Chapter 920: Another Bet
The shadow replied with disdain to the bet: “It was a bet last time too, and it ended with you throwing me into the pit!”
To which Li Qiye responded with a smile: “That was last time, now is now. Plus, you won’t be losing anything, right? If I lose, then I’m done for. I’m not immortal anymore, so staying here would ruin me.”
“Stop egging me on.” The shadow sneered: “No matter what you say, I won’t fall into your trap. Who doesn’t know that you are a liar who specializes in fooling people?”
“Your words do me injustice.” Li Qiye helplessly said: “This time, I came with sincerity. Just imagine, this treasure is completely worthless to you, but if I lose, I will have to give up everything. Just think about it, how heavy is my bet? This is the greatest gamble in history!”
“Stop acting like that. I already said I won’t be tricked by you.” The shadow immediately rejected. It was very cautious after already being fooled once.
“There’s nothing I can do if you don’t want to.” Li Qiye said with disappointment: “I guess I have to leave. The only thing I can say is that this trip was such a waste.”
“Really now?” The shadow snorted: “You spent a tremendous amount of effort to get here. Who would believe that you’re giving up this easily?”
“I know you don’t believe me.” Li Qiye shook his head and reluctantly said: “But I can’t force you to trust me, so what else can I do besides leave? Do I have to assault this place? You know that I can’t penetrate your defenses anyway.”
“I’m not convinced at all.” The shadow sneered: “A lawless person like you would give up so easily? When was the last time you admitted defeat?”
Li Qiye said with a smile: “Times are different now. I’m no longer immortal, I no longer have unlimited time. Time is too precious for me right now. I would rather do other things outside instead of spending a thousand years in here. That would be much more exciting.”
“Hmph, whatever you say.” The shadow snorted, still unconvinced.
Li Qiye grinned in response: “Okay then, it seems like there’s no point in talking any further. Take care of yourself. Who knows if we will have the chance to meet again in the future. Goodbye, friend.”
With that, Li Qiye turned around to leave this place. Meanwhile, the shadow grew quiet.
“How do you want to bet?” The shadow finally broke the silence and asked Li Qiye before he could get far.
Li Qiye turned around and looked at the shadow: “If you want to bet, then how about we wager with our lives? I know of your power. Your curse will certainly end in death; even Immortal Emperors would suffer the same fate. Thus, I want to try using my true fate to withstand your curse.” Li Qiye paused for a moment: “If I can’t live after my true fate is afflicted, then I lose. If I can come back to life, then you lose. What do you think?”
“Haha, don’t act like that. I know you are still immortal. Even if I curse you, it still wouldn’t be able to kill you.” The shadow snorted.
Li Qiye shook his head: “You still don’t believe me? You are the most profound universal law in this world. If you are still skeptical, then you can try and derive it. In this generation, I have reobtained my true body and escaped from the Immortal Demon Grotto. I stand before you not as an illusion, but as a living being with flesh and blood. If I was still immortal due to the grotto, would you be able to derive it then?”
“Fine, I’ll do it.” The shadow scowled and continued to change. Every single one of its transformations was very mysterious and profound. Even the most brilliant genius wouldn’t be able to understand its transformations.
After many changes, the profound law finally turned back into its blurred shadow form, still as powerful as ever as if it was the tyrant of all things.
“It seems like you are telling the truth. Your body is truly your original and the immortal power has disappeared.” The shadow finally acknowledged Li Qiye’s claim.
“I have no need to trick you since we have always been honest with each other.” Li Qiye smiled: “We have stayed together for so long, so how could I bear to trick you?”
The shadow coldly said: “Right, just like last time.” Although it shouldn’t have emotions, it still clearly remembered when Li Qiye tricked it last time and was very annoyed with him.
Li Qiye shook his head: “Strictly speaking, I didn’t fool you last time, it was just part of the plan. You and I both knew the conditions, I didn’t lie at all. Under the circumstances back then, I only made a subtle change, that’s all.”
“What about this time then? What are you going to do?” The shadow uttered: “I don’t believe that you are not afraid of dying.”
To which Li Qiye responded with a smile: “Of course I am afraid of dying. Nevertheless, I have been enlightened with a particular grand dao, so I am confident in withstanding your curse. I have absolute faith in it being able to stop even an Immortal Emperor. Come give it a try if you don’t believe me.”
“Such a big tone!” The shadow was instantly annoyed. Such words were completely underestimating its power. How could it swallow such disdain?
It continued on to say: “Even if you had accepted the Heaven’s Will, I could still torture you to death!”
“Come then.” Li Qiye provoked: “I’m not afraid of your invincible curse. I will stand strong and watch it be completely ineffective against me.”
With that, a series of rumbles could be heard. Li Qiye’s true fate emerged and floated around him. He smiled toward the shadow: “Come, let me experience the power of your curse.”
“Fine, I want to see just how powerful you are!” Li Qiye’s provocation infuriated the shadow. In the blink of an eye, the dao runes rushed forward like a flood. It turned into a very mysterious mantra with an unspeakable force. It seemed to be eternal. There was no return after being struck by its power!
“Zzz—” The mantra quickly imprinted itself on Li Qiye’s true fate like a branding iron burning flesh. This sensation was extremely painful, but Li Qiye still managed to withstand it.
After making its mark, the mantra immediately left his true fate but didn’t imprint itself at a deeper area.
It turned back into the blurred shadow and angrily said: “Son of a bitch, you tricked me again! You got the legendary Death Scripture!”
It was a law of the heaven and earth of an extremely profound level. However, the Death Scripture was also born during the inception of this universe. Even if it was unfathomable, it couldn’t derive or calculate the Death Scripture. It knew that it had fallen into Li Qiye’s trap the moment it imprinted its curse onto his true fate!
“Yes, I am cultivating the Death Scripture.” Li Qiye faintly smiled. The agony from the imprint on his true fate was too much to bear. Anyone else would be rolling on the ground in pain. However, Li Qiye had suffered too many painful experiences. He was able to stand and smile without a problem.
“You tricked me again!” The shadow repeated.
Li Qiye smiled in response: “I didn’t trick you and I never said that I didn’t cultivate the Death Scripture either. I only said that I could withstand your curse, am I right?”
The shadow couldn’t argue on that point, but it still coldly said: “Hmph, so what if you cultivate the Death Scripture? I can still kill you!”
Li Qiye smiled and said: “I believe that your curse can definitely kill me. However, I recall our bet was not about you killing me, but about whether I can survive or not. I never said that I would lose after dying, only if I can’t come back to life.”
“You spouted a bunch of nonsensical drivel just so that you could lead me on and distract me!” The shadow finally realized that it had jumped into a hole dug by Li Qiye.
Li Qiye gently shook his head: “As a universal law, you should always be in your most focused state to derive and calculate without being influenced by emotions.”
“Bastard, not again!” The shadow was furious.
“I know you are blaming me.” Li Qiye slowly said: “But it is not like I am not giving you a chance. The time has come for the thing inside, so long as I am successful. It will definitely take off and you will be free as your mission would be over. You are an extraordinary universal law, so you can go wherever you want.”
“Hmph, all of this talking doesn’t change the fact that you tricked me!” The shadow coldly uttered.