"Of course I want to live. What does Daoist Cao want me to do?"
Li Changâanâs expression remained unchanged as he asked casually.
Soon, Cao Shaolinâs cold voice came again.
"If you want to live, then cooperate with me. Pretend youâre heavily injured and get Zheng Qingqing to come save you. Then, ambush her. As long as you succeed, I can spare your life!"
He had long since learned from Zheng Lingfeng.
That Li Changâan and Zheng Qingqing had an unusual relationship.
They were most likely lovers.
Therefore, in todayâs scheme, he had intended to use Li Changâan all along.
If Li Changâan cooperated willingly, that would be for the best.
If he didnât cooperate...
Then they would focus all their efforts on killing him, using him to affect Zheng Qingqing and force her to be distracted.
Hearing this, Li Changâan replied casually.
"Daoist Cao, the Young Miss has been a close friend of mine for many years. How could I possibly turn on her just because of your promise?"
His nonchalant reply immediately angered Cao Shaolin.
He said coldly, "Fine. Since youâre so determined to die, Iâll grant your wish!"
The moment his voice fell.
The two Puppetsâ attacks suddenly became incomparably fierce.
The Puppets that appeared this time were all attack-focused. The offensive power of these High-quality Puppets had already reached the limits of Tier One.
Comparable to an old monster who had accumulated power at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer for many years!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Li Changâan controlled the Defense Puppet, fighting one against two, and seemed to be in constant peril.
Before long.
One of the Puppets broke through the Defense Puppetâs blockade.
And charged toward him!
At the same time.
Cao Shaolinâs voice rang out once more.
"Li Changâan, Iâll give you one more chance. As long as you cooperate, not only will I spare your life, but I can also give you a position as an honored retainer of the Cao Family! Youâre not even a member of the Zheng Family, why throw your life away for them?"
"Daoist Cao, with an attitude like that, you make it really hard for me to trust you."
Li Changâanâs tone was still relaxed, with no hint of urgency.
He replied calmly, "Daoist Cao, how about you swear an oath on your Dao Heart and promise you wonât kill me?"
"Hmph!"
Cao Shaolin snorted coldly.
An oath on oneâs Dao Heart was a serious matter.
If one were to carelessly break such an oath, it would lead to a backlash, or even the birth of a Heart Demon.
He had no intention of making such an oath for a minor character like Li Changâan.
"Truly stubborn! Li Changâan, Zheng Qingqing might not die today, but you most certainly will!"
The attack Puppet, under his control, came whistling through the air.
A ferocious aura washed over them, as if it would destroy everything!
"Kid, be careful!"
Not far away, Zheng Songfeng watched anxiously and shouted out in haste.
Li Changâan smiled. "Donât worry, Elder Zheng. I wonât die that easily."
His figure flickered.
Like a phantom, he instantly dodged the Puppetâs attack, leaving only an afterimage in his place.
This astonishing Speed left Zheng Songfeng and the others dumbfounded.
Cao Shaolin was also stunned for a moment.
He quickly recovered, the killing intent in his voice growing even stronger.
"Good, good, good! No wonder you were so confident. So youâve cultivated an Escape Technique. But inside my Array, where can you possibly escape to? Iâd like to see how long you can keep dodging!"
As everyone knew.
No matter how good an Escape Technique was, one still needed space to use it.
Back then, the Third Boss of Black Wind Mountain, relying on his unparalleled Escape Technique, thought he could easily kill Li Changâan, only to fall into an Array.
Now, Li Changâan was facing the same situation.
The Black Cloud Sealing Heaven Formation had already sealed off this area.
He could only weave and dodge within an extremely narrow space, repeatedly evading the Puppetâs attacks. It looked like he was in constant peril, and several times, it seemed as if he had been torn to shreds.
But when everyone looked closely, they realized it was just an afterimage he had left behind.
Meanwhile.
Cao Shaolin sent a Sound Transmission to Zheng Qingqing.
"Heh heh, Zheng Qingqing, your little lover is about to die. Arenât you worried?"
âLover?â
Zheng Qingqing froze for a moment.
She glanced at Li Changâan not far away with a strange look in her eyes.
âSo thatâs how it is...â
She had felt that something about todayâs situation was strange, and now she finally understood.
After all.
Although Cao Shaolin was an enemy of the Zheng Family, none of this had anything to do with Li Changâan.
Before today.
The two of them had barely even interacted.
Why would he prepare two Tier One Peak Puppets in advance to deal with Li Changâan?
Zheng Qingqing had just been wondering about this, but after hearing him speak, she immediately put the pieces together.
"It seems that fool, Zheng Lingfeng, misled you."
"Zheng Lingfeng? I have nothing to do with him."
Cao Shaolin denied it outright.
Zheng Qingqing said no more. With a cold expression, she unleashed her Fire Daoist Skill, once again bombarding the five Puppets surrounding her.
RUMBLE!
Under her terrifying assault.
The auras of the five Puppets grew weaker and weaker.
A moment later, the Five Elements Mutual Generation Array they were maintaining was forcefully broken!
The next instant.
Zheng Qingqing flicked her long whip, creating a sonic boom.
The crimson whip, like a venomous snake, instantly pierced through the body of one of the Puppets.
BOOM!
Searing Magical Power surged, erupting from the long whip.
The Puppet instantly exploded into pieces.
It turned into countless broken components, scattering all over the ground.
âHow could she be so fast?â
Cao Shaolin was shocked once again.
Zheng Qingqingâs speed in breaking the Five Elements Puppet Array far exceeded his imagination.
In the blink of an eye.
Another Puppet exploded!
After losing the Five Elements Array, they couldnât block Zheng Qingqing at all.
Their Tier One Peak strength might be considered extremely powerful to an ordinary Loose Cultivator, but in front of Zheng Qingqing, they were like paper tigers!
âDamn it, Zheng Lingfeng really is an idiot! He had no idea of Zheng Qingqingâs true strength!â
Cao Shaolinâs face was ashen as he cursed inwardly.
Todayâs encirclement and assassination plot.
Was something he and Zheng Lingfeng had discussed for a long time before finalizing.
Because Zheng Qingqing rarely made a move, few people even within the Zheng Family knew her actual strength, let alone the Cao Family.
When Cao Shaolin had asked about Zheng Qingqingâs strength...
Zheng Lingfeng had said, "Zheng Qingqing is only a little stronger than me."
He was, after all, the second young master of the Zheng Family.
Ranked second among the younger generation, second only to Zheng Qingqing.
The talent they showed when they were young was similar, and the Cultivation Immortality resources they received later were also nearly identical. The only difference was that Zheng Qingqing occasionally went out to gain experience.
Logically, the difference in their strength shouldnât have been that great.
Seeing his confident and earnest appearance, Cao Shaolin had believed him.
The Five Elements Puppets today were created by him after spending countless resources, and they were designed to be several times stronger than Zheng Lingfeng.
There shouldnât have been any mishaps.
And yet...
Not long after it began, the situation had spun out of control!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three explosions rang out in quick succession.
The remaining three Puppets exploded one after another, becoming a pile of fragmented materials and components on the ground.
Zheng Qingqing, holding her long whip, her aura undiminished, moved. She transformed into a streak of fire, appeared before Li Changâan in an instant, and lashed out with her whip at the Puppet that was chasing him.
With a RUMBLE, the Puppet was instantly whipped into pieces.
Li Changâanâs eyelids twitched as he watched.
âThe Young Miss really hides her strength well.â
If that whip had struck him, he likely would have exploded on the spot as well.
The situation was now settled; there would be no more surprises.
Li Changâan relaxed.