NOVPUBA palpable intent to kill swept towards The Emperor, only to dissipate into nothingness before his gold-colored defenses.
When Mo Rubing’s rage had slightly subsided, Li Ping said indifferently, "I can tell that your heart isn’t truly filled with anger."
"Still putting on an act in front of me? Or have you become so lost in the role that even you can’t distinguish the truth?"
"See, this, this is what true anger looks like…"
The Emperor stepped forward abruptly, a powerful force erupting from the tips of his boots, sweeping violently around him. The brilliance of the White Jade Flagpole flickered like a willow in the wind, shaking uncontrollably.
But this surging energy, once it left the range of the Light Ring and entered the Ocean of Darkness, rapidly diminished.
The silent Ocean of Darkness rippled gently, erasing any disturbance.
It was as if it were soothing The Emperor’s fury.
"There’s no need for you to teach me! I understand this place better than you do!"
Mo Rubing’s voice suddenly appeared behind Li Ping. A shadow lurked under the bright light of the White Jade Flagpole, like a venomous snake baring its fangs at Li Ping’s neck.
The gold Armor of The Emperor instantly revealed cracks, and from a hole in its center, a black line shot out, aiming straight for Li Ping’s throat.
However, just as he was about to strike, Li Ping caught it with his hand.
Li Fan looked at the bound, wriggling shadow in his hand and said coldly, "Another personality? This one… resembles you a lot."
After speaking, he didn’t crush this sneaky attacker but allowed it to return to Mo Rubing’s side.
However, Mo Rubing himself had abandoned even the Immortal Instrument, the White Jade Flagpole. While they were talking, he had already vanished from the spot.
Li Ping shook his head slightly, his previous kick had not been for naught.
Following the lingering connection, he sped through the Ocean of Darkness, chasing after Mo Rubing.
Mo Rubing seemed to be headed for the very fissure from which the Immortal Alliance was extracting the Power of Darkness.
"Got some clever trick and you dare spout grand statements in front of me?"
"Am I not aware that the Ocean of Darkness absorbs everything, even the emotions of a Cultivator, causing ripples which are then cloaked by darkness?"
"Yet you claim to see through my heart?"
Dozens of Mo Rubing’s faces, hidden within the darkness, floated by intermittently, mocking and jeering at Li Ping.
Their tones differed, but without exception, after delivering their lines, they dissolved into the Ocean of Darkness.
Since these demonic visages did not attack, Li Ping simply ignored their mockery, focusing instead on rapidly closing in on Mo Rubing.
The rambling taunts of the demonic faces continued.
"What’s the ’real’ me? I am the first genius of the Nine Refining Observation, crowned as the first among those destined for Immortal Ascension. I am also one of the Twelve Law Kings of the Mystic Sky Sect, helping Xuan Yuanhong create a grand cause, unifying the Xuanhuang World."
"Should I always show the same face just because of that? Must a chief prodigy always be composed? Should a Law King be always deliberate and restrained?"
"Wrong, wrong, wrong! Laughter and curses are me; rebellion and defiance are me; free-spiritedness is also me!"
"With an Immortal heart, I wield my demonic faces, showing the appropriate demeanor for every situation!"
"Accompany the actor in his play, intimidate the utterly terrified, join forces with the unforgivably wicked."
"And for someone as naive and righteous as you, should wake you up with a severe scolding!"
"What do you think you are?! You haven’t even stepped into the Immortal Realm, yet you delude yourself with thoughts of saving the world?!"
Around him, dozens of faces materialized, bombarding The Emperor with a torrent of ugly words.
Yet The Emperor showed no trace of emotion.
His gaze seemed to pierce through layers of darkness, and not far ahead, Mo Rubing’s face also bore the same calm.
Sigh…
The waves of the Ocean of Darkness halted Mo Rubing’s progress.
Suddenly, he stopped and looked up at the distant sky.
A gap was rhythmically spouting the Power of Darkness. The intermittent dull sounds were like heavy heartbeats.
"Truly deserving of death."
"How can success be possible with such vermin dragging me down?"
Another shadowy face appeared above Li Ping’s head. This time, the words spoken were not as crazed or furious as before. But Li Ping heard, amidst the calm, a concealed killing intent.
"I once tried to harness the power of the Ocean of Darkness to close that breach. Yet it was blocked by an eyeball…"
"Was that eyeball’s owner the King of Mystic Sky?"
The Emperor moved beside Mo Rubing, placed his hand on his shoulder, and transmitted his voice.
Mo Rubing did not turn around, but a face suddenly appeared on the back of his head, looking down on Li Ping with contempt.
"Would Xuan Yuan Big Brother do such a thing?"
Li Ping wasn’t annoyed and continued the conversation, "Then why could that eyeball mobilize the power of the Ocean of Darkness?"
The face on the back of Mo Rubing’s head disappeared: "Do you even understand what the nature of this Ocean of Darkness is?"
"Array Technique?" Li Ping answered after pondering for a moment.
"Indeed you are foolish." Mo Rubing scoffed, "The Array Technique is just the surface. What really creates this convergence of darkness and enables the Xuanhuang World to resist the pulling force from The Ruins of Ascension Pathway, is…"
But at the crucial moment, Mo Rubing suddenly stopped.
"Do you want to know?" he asked teasingly, his tone frivolous.
"I do." Li Ping stated frankly.
Seeing Li Ping’s earnestness, Mo Rubing suddenly seemed to lose interest. His tone returned to normal in an instant.
