The old man clearly tried to persuade Li Qiye to the darkness. Alas, the latter showed no interest.

Fine, are you going to find him first or not? He changed the topic.

Depends on if he is willing to meet. Would be hard otherwise. Li Qiye said.

But you managed to find us, it shouldnt be a problem now. The old man smiled.

You all were too easy to find due to your boundless greed. Even if I didnt search, you would have come knocking on my door eventually. Li Qiye said.

If you truly want to, you will be able to find him as long as you are willing to pay the price. Im sure you have thought about it before. The old man said.

Well, its just a matter of time, I dont need to pay anything. Li Qiye said.

You will find him before your expedition. The old man understood.

The same applies to him. Li Qiye said.

Everyone wants to get rid of the pests in the garden before focusing on the main objective. The question is, which of you is the true pest? The old man asked.

I view him as a pest and Im sure he doesnt have a favorable opinion of me either. Li Qiye said.

Hmm, if I had really wanted to, I could have followed his clues. The old man said.

He didnt want you though. Do you know why? Li Qiye said.

Greed, and I would have felt the same way. The stench of our greed could be smelled across three thousand worlds. The moment we stepped out, we would have become the villainous heavens targets right away. The old man shrugged.

He needs a place to settle and thats not possible with your group around, the heaven will come knocking eventually. Li Qiye agreed.

But the heaven didnt, do you know why? It was the old mans turn to question.

Its rather simple. Li Qiye said: If you got shit that you want to be eaten, you need dogs. When the job is done, you can kill the shit-eating dogs afterward.

Asshole, cant you be more refined in your speech? The old man cursed.

My language is vulgar, not my logic. Li Qiye said: The truth is not far from this. Why was I kept around? To take care of you bunch, of course. Its the same for your group too, I didnt see any brotherly affection during the internal strife.

So youre a dog as well. The old man snorted, annoyed with Li Qiyes coarse words.

No, Im the village idiot, ready to fight any dog to death once provoked. Kill first, talk later. Li Qiye said.

Hahaha. The old man laughed and said: If youre an idiot, so are the rest of the world. I wish this is true though so you can start going around fighting all the time.

With whom? Im still searching, am I not? Li Qiye waved his hand.

Dont lie to me and say that you dont know where he is right now. The old man said.

How should I put this? Anything that hasnt been confirmed is mere speculation, thats not my style. Li Qiye said.

Haha, time will tell. The old man laughed and said: Arent you afraid that the villainous heaven will find someone else?

Who else? There are only two idiots in the village and they arent interested in the position of the chief. Li Qiye said.

The old man paused for a while before asking: You truly havent considered obtaining immortality? The immortal can be you.

No, there is nothing good about being an immortal. Li Qiye answered directly.

Indestructible, eternal life. The old man said.

Not interested. Li Qiye shook his head.

Everyone wants to become an immortal, there is no exception, the same for him. Death is eternal torture. The old man said.

The same for living. I call an eternal life a fate worse than death. Li Qiye smiled.

Thats why I said you are ignorant in this regard, having not experienced the true pleasure of freedom. At that point, you will want to live forever. The old man said.

Dogs also think that shit is the most delicious meal in the world because they have never considered the possibility of not eating it. Li Qiye retorted.

Fuck you! The old man cursed again.

You all refuse to acknowledge this truth. Did you or he ever say no once? To overcome the desires in your heart. Li Qiye said.

The world was ours, dependent on our whims. there was no need to say no. The old man said.

Thats why we are different, the world is the world, I am me. Li Qiye said.

And thats why your life is miserable. The old man concluded.

Sure, but at the very least, Ill still be human. I know what I seek and what I have to give up in order to maintain this. Li Qiye nodded and closed his eyes.

To be a human. The old man murmured.

***

Boom! An explosion resulting in massive heat waves detonated inside Imperial Attendant City.

Everyone sensed an imperial aura within the inferno along with a green light. Vines began coiling up into the air to contain the flames.

Whats going on? They became startled.

Its Jadecure Conqueror, is she refining a cauldron? One big shot became startled.

Boom! On another side, an inferno with a dark beam inside rushed into the air. It exuded a tyrannical aura and spread across Imperial Attendant, seemingly wanting to light the city ablaze. If this continued, the taller buildings could be reduced to ashes.

Darkflame Cauldron Emperor! Ancient ancestors recognized the owner of this flame.

Why is here here, is he starting a cauldron too? Most became confused.

Theyre competing, maybe this will decide whether Suppression Conqueror will return the post back to Imperial Gate. Experts from the city understood the event.

What does Darkflame Cauldron Emperor have to do with Suppression Conqueror? One cultivator asked because this alchemist was not part of Imperial Attendant.

Darkflame Cauldron Emperor is an honorary member of Hundred Dao. Since Suppression Conqueror wants to maintain his control, he has to go by the rules and defeat Jadecure Conqueror with alchemy. The cauldron emperor is the only likely candidate. Someone explained.

Time is flying by fast, its another election. A last-gen member from the city said: If Suppression Conqueror and Hundred Dao win again, theyll lay an even stronger foundation than the previous, one step closer to becoming the orthodox branch.