Li Guanyi could not afford to regulate his breathing.
He took control of the formation again and sensed that no one seemed to be approaching the area. Although he was puzzled, he managed to calm down for the moment. It appeared that outside the [Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation], there must also be a [Concealing Breath Formation] that concealed the qilin’s aura.
This formation was originally designed to hide the disturbances caused when extracting Qilin Blood.
At this moment, it also partially concealed the brief slaughter in the Qilin Palace. Li Guanyi got up, looking at the forcibly attacking qilin, and began trying to undo another layer of the formation for the qilin. Being suppressed for ten years, the qilin had already transferred half of its accumulated strength to Li Guanyi before.
After two attacks, it was already extremely weak.
Now seated on the ground, it watched Li Guanyi undo the formation and said solemnly,
"I cannot go with you."
Li Guanyi didn’t stop his movements as he partially undid the formation for the qilin before finally stopping.
The qilin continued, "I have seen that Emperor, and I have seen many emperors. Every emperor, in fact, is the same. If I escape, no matter the reason, everybody who entered this palace in the last month, nine tenths will die directly, and some will be taken for questioning."
"Emperors look different, carry themselves differently, but the things they do are exactly the same. It almost makes me believe they are the same person, just continuously reviving in their younger offspring."
"Regarding the secret hidden within me."
"Their tyranny is such that they would rather kill everyone than let me go."
"If I leave, no one can protect you."
Li Guanyi said, "I understand. I just wanted to make you a little more comfortable..."
He withdrew his hand. Li Guanyi understood the qilin’s words. If the qilin left today, the Emperor would surely kill him, and even the Xue Family could not protect him. In fact, it’s more likely that if the Xue Family tried to protect the qilin, it would only arouse greater suspicion from the Emperor.
Since ancient times, the word ’undying’ has greatly stirred the hearts of emperors.
Li Guanyi said, "I have undone the formation to its third layer. In this way, although you will still be sealed, you are now able to breathe and slowly recover from your injuries. As for taking you away, I have thought for a long time, and there is only one situation where you could leave without implicating me."
"And those who have helped me would not be harmed."
"Unless, at that time, I am simply not here. I am under the watchful eyes of the Emperor, who, no matter what happens, cannot place the blame on me."
"And then, the entire world’s and Chen Country’s attention will be on another place, where even the experts inside the Chen Imperial Palace will not have the time to focus on this place, and no one will be able to stop your steps."
Li Guanyi’s voice paused before saying, "The Great Sacrifice."
The qilin’s voice grew heavy, "The Great Sacrifice... yes, it has been ten years."
"Chen Country’s decennial Great Sacrifice is about to commence."
"Your parents, they were involved in an incident during the sacrifice ten years ago. They added a wonder of the world to the sacrificial wine, which was not poisonous, but it affected our luck. We fought desperately, but were unable to break free as the royal family’s top experts were all present."
The qilin’s voice faded.
Li Guanyi reached out his hand; standing there, he could just touch the qilin’s horn and gently patted it, "I will find a way to take you away and to leave without anyone noticing. But before that, please endure a little longer."
"There are only sixteen days left. After sixteen days, I will find a way to break the formation."
"You must take that chance to break free."
The qilin nodded solemnly.
Li Guanyi thought again and said, "As for what happened this time, you’ll just have to do some damage to the Qilin Palace and melt away all traces of my confrontation with Hou Zhongyu, pinning Hou Zhongyu’s death on your breaking through the formation."
"Don’t worry, I will leave a few formation nodes, just as Hou Zhongyu did."
"The Emperor’s subordinates are likely to have other magicians who will come to repair the formation, and they won’t notice these seven nodes. This time, I will place the seven nodes here with you. On the surface, it will look like they were sealed by the Four Symbols Sealing Spirit Formation, but in reality, they will be protected."
The young man, holding the broken sword, sketched out the variation of the formation on the ground.
He explained to the qilin.
Being a naturally auspicious exotic beast with high intelligence, the qilin quickly understood Li Guanyi’s plan.
Li Guanyi threw down the sword and sighed in relief, saying,
"This way, it is the qilin that broke the defense. I am just an Imperial Guard who rushed in on hearing the sound. As soon as I entered, I was repelled by a blast of Qilin Fire, my sword broken, my armor melted, and the Magician Hou Zhongyu, for country and ruler,
With those words, Li Guanyi concluded the matter of the deceased Great Mage.
If the qilin doesn’t leave, Hou Zhongyu’s death becomes Li Guanyi’s great achievement.
If the qilin escapes, then everyone in the Qilin Palace must die.
The qilin suddenly laughed. As it gazed at Li Guanyi, the flames on its body shimmered with its laughter, "Your nature doesn’t resemble that of your father, nor your mother, but rather that of the little girl from the Murong Family."
Li Guanyi’s eyes flickered as he asked while dismantling the formation, "My mother, is she also from the Murong Family?" The qilin thought for a moment and answered, "Sort of. Your mother’s mother was a disciple of the Murong Family, so in your mother’s line, she would only be considered a relative of the Murong Family."
"But your maternal grandfather held an exceptional position in the Murong Family and was very fond of your mother."
"Your mother had an extraordinary talent for zither playing, and her skills in chess were also very good, which the Murong Family valued. At that time, the Murong Family’s young lady was always pestering your mother to teach her various skills, and she seemed to have an even greater talent than your mother, swiftly progressing in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."