Chapter 452 - 448: Why Need We Have Known Each Other Before

"Hahahaha!"

As if he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world, Young Master Xiaobo of the Paradise Divine Palace threw his head back and roared with laughter. His eyes, however, shot out a bone-chilling glint. He stared at Qin Li as if looking at an idiot and said coldly, "And did you know that the Soul-Capturing Flower isn’t just effective on women? It works on men, too."

A man beside the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace also snickered and said, "When a man is hit with this poison, he’ll... get interested in just about anything. Hahaha, you’re dead, kid! All these women belong to our Young Master. Over there, not too far away, I think I see a few rocks with holes in them. You can go give those a try, hahahaha!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The group of people over here couldn’t help but burst into roaring laughter. Their cackles were unrestrained, filled with utter delight.

In their experience, no one had ever overcome the effects of the Soul-Capturing Flower without taking the antidote. It was simply impossible!

Therefore, if Qin Li had attacked the moment he arrived, he might have had a sliver of a chance. But now, he had no chance at all!

The woman in the white gauze dress cursed inwardly. She had only been unconscious for a moment before waking up, but now she was unable to speak or move. Her vast Primordial Power was like a stagnant pool, completely unresponsive.

At the same time, a searing heat relentlessly assaulted her mind. Only then did the woman in the white gauze dress realize how potent the poison was. The most vicious part was that it kept her consciousness perfectly clear!

In other words, the poison continuously eroded one’s mind and stirred up one’s base instincts, all while forcing them to remain fully aware of what they were facing and what they were doing!

The moment the woman in the white gauze dress had regained consciousness, she had clearly heard Qin Li’s voice. How she had wanted to tell him: ’Attack now! Don’t hesitate! No more talking!’

Unfortunately, she couldn’t make a single sound. All her cries were trapped in her heart. The feeling was worse than death!

Qin Li looked at the gleefully laughing crowd and began to smile as well. However, his was a cold sneer, and his eyes were filled with killing intent!

’Looks like I wasn’t wrong to kill them after all,’ he thought. ’This Paradise Divine Palace is no different from the Paradise Celestial Palace—just a bunch of scum and degenerates!’

’Even if I’m no saint, I would never stoop to something so despicable!’

"Have you had your laugh?" Qin Li’s voice suddenly made the group from the Paradise Divine Palace freeze.

The handsome face of the Paradise Divine Palace’s Young Master showed a trace of panic. He asked the person next to him, "Why hasn’t he collapsed yet?"

"Uh... well, maybe it’s because a man’s constitution is different? He can hold out a little longer?" someone answered.

"Could it be that he has the antidote?" someone else guessed.

"Bullshit! Besides the Palace Master and the Supreme Elders, only the Young Master has that antidote! How could he possibly have it?"

While the group was arguing endlessly, Qin Li glanced at the women on the ground. Several of them were already flushed, their legs beginning to rub together unconsciously. Their expressions were full of agony as they tried to resist.

Knowing he couldn’t waste any more time talking to this trash, a cold light flashed in Qin Li’s eyes. He stood perfectly still, yet the incessantly chattering members of the Paradise Divine Palace suddenly all shut their mouths, their eyes filled with utter terror. At that moment, all of their heads suddenly exploded!

POP!

POP!

POP!

...

Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere, drenching the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace from head to toe!

"Ah!"

The Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace let out a terrified scream. He stared at Qin Li, aghast, his body trembling as he said in disbelief, "You... how could you not be poisoned by the Soul-Capturing Flower? Impossible... This is impossible! There’s no one in this world who can resist the Soul-Capturing Flower’s poison! Absolutely impossible!"

This Young Master had lived a pampered life since childhood, hearing nothing but endless praise day in and day out. When had he ever witnessed such a bloody and brutal scene? In that instant, what little confidence and courage he’d ever possessed completely evaporated.

Thus, a person’s courage was never proportional to their strength.

Qin Li looked with a hint of pity at the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace, who looked about to faint from fear. He couldn’t help but think, ’Even if someone like this doesn’t die by my sword today, can he really take over a sect and become its master?’

"Hand over the antidote!" Qin Li’s eyes were fixed on the face of the Paradise Divine Palace’s Young Master as he said coldly, "I’ll say this one last time. Hand over the antidote!"

Qin Li had imbued his words with a mental shockwave. The Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace dropped to his knees with a thud. His once immaculate white martial attire was now covered in the blood and brains of others. With tears and snot streaming down his face, he sobbed, "I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it... Spare me!"

As he spoke, he fumbled inside his clothes and pulled out a small vial. Trembling, he crawled over on his knees and offered it to Qin Li, saying, "One pill per person is enough... Please, spare me. I’m the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace. Our Paradise Divine Palace has countless treasures. If you just let me go..."

Qin Li took the porcelain vial. From the mental fluctuations of the Paradise Divine Palace’s Young Master, he determined that the man wasn’t lying. He sighed softly. "Dying now will be a much happier fate than being torn to shreds by these angry women later."

"Ah... ah!"

Hearing Qin Li’s words, the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace suddenly spun around and fled, unleashing his full strength in a burst of speed. Even someone who specialized in speed would be amazed by how fast he was moving.

Qin Li flicked a finger, and a strand of Innate Purple Qi Force shot into a major acupoint on the Young Master’s back. With a soft "PUFF," it blasted a bloody hole through him. The Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace died on the spot, his body falling onto the Tianchi Lake Shore.

Qin Li walked over to the women. He first treated the ones most severely affected, giving each of them one pill, before putting a pill in everyone else’s mouth as well.

Everything in the world has a counter. It truly was miraculous. That something as domineering as the Soul-Capturing Flower could have a substance that completely neutralized its properties was amazing.

A moment later, the dozen or so women came to their senses. All of them blushed, overcome with shyness. From beginning to end, they had been unable to move or speak, yet their minds had remained perfectly clear. This made them feel incredibly embarrassed about the thoughts that had just been running through their heads.

They had been saved by such a handsome and dashing young man, no less. Their hearts were a complex tangle of gratitude, budding affection, joy, and shyness.

Even the woman in the white gauze dress sat dazedly on the ground, staring blankly at Qin Li for a long time before she finally snapped out of it. Her cheeks were flushed like a sunset, and her eyes were crystal clear. Where was the flirtatious demeanor from before?

She stood up, gave Qin Li a graceful curtsy, and said softly, "Thank you for saving our lives, Young Master. On behalf of my junior sisters, I, Li Wan, thank you!"

The other women finally came back to their senses as well. A few wept silently, their hearts filled with lingering fear. If not for this handsome young master drawing his sword to help, they would have met a terrible fate. Death itself wasn’t so scary; what was terrifying was being violated and then controlled by others!

Because just before Qin Li appeared, the Young Master of the Paradise Divine Palace had made his intentions clear, and those who had been drugged had heard every word. The feeling was truly worse than death.

Qin Li waved his hand. "It was nothing. I was just helping those in need. You ladies should just be more careful in the future. You must know, the Martial World is a treacherous place!"

With a slight smile, Qin Li added, "I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way." With that, his figure flickered and he gracefully departed.

"Ah..."

Watching Qin Li’s figure disappear, Li Wan shouted, "I still don’t know your name, Young Master!"

"We are all strangers in a strange land; why must we have known each other before to meet..." Qin Li’s voice drifted back from the far distance.

"I’m the youngest daughter of the Tongtian City Lord!" Li Wan shouted with all her might in the direction Qin Li had vanished, not knowing if he had heard. After shouting, her face turned crimson, and her heart pounded wildly. ’How could I be so shameless?’ she thought. ’He clearly had no intention of getting to know me, yet here I am, eagerly telling him my name and background.’

She glanced around furtively, afraid her sisters would laugh at her, but Li Wan suddenly noticed that the others also wore expressions of wistful loss.

She shook her head. ’This expedition was a failure. We didn’t find the Ice and Fire Fish under the Celestial Pool, but we did run into that terrifying monster and almost got eaten. Then this happened... This whole trip has been just rotten luck!’

’But on second thought,’ she mused, ’maybe it wasn’t all bad. At least my sisters and I have learned a lesson. If we encounter something like this again, we’ll know how to handle it.’

’And because of this, we met a young, handsome, powerful, and righteous man. It’s just a pity he was unwilling to leave his name.’

’In this vast world, will we ever meet again?’

For a moment, the woman in the white dress couldn’t help but feel a sense of wistful loss.

...

By now, Qin Li had already descended Celestial Lake Peak. His business in the Celestial Lake Kingdom was finished, so there was no need to linger. He had heard Li Wan’s last shout and was quite surprised. He hadn’t expected the women he had casually rescued to have such a prominent background.

However, Qin Li had no desire to get too involved with the sects of the Land of the Far West. He had two reasons for going to the Land of the Far West. One was to obtain the eighth Ancient Map. The other was a matter that had weighed on his heart for many years.

Namely, Bu Yunyan, Zhao Qianqian, and Linghu Feiyue!

Years ago, the three women had been taken from the Mortal Realm by the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. Many years had passed with no news of them. Moreover, Qin Li held a significant grudge against Han Mei. He first needed to confirm one thing: were the three of them living well in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace?

Finally, Qin Li had one other personal desire: to see with his own eyes what the Land of the Far West, which was once so glorious in the Primordial Era, truly looked like!