Chapter 546: Disappeared

“Ninety steps—” While Saint Child Ji Que and the others were looking grim, Tian Lunhui had already taken ninety steps.

“Breaking a hundred won’t be a problem!” Seeing that Tian Lunhui was walking without any difficulty, the Ghost Race was invigorated. Even an Emperor Immortal Gate like the Ju Que Holy Land couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. Their heir was simply too far behind Tian Lunhui, especially in terms of comprehension, where he had left Saint Child Ji Que and the others in the dust.

“A little interesting. Time for me to catch up.” Li Qiye smiled upon seeing Tian Lunhui take his ninetieth step, then stepped into the pool.

“One, two, three, four, five…” As soon as Li Qiye entered the pool, Lan Yunzhu immediately began counting his steps. Fortunately, she was prepared this time, and her count kept pace with his strides.

“Li Qiye’s going in!” The moment Li Qiye entered the pool, he immediately drew the attention of every Ghost Race cultivator.

“Can he catch up to Tian Lunhui?” Seeing how quickly Li Qiye was moving, the Ghost Race experts couldn’t help but worry.

“Hmph, Tian Lunhui is our Ghost Race’s strongest genius. Even if he catches up, it doesn’t mean he can win. The only true winner is the one who lasts until the end. What’s so great about being fast…” one of the Ghost cultivators, who couldn’t stand seeing Li Qiye do well, said coldly.

However, his words came to an abrupt halt before he could finish.

“Ninety steps—” Just as the Ghost Race experts were starting to worry, Li Qiye suddenly reached the ninetieth step in a single burst. The voice of the Ghost cultivator who resented Li Qiye’s success died in his throat; it was too late to take back his words.

“Is this kid even human?” Even the Ghost Race’s Old Undyings couldn’t help but curse when they saw Li Qiye reach ninety steps with such speed.

In the blink of an eye, Li Qiye had caught up to Tian Lunhui. From across the pool, he looked at him and said, “Impressive. Your talent is peerless. To be able to comprehend the Origin Great Dao of the Ghost Race… you already have the makings of an Immortal Emperor. It’s a shame, though. Your greatest misfortune is being born in the same generation as me! I’ve seen your Great Dao. Now, how about you take a look at mine!”

The moment Li Qiye finished speaking, a Dao Radiance flashed. It was like a Great Dao unfurling, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. In that instant, Li Qiye surged forward as if blessed by the gods, his pace quickening until he seemed to be flying across the water.

Li Qiye’s speed was so astonishing that Tian Lunhui stopped in his tracks to observe with his Celestial Eye. When he saw Li Qiye’s Great Dao unfurl, his expression changed drastically, and he lost all composure.

Tian Lunhui had achieved enlightenment and formed the nascent shape of his own Great Dao at the Other Shore. What he didn’t realize was that at the same place, Li Qiye had comprehended an unparalleled Great Dao, one that was already taking form.

This Great Dao was far beyond anything Tian Lunhui’s could hope to match.

Therefore, seeing Li Qiye seemingly fly across the water’s surface made Tian Lunhui’s expression change so drastically!

“One hundred eleven, one hundred twelve, one hundred thirteen…” As Li Qiye practically sprinted across the pool, Lan Yunzhu, who was counting his steps, could barely keep up. He grew faster and faster, reaching an unparalleled speed. It was as if he was no longer traversing a pool where each step was a new world, but instead, he himself was creating a world with every step.

At this moment, the pool was no longer impeding his progress; on the contrary, Li Qiye seemed to be dragging the entire pool along with him. It was no longer the pool creating a world with each step, but Li Qiye’s feet forcing the pool to form a world beneath them.

It was Li Qiye creating a world with one step, not the pool birthing one. Beneath his feet, the roles of master and servant had completely reversed, and Li Qiye was now in control of the pool’s entire evolution.

At this point, even Tian Lunhui had stopped walking. Though his expression was hidden by a mysterious aura, his silence spoke volumes. He had lost the confident, self-assured air he’d had before.

As for the Ghost Race cultivators in attendance, they had fallen completely silent. All the fight had gone out of them. Li Qiye’s display had utterly shattered their pride. By moving as if flying across the pool, he had left Tian Lunhui far behind in an instant.

Before this, the Ghost Race had still clung to the hope that Tian Lunhui could defeat Li Qiye. But now, it seemed that even if Tian Lunhui managed to take one hundred steps, he would be unable to win. The outcome was already decided.

Just then, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s eyes flashed with a terrifying cold light, her killing intent as biting as frost. In her mind, Li Qiye was far too dangerous. In that instant, she designated him as the number one enemy of her husband, the Emperor’s Throne. Li Qiye was no longer just a grave concern for her husband; he was much more than that!

In the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady’s eyes, if Li Qiye was not eliminated, her husband would have absolutely no chance of shouldering the Celestial Mandate. This wasn’t because she lacked confidence in her husband, the Emperor’s Throne, but because Li Qiye was simply too freakish, too terrifying. It made her realize that as long as Li Qiye was alive, her husband would never know a moment’s peace!

The Shen Ran Phoenix Lady trusted her intuition, for it was incredibly sharp. In that moment, plans began to form in her mind. No matter the method, she would eliminate Li Qiye at any cost! She had to eradicate this number one enemy for her husband!

“One hundred fifty steps…” Upon reaching one hundred fifty, Lan Yunzhu’s counting suddenly faltered. She hesitated, unable to continue. Li Qiye had vanished. At that moment, even when pushing her Celestial Eye to its absolute limit, she couldn’t see even a shadow of him.

“He’s gone! Why can’t I see him anymore?” It wasn’t just Lan Yunzhu; no one could see a trace of Li Qiye. Everyone’s Celestial Eye failed the moment he took his one hundred and fiftieth step!

The moment Li Qiye reached the one hundred and fifty-step mark, everyone lost sight of him. It was as if he had suddenly vanished from their line of sight.

“What in the world is going on? Could it be that the Celestial Eye’s limit is one hundred and fifty steps?” At that moment, it didn’t matter if one was an Ancient Saint, a Saint Venerable, or even one of the Old Undyings—everyone’s Celestial Eye had failed!

“Or there’s another possibility!” a Ghost Race expert speculated grimly. “Perhaps he failed, just like the Elder Ancestor of the Kiri Tree Ghost Race. Didn’t he also vanish? Heh, if you can’t go on but insist on forcing your way forward, you’re bound to disappear without a trace—no body to be found, no person to be seen.”

Now that someone mentioned it, many others began to think it was a real possibility. Li Qiye had vanished in an instant. Perhaps he really had failed and disappeared, just like the great figures before him, vanishing without a trace, never to be seen again, dead or alive.

“He was digging his own grave! Did he really think he was invincible? Strutting around like he could fly… well, look where it got him. He’s thrown his life away.” Thinking of this possibility, many of the Ghost cultivators gloated.

At this moment, many of the great figures fell silent. Although they didn’t know what had happened, they secretly hoped this was exactly the case.

In the eyes of the Ghost Race’s great figures, and even the Old Undyings, Li Qiye was too freakish. If he were allowed to mature and reach his full potential, he would pose an immense threat to their race—unless they were willing to make peace with him.

But in the Ghost Sacred Realm, they were the masters. How could the Ghost Race possibly bow their heads to a mere member of the Human Race? Therefore, at this very moment, the great figures of the Ghost Race, even the Great Sect Ancestors, all hoped that Li Qiye had truly vanished without a trace. Perhaps that would be the best possible outcome.

“What a shame. The Key of the First Evil Tomb, lost just like that. We’ll just have to wait for it to reappear in the next generation,” a Ghost cultivator said, feigning regret, but his voice was dripping with schadenfreude.

“Or, there is one other possibility.” At this time, the Bishui Empress of the Charm Spirit race was silently making calculations with her Divine Radiance. The Divine Radiance of the Charm Spirits was an extremely heaven-defying ability, and for someone as unfathomable as the Bishui Empress, no one could guess the true extent of her power.

After a round of calculations with her Divine Radiance, she murmured, “Perhaps Li Qiye simply doesn’t want others to see the mysteries of his Great Dao, so he concealed his form above the pool. It is highly likely that the pool is no longer in control of the situation, but Li Qiye is. He is the one creating a world with each step, not the other way around.”

In contrast to the other Ghost cultivators, Tian Lunhui remained quite calm. He was neither happy nor proud. He scanned the surface of the pool again and again with his Celestial Eye, hoping to find some trace of Li Qiye.

In truth, Tian Lunhui’s mind was no longer on the competition. The moment Li Qiye’s Great Dao appeared, it had shaken him to his core. He had comprehended the Origin Great Dao of the Ghost Race at the Other Shore, but Li Qiye’s Great Dao was even more Defying Heaven; it seemed to transcend the very concept of all other Great Daos.

Therefore, Tian Lunhui wanted to witness Li Qiye’s Great Dao one more time. He wanted to see its mysteries clearly in the hopes of gaining some benefit from it.

Unfortunately, no matter how he searched, he couldn’t find even a shadow of Li Qiye.

In truth, the Great Dao that Li Qiye comprehended from the Nine Ants at the Other Shore had already transcended the limits of the Great Dao itself. This was precisely why Tian Lunhui had been so utterly shaken.

It had to be said that Tian Lunhui was indeed an incredible genius, a true connoisseur. With just a single glance, he had understood just how extraordinary Li Qiye’s Great Dao was!

Seeing Li Qiye disappear, the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady couldn’t help but breathe a secret sigh of relief. She hoped his fate would be the same as the great figures who came before—to vanish without a trace. If Li Qiye died in the pool, it would save her a great deal of trouble!

“That kid is the most freakish person I’ve ever seen,” Long Zun Tian remarked, his eyes also fixed on the pool. As the most peerless genius of the previous generation, he didn’t believe for a second that Li Qiye had simply vanished for good, as the other Ghosts did.

Lan Yunzhu held her breath. She was the only one present who was genuinely worried for Li Qiye’s safety. Although she had seen him perform countless miracles, his sudden disappearance filled her with anxiety. Even with all her faith in him, she couldn’t help but worry!