Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter Ninety-Two: Annihilation of the Demons

No story, no wine.

Li Yu felt a tinge of regret, though he also understood the situation. The first two were manageable since he had benchmarks for comparison, but the remaining two were entirely different—one from the Setting Sun Cave and the other from the True Fire Sect, lacking anyone to cross-reference with. If they intended to play word games, it would be impossible to guard against.

Besides, those two hadn't even had the chance to get their stories straight before spouting nonsense in an attempt to deceive him.

How much more so for these two?

Still, since he was putting on a show, he had to see it through to the end; whether he wanted to question them or not, he had no choice.

He interrogated them like a census taker, asking for their names, home addresses, and practically extracting even the color of their underwear.

Thus, amidst the busy questioning, time flew by.

With a single thought, Li Yu summoned the four of them before him and watched them with amused interest.

Yang Sheng and Li Luohua were both glaring fiercely at Wu Yonghao, and even Shen Limo shared the same expression. If Wu Yonghao hadn't constantly courted trouble and provoked Li Yu into making a move against them, how would they have ever been forced to leak their sect's deepest secrets?!

Although they were not foolish, it was precisely because of this that they harbored excessive concerns.

They neither wanted to reveal sect secrets nor dared to risk blurting out falsehoods that might collide with what Li Yu already knew. Consequently, mixing truth with lies, they inevitably ended up spilling actual facts.

This was the effect Li Yu had deliberately engineered.

Had these four known that, compared to Blue Star, he was more like an aboriginal from an otherworldly realm when it came to cultivation matters, they would never have uttered a single shred of truth!

They probably would have offered three parts sincere-sounding lies mixed with seven parts insincere-sounding lies.

In short, they would have passed off falsehoods as truths and never spoken a word of genuine truth!

One had to bear in mind that their minds were set with esoteric seals and restrictions; if anyone attempted malicious probing, these people would rather explode and perish than leak a single trace of true doctrine!

It was simply a pity that under a series of unexpected developments, they had chosen this path of no return of their own accord...

Alas, there were no ifs in life!!

Li Yu couldn't be bothered to watch the dog-eat-dog spectacle they were putting on. He stood up, instantly drawing the gaze of all four. Clearly, their hearts were entirely hung upon him.

"Why are you looking at me? Go on, continue?"

Li Yu asked warmly, "Just now I saw sparks flying between your eyes, truly a rare and wondrous spectacle!"

"..."

Wu Yonghao let out a cold grunt, but the piercing gazes of the other three fell upon him like blades. His back grew cold, and he felt goosebumps rise all over his skin, forcing him to look away in extreme reluctance.

After exchanging glances, they all averted their eyes and let them fall back onto Li Yu.

Clearly, aside from Wu Yonghao, the other three were sensible people who knew that the necessary questions had been asked, and now came the moment when their fates would be decided.

"Why are you looking at me? I have no desire to invite trouble upon myself!"

Li Yu spread his hands and swept his gaze over the four of them. "Or could it be that you think I have a way to bypass the methods set by your elders?"

As soon as these words were spoken, joy surged between the brows of all four. Li Yu's meaning was far too easy to understand: *I am not going to finish you off.*

And it made sense. No matter how strong Li Yu was, he belonged to the younger generation, and this mystic realm had age restrictions. Besides, if he truly were some ancient monster with heaven-shaking cultivation, there would be no need to subject them to such torture. With the strength to force his way in, he might as well have gone directly to their sects' headquarters and demanded answers—who would dare refuse?

Thinking along these lines, no matter how powerful Li Yu was, he couldn't possibly surpass the profound cultivation bases of their sects' elders. Thus, it was entirely plausible that he feared retaliation and didn't dare to deal a fatal blow.

As for whether their elders would seek revenge afterward?

That was entirely overthinking it. These four had leaked sect scandals; if the matter blew up and became public, they themselves would be held accountable!

"Alright, I'm leaving. Farewell. May our paths cross again, and may we never meet!"

With these words, Li Yu's body rose into the air as he flew out of the upper valley.

"Wait!"

The four of them felt a surge of joy, which instantly turned into shock and anger.

The bindings on them had not been lifted yet! At this moment, they were no stronger than ordinary beasts. If they were to encounter even an unranked exotic beast, all their souls would return to the netherworld together.

Seeing Li Yu depart without the slightest hesitation or nostalgia, they finally understood what "may we never meet" truly meant.

He had intended to leave them to die from the very beginning!

The only thing that gave them a shred of comfort was that if they found a safe and secluded spot, they still had a chance to slowly grind away their bindings. Once their strength returned, where couldn't they go?

"Junior Brother, look at the fine mess you've made!" Yang Sheng said, suppressing his anger.

Shen Limo chimed in, "Senior Brother, it would be one thing if your actions simply led to our demise, but what about the sect's mission? How are we supposed to face the elders who nurtured and guided us with such care?"

Accusations rained down upon Wu Yonghao, who remained tight-lipped, his face turning ashen.

Wu Yonghao knew he had become a punching bag at this moment, but he didn't dare to retort because he was afraid. If Li Yu was observing them from the shadows, he wouldn't have a single glimmer of survival left.

Even deep in his heart, a sliver of longing remained: What if Li Yu was just joking with them? What if Li Yu came back out shortly to untie their bindings?

If he talked back right now, wouldn't that just incense Li Yu?!

Unfortunately, when he caught sight of figures swooping in from the corner of his eye, it wasn't Li Yu, but the two aborigines who had been trailing behind him earlier. At that moment, Wu Yonghao understood that Li Yu had never intended to let them go.

Consumed by burning fury, he roared, "Come out, you coward who doesn't dare to show his face!"

"If you have the ability, strike us yourself!! What kind of hero relies on aborigines to do the dirty work?"

"Damn it, you talentless coward, do you only know how to skulk and cower?"

Their loud shouts and curses received not the slightest response.

The two aborigines had already arrived, carrying a thirst for blood and slaughter. Amidst the cold gleam of weapons, flashes of crimson light illuminated the scene.

The four had thought of resisting, but those beings who previously seemed no more formidable than stray chickens and stray dogs had now, with their cultivation sealed, become no different from raging floods and ferocious beasts.

"Damn it! Barbarians I could have crushed with a single hand!" Yang Sheng let out a grief-stricken roar to the heavens, but it was all in vain.

Amidst the cold gleam, one of his arms was cleanly severed.

"Using barbarians to do your killing—what a cruel heart, what ruthless methods!" Li Luohua also sighed deeply. Facing the lightning-fast attack, she only had time to duck her head before feeling a patch of dark hair drift away.

Stung by pain, Li Luohua realized that her hair had been sliced off entirely! A chunk of her scalp was missing!

"They're torturing us to death!" she screamed in horror.

It took the span of a full incense stick for the wails in the valley to slowly subside into silence.

What did it matter if they were four "demons"?

In the end, like lambs waiting for slaughter, utterly devoid of any capacity to resist, their one-sided battle ended amidst cruel torture!

Wen Xiangxuan wiped the bright crimson blood from the corner of her mouth, glanced back at the creek dyed crimson with blood, and thought to herself.

Before Li Yu dragged them into the water, these demons hadn't even unleashed their full power, but she knew very well that these demons could have thrashed her effortlessly.

Yet Li Yu, whom she followed, could thrash these demons effortlessly, and even take on multiple opponents at once. That alone spoke volumes about his strength.

When they first entered, both she and Xing Chengping had harbor misgivings because Li Yu had told them the demons inside were still completely unharmed, which felt like mounting pressure akin to a massive mountain pressing down on them.

Before entering, the two of them had even wondered if this might be a test from Li Yu. Otherwise, given his strength, there was no need for him to drag along followers who would only hold him back. But upon stepping into the valley, she noticed that these demons seemed barely able to move.

At that moment, how could the two of them fail to understand? What Li Yu had said earlier was clearly a joke; he had thoughtfully taken care of everything for them, ensuring they wouldn't face the slightest bit of danger!

*I'm so glad I chose to follow him back then!* Wen Xiangxuan felt a wave of secret delight.

Walking side by side with Xing Chengping as they flew out of the valley, she spotted Li Yu waiting outside and said, "Young Master, everything has been properly dealt with!"

Li Yu nodded. The commotion inside the upper valley had reached his ears long ago; in fact, under the coverage of his spiritual sense, he was crystal clear on every technique the two of them had used.

"Since it's done, let's go!" Li Yu said, casting one last glance back at the valley.

If there were any lingering retaliatory threats, wouldn't borrowing someone else's hands allow him to avoid them perfectly?

He let out a scoff, then inwardly let out a quiet sigh.

At the very least, Blue Star's cultivation culture was truly several stories higher than that of this otherworldly realm!

The exquisite true doctrines there—well, he could say that the application of techniques he had witnessed within the Qing Clan fell far short, unable to even catch a whiff of the horse's tail... let alone its dust.

Of course, this could only be said when comparing Blue Star cultivators to otherworldly beings; among peers of the same tier, Blue Star cultivators were stronger. Moreover, due to this shift in quality, they were capable of fighting above their rank. However, leaping up to crush someone five or six levels higher was an absolute impossibility!

To give a very simple analogy.

It was as if Blue Star cultivators were students who had mastered the formulas; during the problem-solving process, their train of thought would be clearer and easier to work through.

Otherworldly people counting on their fingers might be a bit crude, but that didn't mean they couldn't get the right answer. The process might be slightly tedious and time-consuming, but if they calculated the result, it was still a solid, genuine achievement.

Understanding this, Li Yu looked back.

When he beat those people up, even though it looked like a strapping adult bullying a toddler, that was how he treated fifth-grade cultivators of this otherworldly realm anyway. And even while bullying them, he still had to guard against whether these Blue Star cultivators were hiding knives in their sleeves or arrows in their trousers.

That was the gap between the two worlds!

*"I can use this true doctrine for cross-reference against the cultivation methods in Blue Star's cultural lore to see if they're usable!"*

Li Yu thought to himself.

That was the greatest utility these acquired true doctrines held for him!

Since those four Blue Star cultivators were so certain he wouldn't dare to study them, then he... well, actually didn't dare. What if, after learning them, he stood out too conspicuously in those people's eyes? If he ran into them back on Blue Star, that would be a total disaster.

The elders of those sects were all supreme bosses to him—existences he could neither afford to provoke nor hide from—so he wouldn't easily take such a risk.