Zong Bing's tranquil gaze fell on Li Yi, particularly on the blood-red Dou Qi wings that slowly materialized around him, before she softly stated, "Dead or alive? Shouldn't we find out after a fight?" Li Yi, frowning at the giant icicles suspended in mid-air around them, chuckled after a moment, "You don't really think such tricks can trap me, do you?"
Zong Bing replied indifferently, "Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't be so confident. However, you're not only burdened by someone, but after days of relentless fleeing, your Dou Qi is probably on the brink of depletion... In such a state, our combined strength does give us some confidence in capturing you. But until that moment comes, we prefer not to turn hostile, as it benefits neither of us... How about..."
Li Yi's expression remained unchanged as he internally communicated, "Old Coot, in our current situation, what's your confidence level in taking them down?" The Serpent Venerable's voice responded lightly, "Less than 30%, for reasons previously explained... Moreover, after taking action, I'm concerned we won't have the strength to escape... So, kid, I have a suggestion for you."
"What suggestion?" Li Yi inquired.
"Consider handing over the scroll you can't open to them as a passage fee. As for us, we'll make our escape..." The Serpent Venerable proposed.
"Hand over the scroll? Old Coot, that's a valuable item!" Li Yi protested.
"Hmph, an unopenable item, no matter how valuable, is useless. And handing it over to them doesn't mean we can't take it back later," the Serpent Venerable sneered. "Your current strength is inadequate, and I can't lend you much power. But if you can advance to the Warrior level, I can assure you a peak Emperor's strength as a trump card. Then, retrieving the item from their clan will be feasible... Besides, I can't break the seal on this item in my current state, so let them worry about it for a while..."
Li Yi's mouth twitched slightly at the thought of relinquishing the sealed mysterious scroll, feeling extremely reluctant... "Is there really no other way?"
"No," the Serpent Venerable stated flatly. "Kid, better to save the green mountains than worry about running out of firewood... Besides, that item isn't the best thing you obtained in the Emperor's tomb. At most, it's a high-level technique or skill. Are you worried I don't have such things? Not to mention, even considering the Heavenly Demon Nine Transformations as the foremost technique in the Martial Deity Continent isn't an overstatement..."
"Old Coot, are you suggesting that mysterious glass orb..." Li Yi began.
"Now's not the time for idle talk! Make a decision!" the Serpent Venerable urged.
Nodding slightly, Li Yi eventually gritted his teeth and with a slight pat, the scroll, glowing with faint electric light, appeared in his hand. The moment the scroll was revealed, Zong Bing and her companions seemed to hold their breath.
Li Yi, deliberately showing a hint of reluctance on his face, then said lightly, "This is what I obtained in the Emperor's tomb..."
Zong Bing eyed the scroll for a moment, her keen eyesight recognizing its extraordinariness. She smiled gently, "You're indeed wise. Although I know you obtained more than just this item in the Emperor's tomb, this alone appears to have significant value. I'm not unreasonable. Just hand over this item, and you're free to go..."
Li Yi nodded, "You can have this item, but..." As he spoke, his right hand slightly shook, and a layer of lightning-attributed Dou Qi instantly enveloped the scroll. With a gentle toss, the scroll floated in mid-air, its instability indicated by the increasingly erratic lightning flashes.
Zong Bing's brow furrowed slightly at this scene, hesitating before asking, "What do you mean by this?" Li Yi smiled faintly, "Nothing special... I've wrapped the item in Dou Qi, but I'm leaving it here. As long as you let me leave peacefully, once I'm at a certain distance, I'll lose my connection to the Dou Qi, and you can safely retrieve the item... However, if you chase after me, I'll detonate the Dou Qi immediately. I'm sure you can imagine the consequences."
Zong Bing smiled lightly, "Since you've handed over the item, we have no reason to break our word... Please, go ahead." With that, she waved her hand, and a path through the ice opened up.
Li Yi laughed heartily, "Miss Zong Bing is indeed trustworthy! But remember, what goes around comes around! One day, I'll personally visit Miss Zong Bing in the imperial city to reclaim this item! And then, the consequences will not be my concern."
Zong Bing gave a slight bow, "Then, I'll await your visit in the imperial city..." "Ha ha ha... Girl, you'll regret this!" With a low chuckle, Li Yi wrapped his arm around Gong Wushuang's waist, and with a flutter of their Dou Qi wings, they swiftly flew away...
After some time, the Dou Qi surrounding the scroll in mid-air gradually dissipated, leaving the scroll wobbling as if about to fall. Zong Bing frowned slightly before waving her hand, causing the surrounding icicles to vanish, and the scroll, glowing with electric light, "swooshed" into her hand.
With the scroll now in hand, Ao Yue and Bei Hao's eyes lit up almost simultaneously. After a moment, Bei Hao licked his lips and asked, "Miss Zong Bing, is this the item that the Beidou Sect desperately wants?" Zong Bing nodded slightly, "Given that even two Emperors together couldn't break the seal on this item, and instead handed it over to us, it suggests they also believe it can't be unsealed... So, if I'm not mistaken, this should be a technique or skill of the Baihu level or even higher..."
Bei Hao frowned, "Then aren't we..." Zong Bing calmly said, "Naturally, we can't unseal it, but I believe my master will have a way." Hearing the term "master," Ao Yue and Bei Hao exchanged a look, betraying a hint of intrigue, before Ao Yue coughed and said, "Miss Zong Bing, there must be more than just this item in the Emperor's tomb. Why didn't we demand everything... just this item?"
Zong Bing shook her head, "Of course, I know there must be other significant gains that man took... But after all, he's an Emperor. Even if he temporarily reached that level through some means... he must have been worried about losing his chance to escape if he fought us. Hence, he handed over this item. If we had pressed further, we might have gotten more, but there's a bigger chance he would have lashed out in anger. At that point, even if we could subdue him, we wouldn't gain anything, and those two following us... they're not easy to deal with..."
"Moreover... there was another seemingly weak Emperor by his side. Two Emperors, even if they are injured, if they go berserk..." Zong Bing's gaze trembled slightly, clearly, despite her tough talk, she wasn't entirely confident about capturing two Emperor class fighters.
Ao Yue nodded slightly, then softly said, "Miss Zong Bing, now that we have the item, shall we..." Zong Bing sneered, "Continue to pretend to search. Once this blows over, we'll return to the imperial city... Don't worry, since the three of us obtained this together, any benefits will be shared. Even if we can't unseal it immediately, I'll ask my master for a skill for you to cultivate. For now, let's disperse!"
Ao Yue and Bei Hao nodded, then their figures turned into streaks of light, darting off in different directions. Zong Bing, holding the scroll, slipped it into her Storage Ring, then looked in the direction Li Yi had disappeared, frowning slightly, "Who knows where this guy came from, equivalent to two Emperors... Ah, the name of the Tianfeng Seven Emperors might need changing soon. The Tianfeng Empire having an extra half Emperor might disrupt the plans. Best to inform my master as soon as possible."
With that, Zong Bing quickly formed a couple of hand signs, and with her movements, a wisp of vapor condensed into a delicate ice bird. After circling in mid-air for a moment, it darted towards the east. The next moment, Zong Bing's figure also turned into a beam of light, retreating...
In a rather desolate field, perhaps because it was autumn, the weeds had turned a dull yellow, occasionally disrupted by small animals darting out, bringing some life to the grassland.
"Swoosh—" Suddenly, a black figure crashed down from the sky, landing on the ground with a grunt, disturbing the weeds. After a moment, a bitter laugh was heard as a young man in black slightly twisted his body, embarrassingly climbing up. He then patted the shoulder of the woman next to him, whispering, "Hey... you didn't die from the fall, did you?"
A soft cough was heard before the woman responded quietly, "If you didn't die, how could I... But you're quite ruthless, escaping from the Naga Mountains in one go. Even an Emperor's Dou Qi isn't meant to be spent like that."
The young man in black smiled bitterly, "Was I supposed to stay and die in the Naga Mountains? Look where we are now?" These two were naturally Li Yi and Gong Wushuang, who had escaped from the Naga Mountains.
Gong Wushuang nodded, then glanced behind them, "We're already outside the Naga Mountains, probably near Yunshui City. You said we needed a month to reach Yunshui City; it seems we have enough time."
Li Yi shook his head, "I didn't expect us to survive so long in the Naga Mountains and still manage to escape... Alright, how long will it take for your strength to recover?"
Gong Wushuang closed her eyes to introspect for a moment, then answered, "At least three days. And during these three days, I absolutely cannot engage in any battles. Haixin's methods are indeed formidable..."
"Three days?" Li Yi frowned, "Then it seems we need to find a place to heal first... I might not be injured, but the consumption of Dou Qi is... significant." Suddenly pausing, Li Yi quickly asked internally, "Old Coot, you're alright, aren't you?"
"Kid, you finally remember me," the Serpent Venerable responded with a hint of weakness, "I'm not injured, but the excessive use of Dou Qi has damaged my soul. Kid, find some time to nourish me with Dou Qi, or I might disappear at any moment..."
Li Yi chuckled awkwardly, having been too tense to think of this. "Then, let's find a place... Not just for the Old Coot to recover strength, but that woman needs it too..."
"Of course... Kid, be cautious. There's a group of people coming from the east. Better safe than sorry!"