Chapter 234: Earth Spirit Grey Mist

The headquarters of the Western Ashlands had been reduced to scorched earth. Covering hundreds of acres, all the buildings had collapsed, some still burning with thick smoke billowing into the sky.

On the ground were giant craters, each caused by a high-grade Hundred-Character Scripture artifact, surrounded by countless, shocking cracks. Even a Seventh Sea martial cultivator, if struck, would be utterly obliterated.

In the ruins lay the bodies of both Jiuli clan and Western Ashlands cultivators, all young and once considered prodigies of their respective factions. Last night’s battle resulted in countless casualties.

Amidst the ruins, over a hundred Spring Realm martial cultivators in yellow monk robes were moving bodies, piling them up in the streets.

Li Weiyi stood among the onlookers, the metallic scent of blood in the air weighing heavily on his heart. Suddenly, he felt a profound sense of confusion, wondering why there was such relentless slaughter. Wouldn't it be far more pleasant to live in harmony, cultivate peacefully, and welcome the New Year together?

He knew this was merely an unrealistic fantasy. For martial cultivators in this world, the pursuit of immortality was far more important than the pursuit of pleasure. On the path to immortality, cultivation resources were scarce, demanding constant struggle. Without them, even with Li Weiyi's heaven-defying talent, he would be stuck in the Five Sea Realm for decades, unable to accumulate enough magical energy. After those decades, he would be old and his vitality would decline, at most becoming only a Dao Seed Realm cultivator.

Immortality would be out of reach! Who would be willing to accept such a fate?

Screams from afar pulled Li Weiyi's thoughts back to the cruel reality. Although the Jiuli clan had breached the Western Ashlands' headquarters and killed countless enemies during their attack last night, they were met with a fierce counterattack from numerous powerful cultivators, including Luan Shenglinyou, who had rushed back from the East City. When Cang Li and others retreated, they found it difficult enough to protect themselves, let alone take all the injured with them.

At this moment, dozens of injured Five Sea Realm cultivators from the Jiuli clan were being beaten, humiliated, and subjected to acts of revenge by the injured Western Ashlands cultivators, who sought to vent their hatred and resentment from last night's battle.

The Two Truths of Coffin Mountain were responsible for collecting the bodies and protecting the wounded. Coffin Mountain had suffered heavy losses in last night's battle, so Luan Shenglinyou assigned them a relatively easy task.

Ku Di, holding her tin staff, walked through the ruins strewn with corpses, black dust and smoke swirling around her. Her eyes conveyed compassionate sorrow as she continuously recited scriptures. Meanwhile, on the other side, several of Coffin Mountain's "Buddhist Thieves" were roasting the bodies of several Pure Immortal Body cultivators over a fire, the smell of cooked meat already wafting through the air.

It was well-known throughout the Southern Domain that Xu Fodu enjoyed eating human flesh. As the saying went:"Fodu, Fodu, the Buddha's not a vegetarian.""Fodu, Fodu, eats humans with vinegar."

Besides Xu Fodu, Master Xinku, one of Coffin Mountain's Three Great Zen Masters, also shared the same taste and notorious reputation. With such behavior from their higher-ups, the Buddhist Thieves below naturally followed suit. The flesh of Pure Immortal Body cultivators was, in their eyes, the ultimate delicacy.

Ji Di, resembling a golden Arhat, appeared behind Ku Di. "Should we roast all the surviving Jiuli clan injured," he asked, "or keep them as leverage against Cang Li?"

Ku Di looked at the dozens of injured Jiuli clan members. She saw some were being beaten to death, others had their limbs broken, some were being stripped of their clothes, and some were being tied to roasting spits. Mockery, humiliation, laughter, screams, and cries painted a vivid picture of human emotions, a tragic tableau of joy and sorrow.

"They've had enough revenge; tell them to stop," Ku Di said. "Since they're all heavily wounded, they don't need to participate in the next three days of fighting. They should quickly leave Qiuzhou City and escape the battlefield. As for the Jiuli clan's injured... who's there...?"

Channeling the power of her thoughts, Ku Di let out a cold shout, her eyes glowing with spiritual light as she swept her gaze across the distant onlookers.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The Two Truths activated their movement techniques, rushing one after another towards the area where the Five Sea Realm injured were gathered. It was Li Weiyi who had made a move. He used a flying needle artifact he had won, targeting the injured Western Ashlands cultivators and the Buddhist Thieves who were roasting meat. The dozens of needles gleamed like cold light, flying according to his will. Instantly, waves of screams erupted.

Ku Di moved with extreme speed, flashing several times to arrive in front of the injured Five Sea Realm cultivators. The "Amitabha Sutra" inscribed on her white monk robes detached, transforming into a golden scripture that shook off all the artifact flying needles.

*Whoosh!*

Li Weiyi burst from the crowd, wielding Yuwen Tuozhen's Spirit Scourge, which was over a zhang long. His legs propelled him into the air, and he swung the scourge in a diagonal chop. On the scourge's shaft, one hundred and twenty-seven white scriptures appeared, emitting dazzling white light. They collided with the golden scripture, scattering golden fragments everywhere. Unfortunately, the six deceased spirits inside had been slain by the Yellow Dragon Sword, greatly reducing the scourge's value.

"It's you..."

Ku Di recognized Li Weiyi. Sensing the powerful and domineering energy fluctuations emanating from him, her tin staff spun in her hand, emitting brilliant silver light as she swung it. With a resounding crash, the ground beneath her feet sank. The collision of the two Hundred-Character Scripture artifacts unleashed a powerful force, sending all the surrounding injured cultivators flying.

Li Weiyi was sent flying backward. The moment he landed, he instantly transformed into an afterimage, attacking again. "If Amitabha Buddha knew how cruel and sinful you cultivators are," he declared, "he would likely personally intervene to deliver you."

*Bang!*

The Spirit Scourge and the tin staff clashed again, sending silver light and scriptures bursting outwards in circular ripples. The hundreds of acres of the Western Ashlands' headquarters were entirely within the range of their magical energy.

After dozens of exchanges, Ku Di sensed something was amiss and looked towards Ji Di. What she saw was this: Ji Di was being besieged by seven moth-like insects. His protective magical energy and golden body were surprisingly unable to defend against them, and many bloody marks appeared on his body. His eyes were specifically targeted, forcing this Pure Immortal Body Seventh Sea master to fight with his eyes closed, relying on his battle sense and hearing to perceive his surroundings.

"What powerful physical defense; the seven little ones can hardly inflict fatal injuries on him," he mused.

Seizing the moment Ku Di was distracted, Li Weiyi shot into the sky. With a single step, his footwork aligned with a certain law of heaven and earth, creating a dragon's roar and a yellow dragon's shadow. He stepped from the dragon's tail to its head, covering a distance of ten zhang. A few more steps brought him right in front of Ji Di.

*Pfft!*

The Spirit Scourge in his hand pierced forward. Ji Di reacted too slowly, stumbling backward repeatedly as he was struck in the left chest. Blood splattered, and the toxin on the scourge's tip seeped into the wound. Ji Di let out a low roar and clutched the Spirit Scourge tightly with both hands, preventing its tip from piercing through his body and rupturing his Qi Sea. He then exhaled a mouthful of magical energy, which erupted like a waterfall of light, containing several golden blades that struck towards Li Weiyi's face.

Li Weiyi dared not underestimate his opponent. He immediately abandoned the scourge, crouching down and shifting his legs, evading with profound and rapid movement techniques. At the same time, he also dodged Ku Di's attack, who had caught up from behind.

Ji Di had just managed to pull out the Spirit Scourge. The cold blade of the Yellow Dragon Sword had already arrived at his side, resting against his neck and leaving him unable to move.

"Little nun, if you dare take another step forward," Li Weiyi declared, "I guarantee the Two Truths of Coffin Mountain will become the Single Truth of Coffin Mountain today." He clapped his hand on Ji Di's shoulder, forcing him to one knee.

*Ding-ding!*

Ku Di stopped two zhang away. Her tin staff glowed with dazzling silver light and rang continuously, but her eyes were not fixed on Li Weiyi; instead, she looked at the seven moth-like insects flying around. Ji Di was a Pure Immortal Body Seventh Sea cultivator, whose defense was comparable to that of a True Inheritor. Even she would need many methods to defeat him. Yet the seven moth-like insects were able to suppress him completely. Could they truly be the larvae of seven Monarch-tier strange insects?

Ku Di's gaze shifted back to Li Weiyi. "Release Ji Di, and I will hand over all the Jiuli clan injured to you," she said. "Otherwise, they won't live!"

The injured Western Ashlands cultivators had taken control of all the Jiuli clan injured, ready to kill them all at Ku Di's command.

"If you give me a pile of crippled people, how am I supposed to leave today?" Li Weiyi countered. "Release all of them first, then we can continue talking."

"If I release all of them, how can I negotiate with you?" Ku Di asked.

Ji Di let out a muffled sound. The wound struck by the Spirit Scourge had turned black, and the bleeding wouldn't stop. A look of horror appeared in his eyes. "It's Yuwen Tuozhen's Spirit Scourge," he gasped, "and it has... Night Emperor Toad Poison..."

"You don't think my main goal is to save people, do you?" Li Weiyi sneered. "Saving others while putting myself in danger... Do I look like someone with a Bodhisattva's heart?"

"You don't need to hide it!" Ku Di stated with certainty. "I am absolutely sure that you, Li Weiyi, are a soft-hearted person, and they are your weakness."

Li Weiyi's eyes darkened, and he waved his hand coldly. Instantly, seven Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns flew rapidly from seven different directions towards the group of injured cultivators. Ku Di couldn't stop them, as the Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns' speed was no less than her own. The Western Ashlands cultivators, having already witnessed the power of the Phoenix-Wing Moth Sovereigns, fled in disarray before they could even get close. They were certainly not as confident as Ku Di. Their own lives were more important than anything.

Ku Di let out a long sigh.

"Now you have no leverage!" Li Weiyi said.

Ku Di shook her head. "The Jiuli clan's injured haven't left yet. If I want to kill them, you can't stop me! You and your seven moth-like insects can defeat me, but you can't trap me."

Li Weiyi didn't want to waste any more time with her. "Do you have any Earth Spirit Gray Mist on you?" he asked.

Ku Di looked surprised. Seeing her expression, Li Weiyi knew he had a chance. "Give me the Earth Spirit Gray Mist, and I'll return Ji Di to you," he said. "I'll take the Jiuli clan's injured away, and you take the heavily wounded Ji Di away. Everyone will be wary, and no one will attack the other."

Ku Di's eyes remained calm. "The Earth Spirit Gray Mist is one of my trump cards, extremely precious," she said. "Why should I give it to you? Wouldn't it be better if I used it on you instead?"

"Ji Di," Li Weiyi remarked, "it seems she's long wanted to be the Single Truth of Coffin Mountain."

The sword in Li Weiyi's hand glowed yellow, already sinking into the flesh of Ji Di's neck.

Ji Di quickly said, "It's just one bottle of Earth Spirit Gray Mist; give it to him. Anyway, we still have dozens of injured Jiuli clan members, so he won't dare to act rashly. I can't hold on much longer... The toxin is spreading... spreading towards my heart veins..."

Ku Di gazed at Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi transmitted a message with his magical energy: "Give me your trump card, and I'll deal with Ge Xiantong for Luan Shenglinyou."

"Jiang Ning couldn't kill you, so the imperial court is preparing to send Ge Xiantong to kill you personally," Ku Di said. "Your purpose in acting was to obtain the Earth Spirit Gray Mist to deal with the coming disaster. That makes sense!"

"You've guessed about seventy to eighty percent correctly!" Li Weiyi said. "In the next three days, I'll inevitably confront Ge Xiantong. If I don't want to die, I can only collect a few more trump cards. Give me the Earth Spirit Gray Mist; what if I actually succeed in ambushing him?"

"I... I really... can't hold on much longer..."

Ji Di could not mobilize his magical energy to protect himself, and his golden skin had already turned dark gold.

Ku Di took out a small porcelain bottle and threw it to Li Weiyi. "Release him!" she commanded.

Li Weiyi caught the small porcelain bottle, carefully opened it, and after examining it with his mental power, asked, "How is it used?"

"Activate it with magical energy," Ku Di replied, "and the liquid Earth Spirit Gray Spring will transform into Earth Spirit Gray Mist, permeating the air."

"It sounds like it could easily harm oneself," Li Weiyi commented.

"If that weren't the case," Ku Di retorted, "I would have used it on you last night!"

*Bang!*

Li Weiyi kicked Ji Di away. Given Ji Di's injuries and the toxin, he could forget about participating in the Dragon Lantern Festival competition for the next three days.

Half an hour later.

Li Weiyi escorted the dozens of injured Five Sea Realm cultivators of the Jiuli clan to the outer city gate.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Young Master Li."

"Be careful. Sister Li Ling and the others fled to the North City!" one said. "After the Dragon Lantern Festival, we will definitely visit and thank you."

"You must be careful of Luan Shenglinyou; he's too terrifying," another urged. "Why don't you come with us?"