Chapter 673: Separation

Author: Sanjiu YinyuWord Count: 1375

Li Qingshan's pupils suddenly constricted!

A cold glint flashed. Li Qingshan's body, with extraordinary flexibility, arched backward, narrowly dodging two of the swords. The third sword suddenly tilted, grazing his shoulder as it struck.

The silver armor blocked the blade, producing blinding sparks. Li Qingshan retreated, leaving a blur in his wake, barely escaping.

Crimson blood stained Li Qingshan's shoulder. Holding his silver spear with one hand, he stood firm on the muddy road, his gaze fixed on the three silver monsters, heavy with seriousness.

These silver monsters were of unknown origin. They possessed neither divine powers nor specific ranks, yet their speed and strength had already surpassed Tier 2, reaching the threshold of Tier 3. Li Qingshan was only Tier 2 himself; had it not been for the significant power boost from his True Self Persona, he would likely have perished under the monsters' combined assault.

As Li Qingshan expected, defeating them was impossible. The only thing he could do was buy time for the common people to escape.

The three silver monsters locked onto Li Qingshan, their smooth mercury-like feet treading the muddy ground. Their bodies rapidly transformed, sprouting additional arms from the sides of their necks and ribs. The tips of these new arms melted into sharp sword points, aiming directly at Li Qingshan.

Three monsters, eighteen arms capable of severing anything. The chilling glint reflected on Li Qingshan's face as a sense of life-and-death peril suddenly descended upon him.

As the cold gleam rapidly sliced through the air, Li Qingshan could only tighten his grip on his spear and brace himself for the inevitable confrontation.

Clang, clang, clang—!!

Four figures clashed violently. Silver light flashed across the ground as Li Qingshan, clad in his opera robe and armor, was steadily pushed back under the monsters' encirclement, accumulating more and more horrifying wounds.

Just then, two figures swiftly approached from a distance.

Colorful ink spilled onto the ground, coiling around one of the silver monsters like slithering snakes, transforming into shackles that tightly bound it. The other person pressed their hands repeatedly into the void, and light and shadow transformed into slender feathered arrows, instantly shattering the bound monster.

Instantly, Li Qingshan's pressure significantly decreased.

He looked back and saw that the newcomers were two Architects from the Floating Life Scroll. From their auras, both were Tier 3, likely just passing by and offering assistance.

Seeing this, Li Qingshan seized the opportunity, channeled his power, and actively engaged with one of the silver monsters. Spear light and sword edges rapidly clashed, their clang echoing across the sky.

"Who is this person?" one of the Architects asked in surprise, watching the valiant Li Qingshan. "To be a Tier 2 resisting the encirclement of three silver monsters..."

"I don't know," the other replied, simultaneously containing the second silver monster. "It must be another divine power wielder hidden within the Mortal Realm. By the looks of it, it's the Opera Divine Path..."

As they spoke, the two Architects had already teamed up again to kill another silver monster, turning their attention to the last one, which was still fighting Li Qingshan.

Li Qingshan caught sight of the swirling ink from the corner of his eye. He swept aside the silver monster's arm with his spear and rapidly retreated without hesitation. Almost simultaneously, the ink-snakes and light-shadow arrows flew past his temple, piercing the body of the last silver monster.

Witnessing the final silver monster fall, Li Qingshan finally let out a long breath.

His body gradually shrank, and the general's banner and armor on him vanished with the wind, returning him to his ordinary appearance. However, his clothes were now stained crimson with blood, making him look utterly disheveled.

"Thank you both for your help," Li Qingshan said, clasping his hands in a gesture of respect.

"You have good strength," one Architect nodded slightly. "Although your rank is low, you can still deal with these monsters. We are currently short-handed; come back to the main city with us."

Li Qingshan was momentarily stunned, not expecting them to directly extend an invitation. However, it made sense. The Sorcerers' Association alone was enough to give the Floating Life Scroll a hard time, and now there was a large silver army. Although these silver monsters weren't individually powerful, their sheer numbers meant the Floating Life Scroll couldn't possibly handle everything.

"This..." Li Qingshan hesitated, feeling conflicted.

"When the nest falls, no egg remains unbroken," the other Architect stated gravely. "If the Mortal Realm perishes, no one can escape unscathed. What are you still hesitating about?"

Li Qingshan did not reply.

Under normal circumstances, Li Qingshan would, of course, be willing to contribute his strength. With his homeland facing such peril, he wouldn't be a coward who shied away from battle. But...

He looked towards Liuzhen, his eyes filled with worry.

"Forgive me, both of you," Li Qingshan took a deep breath. "I still have something I need to take care of. After it's done, if I have any strength left, I will certainly assist!"

With that, he turned and sprinted towards Liuzhen without looking back.

"Hey, you!"

The Architect's face darkened as Li Qingshan turned and ran, but he didn't angrily try to stop him. Instead, he forcefully flicked his sleeve and snorted, "These opera performers are truly cowards!"

"Never mind," the other said. "He's only a Tier 2 after all. There's no need to waste so much time on him. Let's go."

The two glanced in the direction Li Qingshan had gone, then headed directly towards the Mortal Main City.

"I... I can't run anymore!"

"Let's rest, just for a bit... *cough, cough, cough, cough, cough*..."

Behind Kong Baosheng, a couple with two children sat down, panting and drenched in sweat, on a shaded rock on the dirt slope.

Seeing this, Kong Baosheng stopped running. After looking around to confirm their safety, he also sat down.

The three silver monsters had not pursued them; they were safe. However, Kong Baosheng remained worried about Li Qingshan, wondering if he had managed to escape from the monsters.

"Daddy, I'm so hungry..."

"Be patient, dear," a sweating man said softly. "We'll have food once we reach the main city..."

"Where... where have we run to?" the woman asked, bewildered.

"I don't know. We ran too fast just now and didn't pay attention to the direction."

"Then, then, what if we run into those monsters again??"

"No... we still can't rest. We'll only be truly safe when we reach the Mortal Main City!" The man made up his mind. He gritted his teeth, stood up from the rock, hoisted his three- or four-year-old daughter onto his back, and walked towards Kong Baosheng.

"Hello, do you know the way to the Mortal Main City?"

Kong Baosheng nodded slightly.

"That's wonderful!" The woman's eyes lit up with pleasant surprise. "I forgot to ask earlier... you must be heading to the main city for refuge too, right? If it's convenient, we could travel together in a group, and we can look out for each other if anything happens..."

"No, I..."

Kong Baosheng was about to explain that he was going to Liuzhen, but after a moment's hesitation, he fell silent.

In truth, Kong Baosheng hadn't particularly wanted to go to Liuzhen; from the start, he wanted to stay at the Jinghong Tower. His presence here was only because Li Qingshan had knocked him out and brought him along. If he had insisted on returning earlier, Li Qingshan would likely have been in a difficult position, perhaps even abandoning his trip to Liuzhen to escort Kong Baosheng back to the main city. Kong Baosheng knew Li Qingshan's grandmother was still in Liuzhen, and he didn't want to make things difficult for Li Qingshan.

But now, if Li Qingshan could successfully escape from the silver monsters, he could return to Liuzhen to see his grandmother and safely wait to rendezvous with Chen Ling. Whether or not Kong Baosheng went to Liuzhen seemed less important.

Kong Baosheng also considered taking the family directly to Liuzhen for refuge. However, first, they might not believe Liuzhen was safer, and second, even if they went, Li Qingshan's home might not accommodate so many people. Furthermore, everyone else in Liuzhen had already left for refuge, and there was no food to sustain them.

Kong Baosheng remained silent for a long time, casting a deep glance towards Liuzhen, then turning to look towards the main city before taking a deep breath.

"Alright, I'll take you back to the main city!"