Chapter 332: State Of The World
This man-high Silver Bow was Sikong Qin’s magic tool, with formidable power.
“Bang!”
The arrow resembled a beam of light, shooting straight into the high sky.
The bowstring’s sound shook the snowflakes on the surrounding trees, causing them to rustle and fall.
The Green Feather Crow was highly spiritual, dodging quickly and not getting directly hit, but it was injured by the magic energy force on the arrowhead, rapidly falling toward the ground.
“Should we just fight them head-on and eliminate the hidden danger?” After condensing the Dao Lotus, Tuoba Butuo was not afraid of Yi Zhouxue at all.
“Yi Zhouxue is a cautious person. If he dares to come and intercept, he must have confidence. Moreover, Ku Rong Hall might have also dispatched masters to deal with us. Staying here is extremely dangerous; it’s not the right time. In the end, in the eyes of most people in the Rice Cult, we three are outsiders, anomalies who might betray them at any time. At the headquarters, the major powers give face to the Southern Venerable and Hall Master An, so they haven’t acted rashly.”
Li Weiyi stared closely at the Green Feather Crow’s falling position, calculating the distance, his expression slightly tense. He pasted a Divine Movement Talisman onto Qi Xiao: “Quick, go!”
They fled while hiding along the way. Half a day later, the three arrived at Jin County, removed their masks, and without stopping, boarded a passenger post ship heading to Leiling City.
Compared to running across the desolate and empty snowfield, hiding on the ship was actually less conspicuous.
In the cabin, Qi Xiao transmitted a laughing message: “With my deployment in Jin County, they absolutely think we’re hiding in the city. That can delay them for at least an hour. In one hour, the water ships and land carriages departing from Jin County—that’s a lot!”
This was a large luxury post ship, equipped with a defense formation, divided into upper, middle, and lower decks, all filled with long-distance travelers, each with strong cultivation.
In chaotic times, if you’re not strong enough, who dares to travel far?
The stern carried seven massive exotic beasts, majestic and imposing, emanating magic energy radiance, clearly extraordinary, unknown to which tycoon they belonged.
Li Weiyi used the Disguise Art, wearing plain and simple gray hemp clothes, with a slightly plump face and kind eyes. During meals on the first floor, he inquired about various information from the crowd.
As for Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao, both had Pure Immortal Bodies. Even using the Disguise Art, they still stood out like cranes in a flock of chickens, so they reduced public appearances and stayed in the cabin cultivating.
They didn’t have Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s disguise skills honed from childhood, which could conceal the Pure Immortal Body’s skin quality.
This post ship had departed from Longzhou. Most on board were local tycoons, gang masters, and clan disciples from Longzhou, heading to Lingxiao City—some to join relatives and friends, some to enlist, some to seek livelihoods.
Longzhou was renowned under heaven due to the existence of the Ten Million Gateways’ Dragon Gate.
It was a prosperous major prefecture ranking high in the Lingxiao Life Realm, with a population of hundreds of millions.
Of course, that was the past.
In the past two years, with the human race and demon race at war, Longzhou bore the brunt, assaulted by the Imperial Court, Snow Sword Tang Court, Lei Xiao Sect, and the righteous armies of the Eastern Territory, unable to resist at all.
Dragon Gate ended in disastrous defeat, withdrawing from Longzhou to guard the East Sea, joining the Three Islands Pirates to continue resisting in a corner.
The demon race’s forces were mainly in the Western Territory, at most able to attend to the Southern Territory; the Eastern Territory was beyond their reach.
After Dragon Gate withdrew from Longzhou, the small forces that once depended on it, and the sects, gangs, and families with connections, naturally faced reckoning and attacks. Those with strength could pull strings and flee with their clans.
Those without strength could only wait for death in the warfare, annihilated.
“Longzhou and Qingzhou once had dense populations; together over one hundred million people, martial way flourishing, fertile land for thousands of miles. After two years of war, at least ten million died miserably, tens of millions displaced, everything destroyed, white bones covering the plain, a scene of desolation. Truly tragic!”
“Right! Dragon Gate deserved to die, but among the dead, over ninety percent were innocent civilians with no connection to it.”
“When war comes, where is there right and wrong? The attackers are armies of justice, but those dying in the battle’s aftermath, those killed by their plundering—once law and order vanish, good people turn into villains, everyone is killing, no one steps up to maintain order or uphold justice. Who do those innocent dead seek reason from?”
“In the end, lacking strength is the sin.”
“Fleeing to Lingxiao City should be better; at least you won’t die unclearly in the warfare. I hear the Imperial Court is recruiting soldiers; I’m planning to try.”
Dinner time, the sky outside gradually darkened.
The wind had stopped, but the snow continued.
In the spacious dining hall, over twenty square tables were placed. Travelers resting in cabins arrived one after another, sitting in twos and threes—almost all martial cultivators from Longzhou and Qingzhou, and their families.
Some discussed the world situation with grand ambitions. Some were filled with resentment, deeply disappointed with this world. Some sat silently, having lost the energy for lofty talk.
The two middle-aged men sitting next to Li Weiyi were the gang leader and deputy gang leader of a gang from Longzhou, both top masters around the Fourth Sea and Fifth Sea of the Five Seas Realm, with a ruthless aura from licking blood off blades.
Gang Leader He Qian was of the Deformed Humanoid Race, with double wings on his back. He sighed: “The entire Liang Prefecture is covered in strangeness. The Imperial Court assembled a large army, destroying tombs and steles everywhere, but for every batch flattened, another sprouts up. I see not many good days left; Lingxiao will sooner or later be swallowed by the Nether Realm of the Dead, turning into eternal darkness and silence.”
The deputy gang leader said: “Everyone says it’s the Nether Realm of the Dead at work, but recently another voice emerged. A month ago, an earthquake occurred in Fu Zhou, with a Transcendent erupting from an underground immortal mansion. They say the underground immortal mansion is an evil cult lair, those Rice People plotting something big.”
He Qian’s expression tightened: “Who did you hear that from?”
“This morning, those from the Taishi Family said it. They have access to information and know many secrets,” the deputy gang leader said.
Nearby, Li Weiyi raised his cup, smiling in toast: “This little brother is Sikong Jingyuan from Qingzhou. How should I address you two?”
He Qian and Guo Zhensheng exchanged a glance, raised their cups in return, and reported their names.
After some flattery and pleasantries, Li Weiyi asked: “What Deputy Gang Leader Guo said earlier about a Transcendent erupting from the underground immortal mansion—that’s very strange. From what I know, even Longevity Realm giants can’t enter.”
Guo Zhensheng said: “This matter should be true. Several from the Taishi Family said the entrance to the underground immortal mansion was smashed, Transcendent-level power sweeping heaven and earth; many witnessed it firsthand. Oh, right—it’s said to possibly be a Buddhist cultivator, with Buddha Light shining brightly, golden radiance spanning a thousand li across Fu Zhou’s land.”
Li Weiyi understood; most likely that monk’s remains had escaped, its combat power truly terrifying, able to slaughter through the Rice Sect Main Altar and break out directly.
No wonder the Twin Rice Cult wanted to join the demon race to attack Lingxiao City. After this commotion, many things couldn’t be hidden and had to come into the open.
He hoped Zen Sea Observing Mist and the three masters had taken the chance to escape the underground immortal mansion.
Li Weiyi asked again: “I see the bowstring flag at the bow is the Sui character; this post ship we’re on isn’t under the Sui Sect, is it?”
“Naturally Sui Sect’s ship,” He Qian said.
Li Weiyi was secretly surprised; he hadn’t expected the Sui Sect’s influence to have spread to Qu Jiang.
Could it reach nearly half the world under heaven?
Guo Zhensheng said: “After Sui Sect surrendered to the Imperial Court, they gained heavy favor from the Second Palace Master, plus multiple marriage alliances with the Jiang Family, firmly establishing themselves in court. The Imperial Court’s core eight prefectures, including current Longzhou and Qingzhou—all water transport affairs, they’ve taken over entirely.”
He Qian said: “Sui Sect is quite fortunate. After surrendering to the Imperial Court, the epic Transcendent Great War happened, forcing the human race’s major powers to unite against it. As a result, Sui Sect ships can navigate freely throughout Lingxiao, rapidly growing strong. It’s said their sect disciples and affiliated gang members number hundreds of thousands, all martial way experts.”
Guo Zhensheng said: “With Tang Wanzhou dead in the underground immortal mansion, after Zuo Qiu Ling issued the《Jia Zi List》, Yao Qian broke through to Longevity, now the《Jia Zi List》number one, sealed as Young Minister of the Attendant Hall by the Second Palace Master—his future is limitless.”
He Qian sighed: “The entire Sui Sect has an uplifting spirit, plus Yao Qian, they now have three Longevity Realm giants and one Saint Spirit Mind Master. Once the Yang Shenjing breaks through to Transcendent, they might become one of the Ten Million Sect.”
In the subsequent chat, Li Weiyi learned the two were heading to Fu Zhou to join Sui Sect.
This was the influence of being《Jia Zi List》number one; Yao Qian alone could draw countless heroes and tycoons to join.
The sky fully darkened, villages dense along both banks of Qu Jiang, with sporadic lights visible.
Li Weiyi carried a meal box, preparing to return to the cabin.
Before leaving the dining hall, he suddenly stopped, hearing a sound. The next instant, from the deck outside, just one wall away, came the roaring sound of the formation light gauze being torn.
“Crash!”
The massive ship hull rocked violently, waves surging.
One after another, heavy footsteps landed on the deck.
Li Weiyi sensed Yi Zhouxue’s magic energy fluctuations, quickly carried the meal box and sat back in his original seat.
In the dining hall, cries of alarm rang out, chaos ensuing.
Several martial cultivators confident in their strength rushed out of the dining hall to check.
The next moment.
Screams sounded outside; the martial cultivators who had just rushed out all fell dead.
“Have we encountered Three Islands Pirates? They even dare to rob Sui Sect’s ship?” Guo Zhensheng was extremely tense. He knew several of those who rushed out—famous masters from Longzhou—yet they were killed without any power to resist.
Two Dao Seed Realm masters of the Patrol Guard entered the dining hall, both wearing wide black robes and masks with blood valley patterns, holding magic tool scythes, their eyes emitting green glow, scanning everyone inside, searching for something.
“It’s an evil cult… ah…”
A young woman in purple robes murmured softly, then was pierced through the skull by the gaze of one black-robed master and died. The green glow in his pupils could condense into a substantial flying sword, killing from afar.
The entire dining hall was filled with grief.
Everyone was scared into lowering their heads, legs trembling, not daring to breathe.
Li Weiyi, like the others, kept his head down, but cold light surged in his eyes. He knew clearly these people were chasing him; that woman had died innocently because he was hiding on the ship.
Everything had happened too fast earlier; Li Weiyi had underestimated their ruthlessness and hadn’t stopped it in time.
Moreover, while Yi Zhouxue and the Patrol Guard masters were searching for him elsewhere, they had probably killed quite a few on other ships.
They didn’t regard humans as kin, but as weeds and livestock.
