Thriving Toward Death

In Qing Ziqin's captivating eyes, a mixture of recollection and amazement surfaced. "It's not a rumor, it's true. Several years ago, I saw him once, and he left an indelible impression. He exuded imperial majesty, looking down upon the world. The remaining members of the younger generation were like subjects, surrounding him. The Proud Daughter of Heaven, talented women, and noble ladies of Carefree Capital gathered around him, yet they were treated like concubines, at his disposal. This man is unlike anyone else in this world."

"And what about me?" Li Weiyi asked.

Qing Ziqin looked at the chicken wings he was still holding. "You belong to the mortal realm! Anyway, if the Gu Zhenxiang were to come to the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin, Chu Yutian would probably have to avoid its sharp edge and wouldn't be able to do whatever he wanted."

Li Weiyi was curious. From Qing Ziqin's description, it seemed she had encountered Gu Zhenxiang at a grand gathering in Carefree Capital. How could she have ended up at such a place?

Suppressing his curiosity for the moment, he said, "Let's just storm Chun City! If I fully activate the jade boat, disregarding the consumption of my magical energy, and adjust my breathing twice, we can arrive in half a day. The Netherworld energy in Chun City can weaken our senses, making it much harder for Jingzhen to track us."

"At the same time, as long as the Taiyin Sect launches a major offensive, the Holy Master and Nangong will definitely notice and come to our aid."

"Escape in another direction; we can only rely on ourselves. Besides, Chu Yutian has no more scruples and might personally hunt us down."

Qing Ziqin said, "But in doing so, we will be completely exposed, and the jade boat will become a target for the enemy to attack from the shadows."

Li Weiyi pointed to the light and mist in the shadows. "We don't have many choices left. Rather than fleeing in defeat, we should take the initiative and move forward into the future. We fear the Taiyin Sect, but the Taiyin Sect fears our grand gestures. They prefer to act in the shadows and they prefer us to fear them."

Qing Ziqin was persuaded by him again, and her previous resentment had been completely forgotten.

Like a shooting star, the jade boat streaked across the sky, heading straight towards the vast expanse of time on the distant ground.

Li Weiyi stood at the bow of the ship, holding a spirit crystal in one hand and Psychic Power Stars in the other, exerting all his strength to activate it. His mood was not as relaxed as it appeared, as he racked his brains for a solution.

Qing Ziqin released all thirteen Battle Corpse Puppet, released her mental power, and sensed the surrounding earth, feeling a thrill and excitement in her heart.

Before this, she wouldn't have dared to release her senses so boldly.

"I have already condensed nineteen Psychic Power Stars," she suddenly said.

Li Weiyi said, "With the help of the Saint Spirit King Mind Master's Psychic Power Stars, it's not surprising that you have such a cultivation speed. What is your martial arts realm?"

"Not so great. Third Heaven the Dao Seed Realm, and you haven't even condensed a Dao Lotus. Are you still suspicious? Do you think I'm hiding my martial arts cultivation like Nangong?" Qing Ziqin said.

Li Weiyi avoided the question and looked at the mummified corpses on the ship, saying meaningfully, "If we can refine battle souls and spirits within these Battle Corpse Puppet, allowing them to develop combat consciousness, and then distribute them with magical artifacts, their combat power will definitely increase significantly. At the same time, we will no longer have to worry about the connection between us and the Battle Corpse Puppet being broken by the enemy's magical energy."

Qing Ziqin snorted lightly, "Don't even think about it! Once we leave the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin, all the corpses will have to be returned... There are martial artists moving rapidly on the ground to the left and right. How did they get here so fast?"

Li Weiyi looked down and quickly recognized the beautiful figure rushing across the mountains on the left as Envoy Qingzao.

Her melodious laughter carried clearly on the wind to the heights of hundreds of feet, reaching Li Weiyi's ears. "Having received Jingzhen's message, I thought you would immediately flee, but unexpectedly, you chose to walk right into our trap. Don't you know that Chun City is a dangerous place? Even your Lesser Yang Division's Holy Chief has been severely injured and died."

Li Weiyi's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly regained her composure and remained unaffected by her words.

If Tang Wanzhou had been beaten to death, Jingzhen must have already said so to demoralize him.

On the ground to the right is a red-armored knight riding a dragon-elephant and wielding a long sword.

The crimson armor burst into flames as the dragon and elephant galloped.

Inside the armor was a Bone Marquis, its entire body covered in sharp, golden bone spikes.

Li Weiyi turned around and looked behind the jade boat.

On the horizon behind them, a dark blue-black Ghost Qi, like a cloud of mist, obscured the sun. Within the mist, the figures of seven or eight ghostly lords were rapidly taking flight in pursuit.

"It is Fire Cloud Marquis, whose cultivation reached the Peak Third Realm ten years ago. His mount is the Dragon Elephant Corpse Marquis, who is also at the third realm. With the bone and the corpse working together, even the Taiyin Envoy at the Peak Third Realm might not be able to defeat them." Qing Ziqin revealed the details of the red-armored knight.

Her face was filled with worry, clearly affected by Haruhachi's words, feeling that Chun City was no longer the shore of victory, but an even more terrifying abyss.

"Such a powerful aura! It's the Myriad-character Artifact being activated, unleashing its primal power."

Li Weiyi saw the flying Yin Yang Gong, but he didn't see where the martial artist wielding the Myriad-character Artifact was.

The Yin Yang Gong, now the size of a millstone and made of bronze, has tens of thousands of scriptures falling off and spinning rapidly, like a blue moon vying for brilliance with the distant past.

Li Weiyi immediately steered the jade boat, swooping down towards the ground to avoid the Yin Yang Gong's first attack.

Amidst a piercing whistling sound, the Yin Yang Gong spun in mid-air, tracing a graceful arc, and once again caught up, its speed more than twice that of the jade boat.

Li Weiyi's eyes suddenly turned cold. He steered the jade boat straight toward Qingzao.

The distance is getting closer and closer.

Almost the instant Yuzhou and Qingzao collided, the Yin Yang Gong changed direction, flew over their heads, and made a deafening explosion.

The Defensive Formation light barrier of the jade boat was torn apart by it.

"Boom!"

Qingzao, confident in her powerful cultivation, did not dodge at all. She raised her palm and unleashed a triple barrier of Longevity Scriptures, stopping the jade boat. Her figure only retreated a dozen or so feet.

On the jade boat, the four Great Longevity Battle Corpse Puppet had already activated the Purple Sky Lei Seal.

"Crack!"

Purple lightning surged forward like a tide towards the clear morning.

Having already experienced the power of the Purple Sky Lei Seal, how could Qing be unprepared? She ducked, took three steps around it, and dodged the lightning while leaping onto the jade boat with incredible speed.

With a single slash, the sword's light enveloped both Li Weiyi and Qing Ziqin.

Li Weiyi is no longer the same as before. Her figure flashed like smoke and mist, and the Yellow Dragon Sword collided with the Needle Rain Sword in her hand, blocking her sword momentum.

A look of surprise flashed across Qingzao's eyes. She hadn't expected Li Weiyi to be so fast and to use her sword so skillfully. Compared to last time, it was as if she were a completely different person.

She circulated her magical energy throughout her body, dragging her wrist.

"Boom!"

The blades of the two swords rubbed together, sparks flew, Sword Qi soared, and the energy ripples gradually intensified, finally bursting apart.

Li Weiyi was thrown off the jade boat by the force of her full-force sword strike.

Qingzao's sword momentum was thwarted, and after a brief delay, she was struck by a bolt of lightning from the Purple Sky Lei Seal. A large number of profound Formation Script appeared on her body, blocking the lightning bolt, and her delicate body was thrown backward and fell to another location.

Li Weiyi, Qingzao, Qing Ziqin and the thirteen corpses on the jade boat stood in a triangular formation.

Qing Ziqin stayed on the jade boat, using it as a fortress, and only by controlling the thirteen corpses to activate the Purple Sky Lei Seal could she unleash her strongest combat power.

"Little Li, your cultivation has improved tremendously in the two years you've spent in the Netherworld. I'm truly impressed!" The purple lightning on Qingzao's body gradually dissipated, without harming her physical body.

Li Weiyi laughed and said, "This is nothing! Is Sister Qing wrapped in a battle flag? Last time, I ruined your clothes?"

Haruka wasn't annoyed at all, her tone sweet. "That's right, one of the eight array flags controlled by Bai Chuan, I wrapped it around my body specifically to block the lightning of the Purple Sky Lei Seal."

"Splash!"

On the jade boat, the Purple Sky Lei Seal, which hovered above the heads of the four Battle Corpse Puppet, once again erupted with lightning.

Qingzao narrowed her eyes, used her movement technique to rush towards Li Weiyi, and her speed was so fast that Qing Ziqin could hardly catch up.

"Sizzle!"

Li Weiyi's body was adorned with four-colored Spiritual Light Armor, which moved towards her.

Both were masters of the sword. In an instant, countless figures appeared, their swords clashing, each strike deadly, and they unleashed a variety of Daoist techniques.

In just two breaths, they exchanged dozens of sword strikes.

Li Weiyi took four steps back to create distance, and unleashed Talisman Rain of Heaven Sword Talisman from between his eyebrows, attacking Qingzao from all directions.

Qingzao pressed her body against the ground and retreated rapidly, striking the hilt of the Needle Rain Sword with a palm strike.

"Swish! Swish..."

The sword broke apart into a dense rain of needles, colliding with the overwhelming Talisman Rain.

At this moment, Qingzao's pretty face was extremely solemn. She hadn't expected Li Weiyi to be so powerful after merging his martial arts with his mind. She could also see through his purpose and tactics.

Li Weiyi clearly intended to capture her as a hostage before Fire Cloud Marquis and the others could surround her.

That's utterly arrogant and audacious.

Fortunately, Qing Ziqin, who was controlling the Purple Sky Lei Seal, was restrained by the Yin Yang Gong; otherwise, Qing would have suspected that she had already suffered a setback due to underestimating her opponent.

Li Weiyi chased after the Heaven Sword Talisman, rushing towards Qingzao at top speed. He could already hear the long roar of the dragon-elephant mount. The blazing magical energy released by the Fire Cloud Marquis swept over him, spanning several miles.

"Little Li, you're really strong now. I'll have to avoid your sharp edge for now."

Qingzao believed her combat strength was still superior to Li Weiyi's. She had improved over the past two years, but a direct confrontation was unwise; encirclement was the way to defeat the enemy. That kid had too many hidden tricks up his sleeve, and she didn't want to take the risk.

Just by the mere sight of the dragon soul within the Provincial Governor's Official Robe, she felt that her advantages would vanish, and she would instead find herself in a predicament.

While resisting the Heaven Sword Talisman, Qingzao swiftly fled far away.

Li Weiyi realized that the distance between him and Yuzhou was getting farther and farther, and knew that Qingzao wanted to separate him and Qing Ziqin so that they could be defeated one by one. So, he put away the Heaven Sword Talisman and rushed back at top speed.

In terms of speed and agility, Haruhachi had a huge advantage and couldn't catch up at all.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The ground shook, Dragon Elephant Corpse Marquis, with the body of an elephant and the head of a dragon.

Its mountain-like body raised its scaly neck and spat out a mouthful of Karma Fire, which condensed into a green waterfall of fire to intercept Li Weiyi as she turned back.

On the back of the Dragon Elephant Corpse Marquis, the Fire Cloud Marquis roared, his whole body bursting with crimson flames. He raised his long sword and slashed through the air, his sword intent domineering and fierce.

The two forces worked together seamlessly.

One attack has a wide range, while the other concentrates power.

One surged up from the ground, and another fell from above.

"Aww!"

The white mist dragon soul burst out from Li Weiyi's Provincial Governor's Official Robe and collided with the Karma Fire spewed out by the Dragon Elephant Corpse Marquis.

Li Weiyi swung his sword, colliding with the fiery blade above.

Haruhachi, who had been on the run, caught up from behind and said with a grin, "Little Li, Bai Chuan went to catch your lover!"

Li Weiyi did indeed see Bai Chuan's figure; he was the one wielding the Yin Yang Gong.

Faced with the combined attack of three top experts, he could not afford to be distracted. He did not think about the reasons behind it, but abandoned all distracting thoughts. He flew onto the back of the dragon soul and ran at full speed, attacking the Fire Cloud Marquis who was blocking his way.