Liu Xing looked at the emperor. While the man’s face was directed toward his general location, his eyes shifted subtly left and right, as if he knew Liu Xing was there but was not one hundred percent sure. He wondered how the emperor could have deduced so swiftly and accurately that he was the killer. He was still invisible, and he was sure he had spent more time unseen than not since talking with Hua Beifeng. Yet, Wuji Sanren and now the emperor had easily deduced his identity. Was his method of killing so unique that people could easily identify him?

  At that thought, Liu Xing blinked. He realized his method of killing was indeed unique. Most people he killed had a bullet hole in their head, and their qi was absorbed dry.

  Liu Xing licked his lips. He had never thought about that. It was another point he needed to be careful about.

  "Why so silent? Do you deem me beneath you, unworthy of an answer?" the emperor continued, a small smirk blooming on his lips. "Fine by me, then. Just listen. I, the Emperor of the Mirror Tide Empire, pardon you for killing one of my generals. He was a strong and useful man. However, it seems that you saw a side of him that I did not. As it turned out, he was one of the Nether Lotus Sect’s men. Getting rid of him benefited my empire."

  Liu Xing remembered the man. He had possessed a cursed spear, one that could control its user.

  "You must be wondering why I am suddenly pardoning you. Perhaps you think you have too high a position to be pardoned by an emperor of a little nation like me, or you don't care one bit about my pardon. If you think that, it's okay. What I wanted to tell you is that my empire and I are not your enemy."

  "Your Highness—" a man tried to talk to the emperor, his eyes looking left and right as if he wanted to say that no one was there, yet the emperor stopped him and continued to talk.

  "Actually, I think our goals are aligned. What do you think, Liu Xing? Would you temporarily join my forces? I know for a fact that the Wild Tide Region's entire communication line to the outside world is cut off, so you're probably traveling alone. While moving alone can be useful, joining me would benefit us both. You have the power we lack, and we have the support you lack. How about it?"

  Liu Xing took several steps back. Tide Walker once again pressed its belly on his head, and Liu Xing rubbed his chin.

  The offer, at a glance, was a good one. Joining forces with the Mirror Tide Empire would give him a great deal of support, not only in fights but also with information gathering and general logistics. Not to mention they had Han Guilin, and the ability to teleport long-range was quite valuable. However, as he thought more about it, he realized that while it was nice to have support, doing things alone as he currently did was also not bad. Since he was alone, he could move much faster, have more flexibility, and minimize risk. After all, if he attached himself to the Mirror Tide Empire, he would also need to think about their well-being.

  Still, the offer was quite tempting.

  At that moment, Liu Xing finally dropped his invisibility.

  The moment people saw him, several men moved to the front of the emperor, brandishing their weapons and cycling their qi. The emperor smiled as if he had just won a war, while Liu Xing looked at them through the white mask he wore. To show them that attacking him would be a mistake, he projected his aura outward, though he did not use the mental attack of his mask. As his aura pressed down on them, the emperor’s smile stiffened, and people began to sweat. Some, those who were at the Lock Opening realm, had feet that trembled like a newborn fawn’s.

  "By cultivation alone, I am stronger than you," the emperor stated, a single bead of sweat forming on his forehead. "Yet, it seems that I was right not to show hostility to you."

  "What if I am actually an underling of the elder that is backing the Nether Lotus Sect?" Liu Xing stated, ignoring the emperor’s statement.

  "You're not," he said, shaking his head. "If you were his underling, you would have attacked us instead of the disciples of the Nether Lotus Sect. There are many rumors about you, and I could discern your motive and personality through them. Of course, that's only if the rumors are true. Still, the fact that you decided to show yourself is a sign in itself. So, how about it? Would you join us?"

  "What benefit would I get if I join you?"

  "You would get our support in your quest to eradicate the Nether Lotus Sect, of course. What greater reward do you want? My friendship? My respect? Those are things that I do not offer lightly. Only those who I deem worthy will I give my friendship and respect."

  Liu Xing projected his qi more, and the emperor’s sweating increased.

  "Of course, if you mean in the practical sense, I can give you more information, forces, as well as support and supplies. As long as you are aligned and cooperate with us, what is ours is yours as well."

  "How do you intend on using me?" Liu Xing asked.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  "Using is not quite a fitting word. We will cooperate with each other. My general strategy right now is to use guerrilla tactics to destroy the scattered forces of the Nether Lotus Sect as well as its important locations. Later, I will lead my people in a full-on assault on the Nether Palace."

  The Nether Palace was the main location of the Nether Lotus Sect. As far as Liu Xing knew, it was a concealed place, though he currently knew its exact location. Most probably, Ye Xuanming was currently there, undergoing a breakthrough after consuming Qing Yuan. However, there was also a chance that he was in some unknown location far from the Nether Palace.

  "So," Liu Xing began, "your strategy is similar to the other great sects."

  The emperor pressed his lips and clenched his fists before he loosened them. "At a glance, yes, but we are fundamentally different. The Mirror Tide Empire is aiming for a victory. We seek the destruction of that vile demonic sect. However, those four great sects that have encroached on our territory are not actually aiming for the destruction of the Nether Lotus Sect. Even though they broadcasted that the reason they are here is because they believe the Purple Moon Sect is incompetent in dealing with the demonic sect and came here to set things straight, the true reason they are here is for looting and to provoke the Purple Moon Sect. Their goal is not aligned with ours."

  Liu Xing looked behind the emperor and could see several people nodding, though some had their eyes widened as if they were surprised by this.

  "Do you know what the Nether Lotus Sect is currently planning?" Liu Xing asked.

  "The dominance over the Wild Tide Region," the emperor stated.

  Upon hearing that answer, Liu Xing concluded that even the Mirror Tide Empire still did not know about the ritual Ye Xuanming planned to hold using Fang Ruxue and the others. This simple piece of information solidified his conclusion.

  "I'm sorry, but it seems that I cannot join you, at least for now. I have my own goal, and while it's true that I'm aiming for the total destruction of the Nether Lotus Sect, it's merely my secondary goal."

  His main goal was to save Fang Ruxue and his other friends. He imagined they must be afraid right now, surrounded by enemies far stronger than them, like swans circled by thousands of predators.

  Liu Xing thought about whether he should give them information. After all, while they were not truly allies, they were not enemies either. However, after thinking for a while, he decided against it. He knew for a fact that some members of the Nether Lotus Sect had infiltrated the Mirror Tide Empire, and telling them about the ritual, the Heaven Severing Pill, Fang Ruxue and the others would be a risk. He was afraid this information would leak out and interfere with his plan.

  "Please consider it a bit more," the emperor stated, though his tone was a bit lower, displeased with Liu Xing’s answer.

  "I have already made up my mind. Currently, it's better for me to move alone."

  Not only would he not be derailed, but his movements would also be fast and flexible.

  "However," Liu Xing continued, "if you could give me some communication orbs or other similar items, I would appreciate it. When the time comes, I will contact you."

  The emperor looked to the side, to a man named Han Guilin, before turning back to him and nodding. Then, he flicked his wrist and produced a paper talisman. "This can transmit your voice to me as long as you're still in the Wild Tide Region." Then, he summoned another paper talisman, this one a different color. "In turn, this talisman is capable of transmitting my voice to you. I want you to hold this."

  Liu Xing looked at both talismans, nodded, grabbed them, and put them in his spatial ring. After their conversation was finished, Liu Xing turned invisible once again, jumped on top of Tide Walker, and willed the shark to move through the broken window and soar high into the air.

  As he rode the shark, he summoned the two paper talismans to his hands. The one that allowed him to call the emperor was yellow, while the other was blue. He was afraid that these talismans had some kind of function to locate him too, and briefly thought about burning them. Still, in the end, he put them back inside his spatial ring. While he was currently better off moving alone—since the Mirror Tide Empire was not of much use to him in his current condition—there would be a time where it would be better to move together, for example, when he secured the brother-sister duo, or when he was ready to confront Ye Xuanming.

  Nodding, Liu Xing then summoned another item to his hand. It was a dark-colored jade slip, the most recent one he had gotten. Activating the jade slip, he let the information flood his brain and began to comb through it for what he wanted.

  Some of it was interesting.

  "I suspect the target has a sensory ability tied to his concealment technique. The moment he detects foreign qi, he activates it. This technique is believed to be based on water and is difficult to deal with. I failed because he could sense my approach. If I were given another chance, I would prepare a better ambush rather than moving toward him."

  This information contained images and impressions, as well as an anecdote suggesting that the man could not maintain his concealment technique for too long since he also needed to conceal his whale.

  "If this information is correct, then it should be easy for me."

  His invisibility concealed his presence quite thoroughly, and he was sure that he would not trigger man's sensory ability. Other than that, there were also several predictions of where the man was heading. Contrary to Liu Xing’s expectation, the man was not heading out and trying to run away; instead, he was moving southeast as well. The suspected reasons were many; however, there was one that actually made him pause.

  "One rumor states that he is trying to locate treasures scattered by the famous weapons maker, Bone Singer."

  At that, Liu Xing looked down at his shark. Sometimes he forgot that the shark's original form was a spear. It was created by a loose cultivator named Bone Singer. Toward the end of his life, he created five treasures and scattered them across the world's oceans. It seemed this man was looking for the rest of the treasures.

  "Do you miss him, buddy?" Liu Xing asked.

  His shark growled.

  "Unfortunately, buddy, we need to meet him again."

  He also learned another piece of information that, while not too important, was good to have. The man's name was Yu Heng, and his presumed sister's name was Mi Lian. From the fact that they had different surnames, he concluded they were likely step-siblings.

  3 4 patrons? If you enjoy the daily chapters, please consider joining them to .