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The river stretching for several miles from Five Heart Bridge to where Hua Yuzi was beheaded was lined with bustling areas of the city, densely packed with towers, palaces, and pavilions, all brightly lit.

As early as when the formation on the Five Heart Bridge was activated, it was noticed by many martial arts practitioners in the buildings on both sides of the river, causing them to exclaim in surprise.

Li Weiyi, Yang Qingxi, and Hua Yuzi fought so fast that they killed each other in a few moves, and the battle ended in an instant. Except for a few martial artists with high cultivation levels, the rest of the participants did not even see what happened.

The sensation only gradually spread after Hua Yuzi transformed into Six-Colored Peacock and was killed by a sword on the wide Li Shui River.

The martial arts practitioners in the buildings on both sides of the river rushed out, creating a lively and chaotic scene.

"What? That's Hua Yuzi, the second-best student in the Southern Territory A-rank?"

"It's him. He's ranked even above the top inheritor of our Zuoqiu Courtyard, and he's one of the most renowned young masters at this Qianlong Lantern Festival."

"It was a senior at the Dao Seed Realm who revealed his identity! The man and woman who killed him... are very strange. Can you believe it? They weren't any of the top-tier cultivators. Tsk tsk..."

"Isn't that obvious? How could two top-tier martial artists be a match for Hua Yuzi? It was most likely Ge Xiantong who made the move!"

"Not really..."

The names and identities of "Li Weiyi" and "Yang Qingxi" were quickly revealed by a Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator who happened to be nearby and witnessed the whole process, adding fuel to the fire and causing a huge uproar.

Who could believe that a rising star at the Fifth Realm of the Five Seas, a second-class martial artist from the Southern Realm, could actually kill Hua Yuzi, one of the top ten young masters appointed by the Du'e Temple?

When Bai Shu, Shi Shishi, and Tao Yanyan arrived, the banks of the river were already surrounded by martial arts practitioners from all walks of life.

Bai Shu was hiding outside the Sui Sect stronghold, preparing to meet Li Weiyi. When she saw three carriages drive out, she realized something was wrong. Since she couldn't find Jiu Li Tribe experts, she had no choice but to rush back to South City for help.

The martial arts practitioners of the Earth Wolf King Army have already been dispatched to seek an audience with the successor of the Zuoqiu Courtyard.

The three of them arrived ahead of time.

Bai Shu was still shaken, muttering to herself, "So the people sitting in the carriage were actually Hua Yuzi, Chen Wenwu, and the Left and Right Attendants —those terrifying figures. Luckily, I didn't act rashly."

With the explanations of the martial arts practitioners around them, the three quickly learned everything.

Tao Yanyan was utterly shocked, as if she had heard a foreign language. "How did they do that? This... this is absolutely impossible!"

"My Brother Weiyi always manages to create miracles. It's a pity that Bai Shu ran away, otherwise how could Yang Qingxi have become famous? Oh no, this is bad!"

Shi Shishi's expression changed as he realized something.

Tao Yanyan also realized this and immediately took out the invitation, searching for the location of the Dragon Seed Ticket nearby. She said solemnly, "Li Weiyi must be seriously injured. Chen Wenwu Left and Right Attendants didn't even have time to collect Hua Yuzi's body; they were probably chasing after him. We need to find them quickly!"

Shi Shishi, "That's not what I meant! Think about it, once this happens, Brother Weiyi and Yang Qingxi's past will definitely be dug up. With the momentum of killing Hua Yuzi, Xi Liu Chan Chan will probably have to bring up old stories again. What people in the world prefer to spread and fabricate is actually the latter. Alas... my Brother Weiyi's reputation!"

"Stop fooling around, saving lives is the priority!"

Tao Yanyan located a Dragon Seed Ticket and chased after it with the other two.

On the Li Shui River.

A horse-drawn carriage sped south through the snowstorm.

"Whoosh!"

Chen Wenwu arrived like a wisp of mist, his handsome figure landing in front of the carriage, where he used a wall of magical energy to stop it.

Holding the Stop War Sword, he cautiously approached step by step.

They dared not let their guard down, fearing they might follow in Hua Yuzi's footsteps and fall into the trap set by Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi, that despicable couple.

The Left and Right Attendants also caught up and attacked from behind the carriage.

Chen Wenwu released his magical energy to investigate, then froze for a moment before quickly stepping forward and knocking the coachman to the ground.

"Sir... spare my life..."

The car window was rolled down.

A series of terrified screams erupted from inside; it was a family of three, but Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi were nowhere to be seen.

I searched for a while.

Yang Qingxi's Dragon Seed Ticket was found at the bottom of the carriage.

At any other time, Chen Wenwu would have been overjoyed, but at this moment, holding the Dragon Seed Ticket, his heart burned with rage, feeling as if he were being ruthlessly trampled and humiliated.

What's the use of getting Dragon Seed Ticket?

Hua Yuzi is dead!

Only by capturing Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi can the three of them survive.

Otherwise... you'll either die, or suffer a fate worse than death.

The Left and Right Attendants transformed into Ember Spirit, Mars from their eyes and were filled with murderous intent, as they wanted to tear the three people in the carriage to pieces.

Just then.

A Daoist woman in a robe from the Du'e Temple arrived late, landing gracefully on a snow-covered treetop. She said, "If you attack innocent residents, this immortal envoy will take your lives. Each martial artist with an invitation will only receive one warning."

No one expected such a sudden and dramatic change. The battle ended before the twelve Patrolling Immortal Envoy immortals from the Du'e Temple could even arrive.

The Left and Right Attendants restrained themselves.

Chen Wenwu quickly calmed down and analyzed, "The two of them are severely injured, and they're trying to hide their tracks and aura, so they definitely haven't gone far. We must mobilize all our forces to intercept and kill them on their way back to South City."

"What? Hua Yuzi is dead?"

Upon receiving Bai Shu's plea for help, Zuoqiu Ting immediately set off and rushed to the vicinity of Five Heart Bridge, where a scout from Zuoqiu Courtyard came to report.

After listening to the scout's detailed account...

Zuoqiu Ting was also stunned.

It should be noted that Zuoqiu Ting and Hua Yuzi had fought more than once, and Zuoqiu Ting was well aware of Hua Yuzi's strength. His combat power was so great that even if the two inheritors joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him.

Killing Hua Yuzi will be twice as difficult.

Led by the scout, Zuoqiu Ting saw the enormous, Six-Colored Peacock carcass on the water's surface. Sensing the Sword Qi emanating from its wounds, he concluded, "He's become even stronger. How can his cultivation speed be so fast?"

"Immediately dispatch all experts above the Fifth Realm of the Five Seas from the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe to support Li Weiyi and stop the pursuit from the Far West Ash Region."

He then added, "Before the martial artists from the Ash Region of the Far West arrive, retrieve the remains and send them to the governor of the prefecture to present to Ge Xiantong and Jiang Ning, congratulating the Imperial Court martial artists on slaying Hua Yuzi."

Tang Wanqiu sat in the main hall with a somber expression, reflecting on today's defeat and searching for the root cause of the problem. He realized that he had been greedy for merit and overestimated the mind of the number one person in the world.

The lights in the hall flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, just like his mood at that moment.

Tang Chen, the second inheritor of the Xue Jian Tang Ting, strode in.

Tang Wanqiu asked, "Have Cangli and the others already returned to South City?"

"Late Autumn, something terrible has happened!"

Tang Chen said solemnly and with shock, "Li Weiyi killed Hua Yuzi..."

Tang Wanqiu's eyes narrowed rapidly as she looked up. "What did you say?"

Tang Chen said, "Hua Yuzi is dead. His head was severed by Li Weiyi's sword. This is absolutely true. It is said that in that fatal sword strike, the Battle Intent appeared simultaneously, hovering in mid-air and transforming into five gods, just like those legends and tales in folk tales. Even the Ancient Son of Heaven in his youth was no more than this."

"Just as I was seeing Cangli and the others off, someone came to report that all the members of the Jiu Li Tribe have rushed over! This is unbelievable, happening right near the Five Heart Bridge..."

"Five Heart Bridge"

Tang Wanqiu possessed a photographic memory and had already memorized the map of Qiuzhou City. After listening to Tang Chen's detailed explanation, she quickly accepted this unbelievable fact.

"No matter how he did it, the facts are the facts. It seems that at the Du'e Temple, his reputation is no less than that of Phoenix-born Unicorn-young, Ge Xiantong, and Zuoqiu Hong."

Tang Chen's eyes were deep and somber. "Hua Yuzi was the first of the top ten experts to fall, and he was killed by someone two realms above him. I think that as long as Li Weiyi doesn't die, he has a good chance of being named a Hidden Dragon. The Jiu Li Tribe is powerless to contend for the world, and the Zuoqiu Courtyard's prestige is rising with them."

Without Tang Chen needing to explain, Tang Wanqiu had already realized the seriousness of the situation.

This event affected not only the Qianlong Lantern Festival, but also the overall situation of the world.

If Du'e Temple firmly supports Zuoqiu Courtyard, Zuoqiu Courtyard will inevitably become Xue Jian Tang Ting's biggest competitor in the near future.

Then Tang Wanqiu suffered a complete defeat at the Qianlong Lantern Festival.

Tang Wanqiu said, "I understand what you mean! Since Li Weiyi is seriously injured, the Far West Ash Region and other forces will definitely go all out to hunt him down and won't let this hidden dragon return to South City alive or join up with the Jiu Li Tribe experts. We shouldn't be the bad guys for now; the Jiu Li Tribe still has value to us."

"Alright, let Wanyan Xiaose go find Li Weiyi. We must show that we're rescuing her."

West City.

Phoenix-born Unicorn-young emerged from his seclusion to heal his injuries and stood in the corridor, his long hair flowing like a silver waterfall. With a calm expression, he listened to the trembling report from the kneeling attendant.

"Understood! In just seven days, his cultivation has reached a new level."

Phoenix-born Unicorn-young's eyes remained unmoved as he continued, "Mobilize the full strength of the Three Chen Palace, Night City, and Coffin Mountain to find him and kill him. If you can't even handle a seriously injured person, the three of you should never come back!"

The attendant on the left kowtowed heavily to the ground, then retreated.

"Ming Niansheng, gather all the experts above the third realm of the Five Seas Realm from the Demon Race, Ember Spirit, Que Rong, and Quan Rong. Attack the Zhu Gate tonight," Phoenix-born Unicorn-young said.

Ming Niansheng was quite surprised. "Attack the Zhu family tonight? Shouldn't we first avenge Hua Yuzi? I think we should take advantage of this chaos to deal with the Jiu Li Tribe and catch them off guard."

Phoenix-born Unicorn-young said, "When everyone thinks we're here tonight for revenge, that's precisely the perfect opportunity to take down the Zhu family."

Qi Jin, still disguised as Zhuang Yue, exclaimed, "Young Venerable's feint was brilliant! Mobilizing all the martial artists of the Three Chen Palace, Night City, and Coffin Mountain for a massive city-wide manhunt is just a facade. It will surely cause the Zuoqiu Courtyard, the Zhu Clan's greatest ally, to misjudge the situation and focus their efforts on rescuing Li Weiyi and protecting the Jiu Li Tribe."

"After all, the Jiu Li Tribe is the true ally, while the Zhu family is merely a partner during the Qianlong Lantern Festival."

"Who could have imagined that we would be able to suppress our anger and, despite suffering heavy losses, find such a golden opportunity to unify the Western Territory?"

Phoenix-born Unicorn-young looked at her and said, "Qi Jin, with Hua Yuzi's fall, you must raise the banner and hold the fort. Tonight, I entrust the headquarters of the Ash Region and the Longevity Pill tickets to you!"

"I will not fail in my mission," Qi Jin said.