He had initially grasped the patterns of the Law of Order and was also aware of Monk Changsheng’s weaknesses.
The words spoken at the dining table were ant for both Monk Changsheng and Shangguan Dong, seeing as the two have been collaborating for a long ti.
Long-term companionship made it hard for him to believe that Shangguan Dong hadn’t harbored so thoughts on immortality.
He was sowing the seeds in Shangguan Dong’s heart, arousing the desire for Monk Changsheng’s flesh among those around him.
As for Monk Changsheng, realizing his weaknesses were exposed and after Li Xiaobai’s complete retreat, he would surely make further moves. The more aggressive he beca, the more flaws Li Xiaobai could find.
To truly prove the lie of immortality, who knows how long that would take.
After returning to the room, there was nothing unusual and no one disturbed him; only the clanging sounds of pots and pans often echoed, as villagers prepared for the ritual of the next day.
Night fell.
Li Xiaobai climbed out the window and headed to the back mountain; he wanted to see those dead people and also to find Ma Niubi and Liaowang.
Upon leaving the house, he felt a pair of eyes watching him, the sa feeling he had in the temple, but when he turned around, nothing was there.
The back mountain was filled with a ghostly presence, and he felt as if the rows of trees had co alive, yet when he turned to look, nothing was found.
On the path up the mountain stood a monunt with an inscription.
"Order is balance, not justice."
This was an interpretation of the Law of Order; from this phrase, one could potentially uncover the weakness of order, but now was not the ti.
The corpses hanging from the trees were disfigured, entirely charred black as if burned to death, yet beneath the scorched shell were knife scar marks.
The deathly appearance was grueso.
As he walked, rustling noises ca to his ear. Listening closely, they were voices.
"Master Liaowang, your foot is poking my nostril, move it a bit."
"Benefactor Ma, let’s switch positions; your head is constantly rubbing against my lower body, I can’t tolerate it."
Li Xiaobai’s eyes lit up, and he shouted, "My dear disciples, is it you?"
"Master!"
"Master Li!"
"We are here, in the tree!"
Upon hearing the call, Ma Niubi imdiately shouted.
Following the voices, Li Xiaobai found Ma Niubi and Liaowang on a sapling. The sight was bizarre.
On a desolate piece of land stood only one small sapling, just a ter tall; Liaowang and Ma Niubi were hung on top in a sixty-nine position.
Ma Niubi’s head was at Liaowang’s groin, and Liaowang’s toes were in Ma Niubi’s nostrils, the two held in a ball-like position.
"What ga are you two playing?"
Li Xiaobai felt speechless, the scene was sowhat comical.
"We’re not playing anything, just get us down; we’ve been trapped here for more than half a day, this tree is sucking our inner strength."
Ma Niubi said anxiously. In his excitent, his body shifted a bit, and the big toe that took a lot of effort to shake off once again poked into his nostril, stopping him from speaking.
Li Xiaobai frowned, "Do you think I’m stupid? This sapling is only a ter tall, shorter than my legs. You two just need to stand up."
"We can’t stand, this tree has an extraordinary power. When first pinned here, it was just a seed yet to break the ground, but in rely half a day it grew a ter tall, pinning Master Ma and to its branches, unable to escape."
Monk Liaowang explained, the two of them having attempted various thods to no avail with this defiant sapling.
"Master Li, avoid touching this tree; it’s very eerie, I can’t understand its power."
Seeing Li Xiaobai approach, Liaowang quickly cautioned.
"Master, I knew you would be fine. Have you found a way to save us?"
Ma Niubi eagerly asked.
"There’s so direction, for now. How long can you hold on?"
Li Xiaobai inquired.
"No more than ten days, or possibly less. As this tree continues to use Master Ma’s and my strength as nourishnt, the more it saps our strength, the stronger it grows."
Liaowang said.
"No worries, I’ve discussed it with the Master; other trees only have one person hanging, but our tree has two. In other words, we can last longer than those who died before."
Ma Niubi said.
"Is this thing really so tricky?"
"Is it a Visualized Item or a Law of Power?"
Li Xiaobai drew out the Longsword, releasing a qi slash from afar. As it struck the sapling, the qi was absorbed at a visibly rapid pace.
At the sa ti, a new leaf sprouted from the branch.
This tree, like Hellfire, grows and thrives by consuming everything in its path.
"It’s not a Visualized Item as it can be touched, it has a physical form."
"It must be so kind of creature born from the power of a law."
Liaowang analyzed.
"In short, it can consu everything to strengthen itself. I have a bold idea."
Li Xiaobai pondered for a mont, snapped his fingers, and a wisp of pitch-black fla appeared at his fingertip.
Flicking his finger, the black fla leapt onto the branches of the sapling and began to burn.
Hellfire, with its ability to devour all into nourishnt closely matched the essence of the tree.
It’s a battle of devouring one another to grow stronger.
This ant the Hellfire could reclaim the strength being devoured, and conversely, the sapling could as well, thus forming a deadlock that impeded the sapling’s growth.
Indeed, upon the Hellfire lodging onto the sapling, no more new leaves sprouted on the branches.
Liaowang and Ma Niubi could distinctly feel the pace of their inner strength’s depletion had halved.
"This will suffice, you won’t be in danger for now. Once I’ve dealt with that bald donkey, you’ll be rescued."
Li Xiaobai turned to leave.
He considered burning the mountain, but with Liaowang and Ma Niubi still present, brazenly challenging the Law of Order wasn’t wise at the mont.
Returning the way he ca, when he passed the monunt, a figure appeared ahead.
Old and disheveled, with a very long beard, it was the village head, Shangguan Dong.
His hoarse voice added a creepy horror to the mountains and forests.
"It’s late, Master shouldn’t wander about."
Li Xiaobai showed no emotion: "Did I break any rules?"
Shangguan Dong shook his head: "No."
"Then why bother speaking?"
Rolling his eyes, Li Xiaobai suddenly asked, "Didn’t you hear the conversation I had with Monk Changsheng during the day, and have no thoughts?"
"No thoughts. As the village head, I am to contribute to the village and won’t do anything detrintal to it."
"If you’re contributing to the village, I feel it would be most appropriate for you to set the rules yourself. Following others’ rules can be quite constraining."
Li Xiaobai hinted.
Shangguan Dong stood unmoved: "I dare not entertain impure thoughts toward the Divine Envoy."
"You’ve noticed, haven’t you? Monk Changsheng is just Mortal Flesh and possesses no cultivation level."
"Otherwise, during the banquet, he could have proposed a contest or a discussion to force my mistakes. After all, if a fight happened, my error rate would significantly increase."
"The only reason he’s undefeated is that he relies on so-called order to aid him."
"I heard that the Power of Laws sets challenges on its own; maybe you have a chance."
Li Xiaobai gently persuaded.
Shangguan Dong remained indifferent: "I dare not discuss the divine will lightly."
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