Chapter 278: Tang Court Camp

Shi Liuyu, his heart pounding with fear, descended from mid-air and quickly rendezvoused with Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Qiqing.The three nervously gazed at the formidable figure in the distance."How could it be her?" Shi Qiqing asked, a hint of trepidation in his voice."The north wind knows not that spring comes late, snow presses down on the fourteen southern states. What terrifying sword potential. Liuse, how many of her sword strikes can you withstand?" Shi Jiuzhai whispered.Shi Liuyu didn't want to respond. He was incredibly nervous and desperately wanted to burrow into the ground and flee. Given his reputation, there was a significant chance that the Young Lord of the North would slay him with a single sword.

Tang Wanzhou calmly cast a glance at the three figures in the distance, sheathed her sword, and walked past Li Weiyi. "Timely enough," she stated. "Tomorrow morning, we enter the underground immortal mansion."Meanwhile, several Dao Seed Realm cultivators from the Northern Territory rushed towards the corpse of the vanquished beast. A demonic creature of this caliber was a trove of treasures, particularly its Dao Lotuses, Dao Fruits, and magical artifacts.

Qi Feng Ancient Commandery City, located merely a hundred li from the entrance of the underground immortal mansion, was bustling with experts. Under the cloak of night, numerous encampments dotted the plains surrounding the ancient city, each enveloped in the shimmering light of array formations, resembling scattered patches of radiance. The Snow Sword Tang Court's encampment, in particular, was adorned with array flags along its periphery and guarded by a multitude of exotic beasts lying at rest. A team of military experts, clad in artifact armor, maintained a vigilant patrol.

Tuoba Butuo personally escorted Qin Qian to the outpost housing several true disciples of the Thundercloud Sect. Upon his return, he made his way to Li Weiyi's room. Li Weiyi sat on a chair by the bed, his injuries now stable and color restored to his face. He subtly probed Tuoba Butuo for the reason behind Tang Wanzhou's urgent desire to re-explore the underground immortal mansion, primarily seeking to understand the true extent of the expedition's dangers.

"Actually," Tuoba Butuo explained, "over the past half-year, the Young Lord has entered the underground immortal mansion five times, spending most of his time within." He continued, "This trip to Qiu Province's capital city served three purposes: first, to acquire resources and supplies; second, to visit the transcendent Confucian scholar of the Zuoqiu lineage; and third, to find skilled insect manipulators, for which you are a prime candidate."

"The Wanyan clan of the Northern Territory is renowned throughout the world for their insect manipulation," Li Weiyi remarked. "The Northern Wanyan and Southern Jiuli are both masters in handling insects."

Tuoba Butuo offered a wry smile before adding, "I won't conceal anything from you. What the Young Lord intends to do, and the places he aims to go, are exceedingly dangerous. The Wanyan clan's commander-level exotic insects have suffered severe losses. However, almost all the insect manipulators have survived. The Young Lord places immense value on their lives." He continued, "Lost insects can always be replaced. Spirit Sense Master-level insect manipulators, however, are each truly priceless."

Li Weiyi had already anticipated this. A proud figure like Tang Wanzhou wouldn't have time to meet a mere Five Seas Realm cultivator like himself, unless the situation was extremely perilous.

"Brother Tuoba, have you ever entered the underground immortal mansion?" Li Weiyi inquired.Tuoba Butuo nodded. "I've only been inside once, for about half a month, and my gains were modest. I usually stay in Qi Feng Ancient Commandery City, dedicating my time to comprehending the Dragon Emperor Martial Way within the dragon seeds to enhance my cultivation. I certainly don't want to lag behind my peers who are also cultivating dragon seeds. This time, however, I will accompany you and be responsible for your safety."

"Are there truly refined medicines of five thousand years' vintage in the underground immortal mansion?" Li Weiyi pressed, clearly attaching great importance to the question. Given that commander-level exotic insects had perished one after another in the mansion, Li Weiyi couldn't help but worry about the safety of his 'seven little ones.' If they could swiftly advance to the Dao Seed Realm, their ability to survive would naturally increase substantially.

"Five-thousand-year-old medicines are hard to confirm," Tuoba Butuo replied, "but I've personally seen refined medicines that are three thousand years old. One such specimen was unearthed by a Dao Fruit level expert from the imperial court, someone who had been unheard of for decades. Its medicinal fragrance was so potent it couldn't be contained even by his spatial bag, leading to him being pursued by numerous powerful individuals." He continued, "Our Snow Sword Tang Court also unearthed some thousand-year-old refined medicines; one of them was indeed two thousand six hundred years old." He then added, "However, the most precious items in the underground immortal mansion aren't actually the thousand-year-old refined medicines or the fragments of Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone. They are, in fact, the Daoist arts, scriptures, and magical artifacts left behind by the ancient Boghara Sect."

Since Li Weiyi had not yet reached the Dao Seed Realm, he held little interest in Daoist arts and scriptures. Furthermore, he reasoned, once he found Chan Hai Guanwu and his three masters, he would hardly be in need of such things.

Li Weiyi then recalled another important matter. "I heard the Twin Rice Sect has become quite active?"Tuoba Butuo's stern, silver-like face hardened, his eyes turning cold. "In the past, how would evil gods dare to manifest?" he retorted. "It's all due to eleven years of constant warfare, which left the major powers exhausted and suffering immense losses. Additionally, the calamity of the demon race resulted in the death or severe injury of transcendent beings, who are now in secluded cultivation for recovery. This is why these entities finally dare to emerge and stir up trouble."

"Another factor is the significant increase in the proportion of 'rice-people' cultivators under the major powers," he continued. "This has provided cults with opportunities to infiltrate, indoctrinate, and incite rebellion, leading to an awkward situation where it's difficult to distinguish friend from foe."Li Weiyi longed to voice his suspicion: could it be that the major powers exploited the 'rice-people' too severely, failing to grant them sufficient respect, thus enabling the Twin Rice Sect to easily convert them into followers? However, he kept this thought to himself, knowing that expressing it would only lead to a fruitless discussion.

"Young Master Tuoba, Young Master Li, the Young Lord requests your presence!" A military expert, clad in armor, arrived to deliver the summons.Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo then proceeded to Tang Wanzhou's tent.

Inside the well-lit tent, dozens of martial arts experts were seated, most of them clad in armor, including several Pure Immortal Bodies and Abominations. Tang Wanzhou occupied the head seat. After introducing Li Weiyi to the assembled group, she began outlining the arrangements: "Tomorrow, we depart promptly at a quarter to nine in the morning, taking the eighth path. I will lead the vanguard, with Tuoba Shenxing and Tang Hu guarding the rear.""Any precious medicines, refined medicines, or Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stones found along the way will belong to the individual who discovers them.""Each faction may make a copy of any Daoist arts and scriptures, with the Snow Sword Tang Court retaining the original.""Other valuable treasures will be distributed based on contributions.""Once we delve deeper into the underground immortal mansion, I will reveal the true objective of this expedition."After she finished, the assembly dispersed.

Tang Wanzhou kept five individuals back, including Li Weiyi. All five were psychic power cultivators. Three of them were very old, with full heads of white hair, yet they were remarkably spirited and possessed exceptionally high attainments in psychic power. Through their conversation, Li Weiyi learned that two of the elders were top-tier Spirit Sense Masters, both over a hundred years old, and highly esteemed in the Northern Territory. They wielded psychic treasures and were responsible for dealing with lingering spirits.The remaining two were insect manipulators: a middle-aged woman from the Wanyan clan, and, to Li Weiyi's surprise, an elderly man whom Tang Wanzhou had recruited from the Jiuli clan.

"Young friend Li, I am Shanze," the elderly man introduced himself. "I am the foremost psychic power expert of the Shanli tribe of the Jiuli clan. I cultivated in the Divine Temple for over forty years, and I am very pleased to finally meet you, the young legend of our clan." Shanze had a round, plump face, a short stature, and carried a wooden staff. His body was adorned with numerous insect bags.Li Weiyi knew that, apart from the Jiuli Divine Temple, the Shanli tribe was the most formidable in the art of insect manipulation within the Jiuli clan. The fact that Shanze dared to declare himself the tribe's top psychic power expert was truly remarkable, signifying a status high enough to be on par with the tribal chief. Tang Wanzhou's influence was indeed vast. Li Weiyi exchanged a few pleasantries with him.

"The five of you," Tang Wanzhou instructed, "will follow behind me tomorrow and be responsible for clearing the path. Provided you give your full effort and don't try to shirk your duties, I promise that what you obtain in the underground immortal mansion will undoubtedly surpass what other cultivators acquire."She then added, "You may all go prepare now. If you require anything, do not hesitate to inform me."The other four individuals successively bid their farewells and departed, leaving Li Weiyi alone.

Tang Wanzhou, hands clasped behind her back, studied the maps of the underground immortal mansion and the surrounding prefecture that she had drawn on the table. "You are severely injured, the youngest, and possess the lowest cultivation," she observed. "Tuoba Butuo is tasked with protecting you. Is there anything else you need?" She then lifted her head and met Li Weiyi's gaze.

Li Weiyi's expression remained impassive. "Young Lord, you just said to mention any needs I might have," he began. "I do have a small request. Among the demonic beasts killed earlier, I heard that one of them contained a Dao Lotus?"Tang Wanzhou fixed him with a stare for a moment, then called out to the soldier waiting outside the tent: "Bring the Dao Lotus we just acquired." She then turned back to Li Weiyi, a hint of interest entering her voice. "Are you still accumulating Qi? After more than half a year, your Wind Mansion isn't full yet?"

"Just a little more!" Li Weiyi replied. He could use the spatial power of the Buddha's sarira to integrate the Dao Fruit into his Wind Mansion, but precise control was difficult, which was why he had not dared to act rashly. A Dao Lotus, however, was different. The spiritual energy it released was only about ten thousand cubic units. Li Weiyi believed that expanding his Wind Mansion by another ten thousand cubic units would not pose a significant problem, and the risk would be manageable.

He naturally desired to swiftly complete the cultivation of his Sixth Sea and then progress to the Seventh. Master Pot had explicitly stated that reaching the Seventh Sea would significantly ease his battles against Second Heaven Dao Seed Realm cultivators. Once the Seventh Sea was also fully cultivated, he could then begin "sowing the Dao" and strive to break through to the Dao Seed Realm.

After all, the Eighth Sea, the Divine Palace, required no cultivation; it could expand infinitely on its own. The spiritual power accumulated within was liquid and already amounted to a full cubic unit, which Li Weiyi had been hesitant to use. His reluctance stemmed from his belief that the Divine Palace might also be able to "sow the Dao," with its liquid spiritual power potentially nourishing the Dao Seed. He had discussed this with his three masters, but even they were uncertain, as the Divine Palace had always remained a mere legend.

Shortly thereafter, the jade box containing the Dao Lotus was brought into the tent. This particular Dao Lotus, cultivated by the Candle Shadow Crow King, had been freshly acquired and still carried a faint scent of blood and demonic energy.

"Thank you, Young Lord!" Li Weiyi said, clasping his hands and bowing. "I will certainly return it immediately after absorbing the spiritual energy from the Dao Lotus." He knew that even after releasing its spiritual energy, a Dao Lotus retained significant value for alchemy, serving as a precious resource for Dao Seed Realm cultivators to enhance their cultivation.

"Are you already cultivating spatial Daoist arts?" Tang Wanzhou asked."No," Li Weiyi replied.She chuckled. "Then how do you intend to integrate the Dao Lotus into your Wind Mansion and retrieve it promptly? The Wind Mansion isn't like the Ancestral Field, which can be connected to the outside world with relative ease."

Li Weiyi was momentarily speechless, considering how to explain."Everyone has their secrets; there's no need to overthink it. If you don't wish to speak, then don't," Tang Wanzhou said. She then continued, "I merely wanted to inform you that I have already gained an initial understanding of the Way of Space and can assist you, so you won't need to take the risk yourself. What is it? Are you afraid I'll investigate how many golden marks you possess, or are you concerned about something else?"

Li Weiyi offered a composed smile. "With the Young Lord's cultivation and strength, if you truly wished to uncover someone's secret, why would you waste so much breath? Thank you for offering your assistance, Young Lord!" He knew that to refuse again would appear far too deliberate.

Tang Wanzhou held the Dao Lotus in one hand, and with the other, she formed a hand seal and extended it towards Li Weiyi's Wind Mansion.She was immediately taken aback. His Wind Mansion had already expanded to over twenty thousand cubic units... and it wasn't even fully cultivated yet?For ordinary Hundred Meridians All-Silver Pure Immortal Body cultivators, achieving a Wind Mansion capacity of ten thousand cubic units was considered a significant objective. Over time, this had become one of the benchmarks for identifying successor-level geniuses. Failure to reach ten thousand cubic units in the Wind Mansion was seen as falling behind in the Five Seas Realm, often resulting in removal from the ranks of potential successors. Successors were evaluated against extremely high standards at every cultivation realm; excelling in the Spring Realm did not guarantee perpetual leadership.