Chapter 253: Supernatural Gathering

The scar-faced elder chuckled, "It seems we've been away for too long. The disciples of the sect actually treat us as outsiders. The name 'Hidden Eleven' used to be mine, but that was a very long time ago. Now, you can just call me Elder Qin."

The tiger-headed elder sighed deeply, "Just call me Elder Zhuo! The current Hidden Lord praised you all to the heavens, saying how astonishing your performance was at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, and that without protection, you would be eliminated by hostile forces. See? You've successfully piqued our curiosity and led us into this vortex of trouble and misfortune. What a trap!"

The Nine Li Hidden Gate selects sixty Hidden Ones and one Hidden Lord every sixty-year cycle. These cycles rotate one after another.

The current Divine Hidden One is naturally Li Weiyi. The newest Hidden One is Hidden Twenty-Six, Yao Yin.

Thirty-four years from now, once Hidden Sixty is selected, they will enter the next sixty-year cycle. At that time, Li Weiyi will transition from Divine Hidden One to the current Hidden Lord.

The current Hidden Lord is responsible for all matters inside and outside the Hidden Gate. They can mobilize all Hidden Ones and resources, and are also responsible for selecting and cultivating the next generation of Divine Hidden Ones.

Theoretically, during special periods, even ancient Hidden Ones must obey the current Hidden Lord's command.

Elder Qin and Elder Zhuo are two ancient Hidden Ones summoned by the current Hidden Lord using the Hidden Ancestor's decree to protect Li Weiyi.

Realizing they were Hidden Gate elders, Hidden Eleven immediately became boastful: "So, how did we perform?"

"Just so-so!"

Elder Qin's gaze fell on Li Weiyi. He exchanged a look with Elder Zhuo, and they both clasped their fists in salute.

Although the Divine Hidden One had not yet fully matured, they could be treated as equals. This was because the Nine Li Hidden Gate required the Divine Hidden One to cultivate a leadership temperament. Only by granting sufficiently high status could a leadership temperament be fostered.

After returning the salute, Li Weiyi asked, "Where is the Hidden Lord?"

Elder Zhuo said, "He went into the city to seize Longevity Pills, dragon seeds, and dragon bones—all for you. Originally, with the invitations and tickets you obtained, you could have exchanged for a lot. Now, we old guys have to do it ourselves!"

"Don't talk nonsense! The current Hidden Lord went to help the Zuoqiu Family maintain order in the city. Since their injuries have stabilized, we'll go help too. The Zuoqiu Family will definitely be short-staffed tonight; too many people are snatching things, and the order is chaotic."

Elder Qin pulled Elder Zhuo, and they hurriedly descended the mountain.

Li Weiyi asked, "Liling, is your brother your parents' biological child?"

Liling was taken aback, not understanding why he'd ask such an odd question, but it certainly wasn't a nice thing to say. She snorted coldly at Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi secretly admired the Hidden Lord, who always knew the most appropriate action at any given time. Although Cangli was critically wounded and near death, the Hidden Lord staying behind seemed genuinely unhelpful and would only delay the best time to acquire Longevity Pills, dragon seeds, and dragon bones.

In his mind, he recalled. The Dragon Palace had overturned, and various treasures were raining down like meteor showers, flying to different parts of the city.

Li Weiyi slapped his thigh hard, hating the two demon powerhouses who had suddenly appeared. He could have exchanged for many treasures, laying a solid foundation for the Dao Seed Realm. Now, after half a month of fighting tooth and nail, he had gained nothing. He could only hope the Hidden Lord would achieve some gains. After all, so many Longevity Pills were difficult to refine, and the Du'e Temple might not be able to produce another twenty immediately. Dragon seeds and dragon bones were even rarer, unique items; once lost, they would be gone forever.

Taoli Mountain was the safest place in Qizhou Prefecture City, enveloped by a large number of formations and runes. On the third heaven, there was a concentrated area of buildings and cultivation caves where almost all the genius disciples of the Zuoqiu Family's direct lineage resided.

After meditating for a moment, his injuries were temporarily suppressed. Disregarding the objections of Hidden Twenty-Four and Yao Yin, Li Weiyi walked out of the hall. He followed a meter-wide stone staircase path, heading south, extremely interested in the clash between transcendent beings and long-life cultivators, feeling a fervent excitement as if his bloodline had awakened. This represented the future direction of his martial arts path, a height he absolutely had to pursue.

How strong were the world's most powerful beings? Were they truly as omnipotent as myths and legends claimed, capable of creating heavens and earth?

On the third heaven, all houses and halls were built along the cliffside, with ancient, colossal peach trees growing there. Peach blossoms were in full bloom on the trees, continuously drifting down like snowflakes.

Hidden Twenty-Four and Yao Yin walked closely behind him, one on each side, supporting him. Arriving at the cliff edge near the south city, Li Weiyi channeled his magical power to his eyes, gazing into the distance. He could only see massive demon shadows flying past outside the formation's light veil, emitting powerful auras.

Below, the outer city of the south was shattered. All houses had collapsed, the earth was torn apart, and seawater poured in. In the ruins, countless residents had tragically died.

However, the inner city was completely intact, shaped like a bagua, impregnable.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

From the eight small Dao domains in the inner city's eight major districts, a pillar of light rose from each, combining with the light pillar rising from Taoli Mountain. Immediately, formation runes continuously emerged from beneath the entire city, protecting Qizhou Prefecture City as a sea of glowing runes.

Li Weiyi asked, "They didn't get into the city? I remember the city's protective formation veil seemed to be torn, and a terrifying figure broke in."

Behind him, a steady, deep voice sounded: "If Qizhou Prefecture City were so easy to breach, then they could sweep through any place in the entire Lingxiao Life Realm!"

Li Weiyi turned around, his eyes filled with surprise, and quickly saluted: "Greetings, Family Head."

Zuoqiu Ling was both the Lingxiao Leader and the Family Head of the Zuoqiu Family. Of course, family heads like them, similar to the current Hidden Lord of the Nine Li Hidden Gate, were only responsible for mundane affairs. Matters concerning long-life cultivators and above were beyond their ability to resolve. The consensus in the martial arts world was that the Dao Seed Realm represented the strongest in the mortal world, while the Long-Life Realm no longer belonged to the mortal category, being beings who contended with heaven and earth for longevity. Before the ten-year war broke out, Long-Life Realm cultivators rarely participated in mortal affairs, only pursuing cultivation and extended lifespans.

Zuoqiu Ling was over two meters tall, very tall and imposing. He wore armor, ready to enter battle at any moment. This peerless powerhouse, known for "sitting like a divine mountain, lying like a nether dragon, and moving faster than the sun and moon," was not as aloof as legends suggested, and his gaze was quite gentle.

He continued, "It's not that simple! The major cities and vital strongholds of the Ten Thousand Sects have been arranged over thousands of years; even if a Martial Emperor arrived, they could resist for a period. If they were so easily breached, the Second Palace Master would have long ago led the court's transcendent beings to destroy the rebel armies' mountain gates one by one."

Li Weiyi's anxious and worried heart momentarily eased: "Is Zuoqiu Hong alright?"

"She's fine now, but she hasn't woken up yet," Zuoqiu Ling replied.

"Boom!"

In the inner city below the mountain, a powerful, hidden Death Ash charged towards a Dao domain in the south city, attempting to destroy the pillar of light rising from its formation. His body ignited, then burst apart. Sparks flew out, transforming into a rain of fire covering several miles of the city. But it did not form an ash zone; it was dissipated by the city's protective formation. From that Dao domain, numerous runes surged out, completely deflecting the destructive energy.

Zuoqiu Ling snorted grimly, "I already suspected they would deploy personnel within the city in advance, wanting to break through the formation from the inside. How could it be that easy?"

Within the inner city, demon race and Ash Spirit powerhouses appeared one after another, all targeting the Dao domain formation eyes in the eight major districts. There were many masters from various major forces in the city, and they quickly suppressed and killed all of them.

"Woof! Woof..."

From deep within the void, barks like thunder echoed across a thousand miles of land. An old dog, as tall as a mountain, strode across the plains. Its body was emaciated, its teeth sharp, and it exhaled gray mist. Its body was patchy and mangy, with severe hair loss, and its remaining long fur was dark red. Where its paws trod, vegetation withered, death qi permeated, and the ground turned into blood-filled pits. It specifically advanced towards areas populated by humans. Wherever it passed, it either swallowed all the residents of a large town with its demonic wind or simply killed countless civilians with the death qi emanating from its body. Arriving at the Soldier Ancestor Marsh battlefield, the old dog attacked a transcendent being who had come from the Northern Realm.

Zuoqiu Ling recognized the old dog's origin, his expression darkening: "It's the Western Region Rong bandit, the ancestor of the Quanrong. That old fellow is still alive!"

The Four Extremes Ape King appeared on the horizon. Like the Mindless Golden Ape, it had four arms, sharp saber-teeth in its mouth, and a demonic cloud hundreds of miles wide gathered above its head. Its head was colossal, with a five-colored mountain atop it where the five elements converged. It held a burning battle spear, hundreds of meters long and as thick as a millstone, weighing unknown tens of thousands of kilograms. Entering the Soldier Ancestor Marsh, it ran across the seabed, attacking the Second Palace Master's imperial carriage.

One transcendent being after another from the Extreme West Ash Region faction arrived, their presence grander than ever before, truly intending to annihilate the Zuoqiu Family. The court and the elder powerhouses of the major rebel armies could not remain aloof, because Qilin Zang intended to use this opportunity to kill them all as well.

Two patches of silver light illuminated the night sky. A demon creature flew brazenly over Qizhou Prefecture City. Li Weiyi looked up, instantly holding his breath, his heart ceasing to beat. It was an eagle whose two wings covered both the north and south cities, emanating an aura of primordial wildness. Its silver wings swept towards the formation's light veil above Qizhou Prefecture City, where the defense was relatively weaker. Silver feathers pierced through, showering the entire city with silver light, dragging south like a powerful, heaven-splitting silver blade.

But it did not break through the formation. The city's protective light veil had more than one layer, and it could repair itself as magical energy continuously surged from the Heavenly Law Earth Spring.

"It's the Silver-feathered Eagle King from the Eight Thousand Li Yin Mountain in the Northern Realm. Two of the four great demon kings in the Life Realm have appeared!" Zuoqiu Ling's mood grew heavy. He no longer felt as confident as before, greatly fearing the appearance of the other two demon kings. Qilin Zang came with overwhelming force, having gathered transcendent beings from all corners of the world. If he couldn't destroy the Zuoqiu Family, this first battle upon his return would not resonate, severely damaging morale.

The ancestor of the Quanrong was not among the four great demon kings. The four great demon kings regarded themselves as the orthodox demon race. They studied human laws, culture, and techniques, and got along relatively well with human martial cultivators. This allowed them to each occupy a vast territory in the twenty-eight prefectures. The Quanrong ancestor, however, belonged to the Fiend Demons. It roamed between the Nether Realm and the Life Realm, only able to support human Rong bandits as its subordinate forces, and possessed no demon territory of its own.