As summer faded and autumn approached, two months had passed. Yin Shisan sat steadily on a four-meter-long jade boat, his body firmly balanced and unaffected by the turbulent waters, navigating the intricate underground Blood River, entering the vast valley where the Nine Li Worm Valley was located.
He appeared to be in his twenties, with a round, soft face, fair skin, and a small tuft of beard on his chin. Upon reaching a towering cliff engraved with the words "Nine Li Worm Valley," the jade boat docked on the right bank of the Blood River.
As a master in the Five Seas Realm, Yin Shisan was one of the few who could grasp the route from the underground river to the Nine Li Worm Valley. The younger members like Yin Twenty-Three, Yin Twenty-Four, and Yin Twenty-Five had yet to formally become disciples, still needing to cultivate their skills within the Yin Sect.
Once ashore, Yin Shisan extended his palm into the air.
"Whoosh!"
The four-meter-long jade boat soared upwards, transforming into a four-inch-long exquisite little boat that landed into his palm. He smiled knowingly; this mid-grade magical artifact was incredibly useful. In the water, it could travel eighteen hundred miles a day, far beyond the reach of ordinary fierce insects.
The underground river, a special transport network feared by all, would henceforth belong to him.
“It’s no wonder the court has such good things; it’s no surprise everyone wants to rule over the world.”
After tucking the jade boat into his robes, Yin Shisan heard a series of sounds resembling combat clashing. It was coming from the direction of the Mind Force Stone Wall. Were people challenging the three individuals on the Mind Force Stone Wall?
Curiosity piqued, Yin Shisan hastily made his way through the purple tree forest to the edge of the square beneath the Mind Force Stone Wall.
“Senior Brother Thirteen!”
“Greetings, Senior Brother Thirteen!” …
Yin Twenty-Three, Yin Twenty-Four, and Yin Twenty-Five had been watching the battle and all greeted Yin Shisan. Among the three of them, such formalities were unnecessary, as their strengths were not drastically different, and the future could not predict who would become stronger.
However, Yin Shisan had entered the Yin Sect over ten years before them, and his cultivation had reached an unfathomable depth.
“Twenty-Five, why are you still so thin? I thought it was you challenging the Mind Force Stone Wall. How’s it going, have you turned all silver yet?”
Yin Shisan teased as he pinched Yin Twenty-Five's chest, and then his gaze shifted to the one engaged in battle at the center of the square, his expression suddenly intensifying. Yin Twenty-Five winced as he held his chest, forcing himself to respond, “Almost!
But even if all the traces are turned silver, it’s impossible to withstand twenty strikes under the Nine Yin Ax… I mean, the difference between ninety-one traces and a hundred traces is not just a little bit.”
“Has Nine Yin been defeated? Who is this young man? To challenge the fully silvered Yang God Realm!”
Yin Shisan was increasingly astonished, his eyes nearly popping out. After all, to be able to exchange blows with a fully silvered pure immortal body was no ordinary achievement; such a person would undoubtedly be considered a seed of inheritance.
Yin Twenty-Five sighed deeply, “This year’s newcomer has only been in the Yin Sect for four months, yet his combat strength has shown rapid growth every month, without any bottlenecks.”
Apart from the four Yin people, a maiden dressed in a white cloud gown, Yao Yin, stood at the edge of the square like a painting of an immortal, quietly observing the battlefield, her serious expression surpassing anyone else's. Several elders from the earlier generations of Yin people were also present, watching from a distance in the medicinal room.
Yin Shisan fixed his gaze on Li Weiyi for a while, then suddenly exclaimed, "So it’s him! He actually joined the Yin Sect. How interesting, truly interesting!"
“Do you know him, Senior Brother Thirteen?”
Yin Twenty-Four asked.
“In the past few months, his reputation in Li Prefecture has been quite notable. Especially after he destroyed the Changlin Gang two months ago, it seemed as if he had pierced the heavens. The Yang Clan has repeatedly raised their bounty on him. The Xue Clan has older figures who vowed to personally hunt him down to repay Xue Zheng’s life. Luckily, he’s hiding in the Yin Sect; otherwise, even the Cang Li Tribe may not protect him,” Yin Shisan recounted with familiarity.
He continued, "It’s said that he is the Person of the Nine Springs."
“It’s also said that his combat power is comparable to that of a fully silvered pure immortal body, making him a seed of inheritance for the Nine Li Tribe, wanting to cultivate him as the second successor after Cang Li. I originally thought the rumors were exaggerated… tsk, tsk…”
“Oh, there are also rumors saying he and the Fourth Lady of the Cang Li Tribe are in love, but Yang Yun interfered, which led to a feud with the Yang Clan. The story of a poor youth and a wealthy girl is inevitably filled with hardships, with competitors growing ever stronger.”
Upon hearing this, Yao Yin couldn’t help but glance at Yin Shisan. Yin Twenty-Four frowned, “What a bunch of nonsensical rumors. I know Li Ling, and neither she nor Li Weiyi seems to have a character that would easily fall in love.”
“I am the information gatherer of the Yin Sect, and my news is certainly not unfounded. The Provincial Governor's Office has specifically investigated him; he met with the head and matriarch of the Li family while at Yao Pass, earning considerable favor from the Cang Li Tribe. For the sake of this brother-in-law, Cang Li even called out to all young martial practitioners, causing quite a stir,” Yin Shisan responded with a chuckle.
Yin Twenty-Four fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. In the Nine Li Tribe, the surname "Li" was the most prestigious. But only the direct lineage of the Cang Li Tribe could be referred to as "Li Family," for they were descendants of the Cang King.
The Cang King was the eldest son of the God of Nine Li and the nominal first main lineage among his descendants.
“Truly formidable, nearly on par with the Yang God Realm; it's no wonder Cang Li Tribe values him, wishing to recruit him as a son-in-law,” Yin Shisan remarked.
Yin Twenty-Four sneered, “A talent of his caliber entering as a son-in-law? The Cang Li Tribe is too self-important. Li Ling is just a half-immortal body; what virtue does she possess?”
“Bang! Bang…”
Li Weiyi exuded his magical energy, enveloping him like clouds and mist, as he continuously unleashed the Yellow Dragon Sword, steadfastly confronting the spear wielded by Yang God Realm. In the past two months, he had forged fifty-five gold traces, significantly increasing his physical strength.
However, refining gold traces consumed substantial time, preventing him from breaking through to the Ninth Spring Ancestral Field. The biggest disadvantage of not breaking the Ancestral Field was that he could only utilize the magical energy stored in the Wind Mansion to execute a single martial arts masterstroke.
In contrast, those who established the Ancestral Field, such as the Person of the Nine Springs, could mobilize their magical energy, unleashing dozens, even hundreds of strikes that surpassed their current cultivation level.
Just like Yin Nine, who, when drawing on the magical energy from the Ancestral Field, experienced a dramatic surge in power, allowing him to trade blows with Yang God Realm. He would only falter once the Ancestral Field energy was exhausted.
With the enhancement of the golden traces, Li Weiyi's internal magical energy flowed faster and more smoothly; combined with the increase in his physical strength, he could finally withstand the attacks of the Yang God Realm in the explosive state of the Ancestral Field. Previously, he could hardly defend against a single blow.
“What a formidable Yang God Realm! That was the twenty-seventh strike; does his Ancestral Field energy remain so abundant?”
As Li Weiyi endured the thirty-first strike, he finally sensed that Yang God Realm's Ancestral Field energy was dwindling, and his combat power rapidly returned to its normal state. Seizing the opportunity, he launched a vigorous counterattack, unleashing a barrage of techniques of the Dao into a unified attack, overwhelming the opponent. After seven moves, “Boom!”
Li Weiyi cleaved Yang God Realm in half with a single strike, scattering him into two clusters of spiritual light and magical energy, which flew into the Mind Force Stone Wall.
Standing tall on the square, Li Weiyi let out a long breath, gazing down at the bloodstains on his palms as he mused inwardly, “With an Eight Springs cultivation level, to withstand the battle explosion state of a fully silvered pure immortal body drawing upon Ancestral Field magical energy, is still too challenging!
I must break through to the Nine Springs to be able to defeat him in one or two moves.”
“The gap of a single realm makes a world of difference.”
Yin Shisan focused on Li Weiyi, who was meditating to recover, gradually digesting his shock while a multitude of doubts arose within him: “If I didn’t see wrong just now… he didn’t use the Ancestral Field magical energy at all? He defeated a fully silvered pure immortal body with his natural combat power?”
The other three Yin individuals wore peculiar expressions, as they were aware of certain details and were seriously doubting that Li Weiyi hadn’t yet broken through to the Ninth Spring. But how could this possibly be? Historically, there had never been any records of such a thing!
The watching elders of the Yin Sect all relaxed their expressions, showing smiles and appearing extremely pleased. Yin Shisan approached to pay his respects.
“Little Thirteen, you returned from the underground river. Is there something important?” asked the old man at the gate.
Yin Shisan replied, “Recently, significant events have occurred quite frequently, particularly the tremendous changes in Burial Immortal Town, which have drawn the attention of practitioners worldwide. I just came through the underground river from that side and hurried back to see our lord.”
The old man at the gate was the organizer of external information, responsible for delivering important news to the lord. He asked, “Are there new developments in Burial Immortal Town?” Yin Shisan nodded, “The internal celestial mist space in Burial Immortal Town recently experienced violent expansions, and many unique treasures have emerged.
The Four Extreme Monkey King even made an appearance six days ago, and the entire sky was shrouded in demonic energy, darkening hundreds of miles.” All the elders present were moved. The Four Extreme Monkey King, who resided in Tian Ya Ridge, was the most fearsome evil spirit in the southern realm.
Whenever he celebrated his birthday, powers from various factions across the seven states of the southern region sent gifts; otherwise, it would be seen as disrespectful, incurring catastrophic consequences. Even the terrifying three bandit strongholds “Xu Fo Du,” the Earth Wolf King Army “Shi Naer,” and the Night City “Yu Wen Yan” would come to pay their respects.
The appearance of such an entity in Li Prefecture would undoubtedly send every major force trembling. The old man at the gate asked, “Any news from the Zuo Qiu family?” In the southern realm, the Zuo Qiu family acted as the primary decision-makers, with their prestige towering over millions of families; even demon kings had to retreat a step.
If the Nine Li Tribe had not fallen from grace, they would naturally possess this strength. Yin Shisan replied, “It seems the heir of the Zuo Qiu family has arrived at Burial Immortal Town and has already clashed with the heirs of Cang Li and Long Men, but it is unclear who won.”
“Additionally, the Luan Tai envoy arrived secretly in Li Prefecture half a month ago, successively visiting the chiefs of the nine major tribes while carrying a decree from a certain palace master of Lingxiao Palace. Clearly, they are here to urge the Nine Li Tribe to send troops to exterminate the barbarian forces while also gathering resources and provisions for the imperial army.”
The old man at the gate scoffed, “They’re treating the Nine Li Tribe as a granary; everyone wants a piece of it.”
“After all, the Luan Tai envoy represents the court. The Lingxiao Palace hasn’t yet fallen; Yu Yaozi remains the number one expert in the world, and no one can afford to offend them.”
Yin Shisan added, “It’s said this Luan Tai envoy is remarkably young and has issued a warning to the Long Men heir, stating he will slay him in Li Prefecture.” The old man at the gate sighed heavily.
Both Lingxiao Palace and Long Men are adversaries the Nine Li Tribe cannot afford to offend right now; anyone who dies in Li Prefecture will bring calamity.
(End of Chapter)