CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 288 PEACE OF MIND

This sensation was like being thrown into a Wind Tunnel, facing the ripping force of a hurricane directly.

His advancing steps were forcibly halted. Li Ang released his Telekinesis, enveloping his entire body to counter the external forces. At the same time, he controlled the Mind Needles, continuing to fend off the Daggers shooting rapidly from behind.

Both sides were locked in a stalemate, with sparks from the collisions of Telekinesis Control Devices exploding overhead.

"I actually don’t understand why you are so angry," Bian Chenpei smiled. "Is it because of the plane? Or the matter of Ashina Galuo? Yu Country and Turkic have had deep-seated grievances for a long time; describing it as a profound enmity is not an overstatement. Ashina Galuo is a Turkic noble, exceptionally talented. Now I’ve made her unable to ever conceive and bear children again. Isn’t that a good thing for Yu Country? In the future, there will be one, if not many, less troublesome enemies."

Li Ang did not respond, scenes from the past flashing before his eyes: the entire family of Gan Xiao’er from Sha Tao Village who died because of a dog; Nie Shilei, who was wrongly executed in Chang’an Prison; the common people of Suzhou who died from ascites and jaundice...

He let out a long, slow sigh and slowly asked, "Why?"

"Hmm?" Bian Chenpei frowned slightly. "What?"

"Why can you be so at ease?" Li Ang said expressionlessly. "Red Door Nobles, powerful magnates, corrupt officials, village gentry. You all always seem so self-righteous. As soon as you have a little power in your hands, you can’t help but push it to the limit, ignoring, or even delighting in, the suffering of others. Officials engage in extortion and predation, feeding on the commoners like beasts. While nobles indulge in their decadence, the streets are strewn with frozen corpses. They would rather coat the Divine Statues in the temple with another layer of gold than spare a glance for the beggars and refugees outside, shooing them away with sticks—the noble-hearted cannot bear to see the poor suffer, so they drive them all away. All in the name of, ’Such is the way of the world.’"

Li Ang paused, his eyes somewhat weary. Being a good person is truly exhausting. A good heart brings feelings of guilt, shame, compassion, sorrow, and grief, mourning the reality they have no power to change. Bad people, however, never empathize with others; they always feel justified. The landlord can heartlessly drive the tenant farmer to death. The clerk can heartlessly confiscate merchants’ properties by force. The loan-sharking monk can heartlessly claim farmers’ wives and daughters. And the official can heartlessly suck the marrow from the common people’s bones...

Reality was so fantastical, so grotesque, that a nameless rage had always been simmering within Li Ang.

He slowly raised his Hand Crossbow. The face of Bian Chenpei before him gradually merged with those of Zhou Chunping, Li Shenbin, and others in his memory.

Those who prey on people like beasts must die.

BANG!

His fingertip pulled the trigger. The talisman-wrapped Crossbow Arrow flew spinning along the groove, colliding head-on with an invisible wall in the air.

BOOM—

The fine steel Crossbow Arrow shattered inch by inch. The talisman exploded. The burning flames blurred the air, and the fierce wind tore at the tattered edges of Li Ang’s clothes.

Facing the flames, expressionless, he pulled the trigger again.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—

Flames surged skyward, engulfing the figures of the two men.

The noisy chatter in the spectator stands halted abruptly; many people subconsciously stood up.

In the top-tier box, Emperor Yu, who was amicably conversing with the Faith Cultivation Cardinal, also stopped speaking, gazing toward the dazzlingly fiery arena.

The Mountain Master, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked at the arena below, his brows slightly furrowed.

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH—

Bian Chenpei covered his mouth, coughing for a moment. Despite swiftly shielding himself with Telekinesis, he had inadvertently inhaled some scorched air.

When the flames dissipated, Li Ang was no longer in his previous spot.

He stood on floating Mind Silks, the burned edges of his clothes flickering, each hand gripping a long, thin Mind Needle, as he gazed down at Bian Chenpei below.

Bian Chenpei narrowed his eyes slightly, looking up at the other’s figure shrouded in sunlight—at that cold, indifferent, slightly disdainful gaze. A sense of inexplicable anger rose within him.

"Die!"

Words seemed pale. Bian Chenpei unleashed his Telekinesis at full strength. The Daggers and Mind Needles stabbed toward his high-flying opponent like a sudden storm, intent on completely piercing him.

Li Ang felt the numerous Telekinesis Control Devices swiftly approaching in his Spiritual Sense. His fingers flicked lightly.

CLANG—

The Mind Needles in his hands, propelled by his fingernails, flew into the air, ringing out with a pleasant metallic sound.

The Mind Threads tied to the ends of the needles, as if alive, suddenly danced back and spiraled, tightly entwining the other Telekinesis Control Devices belonging to Li Ang.

The Telekinesis Control Devices and Mind Threads wove into an immense, latticed network, like a net accurately capturing the incoming Daggers.

Bian Chenpei’s expression changed slightly. He clenched his fists fiercely, pouring out his Telekinesis.

All the Daggers struggled fiercely, trying to break free. However, the sturdy material of the Mind Silk formed a highly complex geometric pattern that significantly weakened their struggles. Even the pulling of one Dagger, under Li Ang’s precise control, would disturb another’s attempt to break free.

This was Li Ang’s trump card: Telekinesis·Spider Web.

He was a host to Mo Si, and after prolonged training, he could control all thread-like Telekinesis Control Devices with minimum Spiritual Energy and maximum efficiency, as effortlessly as using his own body, sensing even the slightest vibration of the Mind Silk.

"Is this your killing move?" Bian Chenpei gritted his teeth, scoffing. "Do you really think this will trap me?"

SNAP!

His palms forcefully clasped together. The Daggers dancing in the air simultaneously lost their momentum, fell, and hung in the network of Mind Silk, leaving only one Dagger suspended.

His twenty distinct streams of telekinetic control converged into one. With this massive amplification of Telekinesis, the single Dagger trembled violently in the air. The Mind Threads entwined around it were tugged and twisted, emitting squeaking, contorting noises.