Chapter 00364: I Once Had a Friend
# I Once Had a Friend
Chapter 364
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 364: I Once Had a Friend
"You have a friend? Who is it?" Zhong Xunxiu's tone remained calm and steady.
She didn't ask Lan Xiaobu to release Qu Yue and Wen Po but instead directly inquired about Lan Xiaobu's friend.
"Her name is Liu Li. Bring her here first," Lan Xiaobu said.
He was certain Liu Li was here.
If they tried to stall or make excuses, he wouldn't hesitate to unleash a bloodbath.
He had already set up a ninth-grade trapping and killing array and a ninth-grade explosive array outside the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool.
Moreover, along the path leading into the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool, he had carved various seventh and eighth-grade void arrays.
Even though it was just him and Gong Yunqi, and they were deep within the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool, Lan Xiaobu wasn't the least bit worried.
"Liu Li?" Upon hearing the name, Zhong Xunxiu visibly frowned.
After a full ten breaths, Zhong Xunxiu finally spoke slowly, "You cannot take Liu Li away. She is the only disciple capable of inheriting the Divine Cloud Dao. Moreover, she won't leave with you. Staying here is her best chance for a brighter future."
"Bring Liu Li here first. Whether she leaves or not, she can decide for herself," Lan Xiaobu insisted.
"Bring Liu Li here," Zhong Xunxiu ordered sternly.
As someone went to fetch Liu Li, Zhong Xunxiu didn't ask Lan Xiaobu to release Qu Yue and Wen Po, as if she already knew Lan Xiaobu wouldn't let them go.
Lan Xiaobu wasn't in a hurry.
He didn't mind wasting time.
While everyone waited, he used the opportunity to quietly set up more void array formations.
"Brother Lan, you've killed quite a few people from the Four Emperors' Palace, haven't you?" Zhong Xunxiu said casually, as if making small talk.
"The Four Emperors' Palace is extremely protective of their own, and they strike without warning. I can assure you, if you weren't in the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool right now, you'd already be surrounded by numerous Immortal Emperors from the Four Emperors' Palace."
"Oh, thank you, Sect Master Zhong, for saving our lives," Lan Xiaobu sneered.
Zhong Xunxiu ignored his sarcastic tone and continued calmly, "Whether it's true or not, you'll find out once you leave the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool. If you're willing to join the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool now, I still welcome both of you. I can't promise much, but first, the Four Emperors' Palace won't dare touch you. Second, I guarantee you'll reach the Immortal Emperor realm within three hundred years. As for Brother Gong, have you heard of the Divine Realm? Our Divine Cloud Immortal Pool can help you transcend the Immortal Emperor realm and ascend to the true higher realm."
Lan Xiaobu found this amusing.
Three hundred years to reach Immortal Emperor? Was she underestimating him? He had only been cultivating for a few years.
Gong Yunqi, however, felt a pang of anxiety.
His lifespan was dwindling.
If he could transcend the Immortal Emperor realm, he wouldn't have to worry about his shortened lifespan.
How to transcend the Immortal Emperor realm? Naturally, by reaching the Divine Realm, the higher realm.
"Brother Gong, don't listen to this woman's nonsense. She's no good," Lan Xiaobu transmitted to Gong Yunqi.
Before Gong Yunqi could respond, Zhong Xunxiu spoke again, "Whether I'm good or not doesn't matter. What matters is that Brother Gong knows I'm not lying. Every word I say is true."
Lan Xiaobu's heart sank.
She could hear his transmission? How powerful was she? His divine sense and transmission abilities were far beyond those of an ordinary Immortal Emperor.
How could she intercept his transmission?
Moreover, this woman was cunning, trying to drive a wedge between him and Gong Yunqi.
Gong Yunqi laughed heartily, "I've seen Divine Realm experts before, but I only trust Brother Xiaobu. Anyone else's words are just hot air to me."
Gong Yunqi was certain that the master of the Life and Death Cauldron at the bottom of the canyon was a being beyond the Immortal Emperor realm—a Divine Realm expert.
But so what? Lan Xiaobu had still managed to bring him out and even took the Life and Death Cauldron with them.
"Sect Master, Liu Li has been brought here," a voice announced from below.
Soon, two women approached.
One of them was none other than Liu Li, whom Lan Xiaobu hadn't seen in a long time.
Liu Li's appearance hadn't changed at all, but her cultivation had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal perfection realm.
How had she progressed so quickly in just a few years? Liu Li didn't have the Longevity Sutra or the Cosmic Dimension Matrix to assist her.
How had she advanced so rapidly?
When Liu Li saw Lan Xiaobu, her expression remained calm.
"Liu Li, it's me, Lan Xiaobu," Lan Xiaobu said, his voice filled with emotion.
It had been so long since he'd seen her.
If it weren't for Liu Li, he would have died when he tried to retrieve the Seven Sounds Halberd.
Liu Li frowned slightly and then said, "So what?"
Lan Xiaobu wasn't bothered by her response.
He nodded at her and then turned to Zhong Xunxiu, "Sect Master Zhong, let me take Liu Li with me, and this matter ends here."
Lan Xiaobu knew Liu Li had taken the Memory-Severing Pill, but he was a seventh-grade Immortal Alchemy King.
Even after all these years, he was confident he could find a way to counteract the pill's effects.
With his alchemy skills and the medicinal texts he possessed, he was sure he could find an antidote.
Zhong Xunxiu remained silent, but the Immortal Emperor elders behind her sneered.
This guy had severely injured the Vice Sect Master and the Grand Elder Wen Po of the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool, and now he thought he could just leave? What a joke.
"You probably won't be able to leave here," Zhong Xunxiu said indifferently.
Lan Xiaobu sneered, "Oh? Just like your Vice Sect Master, you want to keep me here? Let's see if the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool can stop me."
"I've already told you, if you stay, the Four Emperors' Palace won't be a problem. Reaching the Immortal Emperor realm won't be a problem either. And for Brother Gong, transcending the Immortal Emperor realm won't be an issue," Zhong Xunxiu's tone remained calm.
"I have no interest in joining the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool. Let me talk to Liu Li," Lan Xiaobu said firmly.
"I'm not asking you to join the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool. Liu Li, you persuade them," Zhong Xunxiu's tone softened.
Liu Li nodded and walked toward Lan Xiaobu.
Zhong Xunxiu frowned slightly.
She had noticed something off about Liu Li earlier.
Now, as Liu Li approached Lan Xiaobu, her movements seemed even more unnatural, and her heartbeat had noticeably quickened.
Wait, her heartbeat had sped up before, but she had quickly suppressed it.
Liu Li had taken the Memory-Severing Pill, hadn't she? What was going on?
"Liu Li, don't go over there. Just speak from here..."
A Grand Elder tried to stop Liu Li, clearly noticing something amiss.
But Liu Li moved quickly and was already by Lan Xiaobu's side.
"Sect Master Zhong said you and your friend can't leave because I am a rare reincarnator. A reincarnator is someone who gradually remembers fragments of their past life..."
"Liu Li, there's no need to mention these irrelevant details," Zhong Xunxiu said sharply.
This was the first time since her arrival that her tone had carried a hint of anger.
Liu Li acted as if she hadn't noticed Zhong Xunxiu's displeasure and continued, "The Divine Cloud Immortal Pool is still a significant sect in the higher realm, but unfortunately, the foundation of the Divine Cloud Dao's techniques is flawed. It lacks the Dao principles of the cultivation and immortal realms. So, they've been collecting the bloodlines of cultivators and immortals to find someone to ascend to the higher realm and help the Divine Cloud Dao's direct disciples perfect their techniques. To collect the Dao principles from the bloodlines of cultivators and immortals, the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool has killed at least hundreds of millions of people. Sometimes, they slaughter millions just to find a trace of the Dao principles in a single cultivator. Because I am a reincarnator, and more importantly, I've cultivated the Second Dao Canon, I was chosen to carry these collected Dao principles to the higher realm..."
"Seize her!" a Grand Elder roared in anger.
But Zhong Xunxiu raised her hand to stop him, "Let her speak. Whether she says it or not, she has no choice."
Then Zhong Xunxiu turned to Liu Li, "Liu Li, you should know I didn't want to force you, but you've disappointed me."
Liu Li ignored Zhong Xunxiu and continued speaking to Lan Xiaobu, "Brother Xiaobu, you and this brother are likely the chosen blood sacrifices for the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool. For me to carry the collected Dao principles to the higher realm, the Divine Cloud Immortal Pool needs an Immortal Emperor's blood and the blood of someone who has transcended the Immortal Emperor realm."
Lan Xiaobu wasn't concerned about the blood sacrifice.
Instead, he was overjoyed, "Liu Li, you haven't lost your memories?"
"Truly a cunning one. Even after taking the Memory-Severing Pill, you've managed to retain your memories intact," Zhong Xunxiu's tone returned to its usual calmness.
For her, it didn't matter.
The methods might differ, but the outcome would be the same.
Liu Li looked at Lan Xiaobu as if she wanted to imprint his image in her heart, "Brother Xiaobu, I've never forgotten these memories. Ever since I met you, my only friend, I vowed never to forget that I had a friend. Even if I die, I will remember that I once had a friend."
"Didn't Teng Yi give you a Memory-Severing Pill?" Lan Xiaobu asked, puzzled.
As a seventh-grade Immortal Alchemy King, he knew how potent the Memory-Severing Pill was.
It was a seventh-grade immortal pill that directly stripped away a cultivator's memories, and there was currently no known antidote.
Liu Li's gaze never left Lan Xiaobu, "Brother Xiaobu, thank you for finding your way here. No matter how you got here, my only friend hasn't disappointed me, and I won't disappoint my friend either. Teng Yi was different from the others. He liked to show off. After giving me the Memory-Severing Pill, he actually told me what it was. The moment I escaped, before the pill's effects fully took hold, I recorded all our memories on a jade slip..."
Lan Xiaobu finally understood why Liu Li could still remember everything despite taking the Memory-Severing Pill.
"It's alright. Let's leave together this time," Lan Xiaobu said joyfully.
Liu Li shook her head, "We can't leave. This place has a divine array that surpasses the ninth grade. It's not something that can be broken by mortal means. If I hadn't taken the chance to come to your side, I wouldn't have been able to say these things. By telling you this, I have no intention of continuing to live."
A divine array? Lan Xiaobu's brows furrowed.
He could break a ninth-grade immortal array, but a divine array was beyond his capabilities.
Zhong Xunxiu looked at Liu Li and said, "Liu Li, you are a reincarnator. You only need to carry the foundation of my Divine Cloud Immortal Pool to the higher realm."
Her meaning was clear: Liu Li didn't need to die, but Lan Xiaobu and Gong Yunqi had to.
(That's all for today's update.
Goodnight, friends!)
(End of Chapter)