Chapter 131: Instant Kill

On the path of cultivation, life and death are commonplace.

"Madam Tian, please accept my condolences!"

As their acquaintance wasn't deep, Li Weiyi found it hard to empathize. He immediately asked who "Di Ran" was.

In the valley, among their attackers, Li Weiyi only recognized Xue Qi and Chen Song from San Chen Palace, names he learned from Shang Zhi when they entered the mountain.

Zuoqiu Lanlan stopped her tears and said resentfully, "Di Ran is a disciple of Zen Master Xinku, one of the Three Zen Masters of Coffin Mountain. Like his master, he relishes cannibalism and is incredibly cruel. He is, however, at the second stage of the Five Seas Realm, a deformed variant of the Nine Springs Breaking Five Seas, and has consumed the blood of two ancient immortal beasts, making him exceedingly powerful."

As she spoke, Li Weiyi realized who she meant: the deformed martial cultivator, approximately four meters tall, with a pair of metallic wings. He had been wearing a Dead Spirit Human Skin and was flying above the valley when Shang Zhi was killed by metal feathers launched from his body.

"Madam Tian, do not be sad. I will definitely kill Di Ran!"

Firstly, Li Weiyi wanted to avenge Shang Zhi, having accepted the deceased's payment. Secondly, a monster who relished cannibalism was truly repulsive, making it an opportune time to eliminate him.

Zuoqiu Lanlan's watery eyes stared at him in surprise.

She knew, of course, that "Sima Tan's" words were merely a polite comfort. After all, Di Ran's cultivation and combat power were at the peak of the second stage of the Five Seas Realm, far beyond what a martial cultivator at the first stage could contend with. Nevertheless, she found some solace in his words.

As for being called "Madam Tian," Zuoqiu Lanlan found it strange; no one had ever addressed her that way before.

Li Weiyi approached Zuoqiu Baiming, and seeing his wretched state, reminded him, "Senior Brother Baiming, your Dead Spirit Human Skin appears to be shattered. Is that a problem?"

Zuoqiu Baiming, whose spirit had been severely impacted, merely glanced indifferently at Li Weiyi, remaining silent.

He was a Pure Immortal Body of Nine Springs Breaking Five Seas. Though he lacked the Hundred Meridians, his future was undeniably boundless; he was considered a top-tier prodigy even among countless sects.

Yet, on his first independent team expedition, he suffered such a devastating defeat, ending up with a broken and crippled leg. His will was almost shattered; he had no desire to speak. Zuoqiu Lanlan said, concerned, "Senior Brother Baiming's leg was severed by Xue Qi of the Sui Sect. With his Dead Spirit Human Skin shattered, he can no longer engage in combat. If he activates the spiritual energy within his body, he could spontaneously combust and die at any moment. Fortunately, you are still alive, otherwise, I wouldn't know what to do by myself."

Li Weiyi mused silently.

The current situation was undoubtedly tragic for the Zuoqiu sect, but for the Jiuli tribe, it was incredibly favorable.

A crippled Zuoqiu Baiming would undoubtedly harbor immense resentment towards the mountain and other factions. This bitterness would inevitably influence his clan elders and relatives upon his return.

The resentment of a widowed Zuoqiu Lanlan would also be enough to ignite the fury of some of the Zuoqiu sect's elders.

They cannot be allowed to die; they must be saved.

"Wait for me."

Li Weiyi entered the stone forest of giant humanoid statues, retrieved Shang Zhi's corpse from the Evil Camel Bell, and placed it on his back.

Zuoqiu Lanlan saw Li Weiyi return with Shang Zhi's corpse and gave a bitter smile, as if she had expected it. "He died too?"

"He was also killed by Di Ran."

Li Weiyi removed Shang Zhi's talisman robe and handed it to Zuoqiu Lanlan. "Have Senior Brother Baiming wear this; it might be of some use."

"How did his body end up in this stone forest?" Zuoqiu Lanlan asked curiously.

Li Weiyi, disinclined to explain further, casually replied, "I carried him out of the valley. Regardless, I must take him back to the Beast Li tribe for burial."

Zuoqiu Lanlan fell silent, pondering many things. Her gaze towards Li Weiyi instantly filled with boundless admiration.

The situation in the valley had been incredibly perilous. The three members of the Zuoqiu sect didn't even have time to retrieve their high-tier magical artifact, the Yin Banner. In contrast, "Sima Tan" was incredibly righteous; no matter the danger, he would never leave a companion's body exposed in the wilderness.

After Zuoqiu Lanlan dressed Zuoqiu Baiming in the talisman robe, Li Weiyi added, "We must leave quickly. This stone forest is not safe; it harbors terrible dangers."

"If we go out, we'll die. Di Ran and Chen Song are waiting outside the stone forest," Zuoqiu Lanlan said, her mind conjuring dreadful images and her face instantly paling.

"Then kill them."

Li Weiyi did not wish to linger, nor did he want to reveal powerful hidden assets like the Evil Camel Bell. His gaze fell upon the high-tier magical artifact, the Sky Flame Blade, in Zuoqiu Baiming's hand. "Senior Brother Baiming, may I borrow your blade?"

Zuoqiu Baiming finally reacted, weakly tossing the Sky Flame Blade to him and saying, "Take it and use it."

Li Weiyi picked up the Sky Flame Blade and walked out.

"I'll go with you."

Zuoqiu Lanlan knew clearly that hiding in the stone forest would only offer temporary refuge. If they failed to descend the mountain in time once the immortal mists dissipated tomorrow, the mysterious natural energy of Thirty-Three Li Mountain alone would cause martial cultivators of the Five Seas Realm to spontaneously combust.

Given the circumstances, it was better to fight to the death.

If they could take down an enemy with them, it wouldn't be a loss. Even if death was inevitable, at least they would die with dignity, not disgracing their sect's name.

"No need, just take care of Senior Brother Baiming."

All 120 scar meridians in his body had been tempered to gold. Furthermore, the high-tier magical artifact Night Travel Robe and the high-tier magical artifact Battle Blade amplified his defense, speed, and strength to their absolute peak. Li Weiyi was fully confident in facing any opponent at the second stage of the Five Seas Realm.

With Zuoqiu Baiming wielding these two high-tier magical artifacts, he could likely defeat some individuals at the third stage of the Five Seas Realm.

Li Weiyi, holding his blade, stepped out of the stone forest and stood atop a white stone over two meters tall. Facing the mist-shrouded rubble, he extended his perception and shouted, "Where is Chen Song? Do you know Chen Jingtang?"

Whistling sounds echoed from within the mist.

Chen Song, enveloped in the Dead Spirit Human Skin, slowly advanced. "It's useless even if you know Jingtang. Everyone from the Zuoqiu sect must die. Friendship is worthless in the face of life-or-death interests."

Chen Song, Chen Jingtang, and Chen Wenwu were the only three Nine Springs Supremes of the younger generation in San Chen Palace.

Among them, Chen Wenwu was slightly older and the most talented, possessing a Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body. He was a top-five figure among Lizhou's younger generation and the representative of San Chen Palace.

Li Weiyi scanned the blurry figures behind Chen Song and declared proudly, "I just wanted to tell you that I killed Chen Jingtang. You, Chen Song, will also die by my blade."

"You are Sima Tan?"

Chen Song's gaze sharpened, fully revealing his murderous intent.

Li Weiyi had uttered those words precisely to enrage Chen Song.

When enraged, a person's rationality is often overcome by emotion.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi did not respond. In a single stride, he leaped three zhang, and in three steps, he stood before Chen Song. The Sky Flame Blade in his hand, fueled by spiritual energy, unleashed vigorous and scorching flames.

This flame was not mundane; it was a demonic fire.

Martial cultivators below the third stage of the Five Seas Realm could not defend against it using transformed combat techniques. Even a mere touch would incinerate their flesh and blood.

"Good, today is a good day to avenge Jingtang."

Chen Song swept his arm, sending the jade bracelet from his wrist flying.

The jade bracelet spun rapidly, emitting a bright glow as it struck along an erratic path.

Li Weiyi bent his legs, squatting to evade, then horizontally slashed at Chen Song's lower body, creating a crescent-shaped fiery blade energy.

Confident in his profound cultivation and abundant spiritual energy, Chen Song did not dodge. Instead, he activated a palm mirror.

He unleashed a formidable palm strike.

A vast palm force and the mirror's radiance erupted simultaneously, colliding with the fiery blade energy and sending ripples of energy wildly outward.

"Boom!"

Both combatants simultaneously recoiled backward.

As Li Weiyi retreated, he angled his body to the left, evading the jade bracelet flying from behind. He braced himself with a hand on the ground, then flipped, landing several zhang away.

Chen Song retrieved his jade bracelet, his face outwardly calm but his heart churning. He could not accept being fought to a standstill by someone from a lower cultivation stage.

While his opponent carried a high-tier magical artifact, it would be impressive if a first-stage Five Seas Realm cultivator could unleash even ten percent of its power. Chen Song, on the other hand, carried three mid-tier magical artifacts, capable of unleashing twenty to thirty percent of their power, so he was certainly not at a disadvantage regarding weaponry.

"As expected of Sima Tan, who was invincible in the Spring Realm. After entering the Five Seas Realm, he truly has transformed from a fish into a dragon. Is he on the verge of becoming a dominant force?" Chen Song's expression was grim; he now viewed Li Weiyi as a mortal enemy.

"A dominant force? Then let's strike him down here."

Di Ran's deep, resonant voice permeated the mist.

"Swish! Swish!"

A dense volley of arrows, accompanied by Di Ran's metallic feathers, flew from the mist.

Blood mist and blood-red scriptures surged from Li Weiyi's clothes. He then held the Sky Flame Blade horizontally before him, and a fire shield, larger than a human body, manifested on its blade.

Before the arrows could even touch the fire shield, their tips melted into liquid.

The metallic feathers, when they struck, were repelled by layers of defensive power, unable to reach Li Weiyi.

The arrow rain ceased.

Through the fire shield, Li Weiyi saw Chen Song on the ground, attacking with Wind-Guiding Boots, one hand holding a jade bracelet, the other clutching a palm mirror.

In the sky, Di Ran's colossal form emerged from the mist, wielding a fiery halberd with exceptional dominance.

"Two against one? No, it's eight against two."

Li Weiyi wasn't there for a fair fight; he was there to kill.

With that, he slapped the insect tube.

Seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns simultaneously flew out, charging towards Di Ran.

Like seven arrows released from a bowstring, they flew with a piercing, dangerous "swish" through the air.

On the ground, Li Weiyi and Chen Song had exchanged only three moves when Di Ran's screams erupted, one after another, as his four-meter-long, nearly thousand-jin body plummeted from mid-air with a thud.

Chen Song and the other martial cultivators in the mist were utterly terrified.

How had Di Ran died so suddenly? They hadn't even clearly seen what those seven iridescent streaks of light were.

Chen Song, however, saw clearly: they were seven moths. His eyes widened in terror. "You're actually an insect master!"

Without a second thought, he turned and fled.

This was insane! Di Ran was a deformed variant from Nine Springs Breaking Five Seas, whose combat power was even slightly superior to his own, yet he had died tragically on the spot in mere moments.

How could they possibly fight? Li Weiyi had previously been cautious, hesitant to release the seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns, primarily fearing they would be consumed by the mysterious natural energy of Thirty-Three Li Mountain. However, during herb gathering yesterday, he had tested them and confirmed they could withstand that power.

The seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns were comparable to seven inheritor seeds of the same cultivation stage. Each was capable of killing enemies across cultivation stages, and their combat power was not significantly weaker than that of Di Ran or Chen Song.

Seven against one was naturally effortless.

"Leave Chen Song to me. You all go deal with those martial cultivators in the mist; they must have gathered Rainbow-Stained Exotic Medicine. Don't let them escape."

Li Weiyi, holding his blade, strode after Chen Song.

Standing at the edge of the stone forest of giant humanoid statues, Zuoqiu Lanlan witnessed everything unfolding in the mist, utterly astonished.

"Sima Tan" fighting Chen Song to a standstill across cultivation stages was astonishing enough, but he also raised seven fearsome insects with incredible combat power... No, they couldn't be ordinary fierce insects; they must be rare, exotic ones.

Only juvenile exotic insects could possibly enter Thirty-Three Li Mountain.

The one-legged Zuoqiu Baiming silently appeared behind her, gazing into the mist and listening to the continuous sounds of battle and screams. "Lanlan, our demise is near!"

Zuoqiu Lanlan looked bewildered. "Senior Brother Baiming, what do you mean? Sima Tan can certainly handle them; he's truly powerful."

A hundred words of instruction are often useless, but one experience can be deeply ingrained.

Zuoqiu Baiming seemed to have suddenly matured and become steady, completely devoid of his former arrogance. He smiled bitterly. "It's precisely because he is too strong that we are undoubtedly doomed."