The higher-ups started worrying because once their sect became a target, destruction wouldnât be far.
âYou did this! You opened the portal and put the sect in a precarious situation. This is a serious offense that should be heavily punished!â Huang Ning claimed. He took this chance to implicate Li Qiye again.
âYou probably joined us in order to reach the peak. Now, I think the chance of you being a spy is more and more likely.â Zhan Hu glared at Li Qiye.
All eyes were on Li Qiye now. The peak lords didnât say anything yet.
âWhat is everyoneâs opinion on this?â An elder broke the silence.
The majority was deep in thoughts due to the ominous future.
âDonât bring up this dumb idea again.â The bodhi king spoke: âZhang Yue already said that the young master is not a spy. Love and hate are parts of life. However, a man should not resort to treachery and wretched means nor should he be petty. I can see that youâre dissatisfied with the young master and wishes to push him towards deathâ¦â
âMaster, I, I donâtâ¦â Huang Ning denied it right away.
The bodhi king waved his hand and continued: âStop, itâs normal for a cultivator to have murderous intent but lacking the courage to admit this is downright pathetic. No point in cultivating then, youâre not worthy of being my disciple.â
Huang Ning shut up right away.
âI have no criticism of you wanting to kill the young master, no need to hide this. But be a man, a seeker of the dao while doing so. Challenge him right now, then defeat and kill him. Do so and Iâll shoulder the consequences. If you were to lose, then you can only blame yourself for being weak and foolish.â The bodhi king powerfully declared, surprising the crowd in the process.
In DIvine Black, the seniors didnât want to encourage disciples from fighting and killing their peers. They preferred harmony and peace. This wasnât the case for the bodhi king.
Others werenât in a position to say otherwise because Huang Ning was the bodhi kingâs disciple. He had the right to take charge.
âWell said, old geezer.â Li Qiye became amused and stared at Huang Ning: âA man should indeed act like that. Very well, if you want to kill me, I will accept your challenge.â
Huang Ning was left in a tough spot because his plan was revealed. He naturally wanted to kill Li Qiye. The problem was, he was actually afraid.
The guy might only be a Bronze Tendon but he had done too many insane things before. Huang Ning just didnât have any confidence unlike early on.
The bodhi king actually gave him a perfect opportunity to kill Li Qiye. Unfortunately, he lacked the courage.
He only had two choices right now - either to admit fault or to actually fight Li Qiye to the death.
No seniors would stop him in these circumstances with the exception of Ping Suoweng.
A few elders and protectors stared at Suoweng, hoping for a response. He calmly said: âThe sect will not interfere when it is an official duel between the two parties.â
Huang Ning hesitated again. He glanced over at Gong Qianyue. If he could kill Li Qiye now, then his future would be so bright. But what if Li Qiye still had some devilish means left⦠His mind circled countless times with hesitation.
âThis is an official duel but who knows what kind of witchery you will pull?â Zhan Hu instigated.
âRight.â Huang Ning nodded and loudly said: âCrooked methods and devious arts are unguardable. A disciple of Divine Black should fight using its merit laws.â
The bodhi king frowned after listening to Huang Ning.
âNo courage at all.â Li Qiye smiled: âFine, one chance, the two of you can come together. Donât tell me that youâll back out of this too.â
Zhan Hu and Huang Ning exchanged glances. They would have zero confidence in a one-on-one fight but the two of them together? The probability of success greatly increased.
âOnly using the merit laws of Divine Black.â Huang Ning said, wanting to limit Li Qiye.
âSo be it, Iâll just be using Tortoise Fist, thatâs enough to kill the two of you.â Li Qiye smiled.
âYou!â Huang Ning didnât like the blatant disrespect but Zhan Hu pulled him back. The latter stared at Li Qiye and said: âKeep your words, youâll only be using Tortoise Fist, nothing else.â
This was a rather extreme demand. The elders and protectors thought that they wouldnât be able to display that much power using this technique.
âYes, just Tortoise Fist. Is this handicap enough for you two? If not, then keep hiding in your shell and stop walking around the sect.â Li Qiye didnât mind.
The spectators couldnât believe it. Li Qiye actually agreed to this?
Ping Suoweng didnât say anything. The bodhi king seemed to be deep in rumination. Iron Whip Demon King had a cold expression. Mountainbearer King seemed very interested in this fightâ¦
Zhan Hu and Huang Ning thought about it for a bit before nodding.
âFine, weâll take you on.â They both accepted.
The odds couldnât be better than this. There was no way the two of them wouldnât be able to beat him.
Remember, they had plenty of treasures on top of being enlightened beings. On the other hand, Li Qiye could only use Tortoise Fist.
They couldnât possibly come up with a losing scenario. Li Qiye couldnât be that devilish. A Bronze Tendon cultivator using Tortoise Fist had no offensive potential to speak of.
This was their chance to eliminate the threat that has been looming in their mind.
âAlright, at sunrise tomorrow. Thatâll be your last moment.â Li Qiye smiled and left with Gong Qianyue.
âI donât know about this.â One protector was confused.
âTortoise Fist alone? Seems impossible.â An elder replied.
They thought that Li Qiye could definitely kill these two using other methods, just not Tortoise Fist.
However, the master and father of two combatants didnât try to stop this. Their sect master gave permission as well. No one else could say anything.
Most were surprised at Li Qiyeâs confidence. They found it hard to see how Li Qiye could survive against these two.
âThe brat is utterly inscrutable, everything is possible. This is no big deal compared to reaching the top of the ancestral peak. Mere childâs play.â The chief elder said.
His peers exchanged glances and found this plausible. A miracle might occur during the incoming duel.