Chapter 626: Li Qinghe's End (Two-in-One)

Squelch.

The sound of flesh being stitched together and growing echoed through the bar.

That immortal.

That immortal who had drawn everyone's gaze the moment he appeared.

Right now, he was like a terrified stray dog, desperately clawing open the flesh of the man's brow to burrow deeper inside, utterly scared out of his wits.

You could even see his back, still slightly exposed, trembling faintly.

Everyone present was shocked.

Yan Jing wiped the blood welling from the corner of his mouth, looked at the silently standing man, and smiled. "Again, sir?"

He raised the pen in his hand. His clothes slowly fluttered as if alive. Saturated with ink, the fabric transformed into pitch-black branches radiating a golden glow. Spirit-feelers sprouted one by one, clustering around him.

Hearing Yan Jing's words, the man let out a long sigh.

He shook his head, and finally, his lips actually curled into a smile.

This was the first time he had smiled since entering the bar.

Yet it came only after losing his trump card.

"No more."

The man shook his head. "Let us meet again on Advent Day."

His voice was calm. There was no discouragement from losing the battle, nor any audible frustration or regret.

It was as if he were simply stating a fact:

See you next time.

They would meet again next time.

The implication was clear: he didn't believe Yan Jing could make him stay.

"May I ask your name?"

He looked at Yan Jing.

"Luo Sheng. A native of Bianliu County, East Lake Prefecture, Minhu. Currently residing in Peace Heavenly Kingdom."

Yan Jing spoke softly, his tone as elegant as if he were declaring himself some young master of Pure Blood Heavenly Kingdom.

But there was no contempt in the man's eyes. He looked at Yan Jing and nodded. "My name is Wu Qianli."

"Until Advent Day."

As his words fell, one of his eyes emitted a faint white immortal light that shot toward the bar's entrance.

"Buzz—"

An invisible curtain of light rose, blocking the immortal light at the door.

But a second later, an unexpected power seemed to surface and forcefully intervene. It slashed through the light curtain, cleaving a gap open.

The man's figure instantly vanished from the spot.

"Drip, drop—"

"6."

Magic Pot stared blankly for a long time before recovering its wits. It looked down to find the wine glass already full, the liquor having overflowed at some unknown point.

Its heart tightened, and it looked over at Yan Jing and Papa Rat nearby.

Both of them wore calm expressions, however, seemingly paying it no mind.

"Do it yourself."

Yan Jing spoke, his gaze still resting on the bar door that had been forced open.

Wu Qianli was the strongest opponent he had ever faced, aside from that Demigod Realm expert he had yet to meet.

The attack he had just unleashed was Universal: Technique, layered with Peerless, Fear Stance First State, and Fear Bird Stance.

That immortal had merely been injured, not killed.

And Wu Qianli's final action proved exactly that—

If he wanted to leave, this invisible light curtain couldn't stop him.

"Advent Day..."

Yan Jing smiled slightly. Interesting.

"Hello, two more Whiskey Sours."

He turned his head to look at Rose.

Right at that moment, Magic Pot finally made up its mind and smashed its head against the floor.

With a loud bang , it passed out.

Rose looked at the tightly shut eyes of Magic Pot and quickly nodded. "Right away. Please wait a moment."

"It's fine. I have plenty of time."

Yan Jing pulled out a chair and sat down, crossing his legs. He unfolded a copy of the Old Sin City Morning Post lying nearby.

He looked as elegant as a country squire who had just finished a round of golf.

Outside Old Sin City.

Right now, the atmosphere was boiling over.

Just moments ago, the crowd had once again witnessed a "miracle."

On the outskirts of Old Sin City, an immortal wind blew in from nowhere.

White immortal qi diffused through the air, its concentration momentarily surpassing even that of Weird Energy. In an instant, everything revived. Countless green shoots sprouted from the mud, and exotic flowers and rare grasses bloomed from the fissures of the collapsed ruins. As sunlight poured down, the vegetation grew wildly.

The crowd burst into spirited discussion and finally reached a conclusion:

That Exiled Immortal had made his move. He had used a terrifying method that wasn't confined to Old Sin City—its intensity was so great it even affected the outside world.

"I wonder what powerful enemy he ran into. Could he have clashed with that Xue Family Heir or the monster from the Chen Family?"

"If it were those two, there wouldn't be any need to use such a powerful method. After all, both of them have Demigod Realm experts backing them up."

"I'm guessing it's that human who defeated the Son of Chaos. Those foolish humans are so used to throwing their weight around on the outside that they actually think they can walk sideways in here."

"Indeed. It's about time someone taught them a lesson."

But soon, a figure walked out of Old Sin City, instantly ending everyone's discussion.

It was Wu Qianli.

He emerged from Old Sin City. As he departed, he still maintained his breezy, carefree demeanor; his expression was indifferent, and lotus flowers bloomed with every step he took.

But—

Looking at his retreating back, everyone realized the severity of the situation.

The game wasn't over yet.

To leave the field early at a time like this meant only one thing.

This Exiled Immortal had lost!!!

Everyone's eyes widened. The people from Immortal Anomaly, in particular, found it incomprehensible.

Many of his entourage even stepped forward to press him for an explanation.

Wu Qianli hadn't originally planned to answer. But in the end—whether he had grown annoyed by their pestering or simply felt there was no harm in telling them—he finally spoke: "I lost."

The moment he said this, the crowd fell into an uproar.

Wu Qianli had lost.

Lost to whom?

The Xue Family Heir, the Chen Family's monster, or the mysterious human?

In everyone's eyes, those were the only possible options.

But when Wu Qianli spoke again, his words shocked the crowd once more.

"His name is Luo Sheng. He is a Minhu native, currently residing in Peace Heavenly Kingdom."

With that said, his figure vanished from their sight, drifting away.

Leaving everyone behind in sheer shock.

A Minhu native. Peace Heavenly Kingdom.

What kind of obscure backwaters were those?

After all, the vast majority of people here today hailed from First Level Domains.

Even if Minhu was somewhat recognizable due to its past glory during the Imperial Era...

Peace Heavenly Kingdom—

Other than people from the heavenly kingdoms, likely no one from any other domain had even heard of it.

But Wu Qianli had said it himself. Given his status, there was zero chance he was lying.

Luo Sheng—

Over at the gathering spot for Life Heavenly Kingdom.

The group was in a heated discussion.

Just a moment ago, when the Sea Saint retreated, they had become the target of public criticism and had even been suppressed by the people of Immortal Anomaly invoking Wu Qianli's name. But now, Wu Qianli had also withdrawn.

It was finally their turn to laugh at someone else.

"Luo Sheng? Never even heard the name."

"The heroes of this world are like carps crossing the river."

"Yeah. If we could harvest his biomass to make Gene Potions, tsk tsk tsk—"

They had no idea that inside a carriage behind them, a figure's eyes had turned bloodshot upon hearing the voices outside.

The man wore a yellow dragon robe and a Glazed Imperial Crown on his head. Around his neck hung a precious string of beads fastened by a White Jade Flowing-Heart Clasp. He looked every bit an emperor, as if he were sitting in a dragon palanquin rather than a carriage.

Yet ironically, heavy manacles shackled his wrists, hidden beneath the thick sleeves of his dragon robe. He was completely strapped to his seat, unable to move a muscle.

That string of white jade beads bypassed his clothes and pierced directly into his chest. Streaks of red light were drawn out from his heart, flowing along the bead chain and sinking into a device behind him.

The machine clicked and whirred. Beneath its translucent casing, mechanical tentacles could be seen working constantly, pouring the extracted blood into a small receptacle before adding all kinds of reagents and powders.

It looked just like refining medicine.

And in truth, that was exactly what it was.

In Life Heavenly Kingdom, this process was called "pill refining."

Using the same biomass as a base, they would add different catalysts, relaxants, ligands, and solutions until they finally produced a bottle of Gene Potion.

Once a Gene Potion was formulated, they would immediately run characterizations and performance tests until they synthesized the optimal version.

And people like this man, who were used for refining, were called "pill slaves."

They were usually fed and housed well to guarantee the quality of their biomass, but—they had absolutely no freedom or dignity to speak of.

To the people of Life Heavenly Kingdom, pill slaves were no different from the flowers, grass, or fruit trees on the side of the road; they were just another type of crop.

But after hearing the name Luo Sheng, something clearly went wrong with the biomass extracted from the man's body.

Detecting that the performance of the prepared Gene Potion had deviated from the baseline, the machine instantly blared a harsh alarm.

"Bang!"

Someone yanked open the carriage curtain and walked in.

"What are you screaming for?!!"

The newcomer glared impatiently at Li Qinghe, whose eyes were red as he roared constantly. Pulling a green potion from his pocket, the man drew it into a syringe and aggressively jabbed it straight into Li Qinghe's neck.

"Pfft—"

White foam dribbled from Li Qinghe's mouth, and he instantly went limp.

"Fuck, can't even behave when we bring you out."

The man cursed as he turned to leave. Before stepping out of the carriage, he barked at a corner, "Keep him in line! Didn't I tell you?! If this happens again, both of you are getting dragged off to test medicines! Fuck!"

"O-okay..."

A timid voice echoed from the corner, and a slender figure squeezed out from behind Li Qinghe's oversized dragon robe.

Who would have thought that another person was hiding in such a cramped space?

It was a girl. Her eyes were tightly shut, and she was dressed in ragged cloth clothes.

She pressed her palms together and bowed repeatedly toward the man.

"I'm truly sorry. I'm so sorry."

Only when she sensed that the man had left did the girl seem to breathe a sigh of relief. She turned around and looked at Li Qinghe, who was slumped in his chair, her face filled with heartache.

"Your Majesty, please don't cause any more trouble."

She reached out, straightened Li Qinghe's dragon robe, and gently helped him sit up. She fed him a sip of water. "Didn't you promise me you would rest properly and conserve your energy?"

"Hah... hah..."

Li Qinghe finally seemed to recover from the sedative's effects. He looked at the girl. "Yu'er, did you hear it? The name of that person outside."

"It's Luo Sheng! It's Luo Sheng!"

He looked at the girl, his expression bordering on madness. "We have to go back! We have to go back and tell East Lake Prefecture that Luo Sheng has been found! Luo Sheng is finished! He's truly finished!"

After a moment of silence, the girl spoke softly. "You must have misheard, Your Majesty. It wasn't Luo Sheng."

"How could it not be?!"

Li Qinghe's voice suddenly rose. "It was Luo Sheng! I heard it clearly!"

"It wasn't, really."

Faced with Li Qinghe on the verge of another outburst, the girl didn't show the same fear she once had in Minhu. Instead, she reached out and gently stroked his cheek. "Didn't I tell you? You are the one destined by fate. That Luo Sheng was a false Saint, while you are the true Saint. He has already died in the heavenly kingdom. As long as you endure this period of time, you will definitely ascend the throne once again."

"As for the name you heard, you just misheard it. It was Luo Shen, not Sheng."

"Just think about it. A pathetic worm like him would struggle just to survive in the heavenly kingdom. How could he possibly become an entity capable of defeating a Tenth Tier?"

Soothed by the girl's continuous murmurs, Li Qinghe seemed to gradually calm down. He lay gently in her arms, muttering continuously, "Right... it couldn't be him. It's impossible for it to be him."

"You're right, Yu'er. I am the true destined emperor. I am the true Saint. He's already dead."

"That was a Tenth Tier outside... right, it's not him. He's finished."

"Yu'er, you wouldn't lie to me. You've never been wrong. Right, that must be it. I am the destined emperor, I am."

Seeming to let go of the knot in his heart, Li Qinghe's eyes slowly slid shut as he spoke, falling into a deep sleep.

The girl patted Li Qinghe's back until his breathing completely leveled out; only then did she lower him from her embrace.

She walked to the edge of the carriage alone.

Reaching out, she lifted the curtain just a crack. As if she could see, she gazed with keen interest at the world outside.

"So nice... it's so nice..."

She murmured softly, a smile playing on her lips.

After she followed Li Qinghe—who was sent as a hostage—to Life Heavenly Kingdom, their interactions were just like before at first.

Even after Li Qinghe was turned into a pill slave, nothing had changed.

But as his temper grew increasingly violent, and he refused to believe a single word she said, everything began to change.

She had told Li Qinghe that he no longer had an emperor's destiny, and suggested he sever his Bloodline to exchange for freedom, but he didn't believe her.

She had told Li Qinghe that Luo Sheng was a flood dragon diving into the sea—that he would rise unstoppably from then on, and they should avoid making an enemy of him at all costs—but he didn't believe her then, either.

Whatever she said, Li Qinghe never believed it.

He would even beat her savagely from time to time, and had even started a hunger strike.

Watching him waste away day by day, her heart ached at the sight.

Until one day, for the sake of Li Qinghe's health, she lied for the very first time.

She told him that she had miscalculated earlier.

She said she had read his fate chart backwards.

Li Qinghe still possessed the destiny of an emperor.

It was her first lie, riddled with flaws. She didn't even believe it herself.

But Li Qinghe believed it.

Not only did he believe it, but he was also overjoyed.

She finally understood then.

Li Qinghe was completely insane.

He hit her not because he didn't believe her, but because he refused to believe in fate.

He still trusted her.

After realizing this, she finally became happy, too.

As long as she told Li Qinghe what he wanted to hear, everything would be fine.

Even if she divined that he would remain a pill slave for another ten years, she still told him he was the destined emperor.

When she divined that Luo Sheng would soar endlessly, transforming into a dragon for a lifetime and never plummeting back into the sea...

She still called Luo Sheng a stinking piece of trash.

She told Li Qinghe whatever he loved to hear, and he became happy.

And when Li Qinghe was happy, she was happy.

Even though it betrayed the vows she made when she first learned fortune-telling, she felt that divination didn't matter anymore.

Back when Li Qinghe truly had an emperor's destiny, he had never treated her this well.

Now, she could finally be with him forever.

This was fine. This was perfectly fine.

Only occasionally—

She still harbored a fleeting thought in her heart.

If—

If she hadn't chosen Li Qinghe back then.

If she had chosen Luo Sheng instead.

What would things be like now?

"Yu'er... I have an emperor's destiny."

Li Qinghe's voice drifted from behind her. The girl shook her head, tossing those impossible flights of fancy to the back of her mind.

"I'm coming, Your Majesty. I'm coming."