Chapter 321: Great Harvest, Great Crisis

The salvage operation was in full swing, but the missing section of the spear remained unfound.

Erfeng, patrolling high above, caught a strong, unusual scent. Its eyes swiveled, spotting a glowing river in the distant crimson swamp. What's more, the riverbed was moving rapidly.

It immediately swooped down to report to Li Weiyi.

Li Weiyi gazed in the direction Erfeng indicated. It was deeper into the swamp, fraught with unknown dangers. He called Tuobabu Tuo and Qi Xiao back to the boat and explained the situation.

"Brother Weiyi, you make the call! Fortune favors the bold, and I'm fully behind you," Tuobabu Tuo said. Qi Xiao nodded in agreement.

"In that case, let's go see what that river is all about. However, it's been almost a day, and Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun could find us at any moment. They are hidden, and we are exposed, so we need to make some preparations beforehand."

Li Weiyi transmitted a message to them, whispering in secret.

The Jade Boat sailed at top speed, passing through the area covered by the massive hole above, and deeper into the swamp. The world around them grew dark.

Indeed, there was a several-mile-long glowing body of water at the bottom, which could move like a flowing river. On the surface of this glowing water, Meditation Flowers bloomed, both white and blue. Tuobabu Tuo and Qi Xiao were both excited and astonished. They immediately used their movement techniques to catch up with the glowing river and began carefully harvesting the flowers. The six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors also made a discovery, each eagerly and excitedly plunging into the water with a splash, like six ospreys diving for fish.

Li Weiyi sharply detected a dangerous aura. His eyes narrowed slightly, feeling as though he was being watched. "Someone is indeed lurking in the shadows," he thought. "They must have been disturbed by the sudden sight of so many Meditation Flowers, causing a ripple in their state of mind, which is how I sensed them." The chilling wind grew even more biting.

Li Weiyi wanted to open his Heavenly Eye and peer into the darkness to investigate, but he held back. Abnormal fluctuations were also coming from beneath the water. So, he slowly sat down on the boat, deliberately feigning a relaxed guard.

The moment he sat down, there was a "splash" beside him. A figure leaped out from under the water. Sikong Yanlun formed claw prints with his hands, and his spiritual energy surged from his Ancestral Field, transforming into a purplish-black energy chain that coiled around Li Weiyi on the boat. Caught off guard, Li Weiyi was completely restrained, a look of panic on his face.

"Haha!" Sikong Yanlun boarded the Jade Boat and reached for Li Weiyi's neck with his claw. However, in his eyes, he wasn't capturing Li Weiyi, but Qi Xiao. After all, Li Weiyi was a Spirit Reader, with acute perception, making a close-quarters sneak attack difficult. Capturing Qi Xiao or Tuobabu Tuo would be much safer. With a hostage in hand, rescuing Sikong Ce and then dealing with Li Weiyi together wouldn't be too late.

"You... you're not Qi Xiao..." Sikong Yanlun screamed as one of his arms was severed by "Qi Xiao," blood splattering everywhere. He retreated in terror, as if he had seen a ghost. "Qi Xiao" on the boat then shifted his appearance back to Li Weiyi. Li Weiyi's disguise technique was so potent that deceiving Sikong Yanlun and Sikong Jingyuan was effortless. As for Qi Xiao, he was wearing Li Weiyi's clothes over an invisibility cloak, which concealed his aura. Even if his disguise technique was a bit rough, it could still fool opponents from a distance.

Instead of pursuing Sikong Yanlun, Li Weiyi maneuvered the Jade Boat towards Tuobabu Tuo and Qi Xiao. Almost simultaneously, Sikong Jingyuan burst from the water, severely injuring Tuobabu Tuo with a single palm strike. In this situation, Tuobabu Tuo would be unable to activate his Ghost Flag and could be killed in just a few moves.

"Brother Jingyuan, do you recognize this item?" Li Weiyi enveloped Sikong Yanlun's severed arm with spiritual energy and hurled it like a hidden weapon towards Sikong Jingyuan.

Sikong Jingyuan delivered a second palm strike, and several bones snapped inside Tuobabu Tuo. Just as he was about to land a third, fatal blow to prevent Tuobabu Tuo from activating the Ghost Flag, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind him. Sikong Jingyuan's face changed drastically. He spun around abruptly, unleashing his full power with a freezing palm strike. With a "bang," Sikong Yanlun's arm shattered into ice crystals. In the distance, Sikong Yanlun's heart-wrenching roar echoed, "Boss, that's my arm... it's over... it's all over..." Sikong Jingyuan froze, looking at the rapidly approaching Li Weiyi. He now fully understood what had happened. His opponent had swapped the "inferior" target for the "superior" one. With just this initial exchange, their side had gone from four arms to three, suffering a significant loss in combat power.

"Whoosh!" Li Weiyi leaped up and swung his sword down. The sword energy instantly descended upon Sikong Jingyuan's head. Sikong Jingyuan grunted, shattering the sword energy. He then turned to seize the heavily injured Tuobabu Tuo, only to find that Tuobabu Tuo had already submerged himself. Qi Xiao, standing on the back of the Scaled Lion Beast's phantom, with a saber in one hand and a shield in the other, charged forward to confront him. Sikong Jingyuan's palm clashed with the Scaled Lion phantom's incoming claw strike, causing waves to surge underfoot. A sword hummed behind him, signaling Li Weiyi's imminent arrival. Though extremely unwilling, Sikong Jingyuan had to admit his sneak attack had failed. He employed his movement technique, stepping on ice lotus blossoms, treading through the void to escape and evade, putting a considerable distance between himself and Li Weiyi.

"Whoosh!" A large amount of black mist erupted from the water, and a fifty-zhang-tall Yin Ghost Commander appeared within it, armored and wielding a halberd, with a fierce, goat-like head. Tuobabu Tuo resurfaced, blood flowing from his nose and mouth, gritting his teeth and struggling to endure. Li Weiyi and Qi Xiao brought him onto the boat and asked about his injuries. "I'm fine for now, I can hold on... *cough cough*..." Tuobabu Tuo coughed up blood and immediately sat down, unable to stand. Li Weiyi had Qi Xiao look after and protect him, then turned his gaze to the re-grouped Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun.

At this moment, the Jade Boat was drifting directly on the glowing water. The Meditation Flowers were blooming luxuriantly, their petals sparkling and their fragrance wafting through the air.

Sikong Yanlun was quite formidable; in a very short time, he refined the Yellow Dragon Sword's sword energy and stopped the bleeding from his severed arm. He then quickly summoned a Seventh-Rank Hundred-Character artifact-level Silver Wheel, activating it alongside Sikong Jingyuan. This Silver Wheel was also a replica artifact. Above their heads, it transformed into a huge ring, about ten feet in diameter, with over seven hundred scriptures that enveloped their bodies. Its immense power stirred up layers of giant waves on the water's surface.

Li Weiyi activated his Blood Handprint Demonic Armor and loudly asked, "Still want to fight? If we continue, I'm afraid your other arm won't be safe either." Hearing this, Sikong Yanlun's face turned purple with rage, and his body twitched. Sikong Jingyuan looked at the pale Tuobabu Tuo and sneered, "Brother Tuobabu Tuo probably won't last much longer. Once he falls and you lose your Yin Ghost Commander, do you still think you have a chance?"

Li Weiyi didn't want to fight; he only wanted to harvest the Meditation Flowers. If the glowing river drifted away, it might not be found again. However, after suffering such significant losses, how could Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun possibly retreat without a fight?

"Whoosh!" Li Weiyi steered the Jade Boat and charged forward at high speed. Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun combined their strength to unleash the Silver Wheel. Immediately, the silver light surged, the wind became like knives, and scriptures rained down upon the Jade Boat. A brilliant light erupted from the Jade Boat, forming a shimmering barrier within which scriptures floated. The Silver Wheel struck the barrier. "Boom!" The Jade Boat and the water around it rapidly sank, then quickly rose again, sending the Silver Wheel flying back. This was a Prefectural Governor's Jade Boat, not only swift but also incredibly well-defended, something they couldn't break through. Li Weiyi was relying on it to dare remain in the Netherflower Black Swamp. As for other escape treasures, they naturally couldn't be used. Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun had no idea that a seemingly ordinary Jade Boat pulled out by Li Weiyi was such a treasure. They immediately used their movement techniques to dodge, avoiding collision with the Jade Boat. The Yin Ghost Commander, following behind the Jade Boat, swung its halberd and struck at Sikong Yanlun. Sikong Yanlun, fighting with one arm, was sent flying, immediately realizing the power of the Yin Ghost Commander and daring not to directly confront it again.

Retrieving the Silver Wheel, the two brothers exchanged glances. Both opened their Ancestral Fields, releasing a hundred ghosts and their Dao Heart manifestations, transforming the entire water surface into a chilling, bone-piercing Ghost Domain.

Knowing it would be difficult to end the fight quickly, Li Weiyi steered the Jade Boat, pursuing the glowing river. Erfeng's excited telepathic chirps continuously echoed in his ears.

"Splash!" It burst from the water, wings spread, its six claws tightly clutching a glowing crystal. The radiance was dazzling, illuminating the entire water surface like a star. It was, in fact, a walnut-sized piece of Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone. Li Weiyi's eyes widened, his scalp tingling. A piece this large could certainly be divided into many smaller fragments, making it truly priceless.

"Whoosh!" A figure cloaked in invisibility, previously lurking in the shadows, darted across the water's surface at extreme speed, rushing towards Erfeng. "Not good!" Li Weiyi's pupils constricted. He transformed into a wisp of green smoke, his body blurring, and charged to meet the attack. "Bang! Bang!" They exchanged three blows in rapid succession. Li Weiyi went all out, directly mobilizing his liquid spiritual energy and psychic power. He first unleashed the Extinguishing Finger Technique and the Burning Karma Mill, then activated the Six-Jia Secret Incantation on the Yellow Dragon Sword to execute Grand Unity Cleaving Sea. Both retreated dozens of feet, creating a churning, boiling expanse of water between them. Li Weiyi's sword-holding hand trembled uncontrollably, his fingers aching as if they would split. He struggled to remain calm, staring intently at the figure opposite him: "Thousand-Guard Grand Banner, Yizhou Xue!"

Yizhou Xue, clad in armor, faced Li Weiyi across the glowing river. Electrical patterns coursed over his armor, and he felt a slight numbness on his skin. Li Weiyi's previous sword strike had summoned lightning, and its momentum was formidable; without his armor, Yizhou Xue might have been injured. Yizhou Xue's eyes, sharp as a hawk's, observed Li Weiyi's expression. He had struck Li Weiyi with a palm earlier, and the recoil from the Blood Handprint Demonic Armor had caused pain in his palm. He wasn't sure if he had severely wounded Li Weiyi. Nine months had passed, and this young man's combat power had improved too much; he could even contend with Yizhou Xue in direct clashes. Inside Li Weiyi, his spiritual energy circulated, and the pain in his hand gradually subsided. However, the palm strike he had taken squarely on his chest and abdomen still made him extremely uncomfortable. He fought hard not to vomit blood, unwilling to reveal his true state of weakness and severe injury. Otherwise, Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun, waiting for an opportunity, would surely pounce like rabid dogs. At this moment, both were stunned, having never imagined that Li Weiyi's true strength had reached a level where he could stand as an equal against Yizhou Xue.

Fortunately, thanks to Li Weiyi's interception, Erfeng had already flown back to the Jade Boat with the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone. What was alarming was that five more Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors emerged from beneath the water, jointly carrying a humanoid mass of black essence medicine. It was a Thousand-Year Earth Spirit Child! It was much larger than the previous one, with a more detailed humanoid body, complete with hands, feet, and a head. Its hands and feet were struggling, and its abdomen glowed, as if containing something. The glowing river beneath them, however, dimmed.

"We caught it, we caught it! It was the one causing trouble under the water, running incredibly fast." "I caught it!" "No, it was me! I pinned it down with one claw, and when it tried to fight back, I gave it a jolt of lightning." "I caught it first, you caught it second." "It feels like someone is chanting scriptures inside its belly, similar to that Hall Master An. It's giving me a headache." The various telepathic voices of the five Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors continuously buzzed in Li Weiyi's ears, arguing fiercely, completely oblivious to their dangerous situation.

Li Weiyi groaned inwardly, his nerves taut, his attention fully focused on Yizhou Xue, Sikong Jingyuan, and Sikong Yanlun.