"Alright, but you have to admit that my acting in the past was pretty good." Li Qingshan raised his index finger and sighed. "Sure enough, modesty makes people improve, while arrogance makes people fall back!"
However, he was not worried at all. He was no longer the Li Qingshan of the past. There was no need for him to act out every single act carefully, nor was there any need for him to care so much. As for when he would go to the Dragon province, or even whether he would go to the Dragon province, it was not up to the Hawk God to decide.
Little Ann nodded with a smile.
"But why does the mighty Hawk God have to travel such a great distance just to go through the motions?" Li Qingshan was rather confused. He had put on an act for the Hawk God to avoid some unnecessary trouble, but who was the Hawk God putting on an act for?
"Because he's the Protector Hawk God. As long as the Great Xia Empire exists, he will continue to protect it," the great banyan tree's voice rang out.
"Heh, I see. In the past, I thought the title of the Protector Hawk God was mighty and domineering, but why do I feel like it's just a tough job now?"
Li Qingshan said. As his cultivation constantly increased, his horizons broadened. When he heard the Golden Cicada Spirit King say "the nine provinces are like a well" a few decades ago, he still found it very shocking. Only now did he truly understand.
"But since the cage has been broken, the bird is free," the Banyan Tree King said leisurely.
"Freedom. How high can one fly to be considered as true freedom? It's a pity that you'll never have that freedom! "
"Birds have their own freedom, and trees have their own freedom. To a tree, having a place to grow in peace without being cut down is already freedom. "
"Fair enough. Oh right, have you succeeded yet?" Li Qingshan smiled ambiguously.
"This is only the first step. I still need a long time to get used to it. I believe I'll succeed one day," said the Banyan Tree King.
"You know what I'm asking." Li Qingshan was interested in gossip.
"About that …"
"Actually, it's useless for you to ask Little Ann about this kind of thing. She's just a little girl, what would she know? I'm the one who's experienced and knowledgeable. In short, just do what you need to do. Don't think too much …"
"Qingshan, I'm afraid that Senior needs to rest for a while before he can condense the Wisdom Fruit. Why don't you take a look at the Shadow Palace first?" Little Ann tugged on Li Qingshan's sleeve, interrupting him.
"Sure!" Li Qingshan agreed casually. When he came back to his senses, he asked, "Do you think I'm wrong?"
"That's right!" Little Ann nodded seriously, "Go quickly, there are many things waiting for you to 'fix' in the Shadow Palace!"
"Damned girl, how dare you mock me!"
Li Qingshan suddenly missed the Little Ann who always looked at him with eyes full of worship. But now, there was a rich emotion in those eyes, and it could see into his heart even more than the Eagle God's. The layer of beauty on the white bones was no longer just an empty skin bag.
"I'm not a little girl."
"Alright, I'll be right back!"
Li Qingshan pinched her cheek before turning around and flying off. Speaking of which, he had basically been like an ascetic monk for the past twenty years. Afterwards, there were consecutive battles and intense labour like destroying the Mist province cauldron. Meeting Gongyuan was rather interesting to both of them, but it was exactly because of this interest that he was unable to do whatever he wanted. As soon as he thought of the Shadow Palace and the night roamers, he even became a little excited.
"Palace master Ye, I've come for the appointment."
"Why do you seem like you've come to visit a brothel?" Ye Weiyang's face was covered by a black veil, only revealing a pair of eyes. She studied Li Qingshan. The impression that the battle in the demon cavern had left on her was far too deep. She struggled to connect the two images together.
"Then I'd like to pick a lead card!" Li Qingshan laughed aloud.
"Hehe, then come at me!" With a flash, Ye Weiyang vanished into the sea of trees.
Li Qingshan followed close behind. Before him, a beautiful figure moved through the jungle, struggling to grasp her aura. In the deep, complicated forest, he was unable to unfurl his wings and fly at full speed either. Every time he approached her, the distance would immediately widen. And, Ye Weiyang did not advance in a straight line. Instead, she turned left and right randomly. She seemed to be flirting with him.
As a result, Li Qingshan just gave up on the chase.
"What, you're not going to pick a lead card?" Ye Weiyang smiled.
"A lead card that I can't even see. It's fine if I don't pick one, just in case I get tricked."
Li Qingshan replied with a smile. His eyes remained clear the entire time. After experiencing so many things over the past few decades, he was no longer the bumpkin who had just emerged from a small mountain village and fell in love with Gu Yanying at first sight and was stunned by her beauty. His main objective for visiting the Shadow Palace was not to satisfy his desires, but to put an end to it.
Ye Weiyang suddenly stopped and parted the layers of leaves. She said, "Please!"
A city constructed between huge trees appeared before Li Qingshan. It was hundreds or thousands of times larger than the Cobweb city Xi Nian had seen in the past.
Thousands of Ye Mingzhu trees shone with a faint, silver lustre. The shadows of the trees crisscrossed as thick mist drifted beneath the trees. It seemed both gloomy and glorious. Countless night roamers strolled through it. It was not like he had imagined it to be, a harsh training ground for assassins. Instead, it gave off a sense of art everywhere.
However, the many hidden sentry posts could not escape Li Qingshan's eyes. As it seemed, the night roamers had not let down their guard just because they were in the territory of Towering City. They maintained an almost instinctive sense of caution.
However, under the Shadow Queen's lead, the journey was smooth and unobstructed. They arrived at the centre of the Shadow Palace and saw Ye Liusu and her sisters very soon. He knew that they were doing quite well in the Shadow Palace. After all, with their cultivations at the second heavenly tribulation, they could be regarded as upper middle echelons in any organisation across the nine provinces. Even if there were some internal strife, it would be very difficult to directly affect them.
The rich and complete cultivation system that the Shadow Palace had inherited from the ancient divine kingdom provided them with great assistance. Over the past two decades, they had spent most of their time on cultivation.
Ye Liusu's talent had always been the best, and she had received special treatment from Ye Weiyang, who had given her the greatest support. She had improved the most too, and she had a very good chance at succeeding as the Shadow Queen. However, the one who worked the hardest was not her or Ye Liuxing, but the one with the worst talent and the laziest, Ye Liubo. Her bearing had changed drastically as a result. She seemed like a completely different person.
Li Qingshan nodded in relief. He had basically lived up to their friendship by bringing them to their current state during this journey. However, it was a pity that this was all they could do.
… …
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The knocking on the door echoed in the dark room. Li Qingshan opened his eyes and was just about to rise from the entanglement of a pair of arms when they wrapped around him tightly.
"Take me with you!" Ye Liubo said.
Li Qingshan kissed her forehead gently and caressed her belly. "Take good care of our child."
"Will there really be one?" Ye Liubo was rather confused.
"There definitely will be one this time. I promise!"
Li Qingshan said. With the phoenix fire as a guarantee, he had already planted that bit of life. He had no idea what kind of fruit it would bear in the future, but he was destined to never be a good father.
"The banquet is about to begin." Ye Weiyang's urging voice rang out from outside the door.
Li Qingshan could already sense the tremendous auras gathering in Towering City a thousand kilometers away.
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