Why Do You Not Kneel? Why Should I Kneel?

Li Guanqi furrowed his brows as he watched domestic animals being tossed into the grand formation one after another, vanishing without a trace. He could not help muttering inward, "They're just ordinary livestock without a shred of spiritual power. What use is there in absorbing them?" "Could it truly be nothing more than an exchange arranged so common folk in the marketplace carry no burden?" "Still, the disparity in value... is far too skewed!" Doubts swirled thick in Li Guanqi's mind... Soon, as the queue moved forward, it was Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu's turn. Liu Qin looked at the extraordinary bearing of the pair before him and smiled faintly. "Heh, seeing that you two possess such remarkable air, allow me to offer a word of advice." "If the offering you prepare is the essence blood of demonic beasts, it would be much better." "Ideally from beasts possessing special bloodlines." The old man's eyes crinkled in a smile as he peered at them. The sole reason he treated them with such special regard was that he could not sense the slightest hint of their aura. Left with no other cues, he could only deduce that their strength and realm had to be at least that of two mighty cultivators at the Void Refining Realm. To support the cultivation of two cultivators so young, the power backing them had to be unfathomably formidable, and they were bound to have a few good treasures on them. A glint flashed in Li Guanqi's eyes. Smiling, he raised his hand and brought out two full, massive jars! Both were filled with demonic beast essence blood. Li Guanqi possessed quite a lot of essence blood from sixth-rank great demons. At times, these were things Jiuxiao disdained to drink after slaughtering demonic beasts; ever since learning that Gu Li needed great demon essence blood, Li Guanqi had instructed Jiuxiao to set them aside. As Meng Jiangchu's daughter, Meng Wanshu carried even more rare and bizarre oddities. Each produced a large jar, and Li Guanqi chuckled softly. "Thank you for the advice, Fellow Daoist." With that, crimson blood poured down from the jars! Boom! Instantly, the golden formation was shrouded in a thin layer of blood-colored mist, and violent fluctuations caused the surrounding spiritual energy to surge into a frenzy! High above Qixian Pagoda, a sharp gleam suddenly flashed in the man's eyes, replaced by an amused, playful look. With his hands behind his back, standing atop the great demon's head, the man murmured softly, "A pity, no special bloodline." "Sigh, Pavilion Master, oh Pavilion Master... doing something like this is dreadfully dull." Having done all this, Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu stepped out of Qixian Pagoda, as Li Guanqi had not detected anything truly amiss inside. Thus, amidst the coming and going of the crowd, the golden grand formation was soon dyed in a faint hue of soft pink. Yet Li Guanqi still did not sense much evil aura; it seemed like nothing more than an ordinary sacrificial formation. Gradually, as more livestock and sacrificial items were cast inside, motes of azure light surged and flickered. Li Guanqi swept his divine sense over them and discovered that inside these specks of light were all phantom images of mundane livestock. Immediately afterward, two faint roars sounded, and Li Guanqi saw the flickering phantoms of two great demons struggling and roaring within the formation. Before long, the crowd poured their offerings in at an accelerating pace. From beginning to end, the projection overhead showed not the slightest hint of impatience. Right until the end, Li Guanqi suddenly detected a familiar aura! Pan Yi! Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. He watched as the crowd was parted down the middle, and an imposing procession came striding forward, shouldering the iron cages from earlier. Pan Yi wore a long hide coat, his expression solemn as he nodded toward Liu Qin. Watching this, Li Guanqi fell into thought, muttering inwardly, 'Could these two be connected?' 'The old man said earlier that the immortal would surely be satisfied this time. Could it be because Pan Yi brought something capable of pleasing him?' Li Guanqi condensed his divine sense into spiritual swords and shot them straight toward the massive iron cages! Just then, however, the projection overhead suddenly lifted his gaze and glanced downward. Boom! Bang! Li Guanqi's face went pale. He snapped his head up, staring at the projection high in the sky. Cizhi lowered his head and looked down at Li Guanqi with unnatural calm, a contemptuous gaze that treated him like a mere ant. That look rubbed Li Guanqi entirely the wrong way, but he gave no outward sign, merely lowering his head silently and fixing his gaze intently on the cages. He whispered softly, "Pengluo, go check inside and see what's in there for me." Yet right after, Li Guanqi received no reply from Pengluo. In fact, no matter how he called, Pengluo did not respond. "You little bastard, dropping the ball at a time like this." Deeper within the void interlayer, Jiuxiao looked with confusion at Pengluo, who was hiding inside a spatial crevice with only one eye peeking out, finding it utterly baffling. Pengluo, who had never feared heaven or earth, now seemed to be intentionally hiding from the immortal projection. A peculiar light flickered within Jiuxiao's dragon eyes. His massive form shrank down like a little snake and slithered into the crack. Coiling around Pengluo, he nuzzled his head against him, as though saying, *Don't be afraid.* Having received no answer from Pengluo, Li Guanqi did not dwell on it. They would be opening the cages soon anyway. The moment Liu Qin saw Pan Yi arrive, his eyes lit up. Hurrying to his side, he asked in a low voice, "Is it settled?" Pan Yi cast a sideways glance at him and sneered. "Rest assured, there won't be any issue whatsoever." "However, you know the reward and price. This time, the formation eye must be reserved for me!" Their voice transmissions were heard loud and clear by Li Guanqi, yet by the looks of them, they hadn't even bothered to conceal them from him. This only reinforced Li Guanqi's suspicion that this matter was nowhere near as simple as it appeared on the surface. A sharp glint flashed across Cizhi's eyes, and he said in a mild voice, "I am well pleased with the offerings this time. I am willing to bestow blessings upon you all." As the words fell, the crowd collapsed to their knees in droves, kowtowing repeatedly against the ground, their faces filled with utter devotion. Even the visiting cultivators were no exception. Having witnessed the words of a genuine immortal, their hearts had been thoroughly conquered. Only Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu remained standing proud. Kneeling on the ground, Pan Yi glanced back at Li Guanqi, startled for a moment before a sneer curled onto his lips. A flash of displeasure flickered in Cizhi's eyes. His face darkened slightly as he demanded in a cold voice, "Why do you not kneel?" Li Guanqi scoffed with a cold smile, "Why should I kneel?" Cizhi's expression darkened further, his voice chilling. "I am an immortal who descended to the lower realm to bestow blessings upon you. Why do you not kneel?" "Could it be you hold no gratitude toward me in your heart?" Li Guanqi smiled with a trace of mockery. His voice was not loud, yet clear enough for everyone present to hear: "An immortal?" "It's not like I can't become one myself. On what grounds should I kneel to you?" The moment those words were uttered, every cultivator present was shaken to the core! Yet when they finally got a clear look at Li Guanqi's appearance, realization suddenly dawned upon them, their faces turning to understanding. As if, coming from Li Guanqi, such words were not so incomprehensible after all... Cizhi chuckled softly. "No matter. My benevolence can tolerate your insolence, young man." With that, the man's colossal projection slowly raised both hands, and a vast cascade of golden specks of light showered down toward the crowd! The skyful of golden lights poured down like torrential rain, scattering over everyone.