Heroes and Good Men

Hidden Eleven returned to the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion to take charge of the situation there.

Since returning to Drunken Flower Shade yesterday, Qi Xiao has gone to the battlefield and has not shown up again. Whether for his own future or for the Qi Family, he cannot run away during the most difficult time for the Zuoqiu Courtyard.

The sky gradually brightened.

A simple carriage drove out of the underground Underworld Market, driven by a martial arts cultivator at the Spring Realm.

Li Weiyi, Shi Shishi, and Bai Shu were all sitting in the car, each lost in their own thoughts.

Bai Shu is a cultivator of mental power. She has no attachment to dragon bones or dragon seeds and only wants to escape the battlefield and avoid the killing. However, as a member of the Earth Wolf King Army, she cannot escape the responsibilities she bears.

Shi Shishi glanced at Li Weiyi discreetly, unsure of how well his injuries had healed, and sighed dejectedly, "The Dragon Bone Ticket I hid were dug up and stolen. I chased after them for two days, but I couldn't get them back."

"If the ticket hoarding method is reliable, everyone will be hoarding them!"

Li Weiyi smelled blood and rolled down the car window.

A cold air current blew in.

On the streets shrouded in morning mist, martial artists at the Spring Realm from various factions were collecting corpses and cleaning the streets.

Passing by a mansion, the owner was Dao Seed Realm expert, and his servants and wives were joyfully lighting firecrackers to welcome the Lantern Festival. The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

No matter how brutal the Qianlong Lantern Festival is, it is still just a battlefield for young martial artists in the Five Seas Realm.

"Clang!"

The wheels rolled forward.

Traces of battle and the corpses of young heroes lying exposed in the streets are frequently seen. Whether they Pure Immortal Body or were stunning beauties, they were all treated like mere weeds.

After several days of fierce competition, the festive atmosphere in the city plummeted to freezing point, with very few pedestrians.

Li Weiyi asked, "Did Zuoqiu Hong and the others perish? Are Cangli and Li Ling still alive?"

Shi Shishi shook his head. "I don't know! These past few days, the various forces in Qiuzhou City have been fighting each other in complete chaos, with true and false rumors flying everywhere. Some even say that you died at the hands of Ge Xiantong, or that you died suddenly after escaping."

"Anyway, Zuoqiu Hong and his group suffered heavy casualties. Of the Zuoqiu, Nine Li, and Zhu families, as well as the forces under their banners, six or seven out of ten of their dozens of experts holding the title were killed. There are probably only a dozen or twenty survivors."

"Yesterday evening, Zuoqiu Hong scattered all the Longevity Pill tickets, Dragon Seed Ticket, and Dragon Bone Ticket onto the attackers. Then, he led his remaining troops to retreat and hide."

"That's the rumor. Whether they escaped or not is hard to say."

"If they fled, perhaps they intended to rest for the night, recuperate, and use this retreat as a strategic advance for today's decisive battle."

Of the two hundred martial arts practitioners in the city who held the certificate, only the top few in a state or the number one expert in a sect or school were qualified to be included.

Even the mighty Dao Truth and the Nirvana, as profound as Coffin Mountain, are only of the second rank.

In the Southern Territory alone, there are more than a dozen Inheritor-level, some of whom are already famous throughout the world, some of whom come from Hidden Gate, or are hidden masters of major forces.

Everyone's brought out their savings!

The other three realms have fewer Inheritor-level than the Southern Realm, but there are still at least six or seven.

Of the martial artists from the three alliances, 60-70% perished, including dozens of experts at the Dao Truth and Extinction Truth levels. The casualties among the remaining martial artists at the Five Seas Realm and Great Mind Master were countless.

Shi Shishi, "Of the two hundred martial artists who held the tokens, at most half are still alive. Those Inheritor-level, though fewer perished, probably number at least ten!"

Li Weiyi fell silent, deeply understanding the good intentions behind Jiang Ning, Hidden Lord, Zuoqiu Hongting's advice against him participating in the Qianlong Lantern Festival; they had foreseen all of this long ago.

What is their mindset?

Is it knowing the danger yet facing the challenge head-on?

Or were they forced into a situation with no choice?

"This is not a grand event!" Jiang Ning's warning rang in Li Weiyi's ears once again from the fishing boat.

This is a battlefield...

A battlefield where you must fight to the death!

Shi Shishi, "The Qianlong Lantern Festival is much better than the real battlefield outside. At least there are rules. It's just a competition among the younger generation, so you can retreat or hide."

"Where's Tao Yanyan?" Li Weiyi suddenly asked.

Shi Shishi silent.

Bai Shu said, "Sister Taozi was killed in a wolf's den on the tenth day of the month; she couldn't escape."

"Who did it?" Li Weiyi asked.

"I don't know! There are countless large and small forces in Qiuzhou City, and the experts all have different backgrounds. Anyone might do that for Tao Yanyan's Dragon Bone Ticket."

Bai Shu and Shi Shishi both smiled bitterly and shook their heads.

Most of the forces involved in the Qianlong Lantern Festival fell before the seventh day of the month, either being wiped out or reduced to vassals of Myriad Gate Families. However, in the grand scheme of things, these forces were still independent entities, each with its own Longevity Realm Giants, and some even transcendent, colossal figures who dominated their respective regions.

Although the Earth Wolf King Army appeared small at the Qianlong Lantern Festival, the King Shi, the Great Lord, the Second Bird Master, and the mighty Earth Wolf Iron Cavalry behind them wielded immense power and influence in Shu Zhou.

"My injuries have mostly healed! You all go to Evergreen Temple in the East City and wait for me. I'll be there before noon."

Li Weiyi jumped out of the car, used Disguise Art, and disappeared into the crowd.

Before the decisive battle, he wanted to see the Hidden Lord, so he secretly made his way to the Zhuo Garden.

After knocking, Hidden Twenty-Five opened the door.

Upon seeing Li Weiyi, Hidden Twenty-Five was clearly startled and quickly ushered him inside, then closed the door and sealed the formation.

"Thank goodness, it was all a rumor. We really thought you were already..."

"What, you think you can avoid paying back the money?"

Upon entering, Li Weiyi was stunned by the sight of the corpses scattered throughout the garden and the white sheets draped over them. He then released his mental energy to sense the Zhuo Garden, finding it deserted except for Hidden Twenty-Five.

"What's going on? Where are they?" Li Weiyi asked in a deep voice.

Hidden Twenty-Five lowered his head and whispered, "It was just helping to collect the bodies."

"What do you mean by just helping to collect corpses? The martial artists of the Jiu Li Tribe at the Spring Realm know to do that, but you are at the Five Seas Realm. If you get involved, you will die without a burial place." Li Weiyi's voice was deafening.

Fifteen minutes later.

There was a knock on the door.

Hidden Twenty-Five cautiously stared at Li Weiyi, who was sitting on a white stone by the lake.

"Go, go open the door for these heroes," Li Weiyi said.

The gate and the array opened, Hidden Twenty-Three, Hidden Twenty-Four, and Yao Yin, all dressed in Nightwalker's Robe, emerged from their concealment. They then took out their blood-stained bags and retrieved the corpses inside, all of them either Pure Immortal Body or the bodies of women.

Hidden Twenty-Four gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and his chest heaved. "It's all your fault! Why did you drag me along? I hadn't finished killing yet. You're shameless, despicable, you didn't even spare the corpses, you're utterly inhuman!"

"They weren't human to begin with," said Hidden Twenty-Three.

"Um, cough cough..."

Hidden Twenty-Five repeatedly winked at them.

The three looked into the distance and saw Li Weiyi sitting there like a statue. They were first surprised, then overjoyed, and then became uneasy.

Li Weiyi remained expressionless, coldly staring at Hidden Twenty-Four: "Since you're so capable, why don't you go out and kill some more people?"

"Okay, shall we go together?" Hidden Twenty-Four asked.

"..."

Li Weiyi was at her wit's end. She stood up and said, "Who gave you permission to act without my consent? Who led the charge?"

"Me!" Yao Yin said.

"Me!" said Hidden Twenty-Four.

"Me!" said Hidden Twenty-Three.

Unable to guard the house Hidden Twenty-Five stepped forward and whispered, "Me!"

Li Weiyi said, "Good, good, good, they are all heroes."

Yao Yin, the youngest, with slightly red eyes, was the first to soften. "Those demons, Ember Spirit, and all sorts of evil villains wanted to force Cangli, Hidden Nine, and Li Ling to show themselves, and they cooked the corpses of Pure Immortal Body martial artists of the Jiu Li Tribe in cauldrons, stripped the female martial artists naked, and hung them on the city gate. How can we tolerate such a disgrace?"

Hidden Twenty-Four raised his chin. "We didn't do anything risky. We just snatched the corpses back from those low-level martial artists who collect corpses."

"This is intolerable!" said Hidden Twenty-Three.

Li Weiyi frowned. The enemy's methods were indeed crude, but they might be surprisingly effective against Cangli.

This is good news!

This at least proves they are still alive.

Li Weiyi paced back and forth, coldly staring at Hidden Twenty-Four: "You're only relying on possessing that Blood Refined Magic Tool. Hand it over to me."

Hidden Twenty-Four covered the Three-headed Snake Bracelet on his wrist and sneered, "Aren't you also relying on the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor and the Purple Sky Lei Seal?"

"You dare talk back?" Li Weiyi said.

Hidden Twenty-Four said, "We're just collecting a corpse. How capable are you? You dared to kill Hua Yuzi and fight Ge Xiantong. Rumors are flying everywhere, saying you've died suddenly. Aren't we afraid that when we collect the body, we'll find it? Aren't we afraid that you'll be lying in the street, your head being gnawed on by wild dogs? Li Weiyi, you're Hidden Person. Let me tell you, even if you're tens of thousands of miles away, hundreds of thousands of miles away, or even further away... as long as we know you're dead, we'll definitely bring you back. I'll go even if it's thousands of miles away!"

Go ahead and curse me all you want!

Hidden Twenty-Five had already moved a chair over and placed it behind the furious Li Weiyi.

After Li Weiyi sat down, Yao Yin took the initiative to step forward and massage his shoulders and back. She whispered, "We are really being cautious, and we will definitely not act on our own initiative in the future."

"All of you swear in the name of the God of Jiu Li that you will not leave Zhuo Garden again today. Also, prepare a midnight snack. I will bring Hidden Nine and Hidden Eleven back safely. Whoever is the most obedient will have the chance to obtain the dragon bone and the dragon seed." Li Weiyi closed his eyes, enjoying the massage from Yao Yin's soft jade hands.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the hidden figures present became fervent.

Hidden Twenty-Four's pretty face was filled with surprise. "We also have a chance to obtain dragon bones and dragon seeds?"

"You? You're utterly rebellious, you can't refine dragon bones. You'll only provoke me more in the future."

"You all keep an eye on each other, heroes on heroes, good men on good men, so that no more trouble is caused."

Li Weiyi stood up and made them all swear oaths before leaving Zhuo Garden.

As he left, he glanced at the garden full of corpses, his gaze hardening, and his resolve hardening.

Unable to meet the Hidden Lord, they could only communicate and discuss with their three masters.

He said, "If I were to attempt to break through to the Fifth Realm of the Five Seas, pushing myself into even greater dangers, wouldn't that be too risky? You understand this world better than I do."

Why are you still not giving up?

The Master Urn strongly objected, insisting that three months of quenching was his bottom line.

Li Weiyi said, "I am well aware of the matters of martial arts, and I have a way to temporarily stabilize my spiritual energy. After the Qianlong Lantern Festival, I will definitely devote myself to seclusion for a period of time and will never act recklessly again."

"Then let's fight! It's just the Five Seas Realm, what's there to be afraid of? If the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe can't even handle this little thing, then they'd better throw away the reputation of the Myriad Gate Families and Myriad Ancient Clan in advance."

It is the sound of Zen Sea Observing Mist.

The Spirit Tablet Master said, "Since you have a way to temporarily stabilize your spiritual energy, I support you in following your heart. Cultivation is like sharpening a sword; you must conceal your edge in ordinary times, and at the crucial moment, you must unleash the most magnificent strike."

"For the elixir of Longevity Pill, the dragon seed, and the dragon bone, this risk is worth taking. As the Hidden Person, this first battle can demonstrate our prowess," said Coffin Master.