Chapter 272: Strange Insects Show Their Power

"I'll go scout ahead first. If there's an ambush in the town, we won't be able to escape."

Zuo Sheng feigned caution, then executed his movement technique, transforming into a ghostly afterimage and disappearing among the dense, blue-tiled, white-walled houses of the small town.

"What impressive movement! The cultivation of these Zuo brothers is terrifyingly profound."

Li Weiyi had already put on his Prefectural Governor's official robe underneath, in case of emergencies.

Zuo Sheng did not return for a long time.

Meanwhile, Zuo Shi, who remained, had subtly retreated about two Zhang behind Zuoqiu Qingying and Li Weiyi. His old face grew increasingly grim, especially when he looked at Zuoqiu Qingying, his eyes filled with intense hatred.

Zuoqiu Qingying sensed the strange atmosphere. Gazing at the market town several li away, she whispered, "Something feels off. Perhaps we should return to the city... even if it's a bit embarrassing..."

"Alright!"

Without warning, Li Weiyi instantly activated the 'Pure Void Cicada Chasing Steps,' transforming into a wisp of green smoke. He bypassed Zuo Shi, raced to the right, and vanished into the night.

Both Zuoqiu Qingying and Zuo Shi showed a look of surprise on their faces.

The next instant, Zuo Shi roared. His half-gray hair stood on end like a lion's mane. His right hand burst into flame, illuminating the night as he struck the unsuspecting Zuoqiu Qingying in the back with his palm.

"Bang!"

Zuoqiu Qingying's protective rune blocked the attack, preventing her body from being shattered by the single palm strike.

"Zuo..."

Her body was sent flying forward. She coughed up blood, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."

From the rooftops of Qingyi Town, several figures swept out one after another, heading towards her.

Even then, Zuoqiu Qingying only thought she had been ambushed by the Jiuli Hidden Gate. She activated the speed runes on her body and fled in the direction of Qiuzhou Prefectural City.

"She's yours! I'll go after Li Weiyi," Zuo Shi shouted to the figures in the distance. Forming a hand seal, he performed the fire escape Daoist technique "Flame Cloak Art." Spiritual energy surged from his body, igniting fiercely and forming a cloak of flame around him. His speed increased significantly, and he pursued Li Weiyi in the direction he had fled.

While the combat power of Dao Seed Realm cultivators varies greatly, it is difficult for their speed to differ by a significant multiple. Therefore, after reaching the Dao Seed Realm, the first Daoist technique a martial cultivator practices and masters is invariably related to self-preservation. Speed-enhancing and escape techniques are the top choices. A figure like Zuo Shi, who had cultivated for nearly a century, possessed a mastery of Daoist techniques far beyond what younger inheritors could achieve.

"So fast!"

Li Weiyi had only sped off for about twenty to thirty li when Zuo Shi caught up from behind, sending waves of heat after him. He wasn't sure if Shi Jiuzhai had followed, so he knew he was on his own.

The reason he lured Zuoqiu Qingying to Qingyi Town was to use her death to make Zuoqiu Zangwu and the Zuoqiu Clan "focus on" this market town. It was a strategy of "borrowing a knife to kill" or "driving wolves to swallow tigers"—he wanted to see if Qingyi Town was truly a den of danger. The appearance of Zuo Sheng and Zuo Shi was a complete surprise. Now he had to confront this unexpected turn of events.

"Brat, you sensed it long ago, didn't you? Hmph, your Jiuli Hidden Gate certainly has some skill."

Zuo Shi caught up to within twenty Zhang of Li Weiyi. A burst of fiery energy erupted from his body, instantly forming a giant fiery vortex with a twenty-Zhang diameter. The surrounding vegetation instantly ignited. Large trees became torches, and small grasses turned to ash.

"Is this his Dao Heart manifestation?"

Li Weiyi was engulfed by the fiery vortex, his body pulled backward by a violent force that he couldn't escape. It felt like thousands of ropes were wrapped around him. Zuo Shi was far more powerful than Wang Zhi.

"Whoosh!"

The Blood Handprint Demonic Armor activated, releasing blood mist and scarlet scriptures to resist the flesh-burning flames. Li Weiyi allowed the vortex's power to pull him backward. Suddenly, he drew his sword, and sword light burst forth as he struck down from mid-air. The bright sword qi seemed intent on cleaving the opponent's Dao Heart manifestation directly in two.

"Haha!"

Zuo Shi neither dodged nor retreated. With a long roar, he unleashed a palm-blade strike. Another Daoist technique was deployed! It was the "Horizontal Severing Flame Blade," a technique widely practiced by many experts of the Zuoqiu Clan. Upon the activation of the Daoist technique, his combat power surged.

"Bang!"

The Yellow Dragon Sword's sword qi was shattered by the palm-blade. The force slammed into Li Weiyi. Li Weiyi was sent flying backward, landing several Zhang away. The demonic armor's blood mist that enveloped him was dispersed, and his body felt as if it had been struck hard by an iron rod.

"Hidden Divinity, you haven't seeded your Dao yet, have you? To be able to withstand one of my Daoist techniques with your Five Seas Realm cultivation, you are truly extraordinary." Zuo Shi pursued him, attacking again.

"A hundred years of cultivation, only at the second heaven of the Dao Seed Realm. Withstanding one of your attacks is nothing to be proud of."

Li Weiyi knew he was currently no match for a martial cultivator at the second heaven of the Dao Seed Realm, so he decisively released seven Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors, preparing for a quick resolution.

Seeing the seven unusual insects, Zuo Shi's eyes narrowed slightly, and he became cautious.

"Just with these?"

Zuo Shi struck out with a palm, targeting two Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors flying toward him. They were not sent flying with a single palm strike as he had expected. Of the two Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors, one spat golden crow flames while the other released lightning from its eyes. The two energy streams clashed with his palm wind, only slightly falling into disadvantage.

As Zuo Shi was inwardly astonished, one of the Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors, noticeably faster than the other six, flew close to the ground towards his legs. It spread its wings, which were sharp as blades. Alarmed, Zuo Shi quickly leaped into the air.

Above his head, the sound of a sword humming could be heard.

"Not good!"

Without looking up, Zuo Shi hastily swung out a Horizontal Severing Flame Blade. For seasoned powerhouses, Daoist techniques were more effective than magical artifacts; they could be used at will, and their power was no less than that of artifacts. They had spent decades researching, refining, and selectively cultivating these Daoist techniques.

This time, Li Weiyi was smart. He did not directly confront the Daoist technique and immediately activated his movement technique to dodge. Zuo Shi, intimidated by the combat power of Li Weiyi and the seven small ones, quickly employed his Flame Cloak Escape technique, preparing to flee and avoid their sharp edge.

"Why... is one missing..."

Zuo Shi became alarmed, and his expression suddenly changed. Qifeng appeared out of thin air, its body returning to nine inches long. Its claws, covered in fine dragon scales, penetrated Zuo Shi's protective spiritual energy around his neck and pierced into him. The scales on its claws were a mutation that occurred after it consumed dragon bone.

"Ah..."

Zuo Shi cried out in pain. He had just sent Qifeng flying, when the Great Phoenix transformed into a giant moth-butterfly several meters long. Its membrane-like wings, sharp as blades, slashed at his waist and abdomen, sending him flying backward.

"Pffft!"

Li Weiyi's body shifted horizontally, and with a swift, lightning-fast thrust, his sword pierced Zuo Shi's glabella before he even landed. The corpse fell to the ground with a thud. His eyes wide open, he died with extreme unwillingness. The fiery vortex formed by Zuo Shi's Dao Heart manifestation gradually dissipated in the night wind.

Li Weiyi sensed the aura of powerful individuals rapidly approaching from the direction of Qingyi Town, and his expression immediately turned solemn. Having no time to loot the body, he directly stored it in his spatial pouch, then put the seven small ones into his insect bag. Activating the spatial power of his Prefectural Governor's official robe, he transformed into a cluster of purple misty light and vanished from the spot.

A moment later.

The Fourth Divine Son, Zuo Sheng, and two other Twin-Born Dao Cult experts appeared on the chaotic battlefield. The Fourth Divine Son examined the blood and traces on the ground. Zuo Sheng's hands were stained with blood; he had earlier killed Zuoqiu Qingying with his bare hands. Now, he used his Dao Heart's spiritual sense to pinpoint Zuo Shi's location. The two Twin-Born Dao Cult experts went to search for the direction and traces of Li Weiyi's escape.

Zuo Sheng's eyes were full of fury as he said angrily, "I can't sense Zuo Shi anymore. He must have been killed."

One of the Twin-Born Dao Cult experts remarked, "There are no traces of the enemy leaving for dozens of Zhang in all directions. It's truly strange. Could it be an Earth Escape technique?"

"It's a spatial escape technique! Just now, I vaguely sensed spatial fluctuations. It must have been a Dao protector from the Jiuli Hidden Gate who killed Zuo Shi and took Li Weiyi away." The Fourth Divine Son added, "If we search further, we might find traces. But by that time, the enemy would have already fled far away, impossible to catch."

"Roar!"

A low, resonant dragon's roar echoed from the pitch-black night. Long Ting's tall figure, treading on wisps of mist, appeared ten Zhang from the Fourth Divine Son. Behind him stood several demonic figures, indicating that demonic experts were accompanying him.

Long Ting asked coldly, "Where is Li Weiyi?"

The Fourth Divine Son replied, "He was rescued by someone from the Jiuli Hidden Gate!"

"You Twin-Born Dao Cult are truly incompetent. I waited in Qiuzhou Prefectural City for so long just to wait for Li Weiyi to leave the city." Long Ting had inherited the Dragon Soul and the Azure Dragon Combat Art essence of the Dragon Palace, and he had also obtained a dragon seed and dragon bone. Because his physique and the martial arts he had cultivated since childhood were more compatible with the dragon seed, his cultivation now surpassed everyone else's. Even when facing the Fourth Divine Son, he could stand his ground, radiating an air of proud defiance. He regarded Lu Cangsheng, Tang Wanqiu, and Li Weiyi as the three primary culprits responsible for the Dragon Palace's downfall. More than half a year had passed, and the hatred in his heart had not diminished; instead, it had grown even stronger.

The Fourth Divine Son's eyes turned cold. "If you're so capable, then go pursue him, Dragon Gate! Perhaps you can intercept him before he returns to Qiuzhou Prefectural City."

Long Ting stated, "Li Weiyi will absolutely not flee back to Qiuzhou Prefectural City! He met with Tang Wanzhou last night, and his departure from the city today must be related to that. His next destination is definitely the underground immortal abode. I'll go intercept him. The Zuoqiu Clan will soon arrive here, so take care of yourselves."

Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. Long Ting stopped, turned around, and slapped his spatial pouch at his waist. Enveloped in spiritual energy, a coffin flew out of the spatial pouch and landed heavily on the ground. A sinister smile appeared on his handsome face. "Here's a gift for you. Enjoy it thoroughly, then throw her into your rice fields and let her become fertilizer."

After Long Ting and the demonic martial cultivators left, the Fourth Divine Son pushed open half of the coffin lid. Inside, he saw a Pure Immortal Body female, bound and beaten into unconsciousness, wearing a magical martial uniform of the Leixiao Sect.

"Is this the extreme of hatred? Long Ting is completely different from before; his mind is truly twisted," the Fourth Divine Son murmured to himself.

Li Weiyi had not fled. Instead, he used the spatial power of his Prefectural Governor's official robe to escape seven or eight Zhang underground. Wrapped in the Ghost Flag, he concealed his aura. Hearing the conversation above, his heart was filled with extreme worry, and he secretly wondered who Long Ting had captured. Although the Dragon Palace's demise was not Li Weiyi's direct doing, it was certainly caused by him. How could Long Ting not seek revenge?

"Rumble!"

The ground trembled, and the sound of charging mounts came from above. Of the three groups that had pursued Li Weiyi's party out of the city earlier, one was dispatched by Zuoqiu Zangwu to tie down the experts of the Jiuli Hidden Gate. This group now completely surrounded the Fourth Divine Son and his companions.