Chapter 421: Confront the demon lord

Only seventh-rank?

Don't tell me, could it be that Jin Chi was defeated by a seventh-rank kid?

What level is seventh-rank?

Among his demon soldiers, there were hundreds of seventh-rankers, not counting his other subordinates in the demon territory of the world.

To a fifth-rank, a seventh-rank is like that; although they are not completely disregarded, it's like the CEO of a multinational corporation and a cleaning aunt working under him.

There's no way to have an equal conversation; one could even say that the people below are treated as consumables, replaceable parts.

It shouldn't be, right? This is probably just a Dao Disciple?

But it doesn't look like it either; with his Shaman Aura, he doesn't look like a Dao Disciple at all.

However, while Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord was still puzzled, he saw the seventh-rank kid actively step forward to greet him.

"This one greets the Demon Lord. It must have been hard for the Demon Lord to come here from thousands of miles away. Please, have some tea." Li Qi greeted him familiarly, sat down at a nearby table, and poured a cup of tea for Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord.

Yang Ning, who was beside him, scanned the surroundings, seemed to find it uninteresting, and said, "I'll leave this to you. Tell me the details after it's done."

"Mm." Li Qi nodded.

Shen Shuibi walked to Li Qi's side and whispered, "Li Qi, I'll go rest first. I'll be right next door."

Li Qi patted her rabbit head: "En, rest well. Leave the rest to me."

This scene left Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, who was standing nearby, dumbfounded.

What the hell?

A seventh-rank brat patting a fifth-rank's head, and that person didn't even seem offended, rather, she looked somewhat happy.

What could be the reason for this? To make such an intimate gesture, they must either be extremely close blood relatives or Dao Companions.

Is it possible? A fifth-rank and a seventh-rank becoming Dao Companions? This kind of thing is simply inconceivable.

Then it's blood relatives?

But no matter what, this person's background is definitely not simple!

Is he the Reincarnation of some Great Power? Or is he a direct descendant of a Great Dao Orthodoxy?

No, the direct descendants of Great Dao Orthodoxy are very sensible and won't easily make enemies. They are under very strict control. It is said that everyone has a Dao Protector, who, in addition to protecting their lives and preventing their Dao path from being cut short, also serves to monitor them.

Although he was somewhat surprised and uncertain, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord immediately responded, "So Your Excellency is the one who stopped Jin Chi outside and planned all these matters? Truly, heroes emerge from the young."

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord didn't truly believe that the young man in front of him had done it. He simply didn't believe that a seventh-rank could intervene in a fifth-rank battle and even contend with a sixth-rank.

But it didn't prevent him from flattering him a little.

"Demon Lord, you flatter me. These are just some theoretical discussions, not worth mentioning. Please, take a seat, and let's discuss in detail." Li Qi smiled, not saying much, just inviting Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord to sit down.

He wasn't worried about Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord suddenly attacking, because Yang Ning and Shen Shuibi were both in another room a few feet away.

A few feet, this distance is basically nothing to a fifth-rank. Even if Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord attacked, Li Qi would definitely be fine. This was his trust in Yang Ning and Shen Shuibi, and also a small test for Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord chuckled, looking like a kind old man, and nodded in response, "Indeed, after all this fuss, I'm a bit thirsty. Let's sit down then."

After saying that, he sat down, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.

Then, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's eyes moved.

After all, he was also a Legacy of a Great Dao Orthodoxy, someone who had seen and experienced things. He immediately said, "penglai immortal tea, Your Excellency is truly extravagant. For a seventh-rank, this thing must be priceless, right?"

Li Qi smiled: "It is indeed somewhat precious, but how can I neglect to entertain distinguished guests? No matter how precious it is, it is worth it."

That's what he said, but in reality, Li Qi didn't take it too seriously.

There were still three tea trees of this stuff in Teacher Zhu Fengdan's garbage pile in her courtyard. Li Qi could pluck them however he wanted. As long as he didn't pluck them to death, Zhu Fengdan probably wouldn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

At Li Qi's level, it would probably be a bit difficult to pluck them to death. The grade of those three tea trees was higher than Li Qi's.

Teacher's broad-mindedness has its pros and cons. The downside is that Teacher easily forgets you, but the good thing is that he also easily forgets other things. What he forgets naturally becomes yours. Anyway, Teacher Zhu wouldn't fuss over it with him.

And Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, naturally, could also see Li Qi's casualness.

This young man in front of him really seemed to not care about penglai immortal tea.

To avoid being suppressed in Aura and appearing like a bumpkin, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord immediately said, "It's just a pity. Although it's genuine penglai immortal tea, it doesn't seem to have been processed, and its inherent quality has already deteriorated. The gap between it and the immortal tea stir-fried by the old Masters of Penglai is still very obvious. I once drank genuine immortal tea under my Master, and its flavor was even richer. Although Your Excellency's tea is good, it is still slightly inferior."

This was a mutual display of background, an appetizer for negotiations. Both sides were demonstrating their confidence and their backing.

After listening, Li Qi honestly said, "Indeed, it's not as good. There's nothing I can do. I can't afford to invite the old tea-frying Masters from Penglai, so I can only roll up my sleeves and pick it from the tea tree myself. There's no good way to process it, so this is all I can do. I hope the Demon Lord will forgive me for the poor hospitality. Please bear with me."

This sentence choked Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord.

Tea tree?

Does he live in Penglai?

No, it shouldn't be. Although penglai immortal tea only comes from Penglai, a few plants are occasionally given away.

But... what kind of place is Penglai?

A Dao Orthodoxy Holy Land, an overseas immortal island. For Penglai to personally send tea trees over, and for them to be at his home, and for him to be able to pick them?

What kind of status is that? Could he be the direct son of some third-rank?

And on Li Qi's side, he was also secretly speculating.

He occasionally brought out penglai immortal tea to elevate his status, and no one had ever been anything but shocked.

But now, although Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord showed some shock, he could actually point out the intricacies of it, which showed that he was not some bumpkin at all, and indeed had a background.

Both sides secretly became wary, but their smiles on the surface became even more enthusiastic.

"Cough, cough, good tea. However, my subordinate, Jue Chiling, has some more questions for Your Excellency. I humbly ask if Your Excellency would mind?" Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord asked.

Li Qi immediately replied: "Of course not. The Demon Lord is a distinguished guest. What can't be asked? Please—"

"May I ask, Your Excellency, what was the reason you said earlier that I was merely accidentally involved and merely suffered collateral damage?" Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord asked kindly.

Li Qi, hearing this, showed a look of sudden understanding and immediately replied, "Oh, so that's what the Demon Lord is puzzled about. It's like this: my action this time was actually just to settle a Karma with Green Mountain God Jin Chi. The Demon Lord might not know, but his son, Jin Buhuan, and I had a past grievance, and I almost died at his hands."

"Later, I defeated Jin Buhuan, but Green Mountain God Jin Chi then attacked, trying to kill me. If it weren't for the preparations my Teacher made on me, I might have truly been buried there."

"So, this time, with the help of my friends and elders, I decided to teach him a lesson. That's why I acted, wanting to take his world and make his efforts in vain. I just didn't expect him to find the Demon Lord, which caused a lot of trouble. I apologize to the Demon Lord here."

Li Qi replied with a smile.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord heard this and sized up Li Qi.

To be honest, he only believed half of Li Qi's nonsense at most.

But this half was already enough to explain a lot of things. At the very least, the grievance part should be true, but the motive probably had reservations. If it was purely for venting, it would be impossible to persuade two fifth-ranks to help him.

Fifth-ranks are not fools, nor are they servants to be ordered around at will. They naturally have their own pride. How could they be called upon and dismissed at will for such a reason?

Even for a Great Dao Orthodoxy, the status of a fifth-rank is higher than that of those young Geniuses. Many so-called Geniuses may not necessarily grow to the fifth-rank.

Even if what he said was true, being able to command two or more fifth-ranks purely for revenge, such a background would simply make it impossible to have a conflict with Jin Chi.

So, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord then pondered and said, "So that's how it is. It's just... Jin Chi is, after all, my Senior Brother, both from the Mountain-Moving Great Sage lineage. I hope Your Excellency will show mercy after a slight reprimand, and also give Jin Chi a chance to make amends, to personally apologize to Your Excellency. Let's turn swords into plowshares, and in the future, we can meet with a smile, and perhaps even become each other's support. Wouldn't that be delightful?"

This was pleading for Jin Chi's life.

This reaction surprised Li Qi a little.

He had personally witnessed Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord turning around and leaving when the situation looked bad, and he had thought he was a cold-blooded and heartless person. He hadn't expected him to be concerned about Lu Mountain God's life at this point.

However, he didn't know that Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord, being so successful, naturally couldn't be an ungrateful person. In fact, his reputation was good, known for his 'eagerness to help others,' but he knew clearly whether something could be done or not.

In that situation, Jin Chi could no longer be saved. It was better to escape and report to the sect, perhaps even saving Lu Mountain God's true spirit.

However, since Li Qi himself hadn't intended to personally kill Jin Chi, he simply said, "That's natural. Since the Demon Lord has personally pleaded with me, there's no reason not to. It's just that Lu Mountain God has been afflicted by my secret technique. I haven't thoroughly researched this technique yet, and there's no immediate solution. He can only struggle out of it himself, but the difficulty isn't great. It should take a few hundred years for him to regain consciousness."

"A mere few hundred years, no matter. It can also be considered a punishment, letting him know Your Excellency's power, so he can be more discerning in the future." Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord immediately said, feeling a little better about Li Qi.

This person was still giving him a lot of Face. Perhaps it really wasn't a deadly feud, just a Young Master venting a bit.

The two drank tea again, exchanged pleasantries, and discussed some practical benefits.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord took charge and gave the Holy Flame World to Li Qi as compensation for Jin Chi. Li Qi naturally accepted it with a smile.

The two sides temporarily 'buried the hatchet,' flattering each other, at least on the surface, both host and guest were happy.

After the tea was refilled three times, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord stood up and said, "I've had a very pleasant conversation with Your Excellency today, but I still have important matters to attend to. I also need to take Jin Chi back and rescue a nephew, so I won't stay any longer."

"Demon Lord, please stay. How about you listen to what I have to say before you leave?" Li Qi immediately spoke to stop him.

"Oh? Please speak, Your Excellency." Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord stopped, knowing that the main event was coming.

"Demon Lord, may I ask if the Formation you used to dismantle this world cluster is primarily based on gravity?" Li Qi asked.

"Oh? Your Excellency can tell? Indeed, that is the case. I myself am a demon star, so this Formation is centered around me. The devouring power of all things links together, mutually accommodating each other. This is the essence of things, and it cannot be defied. Therefore, by utilizing this, the entire world cluster can be moved." Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord said.

"That's a truly remarkable idea. May I ask if the Demon Lord would lend me the Formation Diagram for a look? I happen to enjoy studying various different methods, just to observe." Li Qi immediately said.

To be honest, this request was somewhat impolite, but it wasn't a matter of life and death.

After all, a Formation Diagram is essentially a Spiritual Artifact. It's made by combining various Materials, with precious treasures as the core, suitable treasures as the pivots, and other various Materials as the foundation, then a Formation Master sets up the Formation to create the Formation Diagram, which can then be used directly.

Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord pondered for a moment.

The other party allowed him to take Lu Mountain God without any obstruction, probably with the intention of selling a favor first.

In that case, the bargaining chip he used to rally and command the remnants of Mount Luofu also surfaced.

Such a Formation, Mount Luofu probably no longer possessed it, but Mount Luofu urgently needed to generate income and earn more money to stabilize the situation, so they needed a Formation Diagram.

So, this seventh-rank young man in front of him used this as a bargaining chip to attract the help of the Mount Luofu remnants?

However, there was a question here: was this young man playing a trick?

A Formation Diagram is, after all, a physically existing thing. While looking at it can reveal some of its secrets, replicating one is not something that can be done just by looking.

If one could truly replicate it by just looking, then this person's ability and Formation level wouldn't even need to look; he could create a Formation Diagram based on his own foundation.

Not to mention that this Formation Diagram, in reality, had Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord himself as the core, with his demon star body serving as the core.

After much thought, Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord smiled and said, "If it's just for a look, then why not? Your Excellency, please. It's just that I'm busy with business, so I can only lend it for half an hour. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

"That's enough, that's enough. I just want to see it, why would I need half an hour? A quarter of an hour will do." Li Qi immediately waved his hand and said.

This attitude, however, left Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord somewhat confused.

A fifth-rank Formation Diagram capable of tearing apart world clusters must be extremely complex. A quarter of an hour would truly only allow for a quick glance.

Could it be that he truly had no strange ulterior motives and simply wanted to see it?

As Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord thought this, his hands did not stop. He took off his upper garment, revealing his fur-covered back.

Li Qi was stunned.

This Formation Diagram was actually carved directly onto Heaven-Devouring Demon Lord's body!

No wonder he wasn't afraid of himself taking it!