The Post Sky Tipping Era
Chapter 289 - 197: Missions and Arch-Enemies

Chapter 289: Chapter 197: Missions and Arch-Enemies

As Lin Yue’s friend, Qin Qing didn’t want their relationship to reach the point where it was a matter of life and death because of some issue. Therefore, at this crucial juncture, she wanted to persuade Lin Yue to give up on Li Yi. If that didn’t work, then to withdraw from the mission and leave Tianchang City. Although this would mean losing future prospects, at least her life would be spared.

After all, in her eyes, even with Lin Yue’s help, Li Yi was still facing certain death today.

No one knew Yang Yilong’s strength better than she did.

Ordinary masters of Spiritual Perception would be slain by Yang Yilong in a single encounter, let alone Li Yi, a cultivator at the inspiration realm.

"Qin Qing, I’m happy that you can say such things, at least you still consider me a friend. But do you know? Li Yi and I have known each other since we were young. His father guided me in cultivation, and I introduced him to it... He has been very good to me, not only teaching me boxing techniques but also lending me the Mysterious Object Cultivation Room for my use. It is because of this that I was able to become a master of Spiritual Perception," said Lin Yue. Her smile faded as she spoke earnestly, "Now you’re asking me to give up on Li Yi at this time? What kind of person would that make me, Lin Yue? If you help Yang Yilong and act against Li Yi, I guarantee, I will personally take you down, even if you are my friend."

As she spoke, a murderous glint shone from her eyes.

Qin Qing’s expression turned cold as well, "If you refuse to back down, Li Yi is as good as dead today. You can’t protect him, and if you get involved as well, then for the sake of Yang Yilong, I will personally take you on."

"Fine, very well, then we’ll see who wins and who loses," said Lin Yue.

"You’re no match for me. After Li Yi taught Yang Yilong boxing techniques, it was as if he had taught me as well," Qin Qing said, revealing her own boxing skills in hopes that Lin Yue would back down.

But Lin Yue remained unmoved, "Whether I can beat you or not, we won’t know until after we’ve fought," she said.

She knew well that the boxing skills Li Yi had taught Yang Yilong were incomplete, flawed, while her own were complete. If it really came to a fight, she had the advantage in terms of boxing skills.

"It seems in the end we have to become enemies," Qin Qing said.

"No, you’re wrong. You and Yang Yilong have always been against Li Yi and me. From the very start when Yang Yilong forcefully demanded the boxing techniques, to later when Yang Ye acted against Li Yi... All this time, it’s been you making the moves, with Li Yi constantly on the defensive. I know Yang Yilong is strong, but that doesn’t give him the right to do as he pleases. If Li Yi becomes stronger than Yang Yilong, does it mean he can also take revenge on the Yang family without any scruples?"

"Qin Qing, I’ll say it again, you’ve chosen the wrong side. Someone like Yang Yilong who isn’t steadfast when it comes to right and wrong will meet his end sooner or later. Mind yourself," said Lin Yue.

Lin Yue didn’t continue trying to persuade her. She understood that conversation was futile with Qin Qing. Yang Yilong had already abandoned her once, yet she was still delusional, even willing to help Yang Yilong against her and Li Yi.

Since that was the case, she would also be ruthless.

Therefore, she immediately turned to leave, cutting off the pointless conversation.

When Qin Qing saw Lin Yue turn to go, her green vertical pupils flickered, but this time her expression was no longer complex; it was very calm.

This was probably for the best.

Having given each other fair warning, they both knew what to expect, and when it truly came time to fight, neither would have too many reservations.

Thinking this, Qin Qing also turned and left.

"Li Yi, we need to be careful with this mission. Yang Yilong and Qin Qing are also here. The two of them, with their combined Spiritual Perception, are planning to find an opportunity to take us out. If we don’t want to engage with them, there’s only one way, and that’s to withdraw from this mission... But right now, we are both operatives from the external affairs department of the investigation bureau. If we quit this mission, it means leaving the bureau, and all our previous efforts will have gone to waste," Lin Yue said to Li Yi as soon as she returned.

"Indeed, enemies often cross each other’s paths," said Li Yi with a calm expression. "I just didn’t expect Qin Qing to stand so resolutely by Yang Yilong’s side; that did surprise me a bit. Last time in the Ruined District, Qin Qing didn’t make a move. It seems this time, she has decided to get involved too."

"Yes, so now we have to deal with one more master of Spiritual Perception. It’s troublesome," Lin Yue said. "Qin Qing is strong, and she has mastered boxing. If it really comes to a fight, we are at a clear disadvantage."

"On the surface, we indeed seem to be at a disadvantage, but that doesn’t mean we are without a fighting chance," Li Yi said.

During this period, he was in the midst of using the Blood Burning Technique, with his Qi-Blood rapidly accumulating. But there wasn’t enough time, as the nine acupoints were not yet filled, so it was not the time for a breakthrough. Based on the current rate of Qi-Blood accumulation, it would take several more hours to completely meet the requirements in his mind.

Considering the time needed for the breakthrough, it was best not to engage with Yang Yilong in the next six hours.

With that thought in mind, Li Yi continued, "Sister Lin, you don’t need to worry so much. They both want to pressure us into quitting the mission, but that’s not going to happen. Besides, the sky is full of helicopters, making it difficult for the opposition to find an opportunity to act... If we really can’t avoid it, then we’ll just have to fight."

"When the time comes, I’ll take on Yang Yilong. Sister Lin, you can take on Qin Qing," he said.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Lin Yue asked skeptically.

She knew that Li Yi’s strength far surpassed that of ordinary cultivators at the inspiration realm, but he was still a realm below Yang Yilong.

"Sister Lin, you need to have some faith in me," Li Yi stated.

"It’s not that I don’t have faith in you. I’m afraid you’ll get hurt," Lin Yue said, shaking her head.

Li Yi said, "Alright, let’s not talk about that for now. Let’s get the task assignment sorted out first. When we enter the old city district, we must avoid Yang Yilong and his crew. We’ll try not to engage in any conflicts at first, and only face it if we really encounter them later on."

He only hoped that he could hold out for six more hours. By then, after opening the nine acupoints and becoming a Qi Cultivation Martial Artist, he could seek revenge.

However, during the conversation between the two,

Zheng Gong had already received the requirements for the mission.

"Li Yi, come have a look. This is our team’s action route. The Investigation Bureau requires us to follow this route straight ahead, with our team responsible for clearing the buildings on the left, while the team on the right is led by that Spiritual Perception Master named Zhao Lingfu, responsible for clearing their side," Zheng Gong said.

He took out a tablet with an electronic map displayed on it, very precise, with a red line marking their advance route and the area to be swept.

"This area... is rather large," Yuan Mingjin, Fang Hang, and Cheng Pingfang couldn’t help but click their tongues after a glance.

"It is a bit large, but the dangers within the buildings are few in the early stages; it just takes some time. The real danger is concentrated in this core area," Lin Yue pointed at the map and said, "However, the Investigation Bureau’s plan is very sensible and reasonable. Nearly every team’s assigned region is roughly the same size."

Li Yi asked, "Zheng Gong, which area is Yang Yilong’s team responsible for?"

"Here."

Zheng Gong pointed to a location at the farthest distance from their team: "The Investigation Bureau knows we have enmity with Yang Yilong, so they’ve deliberately separated the two teams by a considerable distance to avoid conflicts."

"It’s only temporary. Once we advance to the central area, we’ll be just one street away from each other. Once Yang Yilong finds an opportunity, he’ll definitely come to kill," Li Yi said. "And there is not just one Spiritual Perception Master like Qin Qing in Yang Yilong’s squad. There are other Cultivators as well. I just don’t know if those people will also get involved."

"We had made an agreement with Yang Yilong before, that our grudge would not involve others," Lin Yue said.

Li Yi scoffed, "His words are as reliable as a fart. Can we trust him? Now Qin Qing is involved, why? It’s because Yang Yilong felt unsure after trading blows with me previously. So, he wants to team up with Qin Qing to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Then we also need allies... perhaps we can try to win over Zhao Lingfu. Even if he doesn’t take action, just helping to block others is also beneficial," Lin Yue suggested.

"What do we use to sway him?" Li Yi asked.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yue said, "What about the Guiding Skill?"

"I’m afraid that’s not enough," Li Yi remarked. "A technique available for purchase isn’t enough to get a Spiritual Perception Master to take sides with us. Especially now, at such a critical time, he is sure to hike up his price... By the way, how strong is that Zhao Lingfu?"

"He’s a master. He has mastered a Divine Movement Technique. Perhaps he wouldn’t definitively win against Yang Yilong in a frontal confrontation, but he won’t be at a disadvantage either," Lin Yue said.

"Divine Movement Technique?"

Li Yi’s expression changed, "I didn’t expect him to be someone who keeps a low profile. It seems we need to up the stakes, I’ll go talk to him later."

"You don’t even know him. Why would he give you face? I should go; I have some ties with him," Lin Yue suggested.

"If those ties mattered, he would not have been so indifferent before. So, it still comes down to interests. If the benefit is substantial enough, he will naturally not hesitate to side with us," Li Yi said.

"That’s true..." Lin Yue fell silent for a moment.

She understood that she was being intentionally distanced at the moment. Everyone knew that Yang Yilong would likely take action to settle the score during this mission, and to most people, it seemed Lin Yue and Li Yi were doomed. That’s why they were being deliberately avoided to prevent misunderstandings or attracting Yang Yilong’s attention.

"Li Yi, don’t worry. There are so many people participating in this mission. Yang Yilong wouldn’t dare to take action. If he’s caught attacking an investigator, he’s finished," Zheng Gong reassured him at the moment.

"Better safe than sorry. We still need to take precautions and can’t rely on the enemy to follow the rules," Li Yi shook his head, "How much time is left, and when does the mission start?"

"Ten minutes left. Almost everyone who should be here has arrived," Zheng Gong replied.

At that moment, Li Yi looked around.

In the time he and Lin Yue had been talking, even more Cultivators had arrived in the area, filling it with people. Not only that, the Investigation Bureau had also driven several ambulances over and parked them nearby, with some resource allocations also in place—everything was in preparation for the upcoming mission.

"There really are a lot of people," Li Yi mused.

"I’ve checked. It seems that almost every Cultivator in Tianchang City is here," Fang Hang whispered, "Only some from the Spirit Medium Realm did not come. Their strength is too weak to make a significant impact, so it wasn’t mandatory for them."

"Get ready, everyone. As soon as the time comes, we move immediately," Li Yi nodded and then said.

He felt the pressure of this mission as well.

He had to complete the mission while also being wary of his enemy.