Chapter 533: Threat

Li Qiye remained unfazed by the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s haughty demeanor. He smiled placidly and said, “I’m offering to trade one drop of Starry Universe Water. This is a gesture of my sincerity, proof that I’m a good, peace-loving person. I don’t wish to strong-arm you, of course. But if you really don’t want to make a deal, then I’ll be in a bit of a difficult position.”

BOOM! The moment Li Qiye finished speaking, a deafening blast tore through the sky. The phoenix-like Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng shot to its feet. In a flash, five endless beams of divine light erupted from its body. It was no longer a Phoenix; it had revealed its true form—a towering Ginseng King. The giant ginseng’s branches and leaves were shaped like a Phoenix, and its main root was massive, with numerous long, thin Ginseng Whiskers growing from it.

Having revealed its true form, the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng made no attempt to conceal its heaven-shattering power. As its five divine lights flared, it stood before Li Qiye like a Divine Being.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! Standing at the cliff’s edge, Lan Yunzhu was forced back several steps by the aura of the seemingly invincible Divine Being. She couldn’t help but gasp. The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng just stood there, but it was like a True God, inspiring immense reverence and fear. Its power was so great that even an ordinary Great Sage would be filled with awe!

A dragon roared and a phoenix cried. The True Dragon leaped forth and the Divine Phoenix soared into the sky. The four Divine Beasts coiled around Li Qiye with unparalleled majesty. Meanwhile, the four Copper Horses neighed and reared up, their bronze radiance arcing like a rainbow as if they, too, had awakened as peerless Divine Horses.

The invincible presence of the Four-Battle Copper Vehicle blocked the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s invincible Divine Power, leaving Li Qiye, who stood upon it, completely unaffected by the overwhelming aura.

Li Qiye gazed at the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s true form and smiled faintly. Even in the face of its invincibility, he remained perfectly composed and unhurried, as if this were a perfectly ordinary event.

“What a pity. You played your hand wrong, and now you won’t get even a single drop of Starry Universe Water,” Li Qiye said nonchalantly. “Did you know? In a very ancient era, someone once captured a True Immortal Medicine and brewed it like tea. You are indeed powerful, but not truly invincible. Standing right here, I can think of five ways to kill you off the top of my head. However, I’m a peace-loving person, and I’d hate to wantonly destroy a precious gift from the heavens.”

CRACK! A small coffin appeared in Li Qiye’s hand. But then, with another series of cracking sounds, the palm-sized coffin expanded into a full-sized one.

Cradling the coffin, Li Qiye spoke slowly, “It would be a terrible shame to kill a True Immortal Medicine. Such a wanton waste would be a crime against nature, don’t you think? So, how about we resort to some… less savory methods? Do you believe I can open this Ancient Coffin? I’m sure you know a thing or two about its origins.”

The moment it saw the coffin cradled in Li Qiye’s arms, the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng staggered back several steps. It was clearly terrified of the coffin.

Lan Yunzhu was stunned by this. She couldn’t understand how this coffin could make the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng so utterly terrified.

The coffin Li Qiye held was the very same Small Coffin he had acquired from the Little Ghost Qin Guang King. In his hands, the Small Coffin had now become a large one.

“Are you threatening me?” The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng didn’t speak aloud; a voice echoed through its Divine Sense.

Li Qiye cradled the coffin and said with a carefree smile, “You guessed it. I am threatening you. Want to test me? I’m confident it wouldn’t be hard for me to open this coffin just a crack. It might cause me a bit of trouble, but you’ll be the one in for a world of hurt. How sure are you that you can get away? Because if you can’t, it’ll end tragically for you. Trust me, it won’t be a pretty picture!”

The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng stared at Li Qiye. If it had a face, its fury would have been plain to see; its expression would have been absolutely livid.

“I might have five ways to kill you, but they’re all too much trouble. Besides, I don’t actually want you dead. So let’s cut to the chase: I am threatening you. I’ll give you two choices. One, refuse my demand. Two, accept it,” Li Qiye said with a wide grin.

Watching from the cliff’s edge, Lan Yunzhu was left speechless. She finally understood that Li Qiye was an absolute scoundrel and a bandit. Anyone who crossed him, no matter who they were, was in for a tragedy!

“What do you want?” came the Divine Sense from the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. If it could show an expression, its face would be absolutely livid—ashen-faced and practically insane with rage.

As a True Immortal Medicine, it was an incredibly powerful being in its own right. Yet today, it was being threatened by a puny member of the Human Race, and there was nothing it could do about it.

Lan Yunzhu was startled. She never thought the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng would actually give in to the threat; it was simply unbelievable. This made her incredibly curious. What on earth was inside that Wooden Coffin that could inspire such fear, such terror, in the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng?

Li Qiye wasn’t the least bit surprised by this outcome. He said with a grin, “You’d never agree if I asked you to come with me. And I’m not a merciless person, am I? I’ve always been reasonable. Since you’re so willing to cooperate, I won’t ask for too much. The old deal still stands: I want five of your Old Ginseng Whiskers. The five from your main root.”

As he spoke, Li Qiye pointed to the five thickest whiskers on the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s main root. On a main root as massive as this, calling them mere Ginseng Whiskers was an understatement. They were more like five individual Divine Ginsengs, shimmering with a Five-Colored Divine Light. Just a whiff of their aroma was enough to make one feel like they were ascending to the heavens.

“You—!” The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng was utterly enraged. If it had a face, it would be flushed crimson, practically insane with fury. To it, Li Qiye’s demand was outrageous. These were its five oldest and finest Ginseng Whiskers; it wouldn’t have been willing to trade a single one for a drop of Star River Everything Water!

“Think it over. Do you want me to open the coffin, or do you want to trade five Old Ginseng Whiskers for your safety?” Li Qiye said nonchalantly. “Of course, you have a third option: you could try attacking me. I just wonder if you have the confidence to shatter my defenses in a single blow? It’s not that I’m looking down on you, but with your power alone, you definitely can’t do it!”

The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng’s gaze fell upon the Four-Battle Copper Vehicle. It had, in fact, considered attacking Li Qiye. However, just as Li Qiye had said, it knew it was impossible to break through the Four-Battle Copper Vehicle’s defenses in a single blow. If it couldn’t, the consequences would not be pleasant for it.

“And if you fail to break through, well, then I’ll have no choice but to open this coffin lid. Even if it’s just a crack, it won’t be a good thing for you. You understand the kind of nightmare that would unleash,” Li Qiye said in a measured tone.

The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng fell silent. It was kicking itself with regret. ‘If I’d known it would come to this, I should have just made the deal from the start. At least then I would have gotten a drop of Starry Universe Water.’

“Take them!” Finally, the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng plucked off its five oldest Ginseng Whiskers and threw them to Li Qiye. The Divine Sense it projected was filled with incomparable rage, a hatred that bordered on madness!

When the five Ginseng Whiskers landed in Li Qiye’s hand, they were like five individual Divine Ginsengs. A three-million-year-old Ginseng King, or even a Ginseng Ancestor, couldn’t hope to compare to a single one of these whiskers.

“Looks like our transaction was a pleasant one,” Li Qiye said with a grin as he put the five Ginseng Whiskers away. Although they were just whiskers, they were the oldest ones from a True Immortal Medicine, the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng. Their medicinal effect was even more astonishing than that of an entire Ginseng Ancestor.

Even an Immortal Emperor would covet a single one of these whiskers. An item like this was simply too heaven-defying. Compared to it, any Medicine King was utterly insignificant.

The Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng paid Li Qiye no mind. Having been blackmailed for its five oldest Ginseng Whiskers, it was seething with a rage that bordered on madness. It reverted to its Phoenix form and settled back down into its nest.

Li Qiye guided the Four-Battle Copper Vehicle back to the cliff’s edge and handed one of the Old Ginseng Whiskers to Lan Yunzhu. “Here,” he said.

“For me?” Lan Yunzhu froze on the spot. This was no ordinary item. This was a whisker from a True Immortal Medicine—one of the oldest ones. A single whisker was a supreme fortuitous encounter in itself. An item like this was enough to make the Old Undyings slumbering beneath the earth, and even beings of legend, go mad with desire.

If news of such a whisker got out, it would undoubtedly incite a bloodbath across the Nine Realms. Its value was no less than that of an Emperor Artifact, and to someone on the verge of death, it was even more precious than an Immortal Emperor True Artifact.

“Just take it. Perhaps you’ll have use for it when you reach the apex one day. Or perhaps it will save your life,” Li Qiye said. “And remember, don’t tell anyone about this. Not even the people closest to you.”

Lan Yunzhu took a deep breath. Even for someone who had seen countless treasures, her heart pounded with excitement. After a moment, she solemnly put the Old Ginseng Whisker away and said, “Don’t worry. Only heaven and earth will know of this besides you and me.”

Lan Yunzhu understood the gravity of the situation. A True Immortal Medicine was something that would drive beings across the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands into a frenzy. For an item like this, fathers would turn on their sons, and masters would slaughter their disciples!

“Alright, I’m giving you a kind reminder to leave the area for a little while. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your safety,” Li Qiye shouted to the Five Immortal Phoenix Ginseng, still in its Phoenix form.

“What are you planning to do?” came its Divine Sense inquiry.

“Opening the coffin.” Li Qiye grinned and pointed to the Wooden Pavilion shrouded in chaos at the bottom of the nest. “I’m going to suppress that Wooden Pavilion and take the item inside.”