Winter Had Come Again

The path leading away from the main altar is located in the Heavenly World Hall.

The Heavenly World Hall is responsible for all affairs of the world. The Hall Master, the three Deputy Hall Masters, the five Venerables, and the twenty-eight Elders are almost all scattered throughout the Twenty-Eight Prefectures of Lingxiao, not at the main altar.

The Heavenly World Hall complex is located south of the Mortal Layer.

The cultivators who entered the temple almost all wore masks, indicating that they had special identities outside.

Li Weiyi, Tuoba Butuo, and Qi Xiao went to Nanyan Pass together, also wearing masks to cover their faces and changing their forms before entering the hall. The three handed over their life tablets and planted Death Spirit Fire one after another.

The Old Man in charge of registration then asked them where they were going.

Li Weiyi, being a divine child and already imbued with the Death Spirit Fire by Yao Qingxuan, didn't need to undergo the process again. He adopted an arrogant demeanor and said displeasedly, "A divine child traveling must have an important mission. How can I easily reveal my whereabouts? If the news leaks, can you bear the responsibility?"

The Old Man quickly apologized, saying, "It's like this: in order to conceal the main altar of the Divine Sect and its entrance, everyone below the Venerable level must use Spatial Teleportation Array to be transported to several Dao Ancestor Temple outside, and then quietly disperse."

"It's normal that the Fourth Divine Son, who has never left the palace, wouldn't know this."

"For example, if His Highness the Divine Child needs to go to the Western Territory on official business, but is teleported to the Eastern Territory instead, wouldn't he have to take a lot of unnecessary detours?"

Qi Xiao recalled the Qingyi Town outside Qiuzhou City. There was a Dao Ancestor Temple where a Saint Mind Master was stationed. It probably had a teleportation array and was one of the gathering places of the Dao Sect.

Beneath Li Weiyi's mask, the coldness in his eyes lessened. "Go to the Eastern Border."

Nanyan Pass is located in the far north of the prefecture, belonging to the southern region.

He deliberately mentioned the Eastern Territory because the registration information of the Heavenly World Hall is too easily leaked. Who knows, the news might reach some people as soon as he leaves.

To enter or leave the main altar, one must be inspected by the Myriad-character Artifact Buddha statue.

The boundary bag, the wind mansion, the ancestral field, the internal organs and bones—none of them can hide people or objects.

Li Weiyi knew this and had already taken the risk of pulling Tang Wanzhou into the Blood Mud Space. The Dao Ancestor Taiji Fish was not something that a mere Buddha statue could see through.

Led by a young inner disciple, the three entered the depths of the cave behind the main hall. An ancient Spatial Teleportation Array appeared before them.

It has a diameter of three zhang, with the blood of Ancient Immortal Giant Beast flowing in the array pattern grooves and inlaid with High-grade Blood Crystal, and it is very similar to the one in the Southern Clear Palace.

The cave is spacious, with stone steps carved into the walls that meander upwards, and light can be faintly seen coming from above.

It's natural light.

A cool breeze blew down.

Li Weiyi and the other two raised their heads and stared for a long time. They knew in their hearts that the exit above must be the one leading directly to the ground. The Spatial Teleportation Array could not penetrate the barrier of the Underground Immortal Mansion. They were teleported out from the exit.

Having been trapped underground for over a year, everyone felt a surge of excitement, as if they were about to escape their cage and return to the world of everyday life.

The stone steps were blocked and impassable.

The three of them, along with sixteen other masked members of the Rice Cult, entered the Spatial Teleportation Array.

"Whoosh!"

The entire formation was shrouded in bloody light, obscuring the outside world. All one could feel was a strong sense of weightlessness, making one feel nauseous and uncomfortable.

My body felt like it was being kneaded and then rapidly lifted up and down.

Fortunately, everyone possessed profound cultivation and was able to remain calm and composed.

After the bloody light dissipated, they found themselves in a dark and damp cave. Li Weiyi and his two companions followed their companions to the surface, where they appeared in the inner hall of a Daoist temple.

After leaving the Dao Ancestor Temple, the remaining sixteen people quickly departed, scattering in all directions.

Li Weiyi and his two companions stood outside the Daoist temple, in the vast expanse of white snow. They opened their arms, closed their eyes, and breathed deeply. The gloomy mood in their hearts was swept away, and they felt a sense of exhilaration, like a dragon emerging from the sea, with the sky high and the sea wide.

Qi Xiao roared, "Finally, he's out of it! It's so much more comfortable outside. I'm going to go to the Heavenly Pavilion and order the most expensive dishes, drink the finest wine, and have the most beautiful girls play the zither and dance. I have to make up for my Dao Seed Banquet."

"Haha, I had the same thought! But going to the Immortal Forest is more in line with our current status. We are no longer ordinary Dao Seed Realm; we can certainly invite immortal officials to accompany us," Tuoba Butuo said.

Li Weiyi chuckled softly, "If you're going to Immortal Forest, I won't accompany you, because we can't get in."

When we entered the Underground Immortal Mansion, the autumn air was crisp and clear.

When I went out again, it was already the following winter.

Soon, the three were pulled back to reality. They had Death Spirit Fire planted in their bodies, and although they had left the Underground Immortal Mansion, they were still tied with a rope.

Outside the Dao Ancestor Temple is an ordinary market town with a population of over a thousand, used as a cover.

"Old Qi, go and ask around, try to get a car," Li Weiyi said.

Qi Xiao asked doubtfully, "Won't this leave a trace and allow someone to track us? I noticed that the masked cultivators earlier were all wary of each other, taking different routes to leave, not even daring to leave footprints."

Tuoba Butuo said, "The fewer people who know, the less risk of exposure."

Li Weiyi narrowed his eyes slightly. "Others will certainly have ways to track and find me. What I mean is, since it's unavoidable, why not see who will track me first? If there's no one at all, we won't have to live in constant fear."

"Understood!"

Qi Xiao's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood. He went to the town to inquire and make purchases.

The residents of the town are not ordinary people; they have intricate connections with the Twin Rice Cult.

After a while, Qi Xiao drove an old and simple carriage to Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo, picked them up, and sped off towards the edge of town.

The wheels of their vehicles kicked up the snow on the road, and braving the cold wind, they officially embarked on a journey fraught with uncertainty.

As Qi Xiao cracked his whip on his horse, he said, "This market town is called Chengu Town. It is located in Jin County of Taicang Prefecture, one of the eight prefectures of Liangzhou. It is only 600 li away from Qu County of the prefecture, but it is more than 2,000 li away from Nanyan Pass, where we are going."

Tuoba Butuo said, "The Twin Rice Cult truly formidable, controlling Spatial Teleportation Array. Even if ordinary followers go to the main altar, they won't know where it is located. My Tuoba Clan is a powerful northern clan with a transcendent Old Ancestor, but this is the first time I've ever seen such a legendary array."

Qi Xiao was moved and nodded slightly. "The Twin Rice Cult can be called a power worth hundreds of millions. What the world knows about it is only the tip of the iceberg."

The criteria for a power with tens of millions of followers are: First, it must have a history of at least a thousand years. Second, it must have at least tens of thousands of martial arts practitioners with superior talent. Third, it must have tens of millions of people with whom it can directly exert influence.

All three conditions must be met.

Of course, there are also some hidden conditions.

For example, there must be a transcendent figure in charge, top-level legal codes, an impenetrable mountain gate, and at least ten experts at the level of the Longevity Realm and Saint Mind Master who are completely obedient to him... If these hidden conditions are not met, it will be difficult to be recognized by the world.

The Jiu Li Tribe, lacking transcendence, became a laughing stock among forces with millions of members.

After more than a decade of conquest, those who possessed extraordinary power expanded rapidly, reaping enormous benefits, and their territories and populations reached the level of tens of millions.

However, taking the Tuoba Clan as an example, although they have tens of millions of people, they do not have that many obedient Longevity Realm Giants and top-notch martial artists under their command. Their foundation and resources are incomparable to those of a real clan with Myriad Gate Families. They rely entirely on the power of their Old Ancestor.

If the Old Ancestor were to die unexpectedly, there would be a crisis of extinction for the entire clan.

Moreover, the Tuoba Clan, residing in the northern border, had to obey the Xue Jian Tang Ting and lacked the imposing presence of Myriad Gate Families.

The number of top-tier martial arts practitioners is closely related to the number of experts at the Five Seas Realm level, which in turn affects the strength of the army that can be formed.

A power worth hundreds of millions is generally considered to be more than ten times that of Myriad Gate Families, and only the Imperial Court could achieve that.

"The Spatial Teleportation Array is a remnant of the ancient Bhakara Sect. Within the Dao sect, there must be powerful mind masters who have learned the art of setting up the array. However, they are not yet proficient enough, and can only teleport us to the outskirts of Fuzhou," Li Weiyi analyzed.

Tuoba Butuo said, "That's right! If the array deployment ability is strong, they will definitely try their best to teleport to a place far away from the prefecture to avoid the danger of the main altar being discovered."

Li Weiyi also researched Spatial Teleportation Array, hoping to combine them with the Buddha's Sarira. However, he failed because his mental power was not strong enough to draw a complete array diagram.

Ten miles outside the town, the three quietly got out of the car, Conceal Qi, and hid in the snow on the right side of the road.

"Boom!"

The carriage continued its frantic gallop, the sound of its wheels and hooves filling the air.

They disappeared into the snowfield.

Half an hour later, a group of powerful martial artists, using their movement techniques, followed the cart tracks without leaving a trace in the snow.

After the ear-piercing sound of wind breaking disappeared, Li Weiyi transmitted his voice to the two people in the snow. "Five people in total, four at the Dao Seed Realm and one at the Mind Master, from the Patrol Guard. Quite a grand gesture; it seems they're determined to get them. One of them is Yi Zhouxue!"

"Could it be that they happen to have a mission?" Qi Xiao asked.

Tuoba Butuo said, "No! Yi Zhouxue is someone who can enter the Cycle Record. Just now, she used her movement technique to travel at high speed, which exposed her aura and will be detected by the Cycle Record. The Imperial Court's supervision of the world is indeed far less than before, but it is still a risk. Yi Zhouxue must be pursuing us, so she is willing to expose herself to the Cycle Record."

Li Weiyi smiled and said, "Both Tuoba and I have a chance to be included in the <Cycle Record>. In order to keep a low profile as much as possible, Lao Qi, from now on, we'll have to rely on you for many things!"

"Haha, I never thought that one day I would be put to great use because I wasn't strong enough," Qi Xiao laughed.

"Walk!"

The three broke through the snow and decided not to wait any longer.

Once the five top Patrol Guard catch up with the empty car, they will realize they've been tricked and will definitely turn back.

Qi Xiao enveloped Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo with his magical energy, and they traveled eastward swiftly on clouds of magical energy, their feet barely touching the ground.

"Why not go west or south? Geographically speaking, Nanyan Pass to our southwest," Tuoba Butuo asked curiously, wondering what Li Weiyi was worried about.

Li Weiyi said, "Fuzhou is currently a dangerous place, with countless experts gathered there. A slight misstep could lead to being targeted, so it's best to avoid them. I don't want to fight anyone before completing the mission. The <Cycle Record> and Luantai are troublesome. The <Record of Mortal Overlords>, Zuoqiu Courtyard, and Du'e Temple are even more troublesome, as they can lock onto all martial artists at the Dao Seed Realm level."

The Dao Seed Realm is the Overlord of the Mortal World.

Tuoba Butuo suddenly realized and said, "Then we can only detour to Nanyan Pass."

Qi Xiao said, "I have a route. We can take a boat north from Qujiang, disembark at Leiling City, and follow the Xushan Heavenly Vein to Nanyan Pass. That way, the people chasing us won't know our true destination. Oh no, it's Green Feather Crow! There's a tracking expert in that Patrol Guard team."

A blue crow circled high in the sky, sometimes in the clouds, sometimes in the sky, as if guiding the people below.

Qi Xiao was very alert and discovered it.

"Can we shoot it down?" Li Weiyi asked.

"It's too high... I'll try it."

Qi Xiao took the bow and arrow from Tuoba Butuo, and after drawing the bow, hundreds of scriptures surrounded his body.