Night at Yao Pass

Li Weiyi wanted to finish the fight quickly, so he went all out.

Catching up to the Ape-like Mutant, he struck out with both palms, the wind whistling around him. He intended to overpower it with sheer force.

I've only opened one spring...

I'll just push forward and crush it.

The Ape-like Mutant didn't dare to clash directly with Li Weiyi, swinging its spinal bow to block.

He felt this kid in front of him had more than three springs, possibly even four. With the enhancement of those Silver Thread gloves, a magic tool, he might even be able to trade a few blows with a Martial Cultivator who had opened five springs.

A realm of four springs could already make a magic tool shine with silver light; it was likely not a low-tier magic tool.

A Spring Realm cultivator could possess a magic tool?

Who exactly was this kid?

The Ape-like Mutant couldn't figure it out no matter how hard it tried. After enduring several palm strikes, its spinal bow shattered inch by inch, its hands bled, and its internal organs felt like they were about to burst.

It decisively turned and fled.

How could Li Weiyi let it escape?

He had to silence it.

Catching up, he used his hand as a blade and unleashed Taiyi Opens the Sea.

A silver palm strike, like a blade, slashed across the Ape-like Mutant's back, severing its spine.

Its massive body crashed to the ground with a thud.

"Bang!"

He followed up with another palm strike, crushing its skull.

Confirming it was dead, Li Weiyi quickly returned and picked up the Yellow Dragon Sword, wrapping it in cloth.

Zhao Zhizhuo hurried forward to express his gratitude. "May I ask the young benefactor's name? The Cangli Tribe's Zhao Zhizhuo will remember it forever."

"Old sir, you should hurry and get reinforcements. That's the priority," Li Weiyi said.

Zhao Zhizhuo's face was pale, his eyes filled with anxiety and worry. Enduring the intense pain from his wounds, he said, "I have an impudent request... Young benefactor, could you see this through to the end? With my current physical condition, I'm afraid I'll fall off my horse within a few dozen miles if I travel alone."

That iron arrow's destructive power was too great, tearing through a large area of flesh and damaging his bones.

Li Weiyi really didn't want to get involved, fearing retribution from Shi Jiuzhai later.

But then he thought that after everyone from the Bronze Ship came down, they would need a place to settle and survive. If he could resolve this matter through this opportunity, it might be worth the risk.

Li Weiyi had ridden horses before, but he wouldn't call himself a skilled rider.

However, after opening the two spring eyes in his feet, his body had become extraordinary, making it easy to control a horse.

The three of them rode together on one horse.

Zhao Zhizhuo lay in front, while Gao Huan held Li Weiyi's waist tightly from behind.

Fortunately, the strong horse beneath them had drunk the blood of the Zouwu beast. Its bones were tough, its muscles were solid, and its body was covered in tiger stripes, making it much larger and more powerful than ordinary horses. Even carrying three people simultaneously, it still galloped like lightning, capable of covering a thousand miles a day.

Yao Pass City was nearly three hundred miles from Immortal Burial Town. It had a population of over two hundred thousand. Without city walls, gates, or a moat, it resembled a large, freely accessible market town.

The entire Yao Pass City spread out like a large pancake on the fertile plains west of the Sui River, connecting to the peak-filled Mang Mountain in the west.

Night had fallen.

Bone lanterns lining the streets lit up, emitting a ghostly glow.

Li Weiyi and Gao Huan stayed at Yaohua Pavilion, the third-ranked large inn in the city. After a hot bath, they ate not only noodle soup but also over a dozen delicious dishes.

After entering the city in the afternoon, Zhao Zhizhuo had immediately gone to the City Lord's Mansion to seek help.

Shortly after, deafening roars of a hundred beasts echoed from Mang Mountain. Some Martial Cultivators rode flying beasts with wings spanning tens of meters, while others rode divine, giant beasts that resembled tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses, all heading towards Immortal Burial Town.

The scene was grand.

Lizhou was the territory of the Jiu Li Tribe, and it had been peaceful for hundreds of years. Such a terrible incident had never occurred before.

Although there were conflicts and competition between the various Jiu Li tribes, if a real crisis arose, any tribe would definitely come to their aid.

The Jiu Li tribes had intermarried for generations; they were connected by the bone.

Zhao Zhizhuo finally arrived at Yaohua Pavilion. He once again thanked Li Weiyi, so moved that he wanted to kneel, but he was steadied and couldn't.

He wore a gray-white cloth robe and looked sixty or seventy years old. His temples were frosted with white, but his muscles were strong, indicating he must have been tall and imposing in his youth.

"If not for the young benefactor's righteous intervention, my Cangli Tribe would have suffered heavy casualties today. The Young Tribe Leader will personally come to thank you tomorrow. At that time, please don't hesitate to state any needs you have."

Zhao Zhizhuo's shoulder had been cleaned, bandaged, and treated with a special secret medicine.

"Have they been rescued already?"

Li Weiyi was concerned about whether the battle in Immortal Burial Town had ended, wanting to return to the Bronze Ship as soon as possible.

Zhao Zhizhuo nodded and said, "The Young Tribe Leader and the others haven't arrived at Yao Pass yet, but news has come back that the Buddha's Crossing Bandits have retreated."

"Buddha's Crossing Bandits?"

Li Weiyi was confused. Were the people led by Shi Jiuzhai not the Earth Wolf King Army?

Zhao Zhizhuo already knew that the two people before him were not from the Buddha's Crossing Bandits, but refugees who had come to Lizhou. They had mistakenly worn the same monk's robes as the Buddha's Crossing Bandits, which had caused the misunderstanding.

This was told to him by Li Weiyi while they were on horseback.

The world was in great chaos now, with refugees everywhere. Countless refugees had fled to Lizhou to escape disaster. Zhao Zhizhuo naturally believed Li Weiyi, who had saved his life, without any doubt.

Hatred and anger flickered in Zhao Zhizhuo's eyes. His chest heaved violently, aggravating an old injury. He said with a wheezing voice, "Southern Barbarians, Northern Di, Eastern Yi, Western Rong. Among our southern states, the most detestable and terrifying are the three great barbarian bandits: Xu Fudu of Coffin Mountain, Yuwen Yan of Night City, and Shi Na'er, the Earth Wolf King."

"They say Lizhou is ruled by the Jiu Li Tribe, which is why it has been peaceful for hundreds of years."

"But who would know that for this peace and stability, the Jiu Li Tribe has been enduring humiliation, sending large amounts of tribute and wealth to Coffin Mountain every year. Because of this, Xu Fudu's 100,000 Buddha's Crossing Bandits only extort and fleece within a small area of Lizhou, and large-scale conflicts have never occurred."

"The Buddha's Crossing Bandits' ferocity and bloodlust this time are truly abnormal. I don't know what they intend to do."

Many thoughts flashed through Li Weiyi's mind in an instant. He asked, "What about the Earth Wolf King Army?"

Zhao Zhizhuo replied, "The Earth Wolf King's influence is not in Lizhou; it has nothing to do with us."

"Elder Zhao, have you heard of Shi Jiuzhai?" Li Weiyi asked.

Zhao Zhizhuo's expression tightened. "Shi Jiuzhai is extraordinary. He is Shi Na'er's adopted son and one of the ten Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King Army. He only rose to prominence in the last twenty years, but he is already a figure in the Cycle Record. Young benefactor, why do you ask about him?"

Li Weiyi always felt that Zhao Zhizhuo was very afraid of the three great barbarian bandits, and it seemed even the Jiu Li Tribe had to pay tribute to them.

He dared not speak out!

If he spoke out, he would definitely be thrust into the spotlight. More importantly, the Cangli Tribe might not be able to protect him. He might even become a victim of the power struggles between the major factions.

Low profile, low profile.

Getting involved to this extent was already very dangerous.

"I've heard of his great reputation for a long time; it's thunderous."

Li Weiyi quickly changed the subject and asked, "Elder Zhao, could you first help me resolve some doubts about my cultivation? I've always been practicing on my own and don't understand many things."

"Practicing on your own can lead to opening three springs, or even four?"

Zhao Zhizhuo looked at the Silver Thread gauntlets on Li Weiyi's hands. Thinking of something, he quickly and solemnly warned, "Young benefactor, I dare not inquire where you obtained this Magic Tool, but do not activate or use it carelessly in front of others. An innocent person possessing a treasure is guilty."

Li Weiyi could see Zhao Zhizhuo's sincerity and was moved. He asked, "Are Magic Tools that precious?"

Zhao Zhizhuo finally believed that the young man before him had indeed been practicing blindly and might have very little understanding of the martial arts realm. "Let me put it this way! If I weren't old and my spirit had faded, seeing your Magic Tool, I might have felt envious and tempted. This isn't repaying kindness with enmity, but the temptation is too great, it's human nature."

"In other words, if a heavenly beauty, naked and without any means of self-protection, were to walk down the street, then any danger she encountered would be her own fault, and no one could be blamed."

"I understand!" Li Weiyi took off the Silver Thread gauntlets and hid them. "Please keep it a secret, Elder Zhao."

Zhao Zhizhuo quickly promised and then said, "Young benefactor, don't take it too personally. I just speak very directly. In fact, in this world, there are not many absolutely good people, nor are there many absolutely bad people. Most people are those who dare not be too good or too bad."

"Rest assured, even if I had encountered this in my youth, I would never have repaid kindness with enmity. I've just lived a few decades longer and seen too much, so I couldn't help but offer a few more words of caution."

"Thank you!"

Afterward, Li Weiyi asked Zhao Zhizhuo some more questions related to cultivation.

Suddenly, the outside became lively.

The peaceful night was shattered by the sound of wind breaking and the cries of beasts.

The people of the Beast Li Tribe had returned!

Zhao Zhizhuo immediately took his leave, needing to greet the Young Tribe Leader. As he left, he asked Li Weiyi if he wanted to go along. Li Weiyi naturally shook his head. Tonight, the important figures of the Cangli Tribe would likely be very busy, and it was not a suitable time to meet.

Moreover, meeting in such a manner would have endless future troubles.