I Am Taishi Bai's Friend

Li Weiyi didn't turn around at all, but looked straight ahead.

Four female officials from the Luantai Pavilion walked side by side, their official robes displaying numerous Formation Script that combined into a sword formation. Hundreds upon hundreds of sword shadows followed their movements.

All four were top-tier experts who had condensed Dao Lotuses.

Once the formation was complete, its Aura was overwhelming, like a wall of Sword Qi pressing down on the streets as if they had been slashed and carved by knives and axes.

Li Weiyi let out a ferocious laugh, grabbed a handful of chopsticks from the bamboo tube, and uttered the word "Lin" from the Six Jia Secret Incantation.

"Whoosh!"

The chopsticks, imbued with spiritual light, scattered outwards.

In the next instant, each chopstick sprouted branches and transformed into a human-shaped bamboo several meters tall, attacking Jiang Ning and the four female officials of the Luantai Palace.

Li Weiyi affixed a Divine Speed Talisman to his body and rushed towards the alleyway to his left.

"Whoosh!"

Jiang Ning slashed horizontally with his sword, the Sword Qi bright, clearing away the chopstick puppets in front of him, turning them all into flying debris.

Seeing that the old man who had transformed into a young man was moving extremely fast, she immediately used her Dao Heart Manifestation, unleashing her inner magical energy, and white flying feathers enveloped the surrounding streets.

"Whoosh!"

Thousands of magical energy feathers spun and surged forth, like a long white dragon, instantly catching up to Li Weiyi.

Each piece is like a sharp blade.

From behind Li Weiyi's head, a crimson-gold spear flew out and blasted the pursuing white dragon apart.

"Clang!"

The sound of swords rang out piercingly.

Jiang Ning's back was covered in radiant feathers, and he thrust out his sword with lightning speed, causing the surrounding air to boil.

Li Weiyi dared not use his magical energy; if he did, she would surely discover his identity.

Then, holding the Staff Spear of All Things, he uttered the word "Dou" from the Six Jia Secret Incantation.

Spiritual light and flames continuously surged from the spirit realm, condensing into a crimson-gold armor over two meters tall on his body, as if a peerless warrior had possessed him.

Using the "Fight" technique, one can transform mental energy into the strongest combat attack.

The Staff Spear of All Things thrust out and collided with the tip of the Startled Feather Sword.

"Boom!"

A large number of houses on both sides of the alley had collapsed, and dust billowed, opening up a wider view.

Fortunately, Jiang Ning had already scared away the people in the nearby houses, so no one was injured.

Jiang Ning was sent flying backward, his sword-wielding arm scalded by the flames. The flames emanating from that spear were extremely terrifying, beyond the reach of even the most powerful first-level fire Major Technique.

Li Weiyi took two steps back and fled quickly into the distance.

He was also surprised, not expecting Jiang Ning's combat strength to be so strong.

It should be noted that two years ago, during the Qianlong Lantern Festival, her Seventh Sea was not yet complete, and she needed to continue accumulating power in the Seventh Sea, unlike Yang Qingxi, Tuoba Butuo, Long Ting, and others who could directly cultivate the Dragon Cultivation Dao.

But two years later, her cultivation level caught up with these Inheritor-level geniuses, reaching the Fourth Heaven the Dao Seed Realm.

Subtly, they rose to prominence and surpassed others.

Li Weiyi believed that wielding the Staff Spear of All Things and using the Douzi Mantra, the power of his attack would be no less than that of a Dao Seed Fifth Heaven inheritor. However, he could only repel her at the Fourth Heaven, failing to inflict any significant damage.

They ran two or three miles in an instant, and were about to escape the alley.

At the alley entrance, a handsome young figure stood there. He was dressed in red, looked to be around twenty years old, with clear features and sharp eyes, and appeared to have been waiting for Li Weiyi for a long time.

He said, "Your mental techniques are very interesting, with unusually strong power. I was originally quite interested in you. But since you have injured Ningning, today I have no choice but to let your blood splatter here."

Li Weiyi sensed an extremely dangerous aura emanating from this person.

The man in red smiled, showing no intention of making a move, and exhaled a breath of magical energy.

"Swish!"

Within the storm of magical energy, dozens of flying blades of different shapes materialized. Instantly, the buildings on both sides of the alley collapsed and crumbled as if made of tofu, demonstrating astonishing destructive power.

The protective formations of these buildings were utterly ineffective. Countless screams erupted from inside the houses.

"Forward!"

Li Weiyi's body was enveloped in Golden Crow Flame, flashing violently, and he teleported to a height of ten zhang in the air, avoiding all attacks.

Jiang Ning, who was chasing behind, soared into the air, her beautiful figure splitting into countless clones like a group of celestial maidens attacking.

The man in red was even faster, arriving above Li Weiyi's head in an instant. He chuckled softly, looking completely at ease, and his palm transformed into a cloud of scriptures, striking down to completely lock onto and envelop Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi had no more reservations now, and directly activated the Provincial Governor's Official Robe he was wearing underneath. "So, Fairy Yu has a lover to help her. I concede defeat. Let's end it here for today and fight again another day."

"Whoosh!"

The moment the celestial clouds pressed down, the space trembled violently, and Li Weiyi transformed into a cloud of purple mist and disappeared.

The man in red exclaimed in surprise, "Interesting! I thought your Lingxiao Shengjing had declined, but unexpectedly, a random Mind Master has emerged who has even mastered spatial escape techniques."

The man in red released his thoughts.

He quickly sensed the spatial fluctuations appearing in a bustling area of the city, and transformed into a streak of red light to give chase.

After a while, the man in red returned to the area that had been reduced to ruins, having found nothing.

Imperial Court soldiers scattered throughout the ruins to rescue people, dragging out bodies one by one.

Standing beside the ruins, Jiang Ning looked at the devastation and fell into deep thought.

Other martial artists couldn't discern the Spatial Power just now, but she knew it was erupting from the Provincial Governor's Official Robe.

"Could it be a master strategist from one of the Imperial Court's factions in disguise?"

Jiang Ning had no choice but to speculate in this direction, because to utilize the Spatial Power within the Provincial Governor's Official Robe, one had to cultivate the Dragon Awakening Art to an extremely high level.

The Dragon Awakening Art was only accessible to core members of the Imperial Court.

The man in red said apologetically, "Ningning, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to harm the innocent. A battle Dao Seed Realm broke out in the city, and casualties were hard to avoid. I will compensate the Departed."

"That cult leader is not only proficient in spatial escape techniques, but his disguise and concealment skills are also unparalleled. After escaping, he vanished into the bustling city in an instant. I was afraid of harming too many innocent people, so I dared not use Major Technique to force him to reveal himself. I can only deal with him next time."

"Now that I'm on guard, even if he has mastered spatial teleportation, he won't be able to escape."

"I didn't ask you for help! If you really cared about the casualties of the people in Lingxiao Shengjing, you should have fought him in close combat just now. With your cultivation level, he was no match for you in one move." Jiang Ning turned and left, having no good feelings towards this foreign prodigy who came from Du'e Temple.

"I'll remember that, I'll be more careful next time." The man in red laughed heartily, then went into the ruins to rescue people, trying to salvage his image.

Jiang Qumin brought Zhuang Yue over and said to Jiang Ning, "That heretic planted a mental imprint similar to puppetry on her. I've already neutralized it, so it has little impact."

Zhuang Yue hated Li Weiyi to the core, but she also knew that he did this to cover up the truth.

Jiang Ning asked, "Zhuang Yue, what do you remember?"

Zhuang Yue struggled internally, unsure whether to tell her mistress the truth. Finally, she pretended to be deep in thought, shaking her head and saying, "It seems like I'm missing a part of my memory, and my head hurts so much... Miss, am I really being controlled?"

"You should get some rest first."

Jiang Ning looked at Jiang Qumin: "After this battle, that demon will be like a frightened bird, and I'm afraid he won't stop attacking. Everyone at the stronghold, let's all withdraw!"

"I'll go tell them," Zhuang Yue said, and hurried off.

Jiang Ning stared at Zhuang Yue's retreating figure, a thoughtful expression on her face, a strange feeling rising within her. Two years had passed since she left; something must have happened to this maid who had once been by her side day and night.

Back at the coffin shop, Li Weiyi bid farewell to Old Man Zhou, asking him to deliver another secret letter from the Hidden Gate to Shu Zhou before heading straight out of the city.

Around noon, Li Weiyi, disguised as Zuo Ning, arrived at the city gate and smiled at the soldiers guarding the city, saying, "I am Zuo Ning from Shu Zhou, a friend of Taishi Bai, the Second Seat member of the Taishi Family. Please inform him of my presence."

The thirty Imperial Court experts deployed by the Demon Race have likely already entered the city today, and may even be in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain at this very moment.

Li Weiyi did not place all her hopes on Zhuang Yue, but instead planned to obtain information from Long Xiangcen.

Enter the tiger's den and capture the tiger's cub.

Long Xiangcen didn't even know who Sikong Jingyuan was, which showed that the Demon Race faction was unfamiliar with the Rice Cult faction. Just like Li Weiyi, the Rice Cult's divine son, he knew very little about the Demon Race, and everyone was wary of each other.

"Boom!"

Before long, a magnificent carriage rushed towards the city gate, pulled by three white deer. After picking up Li Weiyi, the carriage headed towards the General's Mansion.

Inside the car.

Taishi Bai was in high spirits and held Li Weiyi's hand tightly. "Brother Zuo Ning, I am truly sorry. I must have neglected you at the banquet at the Leiling City Lord's Mansion, which is why you abandoned me. That's how social interactions are within the Imperial Court. There's a small banquet every three days and a large banquet every ten days. It's all about personal relationships and flattery."

Li Weiyi secretly praised Taishi Bai, saying that he was indeed a dragon among men. He was of noble birth, yet he was able to keep a low profile. He not only had great loyalty and righteousness in his heart, but also knew how to treat the virtuous with respect.

Li Weiyi said sorrowfully, "I did not leave on purpose. I had long seen that Brother Taishi was a hero of our time and intended to join him. However, in Leiling City, I encountered another Yi Zhouxue and Can Yexue, and my two companions... both died at the hands of these evil cultists... If I do not avenge this, I, Zuo Ning, swear I will not be a man... I escaped to Nanyan Pass my teeth!"

"They're too arrogant! I'll kill them both sooner or later!"

Taishi Bai was filled with righteous indignation, then laughed heartily, "I have good news for you: the cult forces in Nanyan Pass have been completely eradicated! Haha!"

The carriage drove straight into the General's Mansion and stopped in the spacious front square. Taishi Bai and Li Weiyi got out of the carriage hand in hand, their laughter never ceasing.

Wearing a veil, Long Xiangcen stood at the entrance of the main hall, dressed in a pale yellow ruyi (a type of traditional Chinese dress) with a light blue hooded velvet robe over it, her tail concealed. She greeted him with elegance and gentleness, "Cousin, you actually brought Zuo Ning back! I thought you were lying to her."

Li Weiyi bowed respectfully, feigning an inability to look directly at her. "Greetings... May I ask how this fairy is addressed?"

"My surname is Long. Haven't we met before?"

Long Xiangcen smiled, her eyes clear, her eyelashes fluttering, like an innocent young girl.

Li Weiyi narrowed her eyes, not believing that she would dare to reveal the secret between the two of them.

Sure enough, Long Xiangcen quickly added, "On the post boat! She was hiding behind the curtain at the time, you should remember my voice, right?"

Li Weiyi deliberately feigned a look of sudden realization.

Taishi Bai's expression turned serious. "Brother Zuo Ning has come to join me, so he's one of us! There's nothing to hide. My mother is from the Dragon Gate, and my cousin is also from one of the Dragon Gate lineages."

"No force can be entirely good or entirely evil. My mother and I secretly went to the East China Sea to try and save my cousin's family, but unfortunately, only she survived. Alas!"

Li Weiyi offered her condolences, saying, "My deepest condolences, Fairy Dragon!"

"You have such a sweet tongue! Suddenly I'm not sad at all!" Long Xiangcen's eyes were like two crescent moons as she laughed, "Cousin, have you caught that cultist? This morning, it seemed to be quite a big commotion; even that top genius from abroad made a move!"