Chapter 290: The Seventh Sea, Assassination

The lowest level is the "Asura Layer," a largely undeveloped region teeming with dangerous insects, departed spirits, and countless unknown perils. Both the Hall of Dryness and Prosperity and the Divine Prison are located within the Asura Layer.

The Hall of Heavenly Principle, the foremost of the four halls, is situated in the northernmost part of the Mortal Realm's Twenty-Eight Prefectures. Built into the mountainside, its layered architecture covers the entire peak. From a distance, the successive layers of buildings and their accompanying formations create a majestic and imposing sight, filling the entire view. The majority of these structures are remnants from an ancient Buddhist sect, displaying clear Buddhist architectural characteristics. The skylight, which serves as a passage to the Sacred Heart Layer, is located at the very peak of the mountain.

The Fourth Divine Son, Wang Shu, arrived at the Hall of Heavenly Principle. In the center of the vast hall, he prostrated himself before a stone statue that possessed a snake's head, dragon's claws, phoenix's wings, a dog's tail, and a human body.

"Master, my brother's lingering soul has sensed his aura. The sword he wields must be the Divine Snow Sword."

"According to my investigation, Li Weiyi entered the underground immortal abode with Tang Wanzhou."

"I went to the Divine Prison and personally interrogated the prisoners who accompanied Tang Wanzhou. It was confirmed that Li Weiyi was taken by Revered Elder Nan. It's now almost certain that the individual who fled into Nanqing Palace is Li Weiyi, the Divine Shadow of the Jiuli Hidden Gate."

"I am utterly bewildered. Li Weiyi has consistently opposed our Divine Sect. At the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, he killed over twenty Five-Seas Realm prodigies. Wang Shouxin, Wang Zhi, and Zuo Shi, all of the Dao Seed Realm, perished by his hand. Our Divine Sect's intelligence network in Qiuzhou City has been largely crippled."

"Such an individual, instead of being imprisoned in the Divine Prison, can freely enter and exit Nanqing Palace. How disheartening this must be for our fallen brethren."

"The world claims he is crippled, but the truth can only be ascertained through investigation."

The stone statue's eyes opened, and the entire hall transformed into an ocean of shimmering light. "Do you desire the seven wondrous insects he possesses?"

"Yes, I do!"

The Fourth Divine Son responded candidly, adding, "I also greatly desire to seize the Ghost Banner from him and offer it to you, Master. However, my foremost wish is to eliminate this hidden threat to our Divine Sect and avenge our fallen members."

The stone statue chuckled, "Revered Elder Nan, Yao Qingxuan, hails from the Jiuli Tribe, so it's understandable for her to protect the Divine Shadow of the Jiuli Hidden Gate. However, protecting a murderer who has slain countless of our sect's cultivators is hardly befitting a Revered Elder. Wang Shu, you are unafraid of authority and devoted to the Divine Sect's future. Proceed with confidence and boldness."

Heartened by his master's support, the Fourth Divine Son's gaze remained calm. "However, he hasn't emerged since taking refuge in Nanqing Palace, which presents a significant challenge. I dare not trespass into Nanqing Palace."

The stone statue responded, "Your brother perished by his hand. From a personal standpoint, any extreme actions you take will be understood by the Divine Sect's elders; they will undoubtedly stand by our own Divine Son."

"Furthermore, Revered Elder Nan's recent mission was flawed. Whether she can retain her position as Revered Elder remains uncertain, so she likely won't be able to prioritize Li Weiyi."

Cautious by nature, the Fourth Divine Son preferred not to completely alienate Revered Elder Nan. "I believe it would be better to force him out of Nanqing Palace before apprehending him. Conveniently, the Divine Sect holds numerous hostages. Torturing them in the Divine Prison or using their blood to irrigate our fields seems too lenient a fate for them."

The stone statue replied, "Since you have your own plan, act as you deem appropriate! Additionally, you must intensify your cultivation. That woman from the Yang family is reportedly striving to reach the third stage of the Dao Seed Realm, completing in a single year what would take you seven or eight."

"Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun are also soon to return from their training in the Nether Realm of the Deceased, with reports indicating significant advancements in their cultivation."

"If you do not soon condense a Dao Lotus, you may find yourself in an awkward position among the rankings of Divine Sons and Daughters within six months to a year."

The Fourth Divine Son's eyes darkened. "As long as I acquire the larvae of those seven Monarch-tier wondrous insects, my standing within the sect will undoubtedly ascend to a position second only to the Chief Divine Son. Li Weiyi, I will certainly capture him."

Li Weiyi completely disregarded the outside world's turmoil, immersing himself in cultivation. Accumulating power within the Five-Seas Realm is a lengthy process that every martial cultivator must undergo.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. Aided by the Cocoon of Time, his actual cultivation time had at least doubled.

Standing in the blood-mud space, he executed a casual palm strike without employing any specific technique, and instantly, a dragon's roar resonated. The force of his palm strike caused the air to violently reverberate. A five-fingered aura imprint flew several tens of feet before fully dissipating.

"The only two remaining dragon bones have been refined: one into the metacarpal bone of my left hand, and the other into that of my right."

Li Weiyi flexed his hands, feeling an unusual heaviness in his palms, as if they were weighted with a thousand pounds of iron. This discomfort would be difficult to alleviate quickly. Yet, the increase in his strength was undeniable. The items provided as rewards by the Transcendent Monastery were, naturally, extraordinary. It was claimed that a Five-Seas Realm martial cultivator could challenge a Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator after refining just one piece.

A year had passed since the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. Li Weiyi had continuously pursued his physical cultivation. After achieving his Dao Body, over the past year, he had refined another pound of immortal soil and a significant amount of divine hearth wood, doubling both his physical strength and resilience. As he hadn't yet broken through to the Dao Seed Realm, his life essence hadn't undergone a fundamental transformation, and his physical body's absorption rate of immortal soil was becoming increasingly slow and arduous. Master Coffin had stated that to cultivate a "Longevity Body" capable of physically confronting Longevity Realm powerhouses, one would need to refine approximately ten pounds of immortal soil. Without breaking through the Dao Seed Realm, Li Weiyi's current limit for refining immortal soil was two pounds. The divine hearth wood, used for strengthening muscles and skin, faced the same dilemma; his body could barely absorb any more. It was precisely due to this bottleneck in his physical cultivation that Li Weiyi refined the two dragon bones to enhance his strength.

What troubled him even more was this: His cultivation of the Seventh Sea had reached an impasse, as he had run out of spring liquid. Of the fifty thousand drops of spring liquid he had purchased, thirty-six thousand were used for cultivating the Wind Mansion. Now, with his Seventh Sea Ancestral Field expanded to fourteen thousand square units, the spring liquid was entirely depleted. Even the remaining Dao Fruit contained very little spiritual energy.

Li Weiyi considered the market town he had previously visited: "I might be able to purchase spring liquid there, but without a life token, venturing outside Nanqing Palace would be incredibly dangerous."

"Furthermore, where would I acquire the funds? It would be a substantial amount!"

Exiting the blood-mud space, Li Weiyi pondered how to acquire the necessary funds. He stepped out of the shimmering array barrier surrounding the pagoda and headed towards the array protecting the fields.

After several days of secluded cultivation, he was ravenously hungry. The food he had prepared in his spatial bag before entering the underground immortal abode was almost entirely consumed. Only two months had passed in the outside world, but to him, it felt like four or five months in Nanqing Palace, and he dearly longed for a bowl of hot soup. As Yao Qingxuan was a Longevity realm cultivator who could abstain from food and drink for extended periods, no meat was available in Nanqing Palace.

He walked through the dimly lit garden. White courtyard walls, dark rock formations, and luminous purplish-red ancient trees surrounded him. Li Weiyi had walked this path countless times. He had always felt Nanqing Palace was completely safe, and thus hadn't maintained a high level of vigilance.

Suddenly. He sensed something amiss. He abruptly halted, observing the shadows of branches and leaves on the ground. It felt as though he were walking on water, with numerous ripple-like patterns spreading out beneath his feet.

"Who's there?"

His Heaven and Earth Nerves, like a spiderweb, instantly spread out in all directions. The Heaven-Penetrating Eye opened between his brows, illuminating the entire garden as if it were day. Li Weiyi's hair stood on end, and a sharp pain shot through his back. He knew instantly that he had been struck. The assailant, hidden in the shadows and skilled in stealth, had aimed a fatal blow while Li Weiyi was deep in thought. However, Li Weiyi was wearing the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor, which successfully blocked the sneak attack.

A dull thud reverberated. His internal organs jolted violently, and he was flung forward. His physical body, having been refined to an extraordinary degree, withstood the blow without severe injury, suffering only minor wounds.

Refusing to give his assailant a chance to press the advantage, his spiritual energy surged forth, activating the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor. A mist of blood and crimson scriptures rapidly diffused, filling the entire garden.

As he was thrown backward, Li Weiyi forcibly twisted his body and, using his Heaven-Penetrating Eye, caught sight of his attacker. The attacker was incredibly swift, appearing as a swirling black mist, wielding a wooden sword covered in blood-red patterns, and striking with lightning speed. From that wooden sword, Li Weiyi sensed an eerie aura he had never encountered. He dared not make contact. He formed a gesture with his right hand and pointed it forward.

A whoosh. The Guanyin Enlightenment Finger, potent and formidable, transformed into a beam of light that shot forth, colliding with the incoming wooden sword. The wooden sword was deflected, and the black mist figure stumbled backward repeatedly, letting out a low, pained shriek.

Li Weiyi had now cultivated the Seventh Sea and refined six-tier Qi. The light and shadow of his combat will behind him reached sixty feet high, a height unattainable by any other Five-Seas Realm martial cultivator's combat will. How could an ordinary Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator withstand such a strike?

"How dare you trespass into Revered Elder Nan's domain!"

After landing, Li Weiyi disregarded his injuries. A spiritual fire whip shot forth from his glabella, extending several tens of feet. Wielding the Golden Crow Flame, its dazzling golden light flared as it fiercely lashed the black mist figure.

A thunderous crash echoed. The air combusted. The Golden Crow Flame incinerated all the plants in the garden, reducing them to ash. The black mist figure shrieked, then flew backward, shattering a rock formation before collapsing to the ground, motionless.

Li Weiyi drew his Yellow Dragon Sword, darted forward, and pointed the blade. He discerned the figure on the ground. He paused, slightly stunned. It was, in fact, a life-sized scarecrow clad in black. Having been struck by the Golden Crow Flame whip, the straw crackled and rapidly burned to ash. Amidst the ashes, at the chest area, a flicker of blood-red light remained. It was a fist-sized blood crystal, intricately carved with numerous runes. With a faint crack, the blood crystal's energy was depleted, causing it to crack apart and turn into dust.

"No wonder it could hide without any trace of an aura. It was merely a scarecrow. Yet, a scarecrow could be strong enough to rival a Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator?"

Li Weiyi felt a lingering apprehension. If it had aimed for his head instead of his back just now, the consequences would have been terrifying. The six Phoenix-winged Moth Emperors, hearing the commotion, swiftly arrived and circled him. All six had grown considerably, nearing the one-foot mark, yet they remained unable to breach that threshold.

"It's a puppet scarecrow from the Hall of Heavenly Principle."

Yao Qingxuan approached along the stone path, as beautiful as if she had stepped out of a painting, yet as cold as frost, her eyes piercingly frigid. She remotely drew the blood-patterned wooden sword into her hand, then glanced at it. "The power of a curse!" she uttered.

Only then did Li Weiyi finally relax, his tense nerves easing as he circulated his spiritual energy to heal his wounds. "The Hall of Heavenly Principle? Senior Yao, you've returned. Does the Hall of Heavenly Principle disregard your authority as a Revered Elder?"

"If they truly dared to disregard me, it wouldn't have been a mere scarecrow that came to kill you in Nanqing Palace!"

Yao Qingxuan added, "It's good that you're alive; my immediate return upon hearing the news was not in vain. Surviving the puppet scarecrow's assassination suggests a significant increase in your cultivation and strength."

Li Weiyi was surprised. "Senior, did you return specifically to save me?"

"Before Hall Master An departed from the main altar, she informed me that you could aid the growth of the golden rice, and she instructed me to ensure your safety."

The chill around Yao Qingxuan remained unwavering. With a flick of her perfumed sleeve, she cast the wooden sword from her hand. The air shrieked. The wooden sword soared out of Nanqing Palace, streaked across a hundred miles of sky, pierced through the Hall of Heavenly Principle's protective array barrier, and embedded itself entirely into the door of one of its grand halls.

Several figures burst out from within the Hall of Heavenly Principle. They gazed at the wooden sword, exchanging bewildered glances.

"Yao Qingxuan can barely protect herself; she couldn't even apprehend Tang Wanzhou, losing all face. Yet, she's so forcefully determined to protect that boy. How intriguing. Is she not concerned about appearances?" An astonished, aged voice echoed from within the Hall of Heavenly Principle.

Back at Nanqing Palace, Yao Qingxuan declared, "This sword serves as a warning. Those old fellows in the Hall of Heavenly Principle will understand my stance. Individuals operating outside the established rules will no longer move against you, and no one will dare trespass into Nanqing Palace again."

Li Weiyi asked, "Why does the Hall of Heavenly Principle want to kill me? What's the distinction between 'outside the rules' and 'within the rules'?"

"A life for a life—that falls within the rules. You've killed many Divine Sect experts. I cannot interfere if their relatives seek revenge! However, should any formidable elders among these vengeful parties attempt to act, I can certainly intercede on your behalf," Yao Qingxuan stated.

Although Li Weiyi knew that Yao Qingxuan's protection stemmed from the golden rice and An Xianjing, a warmth still spread through his heart, and he sincerely bowed in gratitude.

"Have you seen Tang Wanzhou in the past two months?" Yao Qingxuan suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on him.