The western market of Nine Li City was bustling with activity. Not only did the major powers of Li Prefecture have their main shops here, but the signs along the streets also frequently displayed the names of influential clans and sects from the six other southern regions.
For example, the Cang Li Tribe was at the level of a million-strong clan. A million-strong clan could directly influence a population of a million people. Of course, not every one of the nine tribes of Nine Li could claim the title of a million-strong clan.
In truth, the nine tribes of Nine Li had long been in decline. However, because they had rarely participated in worldly affairs for the past century, no one knew their true strength, allowing them to barely maintain the dignity of being the only ancient clan with a population of ten million in the Lingxiao Sacred Realm.
They were revered by cultivators across the land, just like the Zuoqiu and Longmen clans, which also had populations of ten million. Li Prefecture in the southern region bordered the Blood Sea and faced the Ghost Realm, always shrouded in mystery.
Fourteen years ago, when the first signs of turmoil appeared in the world, forces from other regions flocked to Li Prefecture to seek refuge, leading to numerous martial conflicts. During those six months of intense conflict, none of the younger generation of the Nine Li Tribe could hold their own.
The leaders of the nine tribes were all defeated, and even the clan leaders of the Nine Li tribes were defeated by Yang Shenjing, the top expert of the Sui Sect, in a series of duels in the Mangshan Mountains. The remaining three were defeated by the three grand elders of the Chen Clan, a million-strong clan.
The older, middle, and younger generations were each weaker than the last. Losing face was the least of their worries. More importantly, the battle at Mangshan completely exposed the weakness of the Nine Li Tribe, and the title of a ten-million-strong ancient clan, earned by their ancestors, crumbled.
The core interests of the Nine Li Tribe, the "Nine Li City Dao Domain," were carved up, and the Sui Sect, Three Chen Palace, Heavenly Gate, and Coffin Sea Pavilion were established.
Among them, the most powerful Sui Sect, which a thousand years ago was just a small follower helping the Nine Li Tribe transport coffins from other realms, had risen to prominence. Zhao Zhizhuo's spring and five seas were destroyed during the intense martial conflicts fourteen years ago by Yao Qian, the current leader of the Sui Sect.
In the carriage, Zhao Zhizhuo recounted the events of those years to Li Weiyi, sighing deeply as if a mountain weighed on his heart.
"In truth, if the nine tribes of Nine Li had been united, our combined strength would have been far superior to the Sui Sect. Outsiders wouldn't have been able to defeat us so easily. The Sui Sect only managed to suppress the older and middle generations of the Nine Li Tribe because of Yang Shenjing and Yao Qian."
"A thousand years ago, the top-tier artifact symbolizing the leader of the Nine Li Tribe went missing. Since then, no matter who became the leader, the tribes were never satisfied, leading to constant infighting. Over time, the Nine Li Tribe no longer had a leader, and each tribe governed itself. Being able to maintain their dignity for a thousand years is already a testament to their deep foundation and resilience."
Li Weiyi was very interested in that grand era and asked, "Was there really someone who could suppress an entire generation in Li Prefecture single-handedly?" Zhao Zhizhuo nodded, his mind filled with unpleasant memories, especially of the figure who had left a shadow in his heart.
"Now you understand why the young clan leader has such influence, right? Because the elders of the Nine Li tribes see hope in him. If the younger generation of the Nine Li Tribe had been strong enough back then, even if the older and middle generations had been defeated, the outside world would at least have praised the ten-million-strong ancient clan for its promising future, even if the previous generations weren't strong enough."
Neither of them was in the mood to stroll around the western market. After spending a fortune to buy spring liquid, they left the bustling market area and walked along the Divine Dragon Avenue, which spanned the north and south of Nine Li City and was dozens of feet wide.
Li Weiyi planned to find an inn suitable for a senior expert to stay in, so he could begin the process of having the coffin senior in the Evil Camel Bell help Zhao Zhizhuo rebuild his spring. He was very cautious about this, including buying the spring liquid while wearing a mask.
"It seems like we're being followed!"
Li Weiyi had been on guard against being tracked. After sensing something, he glanced back. The carriage following them was pulled by a five-meter-tall silver-horned elk, an exotic beast.
The wheels and body of the carriage were either gilded or made of pure gold, exuding wealth and luxury. The carriage curtains were made of white gauze, through which the figure of a handsome man could be faintly seen. Just as Li Weiyi had Zhao Zhizhuo pull over to the side, the silver-horned elk carriage caught up.
The elk was tall and majestic, making their own carriage horse look like a small donkey in comparison. The aura it released made the "small donkey" restless, almost trembling to the point of lying down on the ground. The golden carriage, carrying a faint fragrance, stopped beside Li Weiyi.
The figure behind the white gauze looked at him through the curtain and said in a teasing tone, "I misjudged you that day on the ship. I thought you were just a lowly servant of the Cang Li Tribe. I didn't expect you to be a martial arts expert, capable of killing two seven-spring martial artists from the Longlin Gang."
It was Yang Yun, the younger brother of Yang Qingxi, the prodigy of the Sui Sect who had opened eight springs at the age of seventeen. Li Weiyi recognized him and replied calmly, "I misjudged you too! That day on the ship, I thought you were an innocent boy.
But looking at you now, that doesn't seem to be the case." Yang Yun disliked how the other party, despite being of lower status and cultivation, showed no fear of him.
"I heard you have more than one artifact. I don't even have one. That day on the ship, I gave you a Spring Surge Coin. How about you give me an artifact today?"
Li Weiyi said, "I'm used to being poor. I can't be as generous as you, Young Master Yang. In front of Miss Li Si, you acted like you were as rich as a country.
Why don't you buy one yourself?" Yang Yun's tone carried disappointment.
"People shouldn't be too greedy. You need to understand the principle of spending money to avoid disaster. You just made a fortune of a hundred thousand silver coins from the Longlin Gang, yet you're unwilling to part with an artifact. It seems like today is destined to be a bloody day... haha... let's go..."
"Clip-clop!"
The silver-horned elk carriage moved forward and passed them. Li Weiyi watched the golden carriage under the sunlight, feeling a sense of alertness. Since Yang Yun had appeared here, it wasn't just to say those words.
He must have some plan. Li Weiyi asked, "Old Zhao, would the Yang Clan dare to kill someone in broad daylight within the city?" Zhao Zhizhuo was somewhat worried.
"It's hard to say! Since the Lingxiao Palace's military situation has been unfavorable in the past two years, and the rebel armies have been winning continuously, the clans and sects in Li Prefecture have been paying less and less attention to the prefectural governor's office and the city defense camp. Of course, the clan leader just met with you yesterday. Given the relationship between the Yang Clan and the Cang Li Tribe, Yang Yun probably won't go too far. Otherwise, he'd be slapping the clan leader in the face!"
The Lingxiao Palace was the supreme authority of the twenty-eight prefectures of the Lingxiao Sacred Realm, and the prefectural governors were all personally appointed by Yuyaozi. At least, that was still the case for now.
"Be careful!"
Li Weiyi's ears twitched slightly, and his expression changed drastically as he grabbed Zhao Zhizhuo's left shoulder. The two of them rolled towards the center of Divine Dragon Avenue.
Almost simultaneously, from the rooftop on the right, a nearly four-meter-tall, ape-like, silver-haired mutant expert wielding a two-meter-long, bowl-thick iron rod jumped down, smashing the spot where Li Weiyi and Zhao Zhizhuo had just been sitting into pieces.
"Boom!"
The carriage shaft broke, and the frightened horse ran away. The carriage body behind them was shattered into pieces. The iron rod was so heavy that it was deeply embedded in the broken stone slabs below.
One could imagine that if Li Weiyi had reacted even a moment later, he and Zhao Zhizhuo would have been reduced to a pulp. Li Weiyi had only wanted to bring everyone from Earth to this strange world to live peacefully and focus on cultivating martial arts. He had never sought trouble or wanted to engage in killing.
But just now, it had been too close. They had almost brushed shoulders with death. He drew the Yellow Dragon Sword from his back and glanced at the silver-horned elk carriage in the distance.
The carriage had turned a corner a hundred steps away and was now facing Li Weiyi, with the person inside clearly preparing to watch the show.
"Roar!"
The ape-like mutant, having missed his first strike, immediately lifted his iron rod and took a step forward, arriving in front of Li Weiyi. He swung the rod down like a mountain falling from the sky. Li Weiyi had never faced such a terrifying opponent before.
The iron rod, though extremely heavy, was wielded with incredible finesse. This strike was executed with such precision that it stirred up a fierce wind, threatening to blow Li Weiyi away. Against previous opponents, even if Li Weiyi was outmatched in strength, he would have found a way to dodge.
But the rod coming down on him now felt impossible to evade.
Attack?
He didn't know where to strike.
Dodge?
He didn't know where to move.
"His combat skills are far superior to mine. His mastery of the rod is almost at the level of the Dao."
This thought flashed through Li Weiyi's mind, and then he cleared his mind of all distractions. With a single swing of his sword, he clashed head-on with the iron rod. It was like a mountain pressing down on him.
The overwhelming force transmitted from the Yellow Dragon Sword to his body.
"Boom!"
Li Weiyi was sent flying back several meters, his tiger mouth split open, and his fingers struggling to grip the sword hilt.
"Old Zhao, you go first!"
Knowing he couldn't match the opponent's strength, Li Weiyi immediately activated the five springs within his body. Surging spiritual energy filled his sixty meridian channels and flowed into his right arm. The pain in his tiger mouth and fingers dissipated, replaced by a vigorous and endless strength.
His fighting spirit boiled over. Finally, just before the ape-like mutant attacked again, a layer of light appeared on the blade of the Yellow Dragon Sword.
"Taiyi Opens the Sea!"
Not daring to hold back in the slightest, Li Weiyi swung his sword with all his might. The sword energy cut through the wind, and the sword mark shot forward without hesitation, as if it could truly split the sea. At least, that was what Li Weiyi felt in his heart at that moment.
He had never reached such a mental state before! The terrifying force transmitted back, and Li Weiyi was pushed back three steps. But the power of this sword strike shocked all the onlookers.
It actually cut the ape-like mutant's bowl-thick iron rod in half, and the residual sword wind left a foot-long gash on his chest, successfully intimidating him and preventing him from advancing further. In the distance, inside the silver-horned elk carriage.
"So this is his artifact? What a beautiful sword, what a sharp artifact. If only it were mine."
Yang Yun, dressed in a cloud-patterned robe, sat on a seat covered with white fox fur, sharpening a three-inch-long dagger with a foot-long green whetstone. The blade had been polished to a mirror-like finish, capable of reflecting one's image. But the dagger, which he had always treasured, now seemed ordinary in his eyes.
He didn't like it as much anymore! The tiger-like mutant driving the carriage said, "Young Master, the city defense camp is almost here."
"Then let's go! He's just a seven-spring martial artist, but with an artifact, his combat power is significantly boosted. We've already helped test him out. The assassins from the Five Burial Temple should have a good idea now."
Yang Yun sheathed the dagger in a hidden scabbard in his boot and asked, "Do you think we've given enough face to the Cang Li Tribe?" The tiger-like mutant driving the carriage said, "The silver-backed ape, Yao Zhengsheng, was hired from the Seven Springs Hall. The ones who will kill are from the Five Burial Temple.
What does that have to do with us? Young Master, you're overthinking it!"
"Who's stronger, you or Yao Zhengsheng?"
Yang Yun asked. The tiger-like mutant said, "In the Seven Springs Hall, I'm ranked seventy-two, and he's eighty-two. We're both among the top hundred martial artists in Li Prefecture, so it's about the same."
"Your second Five Seas Pill is already being applied for. This time, don't disappoint my sister again!"
Yang Yun said. The tiger-like mutant's eyes lit up with joy. After failing to break through the first time he took the Five Seas Pill, he had resigned himself to his fate.
Who would have thought he'd get a second chance?
"Lu Can will dedicate his life to serving the young lady and the young master."
(End of Chapter)