Died Today

Mo Duanfeng was accepted by Li Weiyi because of what he did later, which showed Li Weiyi his sense of responsibility. Therefore, she could forgive past grievances and even become friends who would share life and death.

Bai Benlei said, "Can I take that as you harboring deep resentment towards Bai Chuan?"

Li Weiyi laughed angrily, "In my opinion, the claim of 'four outstanding talents from one family' is also a misnomer."

"What did you say?"

Bai Benlei's eyes gleamed like thunderbolts, his fists clenched tightly.

With a loud boom, a sword tens of meters tall shot out from the ground, its rock structure hard and sharp.

Bai Wu quickly stepped in to smooth things over, standing between Bai Benlei and Li Weiyi: "Brother Li, we came for the Eight Formation Flags. We heard it fell into your hands. We wonder if you can return it?"

If the Bai family had played the victim card from the beginning, arguing that they were all members of the Sentinel Spirit Army and sacrificed themselves for humanity, and considering the dying, Li Weiyi might have made things difficult for them.

But now, the other party is clearly hostile.

Offering them the Eight Formation Flags might only invite ridicule for weakness.

"Cannot."

Li Weiyi answered so directly and decisively. Seeing the smile on Bai Wu's face gradually disappear, he continued, "In the battle to capture Qingzao, I did indeed seize the four battle flags from her, but I almost died in battle. I feel that I am perfectly justified in accepting this spoil of war."

"As for Jingzhen... I've narrowly escaped death several times in his hands, so it's only natural that I take possession of his four sides."

"It was I who disregarded past grievances and avenged Bai Chuan. Your Bai family should be thanking me."

"As expected of Yu Yaozi's Dao Law Successor, you are indeed arrogant and somewhat haughty. Brother Li, since you disregard the Bai family so much, would you be so kind as to offer a few pointers?"

The Bai Wu's eyes suddenly flashed with sharp light, and from its ancestral field, magical energy surged forth wildly.

"No interest, I need to go to the Camp Hall to pay my respects to the chief."

Li Weiyi moved with incredible speed and agility, bypassing Bai Wu and shattering the cloud of magical energy he released.

With a single flick of its finger, the Bai Wu unleashed a sword-like beam of light that shattered the afterimages and hurtled straight towards the true form.

Li Weiyi's movement technique was incredibly mysterious, yet he was able to capture it accurately.

His skill was evident from his first move.

This person's combat strength is absolutely no less than that of Jingzhen, who possesses Bai Chuan's body.

Unfortunately, Li Weiyi is now much stronger than when he killed Jingzhen. Without even turning around, he swung his arm back, his palm like a fan, striking the finger sword that Bai Wu thrust out.

"Bang!"

The energy rippled and vibrated.

Bai Wu retreated abruptly, his fingers feeling as if they were about to break. He had initially disbelieved Mo Duanfeng's assessment that Li Weiyi would Gu Zhenxiang in the future, but now he was beginning to believe it to some extent.

"Brother Li, your cultivation is truly formidable. Let's see what my sword strike can do."

"Splash!"

With its arms outstretched, the Bai Wu emerged from the ancestral field, a jade magical sword flying out and drawing forth countless Sword Qi, which surged towards Li Weiyi's back like a tide.

Li Weiyi knew that she couldn't let the matter rest today, so she had no choice but to take it seriously.

Turning around, he unleashed a powerful, aura -Compassionate Sail Opening Finger Technique strike, as strong as a meteor from beyond the heavens. It sent the jade sword and countless Sword Qi, encased in the scriptures of the magical artifact, flying backward and crashing back into the Bai Wu dozens of feet away.

"Puff!"

The Bai Wu's hair ornaments shattered, its robes torn, and it spat out blood before flying backward and crashing heavily to the ground.

"I've taught you two moves! Now, can you leave?"

Li Weiyi had barely finished speaking.

"Let's see what I can do with this move."

Bai Benlei roared and raised his finger above his head.

The earthy yellow aura instantly covered the vast fertile land beneath Mount Ling.

Beside him, the hundred-foot-tall stone sword that had previously burst forth from the ground tilted like a mountain, crashing down and slashing towards Li Weiyi.

"Stop!"

A voice rang out from the mountaintop.

Too late!

Li Weiyi felt immense pressure and realized that Bai Benlei's cultivation had reached the Fourth Realm, far surpassing Bai Wu.

That's a difference as vast as heaven and earth; no martial artist at the third realm could possibly match it.

But Li Weiyi anticipated that he would definitely make a move after Bai Wu's defeat. Therefore, he had been secretly accumulating strength, wanting to assess just how strong martial artists of their level had become after entering the Fourth Realm.

As he retreated rapidly, he unleashed the fifth level of the Nine Heavens Thunder Strike Sword.

"Sizzle!"

One hundred and eight purple lightning bolts appeared, condensing into a nearly materialized Giant Sword ten feet long, which pierced through the air and collided with the hundred-foot-long stone sword that was pressing down.

"Boom!"

The tip of the stone sword broke off.

The tip of the broken sword struck Li Weiyi's feet, sending him staggering backward.

If the sword tip hadn't been severed by the Nine Heavens Thunder Strike Sword, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

On the other side, Bai Benlei never expected Li Weiyi to react so quickly, able to unleash such terrifying sword techniques and Daoist arts in such a short time.

Seeing the Lightning Greatsword, several feet long, flying towards him, he was somewhat flustered.

There was no time to dodge.

He could only rely on his powerful cultivation to unleash a heavy burst of magical energy to defend himself, while simultaneously retreating rapidly.

He retreated a hundred feet before gathering his strength in both hands to move the Purple Lightning Greatsword aside, striking the mountain behind him with a thunderous roar.

Bai Benlei's protective aura was completely shattered, and his sleeves were torn to shreds by the lightning Sword Qi.

Despite his superior combat strength compared to Li Weiyi, he seemed to have fallen into a disadvantageous position after their initial clash, leaving him both shocked and furious.

Zhuang Shiyan's clones, Bu Lianshi, and Tang Wanzhou all appeared at the foot of the mountain, and were all stunned by the scene before them.

They had come to stop Bai Benlei, who was at the Great Longevity Realm, from attacking Li Weiyi. But they never expected this outcome.

"I underestimated you just now, Brother Li, let's try again," Bai Benlei said.

"Get out of the way."

Bu Lianshi unleashed a torrent of magical energy, sending Bai Benlei flying. He then rebuked him, saying, "As Great Longevity, how dare you lay a hand on a junior? Isn't that shameful enough? Lord Shao, this was our fault. We will certainly have his father discipline us severely when we return to the capital."

Li Weiyi glanced at the man standing next to Tang Wanzhou and thought to himself, "This must be the Bu Lianshi that Taishi Yu mentioned."

He is indeed a formidable figure.

Logically speaking, if a Great Longevity outsider in Dongxu Camp attacks a sentry who has made great contributions, it should be treated as an attack on the camp. It would be reasonable to arrest him and imprison him for several decades.

But Bu Lianshi struck first, then took the initiative to admit his mistake, and even said he would take him back to the Bai family for discipline. After three moves, if Zhuang Shiyan were to pursue the matter too severely, the Bai family and the Sword Dao Imperial Court would have something to say about it in the future.

Zhuang Shiyan looked at Li Weiyi: "What do you say?"

Li Weiyi laughed and said, "Anyway, I wasn't injured. If we keep harping on this, the Bai family will probably say we're being too aggressive, that our Dongxu Camp is so great that we can't be touched. Taking him back to the Bai family to be disciplined is a good idea. Didn't Senior Bu already slap him?"

The Bu Lianshi's gaze fell on Li Weiyi: "What a mastered fifth-level Emperor Technique! What an aggressive remark! It has also silenced me. If the Bai family continues to pursue the matter of Bai Chuan's death, it will only make them seem aggressive!"

"In that case, I'll just ask one more question: why didn't you capture Jingzhen alive in the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin?"

"Can you capture the second-ranked scholar of the Sword Dao Imperial Court from the previous sixty years ago?" Li Weiyi countered.

"I will relay your words to the elders of the Bai family."

The Bu Lianshi, not expecting such a response, calmly said, then looked at Tang Wanzhou and the Three Heroes of the Bai Family: "Let's go."

"Wait a moment."

Tang Wanzhou, dressed in a black robe with a high collar, walked towards Li Weiyi, braving the winter wind.

The two strolled along the riverbank, going upstream towards a misty, tree-lined mountain valley, far from the sight of others.

In the silence, Li Weiyi spoke first, "Are we still going to the Sword Dao Imperial Court?"

"Yes, after all, my father is Son of Heaven's Disciple of the Sword Son of Heaven. Now that the new Sword Dao Imperial Court has no one to carry the banner, how can I not go? I have already spoken to the Sentry Master, and from now on you will be the Holy Chief of the Lesser Yang Division." Tang Wanzhou said with a smile.

Li Weiyi stopped and looked closely into her eyes. "Is that the reason? I sense that you're preoccupied, pretending to be relaxed? Were you forced? If you don't want to go, then don't go. You are the Northern Territory Young Lord, the Tang Wanzhou who commands respect across the fourteen prefectures of the Southern Border."

"What 'Northern Territory Young Lord'? We are all Southerners."

Tang Wanzhou's smile faded, his expression becoming much more solemn, his eyes filled with helplessness and bitterness. "Perhaps this is maturity! Maturity means learning to compromise, knowing reverence, knowing one's own limitations, and no longer being able to do whatever one pleases. Youth is about being full of fighting spirit, fearless, and high-spirited. I can't do it anymore, Li Weiyi... You must stay young forever!"

Seeing her like this, Li Weiyi knew she must have gone through something, and she felt an indescribable sadness.

It's as if I can see the snow-capped mountains of the North, shrouded in dark clouds. The most heroic and spirited woman of the Lingxiao Shengjing seems to have had her spine broken by the weight of reality.

"Just consider that the young Tang Wanzhou of the past has died today."

Tang Wanzhou released the Son of Heaven's Jade Chariot from the ancestral field and handed it to Li Weiyi: "This Ancient Son of Heaven imperial carriage is for you. I am no longer worthy of it. When I get there, no one will tolerate me riding in such an unruly carriage."

"What exactly happened?"

Li Weiyi knew something must have happened; she was behaving very strangely.

"Don't overthink it, it's nothing. I just suddenly had some new insights. I'm going to be the top scholar in the New Top Scholar. Goodbye!"

Tang Wanzhou turned and headed downstream, waving goodbye as he shouted, "From here I depart alone, Yingzhou is my utmost domain!"

Unfortunately, he can no longer shout with that heroic spirit.

On the other side, inside a Jade Palace atop the back of an Iron-backed Winged Dragon.

Bai Wu suppressed his injuries and reported to the Bu Lianshi: "This boy's combat strength is probably no less than that of Gu Zhenxiang is at the same level. If what Mo Duanfeng said is true, he will join the Sacred Dynasty's camp, and our Imperial Court will be extremely passive in the new armor competition."

It was Mo Duanfeng who deliberately said in the Sword Dao Imperial Court that Li Weiyi was his sworn brother and would join the Sacred Dynasty's camp, which is why the Bai family wanted to take this opportunity to test Li Weiyi's strength and progress in cultivation.

The Bu Lianshi saw Tang Wanzhou returning from afar and called out, "Little Tang, come to my Jade Palace. I have something important to discuss with you on the way."

Four Iron-backed Winged Dragon took flight toward the Holy City of the Chi Ming Realm, where a large Spatial Teleportation Array leading to the Sword Dao Imperial Court could be found.

Li Weiyi stood in the snow, raising his hand to catch the falling snowflakes, exhaling a puff of white breath. He felt empty inside, as if everyone had left. It was completely different from the lively gathering of new recruits when he first arrived.

This winter is unusually cold.