Rice Mother or Jiang Ning

At the top of the hill, between two arrayed stone pillars, all nine strings of the zither were broken.

Li Weiyi looked at her aching hands.

The skin on his ten fingers was covered with tiny cracks and cuts. Although the Ancient Immortal Sentinel Arrow, enhanced by the formation, were incredibly powerful, the mere residual force of the bowstring was enough to injure the archer first.

Zhao Tang and Yan Zhiruo took turns shooting four arrows each, leaving their hands and arms almost useless.

Earlier, Li Weiyi, who had caught up with Qingzao, knew he couldn't catch up with her, who had reached the Great Longevity Realm. Therefore, he decisively chose to go to the mountaintop and shoot the last arrow.

Before long, Mo Duanfeng, Tang Wanzhou, and Nangong returned.

From afar, Mo Duanfeng's hearty laughter could be heard. "I knew it! That arrow was more powerful than the previous one. Even Qingzao's cultivation level couldn't dodge it. It turns out it was you who shot it!"

Zhao Tang and Yan Zhiruo, who were meditating to heal their injuries, immediately stood up and asked almost simultaneously, "Did you kill them?"

"Having been pierced through the body by the Ancient Immortal Sentinel Arrow, one's internal organs and five viscera must have been torn to pieces. How could one possibly survive?"

Mo Duanfeng held Chu Yutian's legs in his hands, treating them like precious treasures, and said regretfully, "It's a pity that the Corpse Lord's army from the Silver Corpse Sea arrived in time and failed to seize the body. Otherwise, bringing the corpse of the Taiyin Sect's true disciple back to the capital would surely have drawn crowds everywhere."

Zhao Tang and Yan Zhiruo could hardly contain their excitement. With this battle, Lesser Yang Division would be famous throughout the world, making those transcendent and Lord of Life Realm look at them with new eyes.

Yan Zhiruo couldn't help but smile and say, "Now that the Sentinel Spirit Army has avenged its previous defeat and returned to the Dongxu Camp, if the Sentinel Master and Deputy Sentinel Lord don't offer sufficient rewards, I'm afraid the world won't agree, will it?"

Everyone laughed heartily, filled with boundless pride.

Although in the Netherworld of the Departed, my heart was open and free, as if there was a clear blue sky above me.

Li Weiyi noticed that Tang Wanzhou, the most forthright and bold of them all, was silent, holding the Taiyin Seal and the Xuanzhao Pagoda, seemingly quite dejected. So he said, "The Holy Master's internal energy is the strongest, and he's uninjured. How about coming with me?"

"Good!"

Tang Wanzhou put away the Taiyin Seal and the Xuanzhao Pagoda, and then, together with Li Weiyi, headed towards Baiye.

"I'll lend you a hand."

Nangong wanted to follow, but Yan Zhiruo stopped him.

"Can't you tell? Something's up with those two."

Nangong frowned, puzzled. "What is it?"

"The matter between men and women! We can't say too much. Saint Si is known as the Young Lord, a leader wherever he goes. He's so proud, he probably doesn't want people to know his feelings, let alone expose his feminine side." Yan Zhiruo had a shrewd look on her face, as if she knew everything.

Having come from a wicked background, she was experienced and could see through many things at a glance.

Mo Duanfeng revealed a set of neat white teeth, his spirit and energy completely different from before, as if he had been reborn. "If my injuries weren't so severe, I would really like to go and meet Bai Ye Qinglian."

On the way to Baiye, Li Weiyi asked, "What's wrong? Have you used all your trump cards and tricks and are starting to doubt your own abilities?"

This was Li Weiyi's first reaction.

Any proud person would consider it shameful to rely on survival techniques bestowed upon them by their elders. It would only reveal their poor problem-solving and risk-resistance abilities.

If elders grant a younger person a life-saving measure once or twice, it shows they value them. If they do it three times, it shows they spoil them. If they keep doing it, they are raising a giant baby who will bring disaster to the Lineage in the future.

"I can barely accept the trump card used to counter Chu Yutian. It's not because of this matter!"

Tang Wanzhou gently shook his head, then said, "Qingzao should have known that even if she broke through to the next realm, she wouldn't have much of a chance against the Ancient Immortal Sentinel Arrow, yet she still rushed to save Chu Yutian without hesitation. Seeing them both die makes me feel a little sad, just like the two times we were chased by the Taiyin Sect. If we had died like that too... am I overthinking things?"

Li Weiyi recalled how he was ambushed by Qingzao in the Tiandu River Nether Domain and had no chance to fight back. Tang Wanzhou, despite his injuries, rushed over without hesitation to face the situation together with him.

What difference is there between her then and Haruhachi today?

The only difference was that the two of them escaped and survived.

It's no wonder Tang Wanzhou was emotionally affected; she saw herself in Qingzao.

"Boom!"

The sound of iron hooves rang out, shaking the earth.

A silver cloud of corpses loomed ahead.

In the clouds, Battle Flag stand tall.

These corpse lords' mounts are incredibly powerful, covered in silver scales, tall and strong, their breath turning into clouds and their inhalation into wind.

Li Weiyi finally understood why Mo Duanfeng, Tang Wanzhou, and Nangong had been forced to retreat by them; they were like a silver Great Wall, possessing an unshakeable aura.

The Bai Ye Qinglian flew out from the Corpse Lord's army.

The White-robed Monk, his shadow looming in the lotus, said, "Li Weiyi, this humble monk should refrain from murderous intent. You are a karmic obstacle I must eliminate on my path to Buddhahood."

"Shall we make a move?" Li Weiyi drew his longsword and pointed it in the distance.

Tang Wanzhou's eyes were devoid of emotion. He raised his chin slightly, pointed the tip of his sword at the ground, and snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Bai Ye Qinglian said, "If we fight again today, it will only benefit the Demon Kingdom. Once I transform into a Buddha, I will definitely come to find you. I hope you can maintain your current cultivation speed, otherwise you will never see me again. Tang Wanzhou, our duel will take place on the Seven Grievances Plain. Xue Jian Tang Ting dares to meddle in the Netherworld of the Departed, and the Ancient Ye City will respond accordingly. Farewell!"

Bai Ye Qinglian and the Corpse Marquis's army headed towards Chun City, disappearing on the horizon.

Li Weiyi said solemnly, "Do you think this Bai Ye Qinglian has the power to influence the transcendent nature of the Ancient Ye City? Judging from his confidence, I don't know if he's bluffing or if he's really sure."

Tang Wanzhou said, "Are you worried about Xue Jian Tang Ting? The battle between the living and the dead has been filled with blood and death since ancient times. Even forces of the level of the Sacred Hall Life Realm and the Ancient Years Clan can be overthrown in war, let alone us? But the struggle will not stop, and no matter how great the calamity, it can always be overcome. She has come, to find you."

Li Weiyi walked alone up the hillside filled with the magical energy of ripening rice stalks, his steps steady and his gaze focused.

Dao Palace Shinden stands with his back to the years, his feet brimming with life, where a green carpet of rice seedlings, half a foot high, grows and covers a large area, rustling in the wind.

Li Weiyi reached out to catch the white magical energy. "I don't like rice ears, I think white feathers are the most beautiful."

Things in this world won't cease to exist just because you don't like them.

Dao Palace Shinden glanced at Tang Wanzhou, who was standing several miles away, with his bright eyes, and said, "Just like what you like, isn't it always changing?"

Zhuang Yue rode a silver carriage pulled by a phoenix and came to a stop at the foot of the high slope.

Li Weiyi asked, "And you, why did you accept the phoenix-shaped carriage that Chi Yuan gave you?"

"I thought you would come to the Dao Palace's camp to find me as soon as you heard the news. But only now do you use it as a means of retaliation against me."

Between the brows of the Dao Palace Shinden, there was a sullenness unique to Jiang Ning, a trait that made him like to hide his thoughts.

Li Weiyi didn't want to go through this ordeal with her. "Do we really have to drift further and further apart like this? Are you really Jiang Ning? What is the state of Dao Mu? I want to see Jiang Ning, I... I miss her so much."

"If you really miss her, why have you never taken the initiative to contact her?"

Dao Palace Shinden flew away in the carriage, which resembled a phoenix, and stepped inside. "Li Weiyi, one cannot remain in the past forever. We were different then than we are now; our mindset was much younger, still full of youth and passion, but that's gone forever. The future will also be different... I'm leaving. Your answer will probably never be found!"

Zhuang Yue snorted at Li Weiyi, then drove towards the border of the ancient country.

Li Weiyi shouted, "Jiang Ning, I will find you. I will always remember what you said in Lingxiao City. There are always some people and some things in this world that will never change."

The carriage drove away and disappeared behind the mountains.

If he had enough strength, Li Weiyi would definitely have captured her and would never have given her a chance to leave. But now, Dao Palace Shinden's strength is clearly superior to his.

If Li Weiyi had a strong enough heart, she would have expressed her feelings more directly. But with Tang Wanzhou standing there, she simply lacked the confidence to do so.

Great Phoenix, Second Phoenix, Five Phoenix, and Qi Feng hid behind the high slope, not daring to breathe, feeling as if the two were arguing, and were afraid that they would start fighting.

Three days later, in a medium-sized underworld region ten thousand miles from the border of the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin.

By the time they arrived in the Underworld, almost all of their injuries had been healed.

Chi Haohan was responsible for staying behind in the Underworld, Qing Ziqin was responsible for taking care of Chun Silkworm.

Upon learning of the resounding victory, having successfully killed Chu Yutian, Jingzhen, Qingzao, and a host of powerful figures from the Netherworld of the Departed, Chi Haohan slapped his thigh in exasperation. "I told you I wanted to go, but you insisted I stay behind. Now look what's happened! You've all made great contributions and are famous throughout the land. How am I supposed to explain this back to my clan? Tell them I was just helping with silkworm rearing? I've lost all face!"

Tang Wanzhou said, "Don't worry, this credit won't be attributed to anyone; it belongs to the entire Lesser Yang Division."

"Brother Mo wouldn't agree to that," Li Weiyi said with a smile.

Mo Duanfeng said, "Am I not now also a member of the Lesser Yang Division? Just as the Holy Division said, this success is the result of everyone's unity and concerted efforts. With such a valuable experience, we will be invincible. Li Weiyi, Blood Pool Silver Sea, you name your price, and I will definitely compensate you."

"Your combat strength is so high, how about you help me fight a battle?" Li Weiyi said.

Nangong understood immediately, knowing what Li Weiyi meant.

Mo Duanfeng laughed loudly, "You traded a knife for mine, the price is quite fair. But you underestimate me. Even without the Blood Pool Silver Sea as a condition, if you wanted to attack the Demon Kingdom's altar, how could I not accompany you? The Gu Zhenxiang is there, if I didn't fight, how could I be qualified to be the top scholar of the Sacred Dynasty New Top Scholar? So, you've let me get a great deal."

Li Weiyi shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. That broken sword is useless to me anyway, and it only causes trouble. If the Sacred Dark Family asks again, I'll just say it was broken by the Divine Wind-Breaking Blade of the Imperial Capital!"

"Brother Mo, shall we have a chat?" Nangong asked.