Chapter 236: Sun and Moon Rise Together

Pedestrians on the street, including the noodle shop owner, were startled and fled due to the cold killing intent Ge Xiantong had just unleashed. The bridgehead was empty, and all sounds ceased. In this eerie silence, only the clinking of chopsticks and bowls from the two people inside the shop remained.

Li Weiyi said, "Actually, I'm terribly afraid. Knowing that I'll face the jealous wrath of the younger generation's top master at dawn, I even thought of hiding at the bottom of the sea outside the southern city wall, only to emerge the night after tomorrow."

Ge Xiantong asked, "Wouldn't it be better to escape the city?"

"I'm afraid that even escaping the city would be a dead end," Li Weiyi replied.

"Wait..." Ge Xiantong's expression turned strange. He smiled and asked, "What do you mean by 'jealous wrath'?"

Li Weiyi said, "Everyone in Qiuzhou knows that at the same cultivation level, I can defeat any opponent in five moves. Once I reach the Seventh Sea, I can defeat you within five moves too. Can you honestly say there isn't a hint of jealousy or a sense of crisis in your heart? Are you truly here to kill me purely for the public good?"

Ge Xiantong solemnly replied, "If you, Li Weiyi, could serve the court, become a loyal and righteous person, uphold the nation, and save its people from suffering, I would admire you beyond measure. Why would I want to kill you? I originally thought that talents at our level should strive to benefit the world with a righteous heart, focus on transcendence to cultivate martial arts, and dream of vast heavens and earth to follow in the footsteps of ancient sages. But seeing you today, I'm truly disappointed. Your inner world and vision are too narrow; you're still caught up in a jealous rivalry between two young men."

Li Weiyi secretly admired Ge Xiantong's sharp rhetoric. He had intended to use the word "jealousy" to shake Ge Xiantong's resolve, but Ge Xiantong deftly turned it around, framing "jealousy" as a sign of narrow-mindedness. Moreover, he didn't fall into the trap of discussing being defeated in five moves at the same cultivation level.

Li Weiyi said, "When poor, one cultivates oneself; when prosperous, one benefits the world. With our Five Sea Realm cultivation, we can't even fully cultivate ourselves yet; we still need the protection of powerful forces behind us. Isn't claiming to benefit the world overestimating ourselves? Currently, we can only go with the flow. If you can't truly benefit the world, focus on transcendence, or chase the dreams of ancient sages, then you are simply aiming too high. These three phrases would hold some credibility if your master, Yu Yaozi, said them."

Ge Xiantong responded, "The Blue Heavens have perished; the Yellow Heavens shall rise. Aren't you aiming too high? Li Weiyi, your ambition is as vast as the heavens. If you're allowed to grow, you'll surely become a great threat to the court."

Li Weiyi retorted, "So your 'benefiting the world' only extends to benefiting the court? Isn't that narrow-minded?"

Outside, goose-feather snow began to fall. Inside the stove, the firewood burned fiercely.

Ge Xiantong finished his noodles first, wiping his lips. "You and Jiang Ning must have some special connection. Since even she couldn't recruit you, I won't waste any more words. Stop stalling, eat quickly. Once you're done, I'll send you on your way."

"By chance, I helped her once, and she really wanted to help me escape today's deadly predicament, to repay her debt. Unfortunately, our stances were different, so we had no choice but to part ways and broke ties last night."

Li Weiyi sighed, then seriously asked, "Ge Xiantong, how much longer do you think this world will remain in chaos?"

Ge Xiantong was amazed by Li Weiyi's composure. Sitting opposite him, calling him by name without fear or cowardice, he truly was a dragon among men. Soon, his thoughts drifted back to the closed palace gate deep within Lingxiao Palace, his expression complex, unable to answer Li Weiyi's question.

Li Weiyi said, "Outside the court, there's the Ashlands of the Far West. Inside, there are countless formidable enemies like the Snow Sword Tang Court, Leixiao Sect, Zhumen, Longmen... In just a few years, once the Ashlands of the Far West march east, Lingxiao City will likely be breached this year. And I, this so-called future threat, am still just a small pawn."

"Killing me holds no meaning for the court."

Ge Xiantong composed himself and said, "I hear you're skilled at sophistry, but it won't work on me. Do you know why the court absolutely had to crush the Zuoqiu Family during the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival? And even kill Zuoqiu Hongting?"

"Why?" Li Weiyi asked.

Ge Xiantong replied, "You know about the Longevity Elixir, right? Whoever obtains the Longevity Elixir gains control of the world. But only the Du'e Temple can refine the Longevity Elixir, sending ten pills to the Lingxiao Living Realm every sixty years. For the past thousand years, these Longevity Elixirs were sent to Lingxiao Palace, where the court decided who to bestow them upon."

Li Weiyi knew the Longevity Elixir was precious but hadn't realized its extreme rarity: "Only ten pills every sixty years? The court must consume all of them internally!"

Ge Xiantong nodded. "Without the Longevity Elixir, even a Lingxiao First Rank like Zuoqiu Ling had to wait until he was fifty to break through to the Longevity Realm. His achievement of breaking through to Longevity within this sixty-year cycle has earned him immense admiration from countless Dao Seed Realm cultivators, who find it impossible to catch up, considering him a prodigy. But what the world doesn't know is that with the help of the Longevity Elixir, many court cultivators whose talents were inferior to Zuoqiu Ling's had already entered the Longevity Realm in their thirties or forties."

Li Weiyi asked, "So, the inheritors of thousands of families aren't even qualified to consume those ten Longevity Elixirs every sixty years?"

"They don't even have the right to hear about them."

Ge Xiantong said, "The three palace masters and eight transcendents who hold core power in the court each represent a faction. The prodigies among their disciples, followers, and descendants are all waiting for these ten Longevity Elixirs. There simply aren't enough to go around."

Li Weiyi commented, "Given the court's actions, it's only right that they find themselves with enemies everywhere today."

Ge Xiantong didn't deny it: "If you were in that position, you wouldn't be much better. If you don't provide for your own disciples, followers, and descendants, who will uphold your family after your lifespan dwindles in a thousand years? Who will guard your tomb? If you give resources to outsiders, they'll raid your home and desecrate your grave."

Li Weiyi said, "So, contending for the support of Du'e Temple is essentially contending for the right to distribute the Longevity Elixir. Even if you crush the Zuoqiu Family and kill Zuoqiu Hongting, Du'e Temple will simply turn to support other rebel armies. They are clearly utterly disappointed with the court and have abandoned you."

"We're not trying to win over Du'e Temple, but to win over the Zuoqiu Family. It's hard to understand, right?" Ge Xiantong said. "Didn't you say earlier that the advance of the Ashlands of the Far West is common knowledge? If they truly advance, where will be affected first?"

"The Western and Southern regions," Li Weiyi replied.

The Ashlands of the Far West were clearly already making arrangements; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many forces in the Western and Southern regions aligning with Luan Shenglinyou.

Ge Xiantong continued, "If the Zuoqiu Family loses the support of Du'e Temple and faces the Ashlands of the Far West, they will have only two paths left: either submit to the Ashlands of the Far West or pledge allegiance to the court. The same applies to Zhumen."

Only then did Li Weiyi realize that from the court's perspective, this was how they thought about the problem. If the Ashlands of the Far West truly swept across the land with overwhelming force...

"Facing the peril of clan annihilation and the lives of the people in several provinces, the high-ranking members of the Zuoqiu Family and Zhumen will have to compromise, even if they don't want to. As for Zuoqiu Hongting, a junior who dies in a fair fight, she's like a pebble thrown into a river in the face of the grand scheme of things—just a few ripples," Ge Xiantong stated.

"Survival and power are both arts of compromise."

Li Weiyi nodded gently and then said, "Are you so sure they'll stand by and watch a young Heavenly Emperor be killed by you?"

Ge Xiantong laughed, "In the eyes of Du'e Temple, the martial arts foundation of a young Heavenly Emperor can be cultivated. If they wish, Long Dian can be promoted, and so can Lu Cangsheng and Tang Wanqiu. Their rules and prestige are ten, even a hundred times more important than the life of a single young Heavenly Emperor."

"Du'e Temple hasn't made a final decision yet; the Zuoqiu Family merely has the best chance. That's why Snow Sword Tang Court, Longmen, Zhumen, Leixiao Sect... everyone has come, and everyone is vying for it. The Jiuli tribe can only choose the Zuoqiu Family, and the Zuoqiu Family has only two more options than the Jiuli tribe. In this chaotic world, everyone stands on the edge of a cliff. No one can act with complete ease; everyone is helpless."

A murderous aura once again emanated from Ge Xiantong, his eyes losing all gentleness. "Zuoqiu Hongting deserves to die! And you, this unexpectedly emerged young Heavenly Emperor, aren't you also deserving of death?"

Li Weiyi mentally calculated the time; it was almost three quarters of an hour. He wondered if Li Ling, Zuoqiu Hongting, and Cang Li had understood his signal. Luring Ge Xiantong away was the most Li Weiyi could do. Just the invisible killing intent made Li Weiyi feel like he was trapped in a muddy swamp, as if something was pressing on him from all directions.

"You've been fighting all night; your spiritual energy consumption must be severe, right? Are you still at your peak?" Li Weiyi adjusted his breathing, entering a state of clear mind and spirit to face the upcoming, most challenging life-or-death battle.

Ge Xiantong said, "Killing you shouldn't require peak condition! I'm at the complete Seventh Sea level; I can absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth with my breathing, so I recover very quickly."

Li Weiyi felt Ge Xiantong's battle intent pressing down, and his body instantly felt impossibly heavy, filled with infinite killing intent. The surrounding white mist was vast, obscuring all sight, stretching infinitely. His five senses were completely lost under the pressure of the opponent's battle intent.

"Whoosh!"

Across from him, from the depths of the void behind Ge Xiantong, a sun and a moon rose, like the two eyes of a cosmic giant, looking down upon all living beings on the earth.

Qi Xiao and Shi Shishi, who had been hiding all night, were searching for Li Weiyi throughout this city area. Earlier, concealed in the shadows, they had naturally heard the three long roars from the city tower and knew Li Weiyi was nearby. The two suddenly stopped, their gaze fixed on the noodle shop by the bridgehead across the great river.

The scene there was incredibly eerie; all the snowflakes had momentarily frozen in the air, forming a unique domain. They could see Li Weiyi sitting facing them, with another white figure whose identity was unknown.

"Brother Weiyi..." Shi Shishi shouted.

"Boom!"

From the direction of the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, an earth-shattering roar sounded, shaking the ground. The Zuoqiu Family's team of great masters unleashed a sky full of runes. Three more high-grade hundred-character scripture artifacts rose from the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, emitting brilliant light and smashing towards the court's position. The formations were pierced layer by layer, war drums pounded, tigers roared, and apes cried—a desperate battle to decide the outcome of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival had erupted.

At this moment, the core leader of the court's cultivators was not at the center of the battlefield. Ge Xiantong unleashed his battle intent almost simultaneously with the start of the battle at the Prefectural Governor's Mansion.

Li Weiyi inwardly exclaimed, "Heaven helps me!" He felt the loosening of Ge Xiantong's battle intent and sensed the surprise in his heart at that moment. So, he added fuel to the fire, deliberately provoking him: "Ge Xiantong, you've fallen into a trap! The three long roars signaled a breakthrough from the court's direction after three quarters of an hour. Without you commanding the court's cultivators, who is a match for Zuoqiu Hongting, Cang Li, and Zhu Yibai? This bowl of noodles is very expensive."

At the same time, the hand holding the bowl erupted with spiritual energy.

"Bang!"

The spiritual energy shattered the noodle bowl, simultaneously activating the Earth Spirit Gray Spring hidden at the bottom of the bowl. The Gray Spring instantly exploded, transforming into a gray mist that permeated the entire shop.