Secrets of the Rice Cult

Qingyun Vehicle Company is located in the outer district of Xicheng District.

Under the cover of night, in the vast, garden-like parking lot, hundreds of carriages of all sizes were arranged in rows of centipedes. Under the lights, one could hear the movements and cries from the stables and the exotic beast lake, as well as the busy voices of the coachmen, craftsmen, and stable boys.

Unlike the inner city, which is constantly covered by City Protection Formation, the outer city is vast, diverse, and has a frequent flow of people.

This is one of the reasons why Wang Zhi dared to come back!

At this moment, Wang Zhi and Wang Shouxin, the owner of Qingyun Vehicle Company, were sitting in a room on the second floor of the west shed. They didn't look like an adopted son and adoptive father, but rather like equals.

Wang Zhi looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old; he was the boy who drove the carriage for Yang Qingxi that day.

Wang Zhi, dressed in a magical Nightwalker's Robe, had a deep, unsettling look in his eyes. "Li Weiyi is too cunning! I clearly heard the report that he went down Peach Plum Mountain, but he disappeared very quickly, leaving no trace."

Wang Shouxin said, "Although he's crippled, he's still Hidden Person from the Jiu Li Hidden Gate, and who knows how much power he wields behind the scenes. We mustn't act rashly before the Fourth Divine Son arrives."

Wang Zhi smiled slightly, "He is the person Venerable Nan specifically requested. If we can capture him, it will be a great achievement."

"What exactly is the situation in the underground of Fuzhou?" Wang Shouxin asked.

"Only those above the rank of elder know about this matter. I only heard Venerable Nan and Elder Qiu say one sentence when they were talking: 'A great undertaking is about to be accomplished!'"

Then, Wang Zhi's eyes turned cold again. "The biggest problem now is that the Imperial Court and the various Rebel Army have actually united temporarily because of the Demon Race, and have stopped fighting amongst themselves."

Wang Shouxin's heart skipped a beat, realizing something was wrong.

All sounds outside the door vanished instantly, leaving an eerie silence.

"May I ask who this esteemed person is who has graced us with their presence?"

Wang Shouxin suddenly raised his eyelids, his pupils flashing with cold light, and his internal energy surged like a river as he struck the tightly closed door in front of him with a palm.

With his cultivation level, he could shatter even a city gate made of steel with a single palm strike, let alone a wooden door.

Strange things are happening.

This domineering palm strike was neutralized by an invisible force. Ripples appeared in the air around the wooden door in front of them.

"Whoosh!"

Shi Jiuzhai's imposing figure materialized out of thin air, standing in the room and at the doorway, laughing, "Continue, this Dharma King would like to hear more. Tonight's unexpected gains are truly considerable."

"Shi Jiuzhai!"

Wang Shouxin was utterly shocked, recognizing this fierce and barbaric bandit who was infamous throughout the entire southern region.

As he uttered those three words, he exhaled a breath of magical energy. Within the energy was a flying sword, about two feet long, inscribed with Hundred Character Scripture Magic Tool.

Driven by magical energy, the flying sword emitted a dazzling light.

Dense, intricate scripture texts appeared on the sword.

"Boom!"

The flying sword stopped a foot in front of Shi Jiuzhai, its tip rippled, unable to advance any further.

"Bang!"

Wang Zhi crashed through the wall and leaped onto the street west of Qingyun Vehicle Company.

Shi Jiuzhai glanced at the hole in the wall, spread his right hand and gently pressed it against the ground. Instantly, the entire Qingyun Vehicle Company, including the surrounding streets, was shrouded in a thick white fog.

This is the "Dao Heart Manifestation," which can reach within a radius of three miles, transforming into his independent world.

Of course, the further out you go, the weaker your control becomes.

"Bang!"

As soon as Wang Zhi landed on the ground and looked up, all the surrounding scenery disappeared, leaving only boundless white mist.

"Shi Jiuzhai is truly amazing."

Zutian trembled, and ripples of space appeared below his navel.

From the center of the spatial ripples, a golden whip of the first-grade hundred-character weapon level flew out. The golden whip was like a golden dragon, encircling and wrapping around his body, and was several feet long.

More than a hundred profound scriptures enveloped his entire body.

"Da da!"

Footsteps sounded, and Li Weiyi emerged from the mist. "Truly, appearances can be deceiving! Who would have thought that a young man mingling in a car dealership would actually be a Dao Seed Realm expert?"

Wang Zhi only appears to be fifteen or sixteen years old, while the appearance of a martial arts practitioner is often extremely deceptive.

Wang Zhi grasped the golden whip, his eyes filled with disbelief. "It's you! Weren't you already crippled?"

Li Weiyi said calmly, "The ancestral field is just destroyed! With my cultivation at the Sixth Sea, I believe I should have no problem defeating you. I've made great progress in the past six months."

Wang Zhi sneered, "You probably still underestimate the combat power of Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator."

"Being able to cultivate an ancestral field, you are naturally not weak; you are far superior to those with inferior roots Dao Seed Realm at the same realm. As for Qingxi, I miss her very much. Where is she?" Li Weiyi asked.

Wang Zhi frowned deeply; even he wasn't sure about the true relationship between Li Weiyi and Yang Qingxi.

Li Weiyi said, "Then let me ask you another question. What about Qi Xiao?"

"Whoosh!"

Wang Zhi's expression changed, and the magical energy on his arm surged like a dragon. Instantly, the golden whip transformed into a Golden Lightning and flew out at an extremely fast speed.

A piercing tearing sound filled the air.

Li Weiyi calmly dealt with the opponent's mental power, raising one hand forward, and instantly, countless handprints appeared. Behind him, a five-zhang-tall divine shadow of Battle Intent rose up.

One of the Twelve Loose Hand Techniques, Spirit Treasure Seizing.

The golden whip was incredibly powerful, tearing through a white mist area hundreds of meters long, and creating a half-meter-deep crater in the ground.

A single whip can carve a river on flat ground!

However, Li Weiyi firmly grasped this powerful artifact with the character "Hundred" in its name. Ignoring the astonishment on Wang Zhi's face, he circulated the magical energy in all 120 of his golden meridians, exerted force in his wrist, and unleashed a domineering pulling force.

"How is that possible...?"

Wang Zhi had not expected that a martial artist at the Five Seas Realm could surpass him in strength.

He quickly suppressed his shock and stopped fighting Li Weiyi, instead charging towards her.

His entire body exuded magical energy, and his fingers spun in the air to form a palm. Instantly, the white mist within a ten-foot radius twisted and contorted, and a small sun appeared in his palm, its light and heat astonishing.

He unleashed a palm strike!

The opponent's palm strike felt like a mountain crashing down on them.

Li Weiyi took a deep breath, and ten Battle Intent appeared behind him simultaneously. He launched a flying kick, and the light and shadow of the jade cauldron appeared, colliding with the palm print that Wang Zhi had struck.

"Puff!"

Wang Zhi coughed up blood and flew backward, spinning as he went.

That's insane! How can there be ten Battle Intent?

The moment he landed, Wang Zhi sprang up, ignoring the golden whip that Li Weiyi had taken from him, and turned to flee.

A moment later.

Wang Zhi stood stiffly, backing away step by step, with six Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors in front of him.

The Seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors stood on his left shoulder, its membranous wings, sharper than any magical weapon or battle sword, pressed against his neck. The membranous wings tore through his skin, and blood flowed continuously.

"A top-grade artifact with a hundred characters is worth tens of thousands of Spring Coin."

Li Weiyi put the golden whip in his hand into his storage bag. He was very pleased with the speed at which he was making money.

However, the most valuable possessions of martial artists at the Dao Seed Realm Martial Cultivator are their magical artifacts and weapons.

Li Weiyi looked at Wang Zhi was being restrained by the Phoenix Wing Moth Emperor: "Who is the Venerable Nan? What big plan are you plotting?"

Wang Zhi gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with fervor, and laughed at Li Weiyi without uttering a word.

"They should be from the Twin Rice Cult. It is said that the cult has five Venerables, each in charge of affairs in the four border regions (east, south, west, and north) and Lingxiao City, respectively. There are also twenty-eight Elders, who are in charge of the Twenty-Eight Prefectures of the world."

"Among heretical sects, the Twin Rice Cult is the absolute leader."

Shi Jiuzhai took the unconscious Wang Shouxin in his hands and walked out of the fog.

As the Dharma King of the Earth Wolf King Army, he was also considered a half-evil cultivator, and naturally had a deep understanding of evil ways.

When Wang Zhi realized his identity had been exposed, he angrily said, "Shi Jiuzhai, since you know we are members of the Divine Cult, you should have some respect for us. Your Earth Wolf King Army cannot afford to offend us."

Shi Jiuzhai ignored him and transmitted his voice to Li Weiyi: "I wanted to tell you before we made our move that these hidden pawns mostly possess a kind of Death Spirit Fire within them. Now we're in big trouble. The followers of the Twin Rice Cult are far more fanatical than the Sui Sect's hidden agents. They are not afraid of death or torture at all. Getting anything out of them is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

"If they see even the slightest hope of survival, they will deliberately unleash the Death Spirit Fire within their bodies."

"You mean we've alerted them?" Li Weiyi asked.

Shi Jiuzhai said, "Since we've already done it, let's take this opportunity to set a trap and catch a big fish."

"I'll be the bait!"

Li Weiyi was worried that Shi Jiuzhai might encounter another accident, but he was different; he had more than one protector behind him... Thinking of this, a figure appeared in his mind and laughed, "Even if they have the Death Spirit Fire planted in their bodies, it doesn't necessarily mean we won't get anything out of them."

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi moved swiftly and struck Wang Zhi unconscious with a single palm strike.

Wang Zhi and Wang Shouxin, who had fainted, lay by the lake in Qin Garden.

The Zen Sea Observing Mist, dressed in red and wearing a veil, is the true form.

Her figure was as beautiful as a painting, and her temperament was noble and mysterious. Her ten snow-white fingers hung above the two of them, releasing countless Spiritual Light Threads that drilled into their brains.

Li Weiyi had long witnessed Zen Sea Observing Mist's soul-searching techniques; even if the opponent had Death Spirit Fire planted in their body, he could still find some fragments of memories.

Now, Zen Sea Observing Mist's cultivation is far superior to before, so he is naturally more confident in soul-searching.

Shi Jiuzhai was somewhat dazed, gazing at the distant Zen Sea Observing Mist. He believed he could remain calm and composed even when facing the Heavenly King Shi Na'er. However, after this woman appeared before him, he was terrified, his soul seemed to leave his body, and he couldn't calm his mind at all.

It's not because the other party's cultivation aura is particularly strong...

It's like an innate fear!

He asked telepathically, "Who is this powerful being?"

"Her? You'd better keep everything about her to yourself and not mention it to anyone, or you'll get into serious trouble," Li Weiyi said.

Shi Jiuzhai didn't think Li Weiyi was joking and nodded cautiously.

"Sizzle!"

"Crack!"

Once the souls are taken, the Death Spirit Fire within the two individuals will be passively activated.

It's already burning.

After a few breaths, they turned into two charred remains.

As the wisps of Spiritual Light Threads dissipated, Zen Sea Observing Mist stood silently by the lake, his beautiful, wise, and unfathomable eyes lost in thought.

Li Weiyi walked over and asked, "Miss Chan Wu, what's wrong?"

Shi Jiuzhai hesitated for a moment and did not go over, feeling quite wary of the Zen Sea Observing Mist.

Zen Sea Observing Mist looked at Li Weiyi, her red lips slightly parted beneath her veil. "I haven't obtained all the memories! As far as I know, it's already astonishing... In just a thousand years, the rice people of Lingxiao Shengjing have grown to this extent. I must go to the Fuzhou Underground."

(The origin and legends of the rice man are told in Chapter 56, "Benevolent Rice.")