Chapter 61: The Moment of Decisive Battle Between Brothers (1)
"So, the Immortal Sect truly does not regard me at all?"
Li Minghan appeared on a high cliff not far away, looking down at the three disciples below.
"Immortal Xie Yi is merely here under the orders of the Immortal Lord to seek the true murderer of the Medicine King. May I ask why you specifically requested Immortal Xie Yi to come?" Li Luoning stepped forward and asked.
"Li Luoning, although you are a casual pharmacist of The Liao Yin Immortal Realm, you are also the last disciple of the High Immortal of The Liao Yin Immortal Realm. How is it that your brain seems dull? Have you become foolish from brewing medicine all day?" Li Minghan mocked.
"You!" Mi Xingzhe shouted in anger.
Li Luoning held Mi Xingzhe back, signaling him not to be bothered. He then exchanged a look with Yun Qingyi, indicating that there might be changes soon. Yun Qingyi subtly nodded and moved closer to Mi Xingzhe, handing him a golden silk jade pendant.
"Xingzhe, take this," Yun Qingyi whispered.
Mi Xingzhe looked down and saw it was his lost golden silk jade pendant.
"This is my pendant! I thought I had lost it. Brother Qingyi, where did you find it?"
"This isn't the time to discuss it. Keep it safe. If we start fighting, stay close to me. I suspect this Demon Lord has ill intentions, and a fight is likely unavoidable," Yun Qingyi whispered his warning to Mi Xingzhe.
"You have a fiery-tempered little disciple. I wonder if his cultivation can support his temper?" Li Minghan continued to mock.
*He knows about Xingzhe's Golden Core!* Li Luoning thought in shock.
"Why have you repeatedly kidnapped my disciple? Is it for the Golden Core inside him?"
"Golden Core? I didn't care about his Golden Core at first. But now that the Floating Golden Seal is in him, I'm quite interested. Who in the Three Realms doesn't know that with the Yin-Yang Dual Pills and the Floating Golden Seal, one can dominate the world," Li Minghan said, spreading his arms and laughing.
"So, it is you!"
Li Luoning's suspicion was confirmed. The person impersonating the Demon Lord was indeed the one who fought with him in the alchemy room that day.
Seeing that Li Luoning had recognized him, Li Minghan slowly removed his mask.
"It seems you are not as stupid as I thought. Let me reintroduce myself. I am Li Minghan, your twin brother," Li Minghan said, emphasizing the last few words, his eyes glinting with malice as he pointed at Li Luoning.
"Master, this... person..." Mi Xingzhe finally understood why the "Master" he encountered before seemed strange.
"Why are you doing all this?" Li Luoning asked.
"Why? You ask why? The old alchemist? He was just part of a deal," Li Minghan said dismissively, looking at his hand as if recalling the bloodstains from before.
"A deal? The Liao Yin Immortal Realm is heavily guarded. Without the Empty Flower Token, a demon like you couldn't possibly come and go freely. Who are you dealing with?" Li Luoning asked cautiously.
"Me? A demon? Haha..." Li Minghan found it amusing that Li Luoning thought he was a demon.
"Since you have turned to demonic practices, why come to The Liao Yin Immortal Realm to harm others?" Li Luoning continued.
"Me? Turned to demonic practices? It's all thanks to you. Don't understand? Let me explain,"
Li Minghan said, seeing Li Luoning's wary and puzzled expression.
"The Three Realms have a saying: 'When the Dual Pills appear, with the Floating Seal, the Three Realms unite.' You and I are twins, the carriers of the Dual Pills. From birth, we were destined to be both complementary and antagonistic. But because my Moon Shadow Pill needed to absorb yin energy to thrive, born of the world's suffering, it is full of filthy and chaotic power. Our father abandoned me in the mountains to die, while you..."
Li Minghan paused, pointing a finger at Li Luoning, his eyes fixed on him as he continued.
"Enjoyed the life that should have been half mine, living as the cherished son with our parents. But don't forget, your Chi Xi Dan absorbs the essence of the sun and moon, purifying everything. To protect you from corruption, our father abandoned me. Later, the Dragon King adopted me because of you, because of this face that looks just like yours. I was hidden in the depths of the sea, living as a shadow, your shadow! All because of you and your damned Chi Xi Dan. If not for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this,"
Li Minghan's eyes flashed with hatred as he glared at Li Luoning.
"Chi Xi Dan?" Li Luoning was stunned. He had no idea his internal core was the Chi Xi Dan.
"What? Becoming a disciple of an immortal, and you don't even know who you truly are?" Li Minghan sneered at Li Luoning's confusion, flipping his palm to reveal a blue core.
"That's... Senior Brother's core! You killed my Senior Brother?" Li Luoning recognized it immediately, his eyes trembling and his breath becoming uneven.
Senior Brother Minghan was known for his divination skills and had long foreseen his fate. When Li Luoning learned of his ascension, he couldn't understand why, but now he realized it was at the hands of another.
"Your weakling of a senior brother was right. Your master indeed sealed your memories and the Chi Xi Dan within you,"
Li Minghan said just as a powerful wave of demonic energy swept toward Li Luoning.
Li Luoning, still in shock over Senior Brother Minghan's death, didn't have time to react as the demonic energy approached.
"Master, watch out!"
Mi Xingzhe instinctively called out, stepping in front of Li Luoning. The Floating Golden Seal instinctively protected its master, blocking the attack with a golden light.
Li Minghan descended from the high cliff, took a few steps forward, and continued,
"You're incredibly lucky. Originally just a powerless person, you happened to obtain a Golden Core. Now you even have the Floating Golden Seal. But can you defend it with your current strength?" Li Minghan said, launching the first strike.
The three disciples summoned their artifacts and fought against Li Minghan. With his Moon Shadow Pill awakened and having absorbed the previous Demon Lord's demonic power, Li Minghan was formidable.
Although the three managed to hold their ground temporarily, they were clearly struggling.
Within a few exchanges, Mi Xingzhe was struck and sent flying.
"Xingzhe!" Yun Qingyi, seeing Mi Xingzhe injured, turned in concern, only to be whipped by Li Minghan, sliding several meters and coughing up blood.
"Brother Qingyi!" Mi Xingzhe, protected by the Floating Golden Seal, was unharmed. Seeing Yun Qingyi injured, he quickly ran to check on him.
At the same time, Qingyuan arrived with three hundred celestial soldiers.
"Are you alright?" Qingyuan asked, helping Yun Qingyi up with Mi Xingzhe.
"I'm fine," Yun Qingyi replied.
Li Minghan and Li Luoning broke apart after several exchanges, each returning to their sides. Li Luoning, clearly outmatched, was struggling, blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Master!" Mi Xingzhe and Yun Qingyi hurried to support him.
Qingyuan, looking at Li Minghan's face and then at Li Luoning, was confused.
"No harm," Li Luoning said.
He turned to Qingyuan, "The one who broke into the alchemy room and killed the Medicine King is him."
"Immortal Xie Yi, who is this?" Qingyuan asked, puzzled by Li Minghan's appearance.
"He is Master's twin brother," Yun Qingyi explained.
Seeing Li Luoning's reinforcements had arrived, Li Minghan smirked indifferently.
"SiTu Fanzhi is quite amusing. Three hundred soldiers, does he really think they can achieve anything? Li Luoning, do you truly believe he sent you to investigate and hold someone accountable?"
Li Minghan's eyes grew increasingly maniacal,
"But soldiers? I have my own, and quite a few at that!"
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Li Minghan summoned an iron bell and shook it twice, his face twisted in a wicked smile as he looked at Mi Xingzhe.
"Not good, Xingzhe!"
Li Luoning reacted first, rushing towards Mi Xingzhe. But no matter how fast Li Luoning was, he couldn't beat the command of the iron bell.
Upon hearing the command, Mi Xingzhe's eyes turned blood red, and he slashed at Yun Qingyi and Qingyuan with his sword. Fortunately, the two reacted quickly, dodging his attack.
"Qian Mo!" Qingyuan recognized it immediately.
As the puppet demon soldiers surged forward, Qingyuan led the celestial soldiers into battle. Meanwhile, Yun Qingyi tried to restrain Mi Xingzhe's attacks.
"Xingzhe! Wake up!" Yun Qingyi called out while dodging and retreating.
Mi Xingzhe showed no mercy, each strike delivered with full force. Meanwhile, Li Luoning was also engaged in battle with numerous puppet demon soldiers. The sinkhole became a chaotic battlefield filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and cries of agony.
Remembering his master's earlier words, Yun Qingyi dodged a horizontal sword strike from Mi Xingzhe, flipped behind him, and hooked his arm around Mi Xingzhe's neck. He then plunged a short dagger into his own chest, smearing his blood on Mi Xingzhe's forehead.
Sensing Yun Qingyi's blood, Mi Xingzhe momentarily halted, the red in his eyes flickering.
"Hmph, a minor trick."
Li Minghan observed Yun Qingyi's actions and scoffed. He shook the iron bell again, changing the rhythm.
This time, some of the celestial soldiers stopped and turned their weapons on their comrades.
"What's going on!" This unexpected turn left Qingyuan momentarily stunned, with half of his soldiers turning against the others.
"Did you really think that was all I could do?" Li Minghan sneered, raising an eyebrow.
Under the bell's command, Mi Xingzhe's eyes turned from red to black, his veins bulging, and a powerful aura enveloped his body.
Seeing this, Li Luoning rushed over and infused energy into several of Mi Xingzhe's acupuncture points.
"Don't waste your effort. The potion I used on him can't be undone by you," Li Minghan said mockingly.
"Master, what should we do?" Yun Qingyi asked, worried.
"We must stop Xingzhe quickly. The demonic power inside him is tormenting his mind. If we don't act fast, he will lose his sanity and become their puppet," Li Luoning said while fighting off puppet demon soldiers.
Seizing an opportunity, Li Luoning threw out the Immortal Binding Rope. Together with Yun Qingyi, they managed to bind Mi Xingzhe tightly. Mi Xingzhe, now completely out of control, attacked anyone near him, covered in blood from the surrounding battle.
"Master, I used my blood earlier. It can calm him temporarily but won't hold for long," Yun Qingyi said.
"Li Minghan has intensified his control, and it seems there's something else at play inside Xingzhe," Li Luoning said, struggling to hold back tears.
"Qian Mo? Heart blood... Xingzhe, Xingzhe, what should we do?" Yun Qingyi muttered, thinking hard. He then drew a dagger and plunged it into his own chest, aiming for his heart. At this moment, heart blood was the only solution he could think of.
Li Luoning produced a small cup, grabbed Mi Xingzhe's chin, and poured Yun Qingyi's heart blood into him. As the heart blood flowed in, Mi Xingzhe collapsed, unconscious. The hidden bone short sword fell to the ground unnoticed.
Yun Qingyi quickly caught Mi Xingzhe, and with Li Luoning's help, they moved him to a safe spot and leaned him against a rock.
With Mi Xingzhe secured, Li Luoning surveyed the battlefield. The clash between puppet soldiers and celestial soldiers continued, filled with cries of pain and the sound of weapons clashing.
The sinkhole had become a bloodbath, bodies and limbs strewn everywhere, the air thick with the stench of blood, and dense black smoke enveloping everything in darkness.
Li Minghan's puppets were mostly from the mortal world, some of them mere children.
Seeing this carnage, Li Luoning's heart ached. He glanced at Yun Qingyi, who was checking on Mi Xingzhe.
*If all this is due to my personal feud with him, if the Moon Shadow and Chi Xi pills truly bring disaster, then they should be destroyed. His hatred alone shouldn't bring calamity to the Three Realms. Master, Xie Yi is guilty. If sacrificing myself can end this war, so be it.*
Li Luoning thought to himself, taking one last look at Yun Qingyi and Mi Xingzhe. He waved his hand, creating a golden barrier around them.
"Master! Master, what are you doing? Let me out," Yun Qingyi called out, realizing what his master intended.
He understood his master's resolve, the look in his eyes said it all.
"Master, no! Don't do this! Master!" Yun Qingyi cried, pounding on the barrier.
Li Luoning closed his eyes in pain, taking a deep breath. He walked to the center of the battlefield, his right hand forming energy as he lightly cut his left wrist. Golden blood dripped, glowing as he drew on his forehead,
"Embody the hundred blades, Chi Xi destroys the boatmen, break!"
With a powerful invocation, an explosive wave of energy radiated from Li Luoning, knocking down all the puppets. Qingyuan paused, staring in disbelief at Li Luoning, surprised.
Equally surprised was SiTu Fanzhi, watching through a scrying device, "I didn't expect Xie Yi to have such power. I underestimated him before."
"Enough! You, for your selfish desires, have caused untold suffering in the Three Realms. If you hate me so much, take my life instead. There's no need for others to die," Li Luoning shouted angrily, glaring at Li Minghan.
Li Luoning walked towards Li Minghan, resolute. Yun Qingyi, trapped in the barrier, pounded and screamed frantically.
"Master, no, stop, please stop."
"Li Luoning, you are so righteous, playing the hero and the saint. What am I supposed to do? Your life? I don't want it. I prefer seeing you suffer, watching you helplessly witness the destruction of everything you care about. I want you to see them all die because of you!"
Li Minghan's expression twisted into madness. He glanced at Yun Qingyi.
"Qingyi!"
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