I Stepped on a Bug, and the System Says I Slayed a Dragon?-Chapter 135: Li Qinghe: It’s Too Late to Leave Now

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Li Qinghe: It’s Too Late to Leave Now

Time passed like water, and soon it was the dead of night.

The night was dark and the wind was high. Within Fuhai District, teams of security guards at the Late Stage of the Postnatal Realm patrolled the paths between the villas.

They meticulously checked the security of the entire district.

Meanwhile.

Three dark figures clung to the eaves like phantoms, overlooking the squad below before turning their gaze toward the Li Mansion.

"Li Daoming’s home is in the core villa area!"

One of the dark figures tilted his head and whispered, "Did you bring the poison?"

"I brought it! As long as Li Daoming is exposed to the poison mist, his strength will be drastically reduced!"

Another man in black chimed in, toying with the Flower Snake coiled around his arm. "That said, this poison was nurtured within these Spiritual Snakes for so many years. Isn’t using it all on a single person like Li Daoming a bit of a waste?"

"No, it’s not a waste... This night raid must succeed. Failure is not an option!"

The third man in black crossed his arms and said coldly, "For the sake of our Lord’s grand cause, if we all strike at once, we will surely take his life!"

With that, the three men in black exchanged a look and nodded. They then dissolved into dark shadows, skimming along the base of the walls as they sped away.

RUSTLE.

A cool night breeze swept by. Moonlight spilled onto the crowns of the trees, making their shadows dance.

The shadows flitted along the path in complete silence. A moment later, they arrived outside Li Daoming’s room and materialized back into human form.

"This is the place."

The man with the Flower Snake Arm crouched down, pressed a finger against the wall to poke a small hole, then peeked inside.

The room was elegantly decorated. A bulge under the covers on the bed suggested a person was sleeping there, and a faint, living aura emanated from it, accompanied by faint ripples of Star Force.

"Li Daoming is in there!"

"Listen up. After I release the poison, it’ll take five seconds to disperse—more than enough time to weaken his Star Force!"

The man with the Flower Snake Arm instructed quietly, "Once those five seconds are up, the air will be safe. We move in for the kill, just as we rehearsed."

"Understood."

His two companions nodded and took up positions by the door, pressing themselves against the wood as they waited.

HISS~

The man in charge of the poison uncoiled the venomous snake. Flickering its scarlet tongue, it poked its head through the hole in the wall, and the man squeezed the glands on both sides of its jaw.

In the next moment.

A colorless, odorless, corrosive poison was sent into the room.

It instantly atomized into a deadly mist, drifting toward the sleeping Li Daoming.

Five seconds passed.

In the center of the room.

The aura from the bed suddenly weakened, becoming as faint as the gasps of an old man on his deathbed.

"It worked!"

The man with the Flower Snake Arm was overjoyed and quickly gestured to his companions. "Go!"

BANG!

Upon hearing the signal, the other two men in black acted decisively, shattering the door’s lock and bursting into the room.

In that instant,

Star Force attacks erupted. Several streams of light intertwined, all converging on the silk bedding, striking with lethal precision at Li Daoming’s vitals.

SQUELCH! SQUELCH!

The sickening thud of flesh and the crunch of shattering bone overlapped.

Thick, crimson blood seeped out.

"Did we get him?"

The three men in black exchanged uneasy glances.

’That was way too easy.’

They had expected Li Daoming to put up a fight, but everything had gone perfectly... too perfectly.

’So smoothly it was unnerving...’

"Old Qi, go and check. If he’s still breathing, finish him off."

"Right."

The man with the Flower Snake Arm acknowledged the order and walked to the bed. He cautiously lifted the covers, and his eyes went wide as he stared at the mattress. He froze.

On the bed.

There was no sign of Li Daoming.

It was empty!

All that remained were three pulsating Star Stones that had created the human silhouette and faked the blood and gore. It was a small-scale Illusion Array!

"Something’s wrong! Boss, it’s a decoy!"

The man with the Flower Snake Arm was dumbfounded. He hurriedly turned and shouted, "Li Daoming isn’t here! We’ve walked into a trap!"

As he spoke, his two companions’ faces fell. Their hearts sank, and they immediately turned to retreat.

’Something’s wrong.’

’It’s a trap!’

But just as they turned, they found two figures standing in the doorway, blocking their escape.

It was none other than Li Daoming and Li Qinghe!

"Hmph. Thinking of leaving now? It’s too late!"

Li Qinghe tossed her short hair back and glanced at the shredded bedding. She raised a small, pale hand, activating the core of the nested Star Stone Array, while Li Daoming stood beside her, reinforcing it with his Star Force.

The next moment.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

The Star Force surged violently!

In the corners of the room, the Array Patterns on the Star Stones flared to life, emitting a light as dazzling as the sun that bathed the three men in black.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!

The Fifth Level Illusion Array activated!

The men in black instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes while simultaneously channeling their Star Force, charging toward the door.

"Old Qi, Old Five, don’t be scared! Just charge straight through!"

"They only have one Innate Realm master, and there are three of us! We have nothing to fear!"

"We’ll start with his daughter!"

With that, they struck.

The three men in black attacked as one. Streaks of light flared as they sent a palm strike flying toward Li Qinghe.

BOOM!

A violent gust of wind tore through the room.

The three dark figures hurtled forward, appearing before Li Qinghe in an instant and striking down with lightning speed.

CRACK!

In that instant, her skull shattered. A spray of red and white splattered across the room as Li Qinghe died on the spot!

"Hahaha! This Array is nothing special after all!"

The leader of the assassins was overjoyed to see Li Qinghe’s headless corpse. He felt a thrill of excitement as he stared at the viscous blood coating his palm.

"Li Daoming, your daughter is dead! Are you going to give up now?"

In response, Li Daoming simply watched him with an indifferent expression. His eyes held a trace of pity as he shook his head and said:

"Why don’t you take another look... at who you really killed?"

"What?"

Hearing this, the assassin froze. He looked down at the corpse at his feet. The image of the girl wavered and dissolved, revealing the body of his companion, the one with the Flower Snake Arm.

"Boss, what did you do?!"

The other surviving assassin was also stunned, frozen in place.

Just as they had agreed to attack, the leader had suddenly changed his target and struck their companion with the Flower Snake Arm, who was caught completely off guard.

’It happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to react.’

’He just blew Old Qi’s head clean off!’

"The Illusion Array... When?"

The leader was bewildered, but he quickly shot a wary glance at his remaining companion.

’If Li Qinghe was an illusion...’

’...then is this companion necessarily real?’

’Or maybe the Li Daoming who’s speaking is also fake?’

’Wait...’

Panic seized the leader.

’This is bad!’

’I can’t tell what’s real!’

’I really can’t tell!’

In that instant, his companion’s expression twisted, and he lunged, attacking him once more.

Trapped in the Array, the two of them began to fight each other to the death!

....

At the doorway, Li Daoming watched this scene unfold with his hands behind his back. Without a word, he took a slow step back, calmly exiting the Illusion Array.

Just then, Li Qinghe strolled casually up to the door, munching on an apple, and peered in at the two assassins trying to kill each other.

"So, Dad? Is that all of them?"

"It’s over."

Li Daoming looked down at the corpse of the assassin with the Flower Snake Arm, a lingering fear in his heart. "Those guys really gave me a lot of credit, sending three Innate Realm masters to take me out!"

"Innate Realm?" Li Qinghe’s eyes widened. At the same time, she felt a wave of relief.

’Thank goodness!’

’If her grandmaster hadn’t warned them, her father would have truly perished tonight.’

"Qinghe, the next time you see your Master and Eldest Martial Brother, be sure to thank them properly on my behalf," Li Daoming said gratefully. "Find out if there’s anything they need. Our Li Family will be sure to provide it!"

"Yes, Father, don’t worry. I know."