Ten Nights of Lingering

They jumped into Soldier Ancestor Marsh, where the sea was icy cold, and Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan instantly awoke. The four of them then swam underwater, heading west.

Having experienced this terrifying moment, the four of them had no desire to join in the fun; they just wanted to escape as far away as possible.

An hour later, the four of them disembarked at the fishing port.

He used his magical energy to dry his clothes, then immediately circled around to the west of the city and re-entered the city through the west gate.

They dared not take the nearest South City inner city gate, fearing they would be monitored, followed, and ambushed by the Sui Sect experts led by Yang Qingxi, so they preferred to spend more time taking a longer route.

Along the way, the four of them sighed repeatedly, all saying they would never eat a free meal again.

"What level of expert is the monster beneath that Gan YanZhen's skin?" Li Weiyi asked Shi Shishi.

Although Li Weiyi had fought the monster inside the palace, after breaking through to the third stage of the Five Seas Realm, he still didn't have a clear understanding of his current combat strength.

The records of their battles with the strongest individuals from the Sixth Sea and Seventh Sea are virtually blank; the only recourse is to ask Shi Shishi, the strongest of the four.

Shi Shishi took a blow from Gan YanZhen, but fortunately, he was protected by a soft armor, a magical artifact, which allowed him to withstand it. At this moment, he was completely dejected. "That cultivation level is comparable to the Dao Seed Realm. He must be Inheritor-level being without a doubt. The fact that we were able to escape from him and even injure him is enough to make us famous throughout the world. Of course, it was all luck. If others had been serious from the beginning, I can't even imagine what the result would have been."

Qi Wangshu was shocked and somewhat disbelieving. "Where in the world are there so many masters who have inherited this legacy? If we encounter them, can we survive?"

Shi Shishi, "The one who could so easily and effortlessly receive my Soaring Fist in such a hurry must be someone of the level of a successor."

Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "Among the Young Venerable's disciples, only Qi Jin and Cang Jin are among the four who Inheritor-level the Ember Spirit lineage. Hua Yuzi and Ming Niansheng are both descendants of the Flying Phoenix and Luan Bird."

While circulating his magic to heal his injuries, Shi Shishi pondered and muttered, "I wonder if it's Qi Jin or Cang Jin."

"If he is truly Inheritor-level, it should be Cang Jin has never shown himself before," Li Weiyi said.

Shi Shishi curiously, "How can you be so sure, Brother Weiyi?"

Li Weiyi sighed, unable to bear the memory, "I've already dealt with Qi Jin! These Ember Spirit seem to have a particular fondness for beautiful appearances; everyone should keep that in mind in the future."

"Then I'm safe," Shi Shishi, showing great self-awareness.

"Smack!"

"It's all my fault."

Qi Wangshu slapped himself hard. "Although Gan YanZhen and I are both martial artists from Zhizhou, we've only met a few times and aren't close. So, I failed to see through his disguise. Now, thinking back, his contact with me was clearly just to integrate into the Zhizhou martial arts community, to avoid being too aloof and attracting attention."

Li Weiyi did not blame him. "Brother Qi, there is no need to blame yourself. If one is not extremely familiar with Gan YanZhen, who could see through the disguise of someone like Cang Jin?"

"Come on, I'll treat you. I have to apologize to you both today, no matter what." While feeling guilty, Qi Wangshu also really wanted to befriend Li Weiyi, a person who could be on par with Zuoqiu Ting and his sister.

Li Weiyi looked at Shi Shishi, expecting him to be anxious to find a place to recuperate, but to his surprise, upon hearing about the free feast, he was more enthusiastic than anyone else. He completely forgot his earlier complaints about not eating free banquets.

Seeing Li Weiyi's preoccupied expression, Qi Wangshu quickly said, "Don't worry about Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin. Qiuzhou City is huge, with a vast sea of people. Besides, we're in the West City now. Let's find a lively place, but not too high-profile, and wait for news from the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. I'm very curious about how things will unfold after Zhu Huan's death and Cang Jin's appearance."

Li Weiyi said, "Then let's find a place where we can change our clothes and throw away or put all our belongings into our storage bag."

Zuoqiu Baiyuan's expression turned solemn. "Brother Li, are you worried that Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin have tampered with us? But we've been in the sea for over an hour, and everything is completely clean."

"Being careful is always the best policy. Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin are far more powerful than us; who knows what tricks they have up their sleeves?" Li Weiyi said.

Qi Wangshu said, "Listen to Brother Li, he's someone who could survive against Qi Jin and Cang Jin, Non-Self capabilities."

In a large restaurant near the inner city gate in the western part of the city, the four men changed their robes, checked every detail, and were all refreshed. The banquet on the second floor was also ready.

The sky began to darken.

As evening approached, the air temperature dropped sharply, and snowflakes began to fall on the streets outside.

News of the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion finally reached the western city, sparking heated discussions among diners in the restaurant.

"The Ash Region of the Far West are too arrogant; they actually killed a member of the Zhu Clan in public."

"That Young Venerable is simply defying the heavens! Even with Dragon Descendant Immortal and Lu Cangsheng joining forces, the first and second place in the Eastern Region were no match for him."

"Impossible! Dragon Descendant Immortal is known as the reincarnation of a true dragon, undefeated in a hundred battles, and is a figure who is challenging Ge Xiantong for the top spot among the younger generation. Lu Cangsheng is the only person in the Lei Xiao Sect in a thousand years to have Outstanding Person the Thirty-Six Lightning Strike Array Formation in the Five Seas Realm. If the two of them join forces, they can sweep away all enemies."

The news spread rapidly, causing a stir throughout the streets and alleys.

The most explosive moment was undoubtedly the clash between Phoenix-born Unicorn-young and Ge Xiantong at Soldier Ancestor Marsh. After the battle, both of them vanished without a trace, and the outcome remains unknown.

Further reports indicate that multiple instances of "Death Ember lamps going out" have occurred within the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, resulting in heavy casualties among the younger generation of martial arts practitioners.

Upon hearing "the Death Ember go out," Zuoqiu Baiyuan's face turned extremely grim. "The thing the Zuoqiu Courtyard feared most has happened!"

"What's wrong...? What does it mean when the Death Ember Lamp Goes Out'?" Qi Wangshu asked.

Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "The Death Ember are similar to the assassins trained by various human powers, but even more terrifying. Their Death Ember Ash Extinction Technique is a suicidal destruction technique. Once unleashed, their bodies will instantly become extremely bright, like a lamp. Then they will explode, burning a large area into Ash Region, and the lamp will go out, resulting in death. Fortunately, we escaped!"

Qi Wangshu gasped, a chill running down his spine. He couldn't believe that they hadn't encountered Cang Jin, but a Death Ember. Could they possibly survive?

"Since they are so dangerous, why doesn't the Zuoqiu Courtyard directly send out its older generation to find and kill them all?"

Zuoqiu Baiyuan sighed, "Because the Ash Region of the Far West is so powerful, the combined strength of all Twenty-Eight Prefectures of Lingxiao might not be enough to defeat them. They have a transcendent being; they have already agreed on the rules with the Old Ancestor of the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Du'e Temple Immortal Master right here in the city."

Shu Zhou is close to the Western Territory, Shi Shishi is quite familiar with the Ash Region of the Far West. While showing off the food on the table, he said, "No one can do whatever they want in this world. Although the Ash Region of the Far West are powerful, the threat from the Netherworld of the Departed also keeps them up at night. In this world, everyone has their own place, and only when the balance is broken will everything change."

"It could be because one side suddenly becomes very strong. It could also be because one side suddenly becomes very weak."

"The state of the world is too far removed from us; what we see is merely the surface." Li Weiyi remained deep in thought. "Just now, I heard someone say that Long Ting is dead, and beneath the human skin lies Ember Spirit, which is why he suddenly attacked and killed Zhu Huan. Assuming this is true, what is the purpose of the Ash Region in the Far West? Is it merely to strike at the Zhu Clan?"

"If the sole purpose is to kill Zhu Huan, the Young Venerable could easily accomplish it directly. Why expose the Long Ting?"

In the Netherworld of the Departed, Jiang Ning once pursued Long Ting. It was during this process that he was ambushed by Yuwen Tuozhen, the Young Master of Night City, and Dao Truth and Mie Di, and was Night Emperor Toad Poison.

Therefore, it is possible that Long Ting was killed and his human skin was taken at that time.

However, there are too many suspicious points surrounding this attack.

Gan YanZhen's body contains Cang Jin, then who is inside Long Ting? It couldn't possibly be Qi Jin, could it?

Are there any other Ember Spirit masters?

Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "The Myriad Gate Families, a powerful force in the Western Territory, has always been a mortal enemy of the Ash Region the Far West. Young Venerable probably worries that after the Zhu Clan cooperates with the Dragon Gate and the Lei Xiao Sect, they will regard him as their primary enemy at the Qianlong Lantern Festival. Therefore, he used this tactic to sow discord between the two sides in advance."

"Zhu Huan died in front of everyone. Would the Zhu family still believe in the Dragon Gate? Who would believe that someone like Dragon Descendant Immortal wouldn't see that beneath the Long Ting's human skin was already Ember Spirit?"

"Lu Cangsheng is probably starting to doubt Dragon Descendant Immortal, and this will inevitably cause a rift in the cooperation between the Lei Xiao Sect and the Dragon Gate."

Shi Shishi, "The strongest among the younger generation in the Western Territory is not Zhu Huan, but his great-grandfather, Zhu Yibai. It is said that Zhu Yibai has been honing his skills in the army and has achieved numerous military exploits. The Abnormal Eight Riders he personally trained alone possess terrifying combat power that can sweep away martial artists of his generation."

Zuoqiu Baiyuan nodded. "Eastern Dragon, Western Pig, Southern Tiger, Northern Sword. This Western Pig doesn't refer to Zhu Huan, but to Master Bai Zhu Yibai. It's said that he's already on his way to Qiuzhou City. If Dragon Descendant Immortal can't capture Long Ting and give him an explanation, Master Bai will never cooperate with them. Young Venerable has used a clever strategy; now no one knows what's really going on with Long Ting."

Li Weiyi laughed and said, "This Master Bai, you don't have ninety-nine older brothers, do you?"

The three of them nodded seriously in unison.

"That extraordinary man from the Zhu family always felt that his bloodline was exceptional, so he had children from time to time. Zhu Yibai was his youngest son, and his seniority was higher than many Longevity Realm Giants, so the world called him Master Bai," Zuoqiu Baiyuan said.

As night falls, the streetlights illuminate the streets one by one.

The snow seemed to be getting heavier.

After a hearty meal, everyone had recovered from their shock.

For the time being, Li Weiyi stopped thinking about the overall situation of the world, or who was the top scholar or who was the best in the world; none of that mattered to him at the moment.

He was just a nobody in the third realm of the Five Seas Realm. Today, he treated it as an opportunity to broaden his horizons. He had only heard of the mighty names of Dragon Descendant Immortal, Ge Xiantong, Hua Yuzi, and Young Venerable, but he had not actually seen any of them.

Before the end of the year, breaking through another realm and obtaining an invitation to the Qianlong Lantern Festival is the most urgent task.

Let those famous immortals and demons fight it out!

The sky is filled with twinkling stars, beautiful to behold but unattainable.

Stepping out of the restaurant and standing under the lamplight, looking at the bustling crowd on the street, Li Weiyi had found his place. He was just one of the countless nameless martial artists on this street, several levels away from them, not even in the same world.

The world is in turmoil, fame and fortune are intertwined with power and influence.

His moment has not yet arrived...

"Where is that fragrance coming from?"

Li Weiyi sniffed, then raised her arm to smell it closely.

He then smelled Shi Shishi, Qi Wangshu, Zuoqiu Baiyuan, before finally returning to himself. He said, "The fragrance is on me!"

Shi Shishi, "What's that smell? Meat? Wine? I just ate, it's not normal."

"It smells like flowers... and also like a woman's body odor. That's impossible. After changing my clothes, I didn't come into contact with any women or touch any flowers or plants." Li Weiyi dared not be careless; life and death, success or failure, often depended on the details.

The other three were all martial arts experts, but when they sniffed the air, they all shook their heads, indicating that they could not smell any fragrance.

Li Weiyi said, "My sense of smell far surpasses that of martial artists of the same level. I am quite certain that there is indeed a fragrance, and it is emanating from the skin, not from the clothing."

Qi Wangshu said, "Yang Qingxi was sitting next to you in the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. Did she do something? But after soaking in the sea for so long, any fragrance should have disappeared! Besides, if there was any unusual fragrance, Brother Li would have smelled it earlier. How could you only notice it now?"

Li Weiyi nodded slightly, feeling that Qi Wangshu's words made sense.

Could it be that I accidentally touched something in the restaurant just now?

Looking at the streetlights and the pitch-black sky, Shi Shishi suddenly thought of something, "Could it be Ten Nights of Lingering?"

"What is it?"

All three people present were puzzled.

Shi Shishi, "It's a peculiar fragrance that, once you get it on, won't dissipate for ten days. You can't wash it off unless you peel off your own skin! What's even stranger is that you can't smell anything during the day; the fragrance only comes out at night."

"After it drifts away on the wind, there is a kind of extraordinary insect called a bee that can smell it from a hundred miles away."

"My dear sister, Shi Qiqing, raises these bees and possesses this exotic fragrance, which she uses to mark the men she has her eye on."

Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "Let's not scare ourselves. Even if there really is such a night-blooming jasmine in the world, it must be extremely rare."

Li Weiyi gently shook his head. "I'm almost certain that Yang Qingxi cast the Ten Nights of Lingering on me. It's been almost an hour since night fell, and the fragrance has already wafted out. She could appear before me at any moment like a vengeful ghost."

The three men were terrified by his words and became uneasy.

Qi Wangshu asked curiously, "Brother Li, how can you be so sure?"

"Do you remember what Yang Qingxi said when she left today? She told me, 'The night is hard to walk, everyone is prey.' At the time, I was very confused. Why would she say something like that at noon?" Li Weiyi said.

"I remember now, it seems like they did say that."

Shi Shishi was extremely flustered, his small eyes scanning his surroundings.

Li Weiyi immediately put on his Nightwalker's Robe and used his magical energy to gather the scent on his body, hoping to cut off the source of the fragrance. He and the three of them quickly left the restaurant.