The newcomer was the overlord of the Gu family, Gu Wentian. He instantly appeared before Li Xiaotian, his eyes flickering as he scrutinized Li Xiaotian from head to toe.
"Greetings, senior. Engaging in conflict with the Blissful Buddha Sect was a last resort for this junior. I hope you won't mock me," Li Xiaotian said with a wry smile. He truly had no choice, and his conflict with the Blissful Buddha Sect was merely self-defense.
"Mocking? What's there to mock? If you do it, you do it. What's the point of cultivation if not for fighting?" Gu Wentian said with a hearty laugh.
"Scram! If you want to swear, go swear somewhere else. Don't stand in my way and be an eyesore!" Granny Yue E, standing beside him, said with a scowl, a hint of annoyance flashing in her eyes.
"Ahem, alright." Gu Wentian cleared his throat and quickly made way, a flicker of awkwardness in his gaze towards Li Xiaotian. Li Xiaotian suppressed a chuckle, his expression unchanged. This old man had been boasting about revenge just moments ago, only to be dealt with in the next breath.
"Alas! There's nothing to be done. If you can't win, you must concede when you should," Gu Wentian said to Li Xiaotian after Granny Yue E had left. Li Xiaotian nodded in agreement. He endorsed this sentiment, even though he had never conceded before.
"Kid, don't take it lightly. The world is becoming more complete. What if one day a Heavenly rank expert suddenly emerges, and you happen to provoke them? You'll be crying then." Gu Wentian glared at Li Xiaotian, clearly thinking the kid was looking down on him.
Li Xiaotian was startled by this. The world was nearing completion, and all the slumbering Heavenly rank experts would awaken. He recalled he had a Heavenly rank enemy, Ancestor Wuyun. After destroying the Wuyun Sect, that fellow would surely seek revenge the moment he revived. Not to mention other forces he had offended, like the Desolate Hall, the Divine Sect, and the Divine Fire Sect, all of which surely had Heavenly rank experts.
"But don't worry. With your cultivation speed, if you maintain it, you should have the power to protect yourself when the world is completed," Gu Wentian added, patting Li Xiaotian's shoulder.
"Senior, please stop mocking me. Even if I break through to the Heavenly rank, who knows how powerful the resurrected enemies will be? There might even be peak Heavenly rank experts," Li Xiaotian said with a bitter smile, feeling the constant pressure. The reason he left Da Qin was that he realized continuing to stay there would limit his improvement, hence his decision to leave.
Hearing this, Gu Wentian was taken aback. He glanced at Li Xiaotian, then his mouth twitched. He mentally tallied the forces Li Xiaotian had offended; it seemed they were all right. The Desolate Hall, his greatest enemy, had two peak Heavenly rank experts!
"Kid, good luck to yourself!" Gu Wentian said with a complex expression, feeling helpless. Few people, even in ancient times, had offended so many forces like Li Xiaotian.
"But don't be afraid. You're still young, and your future achievements are boundless! Which of the ancient top experts wasn't facing enemies from all sides when they were weak?" Perhaps feeling his words might discourage Li Xiaotian, Gu Wentian quickly added.
"Take the Demon Lord, for instance. In his youth, he not only offended all the human forces but also the demon race. Several times, powerful beings from both races put aside their animosity and joined forces to deal with him, yet he still overcame them and became the supreme expert." However, what Gu Wentian didn't expect was that Li Xiaotian, who wasn't paying much attention initially, became somewhat worried after hearing his words. He was the successor of the Demon Lord! This meant he would not only face his own enemies but also the Demon Lord's.
For a moment, Li Xiaotian felt a pang of frustration. He glanced at Gu Wentian, wondering if the old man had done this deliberately.
"Ahem, well, I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." Gu Wentian realized he had spoken amiss and quickly turned to leave.
Li Xiaotian shook his head with a wry smile, recalling a phrase Granny Yue E used to describe the Gu family. The Gu family: a bunch of battle maniacs, but all lacking in brains. However, what the old man said did remind him that he might also become an enemy of the world in the future. Thinking this, a sharp glint flashed in Li Xiaotian's eyes. An enemy of the world? He wasn't that afraid. He would fight if he could win, and flee if he couldn't, only to return when he was strong enough!
"Tsk tsk, kid, your state of mind is not bad. You have the demeanor of my past self," the Demon Lord's voice suddenly echoed in his mind, his tone casual.
"Old man, why are you awake? Weren't you supposed to be in slumber to recover your strength?" Li Xiaotian asked, not bothering to dwell on the fact that his thoughts were being spied on, as he was accustomed to it.
"You brat, how dare you speak to me like that? Do you understand respect for your master?" the Demon Lord scolded, his mood instantly turning sour.
"Respect for my master? Knowing that being your disciple means cleaning up your messes, I should have refused back then. Also, when others are in trouble, they have their master to back them up. Where is my master?" Li Xiaotian said, not really complaining, just feeling he had drawn the short straw.
"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Once I recover my strength, you'll be able to walk sideways across the Nine Provinces," the Demon Lord said, clearing his throat, then quickly changing the subject.
"I woke up when you were at the Blissful Buddha Sect. You used the Demon Sword, so how could I not be alerted!" He had woken up long ago, but at that time, with Ananda present, he dared not make a sound, lest he be discovered by that person.
"But your master knows it hasn't been easy for you, so isn't he here to give you an opportunity?" the Demon Lord said with a smile.
"Forget it, just say what you want me to do directly. If I can benefit from it and it's not too dangerous, I can do it for you," Li Xiaotian said helplessly, pouting. With the Demon Lord's tone, he knew something was up.
"Ahem, what are you talking about? What could I possibly need you to do? It's just that I see your strength is too weak and I want to help you improve," the Demon Lord retorted. This brat was becoming more presumptuous. Ever since he learned he was a monk in the Buddhist sect, his respect for the Demon Lord had dwindled, though he hadn't shown much respect even before that.
Li Xiaotian was speechless. He circulated the energy within his body, preparing to block the Demon Lord out. He had been able to do this since breaking through to the Overlord stage, but he had never done it.
"Don't! Kid! Listen to me first!!" the Demon Lord said urgently.
"Don't you want to know my relationship with the extraterrestrial demon race? I sealed myself as the Demon Lord and created my own demonic techniques. Haven't you noticed that the demonic energy emitted by Extreme Desire's incarnation is very similar to your devouring demonic energy?"
Li Xiaotian stopped upon hearing this. He had noticed these things long ago, but he believed that besides the Demon Lord, no one in this world could explain them to him. However, he feared that the truth might be too difficult for him to accept. The Demon Lord was human, and before his identity was exposed, Extreme Desire was also human!
"Speak, what do you want me to do?" Li Xiaotian said. Some truths, no matter how much you try to ignore them, cannot be simply overlooked. Rather than keeping them bottled up, it was better to clarify them thoroughly.