novelraw Chapter 784: Lost by Half a Move
Chapter 784: Lost by Half a Move
"Hmm, that’s fine," the Old Monster muttered as he watched Lin Feng’s every move, understanding from Lin Feng’s expression the meaning behind his words. He suddenly seemed to grasp something and stopped mentioning other matters, his eyes inadvertently sweeping over Leng Hao, clearly guessing what Lin Feng specifically meant.
Indeed, as Lin Feng had said, Leng Hao became an AAA-grade master at only eighteen years old, a talent truly outstanding. Given time, he would surely become an S-grade powerhouse. But that was not the most crucial part; what was essential was that Leng Hao was Lin Feng’s brother-in-law. With Lin Feng’s character, how could he not enable Leng Hao to make rapid progress? If given a decade or so, it was indeed possible for him to grow into someone who could succeed him.
Thinking of this, the Old Monster couldn’t help but smile happily. A decade or so was not an issue for him; after all, he had lived over a hundred years and did not care about this small period. What he cared about was someone replacing him to secure the safety of the Capital City. As for his disciple, Man Long, the Old Monster had no expectations. Unless Man Long encountered a significant opportunity, it was impossible for him to advance to the late stages of S-grade. Future hopes could only rest on Leng Hao.
"Senior, I now have a question, how were you injured? Logically speaking, that seems impossible," Lin Feng shifted the topic. He hadn’t had the chance to ask earlier and only now posed the question. Considering the Old Monster’s formidable abilities, it should have been impossible for him to be injured. So, what was the matter?
"Ah, don’t mention it. It was that youngster Li Deming, the Ancestor of Li Family who did it. By the way, it seems you have a deep grudge with the Li Family too. You not only killed Li Li but also defeated their most outstanding genius, Li Zerui, causing him to become crazed and subsequently disappear. Maybe you don’t know, but the first thing Li Deming did after emerging from seclusion was wanting to find trouble with you. If it weren’t for the rules I set before which he still fears, he might have already made a move on you,"
When Lin Feng asked this, the Old Monster sighed first and then slowly explained. He knew all of these affairs, as the Guardian God seated in Huaxia would naturally have a unique intelligence system. He told Lin Feng directly about these issues. To be honest, at this point, he didn’t know what to do anymore. He no longer had the power to suppress Li Deming. With such a situation, Li Deming would sooner or later make a move against Lin Feng.
"Yes, my grudge with the Li Family is not small, and it’s normal for Li Deming to seek trouble after emerging. However, senior, what is the matter between you and Li Deming, and what does that rule mean?" Lin Feng, upon hearing the Old Monster’s words, nodded. He wasn’t surprised that the Old Monster knew these things—a being who had been seated in the Capital City for nearly a century would certainly know them. But now, Lin Feng was more curious about what had transpired between Li Deming and the Old Monster, and what that rule was.
"That’s a long story. Decades ago, Li Deming was going to act against the four Prominent Families and wanted to let the Li Family enter the Secular World. You know, if high-level cultivators flood into the Secular World, the impact would be very bad. So, out of desperation, I approached Li Deming and under the might of the Burning Fire Sky Shaking Palm, not a single move passed. Later, I established a rule for him: if he could defeat me, I would not intervene in any of his affairs. Only, I never expected this day would actually come."
The Old Monster mentioned the incident from decades ago, as he too was helpless regarding the current outcome. He really hadn’t expected Li Deming to break through and become a late-stage S-grade expert, nor did he expect Li Deming to possess such a strange and remarkably powerful Elemental True Qi, defeating him even though it was only by half a move. He had lost, and the rule he had established was thus broken. Without any unforeseen events, Li Deming would certainly stir up a significant commotion this time, which was very troubling for him... Since he returned yesterday, he had yet to find any solution.
"So that’s how it is." Lin Feng nodded after hearing the entire story from the Old Monster. He understood the Old Monster’s current predicament, and as the Old Monster said, Li Deming, now intent on swallowing the four Prominent Families, would certainly have some significant moves to make.
"By the way, Lin Feng, if you encounter Li Deming, you also need to be careful. Li Deming has changed profoundly, having somehow mastered a rather powerful Elemental True Qi upon his recent breakthrough to late-stage S-grade. Moreover, Li Deming has also mastered an ancient Sky Severing Palm technique; I was wounded under its power. You must be cautious,"
The Old Monster, suddenly remembering that Li Deming was sure to make a move on Lin Feng, immediately warned him. While Lin Feng’s current power was indeed staggering, perhaps even stronger than his own, Li Deming had also greatly improved. The Old Monster didn’t want Lin Feng to underestimate the enemy and get hurt. Moreover, the Old Monster was more convinced of one thing: if Lin Feng fought with all his might, given his current strength and not underestimating the enemy, defeating Li Deming shouldn’t be a big problem.
"Senior, I understand. Don’t worry," Lin Feng responded after hearing the Old Monster. He thought the Old Monster’s words were reasonable. The fact that the Old Monster was so severely injured proved how formidable Li Deming had become. If they were to meet in the future, he would indeed have to be fully prepared to face him.
Just as the Old Monster was about to speak, a video call on a nearby device suddenly rang out.
"Ding-ling-ling, ding-ling-ling..."
The Old Monster got up and walked to the device, directly answering the video call. There were very few who knew of this line, so a call to this device meant there must be a big problem, which is why the Old Monster didn’t hesitate to answer. However, what he hadn’t expected was to suddenly see Nangong He on the call...
"Old Monster, it’s really bad, I’m afraid we can’t avoid this one," Nangong He said, his face pale. He sighed deeply while speaking with a heavy tone, having just received the Li Family’s ultimatum. The one month originally promised wasn’t fulfilled, and now it had become one week. This left Nangong He feeling powerless, knowing Li Deming well enough to understand he wouldn’t make such a move without being certain of his victory. Nangong He dreaded the thought that in a week’s time, the Nangong Family would face an exceedingly brutal war, something he desperately wanted to avoid.
With no other options, he could only place his hopes on the Old Monster to resolve this dire problem. Otherwise, the Nangong Family would be truly doomed. At this moment, Nangong He felt extreme helplessness, as the only person in the Cultivation World who could suppress Li Deming was the Old Monster. No one else could achieve that. Therefore, after much deliberation, he had decided to make this video call.
"What’s going on, explain clearly," said the Old Monster, seeing Nangong He’s ashen face and realizing the situation was indeed terrible. It seemed Nangong He had sustained serious injuries – if he wasn’t mistaken, it might be due to a clash with Li Deming. But considering Nangong He could still talk like this, it meant that the Nangong Family hadn’t been annexed by the Li Family yet. So what did Nangong He mean?
"Old Monster, a few days ago Li Deming came with his people to the Nangong Family. However, they temporarily retreated due to the deterrence of your Sword Qi and our family’s Xuantian Pill. They gave us a deadline of one month, but to our surprise, just now the Li Family conveyed that if the Nangong Family does not agree to a merger within a week, Li Deming will personally come and annihilate us. I’ve already been injured, and if you don’t step in, there really won’t be any hope for the Nangong Family this time."
Nangong He spoke of the desperate situation with an inevitable sense of helplessness. He was well aware of the reason why the Old Monster always stayed in Capital City, but now, with urgent matters at hand, there was no room for consideration of anything else. If the Old Monster didn’t intervene now, all hope would indeed be lost...
"Sigh, do you know that Li Deming came to me yesterday? We fought, and now he is far from the man he used to be. I even lost by half a move and got severely injured, so even if I wanted to help you, it’s beyond my ability now," the Old Monster explained.
Hearing this from Nangong He, the Old Monster sighed deeply. Li Deming had now become his equal. Although if they fought again, he wouldn’t let Li Deming ambush him successfully, the fact was, Li Deming had reached his level. Without any accidents, it was certain that Li Deming had integrated the forces of the Yu and Kong Families. With other Prominent Families’ experts by his side, even if he were to show up at the Nangong Family, he wouldn’t be of much help. Moreover, Capital City was also unstable, and it was impossible for him to leave. The situation had completely spiraled out of his control!
"What! Li Deming managed to injure you! How... how is that possible!" Nangong He, who had been sitting, stood up in shock after hearing these words, unable to believe his ears. How could Li Deming have injured the Old Monster, this...
Nangong He could never have imagined that Li Deming had reached the same level as the Old Monster, even managing to injure him. It was incredibly disbelief. No wonder Li Deming suddenly changed his stance; without the Old Monster’s pressure, no one could check Li Deming, leading him to make such a decision.
If Li Deming had indeed reached the level of the Old Monster and really came to the Nangong Family, then even using all five Xuantian Pills wouldn’t be enough to stop him. This meant there was absolutely no way out for the Nangong Family this time.
Thinking this, Nangong He suddenly felt a sense of impending doom. He had never thought Li Deming could become so formidable that even the Old Monster couldn’t contain him anymore. It seemed that the Nangong Clan, which had a legacy of hundreds to nearly a thousand years, was truly going to be destroyed on his watch, leaving him at a loss about how to face the ancestors of the Nangong Family...