Chapter 149: Encountering Ember Spirit Again
Although the Nether Realm of the Dead is perpetually shrouded in darkness without daylight, the vegetation is lush, with many giant trees over a hundred meters tall. Their trunks, branches, and leaves are all dark gray, having grown by absorbing the unique Yin Energy of the Nether Realm.
Towering mountain ranges rise sharply, with steep terrain. Even nearing the foot of the mountains, there are many cliffs and deep valleys, where a slight misstep would lead to being shattered to pieces.
Along the way, Li Weiyi discovered numerous battle traces.
Sabers and axes had cleared the trees, war swords had split the mountain walls.
Many places bore bloodstains, along with fragments of robes and magic tools.
The battles had erupted at different times, which could be inferred from the layers of dried bloodstains. The earliest battle had occurred a month ago. The most recent was also twenty days ago.
Li Weiyi said, “It seems our judgment was correct. The young martial cultivators from those major powers in Zangxian Town indeed all took this route to leave Li Zhou. But why were there battles all along the way? Was it infighting between the major powers, or did they encounter unknown dangers in the Nether Realm?”
Li Ling sat in meditation on Zou Wu’s back, with the copper Nether Lantern placed on the tiger’s head, its blue light enveloping both person and beast.
She reminded, “Have you noticed anything strange?”
Li Weiyi nodded: “Over these dozens of li, we’ve passed through, and we’ve already found traces of over ten battles, but not a single corpse in sight. It’s impossible that all the corpses were carried away by their companions; there should at least be some left behind.”
Li Ling said in the uniquely serene tone of Zen Sea Observing Mist: “Many martial cultivators who die in the Nether Realm of the Dead will turn into muddled departed spirits. The dark power of the Nether Realm erodes their corpses and corrupts their soul spirits.”
“This dark power is all around us, everywhere.”
“You mean all the martial cultivators who died here have turned into departed spirits?” Li Weiyi was horrified, quickly circulating his magic power, extending his five senses outward, fearing that terrifying humanoid monsters might lunge from the darkness.
Li Ling said, “Something seems off again! Normally, when corpses turn into departed spirits, their initial wisdom is extremely low, their consciousness weak, and they remain in place. But we’ve traveled all this way without seeing a single one. It’s too clean!”
Li Weiyi felt uneasy at her words, as if a chill wind was rising behind him. After returning to Zou Wu’s back, he took out the high-grade magic tool Green Yin Banner and unfurled a swath of green formation light gauze.
Dozens of departed spirits clad in armor flew out from the Yin Banner, guarding the surroundings.
Using departed spirits to counter departed spirits.
The Mang Mountain Range stretches long, and to exit the Nether Realm along this route toward Zhizhou is over a thousand li.
While hurrying along, Li Weiyi continuously mobilized his magic energy to nourish his lung leaves and drink the Golden Spring for bone tempering, not daring to waste time, actively preparing for the breakthrough to the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm.
Only by stepping into the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm, cultivating third-tier Qi, and achieving battle intent manifestation, could one truly be called a top expert among the younger generation.
Only then, when clashing with experts of the younger generation, would there be sufficient confidence.
Meanwhile, Zen Sea Observing Mist beside him was absorbing the bottle of fresh blood she had just obtained from him.
Her physical body had already coalesced.
She didn’t need much blood to deceive the order of the Yang Realm, allowing her to descend into this world in living form during the underworld time between day and night.
The two traveled another dozen or so li.
From afar, Zen Sea Observing Mist heard sounds in the darkness and looked toward the dense forest ahead. Several li away, she saw five figures moving through the forest, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
With a flick of her finger, the Nether Lantern’s glow dimmed, enveloping the surrounding several zhang in darkness.
Li Weiyi opened his eyes and looked in the direction of her gaze: “What’s wrong?”
The darkness of the Nether Realm severely impaired martial cultivators’ vision.
Li Weiyi activated the Heavenly Eye at his brow to barely make out the figures several li away. It was normal that he couldn’t match Zen Sea Observing Mist; just her Son of Heaven Bone alone was something even longevity seekers could only yearn for.
They quietly advanced to within a li of the five people, and Li Weiyi finally saw clearly: “Three old men wearing Iron Cloth Battle Robes, holding plain sabers—they should be Five Seas Realm experts from the Iron Clothes Army of San Chen Palace. That young woman in a white martial robe, judging by the robe’s style, belongs to Sui Sect.”
Li Ling’s voice sounded: “She’s a young expert from the second great clan of Sui Sect, the Sheng Clan—Sheng Tianyin, who ranks in the top twenty among Sui Sect’s younger generation.”
“The fifth one is even more formidable: the second expert of the younger generation from the Chi Li Tribe, Chi Yongsheng, with cultivation at the Fourth Stage of Five Seas Realm.”
Li Weiyi glanced at her, focusing on her eyes: “Strange, why have these five gathered together? Normally, the young martial cultivators from the major powers should have passed through and left twenty days ago—why are there still people lingering?”
“You’d be better off asking them directly than me.” Li Ling’s tone was ethereal, impossible to tell who was speaking.
“Fine, let’s go.”
Li Weiyi was naturally a person of strong curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He activated the invisibility power of his high-grade night-walking clothes, hid his two magic tool weapons inside the robe, and stealthily approached.
He stopped within a dozen or so zhang to observe again.
The five people in the forest walked back and forth holding their magic tool weapons, without exchanging words, extremely quiet.
This was too strange; normal people in the pitch-black Nether Realm shouldn’t be in this state.
“Could they have already turned into departed spirits?”
Li Weiyi’s curiosity grew stronger. He picked up a pebble from the ground, wrapped it in magic energy, and flung it out.
“Bang!”
The pebble struck the chest of one of the San Chen Palace old men, shattering on the Iron Cloth Battle Robe. But the powerful impact contained within it, like a cannonball, sent the Five Seas Realm old man flying backward along with his plain saber.
The other four shouted coldly in unison, their gazes landing on where Li Weiyi stood invisibly, searching for the attacker.
Their eyes were sharp, their energy and spirit vigorous—not at all like the muddled state of departed spirits.
At the signal from Chi Yongsheng, the highest in cultivation, two San Chen Palace old men emanating Five Seas Realm auras rushed forward with their sabers. They couldn’t see Li Weiyi but knew the direction from which the pebble had flown.
The two old men swung their sabers wildly in all directions, sword qi extending several zhang, blade light ignited by magic energy like flashes of lightning in the darkness.
Li Weiyi observed for a moment, then stopped dodging. He took out the Iron Book from his robe and flung it out.
“Swish! Swish!”
Thirty-five pages, wrapped in magic energy, flew like thirty-five light orbs, blasting the two San Chen Palace old men away.
Their physical bodies were severely damaged, and from their wounds flew particles that stood out starkly in the darkness—sparks. This made Li Weiyi’s eyes widen in shock.
Chi Yongsheng and Sheng Tianyin arrived quickly, one after the other.
One was burly and robust, the other graceful and beautiful; both had thick, powerful auras, their eyes filled with chilling killing intent.
Before they arrived, a magic energy storm had already swept over Li Weiyi.
The two streams of magic energy were earth-shattering, nearly shaking Li Weiyi off his feet; he had to exert full effort to steady himself, rooting to the ground.
“Roar!”
Chi Yongsheng let out a long roar like thunder, nearly shattering Li Weiyi’s eardrums.
Facing a Fifth Stage of Five Seas Realm practitioner, Li Weiyi didn’t dare be careless. He immediately drew the high-grade magic tool Sky Flame Saber and poured a massive amount of magic energy into it.
The blade turned into a blazing cloud of fire, slashing toward Chi Yongsheng’s waist.
Chi Yongsheng didn’t clash blades directly but leaped into the air to dodge, then struck out a palm seal crashing down on Li Weiyi’s head.
He wore armor, his hand covered in metal plating like a five-fingered iron seal.
“Not good! He has battle wisdom—could he not be a departed spirit?”
It was too late to change moves and block; the opponent was a Fourth Stage of Five Seas Realm practitioner, not some same realm nobody. Li Weiyi immediately used Qing Xu Cicada Escape Step, his feet shifting, body blurring like a phantom as he burst out of the magic energy shroud of the palm force, narrowly dodging.
Taking a solid hit from that palm would shatter even an iron man.
Sheng Tianyin coordinated seamlessly with Chi Yongsheng.
She followed closely, having already prepared a cascade of sword qi for Li Weiyi, aiming to slice his body into pieces or mince him into pulp.
Li Weiyi had numerous protective treasures, all activated at once. He then charged headlong into the sword qi cascade, slashing out domineeringly with Grand Unity Opens the Sea.
“Boom!”
The blade light briefly tore through the darkness, like a bright moon rising from the ground.
Sheng Tianyin blocked with full effort, but her power couldn’t match Li Weiyi’s. Her war sword snapped, her delicate body flying backward, her sword arm severed at the shoulder.
She was a top-twenty expert among Sui Sect’s younger generation, her combat power far beyond ordinary Five Seas Realm Third Realm martial cultivators.
Yet Li Weiyi felt no joy at heavily injuring such an expert.
Because Sheng Tianyin hadn’t used the strongest state of a Five Seas Realm Third Realm martial cultivator—battle intent manifestation.
It was as if she didn’t know how.
From her severed arm spilled not blood, but countless bright sparks.
After falling to the ground, she let out a strange cry, oblivious to pain, flipping up abruptly. The severed arm on the ground turned into a snake of sparks that flew back, regrowing into a new arm.
In an instant, the arm was reattached.
“This…”
Li Weiyi stared at the flames in Sheng Tianyin’s pupils, a familiar feeling rising in his heart.
“Da da.”
Footsteps sounded densely; they were rapidly closing in to surround him.
Sheng Tianyin and the three San Chen Palace old men attacked together, magic energy erupting, plain sabers falling relentlessly. Li Weiyi fought one against four, growing more alarmed—they seemed unable to be injured. Wounds from the Sky Flame Saber on their bodies healed almost immediately.
Chi Yongsheng, the highest in cultivation, prowled the battlefield’s edge, his eyes like a venomous snake seeking a fatal strike.
At that moment, the Zou Wu exotic beast approached.
Zen Sea Observing Mist on its back had already figured it out. Spiritual light flowed from her slender, graceful fingertips as she drew a rune and flung it out.
“Swish! Swish…”
Each rune struck and suppressed one, forcing them to collapse to the ground.
Shock flickered in Chi Yongsheng’s eyes; sensing danger, he glanced at the girl on Zou Wu’s back. Flames appeared under his feet, and he shot toward the depths of the Nether Realm at extreme speed.
“Too late to run now, isn’t it?”
Li Weiyi activated his Wind Riding Boots, shifting sideways faster than a ghost, blocking his path.
“Get lost!”
Chi Yongsheng roared explosively, spewing a mass of sparks from his mouth as he punched with full force.
The brilliance erupting from his fist lit up several li around, energy boiling, fist energy breaking through mountains and rivers—the pinnacle combat power of a Five Seas Realm Fourth Stage expert.
Li Weiyi had long wanted a proper fight, fearless. He gripped the saber with both hands and slashed.
“Boom!”
Blade met iron fist with a clang like two iron mountains colliding.
Li Weiyi was blasted back six or seven zhang, his ten fingers numb, barely holding the war saber.
“Good, again.”
Li Weiyi’s physical body recovered extremely quickly. Magic power and immortal radiance flowed through his veins to his arms once, and the numbness faded greatly. After a second cycle, he was fully recovered.
This recovery speed was his confidence to cross three realms and fight upward.
Not giving him another chance, Chi Yongsheng was struck by Zen Sea Observing Mist’s rune, frozen in place like he was immobilized.
Zen Sea Observing Mist leaped down before him and punched his chest at the Tanzhong acupoint.
“Bang!”
Fist energy and magic energy surged in, cracks appearing all over Chi Yongsheng’s body.
A monster covered in sparks flew out from his body, crashing heavily to the ground behind.
The monster still couldn’t move, as the rune targeted it, not Chi Yongsheng. It finally cried out in fear: “Who are you exactly? What is this rune?”
“Ash Spirits can speak too?”
Li Weiyi had seen Ash Spirits in the underground Ash Region of the hidden sect, so he recognized it at a glance.
