face and simply smiled lightly, saying, “I can satisfy this request of yours. It’s simple, help me with one thing. Isn’t the grand contest in the Holy Land about to begin? I want you to go there and gather some information for me. For example, who are the standout figures in the contest? Or, are there any secrets behind the Holy Land’s contest? In short, information of this kind, without requiring you to kill or set fires for me.”

It seemed as if a weight had been lifted from Li Qingping’s shoulders. He continued to communicate with Qi Tian using sound transmission, “If that’s the case, I can agree to your two conditions. I just hope you will keep your word and not be a deceitful scoundrel.”

“Since you are willing, then remove the protection from your Sea of Consciousness and open its doors wide to me,” Qi Tian said.

Without further ado, Li Qingping did exactly as Qi Tian had requested, removing the defenses from his Sea of Consciousness, akin to opening the doors of his own home and waiting for a robber to enter, foregoing all resistance.

Qi Tian then conjured an Immortal Slave Mark and, using his Divine Sense, pushed it towards Li Qingping’s Sea of Consciousness.

As a Nascent Soul Master who had lived for several hundred years, Li Qingping had already guessed at Qi Tian’s intentions, but he wasn’t sure until the Immortal Slave Mark entered his body. At that moment, he was certain of Qi Tian’s intention.

Li Qingping had no intention of willingly becoming an Immortal Slave to Qi Tian. When he first learned what being an Immortal Slave entailed, he had been preparing for a situation like this. In anticipation of today, he paid a tremendous price, and now was the time to find out if that investment had been worth it.

Outwardly, Li Qingping remained impassive, but internally, he was stirring up his Sea of Consciousness. Unlike others, Li Qingping’s Sea of Consciousness consisted of two layers, an inner and an outer one. This method of disguise, which concealed the true Sea of Consciousness within a false one, was part of an expensive technique he had acquired. It was designed to deceive outsiders by imitating a false Gold Core or Nascent Soul that looked like the real thing, capable of fooling most detection methods used by cultivators, rarely failing.

Li Qingping’s ability to stand unshaken for so many years was not only due to his own power and networking skills but also greatly attributed to this technique. On several occasions when he faced danger, it was this method that allowed him to turn peril into safety. This time, he planned to employ the same tactic again and trick Qi Tian thoroughly.

After the Immortal Slave Mark entered Li Qingping’s Sea of Consciousness, it flew towards his Nascent Soul, seemingly intending to land directly on it.

A cold smirk appeared on Li Qingping’s lips. His head was held in Huo Yunbiao’s mouth, so no matter what expression he made, he didn’t have to worry about Qi Tian noticing. All he had to do now was wait for Qi Tian’s Immortal Slave Mark to land, and then he could free himself from Huo Yunbiao’s control. Once he regained his freedom, he could think of a way to escape the cave abode. Then with the sky his limit and the sea his playground, he would never give Qi Tian a second chance to capture him.

But before Li Qingping’s cold smirk could fully form, he was shocked to find that the Immortal Slave Mark did not land on the false Nascent Soul in his outer Sea of Consciousness. Instead, it bypassed the false Nascent Soul entirely and continued to advance.

The direction of advancement was clear and resolute without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Li Qingping was horrified, for no one knew better than he where his true Sea of Consciousness was concealed. The direction in which the Immortal Slave Mark was advancing was unmistakably towards where his true Nascent Soul resided.

With no time to consider other options, Li Qingping hastily transmitted his voice, “Qi Tian, have you made a mistake? My Nascent Soul is right here, at your mercy to control. Please don’t cause chaos in my Sea of Consciousness. It’s delicate and can’t withstand your tampering.”

Qi Tian gave a faint smile and said, “It’s not your turn to speak. If you utter one more word of nonsense, do you believe that I will let Huo Yunbiao bite off your head?”

Li Qingping was immediately so frightened that he did not dare to say another word. He could only watch with wide eyes as the Immortal Slave Mark passed through the fake sea of consciousness, skirted around the fake Nascent Soul, and entered his true sea of consciousness, then directly landed on his True Essence Nascent Soul.

The moment the Immortal Slave Mark landed, Li Qingping felt a force from the unknown tightly binding him. He knew that from that moment on, he could no longer do as he pleased without any control, like before.

Huo Yunbiao opened its mouth and spat out Li Qingping’s head. It walked over to Qi Tian like a panting dog, lying at Qi Tian’s feet, sticking out its tongue like a dog, with a face full of fawning adoration, looking at Qi Tian.

Even though the danger of losing his head at any moment was no longer present, Li Qingping’s face did not show a hint of relief, but instead was the color of deathly ash. Becoming Qi Tian’s Immortal Slave was not something to celebrate from any angle, especially for someone as proud as Li Qingping. Serving Qi Tian was indeed worse than letting Huo Yunbiao bite off his head.

Qi Tian could see that Li Qingping might be thinking of death at this time. He smiled and said, “Who in this life has not faced death? Unless one becomes an Immortal and attains eternal life, death is something one must eventually face. If you truly do not wish to continue, I can give you an opportunity. You can take your own life right in front of me, and I won’t trigger the Immortal Slave Mark to stop you. Come on, old brother, show me the courage you have to face death.”

Li Qingping looked up at Qi Tian, raised his right hand, and strength continuously gathered in his palm. With just one slap to his head, he could end his own life.

True to his word, Qi Tian did not stop him, even taking two steps back, casually creating an air barrier, separating him and Li Qingping, almost as if he feared Li Qingping’s blood and flesh might sully him upon death.

Li Qingping was furious. After all, he was a Master at the peak of the Second Level of the Nascent Soul Stage, a lord of his own domain. Why did Qi Tian, who had finally subjugated him, not cherish him at all and instead seemed to be watching the show?

“Qi Tian, won’t you stop me? You really want to watch me die?” Li Qingping asked unwillingly.

Qi Tian shrugged and said, “It’s not that I am asking you to die; you are insisting on it yourself. I am very open-minded, so if you really want to die, why would I stop you? Old brother, everyone is busy. If you really want to die, then hurry up. Don’t waste everyone’s time.”

Li Qingping looked at his hand filled with accumulated power, suddenly no longer wanting to die. He lowered his hand and said, “When did I say I wanted to die? I still have hundreds of years to live, why would I want to die? Qi Tian, no, younger brother, you have placed the Immortal Slave Mark on my Nascent Soul, and I cannot stop it—it has become a fixed fact, irreversible. From now on, we are family. I will do whatever you ask of me wholeheartedly, but I cannot be taken advantage of. My request is not excessive; find a way to help me break through to the Third Level of the Nascent Soul Stage, and I will sell you my life.”

Qi Tian had looked down on Li Qingping to some extent, but now he suddenly had a bit of respect for him. It wasn’t something anyone could do to say such words at such a moment. He smiled and said, “Sure, no problem. Who lets you be my older brother? I will definitely help you break through to the Nascent Soul Stage Third Level.”

“Good.” Li Qingping’s face regained a trace of vitality. He stood up, put his hands together, and bowed deeply to Qi Tian, saying, “Honored younger brother above, please accept your older brother’s bow.”

With such an action, Li Qingping undoubtedly acknowledged the new relationship between him and Qi Tian. Whatever he called him verbally was secondary; by explicitly stating their relationship as “older brother and younger brother,” many troublesome matters could be avoided, and it would reduce suspicion from outsiders.

“Older brother, such courtesy truly embarrasses me,” said Qi Tian, who didn’t care at all for these formalities. He swiftly sidestepped, saying, “Just today. After this, older brother should treat me as you did when we first met.”

Li Qingping straightened his back, laughed heartily, and reached out to hug Qi Tian’s shoulder. “Younger brother speaks the truth. We should indeed become closer in the future.”

Qi Tian did not dodge or show any displeasure, letting Li Qingping hug his shoulder, which made Li Qingping regard Qi Tian more highly. He too had possessed Immortal Slaves—creatures he deemed lesser than pigs and sheep, to be killed or scolded at will without the possibility of even pretending to be kind in their presence.