Chapter 116: The Ancient Town That Cannot Be Reached

"I have a magic artifact! I have one!"

An Eight-Springs martial artist was ecstatic. He unbuckled his enchanted saber, and seeing Li Wei Yi nod, immediately turned and sprinted away without looking back.

A Seven-Springs martial artist rummaged through his belongings for a long time, wailing, "I only have five hundred Yongquan coins. Can anyone lend me some? If I can gather three thousand Yongquan coins to buy my life, I promise to take good care of your wives and daughters after I get out."

"Get lost! You only have five hundred Yongquan coins, what are you dreaming of? I have two blood crystals, which are worth two thousand Yongquan coins. Can anyone lend me the rest? We can't all die here, can we?"

"I have a Five-Seas Pill. Can I use that to buy my life?"

Li Wei Yi's eyes gleamed brighter and brighter. These peak Yongquan Realm martial artists had hidden many valuable items. His expression remained cold as he stated calmly, "As long as it's something of value, accumulating three hundred thousand silver coins or three thousand Yongquan coins will buy your life. I am a man of my word."

Everyone knew that borrowing money was never easy; it depended on one's strength.

Those who were strong could simply choose not to repay.

Soon, four Seven-Springs martial artists from the same faction began fighting amongst themselves.

Ultimately, only one survived. He gathered all the treasures and money bags, presented them to Li Wei Yi, and then limped away, dragging his his heavily injured body. Whether he would encounter a Spirit Demon or make it back alive to Yao Pass City was entirely up to fate.

Li Wei Yi gave a wry smile. "I only wanted to kill as few people as possible, but it turned out even more cruel. Perhaps I should just rob everyone who comes fleeing later and let them all go!"

"That's human nature. To survive, they'll do anything. When they were hunting down young martial artists from the Jiuli tribe, they never considered how cruel they were. The Jiuli tribe had no grievances with them!" Yao Yin's hatred was clearly stronger than Li Wei Yi's.

"Alright, I'll leave the rest to you. The price is still the same as before."

Li Wei Yi glanced at Wang Dao Zhen in the distance and couldn't help but ask, "If you can produce one hundred thousand Yongquan coins, I can spare your life."

Wang Dao Zhen gnashed his teeth, sneered, took two steps back, and then turned to sprint towards Yao Pass City.

As Yongquan Realm martial artists returned one after another, the situation here could not be kept secret. No matter how unwilling, scared, or terrified he was, he had to rush back first to report.

Coming up with a good explanation might still offer a path to survival.

Li Wei Yi found a high, flat spot and sat down to meditate and heal his injuries.

Amidst footsteps.

Another group of fleeing peak Yongquan Realm martial artists arrived at the Five-Seas Realm border, all excited, believing they had finally escaped to safety.

The nine Chieftains of the Jiuli tribe had been waiting about a hundred li from the Five-Seas Realm border, some meditating, some resting their eyes, and others anxious.

For five days, cultivators had continuously entered, but none had returned.

This was highly unusual!

Li Song Lin paced back and forth on the two-zhang wide riverside dirt road with his hands behind his back, saying, "I feel like something has gone wrong! It's been almost six days, how could there be no news at all? Let's mobilize the army directly!"

The Beast Jiuli Chieftain said, "Perhaps the internal space of Buried Immortal Town has expanded, and many exotic herbs have appeared, which is why everyone is reluctant to come out and are busy collecting them."

Yao Xing Yue, the Medicine Jiuli Chieftain, said, "Even though Sima Tan is strong, he is still just one person. Two fists can't contend with four hands. How about you all wait here, and Song Lin and I will return to Yao Pass City first to gather the army. If there's still no news by the ninth day, forget about the rules; we'll march the army directly inside."

Flakes of pristine white snow drifted down, cold and beautiful.

"Xing Yue, you still have such a fiery temper. The Jiuli tribe has an army, but does my Sui Sect not? Are the armies trained by the Three Chen Palace, Tianyi Gate, and Coffin Sea Pavilion mere decorations?"

The speaker was still ten li away.

Yet, an elegant and gentle voice resonated as if whispered directly into the ear of each chieftain. This level of cultivation was simply astonishing, causing all nine chieftains to change their expressions.

Yao Xing Yue, the strongest among the nine chieftains, known as the Jiuli Chieftain, looked extremely grim. "He's grown even stronger! Perhaps he really can achieve Longevity within a jiazi cycle, as the rumors claim."

Half an hour later, the carriage of Yao Qian, the Sui Sect Chieftain, slowly approached through the swirling snow.

The road and the trees along its sides were already covered in a layer of snow.

Silver-horned deer pulled the carriage, with no one driving and the curtains tightly drawn. Where the wheels passed, they left two black tracks, stopping nine zhang away from the nine chieftains.

This implied: "one zhang for one's respect," meaning courtesy before confrontation.

Yao Xing Yue had already risen from meditation. "Even you have come in person. It seems the four great sects' actions this time will be more aggressive than we anticipated."

From inside the carriage, Yao Qian's voice emerged: "This battle was bound to come sooner or later. Haven't we all known that clearly in our hearts?"

"But your cooperation with the Earth Wolf Royal Army is like inviting a wolf into your home. You can't be unaware of the barbarians' methods of burning, killing, and looting," Yao Xing Yue said.

Fourteen years ago, before the four great sects revealed their fangs, the relationship between the two sides was harmonious. Yao Xing Yue and Yao Qian were even close friends; at least, Yao Xing Yue considered the latter his best friend at the time.

Yao Qian said calmly, "Is it commendable for the Jiuli tribe to pay tribute to the Buddha-Robbers every year, weakly aiding the thieves? Xing Yue, decay and old ways should be torn down. What a chaotic era needs is enterprise, not complacent peace. The process of success is not important. Whether it's by borrowing the strength of barbarians or the influence of demons, I will spare no cost. When I achieve success, Sui Sect disciples will write books and biographies for me, praising my accomplishments, and spreading my name for a thousand autumns."

Li Song Lin scoffed, "Yao Qian, you truly are a sophist! You want to establish an eternal legacy, but I fear your strength won't support your ambition, and you'll end up being a pawn for others to build their own legacies. Everyone wishes to transform into a dragon, but who is the true dragon?"

The Artifact Jiuli Chieftain, a pure immortal body male, summoned seven swords to fly around him, saying, "What's the point of debating right and wrong with him? Something has definitely gone wrong at Buried Immortal Town. Let's attack him together and slay him today. We must dispatch the army as quickly as possible; any later, and it might be too late!"

"Slay me? How could I have come alone?" Yao Qian said.

Rolling demonic clouds surged from above the wide Sui River.

The Demonic Chieftain from Tianya Ridge, with a mountain-like colossal body, strode across the river, radiating immense power and causing massive waves. He laughed, "It's been so many days, and only now do you realize? Isn't it already too late?"

The chieftains of Three Chen Palace, Tianyi Gate, and Coffin Sea Pavilion appeared one after another.

The Three Chen Palace Chieftain, a pure immortal body woman in palace attire, hovered in mid-air using an incredible method, as if integrated with space itself. She smiled, "Now, it's your turn to consider whether you'll all be slain here by us!"

The nine chieftains of the Jiuli tribe all felt their hearts sink to the bottom. It wasn't that they feared the chieftains of the four great sects and Tianya Ridge would actually dare to attack here. After all, they also had backup plans, and if it came to a desperate fight, no one would gain anything good.

What they worried about was Buried Immortal Town.

Nearly six days had passed; what was bound to happen, might have already occurred.

Li Song Lin was very worried about Cang Li, Li Ling, and Li Wei Yi. His eyes were icy cold. "They want to keep us here so we can't go anywhere. Let's fight. Yao Qian was right about one thing: a chaotic era requires enterprise, not complacent peace."

Suddenly.

Chaotic hoofbeats sounded.

A team carrying corpses approached from the direction of Buried Immortal Town.

Wang Dao Zhen, alone and covered in wounds, rode weakly on the back of the lead sturdy horse, arriving before the chieftains.

"Thud!"

He toppled sideways from the horse, propping up his heavily injured body. Kneeling, he reported to Yao Qian through tears: "Chieftain... Sixth Generation Grandson is dead, Yang Yun is dead, Chen Jingtang is dead, Master Liu is dead... We were attacked by two mysterious women whose cultivation is unfathomable... *cough cough*, I only managed to save my life by jumping into the boiling Sui River."

On his way back, Wang Dao Zhen had already killed and silenced the few Yongquan Realm martial artists who had seen him.

Wang Dao Zhen described the two mysterious women: "They fought fiercely and struck mercilessly; they must be from the Jiuli Hidden Sect."

"Sixth Generation Grandson was killed by Sima Tan with three slashes. His strength is far greater than anyone imagined; he doesn't even need a second slash to kill a Nine-Springs Perfected Being. The Yongquan Realm powerhouses from our combined dozen-plus factions were utterly routed. It's only a pity that I couldn't cross the Five-Seas Realm border, otherwise I would have personally slain him."

The news Wang Dao Zhen brought back surprised all the chieftains present.

The Demonic Chieftain, enraged, laughed instead. "First he killed the Fire Ape of the Dharma Path, and now he's killed the Silver Vein inheritor seed of my Tianya Ridge! Even if he has the backing of a great demon from the Far West Ashlands, I will ensure he dies ten different ways."

The Three Chen Palace Chieftain could no longer smile, not because she cared about the deaths of Chen Jingtang and others, but because she felt utterly disgraced.

Yao Qian did not alight from the carriage, but he detected several flaws in Wang Dao Zhen's words, and his perception also revealed some clues on the corpses.

But at this moment, how could he angrily kill Wang Dao Zhen and let the nine Jiuli chieftains, who were already secretly enjoying the situation, mock him?

He remained silent for a moment, then praised, "Good, very good. The Jiuli Hidden Sect has finally appeared; our plan is a success! The Yongquan Realm battlefield holds little significance; the Five-Seas Realm is the key. How are your injuries?"

Wang Dao Zhen hadn't expected that the usually astute chieftain would be deceived by him today. He hurriedly replied, "It's fine... I... *cough cough*... I can still fight for the sect..."

Yao Qian truly didn't want to look at him for another second. "In that case, quickly proceed to the path for Five-Seas Realm cultivators and inform Qing Xi and the others about the two women from the Jiuli Hidden Sect."

There were some things Wang Dao Zhen couldn't fabricate.

Yao Qian believed that two mysterious and powerful women had indeed appeared.

Whether they were from the Jiuli Hidden Sect or not, they were worth dealing with and capturing.

After Wang Dao Zhen rode back towards Buried Immortal Town, the Beast Jiuli Chieftain looked at the long horse caravan and the corpses on the horses' backs, finally unable to hold back his loud laughter. "I thought your schemes were so deep and your preparations so thorough; you made me worry needlessly! It seems your Yongquan Realm disciples have suffered heavy casualties!"

Yao Qian calmly replied, "It won't be too late for you to laugh again if half of the Jiuli tribe's Five-Seas Realm martial artists return alive."

Li Wei Yi's injuries had healed. He looked at the pile of various items on the ground: sunset-glow exotic herbs, magic artifacts, blood crystals, pills, money bags... everything imaginable.

In the distance, corpses were piled into a small hill, all victims of infighting over borrowed money.

These people all wanted to borrow money without repaying it; their deaths were well-deserved.

No fugitives had arrived for two hours, clearly indicating that this "waiting for rabbits" method of making money wouldn't last long, unlike leeks that could be harvested repeatedly.

Li Wei Yi said, "You've worked hard! Pick out whatever you like first."

Yao Yin had contributed significantly, and Li Wei Yi wouldn't be stingy about giving her share.

He was never a stingy person, just someone who understood frugality and cherishment.

Yao Yin gently shook her head and raised her palm. "Can I have these silver-thread gloves?"

"You certainly know how to pick. Their value is probably greater than this whole pile on the ground." Li Wei Yi knew that many magic artifacts required Five-Seas Realm cultivation to unleash their true power.

Magic artifacts were inherently for the use of Five-Seas Realm martial artists.

Yao Yin pouted her red lips, a rare girlish demeanor showing, and cooed, "I practice palm techniques, so these gloves are perfect for me. I don't want my palms to be pierced again in the future. If I absolutely have to, I'll buy them."

"Never mind! I still owe you a large sum in blood crystals, so consider it payment for the debt!"

Li Wei Yi collected all the treasures and money from the ground into his Evil Camel Bell. He then took the limbless Yang Yun and, with Yao Yin, quickly rode back to the Jiuli tribe's martial artist camp.

From the Jiuli tribe's martial artist camp, Buried Immortal Town, shrouded in immortal aura with its earthen walls, blue tiles, and dense cluster of houses, could be seen in the distance.

It was about five or six li away.

In the town, a thick, bright column of light shot straight into the sky, illuminating the surroundings so brightly that even the mist couldn't obscure it. The immortal aura seemed to emanate both from the light column and seep out from the town itself.

Seeing Li Wei Yi walking towards Buried Immortal Town, Yao Yin quickly caught up. "You can't reach Buried Immortal Town! From here, it seems only a few li away, but if you go a bit further, you'll enter a vast, immortal-world-like alternate space. It's as if the space here has been violently stretched; that's an ancient town that can no longer be reached."

Li Wei Yi had already spotted the abnormal area of immortal aura ahead, a barrier of chaotic energy separating him from Buried Immortal Town.

"If I pass through this energy barrier, I'll enter the so-called immortal world space?" Li Wei Yi asked curiously.

Yao Yin nodded. "But once you enter, you're very likely to encounter Five-Seas Realm martial artists, or even Dao Seed Realm old monsters. The immortal world space is chaotic; martial artists of all realms are gathering herbs inside. There are also paths for Dao Seed Realm and Longevity Realm cultivators to enter the immortal world space, but from different directions than the Yongquan Realm and Five-Seas Realm."

Li Wei Yi immediately dismissed the idea, temporarily suppressing his curiosity.

Anyway, the Jiuli tribe had plenty of martial artists willing to risk entering to gather herbs; they didn't need him.

"The Mang Mountain Grand Sacrifice lasts nine days. After it's over, tell everyone not to rush back yet. The path back to Yao Pass City is likely very unsafe right now."

After giving these instructions, Li Wei Yi found a spot closest to Buried Immortal Town, took out his Spring-Breaking Needle, and immediately began absorbing the immortal aura, continuing his attempt to break through to the Tenth Spring.

He wasn't concerned about others knowing he could absorb immortal aura; he might not be the only martial artist capable of doing so.

After all, so many medicinal materials could absorb it.

Half a month flew by.

Li Wei Yi meditated with his upper body bare, immortal aura seeping from every pore of his skin. He was heroic and handsome, not a pure immortal body, but more like a true immortal cultivating in the mortal world.