Chapter 241: Heroes And Warriors
Yin Eleven returned to the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion to oversee the situation there.
Qi Xiao had gone back to Drunken Flower Shade yesterday and then rushed to the battlefield, never appearing again. Whether for his own future or for the Qi Family, at the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse’s most difficult moment, he could not evade it.
The sky gradually brightened.
A simple carriage drove out of the Underground Underworld Market, driven by a Spring Gushing Realm Martial Cultivator.
Li Weiyi, Shi Shishi, and Bai Shu were all sitting in the carriage, each lost in their own thoughts.
Bai Shu was a Mind Power cultivator with no obsession for Dragon Bone and Dragon Seed, only wanting to escape the battlefield and avoid the killing calamity. But as a member of the Earth Wolf King Army, she could not evade the responsibility on her shoulders.
Shi Shishi quietly glanced at Li Weiyi, unsure how well his injuries had recovered, and sighed dejectedly: “The Dragon Bone Ticket I hid was dug up by someone. I chased for two days but couldn’t retrieve it.”
“If hiding tickets were reliable, everyone would hide theirs!”
Li Weiyi smelled a bloody scent and pushed open the carriage window.
Cold qi flow blew in.
On the streets shrouded in morning mist, Spring Gushing Realm Martial Cultivators from various forces were collecting corpses and cleaning the streets.
Passing a residence, its owner was a Dao Seed Realm strong practitioner; his servants and concubines were joyfully lighting firecrackers to welcome the Lantern Festival. The air was filled with choking, pungent gunpowder smoke.
No matter how cruel the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was, it was still just a battlefield for young Five Seas Realm Martial Cultivators.
“Clang!”
The wheels rolled forward.
Battle traces could be seen from time to time, along with young heroes exposed on the streets; whether Pure Immortal Body or stunning beauties, all were treated like weeds.
Days of brutal contention had chilled the festive atmosphere in the city to freezing point, with few pedestrians about.
Li Weiyi asked: “Has Zuo Qiu Hong and the others been defeated and wiped out? Are Cang Li and Li Ling still alive?”
Shi Shishi shook his head: “I don’t know! These past few days, the Prefectural City of Qiu Prefecture has been a chaotic mess with all major powers fighting; true and false news flying everywhere. Some even say you died at Ge Xian Tong’s hands and perished after escaping.”
“Anyway, Zuo Qiu Hong and the others suffered heavy casualties. The Zuo Qiu, Jiu Li, and Zhu Men families, along with the forces under them, had dozens of ticket-holding masters in the entire faction; six or seven out of ten died, and the survivors might only be a dozen or twenty.”
“Yesterday evening, Zuo Qiu Hong scattered all the Longevity Pill Vouchers, Dragon Seed Vouchers, and Dragon Bone Tickets toward the besiegers. Then, she led the remaining defeated soldiers to withdraw and hide.”
“That’s how the news spread; whether they escaped or not is hard to say.”
“If they escaped, perhaps they plan to rest for the night, heal and recover qi, retreat to advance, aiming for today’s decisive battle.”
Of the two hundred ticket-holding Martial Cultivators in the entire city, only the top few in a prefecture or the number one master of a sect or gate had the qualification to be included.
Even powerhouses like Coffin Mountain’s Dharma Truth and Nirvana Truth were only Grade B.
In the Southern Territory alone, there were over a dozen at Successor Level; some were already famous under heaven, others from Hidden Sects or hidden masters of major powers.
Everyone had brought out their full strength!
The other three realms had slightly fewer at Successor Level than the Southern Territory, but at least six or seven.
The ticket-holding Martial Cultivators of the three-family alliance had seven or eight out of ten killed, meaning dozens of masters at Dharma Truth and Nirvana Truth level had died. The other Five Seas Realm Martial Cultivators and Great Mind Masters had countless casualties.
Shi Shishi said: “Of the two hundred ticket-holding Martial Cultivators, at most half remain. Fewer at Successor Level have fallen, but added up, there must be about ten by now!”
Li Weiyi fell silent, deeply feeling the good intentions behind Jiang Ning, Hidden Lord, and Zuo Qiu Hong Ting’s advice against participating in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival; they had foreseen all this long ago.
What mentality did they have?
Knowing the danger yet facing it head-on?
Or compelled by circumstances, with no choice?
“This is no grand event!” Jiang Ning’s warning by the fishing boat echoed in Li Weiyi’s ears once more.
This was a battlefield…
A battlefield of you die or I live!
Shi Shishi said: “The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is much better than real battlefields outside; at least there are rules. It’s just contention among the younger generation; you can retreat, you can hide.”
“What about Tao Yanyan?” Li Weiyi suddenly asked.
Shi Shishi fell silent.
Bai Shu said: “Sister Tao was killed in the Wolf Den on the tenth; she couldn’t escape.”
“Who did it?” Li Weiyi asked.
“I don’t know! There are countless large and small forces in Qiu Prefecture Prefectural City, each with masters of various origins. For Tao Yanyan’s Dragon Bone Ticket, anyone could be the culprit.”
Bai Shu and Shi Shishi both smiled bitterly and shook their heads.
Most forces in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival had fallen before the seventh or been annihilated or become vassals of the Ten Million Gateways. But in the world situation, these forces were still independent entities, each with Longevity Realm giants, even Transcendents, colossi dominating one side.
The Earth Wolf King Army might seem like just a few kittens at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. But behind them were Shi Tianwang, Great Lord, Bird Second Master, and the vast Earth Wolf cavalry, who summoned wind and rain in Shu Zhou.
“My injuries have mostly recovered! You all go ahead to Evergreen Temple in Eastern City and wait for me; I’ll arrive before noon.”
Li Weiyi jumped off the carriage, used the Disguise Art, and vanished into the crowd.
Before the decisive battle, he wanted to see Hidden Lord once, so he sneaked all the way to Zhuo Garden.
After knocking, it was Yin Twenty-Five who opened the door.
Seeing Li Weiyi, Yin Twenty-Five was clearly startled and hurriedly welcomed him in, then closed the door and sealed the formation.
“Thank heavens, luckily it was all rumors; we really thought you had already…”
“What, thinking you wouldn’t have to repay the debt?”
Upon entering, Li Weiyi saw the garden full of corpses and white cloths draped over them, and he froze. He then released Mind Power Perception and found Zhuo Garden eerily empty; aside from Yin Twenty-Five, there was no one else.
“What’s the situation? Where are they?” Li Weiyi asked gravely.
Yin Twenty-Five lowered his head and said softly: “Just helping collect corpses.”
“What do you mean ‘just helping collect corpses’? Jiu Li tribe’s Spring Gushing Realm Martial Cultivators know to do it, but you’re Five Seas Realm; once involved, you’d die without burial.” Li Weiyi’s voice boomed.
A quarter-hour later.
A knock sounded.
Yin Twenty-Five cautiously looked toward Li Weiyi, who sat like a statue on the white stone by the lakeside.
“Go on, open the door for those heroic men.” Li Weiyi said.
The gate and formation opened; Yin Twenty-Three, Yin Twenty-Four, and Yao Yin, all in night-walking clothes, appeared from invisibility. Then they pulled out blood-drenched boundary bags and took out the corpses inside, all Pure Immortal Bodies or female cultivators’ bodies.
Yin Twenty-Four gritted her teeth, clenched her fists tightly, chest heaving: “It’s all your fault for dragging me along. I hadn’t killed enough yet. Too shameless, too despicable; not even sparing corpses. Utterly inhuman.”
“They weren’t human to begin with.” Yin Twenty-Three said.
“Mm, cough cough…”
Yin Twenty-Five kept signaling them with his eyes.
The three looked into the distance and saw Li Weiyi sitting there like a sculpture. First shock, then great joy, followed by apprehension.
Li Weiyi was expressionless, staring coldly at Yin Twenty-Four: “You’re so capable; why not go out and kill another round?”
“Good, shall we go together?” Yin Twenty-Four said.
“…”
Li Weiyi was stumped by her. He stood up: “Without my permission, who allowed you to act on your own? Who led this?”
“Me!” Yao Yin said.
“Me!” Yin Twenty-Four said.
“Me!” Yin Twenty-Three said.
Even the helpless-at-home Yin Twenty-Five stood up and said softly: “Me!”
Li Weiyi said: “Good, good, good; all heroic men.”
Yao Yin, the youngest, with eyes still somewhat red, softened first: “Those demonic creatures, Ash Spirits, and all sorts of evil bandits wanted to force Cang Li, Yin Nine, Li Ling, and the others to appear. They cooked Jiu Li tribe Pure Immortal Body Martial Cultivator corpses in cauldrons, stripped the female Martial Cultivator corpses naked and hung them on the city gate. Such great humiliation; how could we endure it?”
Yin Twenty-Four raised her chin: “We didn’t do anything risky; just snatched the corpses back from those low-realm Martial Cultivators collecting them.”
“It’s intolerable.” Yin Twenty-Three said.
Li Weiyi frowned; the enemy’s tactics were indeed vile, but used on Cang Li, they might have unexpected effect.
This was also good news!
At least it meant they were still alive.
Li Weiyi paced back and forth, staring coldly at Yin Twenty-Four: “You’re just relying on that blood-refined magic tool; hand it over to me.”
Yin Twenty-Four covered the three-headed snake bracelet on her wrist and sneered mockingly: “Aren’t you relying on the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor and Purple Heaven Thunder Seal?”
“You still dare talk back?” Li Weiyi said.
Yin Twenty-Four said: “We’re just collecting corpses. You’re so capable; you dare kill Hua Yuzi, dare fight Ge Xian Tong. Rumors are flying outside, saying you’ve already perished. Are we afraid? When collecting corpses, what if we found yours? Are we afraid of you being exposed on the street, your head gnawed by wild dogs? Li Weiyi, you’re a Hidden Person. Let me tell you, even if you’re ten thousand li away, a hundred thousand li away, or even farther… as long as we hear news of your death, we’ll definitely go retrieve you, even from a million li away!”
“Go ahead and curse me all you want!”
Yin Twenty-Five had already brought a chair and placed it behind the fuming Li Weiyi.
After Li Weiyi sat, Yao Yin stepped forward proactively to massage his shoulders. She spoke softly: “We were really cautious; we definitely won’t act on our own again.”
“Swear all in the name of the Jiu Li God: no leaving Zhuo Garden half a step today. Also, prepare a late-night snack; I’ll bring back Yin Nine and Yin Eleven safely. Whoever is most obedient gets a chance at Dragon Bone and Dragon Seed.” Li Weiyi closed his eyes, enjoying the kneading from Yao Yin’s soft jade hands.
Hearing this, the Hidden Persons present had fiery eyes.
Yin Twenty-Four’s pretty face lit up with surprise: “Dragon Bone and Dragon Seed; we have a chance too?”
“You? You’re all rebellion; you can’t refine Dragon Bone. Just keep irritating me from now on.”
“Supervise each other: heroes supervise heroes, good men supervise good men. Don’t cause any more trouble.”
Li Weiyi stood, made them all swear, then left Zhuo Garden.
As he left, he glanced at the garden full of corpses, his gaze turning solemn, his resolve firmer.
Without seeing Hidden Lord, he could only consult with the three masters.
He said: “If I impact the Fifth Realm of the Five Seas Realm, pushing myself into higher waves, would it be too dangerous? You understand this world better than I do.”
“Why are you still not giving up?”
Jar Master strongly opposed; three months of Quenching Qi was his bottom line.
Li Weiyi said: “I know my limits in the Martial Way; I have a way to temporarily stabilize the Magic Energy. After the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I’ll definitely seclude cultivation for a time, never acting recklessly again.”
“Then strike! It’s just the Five Seas Realm; why hesitate? If Zuo Qiu Gatehouse and Jiu Li tribe can’t handle this trifle, better toss their Ten Million Gateways and Ten-Million-Year Ancient Clan signs early.”
It was Zen Sea Observing Mist’s voice.
Spirit Tablet Master said: “Since you have a way to temporarily stabilize Magic Energy, I support you following your heart. Cultivation is like sharpening a sword: hide the edge normally, but at key moments, strike the most brilliant blow.”
“For Longevity Pill, Dragon Seed, Dragon Bone, this risk is worth taking. Your first battle as a Hidden Person can strike out qi soul.” Coffin Master said.
