Chapter 216: Cursed by One's Own Actions

After the imperial court shifted its focus to the North and East cities, the Xuan Sect naturally could not remain in the South City, fearing retaliation from the Jiuli tribe and the Zuoqiu Family. Therefore, they moved to the North City, approximately three miles from the Governor's Mansion, becoming one of the peripheral forces guarding it.

Dusk was approaching.

"Boom!" The ground trembled slightly. A deafening roar of thunder came from the direction of the Governor's Mansion, and countless flashes of lightning shot into the sky. All the martial artists and residents in the city were alarmed, realizing that another force had engaged the imperial court in battle.

Imperial court martial artists, hidden throughout the city, transformed into streaks of afterimages, rapidly flying towards the commotion.

"It's the martial artists from the Tang Court of Thunder Law and Profound Ice, feigning an attack on the Governor's Mansion. Let's go, it's our turn to act!"

Li Weiyi transformed into Yang Zhiyong's likeness, put on clothes stained with Yang Zhiyong's blood, and lay on a carriage, feigning severe injury and unconsciousness. Yang Yun drove the carriage, rushing toward the Xuan Sect's stronghold. This unconscious state would minimize interaction and prevent any slips.

The Xuan Sect stronghold, a four-courtyard compound, was located at a crossroads near a river, a street, and a bridge. The formation array had already been activated, with layers of light screens rising and intricate runes shimmering, obscuring the view of the interior.

"Rumble!" The rapidly approaching carriage, crushing through the wind and snow, abruptly stopped outside the Xuan Sect's compound.

Yang Yun leaped from the carriage, scrambling and shouting, "Quick, open the formation array... It's me, Yang Yun! We escaped! Uncle Seven is severely wounded and needs treatment..."

Bai Shu, hidden in a narrow alley across the river, watched intently, worried that Yang Yun was taking a huge risk. After a moment, the formation array's light screen opened a three-foot-wide gap, and Yang Yue, the second most skilled among the Xuan Sect's young generation, emerged.

Bai Shu's expression subtly changed. Yang Yue had not rushed to the Governor's Mansion, which significantly increased the danger for Li Weiyi.

Yang Yun, seeing Yang Yue, feigned tears of joy and, as previously planned, said, "The Snow Sword Tang Court dispatched all their forces to attack the Governor's Mansion, and martial artists from the Jiuli tribe also went to assist. Uncle Seven and I finally seized the opportunity and escaped. Uncle Seven helped me break through the encirclement, but... he's too severely wounded and has lost consciousness."

To Bai Shu and Li Weiyi's relief, Yang Yun's acting was superb. Yang Yue showed no suspicion at all, not even bothering to check on the severely wounded and unconscious "Yang Zhiyong" in the carriage before admitting them into the stronghold.

Layer after layer of the formation array's light screen closed. Yang Yun was pondering how to subtly reveal Li Weiyi without alerting anyone, but as soon as he led the carriage through the main gate, his expression instantly changed. His vision blurred, and his legs felt weak.

Inside, the ground was a river of blood, littered with the bodies of young Xuan Sect martial artists. One person was nailed to the screen wall. The water in the pond had turned crimson.

A Xuan Sect martial artist from the Third Realm of Five Seas, not yet fully dead, lifted his head. Seeing Yang Yun, he rasped, "Run... run quickly..."

"Pfft!" In front, Yang Yue casually pulled a broken spear from the ground, thrust it through the martial artist's back of the head, pinning his skull firmly to the ground, never to rise again. Yang Yue's expression remained unchanged throughout.

Behind the screen wall, the second and third courtyards were filled with cries of battle, incessant fighting, and continuous screams. With layers of formation arrays isolating them, how could anyone outside know that the interior had become a living hell?

Yang Yun turned to flee... A cold sneer curled Yang Yue's lips.

With five fingers outstretched in the air, five streams of spiritual mist surged forth, coiling around Yang Yun and pulling him back into Yang Yue's grasp. Yang Yun, his neck seized by Yang Yue, was powerless to resist. He trembled in extreme terror, stammering, "Uncle... Uncle Yue... Why?"

"Who's your Uncle Yue? Boy, you only have yourself to blame for returning at the wrong time." Yang Yue, still not checking on the severely wounded and unconscious "Yang Zhiyong" in the carriage, twisted his grip on Yang Yun, holding him like a small chick, and walked towards the second courtyard.

"It's over, another fake Uncle Yue." Yang Yun was on the verge of tears, secretly cursing his terrible luck for repeatedly encountering ruthless characters. He felt that this time, escape was impossible.

"Tell Yang Qingxi that her brother has been captured by me! If she doesn't want this boy to die, she should hand over the items willingly." Yang Yue's voice echoed from deep within the courtyard. Silence fell around.

In the carriage, Li Weiyi abruptly sat up, his eyes wide with horror. Clearly, some force had struck the Xuan Sect first. Which force was it? And what were they after? Yang Qingxi's Dragon Seed token?

Li Weiyi activated the stealth power of his night-traveling attire, carefully suppressing his aura, and cautiously dismounted. Seeing the scene of widespread corpses, he immediately dismissed his earlier thought. This was clearly a plan to annihilate the Xuan Sect's younger generation! For a mere Dragon Seed token, why would they go to such extremes?

The third courtyard of the Xuan Sect stronghold, spanning about two acres, was paved with stone slabs and featured a martial arts training ground. Countless figures moved within the courtyard, and the light from the formation array glowed brightly. Li Weiyi peered through the carved window lattices, his expression shifting repeatedly.

On the training ground, over a dozen young martial artists from the Xuan Sect's Third Sea Realm were suppressed to their knees by the Left Attendant, a subordinate of the Young Venerable, who wielded immense spiritual energy. The Right Attendant, having transformed into Yang Yue's likeness, threw Yang Yun, who tumbled and landed next to the other dozen or so Xuan Sect martial artists.

The true Yang Yue, his limbs pierced and skin flayed, had become a bloody, pulpy mass, rolling in agony on the ground, his screams chilling to the bone.

Besides the two Attendants, two Grand Diviners of the Calamity Fire Realm from the San Chen Palace were breaking the formation array of the fourth courtyard. They dared not use Thunder Law Profound Ice, fearing too much commotion.

Suddenly, Li Weiyi saw a figure that struck terror into the hearts of all young martial artists in Qiu Prefecture's capital city. The person wore a liquid silver mask, their form ethereal, and their aura terrifyingly indistinct yet overwhelming. It was Hua Yuzi, the foremost expert under the Young Venerable, ranked second in the Southern Region's First Tier, even higher than Zuo Qiu Ting.

After a quick glance, Li Weiyi immediately averted his gaze, fearing that Hua Yuzi might sense him. Hua Yuzi said with a smile, "Wenwu, Yang Qingxi doesn't seem to care much about her brother's life or death."

Chen Wenwu replied, "If her brother dies, her mother can always have another. It's no big deal."

"That's true!" Hua Yuzi lost patience. This place was too close to the Governor's Mansion; they needed to finish quickly. So, his voice gentle and melodious, he said, "Yang Qingxi, hand over the Dragon Seed token and five chests of Spring Coins, and everyone else from the Xuan Sect will be spared."

Inside the formation array of the fourth courtyard, only Yang Qingxi and eleven young Xuan Sect martial artists and Grand Diviners remained, defending their position. Their eyes were filled with hatred and murderous intent, showing no sign of compromise. Without any warning, these intruders had suddenly stormed in, killing indiscriminately and with bloodthirsty fervor.

Sixty to seventy percent of the Xuan Sect's Five Seas Realm martial artists from the younger generation were slaughtered instantly. This enmity and hatred were irreconcilable.

Below Yang Qingxi's left collarbone was a bloody hole, pierced by a single finger from Hua Yuzi. Blood soaked her clothes and could not be stopped. A strange demonic spiritual energy had entered her wound, coursing wildly through her meridians. If Hua Yuzi truly honored his promise, she would naturally be willing to compromise. However, she knew very well that as soon as she partially opened the formation array to hand over the items, her attackers would seize the opportunity to break through it entirely. At that point, they would become lambs to the slaughter!

She needed to buy time. Yang Qingxi had heard the rumbling from the Governor's Mansion earlier; a battle had likely erupted there, and the unusual situation at the Xuan Sect would surely be noticed by the imperial court soon. Thus, she feigned confusion: "May I ask, Mr. Hua, what do you mean by 'five chests of Spring Coins'? Are you asking the Xuan Sect to gather five chests of money to buy our lives?"

Hua Yuzi chuckled, "If you keep playing dumb like this, none of the people outside will survive! At the banks of the Soldier Ancestor's Marsh, on the floating arena, you were the one who took Li Weiyi's five chests of Spring Coins. Many things cannot be hidden, such as the unique aura in your spiritual energy."

Bitterness filled Yang Qingxi's eyes, and her face was etched with regret. A strong sense of self-reproach welled up within her: "So, the Xuan Sect's catastrophe today is entirely because of those five chests of Spring Coins?"

"Not entirely! The most fundamental reason is that you chose the imperial court instead of the Far West Ashlands," Hua Yuzi stated.

The Far West Ashlands were naturally infuriated with the Xuan Sect. The Xuan Sect's withdrawal and departure had led to a sudden shift in the battle situation in Lizhou, leaving them unable to completely defeat the Jiuli tribe. This had a fatal impact on the entire Southern Region's dynamics.

"Pfft!" The Left Attendant, with one punch, killed a young martial artist on the spot, his head collapsing into his torso. He sneered, "Does Miss Yang still want to stall for time? If you don't hand over the Dragon Seed token and the Spring Coins now, these dozen kneeling individuals won't even be enough for me to kill."

"So she really did steal my money." Li Weiyi certainly felt no pity for the Xuan Sect. If not for Yang Qingxi's greed, Hua Yuzi probably wouldn't have bothered with her at all. At the very least, he wouldn't have bothered to act personally.

Knowing he shouldn't stay long, Li Weiyi figured Yang Yun would surely expose him in a life-or-death situation. Just as Li Weiyi was about to use Thunder Law Profound Ice to blast open a gap in the Xuan Sect stronghold's formation array, he turned around and saw a funeral hall draped entirely in white.

In the very center of the hall stood a blood-red coffin. It was obvious, without guessing, that it contained Yang Qingchan.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Li Weiyi decided to investigate whether Yang Qingchan was truly dead. So, he teleported in, still invisible, appearing in the funeral hall amidst piles of white paper money.

The blood-red coffin, about ten feet long, was a perfectly regular square prism made of blood-colored mud. Embedded within the mud were peculiar, semi-translucent white substances, which solidified into mysterious white ancient characters covering the entire coffin, indicating its extraordinary nature. Its material and form were too bizarre. Li Weiyi dared not act rashly. He first communicated with Master Coffin and Master Spirit Tablet using his spiritual power.

Master Coffin explained, "This is an otherworldly coffin called a 'Pre-Life Coffin.' It's used by beings from other realms who, feeling their end approaching, seal themselves within it beforehand."

"The coffin is filled with formation arrays. Once the lid is sealed from the inside and the arrays activated, grave robbers cannot open it from the outside!"

"However, Haidian has followed the Jiuli tribe for many years, so they must have learned advanced methods to open such coffins. This coffin has already been opened, and the treasures inside were taken long ago."

"Using an otherworldly coffin to inter the body of a loved one is an ancient practice among the Jiuli tribe; it's not unusual."