Gathering Trump Cards

"It's the Long Ting that killed Zhu Huan at the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion before the New Year. How about we give it to you?" Li Weiyi said.

On the city wall.

The two people opposite him shook their heads with smiles.

Feng Yin said, "Our mission is to follow you until dawn."

"Long Ting is bleeding! This means that beneath his skin is not Ember Spirit, but the real person. Don't you realize the problem here?" Li Weiyi wanted to use this to lure away the two top-ranking experts from the Imperial Court.

Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan indeed showed signs of deep thought.

"Whoosh!"

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Li Weiyi stepped on a wisp of green smoke and rushed down the city wall, heading towards the dense cluster of buildings in the inner city before disappearing from sight.

Given tonight's situation and the challenges to come tomorrow morning, how could Li Weiyi have the energy to chase after Long Ting? Finding a way to save his life is the top priority.

It was already late at night.

The streets were almost deserted, with only the sounds of battle, thunder, and the roars of strange beasts coming from all directions, as if telling everyone in the city in a threatening tone that the night was fraught with danger and that they should not go out.

Li Weiyi moved swiftly through the darkness, the faint sound of wind cutting through the air constantly reaching his ears.

Jiang Ning's words were true; Feng Yin's speed was indeed extraordinary, making him difficult to shake off.

Even on the most dangerous nights, there are places where lights are still on.

Li Weiyi broke into the underground Underworld Market of Qiuzhou City.

This place is a hub of shady businesses, including brothels, gambling dens, slave trading, assassins' shops, and pawnshops selling stolen goods. It's a veritable den of iniquity.

Not to mention martial artists at the Spring Realm and the Five Seas Realm, even experts at the Dao Seed Realm, Demon Race, and spirits are frequently seen.

Those who dare to come to the underground Underworld Market are all desperate criminals. They completely ignore the fierce battle among the younger generation of the Five Seas Realm tonight, and instead start a gambling game to see who can become a hidden dragon and who can get the most Longevity Pill tickets...

Zuoqiu Hongting once said that the Disguise Art is an extraordinary secret technique. When cultivated to the point of being able to deceive people with one's own eyes, it is even more valuable than Longevity Realm Martial Cultivator.

Li Weiyi naturally hadn't cultivated to that level.

However, with his current level of Disguise Art, it is already quite useful.

Faced with a formidable enemy like Ge Xiantong, Li Weiyi's heart was far from the fervor and fearlessness he displayed when speaking with Jiang Ning. Instead, he racked his brains all the way, trying to come up with a solution.

In his view, the Disguise Art was an effective method.

He wasn't going to fight Ge Xiantong; he just needed to survive for three days until the Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors grew to seven inches. By then, he would naturally have the ability to protect himself.

If Ge Xiantong can't even find him, how can he kill him?

Before that, they must find a way to get rid of Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan.

Li Weiyi entered a bustling gambling den, changing his appearance and body shape as he moved from one betting area to another, even changing his clothes.

He walked out of the casino, looking like a middle-aged man.

He then went to the brothel next door to take a bath and burn incense to change his body scent.

Stepping out of the brothel, he appeared completely different, dressed in a magnificent brocade robe and tall and slender. But not long after leaving the underground Underworld Market, he spotted Zhen Yuyan following him in the shadows, and his heart sank.

Can't shake them off?

Li Weiyi took the initiative to approach Zhen Yuyan and asked, "May I ask where my weakness lies?"

As Imperial Guards born in the Lingxiao Palace, Zhen Yuyan possessed the same arrogant demeanor that Zhuang Yue had displayed back then. "It's not that you have a weakness, but rather that I am renowned throughout the world for my tracking abilities. What makes you think you can outrun me?"

Li Weiyi said, "I was just asking a question, there's no need to be so fierce, is there? Before dawn, I might still join the Imperial Court and become your superior."

Zhen Yuyan said calmly, "Many things can change, can be hidden and concealed. But some things cannot be changed, such as the weight of the body, the unique aura of magical energy..."

You're misleading me!

Li Weiyi didn't believe it was as mysterious as she described, guessing that she must be proficient in some kind of secret technique or possess some kind of innate ability.

For example, the Heavenly Eye.

For example, Second Phoenix's ability to perceive magical energy.

They walked side by side until they reached the bank of a large river.

Li Weiyi wanted to escape into the river and wash away all traces, but he found Feng Yin already waiting by the river.

Feng Yin smiled and said, "Young Master Li, the Second Palace Master greatly admires you. Joining the Imperial Court will surely lead to great success, and you'll have a chance to obtain the Longevity Pill, Dragon Seed, and Dragon Bone."

"Looks like I can't shake you off. Let me think about it some more."

Knowing how formidable they were, Li Weiyi stopped deliberately evading pursuit and headed towards South City while tending to her injuries.

"There are still three hours until dawn. Whether I can escape Ge Xiantong's killing spree depends heavily on my preparations before dawn, and that's my advantage. I'm giving it my all in this contest, while Ge Xiantong is just treating it as a mission."

The reason Li Weiyi doesn't acknowledge that he possesses the strength of Inheritor-level is because, without using his most important trump cards, he indeed cannot defeat a successor.

Even when he defeated the Long Ting, it was only because the Long Ting wanted to conceal their identity, which made them fight with restraint.

Things are different now. We're about to face the top player of the younger generation, so we can no longer hold back.

Every trump card must be used.

"Spirit Tablet Master, do you have any powerful talismans? Could you draw one for me?" Li Weiyi communicated with the three masters in the Blood Mud Space.

The Du'e Temple only stipulates that Mind Master and those at the Dao Seed Realm cannot intervene.

It can use both Thunder Law Profound Ice, and obviously it can also carry talismans drawn by the older generation.

Talismans that can be stored in the Forehead Spirit Realm or can be carried on paper are extremely rare and precious, and are closely guarded secrets of major powers. But who was the Spirit Tablet Master in life? How could she not have some knowledge of them?

"Haha, you finally thought of us. I thought you would keep striving for self-improvement forever," Master Urn laughed.

Li Weiyi said, "Other martial arts practitioners can use spirit mediums, so asking my three spirit medium masters for help is perfectly in accordance with the regulations."

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "There are dispelling characters floating in the sky. Talismans exceeding the level of Great Mind Master will be suppressed. And the attack power of a single talisman at the Great Mind Master level is at most at the Fifth Realm of the Five Seas. It's completely useless against a master of Ge Xiantong's caliber."

Li Weiyi was already mentally prepared. "The path of talismans is a dead end?"

"Not entirely."

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "Some talismans won't pose a threat to him, but some talismans can be used on you. For example, the Divine Speed Talisman!"

"Can it increase my speed?" Li Weiyi asked.

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "With my current restored soul power and mental strength, I can draw two Divine Speed Talisman at the peak level of Great Mind Master for you. But that's only at the peak level of Great Mind Master. Against Ge Xiantong, I think you still can't escape; it just increases your chances of survival."

With two more trump cards, Li Weiyi was already satisfied and asked, "Master Urn, you were laughing so happily just now, do you have one of your trump cards for me?"

"We don't have any trump cards, but we still have some dirty tricks up our sleeves."

Master Urn said, "If you want to overcome the strong with the weak, at your level of cultivation, using poison is the most effective method. For example, you've already seen the Night Emperor Toad Poison of Night City and the Earth Spirit Grey Mist of Coffin Mountain!"

Li Weiyi's heart skipped a beat, then he smiled bitterly, "Ge Xiantong is the number one expert of the younger generation, not the number one fool. If poison could bring him down, he would have died countless times over!"

"As far as I know, the Night Emperor Toad Poison requires the skin to be broken to enter the bloodstream. The Earth Spirit Grey Mist, on the other hand, needs to be inhaled. As long as he takes precautions..."

The Master Urn said, "Ge Xiantong isn't dead. Why can't he breathe? Why can't he bleed? Anyway, I'm only responsible for making the suggestion; how you implement it is up to you."

Li Weiyi then asked the Coffin Master for the trump card.

Coffin Master said, "Facing Ge Xiantong, we must indeed be extremely cautious. However, we are all too weak, and we absolutely cannot reveal any trace of him, so we can't help you much. If you can avoid him, you must. If you can't avoid him... well, how about this, before engaging him, put some blood into the bloody handprint on the chest of the Corpse Cloth Soft Armor."

"But you need to be clear that once you use it, there might be some problems later."

"Furthermore, use your brain more. Many killings can actually be avoided. Everyone has their own interests and needs, and things they fear."

Li Weiyi felt a little more confident. Looking at the approaching Peach Plum Mountain, he was finally able to spare some thoughts to consider the current situation of the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe.

Regardless of whether Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe could hold out tonight, fleeing Qiuzhou city was never an option for him.

Rushing back to South City.

Li Weiyi moved stealthily, trying to avoid the Imperial Court's martial arts practitioners.

The Defensive Formation of the Zuoqiu Courtyard's headquarters, "Nanhu Academy," has been mostly destroyed in the clashes of various Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool, and is now shrinking its defensive perimeter.

The ruins were littered with corpses; the fighting had been extremely brutal.

From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the twelfth, the various forces had almost completely exhausted their Thunder Law Profound Ice.

Now it's a battle between magical artifacts.

The headquarters is naturally of irreplaceable importance. It allows people to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, to recuperate in peace, and to use a small number of mental cultivators to hold off a large number of martial arts practitioners.

If the headquarters is destroyed, it's equivalent to an army losing its logistics, medical care, shelter, and defensive fortresses...

How could they possibly not be defeated?

Zuoqiu Courtyard was well-prepared, and naturally, he had more than just one stronghold at Nanhu Academy; one of them had already been destroyed on New Year's Eve.

In addition, other smaller outposts in the city were exposed during tonight's operation and were besieged.

Li Weiyi traveled to the fringes of various battlefields, gathering a great deal of information.

"While the three major powers were all engaged in their campaigns against the Lei Xiao Sect and Dragon Gate, Zuoqiu Courtyard divided its forces into three routes to attack the headquarters of the Far West Ash Region, the Governor's Mansion, and the headquarters of Xue Jian Tang Ting. Although they successively broke through and killed countless enemies, as the pillar of light rose, the five major powers joined forces and crushed Zuoqiu Courtyard's three martial arts teams from the east."

"The three martial arts teams of Zuoqiu Courtyard, lacking any defensive formations or strongholds, have no choice but to fight a bitter battle against an enemy several times their size."

"After splitting into three routes, Zuoqiu Courtyard's headquarters is now Kongxu and on the verge of destruction."

"Zuoqiu Hong and Zuoqiu Ting have been killed by Phoenix-born Unicorn-young and Ge Xiantong, Cangli died at the hands of the Dragon Hall and Lu Cangsheng."

Various messages, some true and some false, circulated throughout the city, all aimed at undermining the fighting spirit of the Zuoqiu Courtyard's martial arts practitioners.

Li Weiyi knew, of course, that Zuoqiu Hongting indeed fallen into a trap and had actually sent martial arts practitioners to attack the headquarters and governor's mansion in the Far West Ash Region.

Anyone would probably fall for it.

Even if she remains inactive, the enemy will surely have a second strategy tonight. Eliminating her is the consensus among all the major forces.

Standing on high ground, Li Weiyi watched as martial artists fell one after another at various strongholds. It was just a Qianlong Lantern Festival, yet he could feel the cruelty and bloodshed of the battlefield.

Who can guarantee that the world situation won't evolve as it did tonight?

At that time, the entire Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe were wiped out.

"Zuoqiu Ting, you must hold on! I still have to settle accounts with you!"

Li Weiyi knew that even if he took action, he couldn't change the overall situation. In such a large-scale confrontation, the role that individual martial artists could play was very limited.

After searching the entire South City, they couldn't find Cangli, Hidden Nine, or Li Ling. They heard some information about them, suggesting that they had gone to the West City to attack the headquarters of the Far West Ash Region.

Li Weiyi pondered whether he should rush to Xicheng to meet them.

Feng Yin appeared and laughed, "Now you've given up, haven't you? The Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe will surely perish before dawn. Young Master Li, you only have two hours left to consider!"

Li Weiyi cleared his mind of distractions and faced the sword hanging over his head once more.

At present, it's like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river, barely able to save itself.

Those extra tricks might be completely useless against Ge Xiantong.

The ghost generals within the Ghost Flag possessed combat power comparable to Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator, yet their full-force attack was easily blocked by the injured Phoenix-born Unicorn-young. Ge Xiantong's combat power was definitely at that level as well.

Only by getting rid of Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan can we truly solve the problem once and for all.

But Li Weiyi has already tried various methods...

Headache!

To Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan's surprise, Li Weiyi revealed his true form and headed towards Nanhu Academy, where the battle was most intense.

Zhen Yuyan said, "Is he finally going to make a move?"

"Perhaps he's trying to find a way to escape and catch up with him," Feng Yin said.