Chapter 140: Cang Li's Reverse Scale

Li Weiyi held his arm, patted the back of his hand, and chuckled, "Uncle Four, please accept it. I still have enough left for bone tempering."

Li Songlin didn't argue further and accepted his kindness.

If he could restore his muscles and bones with the Golden Spring, even without his legs, his cultivation and combat power would at least remain.

Half an hour later, as he walked out of the tent, Li Weiyi felt a heavy suppression in his heart. The disparity in cultivation levels was too great; otherwise, he would have already drawn his sword and rushed to Buried Immortal Town.

He asked, "Li Ling, is there no miraculous medicine in this world that can make severed legs regrow?"

Li Ling replied, "There are indeed some millennium elixirs that can regrow severed limbs, but the prerequisite is that one's cultivation must first be abandoned. This is because a martial cultivator's legs are different from an ordinary person's; they involve the two springs at the soles of the feet and the meridians throughout the body. It's not just a simple flesh-and-blood structure. Do you think Uncle Four would be willing to cripple his cultivation?"

"Is there no other way?" Li Weiyi asked.

Li Ling said, "Yes, the Longevity Pill! When a martial cultivator at the Dao Seed realm enters the Longevity realm, they can remold their physical body, which is akin to the beginning of a new life journey."

From inside the tent, Li Songlin's voice rang out, "Fourth girl, stop spouting nonsense. Which eye of yours sees your Fourth Uncle as someone capable of becoming a Longevity realm expert? Let's not even mention the Longevity Pill; we don't even qualify to smell it. Even if we could get it, breaking through to that realm isn't easy."

Li Weiyi turned back to look at the tent, well aware that Li Songlin had been feigning ease and magnanimity all along. For anyone to fall from being the spirited leader of a tribe to a cripple confined to a chair, it must be an incredibly painful and difficult experience.

"Longevity Pill!" Li Weiyi silently made a note and asked, "Li Ling, where is your father? I'd like to pay my respects to him!"

"My father? My father is stationed in Jiuli City, not Yao Pass. My mother is here in the camp; would you like to meet her?" Li Ling asked.

Li Weiyi mused for a moment, then added, "Is it truly your mother who calls the shots in your family?"

"My father simply dislikes handling mundane affairs. He's a focused person, preferring to seclude himself and meticulously study various ancient texts on other-world coffins," Li Ling explained.

Li Weiyi asked, "Besides cultivating spiritual power, does he also cultivate martial arts?"

"He probably does, but he doesn't enjoy martial cultivation, so his attainments aren't high," Li Ling replied.

Li Weiyi then asked, "Is your brother in the camp?"

"You're asking about my entire family; what exactly are you planning?" Li Ling asked curiously.

Li Weiyi didn't know how to explain. After a moment of silence, he whispered, "I'm leaving soon! Before I go... Qi Shanshan should be in the camp, right? I'd like to see her."

"That's not convenient!" Li Ling flatly refused, adding, "My brother isn't in the camp, but he values her immensely and has dispatched two Five Seas realm experts to guard her. Even for me to see her is extremely difficult. I advise you not to have any ulterior motives, or my brother will fight you to the death. By the way, where are you going?"

"Can't you sense things? Try sensing this time!"

After Li Weiyi and Zhao Zhizhu left the military camp, they mounted their horses. The thunderous sound of hooves echoed as the two galloped towards the dense forest of the Mangshan mountain range.

Li Weiyi, deep in thought, asked, "Old Zhao, if I asked you to return to the Hanging Tower military camp and silently apprehend a woman, could you do it?"

"The Hanging Tower army is filled with experts. Not to mention my current cultivation, even if my cultivation were fully restored, it would be impossible," Zhao Zhizhu replied with a wry smile.

The Mangshan mountain range was vast, with towering peaks and numerous valleys and streams. Covered by the immortal mists and clouds drifting from Buried Immortal Town, it gave one a sense of endless forests and boundless wilderness, profound and vast, as if it would never end.

Ten miles into the mountains, there were no more wild mountain paths. Li Weiyi dismounted and observed the surrounding terrain. "I can help you restore your cultivation, but you must help me apprehend that person. There's always a way to do things in this world. What's as difficult as ascending to heaven for you might be effortless for someone else. The key is finding the right person."

"Who is this person you're referring to, Young Master?" Zhao Zhizhu asked.

Li Weiyi said, "Cang Li and Li Ling's mother, the all-powerful Mistress of your Cang Li tribe. A shrewd person like her wouldn't fail to see through Qi Shanshan's true nature. I heard she was the staunchest opponent of Cang Li and Qi Shanshan being together. Go to her and tell her I want to take Qi Shanshan away; she'll definitely help you."

For the next two days, Li Weiyi and Zhao Zhizhu found a hidden valley and focused all their efforts on reopening Zhao Zhizhu's Qi Sea.

During this process, Zhao Zhizhu still wore a black cloth bag over his head, blocking his senses. Although he had some suspicions, he didn't voice them, as Li Weiyi's kindness was simply too immense, akin to a rebirth.

The following evening, the sky turned a dark azure. Zhao Zhizhu, sitting cross-legged by the water, took a deep breath. Instantly, airflow surged within a three-mile radius, and immortal mists, clouds, and Dharmic energy rushed wildly into his body, draining the entire area dry.

His eyes erupted with brilliant light, and a ten-zhang aura of radiant energy surrounded him. His lungs emitted the deafening sound of wind and thunder, and his long, frosted hair at his temples gleamed with dazzling luster.

"Crash!" With a virtual lift of his arms, over a hundred large rocks by the stream flew up from the ground, shattering into dust with a roar.

Zhao Zhizhu looked at his arms, overflowing with radiant colors, and felt his Five Seas reopened and the Dharmic energy circulating throughout his body. He couldn't help but shed tears of old age in excitement, roaring, "I, Zhao Zhizhu, am back! Fourteen years of stagnation, and finally, my suffering has come to an end."

Across the stream, Li Weiyi, who was refining his Qi, opened his eyes and asked with a smile, "With your current cultivation, can you be a match for Yang Qingxi?"

Zhao Zhizhu quickly waved his hand. "Right now, my Five Seas have merely reopened. Not to mention my physical body's vitality is far from its peak, just filling the Five Seas with Dharmic energy will take a good deal of time. My current combat power is probably only slightly superior to a martial cultivator at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas realm."

"Yang Qingxi is a figure of the second tier among the younger generation in Lizhou, a Nine Springs Pure Immortal Body. A year ago, she already reached the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas realm! How can I, an Eight Springs mortal, fight her?"

Li Weiyi grew curious. "Old Zhao, why don't you tell me about the top experts of the younger generation in Lizhou, what levels of figures are they?"

With his cultivation restored, Zhao Zhizhu was in high spirits. He sat down and began to explain, "The second tier I just mentioned refers to figures like Yang Qingxi and Chen Wenwu, who are Fourth Stage Nine Springs Pure Immortal Bodies, or Fifth Stage Sages, or Fifth Stage Eight Springs Pure Immortal Bodies. There are about six or seven individuals at this level, and they are all the public faces of their respective sects or factions.

"The first tier, of course, is Cang Li. He alone is clearly number one. Although he is at the Fifth Stage of the Five Seas realm, he's likely already cultivating the Sixth and Seventh Seas! He can even fight against a Dao Seed realm cultivator.

"The third tier consists of about twenty to thirty people. Only the top young person from each tribe of the Nine Li Clan qualifies for this rank. Some of them are at the Fifth Stage of the Five Seas realm, while others are Fourth Stage Pure Immortal Bodies or Sages.

"The fourth tier has about a hundred people. Anyone who enters the Third Stage before thirty years old qualifies, including Grand Spiritual Masters of the Heavenly Fire realm."

Li Weiyi frowned in silence, then burst into a self-deprecating laugh. "So, I can't even make it into the top hundred?"

"Others have been cultivating for twenty years; how long have you been cultivating?" Having spent so much time together, Zhao Zhizhu wasn't foolish; how could he not understand Li Weiyi's cultivation speed? He said, "This information of mine is from before the anomaly in Buried Immortal Town. This anomaly has caused the cultivation and physiques of many young martial cultivators to undergo leapfrogging qualitative changes."

After Zhao Zhizhu finished speaking, he solemnly knelt on one knee before Li Weiyi. "Young Master, this kindness is impossible to repay in a lifetime. Please accept Old Zhao's bow!"

After getting up, he mounted his horse and spurred it away. "I will surely bring Qi Shanshan to you."

"Since I can't even stand out among Lizhou's younger generation, the idea of obtaining the Longevity Pill at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival seems to be out of the question!" Li Weiyi shook his head and sighed, then took out a Glow Flame Pill and swallowed it. With just over three months left until the Lantern Festival, martial arts cultivation couldn't possibly catch up. The top priority was to first strive to become a Grand Spiritual Master and then go to Tanggu Sea to help Yao Yin collect Xihe Flowers.

But only a few breaths of time passed. Li Weiyi's eyes once again blazed with vigorous fighting spirit. He pulled out the Golden Spring and took a large gulp. While absorbing light to nourish fire, he hammered and tempered his bones.

It was said that once his bones were tempered to minor golden bone completion, his physical strength alone would allow him to challenge ordinary Fifth Stage Five Seas realm martial cultivators. It was precisely this terrifying power boost that drove the Carefree Golden Ape to desperately seek the Golden Spring, wanting to become the top expert of the younger generation in the Southern Territory.

In the middle of the night, the sound of hooves shattered the mountain's tranquility.

Li Weiyi rushed to greet him but saw only Zhao Zhizhu returning alone.

Zhao Zhizhu dismounted, quickly stepped forward, and said with an excited expression, "I've successfully completed the mission! Just as Young Master predicted, the Mistress absolutely despises Qi Shanshan, but due to the mother-son bond, she couldn't personally act."

From his sleeve, he took out a white bug bag the size of a sack and activated it with Dharmic energy. "Whoosh!" The bug bag rapidly swelled.

Qi Shanshan, clad in a beautiful light blue brocade dress, tumbled out of the bag.

Bug bags could hold living beings, but most had very small openings. The larger the opening, the more difficult they were to refine, making them extremely precious. They could even hold people or mounts.

Qi Shanshan, with a martial cultivation of two opened springs, quickly got up and observed her surroundings.

In the darkness, upon seeing Li Weiyi, the panic in her eyes instantly vanished. She elegantly twirled a strand of her hair and chuckled, "Oh, it's you, Li Weiyi! Long time no see. Why did you have to go about seeing Sister Shanshan in such a way? I've missed you too; you haven't come to see me in so long."

Li Weiyi observed her, a hint of surprise in his heart.

In just over half a year, there was no longer any trace of a modern Earth person on Qi Shanshan. Moreover, Cang Li had gathered the Dyed Cloud Elixir for her, and she had actually transformed into a Pure Immortal Body. Her skin and appearance were flawless, and her figure and demeanor were rarely matched.

With such charm, coupled with Qi Shanshan's exceptional intellect and methods, it was no wonder Cang Li had fallen for her.

But was she truly just Qi Shanshan? Was Zen Sea Observing Mist within her?

Li Weiyi said, "I want to see Zen Sea Observing Mist!"

Qi Shanshan's eyes shifted, then she spread her arms. "I can't make her come out to see you. You can try doing it yourself! No matter what you do, Sister Shanshan won't blame you."

Li Weiyi wasn't fooled by her act. He secretly mobilized the Dharmic energy within him, preparing for Zen Sea Observing Mist's potential appearance, and cautiously walked towards her, raising a finger to touch her glabella.

"Rustle!" A desolate night wind blew into the ten-zhang-wide gorge between the two mountains. The vegetation swayed like spectral soldiers.

"If your hand dares to touch her, don't blame me for disregarding our past friendship and severing your arms. Li Weiyi, if a person loses their bottom line, no matter how great their achievements, they cannot hide their dirty and sordid essence. She is your sister-in-law. This time, you have touched my reverse scale!"

The voice echoed into the valley, word by word. When the first word sounded, Cang Li was still three miles away. As the words "reverse scale" fell, he already stood majestically on a rock several dozen feet away, holding a ten-foot silver spear, his eyes like lightning, exuding an aura of profound stability and strategic dominance.