Li Qian was a bit stunned by Sun Ruirui’s words because he had no idea what Talent Blood Essence was.
In fact, if Sun Hongyi hadn’t secretly told Sun Ruirui about it, she would have had no way of knowing such a secret.
When Sun Ruirui uttered the words "Talent Blood Essence," Elder Liao stopped hiding his intentions and stated his true goal directly. "That’s right. As long as I obtain the Talent Blood Essence and offer it to the great Divine Teachings, this achievement will surely get me promoted to Protector!"
"Despicable Evil Cult! Despicable Cultists!" Li Qian’s rage boiled over as he heard this, and he cursed aloud. He finally understood why this man was so desperate to attack tonight.
’So it was because I figured out the complete evolution path from the Golden Pearl Bud to the Tidal Sea Spirit.’
After all, once Sun Hongyi returned and helped Sun Ruirui resolve the issue with the Apocalypse Seer: Ocean Calamity, it would be incredibly difficult for Elder Liao to succeed.
Once the issue of the Apocalypse Seer: Ocean Calamity was resolved, Sun Ruirui would likely ascend straight to the Dominator Level. Then, with the terrifying power boost from the Ocean Calamity Talent, her Tidal Sea Spirit’s combat prowess would be nearly on par with a top-tier Dominator.
At that point, Elder Liao would have absolutely no chance.
Hearing Li Qian insult both him and the organization he represented, Elder Liao’s voice turned cold. "Ignorant little pest. You know nothing of the greatness of the Ancient Divine Teachings!"
Li Qian had no doubt that if the man could free up his hands at this moment, he would try to kill him without hesitation.
Li Qian knew that Elder Liao must see him as a heretic for ruining his plans—someone he was eager to eliminate. But Li Qian had no intention of backing down.
He remained fearless, directing his three Pet Beasts against the Cyan Woodpecker as he continued to curse, "The Ancient Divine Teachings... It’s you scum again!"
Li Qian’s constant cursing was a tactic: partly to distract Elder Liao, but mostly to stall for time.
He knew full well that even if he and his three Pet Beasts broke through the Cyan Woodpecker’s blockade, they could do little to influence the battle between Jinfeng and the other two Dominator-level Pet Beasts.
The most important thing now was to stall until Comrade Lao Sun got back.
Li Qian was also deeply confused about one thing. With something this major happening, why hadn’t Ah Hai rushed over to the rescue?
With reinforcements from Ah Hai—an Emperor-level Pet Beast providing backup—it wouldn’t be difficult to repel, or even capture, Elder Liao and all of his Pet Beasts.
After all, Comrade Lao Sun had left Ah Hai behind for the express purpose of protecting Sun Ruirui.
RUMBLE...
Just as Li Qian was wrestling with this confusion, a series of explosions suddenly erupted from the northeast.
Immediately after, the Energy Detector Li Qian had recently bought began to beep frantically. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Two streams of Emperor-level Energy!" Li Qian exclaimed in surprise, looking at the feedback on the Energy Detector.
His surprise was immediately followed by understanding. ’So that’s why Ah Hai hasn’t come to help. He’s been tied up.’
’It seems Elder Liao had a countermeasure for this all along. It makes sense, though. How could he have dared to make a move without a plan to deal with Ah Hai?’
Noticing the commotion from the northeast, Li Qian’s expression darkened further.
’Looks like I can’t count on Ah Hai for now,’ he thought. ’He must have sent Jinfeng because he couldn’t come himself.’
Li Qian wasn’t the only one who noticed the intense commotion; Sun Ruirui and Elder Liao had as well.
Elder Liao glanced toward the northeast, his gaze growing colder. "I have no time to trade barbs with you. If that old bastard gets back, all my years of patience, all my painstaking efforts, will have been for nothing."
As an Emperor-level Beast Master, Comrade Lao Sun possessed more than just one Emperor-level Pet Beast—the Tidal Sea Spirit, Ah Hai.
Once he returned, the current crisis would be resolved in an instant. Naturally, Elder Liao couldn’t let that happen.
He looked at the small, child-like Pet Beast shrouded in a black-hooded robe and commanded, "Demon Child, increase the energy output. Don’t give her any openings."
Li Qian had, of course, heard of the Demon Child. It was a pitch-black Pet Beast that resembled a toddler.
The Demon Child was a Spiritual-element Pet Beast.
The Spiritual element was the most suitable for controlling Arrays.
’So it’s the one controlling this Array and trapping Sun Ruirui.’
Li Qian watched, his heart sinking with anxiety.
’I’m worried this Array does more than just trap her.’
He was also astonished by the sheer audacity and recklessness of the Ancient Divine Teachings.
This was Zhonghai City, after all—the largest city in the Dongxia Federation, a place teeming with powerful individuals. Even out here in the suburbs, a commotion like this was bound to attract attention soon.
Li Qian furrowed his brow, thinking hard as he watched. Soon, he noticed something was wrong.
As he stared, bursts of white light began to pulse from Sun Ruirui’s body.
Sun Ruirui herself noticed the change as well. She cried out in alarm, "Oh no! The seal on me is starting to loosen!"
"Brother Qian, get out of here, quick!" Feeling the seal on her body weaken, Sun Ruirui’s heart plummeted. She made her decision in an instant and screamed.
The young girl’s cry shattered Li Qian’s last shred of hesitation.
He had been debating whether or not to use his trump card.
But Sun Ruirui’s cry cast all his doubts aside.
But just as Li Qian steeled his resolve, ready to play his trump card and go all out to save the girl, the situation took another unexpected turn.
A searing light suddenly erupted from Sun Ruirui’s body.
The light was blinding, and in an instant, it slammed into the glowing barrier of the Array.
CRACK!
A sound like shattering glass suddenly rang out.
To Elder Liao’s horror and Li Qian’s joyous surprise, the Array that had been trapping Sun Ruirui shattered violently.
The Array’s collapse unleashed a terrifying shockwave that blasted outwards.
*Pfft!*
The Demon Child controlling the Array took a direct hit from the shockwave and was sent flying backward.
CRASH!
The Demon Child flew back and slammed into a wall of the main building, causing it to crumble.
It must have been heavily injured by that one blow.
The sudden turn of events left Elder Liao momentarily stunned. He quickly recovered and let out a horrified gasp. "An Extraordinary Treasure Artifact! It’s actually an Extraordinary Treasure Artifact!"