The State of the Realm

This silver bow, as tall as a man, is Sikong Qin's magical weapon, possessing immense power.

"Bang!"

The arrow shot like a beam of light, soaring straight into the sky.

The sound of the bowstring rang out, causing snowflakes to fall from the surrounding trees.

The Green Feather Crow was very intelligent and quickly dodged, avoiding being directly hit. However, it was injured by the magical energy on the arrow and fell rapidly to the ground.

"Should we just fight them and eliminate the threat?" After Tuoba Butuo condensed his Dao Lotus, he was not afraid of the Yi Zhouxue.

"Yi Zhouxue is a cautious person. If she dares to come to ambush us, she must have something to rely on. Moreover, the Ku Rong Hall may also have sent experts to deal with us. Staying here is extremely dangerous and not the right time. In the eyes of most people in the Dao Sect, the three of us are outsiders, outcasts, and could betray us at any time. At the main altar, the various forces have given face to Venerable Nan and Hall Master An, which is why they have not acted rashly."

Li Weiyi stared intently at the location where the Green Feather Crow had landed, calculating the distance. His expression hardened slightly, and he affixed a Divine Speed Talisman to Qi Xiao: "Go quickly!"

Hiding and fleeing all the way, the three arrived in Jin County half a day later. They took off their masks and boarded a passenger ship bound for Leiling City without stopping.

Compared to traveling across the desolate and empty snowfield, hiding on a boat makes one less conspicuous.

Inside the cabin, Qi Xiao transmitted his voice and laughed, "With my arrangements in Jin County, they'll definitely think we're hiding in the city. That should hold them off for at least an hour. In an hour, there will be plenty of boats and carts departing from Jin County!"

This is a large, luxurious post ship, equipped with Defensive Formation. It has three levels, upper, middle, and lower, and is filled with long-distance travelers, each with formidable cultivation.

In chaotic times, if you're not strong enough, how dare you venture far?

The stern carried seven enormous, strange beasts, majestic and imposing, radiating magical energy and light, clearly extraordinary, belonging to some wealthy and powerful family.

Li Weiyi used his Disguise Art, wearing simple gray linen clothes, with a slightly chubby face and kind eyes. While dining on the first floor, he inquired about various information from everyone.

As for Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao, both possessed Pure Immortal Body. Even when using the Disguise Art, they still stood out from the crowd. Therefore, they reduced their public appearances and focused on cultivating in their cabins.

They don't possess the disguise skills that Zuoqiu Hongting honed from childhood, which allowed her to conceal her Pure Immortal Body- like skin.

This post ship departed from Longzhou, carrying mostly Longzhou powerful figures, gang leaders, and scions of influential families. They were heading to Lingxiao City to either seek refuge with relatives and friends, join the army, or find a way to make a living.

Longzhou is famous throughout the world because of the existence of its Myriad Gate Families Dragon Gate.

It is a rich and prosperous continent that ranks among the top in the Lingxiao Shengjing, with a population of tens of millions.

Of course, that's all in the past.

For the past two years, the human race and the Demon Race have been at war. Longzhou has been the first to bear the brunt of the attacks, and has been attacked by the Imperial Court, Xue Jian Tang Ting, Lei Xiao Sect, and various Rebel Army in the eastern region. It is simply impossible to stop them.

Dragon Gate suffered a crushing defeat, withdrew from Longzhou, retreated to the East China Sea, and joined forces with the Three Island Barbarians to continue their stubborn resistance.

The Demon Race's power is mainly in the Western Territory, and at most they can also take care of the southern border. The eastern border is simply beyond their reach.

After Dragon Gate withdrew from Longzhou, the small forces that had previously relied on them, as well as the sects, gangs, and Lineage with which they had connections, were naturally purged and attacked. Those with power were able to use their connections to flee with their entire clans.

Those without strength can only wait to die in the chaos of war, vanishing into nothingness.

"Longzhou and Qingzhou were once densely populated, with a combined population of over 100 million. Martial arts flourished there, and the land was fertile. But after two years of war, at least ten million people died tragically, and tens of millions were displaced. Everything was destroyed, and the plains were covered with bones, a scene of desolation. It was truly tragic!"

"Yes! Dragon Gate deserves to die, but over 90% of those who died were ordinary people who had absolutely no connection to the matter."

"When war breaks out, what is right or wrong? The invaders are the righteous army, but those who die in the aftermath of the battle, those who die because of their looting, once the law is gone, good people become evil people, everyone is killing, and no one stands up to maintain order or uphold justice. Who can those innocent people who die unjustly seek justice from?"

Ultimately, lacking strength is the root of all mistakes.

"Escaping to Lingxiao City should be better; at least I won't die an unknown death in the chaos of war. I heard the Imperial Court is recruiting soldiers; I'm going to give it a try."

As dinnertime approached, the sky outside the window gradually darkened.

The wind has stopped, but the snow continues.

In the spacious dining hall, there were more than twenty square tables. Passengers who had been resting in the cabins came one after another and took their seats in twos and threes. Almost all of them were martial arts practitioners from Longzhou and Qingzhou, and their families.

Some were discussing the state of the world, full of ambition. Others were filled with resentment and deeply disappointed with the world. Still others remained silent, having lost the energy for lofty discussions.

The two middle-aged men sitting next to Li Weiyi were the leader and deputy leader of a gang in Longzhou. They were both top experts in the Fourth Sea and fifth Five Seas Realm, and they had a ruthless air about them.

The gang leader, He Gan, was Deformed Race with wings on his back. He sighed, "The entire Liangzhou is shrouded in eeriness. The Imperial Court has assembled a large army and is leveling tombs and destroying monuments everywhere, but one wave rises after another. I don't think we have many good days left. Lingxiao will eventually be swallowed up by the Netherworld of the Departed, turning into eternal darkness and death."

The deputy leader said, "Everyone says it's the work of the Netherworld of the Departed, but recently another voice has emerged. A month ago, an earthquake occurred in Fuzhou, and some transcendent beings rushed out of the Underground Immortal Mansion. Everyone says that the Underground Immortal Mansion is the lair of an evil cult, and that those rice people are plotting something big."

He Gan's expression hardened. "Who told you that?"

"That's what the Taishi Family said this morning. They're well-informed and know a lot of secrets," the deputy leader said.

Beside him, Li Weiyi raised his cup, smiling as he toasted, "I am Sikong Jingyuan of Qingzhou. May I ask how you two are addressed?"

He Gan and Guo Zhensheng exchanged a glance, raised their glasses in return, and introduced themselves.

After some flattery and pleasantries, Li Weiyi asked, "What Vice Leader Guo just said about a transcendent being emerging from the Underground Immortal Mansion is very strange. As far as I know, even Longevity Realm Giants can't get in."

Guo Zhensheng said, "This matter should be true. Several members of the Taishi Family said that the entrance to the Underground Immortal Mansion was destroyed, and a transcendent power swept across the heavens and earth. Many people witnessed it firsthand. By the way, it is said that it may have been a Buddhist practitioner, as the Buddhist light was so strong that the entire prefecture was bathed in golden light for thousands of miles."

Li Weiyi understood. It was highly likely that the Monk's Remains had escaped. Its combat power was truly terrifying; it had actually managed to break through the Dao Sect's headquarters and directly break out.

No wonder the Twin Rice Cult joined forces with the Demon Race to attack Lingxiao City. After this incident, many things could no longer be hidden and had to come out into the open.

Hopefully, Zen Sea Observing Mist and his three masters have already taken the opportunity to escape from the Underground Immortal Mansion.

Li Weiyi then asked, "I see a Sui-character flag flying at the bow. Could this post ship we're on belong to the Sui Sect?"

"Naturally, it's the Sui Sect's ship," He Qian said.

Li Weiyi was secretly surprised, not expecting that the influence of the Sui Sect had spread to Qujiang.

Wouldn't that allow access to almost half the world?

Guo Zhensheng said, "After the Sui Sect pledged allegiance to the Imperial Court, he gained the favor of the Second Palace Master and formed multiple marriage alliances with the Jiang family, thus establishing a firm foothold in the court. They have taken over all water transport affairs in the eight core prefectures controlled by the Imperial Court, including the current Longzhou and Qingzhou."

He Qian said, "The Sui Sect is quite lucky. After submitting to the Imperial Court, an epic war broke out, forcing the major human forces to join forces to resist. As a result, the Sui Sect's ships can now sail freely throughout Lingxiao, and the sect has grown rapidly. It is said that the sect's disciples and members of its affiliated gangs number in the hundreds of thousands, all of whom are martial arts experts."

Guo Zhensheng said, "Tang Wanzhou died in the Underground Immortal Mansion. After Zuoqiu Ling issued the <Cycle Record>, Yao Qian broke through to immortality and is now ranked first in the <Cycle Record>. He has been appointed as the Shaoqing of the Attendant Hall by the Second Palace Master, and his future is limitless."

He Gan sighed, "The entire Sui Sect has a spirit of striving for excellence. With Yao Qian added, there are already three Longevity Realm Giants and one Saint Mind Master. Once Yang Shen Realm breaks through to transcendence, who knows, it might become a sect with millions of members in the future."

During their subsequent conversation, Li Weiyi learned that the two of them were heading to Fuzhou to seek refuge with the Sui Sect.

This is the influence of the first Cycle Record; Yao Qian alone could attract countless heroes and talents to join him.

As darkness fell completely, villages dotted both banks of the Qujiang were visible, with only a few scattered lights.

Li Weiyi carried the meal box and prepared to return to the cabin.

Before he had even left the dining hall, he suddenly stopped, hearing a sound. The next instant, from the deck just a wall away, came the booming sound of the array's Light Veil being torn apart.

"Splash!"

The massive ship rocked violently, and the water churned.

One heavy footstep after another landed on the deck.

Li Weiyi sensed the fluctuations in Yi Zhouxue's magical energy and quickly picked up her lunchbox and sat back down in her original seat.

Inside the dining hall, screams and shouts erupted, creating a commotion.

Several martial arts practitioners, confident in their superior skills, rushed out of the dining hall to investigate.

The next moment.

Screams erupted outside; all the martial artists who had rushed out earlier collapsed to the ground, dead.

"Have we encountered Three Island Barbarians? They even dared to hijack a Sui Sect ship?" Guo Zhensheng was extremely nervous. He recognized the men who had rushed out earlier; they were all renowned experts from Longzhou, yet they were killed without even having the chance to fight back.

Two Dao Seed Realm experts from the Patrol Guard entered the dining hall. Both were dressed in wide Black Robe, wore masks with blood-grain patterns, and held scythes as magical implements. Their eyes emitted a bright green light as they scanned everyone inside, searching for something.

"It's a cult... ah..."

A young girl in purple robes uttered a sentence in a low voice, only to be pierced through the skull by one of the Black Robe masters with a single glance, killing him instantly. The emerald light in his pupils could condense into a tangible flying sword, killing from a distance.

The entire dining hall was filled with a desolate atmosphere.

Everyone was so frightened that they lowered their heads, their legs trembling, and they didn't dare to breathe.

Like everyone else, Li Weiyi kept his head down, but a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He knew very well that these people were after him, and that the woman had died unjustly because he had hidden on the boat.

Everything happened too fast. Li Weiyi underestimated their ruthlessness and was unable to stop them in time.

Moreover, while Yi Zhouxue and the Patrol Guard were searching for him everywhere, they may have killed quite a few people on other ships as well.

They did not regard humans as their own kind, but rather as worthless weeds and livestock.