It was actually someone from the Coffin Mountain. Yang Qingxi's captivating eyes flashed with surprise, and then her gaze completely fixed on the burly monk in red kasaya standing outside the main gate. The monk was nearly two meters tall, robust and dark-skinned, with a round face and sharp, lightning-like eyes, showing no trace of compassion.
Being able to represent the Yang Clan and interact with various major forces, Yang Qingxi's cultivation, wisdom, and tactics had clearly gained the approval of the older generation. How could she not recognize this monk? The abbot of the Five Burial Temple, Great Zen Master Yuzhen.
A figure with an extremely loud reputation in the "Book of Great Eras." This status indeed qualified him to represent the Coffin Mountain. What Yang Qingxi found unbelievable was that just a month ago, they had been scheming against the Coffin Mountain, framing the Buddha Crossing Bandits.
But tonight, instead of coming to demand an explanation, they were here to discuss cooperation. Shi Jiuzhai said, "The Heavenly King's meaning is that with the Coffin Mountain joining us, the combined strength of our four forces can take down Li Prefecture, even if we have to fight hard."
Four forces.
First, the "Sui Sect" behind Yang Qingxi. Second, the "Dragon Gate" of the Ten Thousand Doors. Then, two of the three southern barbarian bandits, the "Earth Wolf King Army" and the "Coffin Mountain Buddha Crossing Bandits."
Yang Qingxi instantly understood everything. Clearly, after the framing incident was exposed, the higher-ups of the Coffin Mountain had gone to the Earth Wolf King Army to demand an explanation. In the end, the two barbarian bandits turned their swords into plowshares and prepared to join forces to divide Li Prefecture.
From the perspective of the Sui Sect and the Yang Clan, they naturally did not want the Coffin Mountain to participate. Because the Sui Sect wanted to take Li Prefecture to have a territory of their own. Currently, the Sui Sect's influence was distributed along the Sui River, scattered on both sides of the river.
Although the Sui River ran north-south through the Lingxiao Living Realm, flowing through seven prefectures, with tributaries reaching over a dozen prefectures. But they knew their own situation; the river was not theirs.
The million powerful families and million sects of the various prefectures often exploited them, and they had to bow their heads before the behemoth-like Ten Thousand Doors, always walking on thin ice. The Sui River was a vine.
What the Sui Sect needed was a piece of land for this vine to take root; otherwise, they would forever be rootless driftwood. Only by taking Li Prefecture and becoming its master would the Sui Sect truly have their own territory.
Only by first occupying a prefecture would the Sui Sect have the opportunity to develop into a Ten Thousand Doors sect in the future, even to the point of competing for the world in the north.
The Earth Wolf King Army and the Dragon Gate were both distant from Li Prefecture; what they wanted was resources and provisions for conquering the world. But the Coffin Mountain was right next door. If they joined, how could they not want territory?
How could they not want the Blood Sea Otherworld Coffin, a massive resource mine bestowed by heaven? Yang Qingxi's gaze swept over Shi Jiuzhai, Great Zen Master Yuzhen, and the others, saying, "Young Master Long, what does your Dragon Gate say?"
The young, noble-looking Long family man standing at the bow of the ship said, "There's no other way now but to attack forcefully and destroy the Nine Li. With another force joining, the price we pay will naturally be smaller.
After all, the Dragon Gate and the Earth Wolf King Army are currently fighting on multiple fronts against the Lingxiao Palace army, and the forces we can allocate to Li Prefecture are very limited."
"My suggestion is to act quickly, seize the cultivation resources, provisions, weapons, exotic beasts, elixirs... and other foundations stored by the Nine Li tribes for thousands of years, and send them to the front lines. If we don't take them, won't they just be left for the Lingxiao Palace?"
Even the Dragon Gate supported the Coffin Mountain's participation. Yang Qingxi knew there was no room for negotiation and was pondering how to secure more benefits. Outside the door, among the Coffin Mountain group, an old, cold laugh rang out, "Are you all treating the Nine Li tribes as nine granaries and treasuries to be plundered at will?
You underestimate the thousands of years of foundation of the Nine Li Tribe!" All eyes turned, including those of the Long family man and Shi Jiuzhai. This person didn't seem to be from the Coffin Mountain!
The Coffin Mountain had brought an outsider. The old voice came from an elderly man wrapped in a large black robe. He stood behind the abbot of the Five Burial Temple, Great Zen Master Yuzhen, shoulder to shoulder with a white-robed layman, wearing a hood, his entire body shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to see his face.
The black-robed, hooded old man continued, "Yang Shenjing indeed had an overwhelming presence in the Mang Mountain battle fourteen years ago, defeating six of the Nine Li Tribe's clan leaders in a row. But if those six clan leaders joined forces, would he still be a match?"
"Moreover, the strongest aspect of the Nine Li Tribe has never been the forces you can see on the surface. Have you heard of the Nine Li Hidden Gate?"
Having followed the Nine Li Tribe for many years, the Sui Sect naturally had a deep understanding of them. Yang Qingxi said, "The Nine Li Hidden Gate has always been just a legend, never truly appearing. Even during the intense conflicts fourteen years ago, they didn't show up.
I don't believe this legend is real."
"Even if it is real, it's likely just a name, exaggerated. Otherwise, why would they watch the Nine Li Tribe decline? Watch the core interests of the Nine Li Tribe being carved out?"
The black-robed, hooded old man chuckled, "If the Sui Sect holds such a view, you will pay a heavy price for your arrogance. Just look... the game of cats catching mice on the shore, which you think is just a game, is actually a microcosm of the world's situation, with sudden reversals and new, bizarre changes." ...
Yang Yun could hardly believe his eyes. Three top hundred martial artists, including Shi Chuanyu, who had opened eight springs, were all sent flying by a severely injured man in an instant. From the beginning, he had been in a mocking mood, never taking this unknown seven-spring martial artist seriously.
But now, meeting the other's gaze, Yang Yun felt a loss of the sense of control he had always had, as if he were being stared down by a beast in the jungle. Li Weiyi had opened his sixth spring, but only two silver vein lines had emerged from the spring's eye. It would take time to fully open them.
Shi Chuanyu, who had fallen onto a fishing boat to Li Weiyi's right, was the first to stand up, his chest in excruciating pain. In the previous clash, he had clearly felt the immense power in the other's palm. Even without the silver-threaded gloves as a magical tool, he might not have had any advantage in strength.
Yao Zhengsheng, who had fallen into the water, climbed out. The water was two meters deep but only reached his waist. In the Spring Surge Realm, when had he ever lost in strength?
Lu Can, who had been sent flying, crashed into a mast and got up again with blood at the corner of his mouth. With one of his tiger claws pierced by the Yellow Dragon Sword, his combat power was greatly diminished. Yang Yun steadied his mind, playing with the Yellow Dragon Sword in his hand, and laughed, "He's broken through!
But it can't be the Five Seas Realm; at most, he's opened the eighth spring, relying on his magical tools to show off. People like us, below the Five Seas Realm, have never feared anyone. Kill him, and whoever grabs his magical tools gets them.
Of course, you can also exchange the tools for Five Seas Pills at the Yang Clan." Li Weiyi's burst of power just now was indeed terrifying, but everyone also saw his injuries. No matter how strong a person is, there will always be a time when they fall.
A time when their strength runs out. Earlier, Li Weiyi had used a spring-breaking needle to pierce his Danzhong acupoint at an extremely fast speed. Under the cover of night, none of the Spring Surge martial artists present had seen it clearly and had no idea he had broken through to the sixth spring.
"Boom!"
Li Weiyi stomped on the fishing boat, his body leaping into the air as the boat instantly shattered into pieces. Stepping on the void as if it were solid ground, he headed straight for Yang Yun. Yang Yun showed no fear, channeling the power of his eight springs into the Yellow Dragon Sword, then frowned deeply.
The sword in his hand... showed no reaction, unable to summon any sword light. A palm wind brushed his face as Li Weiyi arrived before him. Yang Yun temporarily sheathed the Yellow Dragon Sword in his left hand, forming a fist with his right.
The fist, glowing with magical power, like a brilliant star, pierced through the palm wind and collided with Li Weiyi's silver palm.
"Boom!"
At this moment, Yang Yun deeply understood why the three top hundred martial artists had been sent flying. The other's palm power was too strong, with a force that could move mountains. And this was just a casual strike from the other as he leaped over, without any buildup.
Cracks appeared on the boat beneath Yang Yun's feet as he was forced back step by step, each step causing the wooden boat to creak. Finally, his body hit the thick cabin wall, stopping his retreat. The fist that had taken Li Weiyi's palm strike felt like it was about to shatter from the pain.
The third vein line in the Danzhong spring's eye extended instantly within his body after that powerful strike. In the distance, at the top of a five-zhang-high mast, a loud "bang" echoed. Murong Xiao shot her last arrow.
The rapidly flying arrow disappeared into the night as soon as it left the bow. The next moment, a scene that shocked Murong Xiao occurred. Li Weiyi didn't dodge or evade, spreading his legs and arms, stirring up waves of magical power, carrying a bright silver light, and punched the incoming arrow head-on.
He had had enough of these hidden arrows and didn't want to avoid them anymore; he wanted to punch through them all.
"Boom!"
Two forces collided. The thumb-thick, two-meter-long arrow was punched down. The wooden arrow shaft couldn't withstand the force and shattered directly.
The fourth vein line in his body was born!
"Swish! Swish! Swish..."
Led by Shi Chuanyu, Yao Zhengsheng, and Lu Can, over a dozen figures charged from all directions, all exuding magical power, with mist swirling around them, none of them weak. Li Weiyi knew that no matter how strong he was, he had only opened six springs.
One person couldn't fight a group... unless it was a fair fight at the same level. Once these enemies, all at least one realm above him, surrounded him, each just needing to strike once, they could dismember him.
"Whoosh!"
While searching for the weak points in the enemy's encirclement, he channeled magical power into the Ghost Flag. Instantly, cold air and nether mist surged from the flag, enveloping over a dozen fishing boats.
The cold air from the Ghost Flag was even more piercing than when he had activated it at five springs, quickly forming frost on the surfaces of the fishing boats. For these powerful Spring Surge martial artists, the Ghost Flag's power wasn't very damaging, but it instilled a fear of the unknown in their hearts.
"This magical tool is definitely not simple; we need to be careful," they thought, looking down at the ice crystals on the ground.
The nether mist was so thick that all the surrounding lights disappeared. With their vision blocked, they could only rely on sound to locate their positions, growing even more wary. Li Weiyi focused on the injured Lu Can, moving swiftly to appear before him, and unleashed a pre-prepared Sky-Overturning Palm Strike.
(End of Chapter)