The soldier's footsteps stopped.
This man in front of him... had a terrifying look in his eyes.
Ordinary people, before death, would mostly feel fear and regret.
But rarely would soone be so ferocious.
He seed to see a dying beast; even if it was covered in blood, it would still bite its enemy one last ti before dying.
Indeed... only such a person was the most dangerous.
Xiao Qi's death was not unjustified.
However—
The soldier's gaze sharpened. He wanted to avenge Xiao Qi.
Holding the long knife, he dragged his broken leg, limping towards Li Qi.
"You bastard... you bastard," he kept cursing, as if this could make him ignore Li Qi's eyes and the long knife full of Malevolent Qi in his hands.
And Li Qi also showed no signs of wavering.
In the dark mountain forest, one exhausted and unable to move, the other injured from falling off a cliff and barely able to control himself.
The solitary moon hung high, reflecting on their two long knives, making them glow eerily.
"Ha—!" Finally, the soldier let out a shout and actually initiated a charge with his broken leg!
The exposed bone fragnts made a grating sound, unimaginable what kind of pain that must have been.
But this pain allowed Li Qi to be caught off guard.
Li Qi never expected the opponent to charge with a broken leg. Already extrely tired, just holding the knife took all his strength. Facing such a charge, he couldn't react imdiately.
However, Li Qi's body had undergone the cleansing of Divine Essence. Though taken by surprise, he quickly adjusted his posture.
Not dodging, but gripping the knife with both hands, using trembling arms, squeezing out the last bit of strength in his body to raise the knife.
A charge couldn't be easily stopped.
The soldier gritted his teeth, widened his eyes, and awkwardly shifted his body, but still managed to thrust the long knife into Li Qi's body.
The blade pierced flesh with a 'puchi' sound.
It directly penetrated Li Qi.
But at the sa ti, Li Qi's knife also pierced through the opponent.
Even though he was wearing armor.
But the officer's knife was extrely sharp, easily piercing through the armor.
After stabbing each other, they simultaneously released the knives.
Though Li Qi's knife was sharp, he didn't have the strength to twist it inside the opponent's body.
Though the soldier still had strength, his knife wasn't sharp enough, getting stuck between Li Qi's ribs, unable to twist or pull out.
Thus, both released their knives and abandoned them.
Then, they embraced each other.
They did not forgive each other; instead, they used their teeth to tear at each other, using their remaining, most primitive weapons—their teeth and jaws—to inflict any damage possible.
Li Qi bit off the other's ear, while the opponent tore Li Qi's neck bloody.
But at this mont, Li Qi suddenly felt his vision blur.
Bang! The soldier flew out.
His face was mangled, several teeth knocked out, nose broken, his entire face caved in, clearly lifeless.
It looked like... he was kicked in the face by a horse.
Already exhausted, and stabbed once more, Li Qi lost consciousness upon sudden relaxation.
Just vaguely, he saw a horse and a female figure rushing towards him.
"Shen..." He only got out one word before fainting.
Previously, he had only been holding on by sheer willpower; now relaxed, he instantly fainted.
---
When Li Qi woke up, he had no idea how much ti had passed.
He only knew that he seed to have regained consciousness.
But it was very blurry, like being half-asleep.
Everything before his eyes was hazy, and he couldn't feel his body at all.
Oh, he could feel a little.
He felt soone walking back and forth beside him, but couldn't see clearly.
His consciousness couldn't focus, even losing track of ti, whether it had been one second or an hour.
There seed to be a mysterious force dragging him down.
As if chains were binding his Spiritual Essence, trying to pull him into an abyss.
He seed to feel the flas of karma burning beneath him; falling into it ant eternal damnation.
But sothing was blocking him.
The chains beneath seed to be made of Qi.
And when this Qi approached him, it seed weakened.
But he could barely discern it, unable to feel it clearly.
The world before him seed covered by frosted glass, no matter how hard he tried to open his eyes, he couldn't see clearly.
He didn't know how long this went on.
Li Qi struggled, exhausting every ounce of strength, trying to break through this frosted glass.
What should he do? He pondered with his remaining consciousness.
Thinking was his instinct.
"Qi..." he murmured. This was the only feasible thod he rembered.
What kind of Qi could he utilize?
There was not a trace of Qi left in his body.
The Azure Dragon Divine Essence and Wu Deity Divine Essence were completely depleted.
These essences required rituals to obtain.
Was there so Qi that didn't need rituals...
Was there...?
Was there really?
Li Qi strained his already confused mind, trying to think of it.
Although it seed sothing was protecting him, preventing those chains from pulling him down, he always felt that this protection would eventually disappear, and he wouldn't be able to hold on forever.
Qi...
Qi...
Wait... what did he rely on for practicing the Pai-bo Technique?
The Pai-bo Technique was the first cultivation thod Li Qi learned in this world.
Before, Li Qi never thought about it.
But now, trapped within this frosted glass box, in his haze, he suddenly realized this point.
According to the principles of this world, the Pai-bo Technique... should correspond to so form of Qi.
But, it seed... he had never felt it before.
This might be his only possible connection to "Qi".
With this thought, even in his half-asleep state, Li Qi decisively attempted it.
He had a premonition that if he didn't resolve this state—
He might die.
The Pai-bo Technique... required breath control, then guiding the muscles in the body.
Wait, guiding the muscles to do what?
Muscles... Shen Shuibei ntioned, contained Nutritive Qi, Defensive Qi...
Wait, when the Pai-bo Technique operated, Nutritive Qi, Defensive Qi, and Blood Qi seed to flow differently than usual.
Li Qi used his last bit of clarity to control his body, attempting to gather a strand of Qi using the Pai-bo Technique.
Then, he felt it.
His innate Three Treasures seed to surge forth.
Essence, Qi, Spirit, enveloped by Nutritive Qi and Defensive Qi.
With this force, the frosted glass before his eyes seed to gradually crack.
Li Qi's mind also seed to slowly clear up a bit.
Just this bit allowed him to seize the opportunity, grabbing onto the tiny bit of gathered power from the Pai-bo Technique, fiercely thrusting it towards himself, wanting to fully awaken!
Bang! It was like an explosion next to his ears, Li Qi abruptly opened his eyes, taking a deep breath.
Only then did he realize he was drenched in sweat!
On top of him lay Shen Shuibei.
Her warmth probably prevented him from losing body heat due to the cold.
But there was another issue.
For instance, it felt a bit soft.
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