Night at Yao Pass

Li Weiyi wanted a swift victory, so he went all out.

After catching up to the Ape-like Mutant, he struck with both palms, the wind howling in waves as he sought to overpower his opponent with sheer force.

He had only opened One Spring...

He would simply crush him head-on and suppress him with overwhelming force.

The Ape-like Mutant did not dare clash head-on with Li Weiyi and swung his spine bow to block.

He felt that this brat before him had opened more than Three Springs—perhaps even Four Springs. With the enhancement of those Silver Thread Gloves, he was likely capable of exchanging a few blows with a Martial Cultivator who had opened Five Springs.

To make a magical artifact flash with silver light at the realm of Four Springs, it was most likely no low-grade artifact.

Possessing a magical artifact while still in the Spring Realm?

Just who was this brat?

No matter how hard the Ape-like Mutant racked his brains, he could not figure it out. After enduring several palm strikes, his spine bow shattered inch by inch, blood seeped from both hands, and his organs felt as though they were about to split apart.

He decisively turned and fled.

How could Li Weiyi let him escape?

He had to silence him forever.

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

A silver blade-like palm force slashed across the Ape-like Mutant's back, severing his spine.

The massive body crashed burning to the ground.

Bang!

Li Weiyi followed up with another palm, smashing his skull.

Only after confirming that he was dead did Li Weiyi swiftly return, pick up the Yellow Dragon Sword, and wrap it in cloth.

Zhao Zhizhuo hurried forward to offer his thanks. "May I ask this young benefactor's honored name? Zhao Zhizhuo of the Cangli Tribe will remember this kindness for all eternity."

"Old sir, you should hurry and fetch reinforcements. That is the most urgent matter," Li Weiyi said.

Zhao Zhizhuo's face was deathly pale, his eyes full of anxiety and worry. Enduring the excruciating pain from his wound, he said, "This old man has an unreasonable request... Could young benefactor see the matter through to the end? In my current condition, if I set out alone, I fear I will fall from my horse before traveling several dozen li."

That iron arrow had been far too destructive, tearing apart a large swath of flesh and injuring his bones as well.

Li Weiyi truly did not want to involve himself in this affair. He feared that Shi Jiuzhai would settle accounts with him in the future.

But then he thought of the people aboard the Bronze Ship. Once they came down, they would need a place to settle down and make a living—otherwise, how could they survive? If he could use this opportunity to resolve the matter, taking a risk might be worthwhile.

Li Weiyi had ridden horses before, but he could hardly be said to possess horsemanship.

However, after opening the two spring apertures in the soles of his feet, his body had become Transcendent. Controlling a horse was as easy as turning his hand over.

The three of them rode one horse.

Zhao Zhizhuo lay facedown in front, while Gao Huan tightly embraced Li Weiyi around the waist from behind.

Fortunately, the fine horse beneath them had drunk the blood of the Zouwu exotic beast. Its bones were tough, its muscles sturdy, and tiger stripes covered its body. It was far taller and more imposing than ordinary horses. Even carrying three people at once, it still raced like wind and lightning, capable of traveling a thousand li in a day.

Yaoguan City lay nearly three hundred li from Immortal Burial Town. With a population of over two hundred thousand, it had neither city walls, city gates, nor moats. It was more like a vast market town open to all.

The entirety of Yaoguan City resembled a great flatbread spread across the fertile plains on the western bank of the Sui River, its west connected to Mang Mountain, where countless peaks rose in ranks.

Night had already fallen.

Bone lamps along both sides of the streets lit up, casting a ghostfire-like glow.

Li Weiyi and Gao Huan stayed at Yaohua Pavilion, the third-largest inn in the city. After taking hot baths, they ate not only noodle soup but also more than a dozen delicious dishes.

After entering the city that afternoon, Zhao Zhizhuo had immediately gone to the city lord's residence to seek aid.

Before long, the deafening roar of a hundred beasts came from Mang Mountain. Some Martial Cultivators rode winged birds with wingspans of dozens of meters, while others rode wondrous giant beasts resembling tigers, elephants, and rhinoceroses. All rushed toward Immortal Burial Town.

The sight was truly magnificent.

Lizhou was the territory of the Jiu Li Tribe. It had known peace for centuries, and such a vile incident had never occurred before.

Although the great tribes of the Jiu Li Tribe had their conflicts and rivalries, if true disaster struck, every tribe would absolutely rush to provide aid.

The Jiu Li Tribe had intermarried for generations; break the bones, and the sinews remained connected.

Zhao Zhizhuo finally arrived at Yaohua Pavilion and thanked Li Weiyi once more. He was so emotional that he tried to kneel, but Li Weiyi firmly supported him, making it impossible for him to kneel.

He wore grayish-white cloth robes and appeared to be sixty or seventy years old, frost staining his temples. Yet his muscles were strong, and it was clear that he must have been tall and powerfully built in his younger years.

"If young benefactor had not acted righteously, my Cangli Tribe would surely have suffered grievous casualties on this journey. Tomorrow, the Young Tribe Leader will definitely come personally to thank you. When that time comes, young benefactor may simply name whatever you need."

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

"They have already been rescued?"

Li Weiyi was deeply concerned about whether the battle at Immortal Burial Town had ended. He wanted to return to the Bronze Ship as quickly as possible.

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

"Buddha's Crossing Bandits?"

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

Zhao Zhizhuo already knew that the two before him were not Buddha's Crossing Bandits. They had fled to Lizhou to escape disaster, and the misunderstanding had arisen only because they had mistakenly worn the same Monk's Robes as the Buddha's Crossing Bandits.

Li Weiyi had told him this while they were on horseback.

The world was now in great chaos. Refugees had risen everywhere, and the number of displaced people who had fled to Lizhou to escape calamity was beyond counting. Since Li Weiyi had saved his life, Zhao Zhizhuo naturally believed him without the slightest doubt.

Hatred and fury filled Zhao Zhizhuo's eyes. His chest heaved violently, aggravating an old injury, and he said in a slightly wheezing voice, "Southern barbarians, northern Di, eastern Yi, western Rong. Among the several provinces of our southern border, the most hateful 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 all say that Lizhou is ruled by the Jiu Li Tribe, which is why it has remained peaceful and free of trouble for centuries."

"But who knows that, in exchange for this peace and stability, the Jiu Li Tribe has constantly swallowed its anger and humiliation, sending vast quantities of tribute and wealth to Coffin Mountain every year? It is precisely because of this that the hundred thousand Buddha's Crossing Bandits under Xu Fudu only plunder and extort on a small scale within Lizhou, and large-scale conflicts have never occurred."

"For Buddha's Crossing Bandits to be so vicious and bloody this time is truly abnormal. Who knows what they intend?"

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

Zhao Zhizhuo said, "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 no ordinary figure. He is Shi Na'er's adopted son and one of the ten great Dharma Kings of the Earth Wolf King Army. He only rose to fame in the last twenty years, yet he is already listed in the Cycle Record. Young benefactor, why do you ask about him?"

Li Weiyi increasingly felt that Zhao Zhizhuo feared the three great barbarian bandits deeply. It seemed that even the Jiu Li Tribe had to pay tribute to them.

He did not dare say it aloud!

If he said it, he would certainly be pushed onto the crest of the waves. More importantly, the Cangli Tribe might not even be able to protect him. He might even become a sacrificial victim in the struggle between great powers.

Keep a low profile, keep a low profile.

Having gotten involved this far was already dangerous enough.

"I have long heard his great name. It is like thunder in my ears."

Li Weiyi quickly changed the subject. "Elder Zhao, perhaps you should first help this junior answer some questions about cultivation. I have always trained blindly on my own and do not understand many things."

"Training blindly, yet you opened Three Springs, perhaps even Four Springs?"

Zhao Zhizhuo looked at the Silver Thread Gloves on Li Weiyi's hands. Thinking of something, he hurriedly warned him in a solemn tone, "Young benefactor, this old man dares not ask where you obtained this magical artifact, but you must never casually activate or use it before others. A common man is innocent, but possessing jade becomes his crime."

Li Weiyi could see Zhao Zhizhuo's sincere concern. Moved, he asked, "Are magical artifacts that precious?"

Zhao Zhizhuo finally believed that the young man before him had truly been training blindly all along and might genuinely know very little about the martial path. "Put it this way! If this old man were not already advanced in years, with all ambition gone, then upon seeing your magical artifact, I might very well become greedy myself. That would not be repaying kindness with enmity—it is simply that the temptation is too great. Such is human nature."

"To put it another way, if a beauty like a heavenly immortal stripped naked and walked onto the street without any means of protecting herself, then whatever danger she encountered would be brought upon herself. She could blame no one else."

"I understand!" Li Weiyi removed the Silver Thread Gloves and hid them away. "Elder Zhao, please help keep this secret."

Zhao Zhizhuo immediately promised, then added, "Young benefactor, do not take offense. This old man has always spoken so bluntly. In truth, there are few absolutely good people in this world, and few absolutely bad people. Most are merely people who do not dare to be too good, nor dare to be too bad."

"Rest assured, even if I had encountered this in my youth, I would never be capable of repaying kindness with enmity. It is only that I have eaten a few more decades' worth of meals and seen too much. I cannot help wanting to offer a few more words of warning."

"Many thanks!"

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

The outside suddenly grew lively.

The tranquil night was shattered by the sounds of air being torn apart and the cries of a hundred beasts.

The Beast Li Tribe's forces had returned!

Zhao Zhizhuo immediately took his leave to welcome the Young Tribe Leader. Before departing, he asked whether Li Weiyi wanted to come along. Li Weiyi naturally shook his head. The important figures of the Cangli Tribe would likely be extremely busy tonight, so it was not the right time to meet them.

Moreover, meeting in such a manner would bring endless future trouble.