Chapter 330: Storm Clouds Gathering
Li Weiyi had spent most of his energy during this period cultivating the Twelve Character Dao Seed and refining Star Day Pills, and had hardly cultivated the Feng Fu Dragon Seed at all. Even so, the Dragon Seed palpitation was already not far away.
He changed the subject and asked, “Master, how soon will we attack Lingxiao City?”
Yao Qingxuan said, “The Demon Race naturally hopes the sooner the better, because the Transcendents injured in that epic great melee two years ago are continuously recovering. But the Divine Cult hopes the later the better!”
Li Weiyi cautiously asked, “Is it related to the strangeness spreading from Fu Prefecture ground? I heard that those tombstones and grave mounds that have popped up are already everywhere in the surrounding several prefectures, even surrounding Qiu Prefecture City and Bing Zu Marsh, or the legendary Yin Corpse Planting Rice.”
“The longer time drags on, the more grave mounds and Yin Corpses grow on the ground. When the Rice Flower pollen blows across Under Heaven, our Divine Cult’s soldiers will be as numerous as the sea of people, then devouring Under Heaven, with no one able to block them.”
Yao Qingxuan narrowed her eyes coldly: “Where did you hear that?”
Li Weiyi was shocked in his mind: “Is this real?”
“I don’t know, and I hope you don’t know either.” Yao Qingxuan said.
Li Weiyi said, “Master is worried that I will spread this secret transmission, which will get me killed and also get you killed?”
Yao Qingxuan said, “When you are not strong enough, you must learn to shut up. When you think you are very clever and can quietly do some things, it means you are already arrogant and conceited, on the edge of death.”
“Li Weiyi, let me tell you a sentence that you must remember.”
“In the face of an unstoppable general trend, judge by intent, not by actions. It’s not telling you to do nothing, but to do things on the scale of your cultivation level.”
“Benevolence and righteousness, loyalty and filial piety, trust—judge by actions, not by intent. By intent, where in the world are there such saints?”
Li Weiyi’s heart surged with waves, he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply: “Disciple remembers!”
Yao Qingxuan said, “Attacking Lingxiao City is tentatively set three months from now… don’t take that as the real time, only Transcendents know the true time. The Divine Cult will definitely keep dragging the time further back.”
“The eight prefectures controlled by the Imperial Court—Fu Prefecture, Han Zhou, Yong Prefecture, Liang Prefecture—will be attacked by the Divine Cult, and after success, also controlled by the Divine Cult, gaining all the benefits therein.”
Li Weiyi unfolded the map of Lingxiao Life Realm on the desk: “Fu Prefecture and Han Zhou belong to Southern Territory, Yong Prefecture and Liang Prefecture belong to Eastern Territory. Since Master is Southern Venerable, Fu Prefecture and Han Zhou are presumably your responsibility?”
Yao Qingxuan strolled to the desk and gently shook her head: “The Divine Cult’s strong practitioners, from top to bottom, are respectively two Rice Ancestors, three Suffering Masters, four Hall Masters, five Venerables.”
“Don’t take this as true either! First, even I don’t know which of these masters are double-born, and which are one person.”
“Second, the three Deputy Hall Masters of Under Heaven Hall are all Great Longevity, with peerless cultivation.”
“Among the five Venerables of Under Heaven Hall, I am the youngest. The other four are not one under one hundred twenty years old, with unfathomably deep realms.”
“Headquarters is located in Southern Territory, which is crucial to the Divine Cult. Think about it, why instead let the youngest human be Southern Territory Venerable?”
Li Weiyi pondered for a moment: “Master as Southern Venerable has the name but no power?”
Yao Qingxuan said, “Not that exaggerated, but close. Under Heaven Hall has two Deputy Hall Masters in Southern Territory, each with vast forces under them. Respectively Coffin Mountain’s Xu Fudu, Sui Sect’s Yang Shenjing. Those two are the true decision-makers for major matters in Southern Territory.”
Li Weiyi thought to himself, no wonder she stays at headquarters most of the time—two great mountains pressing down from above.
Yao Qingxuan said, “I became Southern Venerable because the Divine Cult initially wanted to first seize Li Zhou, control the Jiu Li tribe, then form a triangular momentum with Guan Prefecture and Fu Prefecture, annihilate the Zuo Qiu Gatehouse in the middle, and control the entire Southern Territory.”
“What happened later, you know.”
“And now?” Li Weiyi asked.
Yao Qingxuan said, “Xu Fudu and Coffin Mountain’s Buddha Degree Army take Han Zhou. The forces in Yang Shenjing’s hands take Fu Prefecture.”
Li Weiyi said, “Fu Prefecture’s Jiang Family is one of the Imperial Court’s Four Great Families, with a Transcendent Old Ancestor, claiming the number of masters under them no less than Ten Million Gateways. Yang Shenjing is probably not a match?”
Yao Qingxuan shook her head: “Divine Sect Headquarters is right in Fu Prefecture Underground, the Divine Cult’s infiltration and control of Fu Prefecture, the Jiang Family probably can’t compare. If the Jiang Family knows the times, they have a way to live. If not, the whole clan perishes.”
“The Demon Race and Divine Cult joining hands to attack the Imperial Court, Human Race’s major powers will definitely stand by and watch in the early stage, waiting for us to suffer heavy losses on both sides. So, the eight prefectures are not hard to take; the difficulty is here.”
She pointed to the area north of Fu Prefecture, west of Liang Prefecture, south of You Prefecture, that heavily marked region.
Where Lingxiao City is located—Yun Tian Immortal Plain.
On the plateau, between the clouds and sky, the city of immortals.
With Li Weiyi’s current cultivation, plus his status as Senior Disciple and Fourth Divine Son, Yao Qingxuan did not treat him as a small soldier, but valued him greatly, laying everything out completely.
She continued, “Yun Tian Immortal Plain’s Heaven and Earth Great Formation was personally deployed by the Mist Heavenly Child back then. Only four mountain ranges connect to the Immortal Plain above, each mountain range with a grand pass garrisoned with tens of thousands of soldiers.”
“North of Fu Prefecture, under Xu Shan Heavenly Vein, is where one of the four passes, Nanyan Pass, is located.”
“I originally wanted to send you to Li Zhou to oversee things there. Now the situation has changed; you must go to Nanyan Pass for me to deliver something extremely important.”
Li Weiyi said, “What thing, and why me?”
“I’ll tell you before departure.” Yao Qingxuan said.
…
An Xianjing returned, and together with Yao Qingxuan, they declined all matters and guarded by the rice paddy.
Two days later, under the nourishment of their two’s blood, and Li Weiyi’s Magic Energy and Spiritual Light, four infants were born crying, two boys and two girls, all Pure Immortal Bodies.
At the moment of breaking the valley, the entire headquarters appeared with dazzling golden radiance, clouds and mists enveloping Southern Clear Palace.
Many elder strong practitioners whom Li Weiyi had never even seen before all appeared together, all very concerned about this matter; Southern Clear Palace was unprecedentedly bustling.
Li Weiyi felt immense pressure, very afraid that Tang Wanzhou in Zu Tian would suddenly awaken. Fortunately, as An Xianjing brought the four Golden Rice infants back to Spirit Valley Hall, Southern Clear Palace quickly quieted down.
Li Weiyi’s heart felt empty; he had only seen them at the moment they broke the valley, each very obedient and cute, two with wings, like elf incarnations.
Yao Qingxuan walked into the Formation Light Gauze, looking at Li Weiyi sitting dazed on the ridge: “What’s wrong?”
“A bit unaccustomed; used to them growing here. When they grow up, they might not even know that once there was a person who irrigated, illuminated, and accompanied them for a long time.” Li Weiyi said somewhat sentimentally.
Yao Qingxuan used Magic Energy to transport out from her Boundary Bag an iron box sealed with runes.
“This is the thing I need to deliver?” Li Weiyi stood up and carefully examined the iron box.
Square and proper, one foot long and wide.
The runes deployed on it were extremely complex and profound; with Li Weiyi’s current Mind Power, he surprisingly could not understand them.
Yao Qingxuan said, “This matter is of great importance; it must not fail.”
Li Weiyi asked again the question from two days ago.
She said, “What it is, is not important to you. The reason it’s you going is because this matter must be handled by someone with sufficiently high status in the Divine Cult to demonstrate our sincerity.”
“Don’t think this matter is simple; it may instead be full of danger.”
Li Weiyi asked, “Who is the other party?”
“One of Nanyan Pass’s three Deputy Generals, Zhou Bida. This person is the disciple of that Transcendent of the Jiang Family, and also the Jiang Family’s son-in-law.” Yao Qingxuan said.
Li Weiyi said, “But now he’s one of ours?”
“Currently can only count as half.”
Yao Qingxuan continued, “His family members are all completely controlled by the Divine Cult; this is the coercion. The thing in the box is the inducement, and also his condition.”
Li Weiyi asked, “Master refers to the danger, is it worrying that Zhou Bida will go back on his word?”
Yao Qingxuan shook her head: “No, Zhou Bida loves his wife and daughter very much and won’t risk being enemies with the Divine Cult. The danger comes from three aspects.”
“First, the item in the box is extremely precious and could help Zhou Bida break through to Longevity in one go; quite a few people know it was taken out. I’m worried that someone from Human Race’s major powers lurking in the cult will send the news out ahead of time and intercept you midway.”
“Second, you leaving headquarters itself will arouse the covetous hearts of some people in the cult.”
Li Weiyi said, “In that case, why doesn’t Master go personally?”
“That’s your third greatest danger!”
Yao Qingxuan said, “With your current cultivation strength, you can pretty much enter《Jia Zi List》! 《Jia Zi List》is located at Luantai; all experts under sixty who meet the standard across Under Heaven will automatically have their approximate positions locked by《Jia Zi List》.”
“When a new《Jia Zi List》expert is born, people from Luantai and Attendant Hall will come find you first to record your information. The Imperial Court must ensure that all experts Under Heaven are under their control.”
Li Weiyi said, “There should be ways to evade it, right? Otherwise, how do the experts from major Ten Million Gateways and Hidden Sects evade it?”
Yao Qingxuan glanced faintly at him: “Only by hiding inside a Hidden Sect can you evade. Once you leave the Hidden Sect and fight with someone, leaking your aura, you’ll still be locked by《Jia Zi List》. When Lingxiao Palace ruled the world, how many strong practitioners could the major powers hide?”
“Besides《Jia Zi List》, there’s the《Mortal World Overlord List》refined by Du’e Temple for Zuo Qiu Gatehouse, the Demon Race’s《Yu Jia List》, and the Divine Cult’s《All Beings Diagram》.”
Li Weiyi said, “Has Master been recorded in《Jia Zi List》?”
Yao Qingxuan showed a hint of pride: “I’ve long been on《Jia Zi List》’s blacklist. For the past dozen years, Luantai has dispatched many experts to track me. As soon as I appear, they pursue me, wanting to verify my identity, but they’ve never succeeded.”
Li Weiyi said, “With my current strength, I may not even enter《Jia Zi List》; even if I do, I’ll definitely be at the end and won’t attract too much attention. Moreover, as long as I don’t fight with people or leak my aura,《Jia Zi List》won’t fluctuate.”
“At the foot of Lingxiao City, be extra careful for safety. Once at Nanyan Pass, find the Palace Elder; he handles all matters there.” Yao Qingxuan said.
Li Weiyi’s lips moved; he had many more things he wanted to ask, but wasn’t sure if he should.
Because Yao Qingxuan had explained everything too clearly, and deliberately sent him out, as if wanting to borrow his mouth to tell these secrets to someone.
But she had clearly also said that when cultivation is not strong enough, one must learn to shut up.
For a moment, Li Weiyi really couldn’t gauge which side Yao Qingxuan’s heart leaned toward? Was she really just a Hidden Sect Elder? Really just having him deliver one thing?
Or, did she not dare to speak plainly?
