Chapter 659 Returning to Jiuli City
The jade boat glided across the sky, leaving a long trail behind it.
The Taiyin Sect is incredibly powerful and can even summon the spirits of the dead in the nearby Netherworld to help them. Who wouldn't be afraid of them?
The appearance of the Netherworld Disciples in Lingxiao Realm at this time is clearly aimed at Xuejian Tangting and the Jiuli Clan, and is a form of revenge for the disastrous defeat of the Ancient Kingdom of Year Ruins.
Although Li Weiyi was not surprised, how could he not be worried?
Li Yuanzhe, however, showed no sign of urgency. He and Zuoqiu Lanshan nestled together on the side of the boat, looking down at the mountains and rivers of Lingxiao Realm below, chatting and reminiscing about the past, telling interesting stories.
Laughter could be heard from time to time.
Returning after a thousand years, today we can finally appreciate the beauty of our former landscape under the blue sky and white clouds.
At the bow, Li Weiyi, who was unleashing his full magical energy to propel the jade boat, finally couldn't help but say, "Master, as far as I know, the disciples of the Taiyin Sect are all powerful, with profound cultivation and infamous reputations. Once they go to Lizhou, they will surely cause devastating destruction. Capturing and assassinating several tribal chiefs will be a piece of cake. Why aren't you in a hurry at all? If you personally propel the jade boat, we will definitely be faster."
Li Yuanzhe and Zuoqiu Lanshan felt that he was extremely disappointing, so they put away their smiles and sat down again at the table on the jade boat.
On the table was the fine wine that the sect leader of Leixiao Sect had given him before he left.
"Why would a Netherworld Disciple assassinate the clan leader? What benefit would it bring him?" Li Yuanzhe poured himself a full glass of wine, sniffed it, and then took a sip.
"I'm just giving an example."
After a moment's consideration, Li Weiyi said, "The Netherworld Disciples' ultimate target in going to Lizhou will inevitably be me. To deal with me, they will definitely capture those I care about as bargaining chips."
Li Yuanzhe smiled and said, "Let's analyze this. Who do you think he will capture?"
“It’s nothing more than the Cangli family head, my fourth uncle, Li Ling, and a few of my companions, and perhaps some hidden members of the Hidden Sect,” Li Weiyi said.
"Yes and no."
Li Yuanzhe seemed to be a slow-paced person, speaking unhurriedly, and said, "This is just someone you think is important, and it's just wishful thinking on your part."
"In the eyes of the Taiyin Sect, these people may be worthless. They do not believe that they can lure out a peerless genius like you with such a group of mediocre people."
"Moreover, from the perspective of the Taiyin Sect, the relationship between you is actually very shallow, and you would never put yourself in danger for their sake."
"The only one that might be somewhat important is Li Songgu."
"After all, on the surface, Li Songgu has helped you a lot, and he is your master. At the same time, in their view, Li Songgu may know your background and opportunities."
As Li Yuanzhe spoke slowly, Li Weiyi quickly calmed down: "I understand! If they go to Lizhou, their first target will definitely be Old Li. Secondly, they will investigate my background."
"Why not investigate my background?" Li Yuanzhe asked with a smile.
Li Weiyi was not misled by him: "If they wanted to investigate you, they would have already sent their Transcendent beings to Lingxiao Realm long ago, they wouldn't have waited until now. With the ferocity of the Zen Mist and the strength of the Grand Palace Master, I don't think the Transcendent beings of the Taiyin Sect would dare to easily set foot in Lingxiao Realm. Moreover, Zuoqiu Xuanming of the Zuoqiu Sect is definitely not someone to be trifled with."
Li Yuanzhe nodded in satisfaction and continued to test him: "Guess why I'm not in such a hurry to get back?"
Li Weiyi pondered carefully and said, "Is Master Coffin testing the abilities of the Jiuli Clan? The Thunderclap Sect was able to quickly detect the Netherworld Disciple entering the Lingxiao Realm. If the Jiuli Clan cannot detect the Netherworld Disciple's arrival in Lizhou, then the gap between the Jiuli Clan and the Thunderclap Sect is too great!"
"Anything else?" Li Yuanzhe asked.
Li Weiyi said, "I'm afraid the Netherworld Disciple wouldn't dare to do whatever he wants in Lizhou. Once his whereabouts are exposed, all the experts of the Jiuli Clan will be mobilized, and it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven for him to leave alive. Moreover, the Jiuli Clan has a transcendent figure in charge."
"Anything else?"
After thinking it over repeatedly, Li Weiyi asked doubtfully, "Is there anything else?"
Li Yuanzhe glanced at Zuoqiu Lanshan beside him before saying, "The Zuoqiu Clan has unified the southern border, including parts of the western and eastern borders, occupying half of the country and more than ten prefectures. It is said that even the powerful families have submitted to them."
"Internally, we will excavate underground immortal abodes, using the longevity pills and resources left behind by the Lingxiao Rice Sect to attract heroes from all sides to join us. Externally, we will develop several states in the Southeast Netherworld, mining to amass wealth, managing the East Sea, and plotting to access the dragon veins of the immortal path."
"Now, the Zuoqiu Sect has a multitude of experts, numerous transcendental positions, a large number of martial artists at the Longevity Realm, a million-strong army, and has even forged the Five Seas Army elites. Its intelligence system far surpasses that of the Leixiao Sect."
"Didn't they receive the message?"
Li Weiyi immediately understood: "Master Guan wants to see what Zuoqiu Menting will do after learning the information?"
Li Yuanzhe's eyes flickered with uncertainty: "You have to be clear about the relationships between forces. Partners, allies, pawns, tools, servants—they're all about cooperation, but the differences are huge!"
Li Yuanzhe appeared in the East Sea with Yu Yaozi, clearly having returned together with Chan Hai Guanwu. How could Zuoqiu Menting not have some thoughts on this?
Now that Zuoqiu School occupies half the territory, the relationship between the two sides naturally needs to be redefined.
Now that Master Guan had given it careful consideration, Li Weiyi's worries lessened considerably. He asked, "Has anything happened at Xuejian Tangting? Does the Thunder Cloud Sect Master know anything about the situation?"
“There are indeed some issues,” Li Yuanzhe said.
Li Weiyi turned around and looked over.
"It is said that the transcendent experts from the ancient city of Ye and the Seven Grievances Plains returned defeated from the border of the ancient kingdom of the Year Ruins, and may turn their anger towards the Snow Sword Tang Court and the four states of Youjing in the midst of war. If the Snow Sword Tang Court wants to withstand this wave of pressure, it must compromise with the Sword Dao Imperial Court in order to seek more assistance from powerful figures," said Li Yuanzhe.
Li Weiyi frowned, having anticipated this: "From the moment they agreed to the Sword Dao Imperial Court's attack on the four states of Youjing, the Lion Camel King and the Snow Sword Tang Court were destined to become powerless, only able to be driven by the situation. This is the fate of pawns! In comparison, the way the Du'e Temple is behaving is a bit more respectable."
Seeing Li Weiyi turn around and continue steering the jade boat, Zuoqiu Lanshan transmitted her voice: "Why don't you tell him the truth?"
“The time is not right. Telling him now will only cause more trouble,” Li Yuanzhe replied telepathically.
Zuoqiu Lanshan said, "What riddle are you playing now? When is the right time?"
"Timing is about the situation and opportunities. Let's wait and see," Li Yuanzhe said with a slight smile, continuing to sip his drink, but he couldn't taste anything.
The deceased and the living are ultimately different.
...
The jade boat entered Lizhou territory and flew straight towards Jiuli City.
In the afternoon, a hundred miles from Jiuli City, Yuzhou encountered soldiers patrolling on eagle-lion flying birds.
Not wanting the underworld disciples to know that he had returned to Lizhou, Li Weiyi had no choice but to meet with the patrol leader alone, reveal his identity, and avoid any unnecessary conflict.
The patrolling soldiers stood there dumbfounded, immediately sheathing their spears and bowing with immense excitement: "The Hidden Man... Shang Yu of the Li tribe, the Little Beastman, has long heard of your renown and held you in the highest esteem. The young martial artists of Lizhou all regard you as an object of worship... Today, I have actually met you in person! I... I..."
He became incoherent.
"My return must not be revealed. Has anything happened in Lizhou recently?" Li Weiyi asked.
Shang Yu was still excited and his face was flushed: "It seems that something happened in the city. Today, all the city defense troops have been dispatched to patrol and check all suspicious people."
Led by Shang Yu, Li Weiyi and his two companions transferred to Eagle Lions and traveled smoothly without any obstacles.
Outside Jiuli City, on the vast plains, there are endless houses and dozens of observation towers taller than the city walls, and all the city's protective formations have been activated.
Li Weiyi could understand the feelings of the coffin master and the memorial tablet master as they looked at the mountains and rivers. Now, he was revisiting the place, and even though only a few years had passed, he was already deeply moved.
I originally thought that after participating in the Qianlong Lantern Festival, I could return once the situation in Lizhou stabilized.
As a result, they drifted further and further apart.
From Qiuzhou City to the Underground Immortal Abode, then to Lingxiao City, then to the Netherworld of the Dead and the East Sea, and then to the even more distant Dongxu Camp.
Back then, I traveled by boat with Li Ling to the Jiuli tribe. I saw her being the center of attention and Cang Li being the leader among the young martial artists, while I stood aside like a lackey.
At that time, let alone cultivation, he couldn't even survive or establish himself. He was targeted by the gang as easy prey that very day.
It was Li Ling and her fourth uncle who extended a helping hand.
At that time, Li's only dream was to have a house so that he could live in this world with his senior brothers and sisters.
Unbeknownst to them, they had already entered Jiuli City.
A lively and bustling noise rushed towards us.
"Go take care of your business. Your spirit tablet master and I are old and don't have the energy for all this. Let's find a place to have some tea. It's been a long time since we've seen such a lively scene."
After saying these words, Li Yuanzhe waved his hand and was swallowed up by the traffic on the street along with Zuoqiu Lanshan.
"They just want to put me to the test."
Li Weiyi smelled the delicious aroma wafting from the restaurant stalls and longed to sit down and enjoy a meal of fine wine and food, but remembering that Lao Li was in danger because of him, he had to attend to his business first.
Following his memory, he quickly headed toward the location of the Cangli clan's residence.
Upon arriving in the urban area near the clan's residence, one could see soldiers clad in armor, in groups of three or five, guarding the entrances and exits of various streets and conducting strict checks.
Inside the clan's mansion, all defensive formations were activated, and veils of light intertwined like clouds.
Li Weiyi stood hidden atop a five-story building, gazing into the distance, his heart sinking.
The gates of the clan mansion had collapsed, bricks and stones were scattered everywhere, and bloodstains were visible. A large section of the mansion's buildings had collapsed, and the surrounding ground was full of cracks.
It was clearly attacked by a powerful force not long ago.
The main gate must be the place with the most defensive formations, yet the opponent chose to break through it, which shows their confidence in their own strength.
"Whoosh!"
Li Weiyi disappeared from the eaves and headed to the Coffin Sea Pavilion, where the Jiuli Hidden Sect was located.
The Daoist domains within Jiuli City were once home to five major sects: Jiuli Daoist Academy, Sui Sect, Tianyi Gate, Guanhai Pavilion, and Sanchen Palace.
Nowadays, the Jiuli Taoist Academy is the main one, and the Coffin Sea Pavilion is the secondary one.
The other three major sects either migrated or were destroyed.
Li Weiyi sneaked into the Coffin Sea Pavilion and headed straight for the entrance to the underground treasure vault, from where he could enter the Nine Li Hidden Gate hidden underground.
The young disciples who passed by could not see him.
As they arrived at the entrance to the treasure vault, just as they were about to barge in, a familiar and melodious voice rang out from the nearby library: "A person can become invisible and conceal their aura, but air currents can still move."
(End of this chapter)
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