Infinite Qi System: Cultivating Souls in the Apocalypse-Chapter 73: Mention of the Strongest Player

A few hours later, as the sun dipped low near the horizon, a meeting was being held in secret.

Within the domain of the Righteous Alliance headquarters, an extravagant garden stretched behind a cluster of tall buildings.

Adorned with scattered tall trees, its soil was filled with soft grass blades and bright teal petaled flowers.

At a distance, a small pond shone under the rising moonlight. Several lily pads floated at the surface as the water remained still despite the constant ripples caused by fishes.

On this point, a small, stable bridge stretched from the land and connected to a pavilion. At a glance, the pavilion looked nothing like ordinary. Marbled walls and pristine white pillars with extraordinary carvings etched into their stones.

The garden's serenity, however, was being contested by several individuals.

"Amitabha. This one greets the great benefactors." A young monk called out, his voice gentle and soothing.

"I apologize for arriving late, as I was withheld by my responsibilities." The young monk had both of his hands joined together in a respectful greeting.

His head remained slightly bowed. However, his actions didn't come out of respect.

Despite bowing, his eyes never truly looked away from the individuals gathered before. Instead, his gaze had only grown fiercer.

Glaring right at the five individuals gathered before him, he smiled eerily. His eyes were crescented—half open.

Wearing the loose saffron robes, he wore bright golden earrings and thick prayer beads across his neck and wrists.

"Hoh? Being the abbot of the Indestructible Buddha Sect must really be a work of responsibilities." One of the men—draped in a long robe that hid his attire and a mask that veiled his identity—scoffed.

"To think you'd ignore our summons," he placed his elbow on the table ahead and slouched his head on his palm. "How shall I interpret this behavior of yours, Shi Mingxu?"

Hearing his remarks, Shi Mingxu's smile deepened.

"Forgive me, Benefactor Lu. You see, on my way here, I was met with incredibly heartbreaking news. As it turned out, my closest aide and the most suitable candidate to be the next abbot—my disciple—was discovered to be one of the "Players." He slowly raised his head and walked closer towards the table before sitting down on the only chair left empty.

Over the table, several porcelain cups were placed neatly. Inside, they carried an almost transparent, water-like liquor. Though, unlike its appearance, it carried a faint, enticing aroma.

*Crack!*

A sharp sound echoed through the vicinity. The air grew heavier. As the cups broke in unison, the eyes of the five individuals fell directly upon Shi Mingxu. Widened.

Up until a few moments ago, they had all been treating the situation lightly.

'To think they can even enter the bodies of individuals with such high cultivation and close relationship to us...' a thought rang in their minds collectively.

'Then there could also be someone posing to be... 'us'.'

While it was a plausible suspicion, not a single soul dared to question someone's identity. Without a doubt, it may have brought them a chance at reducing enemies. However, what if the concerned individual wasn't a player?

Wouldn't that be considered disrespect to someone as high and mighty as a Mahayana?

Ye Qingxue, on the other hand, seemed concerned but for a completely different reason. While she understood the meaning behind Shi Mingxu's words, she couldn't help but worry about herself.

'There could be others hiding amongst them. But just like me, they would have no way of knowing each other. For now, it would be better for me to feign ignorance and act as I'm supposed to.' She made up her mind before breaking the silence, attracting the confused eyes towards herself.

"5 years. It's been 5 years since that prophecy." She paused, then continued. "Since then we've been looking for these 'players.' Till now, we've captured and killed 45 of their kind." Her expressions slyly softened.

"No matter what way we try to extract information, they all answer only a few pre-set questions. Inquire any further, and their bodies explode in an instant."

"According to the information at hand," a middle-aged scholar—Zhuge Qingheng—tossed an intricate identity plaque over the table.

"Our initial guesses were indeed wrong. They didn't cross over to this world in their own bodies. Rather, their souls had infused with the bodies of this world. No matter how strong the individual may be, they couldn't resist."

The other five moved their eyes towards the plaque, only to turn grim upon recognition.

"As it turns out, our situation isn't very different from yours, Shi Mingxu. The Taiyan Formation Palace has identified 8 individuals claiming to be players," he sighed.

"Including the Young Lord—my cherished disciple."

As bitter as it may be, it was the truth. For the past 5 years, they had been deceived by players pretending to be their close ones. If they hadn't been warned of such matter, who knew if they'd still be alive or not?

Even if they were pseudo-immortals, even the slightest carelessness could render them helpless against an ordinary sword.

"Although," he further added, "we've also succeeded in acquiring some pretty unique intel."

"Up until now, we've been unable to grasp the remaining five players. But during our interrogation with my disciple, he uncovered a few names. Before dying, he confirmed it as 'The Strongest Player of my world.'"

Ye Qingxue's eyes lit up as she recognized the flow of the conversation. 'The strongest player? It's got to be—'

"Hollow."

***

"How long do you plan to reject the reality?" Tianlong Bai's voice softly echoed in an open ground. Despite the area bustling with crowds, not a single sound could be heard.

Near him, countless humans stood frozen like stone. A few even had their mouths partially opened.

At the center of the city of Xiouyue, Tianlong Bai stood behind the statue of the great hero. Facing the back of groups of people continuously lashing whips at the man chained to the pole, his eyes narrowed. Not with curiosity, but with a hint of sorrow. Regret.

In that moment, a single thought appeared in Tianlong Bai's mind.

Could things have been different had he acted quicker at that time?

But no matter how much he pondered, no answer came in sight. After all, the one who held the answer to his questions, had fallen silent ages ago.

Looking straight in the void-like eyes of the chained man, he couldn't help but wonder, "What could've made you regret your life so much?"

"Was it the betrayal of your love?"

"Or, was it 'his' death?"

"Although," he called out, his voice wavering with overwhelming emotions. "The day of our promises' fulfillment is near. If you do not wake up, I will have no other choice but to kill the survivors of your clan."

Then, he waited. He simply waited for the man to answer. But he didn't. Till the very end, he stuck to his oath.

Tianlong Bai was well aware of his response. For someone who had refused to move for ages... Someone who had seen his blood dying before his eyes in the divine war... For him to move at such a threat, how could it be so easy?

*Swoosh!*

Several glass- and nail-induced whips struck his body continuously, scraping his skin and muscles injuriously.

"I see." Tianlong Bai's lips curled into a bittersweet smile. "So you still blame yourself for that."

He turned around and began walking towards a narrow path.

"At first I wondered how cruel it must've been for you to wither your life facing such intense hatred from the world. I believed you simply got used to such torture." He chuckled. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"How foolish of me. Truly."

"Not once had I considered this possibility. To think you were being strangled to death each second of your life."

"Very well." Reaching the end of the alley, he raised his hand and swung it in the air. With a simple motion, the fabric of space tore before his eyes.

The air cracked as a small crevice formed before him. Stepping in through this crack, he slowly turned around. Looking at the chained man from afar, his eyes sparkled with a bright golden hue.

"This may truly be my last time. Although, a pity. To think I won't be able to witness your powers once again..."

The space quickly healed itself and closed before Tianlong Bai, leaving his last words humming through the air.

"Old friend."