Coffin Master Has Returned

Li Weiyi found the Great Longevity "Tuoba Tao" in the northern border of Lingxiao Shengjing, who was in Dongxu Camp.

An Old Ancestor of the Tuoba Clan, and the guide for Tang Zhan into the Sentinel Spirit Army.

Tuoba Tao was Deformed Race who followed the cultivation path of transforming into a dragon. He had a human head, a snake's body, and a dragon's tail, and his body was enormous.

"The situation in the North? Right now, the situation is excellent."

Tuoba Tao was in high spirits, coiled around a tree trunk, and recounted. "With the support of the Sword Dao Imperial Court, the Northern Territory Army bypassed Leizhou in the Eastern Border and simultaneously launched an attack on the four states of the Netherworld of the Departed, aiming their swords at the East Sea."

"In just two years, most of the territory of the Four Provinces of the Netherworld has been brought under the Northern Border's banner, a testament to their formidable military might."

"Little Li, do you know what an achievement this is?"

"For a thousand years, even with the Great Palace Master's abilities, he could only hold onto Twenty-Eight Prefectures, unable to expand the territory or reclaim the Three Hundred Prefectures of the past."

Li Weiyi stood under the tree, frowning, and said, "The Seven Grievances Five Ghosts are no simple matter. Each of them possesses great supernatural powers. Would they just stand by and watch Xue Jian Tang Ting take away four prefectures without retaliating?"

Tuoba Tao lowered his head from the tree branch and chuckled, "The good thing is, they are Seven Grievances Five Ghosts, not seven vengeful spirits and one ghost."

"The Five Ghosts represent five different thoughts and each harbors their own ulterior motives; they are not entirely united."

"The four states that Xue Jian Tang Ting attacked belong to the territory of the Hungry Ghosts. Moreover, in the eyes of the other four ghosts, we do not have the strength to invade their territory, so naturally they will not feel the pain of losing us."

"Furthermore, the Xue Jian Tang Ting sent an envoy with generous gifts to visit the Four Ghosts, explaining that we were forced to help the Sword Dao Imperial Court attack those four states and would never set our sights on the rest of the Seven Grievances Plain."

"This trick, of course, cannot fool the Four Ghost King."

"But for the hungry ghost to use this move, it would have to pay a huge price to invite the other four Ghost Kings to help it."

Li Weiyi pondered for a moment, then said, "The Mist Son of Heaven has just wreaked havoc in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain. I'm afraid the other four ghosts won't dare to easily come to the vicinity of the Lingxiao Shengjing."

"That's right, that's the importance of timing."

Tuoba Tao laughed and said, "What's even better is that our four-state battlefield is just a small-scale skirmish."

"The thirty-one prefectures of the Southeast Nether Realm, once occupied by Lord Lan, have been taken over by the Dao Palace, the East Sea Demon Race, the Zuoqiu Courtyard Clan, the Jiu Li Tribe, Lei Xiao Sect, and are gradually being restored to peace. Their influence there is far greater than ours."

"Furthermore, what truly holds back the Ancient Ye City, the Seven Grievances Five Ghosts and Five Ghosts, and the Dongxu Ghost City are the battlefields of the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin and the Sacred Hall Life Realm."

"It can be said that we in the North have seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I heard that not long ago, the Hungry Ghost fought a great battle with the Camel King and suffered a crushing defeat, fleeing in disarray."

Li Weiyi's heart tightened. "Is the Camel King injured?"

"How could a single hungry ghost be a match for the Camel King? At their level of cultivation, their vitality is immense, and ordinary injuries are nothing to them. Besides, the Northern Territory is guarded by the Camel King's Senior Disciple Sister, the strongest Son of Heaven's Disciple of the Sword Son of Heaven, who is as solid as a rock," Tuoba Tao said.

Li Weiyi felt slightly relieved, and then recounted the situation when he said goodbye to Tang Wanzhou: "I had a feeling that something was wrong with her. Senior Tuoba, why don't you help me go back to the Northern Border and find out if something happened?"

Tuoba Tao burst into laughter. "If something truly serious had happened, my old man would have already secretly sent someone to deliver a message. Besides, if something really serious had happened, the enemy would definitely act first. You're just worrying too much and letting your imagination run wild."

"The Hundred Realms Longevity Crossing is of paramount importance. Compared to that, the four states currently under conquest are of secondary importance."

"The Sword Dao Imperial Court needs its young lord to shoulder the responsibility of winning the championship and take the lead in the Hundred Realms Longevity Crossing. At the same time... it also needs a hostage to control the Camel King."

"Isn't this just common sense? The Sword Dao Imperial Court has invested so much in the distant Lingxiao Shengjing. If they don't use some means to control it, what if they end up with nothing and it benefits someone else? What a huge loss that would be!"

"For every gain, there is a loss."

"Although she is a hostage, the benefits of being the New Top Scholar are unimaginable. With the young lady's talent in martial arts, she needs the protection of being the Son of Heaven's Disciple to help her grow."

"A talent at the top-tier level also requires the vast cultivation resources of a top-tier scholar. Only the Sword Dao Imperial Court can provide that."

"Furthermore, one can receive personal guidance from the Sword Son of Heaven."

"These three points alone, the benefits gained, make this trip as hostage an equivalent exchange."

"Even among people, there is an emphasis on reciprocity. Between powerful forces, it is even more about the equal exchange of interests."

"Since childhood, Shaojun has been free-spirited, like a northern eagle soaring through the sky. She does whatever she wants, and even the Camel King can't control her. Now, the path she chose, the Dongxu Camp, has been forcibly cut off. She has to compromise with the situation and be trapped in a foreign imperial city, turning from an eagle into a caged bird. Of course, she is extremely miserable."

"But isn't this what growth is all about, something we have to face? Reaching the Longevity Realm marks the end of the stage where all we need to do is master martial arts."

Li Weiyi recalled what Tang Wanzhou had once said and felt that Tuoba Tao didn't really understand her, "I always felt that Tang Wanzhou wasn't just a sharp-tongued, self-righteous woman. She wouldn't have wavered just because of being held hostage. She's very resilient and always likes to challenge the impossible."

"If you are truly worried, I will return to the Northern Border and gather information for you."

Tuoba Tao had learned some things from Tuoba Butuo and knew that Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou had an unusual relationship.

"Then thank you very much, Senior Tuoba! This is a small token of my appreciation, please accept it." Li Weiyi took out the demon core of the Six-Colored Peacock and handed it over.

Tuoba Tao accepted it without hesitation and then headed towards the Teleportation Hall.

The Deformed Race Martial Cultivator on the path to dragon transformation must cultivate to the level of Martial Path Son of Heaven in order to freely change between human and dragon forms.

Before that, one must endure the suffering of being a deformed person.

Li Weiyi turned around and saw Zhuang Shiyan's clone walk out, and a strange feeling immediately arose in her heart. After all, Zhuang Shiyan was Zuoqiu Hongting's master at the Du'e Temple.

"The Longevity Realm is a transition from immaturity to maturity, a process of life's trials from youthful exuberance to the necessity of constant compromise. I myself experienced great hardship back then."

Zhuang Shiyan added, "In reality, reaching the Great Longevity will be even more difficult."

"Why? Please teach me, Master," Li Weiyi said.

The two walked through the forest, stepping on fallen leaves and snow, breathing in the cold air.

Zhuang Shiyan said, "Chaoran is the pillar of a power, bearing the greatest responsibility. It must not only be responsible for guarding the area, but also hide itself to avoid powerful enemies it cannot fight and to deter these enemies in return. It must also cultivate and find resources. There can be no mistakes. There are many things that cannot be done personally."

"However, the Longevity Realm Martial Cultivator emerge one after another, therefore, the Great Longevity must step forward to share the burden. This is one of the difficulties."

"For top geniuses, achieving Great Longevity will be the most painful period of their lives."

Li Weiyi listened quietly.

Zhuang Shiyan continued, "Take the Eighth Generation Longevity Person as an example. Do you know what level the most outstanding among them reached?"

"The Sixth Realm?" Li Weiyi asked.

The Eighth Generation Longevity Person are between one hundred and one hundred and sixty years old. To cultivate to the Sixth Realm within this age range is almost a guarantee of transcendence, making them true geniuses.

Zhuang Shiyan said, "Those who can step into the Sixth Realm are extremely rare, no more than forty people. Basically, only Young Son of Heaven, Ancient Sect True Disciple, Dao Law Successor, and those Life Realm Destiny can achieve this. But the most powerful one has already stepped into the transcendent realm."

"What? Why is there such a big difference?"

This time, Li Weiyi was truly stunned!

"It is the true successor of the previous generation's Dao Palace."

Zhuang Shiyan continued, "The gap between top geniuses will become apparent during the Great Longevity Period, causing many young people who consider themselves to be at the same level to suffer greatly, unable to catch up no matter what they do."

"If Tang Wanzhou doesn't become the top scholar in the Sword Dao Imperial Court and doesn't receive the cultivation resources for the top scholar, she will likely fall behind Gu Zhenxiang in the Great Longevity Realm, or be surpassed by you and Zuoqiu Hongting who are coming on strong. So, you should be happy for her."

Li Weiyi asked curiously, "Why didn't Hongting go to the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin? I think Shen Ji and Qi Jianru went!"

"She's gone!" Zhuang Shiyan said.

Li Weiyi was stunned.

"The Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin is vast; it's normal that you haven't encountered it," Zhuang Shiyan said with a smile.

Then, Li Weiyi mentioned the rumors Dongxu Camp during this period.

"Let them spread the word. Only by taking action can we find them. Inaction will only cause more worry... Your master has returned!" Zhuang Shiyan raised his head, looking in the direction of the Netherworld of the Departed, and felt a certain premonition.

The Coffin Master was reduced to a mangled corpse in the great battle a thousand years ago.

Now, the remains have been successfully forged, restoring their complete physical form and appearance.

He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, with graying temples but no signs of aging. He wore a straight-hemmed deep robe and a wide-sleeved gown, exuding the elegance of a scholar.

His eyes shone like jewels. Although he had become a corpse king, he had no trace of the gloomy and evil nature of Corpse Spirit. He sat with Zhuang Shiyan at the stone table in the Qingyin Pavilion, drinking and chatting under the moon.

The two talked about the war between the Ancient Kingdom of the Years Ruin and the Sacred Hall Life Realm, the current turbulent situation in the Lingxiao Shengjing and the East Sea, the Zen Sea Observing Mist and Yu Yaozi, the Immortal Mist Sect Master Qing Ci and the Devil Lord Yu Baxian lifespan was about to end... and so on, covering all sorts of topics.

It wasn't until midnight that Zhuang Shiyan finally left, having had his fill of fun.

Li Yuanzhe's gaze fell on Li Weiyi, who was standing to the side. He took out a teacup and filled it to the third cup. "Looking preoccupied, what are you thinking about?"

Li Weiyi gave a bitter smile and sat down.

She then confided her concerns and asked him for help in analyzing the situation.

Li Yuanzhe pondered for a moment, "It's hard to say the specifics, we don't know the inside story. But the core principles and rules of the world will not change."

"According to your account, starting two years ago when Sword Son of Heaven decided to seize the immortal Immortal Dao Dragon Vein of the East Sea and wrote a letter to Tang Shituo went from politely refusing to compromising and began the war in the four states of the Netherworld."

"This first compromise was made by both sides, and Xue Jian Tang Ting even gained some advantage."

"However, Tang Wanzhou's forced departure to the Sword Dao Imperial Court was a unilateral compromise by the Xue Jian Tang Ting. In this second round of negotiations, although both sides still benefited, the Sword Dao Imperial Court has gained the upper hand."

"Tang Shituo and Tang Wanzhou are both exceptionally intelligent individuals. They must have foreseen the future, understood the Sword Dao Imperial Court's ambitions, and known that the next step would be an even greater compromise, one they would be powerless to resist. Ultimately, they would be completely devoured."