Chapter 292: Brother-in-law

The two walked out of the Southern Clear Palace gate.

Li Weiyi sensed something and glanced into the forest. He cupped his hands and said, "Master, please wait for me a moment."

Yao Qingxuan, who always preferred to maintain a cold demeanor, nodded slightly.

The Southern Clear Palace was located south of the Spirit Valley Hall, in an area with a concentration of buildings. It was backed by low mountains, bordered by the Blood River, and dense forests stretched out in front of it, extending towards distant open rice fields.

Zuo Sheng had met Li Weiyi before and was a seasoned individual who had lived for a century. He had been dispatched by the Fourth Divine Son to call out to Li Weiyi, informing him of the recent status of Qi Xiao and Tuobabu Tuo.

Unfortunately, Li Weiyi was cultivating in the Tang Valley Sea most of the time and hadn't heard his calls at all.

Therefore, Zuo Sheng had been waiting outside the Southern Clear Palace, ready to report back as soon as Li Weiyi appeared.

"He's finally out; it truly is him. And that's..."

Zuo Sheng saw Li Weiyi, and at the same time, he saw the white-clad woman standing beside him, who looked like a celestial being descended from heaven. He immediately gasped, recognizing who she was.

Just as he was about to leave...

"Whoosh!"

The air grew viscous, as if he were trapped in a swamp.

"Not good, I'm enveloped by mental energy!"

Zuo Sheng's first reaction was that the Southern Venerable was targeting him; he didn't consider that this mental energy came from Li Weiyi.

Because the mental energy was too strong, even with his cultivation at the second heaven of the Dao Seed Realm, his movements were severely restricted.

Not until he saw Li Weiyi charging towards him with his sword.

"What a powerful aura."

Zuo Sheng, deeply unsettled, immediately released his Dao Heart Projection, and countless ice crystal patterns spread out from his body, breaking through Li Weiyi's mental energy confinement. He then quickly fled.

From Li Weiyi's glabella, three fiery light whips shot out, tearing through the void and sweeping outwards, forming a triple wave of flames.

Zuo Sheng, having cultivated for a century, had achieved extremely high mastery in Dao arts. He had cultivated the minor art "Ice Thorns Entanglement" to its second layer. Once activated, it could double his combat power, surpassing the might of ordinary Hundred-Character Artifacts.

Dao arts are divided into minor arts, major arts, and imperial arts.

Minor arts have a total of three layers and are the preferred choice for Dao Seed Realm cultivators.

Typically, one can master the first layer after one or two years of diligent practice.

Mastering the second layer, however, requires over a decade of refinement. The third layer demands sixty years of dedicated effort to even have a chance of success.

Naturally, for Immortality Realm cultivators, the time required to cultivate minor arts is significantly reduced.

Major arts have a total of six layers and are the preferred choice for Immortality Realm cultivators and Dao Seed Realm inheritors.

Even when only the first layer is mastered, the power of a major art is far greater than that of a minor art.

Furthermore, major arts have fourth, fifth, and sixth layers. The further one progresses, the stronger their power, capable of destroying heaven and earth, and moving mountains. Only Grand Immortals who have lived for several centuries might be able to cultivate a major art to its sixth layer.

Precisely because Dao arts are difficult to cultivate, young prodigies usually rely on high-grade magical artifacts to compensate for differences in combat power.

Older generation cultivators, however, prefer to use Dao arts.

This is because Dao arts can be unleashed at will; they cannot be stolen or destroyed, and they always belong to the practitioner.

Moreover, many Dao arts can also promote breakthroughs in martial cultivation realms, with techniques and methods advancing in parallel and complementing each other.

"Boom! Boom..."

As soon as the second layer of Ice Thorns Entanglement was unleashed, a dozen icy thorns spread out from Zuo Sheng's body, colliding in the void with the three Golden Crow flame whips released from Li Weiyi's glabella, their strikes causing the wind to howl.

The spectacle was grand; in an instant, the entire forest was leveled.

Scorched ashes and frozen ground were everywhere.

"What a powerful Dao art! With this art, Zuo Sheng is fighting me as if he wielded a fourth-grade Hundred-Character Artifact."

Li Weiyi used his flame whips and mental energy to tie him down, then activated his movement technique, rapidly pursuing him, intending to keep him there.

A fourth-grade Hundred-Character Artifact is worth several hundreds of thousands of Spring Coins. A cultivator at the second heaven of the Dao Seed Realm would have to empty their entire fortune to afford one.

Yet now, Zuo Sheng could unleash such combat power relying solely on Dao arts. And at his age, how could he have cultivated only one Dao art?

Unfortunately, he ran into Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi was wearing the Blood Handprint Demon Armor, a ninth-grade Hundred-Character Artifact. Such a defense could not be pierced by minor arts. Although Li Weiyi hadn't yet reached the Dao Seed Realm, he couldn't fully unleash the armor's true power.

Activating the Blood Handprint Demon Armor's defense, Li Weiyi moved through the icy thorns, feeling the chilling air bite at his face. After closing in, he struck down with a direct sword slash.

Two defensive icy thorns were severed, and Zuo Sheng was sent flying backward, his protective energy shattered.

"How can he be so strong?"

Zuo Sheng felt a chill down his spine and activated an escape Dao art.

"Whoosh!"

Li Weiyi's glabella flashed, and his mental energy attack transformed into a spiderweb, covering him layer by layer.

Zuo Sheng's strongest ability was his escape Dao art; even if he encountered experts from the "Jiazi Tome," he would still have a chance to flee.

But enveloped by the mental energy, his techniques were severely restricted, and even his consciousness and reactions became rigid. He was quickly caught by Li Weiyi.

Zuo Sheng manipulated the icy thorns, retreating while fending off Li Weiyi's surging sword: "Qi Xiao and Tuobabu Tuo are both in the Fourth Divine Son's hands, Li Weiyi, do not be reckless!"

Hearing this, Li Weiyi's eyes grew colder. He dared not use his six-zhang-tall Battle Intent Manifestation, but his sword moves became increasingly swift, putting Zuo Sheng in perilous situations.

"This is the Divine Sect's headquarters! Don't you dare act so arrogantly! If you kill me, not even the Southern Venerable can protect you. The Hall of Withering and Flourishing will tear you to pieces and throw you into the fields to nourish the rice!"

Zuo Sheng's maneuvering space grew smaller and smaller, and he lost more confidence with each clash. He felt his century of cultivation was a joke, being forced into a helpless state by a junior who had cultivated for only two years.

"Whoosh!"

"Crunch!"

Li Weiyi severed all the icy thorns released by Zuo Sheng. His movements were unpredictable, and he struck Zuo Sheng's shoulder with a single sword slash.

Zuo Sheng activated the second-grade Hundred-Character Artifact battle attire he wore to resist, neutralizing most of the force. His body was thrown backward, falling a dozen zhang away, rolling on the ground.

Li Weiyi gave Zuo Sheng no chance to get back on his feet. He stepped onto the Jade Cauldron's glowing shadow and slammed down.

The ground caved in, forming a two-zhang-wide crater.

Even his cultivation at the second heaven of the Dao Seed Realm couldn't withstand it; his bones crackled, and he was severely wounded on the spot, spitting blood, unable to get up again.

"Li Wei...yi...yi, you mustn't kill me... I know who's behind Zuoqiu Qingying... she wants to kill you... the Zuoqiu clan is sending someone even more powerful to deal with you..."

The older one gets, the more one fears death, and Zuo Sheng was no exception. He lay prostrate at the bottom of the pit, begging for mercy.

Li Weiyi rushed into the pit, stripped off Zuo Sheng's second-grade Hundred-Character Artifact battle attire, and seized his spatial pouch.

He knew his limits; how could he possibly kill Zuo Sheng?

A living Zuo Sheng was far more useful.

He was quite short on money at the moment; with funds, reaching the Dao Seed Realm would be just around the corner.

Besides Zuo Sheng waiting outside the Southern Clear Palace, the homeless Yang Yun was also staking out the vicinity.

Yang Yun couldn't escape. He was brought over by six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, devoid of his former arrogance. His legs buckled, and he immediately knelt, crying, "Brother-in-law, please give me back the money! If I can't get it back, my sister will disown me! I can't even return to the Divine Maiden's Mansion now; I'm just drifting outside like a lonely ghost."

Li Weiyi was flustered by his unexpected "guest-turned-host" tactic and moved aside, not daring to accept such a grand gesture. "Get up," he said, "don't shout nonsense."

"Brother-in-law, I was wrong, I was definitely wrong before! For the sake of family, please give me a way out!" Yang Yun crawled forward on his knees, tears streaming down his face.

Li Weiyi shifted direction again to avoid him, noticing many onlookers in the distance—all core disciples and true inheritors of the Twin Rice Sect.

"You get up first. I happen to have something here that I need your help with. If you succeed, I'll figure something out with your sister."

Yang Yun looked up, a joyful expression on his face: "Those hundred thousand Spring Coins?"

"If you wish to kneel, then continue kneeling."

Li Weiyi squatted down, felt Zuo Sheng's left leg, and applied sudden force with both hands.

"Snap!"

Zuo Sheng screamed in agony as his left thigh bone fractured.

Yang Yun, assailed by a familiar memory, sprang to his feet like lightning, standing perfectly straight. "Brother-in-law," he said, "just tell me what you need done."

Li Weiyi said, "Go to the Fourth Divine Son for me and tell him that Zuo Sheng is in my hands. He can redeem him for five hundred thousand Spring Coins; that's a fair price. As a Divine Son, if he's willing to watch his follower suffer in pain, ignoring and neglecting him, then I'm afraid no one will follow his lead in the future."

"Tell him exactly what I just said, not a single word less."

Yang Yun was not foolish; he knew the consequences of getting involved in this matter.

Li Weiyi was not only using him but also trying to involve his sister.

"Snap!"

Zuo Sheng's right leg was also broken.

Yang Yun was beyond tears, his intestines twisting with regret. Shivering, he said, "Brother-in-law, this isn't giving me a way out; you're pushing me to my death!"

Li Weiyi then broke both of Zuo Sheng's arms. With all four limbs broken, he wouldn't be able to escape. This was the most brutal yet most secure method.

He stood up, walked over, and patted Yang Yun's shoulder: "It's just delivering a message; don't overthink it. I'm now also a member of the Divine Sect, a disciple of the Southern Venerable."

"Huh?"

Yang Yun was dumbfounded, his scalp tingling with shock.

"Let's go!"

Yao Qingxuan had long lost patience and headed towards the Spirit Valley Hall ahead of them.

Li Weiyi threw Zuo Sheng into the Southern Clear Palace, instructed the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors to guard him, then walked out again, passing by Yang Yun. "Are you stupid?" he asked. "Your helping me means I won't kill you. One hundred thousand Spring Coins for a life—what's so expensive about that?"

Yang Yun was so frightened that he seemed to shrink by half and knelt on the ground.

Only then did he recall that he had once nearly taken Li Weiyi's life.

"Brother-in-law, don't worry, consider this matter handled by me!"

Yang Yun scrambled away. His first destination was not the Fourth Divine Son's mansion, but rather Yang Qingxi's Divine Maiden's Mansion, intending to bring back the explosive news that Li Weiyi had become the Southern Venerable's disciple.

Li Weiyi clearly understood that he couldn't be led by Wang Shu; he couldn't go to Wang Shu's territory to rescue people, as that would be too passive.

Therefore, Zuo Sheng, as a bargaining chip, had to be used to his maximum value.

Breaking Zuo Sheng's limbs earlier was also a deliberate act for the disciples of the Twin Rice Sect to see, thereby forcing Wang Shu to make the first move.

As a Divine Son, he represented the Twin Rice Sect's reputation. Having enjoyed the glory, he was now in a difficult position.

Yao Qingxuan said, "You're new here. Even if you've become my disciple, don't go overboard. Everything must be within the rules. If you provoke the collective anger of the younger generation, it will be difficult for me to protect you. Cultivating golden rice is what you should be doing."

"They first used a puppet straw man for assassination, and then Zuo Sheng audaciously hid outside the Southern Clear Palace, monitoring your residence, Master, with ill intentions. Can this be tolerated? My dealing with him is perfectly reasonable," Li Weiyi said.

Yao Qingxuan said, "Wang Shu has been at the third stage of the Dao Seed Realm for three years and is very close to reaching the fourth stage, where one condenses a Dao Lotus. You are not his match!"

Li Weiyi asked, "Actually, there's always been a question in my mind. Wang Shu isn't a Pure Immortal Physique, so how was he able to become a Divine Son?"

Yao Qingxuan said, "A Hundred Vein Pure Silver Immortal Physique is the standard for an Inheritor-level genius in the Five Seas Realm, but they might not keep up once they reach the Dao Seed Realm."

"Cultivators who lagged in the Five Seas Realm also have a chance to catch up in the Dao Seed Realm. However, the difficulty is immense, requiring great effort, grand opportunities, or profound comprehension."

"Cultivation is like sailing against the current; one must strive in every realm, as someone might catch up in any realm."

Li Weiyi asked, "Which category does Wang Shu fall into?"

Yao Qingxuan said, "He possesses extremely strong comprehension, especially in Dao art cultivation. He only broke through to the Dao Seed Realm three years ago, yet he successfully cultivated the first layer of the major art 'Golden Armor Mountain Moving Art.' With the golden armor protecting him, he gained extraordinary strength, matching inheritors of the same realm purely through physical power, and thus became a Divine Son in one fell swoop."

"If he can cultivate the second layer of the 'Golden Armor Mountain Moving Art,' he will instantly be able to forge a Dao Lotus with its aid, reaching the fourth heaven of the Dao Seed Realm."

"Before him, no young prodigy in the Divine Sect below the fourth heaven of the Dao Seed Realm, not even an inheritor, had been able to cultivate a major art to completion."

"Major arts are infinitely profound; they cannot be achieved simply by accumulating time. They are offensive methods cultivated by Immortality Realm powerhouses."