Chapter 166: Tianyi Sect, Huo Qian Kun

Yuwen Chao had already sensed the danger.

The enemies, who were fleeing on the imperial ship, suddenly stopped to counterattack. Seven strange insects and the previously encountered Grand Meditator of the Skyfire Realm also appeared without warning.

What puzzled him was why his opponents believed such power could restrain a Fifth Sea Realm expert. Soon, Yuwen Chao's bewilderment morphed into shock and unease.

The seven strange insects attacking him didn't cultivate combat techniques or intentions like human martial cultivators, nor did they possess artifacts, powerful moves, or combat intelligence. Yet, their speed was astonishingly fast, nearly matching his own as a Fifth Sea Realm expert.

Although they only knew how to attack with their sharp wings, boosted by their terrifying speed, each impact was comparable to the full-force strike of a Third Sea Realm martial cultivator.

If he faced only one, Yuwen Chao would simply need to unleash his combat intention to protect himself, and even standing still, the Phoenixwing Moth Emperor couldn't harm him in the slightest.

But before him, there were seven.

It was as if he were being assailed by seven Third Sea Realm martial cultivators. Yuwen Chao's three-zhang-tall combat intention projection, after enduring dozens of impacts, began to show signs of tearing.

He struck these insects more than ten times, but seemingly failed to injure them.

"What terrifying insects! An ordinary Fourth Sea Realm martial cultivator would likely find even one incredibly troublesome. No wonder they caused such a one-sided slaughter when they entered the Fire Crow Cavalry."

Just as this thought crossed Yuwen Chao's mind, he felt a premonition and saw a talisman rapidly flying towards him.

The talisman burst open, transforming into a ten-meter-long golden giant sword that slashed down.

"This is..."

A roaring sound like wind and thunder emanated from Yuwen Chao's lungs as his magical energy surged forth. He swung his high-grade artifact war spear. Bright, crimson runes emerged on the spear shaft, shaking the air and shattering the giant sword, which dissolved into a golden rain of light scattering across the sea.

He sought the source of the talisman, his tiger-like eyes falling upon Li Ling, who stood on the ship.

He exhaled a massive wave of magical energy, sending the seven extremely annoying Phoenixwing Moth Emperors flying ten zhang away. Then, he stepped onto the water's surface and charged towards the fishing boat.

He had to kill the opponent's Talisman Master first.

Rings of spiritual light emanated from Li Ling's brow as five dazzling golden talismans flew out simultaneously, transforming into five golden giant swords that collectively slashed towards Yuwen Chao.

Some slashed horizontally, some vertically, some plunged straight down...

Yuwen Chao knew the power of the Golden Sword Talisman, but he never expected his opponent could unleash five at once, filling his eyes with shock. At this moment, it was too late to dodge or retreat; he could only brace himself and unleash his strongest combat technique.

"Eternal Night, No Day."

His long spear swung skyward.

The three-zhang-tall combat intention projection raised its head and spewed forth a waterfall of black light.

"Rumble!"

It was as if he was single-handedly resisting a sword strike from each of five Fourth Sea Realm martial cultivators. Yuwen Chao couldn't withstand it; his combat intention collapsed, and his body plunged into the seawater.

His right arm, severely injured and almost crippled by Jiang Ning just days ago, had only regrown its flesh after he consumed a precious medicine.

Now, the skin on his entire right arm split open, blood seeped out, and the pain was bone-deep.

Yuwen Chao no longer cared about his dignity; a strong sense of crisis overwhelmed him, and he was about to escape underwater. However, he saw the seven strange insects approaching from seven different directions, their speed still remarkable even in the water.

Their bodies shimmered with iridescent colors, and their wings were as sharp as blades.

"These seven insects are too extraordinary. In the water, my speed is hindered, and I can't fully deploy my combat techniques; I definitely won't be able to match them."

With a splash, Yuwen Chao burst out of the water.

His magical energy surged, and he leaped several zhang above the water's surface.

His gaze quickly swept around, and when he discovered that Huo Qiankun had actually been killed, he trembled with fear. He no longer dared to consider staying even for a moment, wishing only to escape immediately, as far away as possible.

A bone-chilling war-halberd streaked across the sky, striking Yuwen Chao like a scythe.

"Pfft!"

Yuwen Chao's armor shattered as the war-halberd sliced him in half at the waist, blood spraying out like a waterfall.

His two severed body parts plummeted into the sea.

The seven Phoenixwing Moth Emperors swarmed over.

Two lifted the high-grade artifact war spears, preventing them from sinking to the seabed.

The other five used their claws to strip Yuwen Chao of his valuable possessions, transporting everything onto the fishing boat.

They had tasted the millennium essence medicine, which was exquisitely delicious and far superior to century-old precious medicines. Even after only a few hours of consumption, their internal life energy had been continuously increasing.

However, Li Weiyi had informed them that millennium essence medicine was extremely expensive, and buying even one would deplete their entire family fortune.

This was precisely why the seven little ones were so enthusiastic about collecting resources and treasures to earn money.

Li Weiyi returned to the fishing boat and looked at the four-zhang-tall ghostly figure that had emerged from the ghost banner. With just a single swing of its war-halberd, it had killed Yuwen Chao, demonstrating truly terrifying combat power.

"This ghost banner is absolutely not simple; I wonder what level of treasure it is."

Both the ghost banner and the Wicked Camel Bell belonged to Yu Tuonan.

Yu Tuonan's remnant soul dared to attack Zen Sea Observation Mist on the bronze warship. This indicates that even if he wasn't an ancient emperor in life, he must have been very close.

The grade of a treasure wielded by such an entity is unimaginable.

"It must be related to the purity of magical energy! I currently have Third-tier Qi, and the ghost projection I summon is only three zhang tall, its combat power comparable to an ordinary Fifth Sea Realm martial cultivator."

"Zhuang Yue likely has Fourth-tier Qi, so the ghost projection she summons reaches four zhang tall, naturally giving it a higher level of combat power."

Though both are Fifth Sea Realm cultivators, some are still cultivating their fifth Qi Sea, while others are already cultivating their sixth Qi Sea, the Wind Mansion.

The former's combat intention projection is only three zhang tall.

The latter's combat intention projection can reach four zhang.

Undeniably, the combat power of the four-zhang-tall ghostly figure that emerged from the ghost banner is already equivalent to a Sixth Sea martial cultivator.

It's unknown how powerful the ghost projection within the banner could become if someone cultivated Fifth-tier or Sixth-tier Qi to activate it. The ghostly figure then receded back into the ghost banner, and the infernal mist dissipated.

The sea surface became calm, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

Li Weiyi removed his provincial governor's robe and stored it in the Wicked Camel Bell.

This outfit was incredibly mystical and powerful, but it consumed a vast amount of magical energy. Just using the spatial escape technique was already somewhat unsustainable; he couldn't imagine if using the dragon soul power within it would instantly drain all the magical energy from his body. "They're catching up!"

Li Ling had been vigilant and spotted a giant warship catching up, about eight or nine li behind them.

"You and the seven little ones go deal with them quickly. Since Huo Qiankun appeared, Chen Xun and Sheng Qingyan must also be nearby, and they are much more formidable."

Li Weiyi merely glanced from a distance before busying himself, stripping Huo Qiankun's body of its clothes, meticulously counting them, and carefully observing his physique and facial features, not missing a single detail.

The warship behind them was rapidly sailing across the sea, pulled by a creature over twenty meters long.

The two Fifth Sea Realm martial cultivators from the Tianyi Sect who followed Huo Qiankun, and the three Fifth Sea Realm martial cultivators from Night City who followed Yuwen Chao, all stood at the bow of the ship. This warship was one they had seized and directly requisitioned from the docks.

"His height and build are similar to mine, and he's not a pure immortal body, so disguise shouldn't be too difficult."

As Li Weiyi observed the corpse on the ground, he practiced the Disguise Art, adjusting his physique, posture, and facial features.

He also carefully recalled Huo Qiankun's skin condition, demeanor, voice tone, and overall aura from when he was alive, pondering each detail intently.

Besides altering bones and spirit, the most crucial aspects of the Disguise Art were observation and contemplation.

Time ticked by.

"Thud!"

Metal hit the deck with a loud clang.

A Phoenixwing Moth Emperor, grasping a low-grade artifact long spear, flew unsteadily across several li of open sea, bringing it back to the fishing boat and dropping it onto the deck beside Li Weiyi.

"They've finished killing and are done."

Li Weiyi looked towards the warship behind them.

On the sea between the two ships, the seven Phoenixwing Moth Emperors were busily and diligently moving, their small bodies transporting heavy goods back and forth.

All five Fifth Sea Realm martial cultivators on the giant warship had been killed.

Li Ling's legs trailed streaks of blue mist as she walked back across the water; she hadn't had a chance to act the entire time.

Li Weiyi picked up the silver spear from the deck, swung his arm, and the spear tip transformed into a point of silver light that landed near Li Ling's pristine, jade-like chin as she boarded. He then spoke in Huo Qiankun's tone: "Tianyi Sect, Huo Qiankun!"

Li Ling paused for a moment, her heart filled with surprise and doubt as she carefully examined Li Weiyi, who had completely transformed into Huo Qiankun. If Huo Qiankun's corpse hadn't been nearby, Li Weiyi would have perfectly mimicked him.

"Even I couldn't spot a flaw. As long as you don't engage in combat and reveal your magical energy characteristics, you should be able to deceive everyone," she said.

Li Weiyi retracted the spear: "It's not that simple. I had too little contact with Huo Qiankun, so it's impossible to be exactly like him. If I encounter an expert who knows him well and has sharp sensory abilities, I'll definitely be exposed quickly."

Zhuang Yue had been listening to their conversation: "Li Weiyi, didn't you say the enemies were terrifying, and that going to save people would be like walking to your death? How... how do I get the feeling you have no intention of leaving? What exactly are you trying to do?"

Li Weiyi walked up to Zhuang Yue and touched her face with his palm.

Zhuang Yue trembled slightly, offering no resistance.

While she was completely defenseless, Li Weiyi used his mind power to make her fall unconscious.

"Watch her and don't let her wake up and discover the secret of the Blood Mud Space." Li Weiyi looked at Li Ling, then activated the Buddha Relic, drawing both of them into its microscopic world.

The fewer people who knew the secret of Shaoyang Star, the better.

This place was only a few dozen li from the docks, and Li Weiyi was well aware that enemies could arrive at any moment.

After dealing with Huo Qiankun's corpse, he untied a four-meter-long small boat from the fishing boat's stern, then shattered the entire fishing boat with a single palm strike, destroying all traces.

Following that, he used his magical energy to propel the small boat, disappearing into the depths of Bingzu Marsh.

The warm winter sun shone, and a gentle breeze blew.

The seven Phoenixwing Moth Emperors landed on the edge of the small boat, their wings opening and closing, shimmering with light, looking very content and at ease. Since consuming the millennium essence medicine that morning, their bodies had grown considerably, approaching three and a half inches.

Once they fully digested the millennium essence medicine, there was a high probability they would grow directly to four inches long.

At that point, the combat power of a single insect would increase significantly again.

"What a sharp aura, like sword intent carried on the wind."

Li Weiyi sensed a familiar and sharp aura approaching from ten li behind him. He felt as if thorns were prickling his back, or a sharp sword was already hanging over his head.

If he were on land, he would never have felt it so clearly; there would be too many interfering factors.

The sea was empty, and even by simply sensing the scent in the wind, he could predict many unseen situations in advance.

"Splash!"

He put away the small boat and the Phoenixwing Moth Emperors, then concealed himself entirely underwater.

Chen Wenwu, standing on a log as thick as a bowl, approached like an arrow shot from a bowstring. He created a straight path across the sea, as if drawing a line to divide the ocean in two.

He carried the Zhige Sword on his back, his posture upright and heroic, his long hair swaying in the wind, like an immortal descending to the mortal world.

His eyes shone brightly, piercing through illusions.

His combat intention transformed into countless dragon- and snake-like wisps of mist, probing for any hidden spots on the water's surface.