Deep Within the Mang Mountain Range

The Zouwu beast is incredibly fast, far surpassing the speed of ordinary martial artists at the Five Seas Realm.

The Deformed Race Old Man only caught up by using his ability to fly. His magical energy was extremely pure, several times stronger than Li Weiyi's, and was at the third level of the Fifth Sea Realm.

Before they even arrived, the cloud of magical energy pressed down on Li Weiyi and Li Ling, as if they were wrapped in thousands of threads.

Li Weiyi was on high alert, gripping the Yellow Dragon Sword tightly. His internal magical power surged wildly through the 120 Golden Meridian Lines, converging towards his arm and breaking through the suppression of the magical energy cloud.

The instant the Deformed Race Old Man entered within four zhang, he seized the opportunity and unleashed a long, dragon-patterned sword beam, resembling a yellow sword river.

The Deformed Race Old Man, a veteran of countless battles, recognized the extraordinary nature of the Yellow Dragon Sword. He abruptly stopped in mid-air and spat out a three-inch-long crimson flying sword, which collided with the incoming dragon-patterned sword light.

"Boom!"

The crimson flying sword was nurtured in the Qi Sea the lungs, dazzling like a ball of flame, moving at the speed of a streak of light with immense power. However, after piercing through the dragon-patterned sword light, its speed decreased sharply, and it was knocked away by Li Weiyi's horizontal sword.

Impacted by the residual force of the dragon-patterned sword light, the Deformed Race Old Man fell to the top of the treetop, instantly being pulled dozens of feet away by the Zouwu beast.

"The third realm of the Five Seas Realm!"

Li Weiyi held his sword, his eyes fixed on the elderly Deformed Race Old Man who had caught up with him again.

Further into the darkness, several Deformed Race figures flew in the air, their speed indicating they were all at the Five Seas Realm. Powerful auras also approached from the ground, some of them far stronger than the Deformed Race Old Man.

"The Zouwu are too conspicuous. The Five Seas Realm's Deformed Race can see us even from more than ten miles away when they fly in mid-air. This can't go on; we can't escape at all."

Li Weiyi asked with a heavy heart, "How long will it take for you to recover your strength Zen Sea Observing Mist?"

Unable to give him a definite answer, Li Ling pondered for a moment before saying, "I have a way to hide the Zouwu."

Li Weiyi said, "In that case, when that Deformed Race Old Man catches up again, we'll join forces and kill him as quickly as possible, then we'll use stealth to change our location and escape. The other Ironclad Army experts from the Three Chen Palace are still far away, and they'll surely lose sight of us. Do you have a stealth technique?"

"I am Great Mind Master of the Skyfire Realm, I have my own methods of invisibility," Li Ling said.

The strength of Great Mind Master of the Skyfire Realm is comparable to that of a martial artist in the third stage of the Five Seas Realm. Those with profound attainments and numerous techniques can even overpower martial artists in the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas.

Li Ling has only recently broken through to the Skyfire Realm, so she is naturally not the latter.

"Boom!"

The Zouwu beast galloped wildly through the forest, shaking the earth and breaking all the trees in its path.

After running another seven or eight miles, the Deformed Race Old Man caught up again, like a giant black bat, moving among the trees without getting close, maintaining a distance of at least ten feet, using his magical energy to control the flying sword to harass them.

He knew very well that with his cultivation level, he couldn't kill the two people on the back of the Zouwu beast, and forcibly intercepting them would be extremely dangerous.

However, if they can hold them off until a large number of the Ironclad Army experts catch up, then the two will have no chance of escape.

"We can't let this stalemate continue; let's take action now."

Li Weiyi tapped the Insect Tube, Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors flew out first, surrounding the night from seven different directions, blocking the Deformed Race 'Old Man escape route.

Immediately afterwards, he leaped away from the Zouwu's rear and intercepted the Deformed Race Old Man was flying ten zhang away.

"Aww!"

Dragon Roar's roar resounded, and a yellow Dragon Shadow appeared beneath their feet, as if riding a dragon, displaying a heroic and divine appearance.

The Old Man of the Deformed Race let out a soft exclamation, recognizing the subtlety of Li Weiyi's movement technique, but he didn't take it to heart.

In their previous exchange, he had already discerned the opponent's true strength and weaknesses. The opponent's magical energy was only at the first level of the Five Seas Realm, at most reaching the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm. The opponent had only managed to block his flying sword by relying on the powerful sword in his hand.

Children lifting heavy objects is not a good thing; it often ends in death or loss of the object.

Unable to slow down during his rapid flight, the Deformed Race Old Man spat out his flying sword, instantly clashing with Li Weiyi who was attacking him.

"Bang! Bang!"

The flying sword and the Yellow Dragon Sword clashed more than ten times in a row.

Flames burst forth, and Sword Qi rippled outwards.

From mid-air all the way to the ground, Li Weiyi unleashed his final sword strike, shattering the three-inch-long crimson flying sword into fragments, destroying it on the spot.

"You..."

The Old Man, Deformed Race human, was so enraged he nearly spat out blood. That was an extremely valuable mid-grade magic artifact; the loss was enormous.

The opponent's brass battle sword was definitely more than a high-grade magic weapon.

Having lost his flying sword, he dared not engage Li Weiyi in close combat even more, and turned to fly away, preparing to create distance.

"Bang!"

A Phoenix Wing Moth Emperor swooped out from behind him and crashed into him.

Because he was wearing Iron Cloth Battle Robe, he chose to withstand the attack head-on.

The tiny moth possessed a strength far exceeding Deformed Race Old Man's estimation, comparable to a full-force punch from a martial artist at the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm. The impact caused the moth to lose its balance instantly.

Holding the Zouwu, which had shrunk to the size of a cat, Li Ling appeared on the ground below the Deformed Race Old Man, with dozens of bright and dazzling light streaks flying out from between her brows.

Like a luminous blade of grass, it grew rapidly, transforming into a height of over ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Every blade of grass was incredibly sharp, burning with flames powerful enough to incinerate the body of a martial artist at the Five Seas Realm. It entangled the Deformed Race Old Man and quickly burned through his protective aura.

"Skyfire Realm!"

As the Deformed Race Old Man's body plummeted downwards, he channeled his magical energy into the Iron Cloth Battle Robe he wore. Immediately afterward, a ten-foot-tall figure of his Battle Intent appeared, expanding the flames and light trails.

Li Weiyi would not give him a chance to break free, and with a single sword strike, he flew through the air.

"Pfft!"

The Deformed Race Old Man raised his arm to block, but where could he stop the Yellow Dragon Sword?

His arm and brow were both pierced.

Sheathing his sword, the Deformed Race Old Man's corpse fell to the ground with a thud.

Disappointment flashed in the Zouwu's eyes as it waved its claws, clearly wanting to join in.

"Walk!"

Li Weiyi had no interest in even removing the Iron Cloth Battle Robe from his body. He retrieved the Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors, immediately activated the invisibility power of the high-level magic artifact Nightwalker's Robe, and disappeared, fleeing to another part of the night.

Li Ling held the ghost lamp in her hand, the light turning from blue to dim, until she blended into the night.

They certainly didn't think that this would shake off the Ironclad Army's pursuers, because the tracks on the ground couldn't be erased in time.

But how can the pursuers catch up with them when they need to slowly search for tracks on the ground to continue?

Two hours later.

Li Weiyi and Li Ling had already ventured hundreds of miles into the Mang Mountain Range, their internal energy and mental power almost completely depleted. Fortunately, the pursuers behind them had vanished, indicating that they had temporarily shaken them off.

Taking this opportunity, Li Weiyi released Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors, which grabbed the two of them and lifted them off the ground for a short distance, thus erasing any traces left on the ground.

Move on.

The mountain peaks grew increasingly majestic and towering, like giants, their summits completely disappearing into the clouds.

The sky was filled with piercing cries as flocks of enormous, Departed Spirit Bone Bird flew overhead. One could imagine that those Deformed Race Martial Cultivator capable of flight would never dare to fly beyond the treetops if they ventured deeper into this place.

The ground in the forest was gloomy and dark, with a large number of Stone Horse, stone tigers, stone figurines, stone tablets, etc. Every now and then, a chilling sound would come from the darkness.

Sometimes it was the sound of hurried footsteps, sometimes the laughter of children, or the murmur of women.

Li Weiyi and Li Ling slowed down, desperately trying to recover their magical energy and mental power, and trying their best to conceal their aura.

The cat-sized Zouwu leaped and ran around Li Ling's feet, occasionally stopping to bark and hiss fiercely into the darkness.

It's not surprising that the depths of the Mang Mountain Range are teeming with Departed Spirit Fiend. With Li Weiyi's current cultivation at the Five Seas Realm, he is not afraid of ordinary evil creatures and is far bolder than before.

Both of them were silent and taciturn, completely unlike their former playful and argumentative selves.

Break free from falsehood and return to reality.

Li Weiyi broke the silence and asked, "I've heard that every peak in the Mang Mountain Range is an imperial tomb, where many Ancient Son of Heaven are buried. Is that true?"

Li Ling, her mind heavy with worry, said with a somber expression, "There is such a saying! It is said that since ancient times, the emperor-level powerhouses of Yingzhou have all buried themselves in the Mang Mountain Range. This is because it is close to the Sea of Blood and the Departed Spirit Mist Domain, where Otherworldly Coffin converge, making it a world-renowned extremely Yin place. Being buried here may offer a chance to reverse life and death."

"Of course, legends are bound to be exaggerated; it's impossible for every mountain peak to be the tomb of Ancient Son of Heaven. Even a powerful Longevity Realm could suffer calamity if they rashly excavated such a tomb."

"In reality, many peaks in the Mang Mountain Range have been hollowed out by tomb raiders, creating impressive tombs, but none of them reach the level of Ancient Son of Heaven."

The two figures' legs moved with a flowing aura of magic, each step covering two or three zhang (approximately 6.

Arriving at a spacious area halfway up the mountain, Li Weiyi stood on the edge of the cliff, gazing towards Yaoguan City.

The sky was dark, and a chilling aura rose from the trees.

"Judging by the time, it should be dawn by now, so why is the entire sky covered with dark clouds, and we can't see any light?"

Li Weiyi sensed the terrifying nature of the depths of the Mang Mountain Range; the celestial phenomena here were completely different from those outside. Being there, he felt oppressed and depressed, and all he wanted was to leave as soon as possible.

Li Ling pointed behind him. "Look over there!"

Li Weiyi turned around and looked.

A hundred miles away, a magnificent mountain range, like a giant dragon lying prone, stretches across the east and west.

The height from the ground to the top of the mountain is probably six or seven thousand meters, like a black barrier at the end of the world, blocking all sight.

The clouds above them still had a faint glow, but the clouds above the distant mountain range were completely black, like an impenetrable black cloth.

Li Ling said, "I've never been deep within the Mang Mountain Range. But that should be the last ridge of the Mang Mountain Range, the last line of defense in the great battle a thousand years ago. Crossing it will allow us to leave the Lingxiao Shengjing and enter the boundless Netherworld of the Departed."

"It is said that a thousand years ago, on the other side of the mountain range, there was also a prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Jiu Li Tribe, called Yun Province."

"According to the elders who crossed the mountains to trade in the Departed Spirit Market, Yun Province was completely shrouded in darkness. The villages and towns that once existed were now just ruins. The cities that once existed, because of the presence of the Heaven Law Earth Spring, could grow all kinds of precious medicines, were occupied by the dead and evil spirits, and turned into ghost cities and demon realms."

"Yun Province of human life. Only a few powerful cultivators dare to venture into its darkness, to the former city or the ruins of sects, in search of treasures and ancient texts lost for millennia."

"This Ironclad Army from the Three Chen Palace must have taken a detour from Yun Province, circling around to Yaoguan City from the other side of the mountains. That's why they appeared like divine soldiers, catching us completely off guard."

Li Weiyi thought of Governor Zhu Qingfeng of Yan Province who died in the Jiu Li Insect Valley, and asked, "What about Yanzhou?"

Li Ling wasn't quite sure, and said uncertainly, "Yanzhou seems to be located further west of Yun Province."