Chapter 235: Gesaintong

Yao Xingyue, leader of the Yao Clan, was already waiting outside the city gate to meet them. He cupped his fists at Li Weiyi, his gratitude conveyed without words.

From Yao Xingyue's gaze, Li Weiyi knew that skilled masters were rushing towards the city gate. He returned the gesture, quickly departing towards the North City.

He sighed to himself, "The little nun still has a conscience!"

Li Weiyi observed carefully and could tell that Kudai wasn't overly concerned about the life or death of Jidi. Her compromise was merely an attempt to use Li Weiyi's hand to release them conveniently.

North City.

The Prefect's Manor, the Imperial Court's largest stronghold in Qiuzhou City, was breached last night by the Zuoqiu Sect through a coordinated internal and external attack.

Now, the Prefect's Manor had become a sanctuary for the Zuoqiu Sect and the Nine Li Clan martial cultivators. Cang Li, Li Ling, Li Jiufu, and other Nine Li Clan cultivators had retreated and were defending this location.

It wasn't that they didn't want to retreat to the South City; they simply couldn't. The enemy forces outnumbered them several times over. Their ability to hold out until dawn was solely due to the numerous, well-preserved formations within the Prefect's Manor.

Li Weiyi dared not approach the Prefect's Manor. Several miles from the manor, he could already see numerous martial cultivators from the Imperial Court, the Extreme West Ash Territory, and the Snow Sword Tang Court guarding every street intersection. Ge Xiantong and Luansheng Linyou were certainly somewhere nearby, making this area extremely dangerous.

In the South City, the Dragon Gate and Leixiao Sect were primarily attacking, responsible for destroying the various strongholds established by the Zuoqiu Sect. The main forces of the Imperial Court, the Extreme West Ash Territory, and the Snow Sword Tang Court were all concentrated in this area, besieging the Prefect's Manor like an iron barrel.

Li Weiyi moved along the perimeter, gathering information and contemplating a rescue plan. If the Prefect's Manor were breached, how many would end up on a roasting spit, how many would be forced to their knees, stripped of their clothes, and lose all dignity? The demonic entities from the Extreme West Ash Territory undoubtedly possessed methods that would make one wish for death but be unable to find it.

And real-world warfare would only be more brutal. In reality, the westward expansion of the Extreme West Ash Territory, conquering human lands, was a clear and inevitable trend, even for a junior like Li Weiyi. For the defeated, what was lost was more than just life.

Li Weiyi circled the perimeter of the three major forces' deployments, his heart incredibly heavy. Masters were as numerous as clouds, five-sea realm formations stood one after another, and Grand Mind Masters were setting up arrays on every street. The sheer number of top masters was astonishing; nearly half of the two hundred warrant-holding experts were likely gathered here. In this situation, let alone one Li Weiyi, even ten Li Weiyis charging in would leave no trace behind.

Prefect's Manor.

After enduring a night of attacks from the three major forces, everyone was exhausted, yet they dared not rest, dedicating all their efforts to restoring their Dharma energy and mental power. Cang Li sat on the high manor wall, which resembled a city wall, his right arm hanging limply. During last night's pursuit, he had single-handedly covered their retreat and had his bones broken by Luansheng Linyou, narrowly avoiding the same fate as Yin Jiu.

Li Ling's mental power was severely depleted; nearly all 300 golden arrow talismans were destroyed, and she had multiple wounds on her body. The Zuoqiu Sect suffered heavy casualties, with nine Seventh Sea experts killed in battle, each a renowned prodigy in their respective states. Their cold bodies now lay on the ground, covered with white cloths.

Everyone's morale was low, as they all knew that surviving until dawn was a stroke of luck. Facing the siege of the three major forces, complete defeat was only a matter of time. If there had been an option to surrender, some of them would undoubtedly have been very tempted.

Zuoqiu Hongting wore a wooden carved mask and a green Daoist robe, her entire body stained with blood. Last night, she fought two against one, intercepting Ge Xiantong and Luansheng Linyou, and sustained significant injuries herself. But beneath the mask, her eyes remained sharp, without a trace of despondency.

Walking over to Cang Li and Zhu Yibai, she stood tall and commanding like a battle flag on the manor wall, meeting the gaze of Luansheng Linyou, who sat in the middle of the street far away. She quietly asked, "Do either of you regret cooperating with me?"

Zhu Yibai lay sprawled on the ground, not wanting to move his eyelids. "Regret what? The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is just a rehearsal for the world's situation. If we lose, at least we've helped the Zhu Clan discover a wrong path, proving that cooperating with the Zuoqiu Sect is likely a dead end. It's good, it has value."

Cang Li said, "Whether we regret it or not, the Nine Li Clan and the Zuoqiu Sect are already in the same boat. The Extreme West Ash Territory is advancing aggressively, and the Imperial Court can't even protect itself. If we don't get support from the Du'e Temple, how will the Southern and Western borders defend themselves? This isn't a personal battle; it's a matter for the entire world!"

Zuoqiu Hongting smiled, "The fact that both of you can transcend the confines of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and perceive the global situation truly shows the foresight expected of genuine inheritors. Actually, there's no need for everyone to be so disheartened. Given the combined strength of the five major forces, we should have died last night. Why are we still alive?"

Many gazes turned towards her. Zuoqiu Hongting, full of vigor, explained, "Because the five major forces cannot truly cooperate wholeheartedly. Last night, their internal struggles never ceased; it's a success if they could even exert sixty or seventy percent of their full strength! Lu Cangsheng and the Dragon Temple still haven't arrived in North City, which indicates they haven't yet cleared all our strongholds in South City."

Cang Li shook his head. "That shouldn't be right. Given the strength of the Leixiao Sect and the Dragon Gate, they should have cleared South City long ago."

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "Therefore, there must be an unexpected development in South City... Oh... Li Weiyi..."

Li Ling and Cang Li immediately stood up and looked in the direction Zuoqiu Hongting was gazing.

Ten *li* away, on the inner city wall.

Li Weiyi stood atop the tall city tower. After letting out three long whistles, he flashed and disappeared. From the ranks of the Imperial Court and the Extreme West Ash Territory, several masters rushed out in pursuit.

Cang Li felt perplexed. "What does he mean by this? Even if he draws away a few masters, it won't change the overall situation, and he's putting himself in danger."

Zuoqiu Hongting's eyes, beneath her mask, shimmered with a strange light. "Li Weiyi is no reckless fool. There must be a profound meaning behind this action."

"Even with a profound meaning, facing Ge Xiantong and Luansheng Linyou is a dead end," Zhu Yibai said.

Zuoqiu Hongting didn't agree. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "I understand! The position where he stood was directly opposite the area where the Imperial Court martial cultivators are located. Perhaps he's telling us to break through in that direction."

Zhu Yibai sat up. "Facing Ge Xiantong and Chen Ziliang? I'd rather fight Tang Wanqiu."

Li Ling said, "I think Sister Hong's analysis makes sense. Li Weiyi would never have gone there to whistle three times for no reason. He must be sending us a message, wanting to coordinate an attack with us from inside and out."

Zuoqiu Hongting suddenly chuckled. "I know how to break the deadlock! Aside from the Prefect's Manor, where is the Imperial Court's largest stronghold?"

"Naturally, it's the Attendant Hall in the South City," Cang Li replied.

Zuoqiu Hongting said, "To break the deadlock, we must first disrupt the current balance of power in the city. The Imperial Court and the Extreme West Ash Territory are too powerful. Only by crippling one of them, thereby showing the other an opportunity to eliminate their biggest rival, can the Zuoqiu Sect escape this fatal siege."

Zhu Yibai was overjoyed. "You mean, at all costs, cripple the Imperial Court, then capture the Attendant Hall? To show Luansheng Linyou an opportunity to deal with the Imperial Court, their biggest rival?"

Zuoqiu Lancheng said, "Isn't that too difficult? Whether we can even break out of the encirclement is unknown. Then, we'd have to use exhausted troops to attack the Attendant Hall; every step is incredibly difficult. And even if we succeed, we'd just be doing Luansheng Linyou's dirty work."

"It is difficult," Zuoqiu Hongting conceded, "but it's our only chance to change the tide of the battle. Only by collapsing the current balance of power and making Luansheng Linyou fight the Imperial Court do we have a glimmer of hope." She declared, "It's decided then! For now, we can only choose to trust Li Weiyi. Since he whistled three times... inform everyone to quickly rest and recuperate. In three quarters of an hour, we will break out in the direction of the Imperial Court. Victory or defeat, life or death, depends on this battle."

Li Weiyi changed his appearance and his clothes, then ordered a bowl of beef noodle soup at a noodle shop by a bridge over a large river. He sat facing the shop's entrance, from where he could see pleasure boats occasionally passing on the river, dozens of feet wide.

By the bridge, a storyteller in a Confucian robe was narrating several fierce battles that had occurred last night. "The azure sky is dead, the yellow sky shall rise. In the year of Jiazi, the world will be prosperous." After the old man shouted this slogan, it was met with applause from the crowd.

Li Weiyi felt that the voice of the old man in the Confucian robe sounded familiar. He circulated his Dharma energy to his eyes, wanting to see what he looked like. But then a figure flickered before him; an uninvited guest sat down opposite him, blocking his view, and called out in a refined voice, "Shopkeeper, please cook me a bowl of noodle soup."

The owner of this refined voice was a boy of fifteen or sixteen, with skin as white as porcelain, clear eyebrows and eyes, dressed in a spotless white robe, wearing a jade crown. His aura was elegant and noble beyond words, completely out of place in this environment. Yet, he was very amiable, always smiling and polite.

Li Weiyi's noodle soup was served first. Holding it, he hesitated, then asked, "How about you go first?"

The refined youth quickly waved his hand. "Everything has its turn. How could I take your noodles? It's like, even though it's clearly Lingxiao Palace's territory, if everyone tried to seize it, the world would fall into chaos and people would suffer. If rules are broken, everyone has to pay for those who break them."

Li Weiyi said, "Wasn't Lingxiao Palace's territory also seized from the Leixiao Sect?"

"Indeed, that was the case when Emperor Wu was alive. But during the catastrophe a thousand years ago, the Lingxiao Living Realm was essentially destroyed once. It was the Grand Palace Master who carved out a new Lingxiao Living Realm for the people of the world. Without the Grand Palace Master, none of the current living beings in the Lingxiao Living Realm would exist." The refined youth then said, "You seem to know who I am?"

Li Weiyi took a sip of his noodle broth and sighed, "Do all you Imperial Court people have noses like dogs and eyes that can see through everything?"

The refined youth said, "Since you escaped, you shouldn't have reappeared. Do you know, my real name isn't Ge Xiantong (仙童, meaning 'immortal child'), but Ge Xiantong (仙瞳, meaning 'immortal pupil'). It's just that when I was young, I always followed the Grand Palace Master and looked like a child, so the name was mistakenly spread as Xiantong."

Li Weiyi said, "Misinformation is harmful! I thought the Disguise Art was an amazing technique in this world, but I didn't expect to meet its bane. Do you really have a pair of immortal pupils?"

Ge Xiantong scrutinized Li Weiyi, observing his eyes. "Strange, truly strange. Did Jiang Ning not relay the message to you? Why aren't you afraid of me at all? Don't you know I'm here to... kill you?"

As the word "kill" left his lips, a chilling surge of murderous intent immediately enveloped the entire shop. The wind could not enter, nor could sounds transmit. The noodle soup in the bowl no longer steamed, and all motion was suppressed.

"Since you've cornered me here anyway, what's the use of being afraid? What kind of person are you, Ge Xiantong? You're not in a hurry for the time it takes to eat a bowl of noodles, are you?" Li Weiyi began to eat his noodles.

"No hurry," Ge Xiantong replied, "I've been fighting all night, and I'm hungry too!" He pulled out a pair of chopsticks, quickly stood up, and reached out to take the noodle soup offered by the shopkeeper. The murderous aura had temporarily receded.