Chapter 182: Suizong’s Predicament
Li Weiyi sat between two cultivators of the Seventh Sea, who possessed the Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body of the Five Seas Realm. He felt as if he were at the confluence of two turbulent great rivers, enduring the furious winds and waves from both directions, giving him a sense of precariousness.
Especially Sheng Qingyan on his right.
Although her battle intent had not manifested, Li Weiyi, being so close, could clearly hear the sound of a great river flowing, lingering in his ears.
How could this be described as a flowing stream?
It was practically a celestial river passing by; her battle intent must be extraordinary.
Someone capable of competing for second place in Li Zhou would naturally not be insignificant.
At the same time, Li Weiyi clearly saw strands of magic energy escaping from Sheng Qingyan’s snow-like fingers, climbing onto his arms, shoulders, waist, legs… her control over magic energy was as exquisite as it could be.
One could imagine that as soon as she willed it, this magic energy would instantly retract, transforming into deadly chains that would strangle Li Weiyi.
Zuo Qiu Ting, sitting on his left, gently patted Li Weiyi’s hand, casually dispelling all the magic energy released by Sheng Qingyan, and said with a laugh, “Young Lady Yang should be in the Seventh Floor Pavilion, not sitting here, at the same table with a bunch of insignificant people like us. Could it be that… you’re afraid to go to the Seventh Floor Pavilion?”
Sheng Qingyan let out a soft “Oh,” realizing she had encountered a master of at least equal standing. Thus, she withdrew her battle intent, her eyes deep and profound, staring directly at Zuo Qiu Ting, trying to discern her true appearance beneath her disguise art.
Li Weiyi carefully pondered Zuo Qiu Ting’s words and asked, “That is strange indeed! Young Lady Yang must have been invited by the Dragon Gate and is a distinguished guest, so why would she be afraid to go to the Seventh Floor Pavilion?”
Zuo Qiu Ting chuckled, “Brother, haven’t you seen through it yet? Young Lady Yang, like us, is seated on the Imperial Court’s side? Her current situation is quite difficult. She dares not choose either side, nor dare she offend either. Therefore, she can only sit in the Fourth Floor Pavilion to avoid trouble, not daring to go any higher.”
Accompanying Sheng Qingyan were not only Sheng Qingyan, but also Yang Yue and Yang Zhiyong, two young masters renowned in Li Zhou. Their cultivation was unfathomable, ranking second and third in the Sui Sect.
The three had already taken their seats opposite them, staring at Zuo Qiu Ting with fierce gazes.
This perfectly illustrated that Zuo Qiu Ting was not speaking without reason, but rather her words, like spears, hit their vital points.
“Then you must explain it to me in detail. I’ve been in secluded cultivation recently.”
Li Weiyi was not very familiar with the current situation and was curious as to how the once glorious Sui Sect and Sheng Qingyan had fallen to such a state where they needed to lie low.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “Cang Li has already set his sights on Young Lady Yang! If she doesn’t choose either side, can you guess if she can walk out of Qiu Zhou Prefecture City alive? Moreover, whether to choose or how to choose is sometimes not up to her, but decided by the higher-ups of the Sui Sect. However, the higher-ups of the Sui Sect are also facing the same predicament as her. If they make a wrong move amidst the unclear situation, it will lead to eternal damnation.”
Li Weiyi looked at Sheng Qingyan beside him, who, despite her masculine attire, was still full of captivating charm, and asked, “Why doesn’t Young Lady Yang refute?”
Sheng Qingyan’s expression changed from sharp to serene. “In these chaotic times, various forces clash and compete. The number of people who can sit at the table as chess players can be counted on one’s fingers. If you can’t be a chess player, you can only make choices. And no matter how you choose, there’s no way to have a hundred percent chance of victory. Li Weiyi, do you think the Jiu Li tribe’s choice of the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse guarantees victory? Once they choose incorrectly, they will also face eternal damnation.”
Li Weiyi was about to ask why the Sui Sect still had the option to choose the Imperial Court.
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan walked over. He glanced at the four people from the Sui Sect who had appeared out of nowhere, not paying them much mind. His gaze fell upon Li Weiyi and Zuo Qiu Ting, and in a gentle tone, he said, “The Que Fang is ready. It’s the best location with a view of Bing Zu Marsh, the Zheng Nan Que. Everyone, please follow me over there!”
The current Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan was a completely different person from his previous arrogant and cold demeanor.
The bearing of a direct descendant disciple of the Ten Million Gateways was no longer visible.
Seeing that no one reacted, Li Weiyi took the lead to get up and leave his seat, smiling, “Then we shall move. Brother Bai Yuan, you’ve worked hard. Please lead the way.”
Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan quickly replied, “It’s no trouble at all. Brother Li, you are truly a hidden master.”
Qi Wangshu and Qian Yan Zhen could see through the situation. They knew that the “second young lady” beside Li Weiyi had an extraordinary background, and Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan was likely just following orders.
Who could be the one to challenge Sheng Qingyan?
Qi Wangshu’s mind conjured an image of someone who liked to disguise themselves and could make Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan kneel with a single sentence, but he immediately dismissed the thought. How could that person possibly be here, and act as the sister to a martial cultivator of the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas Realm?
Li Weiyi looked at Sheng Qingyan, who was still sitting in her chair, “Young Lady Yang, would you like to join us?”
“It is better to obey than to refuse.”
Sheng Qingyan suddenly stood up, her face showing a gentle smile, and walked over with graceful bearing, as if they were truly close friends.
Li Weiyi’s expression froze, regretting asking that question.
“Thump, thump!”
Clumsy footsteps came from the stairway.
Among the many martial arts masters ascending the stairs, a little fatty jumped out and called loudly, “Brother Weiyi, I’ve been looking for you for days. Where have you been hiding? Didn’t we agree to capture Sheng Qingyan together? Why haven’t… subsequently…”
Shi Shishi’s voice abruptly stopped. He looked as if he had seen a ghost, staring at Sheng Qingyan emerging from behind Li Weiyi, completely dumbfounded. He unconsciously scratched his head.
The people from the Sui Sect all had cold expressions.
Even the air felt cold.
Sheng Qingyan lowered her gaze, her mind filled with confusion. She felt it was unbelievable that two mortals, whose cultivation realms were lower than hers, dared to have such audacity.
After a brief silence, Li Weiyi tried his best to remain calm, “We are sharing a table with Young Lady Yang. Law King Shi, would you like to join us?”
Shi Shishi was completely clueless about the situation. He cautiously took three steps back and secretly transmitted a message using magic energy: “Brother Weiyi, if you have already been captured and subdued by her, blink your eyes. Don’t trick me. I can still go to get reinforcements.”
Li Weiyi felt both amused and exasperated, “If you’re scared, then don’t follow.”
Fourth Floor Pavilion, Zheng Nan Que.
The Que could accommodate ten desks, but only one was set up by the window, with delicacies and fine wine already prepared. An eunuch of the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas, like an old servant, stood by respectfully.
There were as many as four maidservants clad in rune robes.
After Li Weiyi, Zuo Qiu Ting, Qi Wangshu, Zuo Qiu Bai Yuan, Qian Yan Zhen, and the four from the Sui Sect had all taken their seats, Shi Shishi slipped in and squeezed himself into the seat between Qian Yan Zhen and Sheng Qingyan.
Li Weiyi smiled, “How do you dare to come in again?”
Shi Shishi was already picking up food with his chopsticks. “I suddenly realized! Even though Young Lady Yang possesses the Seven Seas realm, the Ten Absolute Sword Technique, and the Long River Intent, she absolutely wouldn’t dare to kill anyone today. Being a bad guest would be equivalent to slapping the Imperial Court in the face. We can’t defeat her, but she can’t defeat Ge Xian Tong.”
Sheng Qingyan narrowed her eyes, a chill emanating from her.
Li Weiyi leaned sideways slightly, looked at her, and asked with a smile, “I was just curious, why isn’t Young Lady Yang sitting by the Dragon Gate?”
Shi Shishi replied while eating, “Two reasons! Firstly, the people of the Sui Sect are actually colluding with the Ash Spirits and Demonic Creatures from the Far West Ash Region, which greatly displeases that Banished Immortal. The Eastern Territory Dragon Gate and the Far West Ash Region have been at odds for thousands of years.”
Sheng Qingyan said coldly, “It was their Dragon Gate’s successor who cooperated with the Far West Ash Region first. We were dragged into the pursuit of Jiang Ning; what benefit is there for our Sui Sect in offending the Imperial Court?”
Shi Shishi glanced at her, found she wasn’t a Pure Immortal Body, and lost interest, continuing, “Secondly, the Leader of the Sui Sect, Yao Qian, visited the Second Palace Master of Lingxiao Palace not long ago.”
“It is said that Yao Qian had long caught the eye of the Second Palace Master, but he never dared to pick a side. His visit now is undoubtedly a signal that the Sui Sect is leaning towards the Imperial Court.”
“Young Lady Yang is in an awkward position! Previously, among the young generation of Martial Cultivators from the Sui Sect she led, some participated in the pursuit of the Luan Tai Angel Jiang Ning.”
“Now that the high command of the Sui Sect is leaning towards the Imperial Court, she is tantamount to becoming Jiang Ning’s subordinate, won’t she face reckoning?”
Yang Qingxi did not participate in the pursuit of Jiang Ning, but as Shi Shishi said, some of the young Martial Cultivators of the Sui Sect did, and she couldn’t absolve herself.
Zuo Qiu Ting said, “As expected of a Law King, to have such knowledge at such a young age, but you haven’t told the whole story. The Sui Sect’s biggest problem is that despite not having enough strength, they are insatiable, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.”
“Initially, the Sui Sect, with the posture of a big leader, wanted to unite the San Chen Palace, Tian Yi Sect, and Coffin Sea Pavilion to form a coalition of the Four Great Sects to annihilate the Jiu Li and seize the entire Li Zhou.”
“Fearing they didn’t have enough strength, the Sui Sect also secretly colluded with the Dragon Gate and the Earth Wolf King Army, who were in dire need of resources and grain.”
“Unfortunately, they miscalculated everywhere. First, Coffin Mountain forcibly entered the fray, and then Tian Ya Ridge wanted a share, neither of which the Sui Sect could contend with. After making their move, they were shocked to discover that their junior brother, the Coffin Sea Pavilion, had long been controlled by the Jiu Li, and then the Earth Wolf King Army turned on them.”
“Even more interesting, the San Chen Palace, which had always followed the Sui Sect’s footsteps, surprisingly had the support of Night City and the Far West Ash Region behind them, a fact they were completely unaware of.”
“The Sui Sect was immediately in an awkward predicament. They thought they were the big leader, but found they couldn’t defeat anyone. They thought they were the manipulator, but found they were merely a pawn of the Far West Ash Region, and not a very important one, purely for utilization.”
“Because, in terms of strength, the Sui Sect cannot compare to Coffin Mountain. In terms of the trust of the Far West Ash Region, the Sui Sect cannot compare to Night City and San Chen Palace.”
“If the Sui Sect continues to be coerced like this, their end will inevitably be annihilation. Relying on the Imperial Court now might offer a glimmer of hope. But with the Imperial Court’s defeat imminent, does seeking refuge with them now truly offer a chance of survival?”
Yang Qingxi felt a sense of shame, as if her clothes had been stripped off and she was displayed on a desk to be ridiculed, the sharpness in her eyes almost becoming tangible.
She controlled her emotions and met Zuo Qiu Ting’s gaze, “The situation is so unpredictable, we are merely the younger generation and have no right to choose factions. We can only do our best in our own positions. At least, we did not choose the Far West Ash Region, which means I stand with humanity. We are fundamentally different from those barbarian thieves who only care about immediate benefits and lack long-term vision. Ending the warfare and bringing peace back to the world, isn’t that also a noble ideal?”
“Tell that ideal to Jiang Ning and see if she believes it. If she believes it, she will naturally give you a way to live,” Zuo Qiu Ting said.
