Damn it!
What kind of outrageous words are those!
Am I that kind of person?
However, speaking of positions, there were indeed a few that weren't bad... Hehe~
Wait!
This is not the time to be thinking about these things!
Li Xuanxiao covered his face. He had let this girl lead him astray.
I, the dignified pure-love warrior, how could I have fallen to this extent?
Truly, the world is declining and human hearts are not what they used to be!
Li Xuanxiao's mind was in turmoil, but he had to steel his heart.
Although his current actions were no different from those of a scumbag.
It could even be seen as playing with someone and then abandoning them...
But being abandoned is better than losing one's life.
From his Storage Space, he took out all his silver taels and handed them to Ya Qin.
"This silver is my compensation to you. It's enough for you to live well for the rest of your life. As for what's between us... Let's end it here."
Li Xuanxiao said calmly, but his heart ached in waves. It seemed he had truly developed feelings.
Ya Qin pushed the silver away and silently hugged Li Xuanxiao: "My Lord, you don't need to feel guilty or indebted. This was all Ya Qin's willingness."
After speaking, she looked up and kissed Li Xuanxiao again.
Li Xuanxiao struggled immensely internally, but he still shoved Ya Qin away: "I'm leaving!"
Watching Li Xuanxiao's resolute departing back, Ya Qin's slender, fair, and tender fingers wiped across her lips. A purple light flashed in her eyes again.
"My Lord, you cannot escape my grasp~"
...
Li Xuanxiao shot up into the sky!
The wind howled past his ears, and the ground rapidly retreated beneath his feet.
Unconsciously, this girl Ya Qin seemed to be weighing heavier and heavier in his heart.
If he hadn't been afflicted with the qilin mark, Li Xuanxiao wouldn't have resisted staying with her.
But as he was now, anyone who stayed by his side was likely to suffer misfortune!
He couldn't harm anyone!
The more he cared, the more he had to push away.
He took a deep breath and cast aside the entanglement in his mind.
What needed to be done now was to rush to the Myriad Demon Nation as quickly as possible, and ideally meet the people from the Upper Kingdom.
Then, follow them to the Upper Kingdom.
According to what the New Demon Emperor had said, the Upper Kingdom was a very powerful human nation.
And the information sent back from the Myriad Demon Nation currently corroborated this point!
To be able to dispatch Martial Artists who could push the Myriad Demon Nation to the brink of destruction, could that be an ordinary nation?
Even if the Dayu, Qingluan, and Tianxuan nations cooperated, using the strength of their entire nations to crusade against the Myriad Demon Nation.
It would probably only manage to injure the Myriad Demon Nation's foundation at most.
What did 'brink of destruction' mean? It meant the nation was close to perishing!
Just how strong was the Upper Kingdom!
Li Xuanxiao had too many questions in his heart, but he was full of anticipation.
The stronger, the better!
The stronger they were, the greater the chance his qilin mark could be broken and erased.
Only then could he regain his "free status".
At the very least, by staying in the Upper Kingdom, he could also exert some deterrence against the Qilin Clan.
Preventing them from daring to unscrupulously come and take his life.
This would give him ample time to become stronger.
Once his strength increased to a certain level, even if the Qilin Clan came, he would no longer be afraid.
Various thoughts cycled through Li Xuanxiao's mind, but he quickly shook his head and composed himself.
The most important thing right now was to reach the Myriad Demon Nation as soon as possible and meet the long-unseen people from the Upper Kingdom.
Otherwise, all his miscellaneous thoughts and plans would be empty talk.
"Hoo—"
Taking a long breath, Li Xuanxiao's face showed determination.
He moved forward with all his might in the direction of the Myriad Demon Nation he had memorized in his mind!
...
Dayu Dynasty, Royal Court.
The King of Da Yu breathed a sigh of relief after learning Li Xuanxiao had left, complex emotions surging in his heart.
Li Xuanxiao's departure was both good and bad for him.
The man's prestige was at its Extreme, something even he, the King of Da Yu, found hard to match.
Especially among the younger generation of Martial Artists in Dayu, almost all regarded Li Xuanxiao as their leader.
They held an almost fanatical worship for Li Xuanxiao, even considering him someone worthy of sacrificing their lives for!
This kind of charisma, this kind of influence, even the King himself was intensely jealous of it.
Furthermore, Li Xuanxiao's strength could deter demons and devils, which in turn allowed the status of Dayu to leapfrog and become the leader among the Three Nations!
But simultaneously, his strength that allowed him to look down on all others also meant that Li Xuanxiao's existence posed a substantial threat to the rule of the Royal Family!
He had no doubt that if Li Xuanxiao gave a rallying cry, he could raise a powerful Martial Army.
To not mention others, just look at the Martial Artists in Pei Prefecture.
Li Xuanxiao could essentially achieve a hundred responses for every call, with countless Martial Artists willing to join his banner!
Even without raising an army, just based on Li Xuanxiao himself.
If he harbored any ambition for the throne, no one in the royal city, not a single one, could stop him!
"Fortunately, fortunately, this kid seems utterly unconcerned with these matters..."
As the King of Da Yu, he still possessed perspective.
He was willing to offer his blessings when a Martial Artist from his own nation achieved greatness.
"Li Xuanxiao, our Dayu's Martial God, take care..."
He turned and gave an order: immediately seal the news of Li Xuanxiao leaving Dayu!
Dayu temporarily still needed Li Xuanxiao's name to secure precious time for development.
Bluffing and borrowing prestige was necessary!
Since the Myriad Demon Nation incident, the Tianxuan and Qingluan nations had been frequently extending gestures of goodwill.
As the King of Da Yu, he was perfectly clear about the reasons behind this.
Li Xuanxiao's might provided sufficient deterrence to those two nations.
Even if they didn't become allies with Dayu, they certainly wouldn't dare to become enemies.
Otherwise, what if Dayu suddenly had some idea in the future?
And dispatched Li Xuanxiao over, who would unleash waves of Zen sounds and collectively'salvage' them too...
Strength, after all, was strength.
When others claimed you had a Martial God of Dayu, you had better truly have one!
But now Dayu genuinely did not have one, so they could only stall for time as long as possible.
The goodwill shown by the two nations brought considerable benefits!
They were all resources Dayu needed, and it would be foolish not to accept them!
They would only reveal the truth when they absolutely could not conceal it any longer.
...
Li Xuanxiao had left, but not entirely.
His influence remained.
The old mother at the village entrance, who had been watching with tear-filled eyes, finally awaited the triumphant return of her son that day.
The two embraced tightly: "Mother, your son is back!"
The old mother shed tears of relief, kneeling on the ground, muttering prayers to heaven: "It's good you're back, it's so good you're back. I bought you your favorite oranges. Let's go home!"
The young man naturally nodded, supporting his old mother.
The two returned together to the simple courtyard.
The old mother took out oranges wrapped in several layers of cloth from a treasured spot.
However, after unwrapping the cloth, the oranges inside had already spoiled...
The old mother felt somewhat self-reproachful, carefully peeling the good parts while muttering,
"Such good oranges, all ruined..."
The young man's eyes turned slightly red. He stepped forward and held his mother's rough hand:
"It's not that the oranges spoiled, it's that your son returned too late..."
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door.
"Excuse me, is Xu Shaoqing of the Wanzhou Martial Army residing here?"
The young man walked to the door and saw the person approaching wearing the uniform of the Demon Slaying Division. He immediately cupped his hands in salute: "I am Xu Shaoqing. May I ask who you are, Sir?"
"Who I am is not important."
The Demon Slaying Division Martial Artist took out five silver taels and handed them to Xu Shaoqing.
"Sir, my military stipend has already been distributed. This is..."
The Demon Slaying Division Martial Artist smiled: "The gold and silver rewarded to Lord Li Xuanxiao by the King, Lord Li gave it all to us to distribute among the participating Martial Artists. Every participating Martial Artist, regardless of life or death, receives a share. Survivors receive five taels, and the families of the fallen receive ten taels, prioritized for distribution to the families of those who sacrificed their lives."
Xu Shaoqing's pupils trembled. He felt a sting in his nose. He hadn't understood before why the Martial Artists of Pei Prefecture held Lord Li Xuanxiao in such high regard.
Now he completely understood; Lord Li was worthy!
He clearly earned the greatest merit and saved the lives of countless Martial Artists, yet he was so selfless as to distribute his reward to these low-ranking Martial Artists.
Lord Li Xuanxiao is worthy of the respect of all Martial Artists!
He immediately bowed deeply: "Xu Shaoqing of Wanzhou expresses deepest gratitude for Lord Li Xuanxiao's benevolence!"