Snow Falls Across the City

The Hidden Lord looked at Li Weiyi, a smile in his eyes, "I know you have many doubts! This Deputy Commander Zhou before you is a hidden figure from the Hidden Gate, with a history of sixty years, responsible for infiltrating the Imperial Court."

Li Weiyi completely relaxed, clasped his hands in greeting, and said with a smile, "Greetings, Elder Zhou!"

The hermits of the previous sixty years were all hermit elders.

The hermit from the previous sixty years is called the Supreme Elder.

Zhou Bida forced a stiff smile, clearly indicating that he was usually a serious person.

Li Weiyi said, "Is there a flaw in my Disguise Art? How did the Hidden Lord know it was me?"

Hidden Lord smiled at him.

Li Weiyi understood. "So, she told you?"

She was referring to Yao Qingxuan, of course.

With the Hidden Lord appearing here, Yao Qingxuan's identity is self-evident.

"I guessed she didn't dare to say it explicitly."

The Hidden Lord sighed, "Being in her position, the slightest carelessness could lead to annihilation. Within you lies the Death Spirit Fire she planted. And to gain the trust of the Rice Cult's higher-ups, she also has a layer of restraint within her, even more mysterious, so that her words and actions can be sensed."

Li Weiyi finally understood that Yao Qingxuan, despite being a reclusive elder, had always been cold to him and could only protect him in a subtle way.

Li Weiyi is at the Rice Education Headquarters, and she has her backing.

But she had no powerful backers and could only rely on herself, walking on thin ice, facing even more terrifying enemies.

"Wouldn't she be in great danger?" Li Weiyi asked with great concern.

If it weren't for Yao Qingxuan's care, he would have suffered a lot of torment after falling into the Twin Rice Cult, and wouldn't have fared much better than Tuoba Butuo and the others, even though he had the value of cultivating Golden Rice.

The Hidden Lord said, "Who isn't in danger? I myself came to Nanyan Pass, wasn't I also taking a huge risk? The Rice Cult has grand ambitions, intending to overthrow the entire Lingxiao Shengjing. At that time, hiding anywhere will lead to certain death. If the strong don't take the initiative to shoulder responsibility, don't take risks, and don't seek a way out, but instead rely on others, in the end everyone will perish in their selfishness."

"There's nothing I can do! Actually, she should have been the Hidden Lord, and I should have gone to teach rice cultivation. It was all decided back then... Sigh..."

As he spoke, Hidden Lord couldn't contain his emotions any longer, and after a moment's hesitation, he asked, "Where are the things?"

Li Weiyi took out the iron box, which was about one foot square, and placed it on the long table in the pavilion.

Hidden Lord untied the runes on the iron box, opened the lid, and red light emanated from inside.

The first layer contains a fist-sized fruit, with a strong aroma and a glistening, translucent appearance.

"The Vermillion Glow Fruit is a rare treasure that can extend one's life by thirty years." Li Weiyi recognized it.

Zhou Bida, "This is my request to the Twin Rice Cult: an extra thirty years of lifespan will greatly increase the probability of breaking through to immortality."

Without even glancing at the Vermillion Glow Fruit, the Hidden Lord swiftly opened the second layer.

Inside, radiating golden light, was a peanut-sized Longevity Golden Pill, with countless scriptures floating on its surface.

The Longevity Golden Pill is not Longevity Pill; it is a golden elixir cultivated by Longevity Realm Martial Cultivator.

When the Dao Fruit is fused into a Golden Elixir, one reaches the Longevity Realm.

The Hidden Lord tossed the Longevity Golden Pill aside and searched everywhere, even peeling back the layers of the iron box one by one. "It's not here, why isn't it here?"

"What is Hidden Lord looking for?" Li Weiyi asked.

The Hidden Lord said, "She sent you to Nanyan Pass: first, to send you out of the main altar and restore your freedom; second, she must have brought out something extremely important that we urgently need. Did she give you anything else?"

"No, they only gave me this tin box before they left... If there's anything else..."

Li Weiyi took out the Golden Smiling Buddha Mask and handed it to Hidden Lord: "But she gave me this mask a long time ago!"

The Hidden Lord took the mask and immediately activated it with his spiritual light. Instantly, the mask burst forth with an extremely dazzling brilliance. Upon closer inspection, array diagrams and Formation Script appeared inside the mask, densely packed and incredibly profound.

"These are the things!"

Hidden Lord let out a long sigh, quickly memorizing and imprinting it into his consciousness. "There are some things on these that only the Zuoqiu Courtyard can decipher. Without these array diagrams and Formation Script, attacking the Daojiao headquarters would result in casualties at least five to one. No side can afford such losses."

After memorizing everything, Hidden Lord erased the array diagrams and Formation Script inside the mask and returned it to Li Weiyi: "Did she ask you to deliver any message?"

Li Weiyi really didn't want to say it, because saying it would mean that Yao Qingxuan might die at the Rice Sect's headquarters. But it was undoubtedly her own choice, and she couldn't help but feel extremely sad.

Li Weiyi sat down heavily. "The Yin Shi Zhong Dao is true."

Yao Qingxuan didn't say it explicitly, but that was the gist of it.

Both Hidden Lord and Zhou Bida's expressions changed drastically, even though everyone had long suspected it. But whether it was truly confirmed was another matter entirely.

It's important to know that this isn't the first time that Yin Shi Zhong Dao. The last time, it directly wiped out an entire human habitat, turning it into a world of rice people.

The Hidden Lord's voice was hoarse as he asked, "When will rice blossoms fill the world?"

"Three months later... but she said it couldn't be taken seriously, and the Rice Cult would try to delay as much as possible." Li Weiyi immediately added, "By the way! At that time, the Rice Cult and the Demon Race will join forces to attack Lingxiao City."

Following that, Li Weiyi recounted what he had seen and heard in Leiling City, telling them that the Demon Race had also allied with some forces in the Netherworld of the Departed.

Both Hidden Lord and Zhou Bida had seen their share of storms, but they were still stunned by the news Li Weiyi told them, completely holding their breath and their hearts pounding.

"Three months... is time already that tight?" Zhou Bida.

Hidden Lord clenched his fists. "All the forces in the world wish the Demon Race would tear Yu Yaozi to pieces, and they also wish Yu Yaozi would slaughter the Demon Race. The Demon Race and the Rice Cult are too good at choosing their tactics. If they attack Lingxiao City, everyone in the world will applaud and stand by and watch, waiting for them to be weakened together."

"I suspect that if I were to send this message back to Zuoqiu Courtyard, it would backfire."

Li Weiyi said, "Does Zuoqiu Courtyard and watch the tigers fight?"

Who knows?

The Hidden Lord was agitated. "Right now, the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Xue Jian Tang Ting have joined forces with various parties, intending to attack the Underground Immortal Mansion. However, their hearts are not united, and they are all afraid of casualties. If the news gets back, the various parties will likely back down and let the Demon Race, the Rice Cult, and the Imperial Court fight first. Never mind, let's go back first."

Zhou Bida, "Give me those thirty Imperial Court cultivators under Phoenix-born Unicorn-young's control, and I will report to the Luantai."

"Oh, right, there's also Yang Shen Realm and Xu Fudu, who are the two Deputy Hall Masters of the Rice Sect. Is there any chance to bring down the Sui Sect first?" Li Weiyi asked.

Hidden Lord said, "How easy is that? The Sui Sect now incredibly powerful and enjoys the deep trust of the Second Palace Master. Moreover, they are retainers of the Jiu Li Tribe and have impeccable backgrounds."

"The Imperial Court is now rotten to the core, filled with infighting and utter chaos. Any news that gets out will be interpreted as factional strife," Zhou Bida.

Hidden Lord pulled Li Weiyi along, preparing to take him back to Lizhou, away from the eye of the storm.

Li Weiyi suddenly thought of something, "Are Elder Zhou's family members in the hands of the Twin Rice Cult?"

A look of deep sorrow appeared in Zhou Bida's eyes. "Don't worry, I can distinguish right from wrong when it comes to matters of principle, and I won't be controlled by them. If my family is killed, I will go to join them."

Hidden Lord said, "Old Zhou, the Hidden Gate will do everything in its power to rescue you."

Li Weiyi quickly explained, "That's not what I meant! Elder Zhou, I believe that a man's responsibility is to serve his country and its people, and also to care for his children and family. Who is controlling them? Where are they?"

Zhou Bida shook his head, his eyes reddening. "I don't know! The one who carried out this wasn't the one from our Hidden Gate, but another force within the Rice Cult, perhaps the Yang Shen Realm you mentioned."

Li Weiyi looked at Hidden Lord: "When I set off, she said that I should go to Nanyan Pass and find Prefectural Elder, Prefectural Elder is in charge of everything here. I think she was implying that Elder Zhou's family could be found through Prefectural Elder. I want to give it a try!"

Hidden Lord stared intently at Li Weiyi: "Why do you think the cult is hiding things from her and guarding against her? Do you think you're safe? Oh, fine, fine, I've never been able to dissuade you. At most, I'll wait for you outside the city for half a day. Old Zhou, do you think our Hidden Person is qualified?"

"Unfit to be Hidden Person."

Zhou Bida's face was full of gratitude. He packed the Vermillion Glow Fruit and the Longevity Golden Pill into a box and handed it to Li Weiyi: "But Hidden Person with humanity is even more worthy of our utmost loyalty. Please accept it and don't refuse. Thank you!"

Li Weiyi wasn't one to fuss over trivial matters; she accepted the iron box and promised him, "The Hidden Gate will not abandon any Hidden Person, including their families."

The Hidden Lord, carrying a crucial secret concerning the lives of countless people, was unwilling to take the risk and immediately left the city.

Li Weiyi then disguised himself again and went to the Twin Rice Cult's stronghold in Nanyan Pass.

Guanlan Pavilion is a brothel.

Many beautiful women from the Rice Cult were sold into brothels, where they met tragic fates. Ironically, this also made brothels an ideal place for Rice Cult practitioners to gather intelligence and establish strongholds.

Li Weiyi had just found Guanlan Pavilion and was gazing at the magnificent and imposing garden architecture before him.

"Boom!"

The entire Nanyan Pass trembled violently, and the fluctuations of magical energy spread throughout the city, activating the array's Light Veil layer by layer.

It contains the magical energy fluctuations of those Longevity Realm Experts.

Snowflakes blanketed the entire city, each the size of a goose feather.

Li Weiyi looked up at the fourth-tier city and discerned that the battle fluctuations were coming from the direction of the Zhou residence.

The sound of battle was like a bolt from the blue, causing Li Weiyi's heart to stop beating for a moment, his mind filled with "why".

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately turned and walked quickly toward the city gate.

Inside the Zhou residence, large areas of the buildings collapsed, and the Defensive Formation exploded, indicating that the attack had been breached from the outside.

"We're too late!"

Yao Qian, dressed in the official robes of Shaoqing, stood tall and handsome, his Dao Heart Manifestation enveloping the entire Nanyan Pass, carefully sensing every passerby, with a particular focus on the direction of the city gate.

His mental strength wasn't strong enough to pinpoint the location of every single person; he needed to rely on luck.

Standing around him were two rows of female officials from the Luan Terrace, each possessing Pure Immortal Body and formidable cultivation.

On the other side, Zhou Bida had a hole punched through his chest, forming a bloody wound the size of a bowl, with blood flowing from his seven orifices. But he was still alive and had a strong will to live, and was convulsing in pain.

The Sheng Family Ancestor released Spiritual Light Threads from between his eyebrows, which burrowed into Zhou Bida's head, attempting to seize his soul and search for his memories.

"You... don't even think about it..."

Zhou Bida roared and gathered all his remaining strength, bursting out from the bottom of the pit and punching the Sheng Family Ancestor. The fist's power was domineering and powerful, causing the Heaven and Earth Mana Qi of the entire Zhou mansion to boil.

The Sheng Family Ancestor's expression changed drastically, and he immediately retreated.

"Boom!"

Yao Qian descended from the sky, crushing Zhou Bida's head into a bloody pulp with a single stomp. Another crater appeared in the ground, and his booming voice echoed, "Close the city gates! Martial law for the entire city!"

A female official from the Imperial Secretariat said, "What if the cult leader who came to make contact has already left the city?"

"The sect leader of the Sui Sect will personally take action. Even if someone at the Longevity Realm comes, they will surely die," Yao Qian said calmly.