The One Surnamed Li

The swamp, perpetually dark and shrouded in dampness, evokes a sense of desolation and oppression.

Keep going deeper and deeper.

The decaying mud and aquatic plants gradually disappeared, turning into a murky marshland.

The governor's jade boat sailed on a marshland that was only three feet deep.

Li Weiyi sat at the bow of the boat. The wound on his palm had completely healed, and the mana he had severely depleted had also recovered. After all, he was only at the First Heaven the Dao Seed Realm. Continuously unleashing Major Technique attacks had greatly depleted his mana, making it impossible for him to fight for long unless he used liquid mana.

Among the various paths of cultivation, martial arts are at the First Heaven, often requiring years of arduous training to accumulate knowledge, comprehend, and experience.

He took out the black, Thousand-Year Elixir from his bag.

According to Tuoba Butuo, it lives deep underground and moves extremely fast, so he almost couldn't catch it.

"It should be Thousand Year Earth Spirit Cub."

Li Weiyi already possessed a fairly detailed understanding of all kinds of precious medicines and rare herbs in the world.

To walk the path of a spiritual master, one must possess extensive knowledge and a strong memory.

Earth Spirit Cub grow underground, absorbing yin energy to survive. After a thousand years, they take human form and develop sentience.

Heaven Spirit Cub grows in the clouds, absorbing yang energy to survive.

In addition, there are Water Spirit Cub, Fire Spirit Child, Wind Spirit Cub...

If it can grow for ten thousand years and transform into Emperor Medicine, it can shed its plant form and grow a flesh and blood body. Although its combat power cannot compare with the Martial Path Son of Heaven, it is enough to rival the transcendent and gain the power to protect itself.

Second Phoenix crept closer, crept along Li Weiyi's arm, and tiptoed toward Earth Spirit Cub.

"You want to eat alone?" Li Weiyi asked.

Second Phoenix nodded vigorously.

Li Weiyi said, "Great Phoenix already harbors disloyal intentions; you should encourage him. Take this and grow to the third stage of the Dao Seed Realm as soon as possible, so you can shoulder great responsibilities."

Ever since she followed Tang Wanzhou, Great Phoenix has often mentioned her to Li Weiyi, telling Li Weiyi not to be afraid of danger and to use the teleportation array to find her, or to teleport her there alone.

Her body is still with Li Weiyi, but she has clearly cheated on him emotionally.

Second Phoenix gave a loyal look that said, "Don't worry, I'm here," before carrying away the Thousand Year Earth Spirit Cub and eating alone.

Qi Xiao sat at the stern of the boat, studying Sikong Ce's circular shield.

This shield is an extraordinary treasure, containing the undead battle spirit of Scale Lion Giant Beast, whose combat power is comparable to that of a master at the Fourth Heaven Dao Seed Realm. Its value is exceptional.

However, it is only at the Fourth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm, far less precious than the Ghost Flag.

In this respect, magical implements are clearly inferior to Daoist techniques.

As martial arts practitioners advance in their cultivation level, they must upgrade to higher-grade magical artifacts and adapt to them. The loss of magical artifacts by Sikong Qin, Sikong Ce, and Sikong Jingyuan was a devastating blow, significantly reducing their combat power.

Li Weiyi summoned the Golden Ancient Mirror from the ancestral field, studied it for a while, and handed it to Tuoba Butuo, instructing him. "Never use this artifact at the main altar, or you will be killed."

Tuoba Butuo accepted it without hesitation. "I understand, after all, it's related to the Palace Master of the Ku Rong Hall. Brother Weiyi, on the other side of this Nether Flower Black Swamp, and even the entrance to the Underground Immortal Mansion that we came in through, countless experts in the world are exploring and searching there. It's been almost a year. Do you think anyone would venture into the Underground Immortal Mansion to find our remains because of us?"

Having been missing for a year and cut off from the outside world, anyone would think they were in grave danger.

Li Weiyi could sense Tuoba Butuo's sadness and longing, while Qi Xiao of the ship was also deep in thought.

The first image that popped into Li Weiyi's mind was Jiang Ning's captivating figure. But soon, a self-deprecating smile appeared on his face. Putting aside the fact that the two had only briefly crossed paths, his marriage to Zuoqiu Hongting alone was enough to make any faint goodwill vanish.

Later, Zu Tian's dismissal, suicide, and other dramatic events were enough to make any woman despise and despair.

Moreover, she was a wealthy heiress.

The ten of them went to the Du'e Temple, and it's been almost two years. They might have already returned by now.

Compared to Jiang Ning, Li Weiyi felt that Zuoqiu Hongting and Yao Yin were more likely to come to the Underground Immortal Mansion to find him. After all, the former was nominally engaged and had a brotherly bond with Jiang Ning. The latter was more sentimental.

Suppressing the various distracting thoughts in his mind, Li Weiyi said, "The moment we joined the Twin Rice Cult, our fates took a different turn. Breaking free from these shackles and returning to the way things were before is by no means easy. With our current cultivation level, all we can do is hold fast to our principles and take it one step at a time. Only by surviving can we possibly break free from these constraints."

Qi Xiao nodded in deep agreement. "The Twin Rice Cult has at least three transcendent beings, two Rice Ancestors, and that Reborn Living Spirit from Coffin Mountain. The Hall Masters and Deputy Hall Master of the Four Halls, the Five Venerables, the leader of the God-Slaying Servant... are all Longevity Realm Giants, whose strength surpasses that of Myriad Gate Families. If we betray them, we will surely die, and it may even endanger our families and friends."

"This is only a small part of what we know," Li Weiyi said.

The main altar has seven floors, but they have only been to two of them.

In the distance, the roar of rushing water gradually became clearer.

Tuoba Butuo stood up and looked over. "We've arrived!"

Li Weiyi and Qi Xiao were so shocked by the sight before them that they held their breath.

Above the Nether Flower Black Swamp, thousands of meters high, was shrouded in miasma and black mist, forming a false sky.

Upon arriving here, a terrifyingly large hole appeared in the sky, as if it had been punched through in ancient times, with a diameter of tens of miles. Above, where did it lead?

A waterfall of blood cascades down from the "sky" thousands of meters high.

The Bloodfall has a large volume of water and a thunderous sound, but hanging on the edge of the large hole, it looks like a bloodline when viewed from a distance.

Here, the swamp transforms into a vast, blood-red ocean.

Qi Xiao said, "No wonder they say that once you go three hundred miles in, you can't go any further. I felt uneasy as soon as I got here, as if I had entered hell, and my mood was inexplicably irritable."

Tuoba Butuo said, "It's not hell, but it's almost! An epic battle once took place here. Beneath the blood-soaked mud lies an endless sea of bones. The Thousand-Year Elixir and the spear were retrieved from beneath this sea of corpses. So, my two gentlemen, would you dare to come down with me and explore further?"

Li Weiyi said, "Other places have been explored by the Rice Cult disciples for many years, so the chances of finding anything good are very slim. This place, on the contrary, is a treasure trove."

"That's exactly right! The armor and weapons on some of the corpses below haven't completely decomposed and can fetch a good price. As long as you have money, why worry about not being able to buy cultivation resources?" Tuoba Butuo said.

"Sikong Jingyuan could arrive at any time. We must leave someone behind, otherwise we might be ambushed. I'll stay!"

Li Weiyi released the five Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors, excluding the Great Phoenix, so they could also explore the underwater world in search of the Thousand-Year Elixir.

These five fellows summoned a large number of ferocious insects as soldiers and generals. They not only searched for the Thousand-Year Elixir, but also, together with Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao, salvaged skeletons in armor and decaying war weapons, working with great enthusiasm.

Tens of thousands of years have passed, and most of the once sacred artifacts have decayed into scrap metal.

"This armor is alright. It's made of Dense Metal and can be melted down and reforged. It can sell for several thousand Spring Coin."

"What a pity about this Alchemy Furnace. It should have been Thousand Character Artifact back then, used for alchemy and as a weapon. The internal scriptures have dissipated and it has been pierced. A small portion of the material has not rusted away and could be worth tens of thousands of Spring Coin."

Li Weiyi sat on the boat, examining each item one by one, and putting some of the items with remaining value into his bag.

He instructed the six little ones to find items similar in material to the spear, as well as the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone.

So many masters of the Bhakara Sect died here; how could they not have carried Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone? They must have gained something.

"Call!"

A gust of cold wind blew by, bringing a chill to the air.

Li Weiyi quickly raised his head, looked at the vast, crimson sea of water, and then looked behind him, feeling slightly nervous and worried that the commotion here was too great and might attract something terrifying.

This place doesn't seem like a good place.

Yang Qingxi stood in a cave that resembled a karst cave. The cave was extremely vast, reaching tens of meters in height, with bronze beams, steps, stone pillars, stone beasts... some were naturally formed, while others were man-made.

This is the treasure trove that Wang Shu discovered.

The treasure vault has an outer layer and an inner layer.

Climbing the steps on the distant cliff face will take you into the inner layer.

However, there is a formation left over from the ancient Bhakara Sect period on the steps, and the power of the formation only weakens at the end of each month.

Yang Qingxi felt that this place must be the cave of some important figure in the ancient Bhakara Sect, and there must be treasures inside. However, she tried many times but could not get past the stone steps.

A fragrant breeze wafted from behind.

Yang Qingchan, dressed in a green robe, floated down to a stone pillar several feet away.

The spirit within her was extremely fond of beauty. As her physical body strengthened and her power increased, she began to pay attention to her appearance, drawing her eyebrows and lips, applying powder to her cheeks, making her even more beautiful and exquisite than Yang Qingxi without makeup, radiating an extraordinary glow.

Yang Qingchan said, "Sikong Yanlun has retreated!"

"Oh, he doesn't seem like someone who gives up easily." Yang Qingxi said with some surprise.

Fearing the treasure vault would be exposed, Yang Qingxi had been hiding inside the cave for the past few days, while Sikong Yanlun had been searching the surrounding area.

Yang Qingchan said, "He was summoned away by Sikong Jingyuan."

"Sikong Jingyuan has found someone surnamed Li?" Yang Qingxi's heart skipped a beat.

Previously, Yang Qingxi had already encountered Sikong Yanlun and Sikong Jingyuan once, and ended up suffering a crushing defeat. Fortunately, Yang Qingchan's physical body was already very strong, and she could unleash formidable combat power, which allowed them to escape back to the treasure vault.

However, this also exposed the secret of the treasure vault's location in the nearby area.

Yang Qingxi knew that Li Weiyi had also come to the south because Sikong Yanlun had made the arrogant statement that he would "kill Li Weiyi in front of her and make her willingly submit to him." It was as if the reason she refused to submit was because of a certain man, which really made Yang Qingxi furious.

Once I break through to the Fourth Heaven the cultivation realm, I'll first smash his foul mouth, then tear him to pieces to avenge the siege I've endured for so long.

Yang Qingchan said, "You might not believe it, but Sikong Jingyuan was actually defeated by that guy surnamed Li you mentioned. That's why he came to find Sikong Yanlun, wanting to go back and fight again."

A strange light flashed in Yang Qingxi's eyes. "This is impossible! Li Weiyi's martial arts have reached their limit. Mental power cultivation is a slow process, where would he get so many Star Day Pills?"

It was no secret that Li Weiyi possessed the Star Day Pill.

Yang Qingchan said, "Sikong Jingyuan sent Sikong Qin back to the Ku Rong Hall to invite the Great True Disciple Chang Yuyan, but I intercepted him halfway and forced him to reveal a lot of information. That guy surnamed Li may have already reached the level of a four-star Mind Master in terms of mental power, and he has also successfully planted the Dao in the Wind Mansion."

"Where is he?" Yang Qingxi asked.

Yang Qingchan poured Sikong Qin out of the bag. "He was seriously injured in the battle, wounded by the Yin Ghost Commander, so what he said should be true. That Ghost Flag is an extraordinary treasure; you should find a way to seize it. Sacrificing some beauty is worthwhile."

"Beauty? Who do you think Li Weiyi is? You'd better not act rashly with him, or you might make things worse." Yang Qingxi looked at the Old Man on the ground.

Sikong Qin's limbs were all broken, a truly pitiful sight. Blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his face turned a purplish-black.

What's wrong with him?

"They used some secret techniques on him! Gathering information isn't that easy."

Yang Qingxi asked, "Does he know where Li Weiyi is right now?"

"It seems they didn't leave the Nether Flower Black Swamp, but instead went deep into the swamp. They're incredibly bold," Yang Qingchan said.

"The Meditation Flower and the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone are both treasures for a Mind Master's cultivation. He must be after these two things."

An idea popped into Yang Qingxi's mind, and her eyes lit up. "Why don't we go and join in the fun?"

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Yang Qingchan laughed, her red lips glistening.

Yang Qingxi said, "Whether we become the oriole or not is another matter. What if the man surnamed Li loses to those two brothers and they get the Ghost Flag, the Demon Armor, and the Seven Mysterious Insects? What chance will we have to turn things around? Submit to them? I don't even want Yao Qian, let alone them?"