Encountering an Ember Spirit Again

Although the Netherworld of the Departed is perpetually dark, it is densely vegetated, with many towering trees hundreds of meters tall. The trunks, branches, and leaves of these trees are all dark gray, growing by absorbing the unique yin energy of the Netherworld.

The mountains are towering and steep, with cliffs and deep valleys even near the foot of the mountains, where a slight misstep could lead to certain death.

Along the way, Li Weiyi discovered numerous signs of battle.

Axes and knives swept away the trees, and swords cleaved the mountain walls.

Bloodstains and fragments of robes and ritual implements were found in many places.

The battles broke out at different times, which can be deduced by looking at the layers of dried blood. The earliest battle occurred a month ago, and the latest one was twenty days ago.

Li Weiyi said, "It seems our judgment was correct. The young martial artists from the various forces in Immortal Burial Town did indeed leave Lizhou via this route. But why were they fighting all the way? Was it a battle between the various forces, or did they encounter unknown dangers in the Netherworld?"

Li Ling sat cross-legged on the back of the Zouwu, with a bronze ghost lamp placed on the tiger's head, its blue light enveloping both the person and the beast.

She prompted, "Have you noticed anything strange?"

Li Weiyi nodded. "Over these dozens of miles, we've discovered traces of more than ten battles, but we haven't seen a single corpse. It's impossible that their companions took all the bodies; there must have been some left behind."

Li Ling spoke in the unique, serene tone of Zen Sea Observing Mist: "Many martial artists who die in the Netherworld of the Departed will become dazed and confused spirits. The dark power of the Netherworld will corrode their bodies and corrupt their souls."

"This dark force is all around us, omnipresent."

"You mean, all the martial artists who died here have turned into spirits?" Li Weiyi was horrified. He quickly circulated his magic power and extended his five senses, fearing that a group of terrifying humanoid monsters might pounce out of the darkness.

Li Ling said, "Something seems off again! Logically, corpses that transform into spirits should have very low intelligence and weak consciousness in their early stages, and should remain in the same place. But we haven't seen a single one along the way. It's too clean!"

Li Weiyi felt uneasy after hearing what she said, and a chill ran down her spine. After returning to Zouwu's back, she took out the high-level magic artifact, the Green Yin Banner, and erected a cyan array of Light Veil.

Dozens of armored spirits flew out from the Yin Banner and guarded the surrounding area.

To fight the dead with the dead.

The Mang Mountain Range is long, and it is more than a thousand miles to travel along this road out of Youjing and to Zhizhou.

While traveling, Li Weiyi kept mobilizing his spiritual energy to nourish his lungs and drinking from the Golden Spring to temper his bones, not daring to waste any time, and actively preparing to break through to the Second Realm of the Five Seas Realm.

Only by entering the Second Realm the Five Seas Realm, cultivating the third-order Qi, and achieving the transformation of Battle Intent into physical form, can one truly be called a top expert of the younger generation.

Back then, I felt more confident competing against the younger generation of top players.

Zen Sea Observing Mist, standing beside him, was absorbing a bottle of fresh blood it had just received from him.

Her physical body has already solidified.

It doesn't require much blood to evade the order of the Yang Realm and can arrive in this world in a living state during the underworld's time of day and night.

The two walked for another ten miles or so.

From afar, Zen Sea Observing Mist heard sounds in the darkness and looked towards the dense forest ahead. Several miles away, he saw five figures walking in the forest, sometimes appearing and sometimes disappearing.

With a flick of his finger, the light of the Netherworld lamp dimmed, shrouding the surrounding area in darkness for several feet.

Li Weiyi opened his eyes and looked in the direction she was looking. "What's wrong?"

The darkness of the secluded realm severely impairs the eyesight of martial arts practitioners.

Li Weiyi had to use the Heavenly Eye between her eyebrows to barely see the figures several miles away. It was normal that she couldn't compare to the Zen Sea Observing Mist, given her Son of Heaven Bone, which even Longevity Realm Expert couldn't match.

Quietly advancing to within a mile of the five people, Li Weiyi could finally make out. "The three Old Man are dressed in Iron Cloth Battle Robe and wield broadswords; they should be Five Seas Realm experts from the Ironclad Army of the Three Chen Palace. The young woman in the white martial robe, judging from its style, should belong to the Sui Sect."

Li Ling's voice rang out. "It's Sheng Tianyin, a young expert from the Sheng Clan, the second largest Lineage in the Sui Sect. She can be ranked among the top twenty of the younger generation in the entire Sui Sect."

"The fifth one is quite formidable; he is Chi Yongsheng, the second strongest among the younger generation of the Chili Tribe, with cultivation at the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas."

Li Weiyi glanced at her, focusing on her eyes. "Strange, how did these five people end up together? Logically speaking, the younger generation of martial artists from the major forces should have left twenty days ago, so why are some still lingering?"

"Instead of asking me, why don't you go and meet them yourself?" Li Ling said in a low, enigmatic tone, making it impossible to discern who was speaking.

"Fine, I'll go."

Li Weiyi was a person with a strong sense of curiosity and a desire to explore. He activated the invisibility power of the high-level Nightwalker's Robe, hid the two magical artifacts and weapons inside the robe, and quietly made his way up.

They approached to within a few dozen feet and stopped to observe again.

Five people, each wielding magical weapons, paced back and forth in the forest, remaining silent and still.

This is too strange; a normal person shouldn't be in this state in a dark, gloomy place.

"Have they already become spirits?"

Li Weiyi, driven by curiosity, picked up a pebble from the ground, enveloped it in his magical energy, and swung it out.

"Bang!"

The pebble struck an Old Man the Three Chen Palace in the chest, shattering against his Iron Cloth Battle Robe. The powerful impact of the pebble, like a cannonball, sent the Old Man Five Seas Realm, along with his broadsword, flying away.

The other four shouted in unison, their gazes falling on where Li Weiyi was hiding, searching for the attacker.

Their eyes were sharp, and they were full of energy, unlike the dazed state of the deceased.

At the signal of Chi Yongsheng, whose cultivation level was the highest, two Old Man from the Three Chen Palace, exuding the aura of the Five Seas Realm, quickly stepped forward with their swords drawn. They could not see Li Weiyi, but they knew from where the pebble had been launched.

The two Old Man swung their swords wildly in all directions, unleashing sword energy that stretched for several feet. The sword light was illuminated by magical energy, like streaks of lightning in the darkness.

Li Weiyi observed for a moment, then stopped dodging, took out Iron Book from his robe, and scattered it.

"Swish!"

Enveloped in magical energy, the thirty-five pages resembled thirty-five orbs of light, blasting the two Old Man from the Three Chen Palace away.

Their bodies were severely damaged, and from their wounds flew Mars were extremely conspicuous in the darkness. This made Li Weiyi's eyes widen in astonishment.

Chi Yongsheng and Sheng Tianyin arrived quickly, one after the other.

One was burly and strong, the other beautiful and graceful; both possessed a powerful and deep aura, and their eyes held a chilling killing intent.

Before he even arrived, a storm of magical energy had already swept over Li Weiyi.

Both streams of magical energy were earth-shattering, almost sending Li Weiyi flying. He had to exert all his strength to stabilize himself and take root in the ground.

"Roar!"

Chi Yongsheng roared, his voice indistinguishable from thunder, threatening to shatter Li Weiyi's eardrums.

Facing a figure at the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas, Li Weiyi dared not be careless in the slightest. He immediately drew out the high-grade magic weapon Heavenly Flame Saber, and poured a burst of magic energy into it.

The blade transformed into a scorching cloud of fire, slashing directly at Chi Yongsheng's waist and abdomen.

Chi Yongsheng did not directly confront the blade, but instead leaped into the air to dodge, and then unleashed a palm strike that pressed down on Li Weiyi's head.

He was clad in armor, his hands covered by the armor, resembling a five-fingered metal seal.

"Oh no! He possesses combat intelligence; could he be a spirit?"

At this point, it was too late to change tactics and defend. The opponent was a figure at the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas, far superior to those nobodies at the same level. Li Weiyi immediately Clear Void Cicada Evasion Step, moving his feet and his figure like a phantom, breaking through the aura of Chi Yongsheng's palm strike and narrowly dodging it.

If you were to take a solid blow from that, even an iron man would be shattered.

Sheng Tianyin and Chi Yongsheng worked together with perfect chemistry.

She followed closely behind, having already prepared a torrent of Sword Qi for Li Weiyi, intending to slice his body into pieces or chop it into minced meat.

Li Weiyi possessed numerous protective treasures, all of which he activated. He then charged into the rain of Sword Qi energy, unleashing a powerful slash with his sword, employing the Taiyi Opens the Sea.

"Boom!"

The flash of the blade briefly tore through the darkness, like a bright moon standing on the ground.

Sheng Tianyin tried her best to defend, but she was no match for Li Weiyi's strength. Her sword broke, and her delicate body was sent flying. The hand that held the sword was severed at the shoulder.

She is among the top twenty experts of the younger generation of the Sui Sect, and her combat strength is far superior to that of ordinary martial artists at the third level of the Five Seas Realm.

Despite severely injuring such a master with a single strike, Li Weiyi showed no joy whatsoever.

Because Sheng Tianyin didn't use the strongest combat state of the third stage of the Five Seas Realm martial arts – "Battle Intent Manifestation".

She doesn't seem to be the same.

What spilled from her severed arm was not blood, but countless bright Mars.

After she fell to the ground, she made strange noises, seemingly oblivious to the pain, and suddenly rolled over and got up. The severed arm on the ground transformed into a long Mars snake that flew back and grew into a new arm.

In an instant, the severed arm was reattached.

"This..."

Li Weiyi stared at the flames in Sheng Tianyin's eyes, a sense of familiarity rising within him.

"Da da."

The sound of footsteps was dense; they ran quickly to surround them.

Sheng Tianyin and the three Old Man from the Three Chen Palace attacked together, unleashing their magical energy as their broadswords rained down. Li Weiyi fought four against one, growing increasingly alarmed as the battle progressed. They seemed impervious to injury; the Heavenly Flame Saber struck them, and their wounds quickly healed.

Chi Yongsheng, lingered on the edge of the battlefield, his eyes like those of a venomous snake, searching for an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

At this moment, the Zouwu beast approached.

Sitting atop its back, Zen Sea Observing Mist already understood what was happening. Her slender, graceful fingertips, shimmering with spiritual light, drew a rune, which she then unleashed with a wave of her hand.

"Swish! Swish..."

Each rune cast can suppress a person, causing them to collapse to the ground.

Chi Yongsheng's eyes flashed with surprise, sensing something was wrong. He glanced at the girl on the Zouwu's back, then two flames appeared beneath his feet, and he rushed rapidly into the depths of the Netherworld.

"Isn't it too late to escape now?"

Li Weiyi, wearing Wind-Riding Boots, moved sideways with the speed of a ghost, blocking his path.

"Roll!"

Chi Yongsheng roared, spitting out a large number of Mars, and threw a punch with all his might.

The light emanating from the fist illuminated the surrounding area for miles, the energy surged, and the force shattered mountains and rivers, demonstrating a combat power level only a master of the Fourth Realm of the Five Seas possessed.

Li Weiyi had long wanted a good fight, so he was completely fearless and swung his sword with both hands.

"Boom!"

The blade clashed with the iron fist, the clanging sound like two iron mountains colliding.

Li Weiyi was thrown back six or seven zhang away, his ten fingers numb and painful, making it difficult for him to grip his sword.

"Very good, let's try again."

Li Weiyi's physical recovery speed was extremely fast. As his magical power and immortal energy flowed along his Trace Meridians to his arms, the pain and numbness disappeared by more than half. After the second flow, he was fully recovered.

This speed of recovery is the source of his confidence to defy three realms and fight back.

Not giving him another chance, Chi Yongsheng was struck by the runes unleashed by Zen Sea Observing Mist, and stood there motionless as if frozen in place.

Zen Sea Observing Mist flew down in front of him and punched him in the Tanzhong Acupoint Acupoints on his chest.

"Bang!"

As the force of the fist and the power of the technique surged in, countless cracks appeared on Chi Yongsheng's body.

A monster covered in Mars flew out of his body and crashed heavily to the ground behind him.

The monster remained immobilized, because the runes were targeting it, not Chi Yongsheng. Finally, it cried out in terror, "Who are you? What kind of runes are these?"

"Ember Spirit can actually talk?"

Li Weiyi had seen the Ember Spirit in the Ash Region beneath the Hidden Gate Sect, so he could recognize it at a glance.