Book 2: Chapter 99: Hall Master, Why Were You So Careless?

Meng Tai got eliminated, failing at the last moment. After all his scheming, he ended up with nothing, just covered in wounds.

When Meng Tai saw the ferocious dragon vein through the transparent ground, it felt like the dragon vein was mocking him for getting eliminated, no longer qualified to fight for it.

“Ha? Haha! Hahahahaha!” Meng Tai suddenly laughed.

It seemed like Meng Tai laughed at himself for being too naive, for being too foolish. As he laughed, he looked towards Feng Ling’s corpse, at the Feng Ling who once faithfully loved him but gave up on him before she died.

Meng Tai already had a lot previously. However, he was not satisfied, so he had bet everything on this, even Feng Ling.

Amid his laughter, tears of regret and hatred flowed out of Meng Tai’s eyes.

However, it was not over yet. Countless furious cultivators surrounded him.

“Beat him to death! Beat him to death!” the cultivators said excitedly.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The group heavily struck Meng Tai. He could not fight back or resist. However, he guffawed continuously while vomiting blood. However, his tears also flowed endlessly, in both sorrow and hatred.

“You are still laughing? Beat him to death! Beat him to death!” The enraged group battered Meng Tai.

It would be hard to appease the crowd’s anger. However, as the crowd was beating Meng Tai up, ten people suddenly let out miserable screams. “Argh! Argh! Argh!”

The people assaulting Meng Tai froze. Then, they saw those ten people quickly withering, becoming increasingly wizened and turning into dry corpses as all their energy drained away.

The surrounding cultivators suddenly felt horrified, immediately distancing themselves from Meng Tai.

They thought that it was Meng Tai who had drained the energy of those ten. However, Meng Tai was gasping for breath.

“It’s him! Li Haoran! Li Haoran became a player! Ah! No, don’t! Don’t drain my energy! Argh!”

Another miserable shriek rang out, drawing everyone’s attention.

They saw a golden-armor-clad Li Haoran standing on a large rock with a thirty-meter-wide barrier around him. The Divine Strategy Battalion disciples stood respectfully outside the barrier. Even though the Divine Strategy Battalion disciples were his trusted men, he did not let them into the barrier.

“How can that be? Where’s Long Wanqing?” Everyone felt startled.

Then, they saw Long Wanqing holding her chest on a pile of rubble, vomiting blood as she struggled to her feet. Her face appeared horrified, filled with an expression of incredulity.

Long Wanqing’s eyes turned bloodshot as she roared, “Why? Battalion Commander Li, why? Didn’t I agree to lend you a golden Go stone?” 

Li Haoran waved his hand as he plundered the energy of a few people at the side and infused the energy into his body. His complexion recovered from ashen to a healthy pink.

He smiled coldly at Long Wanqing, then ignored her, turning his head to look at Meng Tai.

“You killed Qiang Wei, the first key! You also killed Feng Ling, the second key! Meng Tai, oh Meng Tai, why were you so careless, leaving behind the third key? Hahahahahahaha!” Li Haoran started laughing maniacally.

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Li Haoran, you won’t have a good end, either!” Meng Tai smiled sorrowfully.

“I like your expression. Hahahaha! Weren’t you enjoying beating me up earlier? What about now? You can’t do anything? Just a lump of useless flesh?” Li Haoran sneered as he extended his hand.

Rumble…!

Li Haoran immediately drew on everyone’s energy to send tens of thousands of manifested palms at Meng Tai and knocked Meng Tai into the air.

“Argh!”

Blargh!

Meng Tai vomited another mouthful of blood. After getting struck by the tens of thousands of palm strikes and falling, he was completely covered in blood, and his bones seemed to have shattered.

“Cough! Cough!”

Meng Tai vomited blood as he gasped for breath.

“It does not matter if they died. However, it would not be fun if you died. Let me tell you this: if you leave loose ends, you will never succeed. If you want to accomplish great things, you have to eliminate the problem. Just like this!” Li Haoran smiled as he waved.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a force pulled Li Wei out from the crowd.

“Oh no! Protect Li Wei! Protect Li Wei! If Li Wei dies, there will be no more opportunities!” Wei Yang shouted.

“Old fogey, you are really full of nonsense! Well, come together, then!” Li Haoran said coldly.

Whoosh!

Li Wei and Wei Yang immediately floated up.

Everyone’s expression changed.

“You want to kill Li Wei?” someone exclaimed.

“That’s right!” Li Haoran said coldly. Then, he took out a golden sword.

“Chop!”

Boom!

A golden manifested sword flew at Li Wei.

“No!” Li Wei roared.

Boom!

Li Wei could only scream; it was already too late. The golden manifested sword instantly chopped him in half.

The surrounding cultivators immediately panicked.

“The last key! The last key! Li Haoran, are you going to repeat a disastrous mistake, killing everyone like what Meng Tai wanted?” Wei Yang exclaimed.

Rumble…!

Li Haoran immediately drained Wei Yang’s energy, encountering no resistance whatsoever. Wei Yang had already been severely injured previously; how could he have the strength to fight?

“Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!”

Screaming, Wei Yang withered away and turned into a dry corpse after he stopped breathing. Li Haoran’s speed at draining was even faster than Meng Tai’s.

“Another one died, furthermore, even faster than earlier? He is even more terrifying than Meng Tai!”

“Li Haoran, you are the Divine Strategy Battalion Commander. You won’t kill us, right?”

“Li Haoran, we have no grudge with you. The son of my sect master is also a Divine Strategy Battalion disciple!”

The surrounding cultivators turned flustered as they looked at Li Haoran in fear.

“Hahahaha!”

Li Haoran waved his hand and immediately drained energy from a large number of cultivators.

“No! Battalion Commander Li, spare us!”

“He is even more ruthless than Meng Tai! Save me! Argh!”

“No! Don’t choose me! Argh!”

Miserable screams rang out endlessly.

The protective barrier? One could enter it only with one of the three keys. However, the three keys—Qiang Wei, Feng Ling, and Li Wei—were already dead. So, Li Haoran was already undefeatable?

“Hall Master!” Venerable Liu Nian arrived before Long Wanqing and tried to help her up.

However, Long Wanqing flung Venerable Liu Nian’s hand away, then ran to Li Haoran, roaring with bloodshot eyes, “Li Haoran! Why?! Tell me why?!”

Li Haoran turned his head and looked at Long Wanqing coldly. “Young lass, you are really naive!”

“What?” Long Wanqing said as she looked at Li Haoran’s ferocious expression.

“One golden Go stone? How can that be enough? One golden Go stone cannot help me break the seal and solve the death puzzle. What is the point of one? Treat my injuries? Don’t be naive! What I want is Old Mister Guan Qi’s inheritance below. What I want is the dragon vein below!” Li Haoran declared proudly.

“You lied to me? You lied to me? Didn’t you say that you would never lie to me? You even saved my life before. Why did you lie to me?!” Long Wanqing roared.

“Hahahahaha! I already said you were very naive. To think that you still do not believe what is happening. Who said that I saved you? Oh, that’s right. That was a farce that I staged back then. That’s why you think I saved you. You were very naive at that time!” Li Haoran sneered.

“What?” Long Wanqing felt stunned.

“There’s nothing wrong with telling you now; it will change nothing. None of you will walk out alive today. That includes you, Long Wanqing!” Li Haoran said coldly.

“How bold of you! Li Haoran, you—” Long Wanqing’s servant wanted to scold Li Haoran.

“Shut up! Let him speak!” Long Wanqing roared. Now, she stared at Li Haoran with bloodshot eyes, showing a distraught expression.

“Why did your older cousin want to push you down the cliff that time? Do you remember her expression?” Li Haoran smiled coldly.

“She said I insulted her mother. However, I did not. I…!” Something suddenly occurred to Long Wanqing.

“It was you. You lied to my older cousin, saying that I insulted her mother. That was why she got angry. When I refused to admit to it, she pushed me down the cliff and nearly killed me. You managed to save me, but she felt guilty, so she did not continue her revenge? It was you? It was all your scheme?!” Long Wanqing’s expression changed drastically.

Li Haoran smiled coldly but did not explain further.

“Li Haoran, I, Long Wanqing, was blind. Why did I believe you?! Everything you did was so you could use me?” Long Wanqing’s aggrieved expression slowly turned to one of hatred and regret.

“Alright. Long Wanqing, cut the crap. Hand the Dragon Luring Jade to me! Hurry!” Li Haoran said coldly.

“Hahahaha! You used me so that you could obtain the dragon vein, right? You want my Dragon Luring Jade? You can forget about it. I won’t give it to you. That is impossible!” Bone-deep hatred flashed in Long Wanqing’s eyes.

“You will hand it over. Am I right, Venerable Liu Nian?” Li Haoran said coldly.

As Li Haoran spoke, he waved his hand.

Rumble…!

Li Haoran started to plunder Venerable Liu Nian’s energy.

“Argh!”

Venerable Liu Nian let out a pained cry. Then, the Buddhist prayer beads in his hands flew out.

“Nine Star Alignment!”

Rumble…!

Two sets of Nine Star Alignment shot towards Li Haoran.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Unfortunately, the barrier was too strong. The Nine Star Alignment could not break it.

Venerable Liu Nian tried to rush over.

Rumble…!

However, tens of thousands of manifested palms struck Venerable Liu Nian, sending him flying.

“Argh!”

Venerable Liu Nian tumbled in the air while vomiting blood.

“Long Wanqing, if you still won’t hand over the Dragon Luring Jade, Venerable Liu Nian will be drained dry! Hahaha!” Li Haoran threatened with a ferocious expression.

“Take it!” Long Wanqing tossed out something while showing hatred and regret on her face.

Whoosh! The Dragon Luring Jade flew out.

A suction came from Li Haoran’s hand, and he caught the Dragon Luring Jade.

“It is indeed the Dragon Luring Jade. Haha!” Li Haoran guffawed.

“I already gave you the Dragon Luring Jade. Let go of the venerable!” Long Wanqing said anxiously.

“Did I say that I would release Venerable Liu Nian?” Li Haoran sneered.

Long Wanqing felt horrified. She could not recognize this Li Haoran. How could it be like this? Why is he this bad?

Gu Hai wanted me to keep my guard up against him. Previously, he held me hostage with a saber on my neck to get me to keep my guard up. Why was I so foolish? Why was I so foolish?

Long Wanqing immediately found herself very laughable, finding herself extremely foolish.

“Humph! It is not just Venerable Liu Nian. Did I say that I would spare you?” Li Haoran smiled coldly.

Then, Li Haoran waved his hand.

Rumble!

Suddenly, a strong suction pulled on Long Wanqing, trying to drain her dry.

“Li Haoran, you will die a horrible death! My maternal grandfather will take revenge for me!” Long Wanqing yelled while crying. She regretted and hated herself for being so foolish and naive. Why did she trust Li Haoran?

“Your maternal grandfather? How would he know that I killed you? Hahaha…uh?” Li Haoran suddenly paused, and his hand froze in place, stopping the energy drain on Long Wanqing and Venerable Liu Nian. 

“Wait, you said that Gu Hai sent you in, sent you to Li Wei. In that case, can you see the inside from outside? Isn’t that impossible? How could it be visible?” Li Haoran’s expression changed.

“Cough! Cough! Cough! Li Haoran, you finally know fear. If you hurt Long Wanqing, the people outside will definitely see it. Long Wanqing’s maternal grandfather will definitely kill you. Hahahahaha!” Venerable Liu Nian laughed while vomiting blood.

“No, that’s not right. Long Wanqing, speak! Otherwise, I’ll immediately kill Venerable Liu Nian!” Li Haoran said coldly.

Rumble…!

Energy surged out of Venerable Liu Nian, which left him further weakened.

Long Wanqing showed sorrow and hatred on her face as she said, “I’ll speak, but you have to spare Venerable Liu Nian!”

“Hurry up and speak!” Li Haoran roared.

“Those outside cannot see the people inside. However, they can see the surroundings of the player. Since you are holding the golden Go stone, everyone outside can see everything you do!” Long Wanqing said sadly.

Li Haoran’s expression turned unsightly. “So, that’s the case! So, that’s the case!”

“Spare Venerable Liu Nian!” Long Wanqing begged.

Li Haoran shook his head. “I can spare you. However, Venerable Liu Nian has to die. He is an old monster. If I just leave him trapped here, I will be in danger when he gets free. He has to die. I can spare only you!” 

“What?” Long Wanqing exclaimed.

“Let me drain you dry, Venerable Liu Nian. Hah!” Li Haoran said coldly.

Rumble…!

Energy quickly surged out of Venerable Liu Nian, placing him in an increasingly dangerous state.

“No! Li Haoran, I’ll fight you to the death!” Long Wanqing charged over in a rage. Then, she took out an enchanted treasure, poised to attack.

“Humph! I won’t kill you. However, you can forget about acting wantonly here!” Li Haoran snorted coldly.

Boom!

Li Haoran threw a palm strike. Unable to block that attack, Long Wanqing went flying back.

“Argh!” 

Blargh!

Tears of regret and hatred leaked out of Long Wanqing’s eyes in midair.

“Gu Hai, sorry! I should have listened to you. I made a big mistake!” Long Wanqing vomited blood as she fell. Blargh!

“Hall Master!” Long Wanqing’s servants shouted in alarm. However, their energy was being drained as well; they could only cry out in despair.

It looked like Long Wanqing would crash on the ground and fall unconscious.

Suddenly, a pair of arms stretched out as Long Wanqing fell.

Thud!

This pair of arms suddenly caught the falling Long Wanqing. Then, that figure decelerated slowly, firmly holding her without causing any further injuries.

“Huh?” Li Haoran had not expected that someone would dare to catch Long Wanqing at this moment.

The surrounding cultivators also looked over. When they saw the man who caught Long Wanqing, they started yelling in surprise.

“Ah! Ah! That is…! That is…!” Many cultivators felt excited, like they had seen their savior.

Initially, Long Wanqing had been falling headfirst. Unexpectedly, she got hugged in a warm embrace.

“Gu…Gu Hai?” Long Wanqing looked in disbelief at the man hugging her. 

“Hall Master, why were you so careless?” Gu Hai smiled warmly.

Gu Hai’s warm smile seemed to break through all of Long Wanqing’s hatred. Her aggrieved feelings immediately erupted in a torrent of tears.

“Gu Hai, sorry! I did not listen to you!” Long Wanqing’s sorrow and regret rushed out like an unstoppable, gushing river.

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