Through the night sky, even as the stars and moon struggled to shine, their light couldn't penetrate the thick, dark clouds.
Beneath the black clouds, in the courtyard, Zhao Li suddenly opened his eyes.
He sensed a spatial barrier.
Zhao Li couldn't help but recall a joke he'd seen before, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved up as he chuckled softly.
Immediately after, he quietly added another layer of spatial lockdown to the small courtyard, muttering to himself:
"Since you won't let me leave, then you won't be leaving either."
Just a moment after Zhao Li set up the barrier, a figure shrouded in a black robe appeared before him.
Elder Xuan Ming saw Zhao Li staring straight at him, as if he knew he would come, and was slightly surprised:
"Excellent, excellent. As expected of a Seventh Grade High Grade Alchemist, someone just a step away from being an Alchemy Grandmaster. Your soul perception is indeed astonishing."
He praised Zhao Li a few times, then changed the subject, saying with a hint of regret:
"It's just that you're still too young in the end, too self-important. You don't actually think the Pill Tower can protect you, do you?"
After speaking, he looked at Zhao Li with a puzzled expression, a cold smile spreading across his face.
Zhao Li raised an eyebrow slightly, saying in disbelief:
"Ah? Oh, so it's a One-Star Dou Venerate expert. Seeing how incredibly confident you are, I thought you were some hidden Dou Sheng expert."
When his strength was seen through by Zhao Li, a bad feeling suddenly arose in the elder's heart. He didn't dare delay and immediately attacked:
"Slick talker. With my strength, dealing with you is more than enough. Remember this, in your next life, be more obedient and don't provoke people you can't afford to provoke."
Within the courtyard, Dou Qi was mobilized by the elder, sweeping up the fallen autumn leaves.
Soon, a giant palm condensed, and the elder roared:
"Xuan Ming Divine Palm!"
Looking at the energy palm and hearing the name of the technique, Zhao Li shook his head slightly, then slowly extended his own palm. This single action, however, intercepted the surrounding energy that was surging towards the giant palm, drawing it towards Zhao Li's hand. Zhao Li chuckled:
"Why don't you see how my divine palm is?"
Zhao Li lightly pressed out a palm, and an energy handprint pushed towards the Xuan Ming Divine Palm.
It was only the size of a palm when it left Zhao Li's hand, but as it continuously advanced towards Elder Xuan Ming, the surrounding energy surged towards it. By the time it met the Xuan Ming Divine Palm, it was already incredibly large.
It sounds like a long time, but everything happened in an instant.
Seeing Zhao Li casually strike out a palm that instantly appeared before him, Elder Xuan Ming's face showed a look of horror.
*Bang——*
A loud noise spread from where the two energy palms collided.
The energy aftermath caused The Void to tremble, and an invisible energy wave spread out in all directions, sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard outwards.
Soon, it was blocked by an invisible barrier. For a moment, fallen leaves danced all around the small courtyard.
The black-robed elder retreated a few steps, his eyes wide, saying in disbelief:
"You're actually a Dou Venerate expert too!"
Zhao Li's casual move was actually stronger than his signature Dou Technique, the Xuan Ming Divine Palm.
He knew he had kicked a steel plate this time and cursed Chen Haolong's ancestors eighteen generations deep in his heart. All he ever did was cause trouble, and in the end, he had to clean up after him.
Seeing the elder's shocked expression, Zhao Li nodded slightly, his tone calm:
"Otherwise? Seeing how confident you looked, I thought you knew."
Looking at Zhao Li's half-smiling expression, the black-robed elder didn't attack again, but instead asked:
"You hid your Cultivation Level to lure me here. What deep scheming. May I ask what your intentions are?"
He seemed to have forgotten that he came here to commit murder and silence.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Li couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, with an expression of sudden realization, as if everything made sense now:
"Hahahahaha, I'm dying of laughter. So all of this was arranged by me, all within my plan? How did I not know I was so amazing?"
Suddenly, Zhao Li's expression turned cold, his tone icy:
"Why you came here, do I still need to tell you?"
Hearing this, the elder frowned. He didn't know why Zhao Li was laughing and asked in confusion:
"What do you mean, Your Excellency? If you have something to say, just say it directly. Do you still need to hide things in this situation?"
In his view, his act of silencing was not at all inappropriate. Instead, Zhao Li's behavior of hiding his Cultivation Level and waiting for him to come was even more detestable.
Zhao Li sneered, staring intently at the elder:
"Important people are forgetful, but never mind. Seeing that you don't want to fight anymore, why don't you tell me how you found this place?"
The elder's attention was constantly on Zhao Li, and upon hearing this, he didn't think much of it:
"My Xuan Ming Sect has some influence. Since Your Excellency is a Dou Venerate, why do you bully the weak and make things difficult for my sect's young master? Could it be that you don't even put the Xuan Ming Sect, or even the Tian Ming Sect, in your eyes?"
As he spoke, there was even a hint of coldness in his eyes.
Zhao Li was truly getting fed up. He didn't know where the old man got the nerve to talk like that.
With a thought, his Soul Power surged towards the old man, communicating with the surrounding energy and pressing down on him.
"It seems you haven't realized your current situation. I really don't like that attitude of yours."
The old man had been paying attention to Zhao Li the whole time, and when he felt the energy surge, he focused his mind and prepared his defenses.
But how could an ordinary Dou Venerate like him possibly withstand the energy of heaven and earth? In an instant, he was suppressed, pinned to the ground.
Seeing the shock in the old man's eyes, as if he hadn't expected to be suppressed, Zhao Li felt curious. He slowly walked forward and asked:
"Why do you have that expression? Can you tell me?"
Upon hearing this, the old man seemed to finally react. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a madman, roaring:
"Kid, you're dead! How dare you treat me like this? My Xuan Ming Sect will never let you go!"
Zhao Li clicked his tongue in wonder. The world was indeed vast, full of all sorts of strange things.
For such an eccentric person as the old man to still have such arrogance in this situation, Zhao Li really wanted to know what went on in his head.
Thinking this, Zhao Li asked:
"Don't you know your life is completely in my hands right now? You still dare to talk to me like that? You've certainly got guts."
As Zhao Li's words fell, the old man's expression froze. He said incredulously:
"You want to kill me?"
He had never considered such an outcome.
In his nearly two hundred years of life, everything had always gone smoothly. He made the final decision on countless matters. After becoming the Great Elder of the Xuan Ming Sect decades ago, no one dared to defy him, which had fostered an arrogant mindset.
But today, he met someone different from all those before – someone stronger than him.
Thinking back to how those weaker individuals were before him, just as he was before Zhao Li, he finally understood.
Recalling the actions of those people, he learned without a teacher. Just like the countless people who had knelt before him in the past, he pleaded in a low voice:
"Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life! I was temporarily possessed and incited by Chen Haolong to stir up trouble. Please spare my life. I'll give you anything you want."
Seeing the old man's drastic change, Zhao Li paused, clicking his tongue in amazement, and asked curiously:
"Tsk~ What's wrong with you? I still liked your unruly look better."
Hearing Zhao Li's teasing words, the old man was full of fear and said uneasily:
"I was foolish and didn't know my place, coming here to trouble Senior. Please, just treat me like a fart and let me go."
Seeing the old man, who had previously been arrogant and thought he was the greatest, turn into this bowing and scraping appearance, Zhao Li felt a sense of感慨 (gǎn kǎi - emotion/reflection):
"Beyond every person, there are others; beyond every mountain, there are more; beyond every sky, there is another. Keep a heart of reverence, and don't forget who you used to be."
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