Chapter 157: King of state

Chen (辰), refers to the celestial positions.

The 'Chen' in 'sun, moon, and stars' refers to the intersection points of the sun, moon, and stars in the sky at different times.

Li Qi had already reviewed this when he was in the Earth Oil Realm. (See Chapter 121 for details)

A 'Shi Chen' (时辰) refers to the time when celestial phenomena change.

This is… Grand Invoker’s ‘Qi of Chen’.

Once, when Li Qi was accepted as a Disciple by Young Master Zhu, Young Master Zhu, like the Lu Mountain God, gave the Junior something for self-preservation.

What the Lu Mountain God gave was a wisp of his Jin Qi (Metal Energy); once activated, it could summon a casual strike he had pre-arranged from Green Mountain.

Li Qi's was the Four Qi of Sun, Moon, Star, and Chen created by Grand Invoker for him, which could not only help Li Qi perceive celestial phenomena and distinguish good from bad fortune, but also be released at critical moments to save Li Qi's life.

But Li Qi never expected it to be in such a cool way.

The Qi of Chen, from within the light of the cosmos, erased the fact that the opponent had made a move, restoring everything to its original state.

The previously shattered firmament was restored, and all damage caused by the Lu Mountain God's aftershocks was completely repaired.

Just as Li Qi was stunned, marveling at the great power of the Qi of Chen, on the distant Green Mountain.

“How did my attack disappear?” The Lu Mountain God awoke from his seclusion.

He had been in seclusion for years, trying to break into the Fifth Grade, rarely appearing in the outside world, and almost never communicating, with only a few split Spirit Souls paying attention to a few children, especially Jin Buhuan.

When the Jin Qi (Metal Energy) on Jin Buhuan's body was activated, he almost immediately awoke from his secluded state.

Then, he clearly saw his attack being nullified.

“Neutralized? Someone is protecting him? An unfamiliar Qi, not that old fellow.” The Green Mountain Mountain God frowned. He sensed it, and it wasn't the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord.

Did another Sixth Grade… or even a Fifth Grade make a move?

He hadn't clearly seen how his attack disappeared just now; that wisp of Qi dissipated very quickly, and now it couldn't be traced.

Someone wants to interfere with matters here?

That Junior…

Jin Chi looked into the distance, and through a spell, he clearly saw Li Qi standing there in a daze.

He reached out his hand.

This was no longer a casual strike.

He wanted to capture Li Qi alive and ask who wanted to meddle in the affairs of Green Mountain Country.

With that thought, he stretched out his hand.

Jin Qi (Metal Energy) condensed into a large hand, crossing two thousand miles in an instant, and directly rushed towards Li Qi!

Li Qi only then came back to his senses and smiled.

He didn't even bother with the large hand that was approaching him.

Instead, he easily drew his Tang blade and walked to the unconscious Jin Buhuan.

In front of the Lu Mountain God, he struck down with one blow.

“You scoundrel, how dare you!” The Lu Mountain God was furious and shocked.

He had already made a move, yet this person was still so arrogant!? Did he really want to fight him to the death?!

A mere Ninth Grade Junior, even with a backer, how could he dare to do such a thing? Forming an enmity with him, wouldn't that be a dead end? Where did a Ninth Grade Junior get such courage?

But no matter what, the Green Mountain Mountain God no longer held back his strength to capture him alive, but instead directly accelerated, wanting to slap Li Qi to death before he could act.

Compared to capturing him alive, his son's life was more important.

That large Jin Qi (Metal Energy) hand tore through the sky.

Then, floating clouds surged.

In the sky, a palace suddenly appeared.

The palace was luxurious, with red-garnet glazed tiles, lacquered axes of exotic splendor, brocade drapes hanging from its halls, carved flying immortals winding around, willows and elms lining the path, reflecting the distant mountain scenery, shirt shadows and whip silks, silver light and white ash, and an azure firmament, as if in a painting.

Internal Energy green vines grew and withered, flowers bloomed and fell, jade dew pearls rounded the twin towers, and the Milky Way flowed with light.

Exotic beasts roamed around, one could see:

To the left were aquatic creatures, including snakes, pythons, tortoises, and turtles, with distinct shells, as well as brocade carp, salamanders, and pearl stingrays, fish-tailed creatures, swimming without water, all suspended and swaying, on the left side of the palace, like scenery.

To the right were avian creatures, including parrots, fish owls, and doves, appearing naive and lovable, as well as owls, white ravens, and wind falcons, fierce birds of prey, incomparably violent, all circling the palace with outstretched wings, on the right side of the palace, like guards.

The palace stood majestically, in the center of the sky, and below it, all mountains bowed down, and clouds converged for thousands of miles.

It was said that the sky outside the palace was like water, and the palace was the sky within the water.

This palace happened to block the path of the large hand extended by the Lu Mountain God.

The two collided with a thunderous boom.

Like a million mighty lions roaring simultaneously, or a Heavenly God wielding furious thunder, lashing down upon the human world, a hurricane pressing in, threatening to surge upwards.

Jin Chi struck with all his might, shattering the Dragon waterfall, snow dancing in mid-air, instantly clearing thousands of miles of clouds, purifying the azure sky, revealing a sense of vastness and grandeur, incomparably magnificent.

However, this strike was blocked; apart from the spectacular aftershock, all other power had no effect, being completely dissolved.

In that instant of being blocked, Li Qi's blade edge had already arrived.

The blade edge was sharp; there was almost no sense of obstruction as it swept in a circle.

Jin Buhuan, beheaded.

His Spirit Soul seemed to want to escape his body, but Li Qi activated the Evil Qi (煞气) within the blade, and with a push of the Evil Qi (煞气), the Spirit Soul was stirred into pieces.

It wasn't quite Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, but there were no memories left either.

“You rat!!! You—!” Jin Chi roared in fury, his voice booming! Even Li Qi heard it!

But the killing intent and power contained within were lightly blocked by that palace.

“Jin Chi, a dignified Sixth Grade, why bother getting angry with a Junior? For a conflict among Juniors, if an Adult intervenes, wouldn't it seem petty?” A lazy voice came from within the palace.

However, though the voice was lazy, one could still hear the pleasure and comfort within it.

He must be in a very good mood.

“This Junior killed my beloved son, I must kill him. Green Mountain Kingdom Lord, please step aside, otherwise, don't blame Jin Chi for being impolite.” The Lu Mountain God condensed his Dharma Body; above Green Mountain, a majestic White Tiger Dharma Idol appeared, confronting the palace from two thousand miles away.

“Alas, although Jin Buhuan's Spirit Soul is shattered, it has not been annihilated. Jin Chi, if you retrieve it now and cast it into Reincarnation, you can still have a son after a hundred years. Now, you insist on fighting for Face; if his Spirit Soul is completely extinguished, then you will truly have no son.” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord sighed.

Then, he stretched out a hand, and saw Jin Buhuan's already shattered remnant Spirit Soul being grabbed by him: “You acted without permission, I won't hold it against you. Take it; with your wealth, bribing a few Yin Messengers is not difficult. Although your son's memories are gone, other things can still be salvaged.”

“Or rather, do you insist on making things difficult for a Junior here? Haven't you noticed that the very first strike just now wasn't blocked by me?” The lazy voice of the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord disappeared, replaced by a serious reply to Jin Chi.

This was a threat.

If Jin Chi insisted on acting here, he would Face a siege.

Because Li Qi had already proven that he indeed had someone behind him.

Although that person wouldn't actually care about him.

However, Jin Chi didn't know, and even the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord didn't know, that the Qi of Chen caused no destruction whatsoever, and besides Li Qi, there was hardly any Qi, so it just felt ordinary, merely blocking Jin Chi's casual strike.

Both of them firmly believed that if they were to truly make a move, a third party would definitely intervene in the battle, turning the current situation into a two-on-one.

That wisp of Qi just now couldn't be faked.

This was the situation of two tigers fighting, turning into three tigers vying for supremacy.

And it was Li Qi's chance for survival.

Although Li Qi knew that, for his teacher, there was absolutely no need to intervene.

If the conflict between Ninth Grade Juniors was like kindergarten kids fighting, then a Fifth or Sixth Grade intervening would be petty, embarrassing, like rushing to school to beat up the other child.

Then, for Grand Invoker, even if a Fifth Grade intervened, it would at most be like a senior kindergarten student bullying a newly admitted kindergarten student; if he had to personally protect him, that would be even more embarrassing.

Moreover, Li Qi felt that it was highly likely he didn't even know what was happening here.

This person didn't seem like someone who would constantly monitor him… more likely, he was left to fend for himself.

On the other side, holding Jin Buhuan's remnant Spirit Soul, Jin Chi gritted his teeth.

But although he was greatly destructive and usually tyrannical, he was not foolish.

So, he held the remnant Spirit Soul and turned to leave.

The most urgent matter was to first find a familiar Yin Messenger and send his beloved son into Reincarnation.

This way, there was still a chance for salvation.

The White Tiger Dharma Idol dissipated, but before leaving, he looked deeply at Li Qi, as if to remember his appearance and Qi completely.

Li Qi naturally knew these things.

However, he was not nervous, because so far, everything was within his calculations.

Of course, he also understood that if things got out of control and were not within his calculations, he would most likely suffer a major setback.

But there's no helping it, what can always succeed?

Man proposes, God disposes, that's all.

Fortunately, luck was very good this time; nothing went wrong, and everything played out according to his script.

So he easily collected Jin Buhuan's corpse, cut off his head, hung it separately at his waist, and then dug a pit to bury the body.

He didn't touch any of the inheritance; he left it all to be buried with him.

However, those two wisps of Jin Qi (Metal Energy) were still suppressed within Li Qi's body; although they couldn't be taken out for now, Li Qi gladly accepted them.

And the reason he took the head was simple: the task wasn't finished yet.

Killing a single Jin Buhuan was not enough.

To kill a person, one must strike at their heart.

After finishing these tasks, Li Qi looked up at the magnificent palace floating in the sky.

It's truly enormous; one palace is comparable to the entire Qingwu City.

It's just… where do these people usually stay? Outside the realm? How many realms can withstand these people's antics?

If the world were full of such powerful men, it wouldn't be long before this world would be shattered by them, right?

Because Li Qi noticed that when the two of them fought, they clearly held back, preventing the aftershocks from reaching the ground and harming the innocent.

Presumably, there were some restrictions. If such powerful individuals could act freely, then although this world is vast, how many inches of land would remain intact?

As Li Qi pondered these things, a voice came from the palace in the sky: “Li Qi… is that right?”

“That is indeed this Junior. Greetings, Green Mountain Kingdom Lord.” Li Qi heard this and immediately bowed.

“Such courage, to dare to gamble like this. To uproot the Jin family's influence in Qingwu City overnight, you are much stronger than that fox I raised. She wasted a hundred years in Qingwu City, only allowing these Jin family forces to grow stronger, whereas you handled it swiftly.” The voice from the palace said kindly to Li Qi.

“It’s not the Qingwu Sect Master's fault. To bring down Jin Buhuan, the crux lies with the Green Mountain Mountain God himself. If not for the great power behind me today, the matter would likely not have been easily resolved. Ultimately, it’s because of me, this variable, and not because the Sect Master is incompetent. If the Sect Master were truly incompetent, how could I have gathered those forces overnight and suppressed Jin Buhuan’s other helpers?” Li Qi straightened his back and replied earnestly.

“You speak logically, but it doesn't change the fact that you did indeed do well. To persuade forty-five families overnight, and even run to the Qingwu Sect, setting aside everything else, just this eloquence and thick skin are enough to boast about.” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord praised.

“Your Highness exaggerates,” Li Qi replied.

“However, I have one question: Why did you make a move? Don't try to deceive me with nonsense; I am not Hu Xian'er.” The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord asked again.

“You and I both know, if it were for righteousness, then there are so many unrighteous things in the world, would you risk your life for every single one? There are so many things in the world, can you manage them all?”

Li Qi chuckled and shook his head.

Speaking to people in human language and to ghosts in ghost language, previously, to persuade the Qingwu Sect Master, he spoke of interests, convincing Hu Xian'er that he was doing this for profit.

However, it was clear that the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord did not believe this explanation.

So, Li Qi answered the other party seriously this time: “This Junior has a scale in his heart, weighing gains and losses, judging right and wrong, to decide how to act.”

“There are so many unjust and unrighteous things in the world; some I can manage, some I cannot, some I am not qualified to manage. This is natural, so if things are like this in the world, should one just ignore them?” Li Qi retorted.

“If we ignore them, then why should we cultivate? Life and death are natural, why cultivate to resist them? Injustice and unfairness are also naturally existing, why should there be human intervention?”

Li Qi replied.

“Currently, my cultivation is low, so I manage affairs within my capability. When my cultivation becomes profound, I will manage more affairs.”

“There are so many things in the world; of course, I cannot manage them all. Sometimes, some things happen right in front of me, but my ability is insufficient, and I cannot manage them. But no matter how many or how difficult these things are, they are not reasons to stand idly by for other things.”

“Why does Your Highness only see that there are so many things in the world that cannot be done, but cannot see that there are so many things in the world that can be done?”

Li Qi looked up at the palace and solemnly stated his answer.

Yes, why only see “so many things that cannot be done,” but not “so many things that can be done.”

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord laughed heartily upon hearing this, but said nothing more.

And Li Qi continued to answer: “I once heard a saying, ‘Do not fail to do good because it is small.’ My heart's scale believes this matter can be done, so I do it. If it hasn't reached that line, then I don't do it.”

Upon hearing this, the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord finally showed a hint of interest. He opened his mouth and asked, “Interesting, then how do you determine this line?”

“If it can be done conveniently, then do it. If it requires a price, then weigh it again; one cannot generalize.”

The Green Mountain Kingdom Lord asked again: “What if two matters conflict, and you truly cannot resolve them?”

Li Qi heard this question and spread his hands: “Then I just don't manage it. My acts of righteousness come from my heart, and it's not a task forced upon me that I must complete. What can happen if I don't do it?”

The voice of the Green Mountain Kingdom Lord penetrated the palace: “Hahaha! Interesting, interesting, a Junior like you has boundless prospects! I wonder what kind of Parent could raise such a Disciple. If you didn't already have a master, I would even want to take you as a Disciple.”

“However, even if I don't take you as a Disciple, simply for your help in eradicating the Jin family's influence, it’s enough for me to reward you. What do you want? Just say it!”