Regarding the Choice of Last Words

Li Qinghai chose to defend the small fishing village.

Of course, before delivering his last words, he needed to make some gestures to emphasize them.

Li Qinghai slowly raised his head, looking at the approaching Yin Laomo, and spread his arms wide.

He let the fierce wind blow through his long hair.

He let the heavy rain beat against his face.

A voice full of righteousness echoed.

"The small fishing village is where I grew up. If you want to destroy my home, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

Cultivators have senses far beyond ordinary people.

Even though Li Qinghai didn't speak loudly, Yin Laomo in the sky heard it clearly.

"Hehehe..." Yin Laomo stared at Li Qinghai, laughing sinisterly.

"What a righteous young man. But I, the old devil, despise people like you the most. You and Jian Jiu both make me sick. I'll start with you as an appetizer!"

With a wave of his large sleeve, a massive wave behind him transformed into a giant water serpent, rushing straight at Li Qinghai.

Li Qinghai's lips curled slightly as he slowly closed his eyes.

Jian Jiu, who was in hot pursuit, didn't have time to speak. With a sword gesture, his treasured sword flew forward.

With a slash, the serpent's head was severed.

The seawater fell like a torrential downpour.

Even though the spell was broken, the aftermath was not something a mere mortal like Li Qinghai could withstand.

Li Qinghai felt as if a heavy hammer had struck him hard.

Yet he didn't feel any pain.

This made Li Qinghai very satisfied.

With a thud... Li Qinghai was sent flying backward, spitting a mouthful of blood.

With a heavy crash, he landed on the beach.

His body lay straight, completely unconscious.

Jian Jiu's figure flashed, landing in front of Li Qinghai.

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With a stretch of his hand, the sword flew back into his grasp.

"Yin Laomo, as long as I'm here, you won't harm him a bit!"

Yin Laomo's eyes narrowed slightly, forming a plan.

"Jian Jiu, I'm curious. If you had to choose between protecting him and killing me, what would you choose?"

Jian Jiu frowned.

He understood the implication of Yin Laomo's words.

If he wanted to pursue and kill Yin Laomo, he wouldn't have time to care for the young man before him.

Conversely, if he stayed here to protect the young man, he would have to let Yin Laomo go.

Jian Jiu glanced at Yin Laomo in the sky, then looked down at the unconscious Li Qinghai.

The image of Li Qinghai sacrificing himself for righteousness seemed to appear before him again.

Seeing Jian Jiu's hesitation, Yin Laomo knew the outcome.

"Jian Jiu, it seems you've made your choice."

Yin Laomo let out a long sigh and was about to leave.

Yet he felt a sense of frustration.

So he left a harsh remark.

"Jian Jiu, you've hunted me for three days and nights. This grudge, I, Yin Laomo, will surely repay in the future."

Even so, Yin Laomo still felt uneasy.

After all, even after hundreds of years, he estimated he would still struggle to be Jian Jiu's match.

Seeing the young man Jian Jiu was protecting, he found a new target for his anger.

"Jian Jiu, you'd better protect that kid well. Before I kill you, I'll use him as an appetizer first. Hahaha..."

Finally feeling satisfied, Yin Laomo laughed wildly and flew away.

If Li Qinghai were awake at this moment, he would surely be delighted to hear Yin Laomo's words, and would probably clasp the old devil's hand, calling him a great person.

Jian Jiu watched Yin Laomo disappear into the distance without saying much.

To him, only the weak are verbose.

Then, Jian Jiu crouched down and immediately saw that Li Qinghai's injuries were quite severe.

However, in the eyes of a cultivator, such injuries were nothing.

With a thought, a bottle of pills flew out from his storage bag.

He took one and fed it to Li Qinghai.

Then he used spiritual energy to clear the blocked meridians.

Li Qinghai's pale face regained some color.

Subsequently, Jian Jiu murmured.

"You remind me a bit of my younger self, willing to risk life and death for friends and family.

It's been years since I've seen someone as pure as you.

Exchanging Yin Laomo's life for yours is no loss.

Because I believe, in the future, you could slay hundreds, even thousands of Yin Laomos without breaking a sweat."

For once, a rare smile appeared on Jian Jiu's usually stern face.

It was clear that he was quite satisfied with Li Qinghai.

"You've been buried in this small fishing village, come, I'll take you to cultivate immortality!"

Jian Jiu slowly floated up, his sleeve wrapped in spiritual energy, lifting Li Qinghai.

The flying sword landed beneath their feet, and they soared into the distance.

***

Three days later.

Jian Jiu brought Li Qinghai to the sky above a vast mountain range.

These mountains below were known as the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, the territory of the Azure Cloud Sect.

All the mountains were divided into four regions based on the concentration of spiritual energy.

The outer region, filled with houses, was home to tens of thousands of outer disciples.

In the inner region, although most residences were still houses, some places had caves. This was where thousands of inner disciples lived.

The core region was the heart of the sect.

Here, one could see many grand halls, such as the Pill Refining Chamber, Artifact Refining Hall, Library Pavilion, and so on.

Around these core halls, many caves were opened up in the surrounding mountains.

Those who lived in these caves were all core figures of the sect, such as the sect master, elders, and core disciples.

As for the fourth region, it was the sect's forbidden area.

Such places were beyond the reach of ordinary disciples.

Jian Jiu was one of the elders of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Thus, upon entering the Ten Thousand Mountain Range, he didn't stop, flying directly into the core region.

Soon, the flying sword landed on a peak shrouded in spiritual energy.

Every cultivator has their preferences, and their way of opening caves varies.

Most sect cultivators prefer to open caves within the mountain, setting up formations for an ideal cultivation spot.

But Jian Jiu was different; his cave consisted of a few simple wooden huts on the peak, looking quite modest.

Jian Jiu landed and put away his flying sword.

He glanced back at Li Qinghai.

Li Qinghai, still wrapped in spiritual energy, remained unconscious.

Though his internal injuries had healed, his soul had been shaken.

Soul recovery is slow, requiring several days of rest before waking.

Jian Jiu then carried Li Qinghai into a small hut, placing him on a wooden bed.

Jian Jiu sat by the bed, and a communication token flew from his storage bag, floating before him.

"Senior Brother Sect Master, come to the hut for a meeting."

After sending the message, he waited for a moment.

A middle-aged cultivator, slightly older than Jian Jiu with graying temples, entered the hut.

He was the current sect master of the Azure Cloud Sect, Liu Daoyuan.

Liu Daoyuan walked to Jian Jiu's side and immediately noticed Li Qinghai on the bed.

With a brief inspection, he found only a mortal.

"Junior Brother Jian Jiu, why did you bring a mortal back?" Liu Daoyuan asked, puzzled.

"Though he's a mortal, he has a pure heart, willing to sacrifice himself for others. In my eyes, he surpasses countless cultivators," Jian Jiu replied earnestly.

Hmm?

Liu Daoyuan was quite surprised.

He hadn't expected Jian Jiu to hold such a high opinion of this young man.