Chapter 233: Borrowing Strength to Overcome Strength

The Lei Xiao Sect’s camp was fortified by dozens of formation flags, heavily guarded by thousands of deceased spirits imbued with lightning, with battle beasts at its main gate and Mind Masters gathered in its core.

Li Weiyi had just arrived at the gate of the Lei Xiao Sect's camp.

Lu Wensheng's angry voice rang out: "It's Li Weiyi, that scoundrel! Activate the formation and tear him to shreds!"

Li Weiyi looked bewildered: "Brother Wensheng, what enmity or grievance do we have for you to speak to me so harshly?"

Lu Wensheng pointed at him, gnashing his teeth: "I wish I could tear you apart! Give me back my Spring Coins, give me back my Heavenly Thunder Blade, give me back my enchanted battle attire, give me back my millennium-old refined medicines... You and Zuoqiu Ting are just two beasts, working together to deceive everyone with your arena wagers! What 'defeating an enemy in ten moves' or 'five moves'? In the same realm, you can actually defeat an enemy in just three!"

Li Weiyi said: "So that's what this is about. But how can you call it a trick? We were just sparring to build friendships... If Brother Wensheng truly thinks I acted unfairly, then let's fight another round. Not three moves this time, just one. As long as you can withstand one move from me, I will return everything I won. Isn't that fair enough?"

"You're that confident?" Lu Wensheng's anger subsided. "Do I need a challenge fee?"

"Of course! I'll take a small loss, so... hmm, a hundred thousand Spring Coins," Li Weiyi said.

Lu Cangsheng, stepping out of his tent, saw his brother's intrigued expression, frowned deeply, and coughed twice. "He's already at the fifth stage of the Five Seas Realm!"

Lu Wensheng was seething with anger, secretly regretting that he still hadn't escaped the shadow of his gambling nature and past failures. "Since he's delivered himself to our doorstep, we absolutely cannot let him escape."

At the edge of the camp, the formation's light barrier opened a crack, and several Seventh Sea realm experts flashed out, surrounding Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi glanced at them, then looked at Lu Cangsheng in the distance. "Is this the Lei Xiao Sect's way of treating guests?"

Lu Cangsheng disliked Li Weiyi and made no effort to hide it. However, he knew that a prodigy like Li Weiyi would never put himself in danger for no reason. So he said, "Do you think you are a guest?"

"Shouldn't someone who can save your Lei Xiao Sect be considered a guest?" Li Weiyi asked.

Lu Cangsheng's gaze was contained as he said in a deep voice, "Li Weiyi, is sensationalism your only trick? Do you think I'm a naive fledgling?"

"If it were Luansheng Linyou, he would certainly listen patiently until I finished speaking," Li Weiyi retorted.

After a moment of silence, Lu Cangsheng said, "If you dare to enter the Lei Xiao Sect's camp formation, I can certainly give you a chance to finish what you're saying. I just wonder if you have the courage."

The young cultivators of the Lei Xiao Sect present all sneered.

Qin Qian secretly admired Lu Cangsheng's wisdom; with a casual remark, he had regained the upper hand in terms of presence. If Li Weiyi dared not enter the camp, he would naturally be mocked by everyone and leave in disgrace. If he was provoked into entering, it would be an excellent opportunity to capture or kill him.

"The Lei Xiao Sect camp isn't a dragon's den; why wouldn't I dare to enter?" Li Weiyi smiled easily and walked through the camp gate.

"Whoosh!" Behind him, the light barrier closed.

Qin Qian was overjoyed and immediately ordered, "Activate the formation to suppress him first."

Li Weiyi ignored her completely, staring at Lu Cangsheng with an arrogant, unyielding gaze. "In the Lei Xiao Sect, are your words just empty air?"

Lu Cangsheng met Li Weiyi's gaze, raised a hand, and stopped the formation masters from acting. The person was already inside, like a fish on a cutting board; there was no need to rush.

Only then did Li Weiyi smile. "Lu Cangsheng, I've come to cure your headache and anxiety."

Lu Cangsheng observed Li Weiyi, trying to discern if he was feigning calmness or genuinely confident. "You are indeed as daring as the legends say. But you wouldn't naively believe that with just your words, you can save the Zuoqiu Faction and the Nine Li Tribe tonight, would you?"

Li Weiyi said, "I'm in a hurry, so I won't waste words with you! Just now, Jiang Ning and I fought a battle; I believe you've already received the news. We were ambushed, and the attackers used Golden Scale Fire Rain, along with seven Death Ashes."

"So what?" Qin Qian sneered. "Are you trying to tell us that allies can't be trusted? We never considered the Far West Ashlands as allies."

Li Weiyi kept staring at Lu Cangsheng. "The one who ambushed us was the Dragon Court. I injured him, and he bled! If you regard the Dragon Gate as an ally with whom you live and die, be careful, lest you face eternal damnation."

Waves appeared in Lu Cangsheng's calm eyes. "Why should I believe that what you say is true?"

Li Weiyi said: "The last ancient immortal beast of the Lingxiao Living Realm was Yujia. Yujia gave birth to the Flying Dragon and the Flying Phoenix. The Dragon Gate are servants of the Flying Dragon, and the Far West Ashlands are descendants of the Flying Phoenix. The animosity between the Dragon Gate and the Far West Ashlands stems from the Far West Ashlands not offering assistance when the Mist Emperor slew the Flying Dragon back then. But as far as I know, the Flying Dragon had a son, a Qilin. After the Flying Dragon died, the Qilin and the Dragon Gate vanished from the Lingxiao Living Realm together. It wasn't until a thousand years ago, when the Mist Emperor disappeared, that the Dragon Gate dared to return. Now the world is undergoing great changes; if the Qilin has returned and made contact with the Far West Ashlands—they are all descendants of Yujia—it's entirely possible for them to turn their spears into silk. Lu Cangsheng, if your vision is limited to just the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, then you deeply disappoint me."

Turbulent waves surged in Lu Cangsheng's heart, but his face remained calm. "The Qilin has always just been a legend."

"My words end here." Li Weiyi prepared to leave. He didn't expect to convince Lu Cangsheng, only to plant a seed of doubt in his heart. Once Lu Cangsheng began to deeply doubt the Dragon Gate, he would become completely isolated and helpless, with very few choices remaining.

"Do you think you can still walk out of this camp?" Lu Cangsheng asked.

Li Weiyi looked around at the Lei Xiao Sect experts, then gazed up at the formation above, speaking with a mocking tone: "Old Lu, you merely sent people to spread news of Zuoqiu Hong, Zuoqiu Ting, and Cang Li's deaths to break the will of the Zuoqiu Faction's cultivators. You wouldn't actually believe it yourself, would you? If I am detained or killed here by you, the Lei Xiao Sect will immediately become the primary enemy of the Zuoqiu Faction and the Nine Li Tribe. The weakest of the five major forces, yet wanting to do the most attention-grabbing thing. If you don't lose, who will? Furthermore, the reason I came to talk to you is to leave you a way out. I don't expect you to defect right now, but you wouldn't want to block off all escape routes for the Lei Xiao Sect right now, would you?"

Qin Qian glared angrily: "This person is full of tricks; don't trust him."

Li Weiyi pointed outside the camp, to the two dark figures formed by Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan in the distance. "I came prepared! If I get trapped here, they will immediately inform Cang Li, Li Jiufu, and Li Ling. But if I walk out alive, I can continue to deal with the Imperial Court and the Far West Ashlands. You should be sensible enough to understand what's beneficial for the Lei Xiao Sect."

Lu Cangsheng looked into the distant darkness. Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan's movement techniques were incredibly fast; they had already disappeared, clearly top experts. Lu Cangsheng was secretly astonished, having not expected the Nine Li Tribe and the Zuoqiu Faction to still possess such masters.

"The battle at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is not over yet, and it's uncertain who will emerge victorious."

Li Weiyi walked towards the camp gate with his hands behind his back. Suddenly remembering something, he stopped and glanced at Qin Qian. "Your woman, if she's not clever enough, tell her to speak less, or she might easily bring unnecessary trouble upon you."

"What are you... talking nonsense about? It's not what you think..." Qin Qian angrily retorted, but for some reason, her heart was racing, and she had completely forgotten about the necessity of suppressing and killing Li Weiyi.

After leaving the camp, Li Weiyi quickly departed, afraid that Lu Cangsheng might change his mind and pursue him.

Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan appeared in a flash.

Zhen Yuyan asked, "What did you go to the Lei Xiao Sect for?"

"To discuss cooperation with Lu Cangsheng, of course." Li Weiyi exclaimed, "Lu Cangsheng is indeed a smart person. His vision is so broad, not limited to this small city and the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, but encompassing the entire world. The Imperial Court and the Far West Ashlands are completely unreliable. He has already promised me that as long as the Zuoqiu Faction holds out until dawn, the Lei Xiao Sect will take action to establish a new balance of power in the city."

"Do you think we'll believe that?" Zhen Yuyan said coldly.

Li Weiyi said, "Lu Cangsheng has no choice. The Lei Xiao Sect is the weakest, after all. If the Zuoqiu Faction falls, they will also perish."

Feng Yin said, "If the Lei Xiao Sect and the Dragon Gate join forces, they can rival any other power."

"But I told him about the Dragon Court. Haha... otherwise, why do you think I could walk out of the Lei Xiao Sect camp alive?" Li Weiyi laughed heartily and strode forward.

Both Feng Yin and Zhen Yuyan's expressions changed.

Feng Yin said, "He deliberately told us this, wanting to ignite conflicts between the Imperial Court, the Lei Xiao Sect, and the Dragon Gate, to gain a breathing spell for the Zuoqiu Faction." Zhen Yuyan added, "But... if the Lei Xiao Sect really turns sides at a crucial moment, and if the Dragon Court truly has issues, the Imperial Court might be caught off guard. Someone must go back and report this to Elder Ge."

Feng Yin said, "You go report it, quickly. I'll follow him for now. My speed is greater than his, so I'm not afraid of him making a move."

Li Weiyi noticed Zhen Yuyan leaving and secretly sighed in relief, having finally used the Lei Xiao Sect to draw one person away.

Since the five major forces lacked so much trust, Li Weiyi then used the same method, going to the Snow Sword Tang Court's camp and meeting Wanyan Xiaose.

In the camp, Li Weiyi didn't see many experts from the Snow Sword Tang Court. He asked with a smile, "Miss Wanyan, are you in charge of the overall situation on the South City side?"

"Brother Weiyi, you're not here to plead, are you? It would be very difficult for me," Wanyan Xiaose said, putting her small hands behind her back and looking pitiful.

Li Weiyi shook his head. "I came to ask for your help, but not for the Zuoqiu Faction. Rather, it's that guy your Snow Sword Tang Court most wants to eliminate who has been following me and wants me to join the Imperial Court."

Fengzhou is one of the seven northern provinces. Feng Yin, the top expert of Fengzhou, held the Dragon Seed Ticket and Dragon Bone Ticket, which the Snow Sword Tang Court most wanted to acquire.

Li Weiyi briefly recounted: "Miss Wanyan, if you could make a move to scare away this guy for me, or contain him for a moment, I, Li Weiyi, would be immensely grateful. I will save you at least once in the future. And if we unfortunately become enemies, I will still spare you once."

Wanyan Xiaose pondered for a moment, then smiled brightly: "I thought it was a big deal! Feng Yin, the fifth strongest in the Northern Realm's First Tier—I've long wanted to meet him!"

Up until this point, the Nine Li Tribe still held value for the Snow Sword Tang Court. Therefore, tonight, the Snow Sword Tang Court had been dealing with the Zuoqiu Faction without severing ties with the Nine Li Tribe.

After Wanyan Xiaose contained Feng Yin, Li Weiyi seized the opportunity to escape. He jumped into a large river, submerging himself and swimming for several miles to completely erase his tracks. Only then did he come ashore, change his appearance, and head towards West City.

Regardless, he had to first go and check the situation on Li Ling and Cang Li's side.

The sky had already brightened. On the morning of the thirteenth day of the New Year, the sounds of battle in Qiuzhou City continued unabated, with all sides fighting fiercely.