Li Weiyi knew very well that Li Ling was pursuing him with some kind of purpose, but so far, it didn’t seem to be outright ill intent. Perhaps she had come to see if any of his companions had just advanced to the pure immortal body stage.
Yet her performance was completely unexpected and nearly overwhelming—as if she were wielding a love-infused sword, beautiful yet lethally effective with a surprising edge. But what did this victory mean? Did she not know that when a person acts out emotion too sincerely, they often end up embodying it themselves?
“Pieced together from various parts, this isn’t the truth. Li Ling, let’s talk alone.”
Li Weiyi realized that if they remained in the sight of everyone, she would continue playing her part earnestly. So he was the first to stride away into the distant mist. After Li Ling politely excused herself from the group, she followed him.
Keeping a prudent distance so as not to stray too far away from the others – since completely getting out of their sight might lead them to start conjuring up all sorts of scenarios on their own – Li Weiyi asked, “What exactly are you trying to accomplish? What benefit do you get from staging such an elaborate act?”
Realizing that the others couldn’t hear, Li Ling stepped close with a proud and playful smile.
“You left me alone at the coffin dock without saying a single word when you departed.”
Without beating around the bush, Li Weiyi said frankly, “Although you’ve hardly shown any hostility, you’ve been too deliberate—you give me a false feeling. I can’t see through what your real purpose is, so I have no choice but to keep my distance.”
“Then should I be more sincere from now on?”
Li Ling’s eyes widened in a pure, innocent manner.
“Or perhaps be more direct?”
Li Weiyi rubbed his head in frustration, then continued, “We agreed, after leaving the Departing Spirit Fog Domain, that past grudges would be wiped clean. If you don’t tell me your real purpose for coming close to me, how am I to believe you’re being sincere?”
Li Ling replied, “I only want to see if any of you have that treasured pill for transforming into a pure immortal body. You understand my longing for the pure immortal form, don’t you? But I’ve noticed that your companions are either twisted aberrations or mere mortals—the fervent desire in their hearts has already faded.”
“Hope that’s really the case,” Li Weiyi said.
“Return with me and explain things to everyone. Let’s not play games anymore. At least in the future, we can have a chance to get along as friends.”
“Agreed, but I must discuss serious matters with you first.”
Li Ling’s expression turned grave as she once again exuded the noble and cool demeanor of the first time they met.
“Three disciples from Stone Nine Chamber are chasing after us! You know that the dog-like aberrant woman with an extraordinarily sharp sense of smell tracked our scent all the way through the Departing Spirit Fog Domain.”
“You managed to delay your companions all this time only because I kept them circled around to block their path. Otherwise, the first person they would have chased would have been you, since all the magical tools are on you. You’re the one most likely to seize the immortal technique of the stars.”
“Now that we have gathered together, it won’t be long before they catch up.”
When he escaped, Li Weiyi had shouted the name “Stone Nine Chamber,” and later in the mist of the Departing Spirit Fog Domain they had discussed the matter. Stone Nine Chamber, a name from the Book of Great Eras, was legendary in the Southern Lands.
So Li Ling already knew that the attackers targeting the Cang Li Tribe might not be the Buddha-Du Thieves at all—it could very well be the Earth Wolf King Army.
“I don’t really care. I can outrun them anyway. But your scent has already been noted by her; if they track you down, what then?”
Li Ling pointed to Zhao Meng and the others off in the distance, her posture earnest.
“Lend me a hand, and slaughter them all—at the very least, that dog-like aberrant woman must be killed.”
Ten Thousand Buddha-Du Thieves, Ten Directions Earth Wolf Flag—both forces were known to be ruthless and vicious, with brutal methods and a wealth of strong individuals within their ranks. The connection was too significant; it might even affect the safety of all Li Prefecture. Therefore, Li Ling had to capture one alive.
At the very least, she needed to bring back a head from someone of sufficient weight in the Earth Wolf King Army. Li Weiyi understood exactly what Li Ling aimed for, but the fact that she had come to him meant she expected his cooperation.
And indeed it was, for now the hidden threat had to be dealt with before it caught up with them.
“Fine, we’ll work together once more! But first you must tell me how you managed to pinpoint me so accurately.”
“In the face of a great enemy, there’s no time to dilly-dally. Didn’t I already say that from now on we’ll be sincere with one another? Once we’ve dealt with the enemy, I’ll certainly tell you.”
As Zhao Meng and the others watched from afar, Li Ling punched him in the chest. At the moment, Li Weiyi’s biggest problem was that he couldn’t properly gauge his own strength. But he thought that with his current Spring Surge Realm cultivation, along with several magical tools, it shouldn’t be too hard to run for his life.
When he was at the Three Springs stage, empowered by a sutra belt, he was even faster than Xing Wanxing, who was at the Six Springs stage. Li Weiyi said, “With my cultivation, I might not be able to help a great deal. I’ll do my best to hold off that overweight guy from the Six Springs stage.”
“If you use that blood sacrifice summoning technique here, I reckon it would be even more spectacular than at Burial Immortal Town,” Li Ling commented.
Recalling what had happened at Burial Immortal Town, and then glancing at the countless floating coffins before him, Li Weiyi felt his heart tremble.
“I really don’t know anything about that blood sacrifice summoning technique.”
“Alright then, just don’t hold anything back. We have to face this hurdle together. I’m going to show you my true trump card. In fact, my martial cultivation is quite high—the secret is known only to you. I trust you, that’s why I’m telling you.”
Li Ling’s words were meant to sound sincere. In truth, the martial cultivation she mentioned was derived from the Chanhai Cloud-Watching Mist within her body. A strange look crossed Li Weiyi’s face.
Not only was she cultivating spirit sense and martial techniques simultaneously, but she was also hiding such a backup plan? Recalling the instructions regarding the Chanhai Cloud-Watching Mist, Li Ling asked, “After our cooperation this time, does that mean we’re friends?” ... Time was critical, so Li Weiyi had no chance for further explanations.
He told Zhao Meng, “Senior brother, I must go with her to take care of something important. I’ll definitely be back before dawn. I’m leaving this place in your hands!”
Watching the backs of the two as they disappeared into the distance, Zhao Meng murmured, “One moment they’re clinging to life, the next they’re off together—what on earth is going on?”
“Matters of the heart, I really don’t understand. But if a woman is willing to risk her life, one of these two must be a master.”
Master Guan uttered these words in a low voice, then immediately began leaping about.
“Train, train, let’s circulate the breathing technique!”
“Zhao Meng, you drank a huge amount of Golden Crow Blood and Black Flood Dragon Blood. With that physique and bodily strength—even without opening your springs—your combat power already surpasses those ordinary martial practitioners at the Four Springs stage. But you have to cultivate your magical power further so that in the future you can endure the blood of an Ancient Immortal Beast. Each time you drink one, you gain another beastly trait. Those ancient legends about transforming into dragons require drinking the blood of nine kinds—this is every aberrant’s lifelong pursuit!” ...
Li Weiyi and Li Ling raced along the endless, layered floating coffins like two fleeting shadows. One left blue mist light traces with each step of her legs, while the other left silver-colored magical power trailing from his feet. They moved one after the other without slowing down.
“This is really strange. The Blood Sea Coffin Dock wasn’t always this tranquil. There used to be corpse ghosts howling, coffins shaking, all kinds of humanoid and monstrous beings appearing everywhere. What has changed all of a sudden?”
Li Ling murmured to herself. Li Weiyi suspected that it was the Bronze Ship that had once suppressed the ruckus in the Blood Sea Coffin Dock. But now that the Bronze Ship had departed, only its lingering might remained.
It wouldn’t be long before the area returned to its original dangerous and terrifying state. Li Ling’s senses were extraordinarily keen, and she soon detected that the three disciples of Stone Nine Chamber were very close by. Immediately, she slowed her pace alongside Li Weiyi, doing her best not to produce even the slightest sound.
With no hesitation, she plunged into the murky, foul-smelling blood sea to cover all her aura. Li Weiyi silently admired her resolve. At just fifteen or sixteen, and born of noble lineage, she was completely unpretentious—a person truly capable of doing great things.
Pulling her hood over her face, Li Weiyi also held his breath and submerged himself into the blood-red water. ... Gradually, three figures emerged swiftly from the dark mist, each exuding dense magical power.
“After chasing her all day, what is that girl really thinking? Even if she’s fleeing, she should be heading toward the Lingxiao Life Realm. They say the Blood Sea Coffin Dock is extremely dangerous,” Xing Wanxing complained bitterly as he rushed at the rear.
He was utterly exhausted, desperate to return to a safe zone—the Departing Spirit Fog Domain, the Blood Sea Coffin Dock, the Realm of the Dead are no places for the living; prolonged exposure is deeply oppressive.
Fang Tong kept a close watch around him and said, “Perhaps she’s afraid that Master is still at Burial Immortal Town, so she dares not return there.” Yan Qingqing paused, sensing something off, and once again marshaled her magical power, concentrating it at her nose.
Her sense of smell heightened immensely as she searched among the thick stench of decay and rot for that one whiff of human aroma that was uniquely Li Ling’s. This was a rare natural talent found only in a few aberrants—able to detect even the subtlest scent even if the person had been gone for an hour or was dozens of miles away.
After a moment, she said, “Strange—the scent of that mysterious man who had vanished has reappeared here…” Instantly, Fang Tong became alert. The seven springs within him roiled, and magical power surged throughout his body.
“Swish! Swish! Swish…”
Seven brilliant streaks of light, each ten zhang long, flew out of the water like seven sinuous and sharp whip-swords, slashing simultaneously toward the three men. Within a ten-zhang radius, the area became perilously dangerous. Except for Fang Tong, the other two scrambled in panic to face the attack, bloodied sword cuts marking their bodies.
In particular, Xing Wanxing had a one-zhang long wound cut on his back; the injury was charred and bleeding profusely, nearly exposing his bone. He immediately activated his body methods and dashed about ten zhang away.
“Swish!”
Li Weiyi leaped from the water with his sword in hand, water droplets spraying as he intercepted Xing Wanxing’s path. At the same time, he mobilized his four springs and infused his magical power into his Yellow Dragon Sword. With a resonating clang, a flash of yellow light, as swift and striking as a pale blue dragon, pierced through relentlessly.
No matter what, he had to keep Xing Wanxing at bay to buy Li Ling time, so he was determined to give it his all.
Too fast!
The dazzling brilliance of the Yellow Dragon Sword blinded Xing Wanxing, and by the time he could open his eyes again, his throat had already been pierced. The tip of the sword appeared at the back of his thick, flesh-wrinkled neck. One sword strike ended his life!
Li Weiyi looked slightly astonished as he withdrew his sword. With a loud thud, Xing Wanxing’s body fell to the ground. His mouth and neck gushed blood profusely.
From afar, Fang Tong and Yan Qingqing—still contending with the seven streaks of light—noticed the situation. Although their hearts pounded in fear, they only assumed that Li Weiyi had executed a surprise attack and that Xing Wanxing was severely injured.
“Leave Li Ling to me. You deal with him carefully!”
Fang Tong hoisted a heavy iron coffin weighing seven to eight hundred jin. Every muscle and bone in his body tensed as he hurled it toward the area of the Blood Sea water from which the seven light streaks had emerged. Li Ling rushed out of the water ahead of him, her long, fair legs shrouded in blue mist.
In one swift move, she slapped forward with her palm, striking the approaching iron coffin.
“Boom!”
The iron coffin flew back in a crashing arc and landed on the “land” of the floating coffins. Fang Tong quickly dodged aside, astonished, “So you practice martial arts as well?”
(End of Chapter)