Chapter 325: Underground Immortal Mansion’s Great Change

Li Wei turned and walked towards the stone steps. He used his Staff-Spear of Ten Thousand Things to tear open a gap in the formation's light barrier, then ushered Yang Qingxi, Yang Qingchan, Qi Xiao, and Tuoba Butuo inside.

"Why did it take you so long to open the formation? Have you already collected all the good stuff?" Yang Qingxi eyed him suspiciously.

Li Wei sighed, "I had to check for danger first, didn't I? What if there were killing formations or talismans? If we all rushed in together, wouldn't we all perish here?"

"My heavens, so much immortal soil! There must be dozens of jin, right?""I think it's more. Maybe even a hundred jin."Qi Xiao and Tuoba Butuo exclaimed.

Yang Qingxi and Yang Qingchan immediately rushed over, instantly frozen in shock by the sight of an area of immortal soil the size of a square zhang. They had never witnessed such immense wealth.

One liang of immortal soil was worth ten thousand Yongquan coins. If there were a hundred jin, it would be worth ten million Yongquan coins. More importantly, immortal soil was always in high demand; high-grade pills, artifacts, and talismans all required it. Even for refining Longevity Pills and cultivating the Longevity Physique, it was indispensable.

Li Wei walked behind the two Yangs, sniffing their fragrance. He said softly, "If I, Li Wei, were a greedy person, you wouldn't have seen even a single grain of immortal soil. The greatest pain in this world is being misunderstood and wronged."

Not only Yang Qingxi and Yang Qingchan, but even Qi Xiao and Tuoba Butuo believed him, secretly regretting that Li Wei valued his integrity too much. With so much immortal soil, it would be understandable not just to secretly keep it all, but even to kill to silence witnesses.

Yang Qingchan was moved. She looked at Yang Qingxi and said, "I believe you now! He truly is a trustworthy person. Although he can be a bit overbearing at times, that's what makes him charming. Even I'm starting to feel something."

For Yang Qingchan, the immortal soil here was like a godsend. It was enough to quickly enhance her physical strength, allowing her to unleash her full power.

"There's a total of ninety-six jin, so forty-eight jin each.""Old Qi, Tuoba, each of you take four jin from my share to cultivate your bodies. Come to me again after you've refined and absorbed it."Li Wei quickly distributed the immortal soil.

Qi Xiao and Tuoba Butuo were naturally overjoyed. They thanked him repeatedly, developing genuine respect for Li Wei. Even Yang Qingxi kept glancing at him, as if seeing Li Wei in a new light. Eight jin of immortal soil was worth eight hundred thousand Yongquan coins.

Li Wei lightly rebuked her, "What are you looking at? Do you think everyone is as selfish as you, Young Miss Yang?"

"When was I ever selfish?" Yang Qingxi retorted, indignantly glaring at him with wide eyes.

Li Wei said, "Did you share any of the spoils from the outer treasury with me? When I asked for your help earlier, you dragged your feet and hesitated, precisely because you wanted to maximize your own gain, didn't you? Ah... forty-eight jin of immortal soil, worth four million eight hundred thousand Yongquan coins..."

Yang Qingxi knew what he was trying to do. She immediately stored the immortal soil in her ancestral field, her red lips curving into a smile. She said softly and sweetly, "Qingxi will definitely repay the five million Yongquan coins, but this immortal soil is of great use to me, so I ask for your Highness God-Child's indulgence for a little more time. In the future, if there's anything Qingxi can do to help, your Highness just needs to command, and Qingxi will never hesitate again, cooperating fully."

Li Wei felt a strange sensation. Yang Qingxi usually enjoyed putting on airs, maintaining the proud and aloof demeanor of a young generation leader. This was the first time she had softened and acted humble in front of him, even referring to herself as "Qingxi." It was like a wild horse becoming docile in his presence, willing to let him ride it. Even if this docility was feigned, it held a unique appeal.

Li Wei clearly understood that this was because he had broken through to become a four-star Spirit Master, truly surpassing her in cultivation.

"Boom!"A deafening sound of collapse and shattering echoed, several times louder than a clap of thunder. The entire cave violently shook, the ground trembled, and numerous cracks appeared in the stone walls. Rubble constantly fell, and miscellaneous objects shattered on the floor. Even though the cave was full of experts, their faces changed dramatically in fright, and they quickly fled outwards.

"Is it because we intruded into the inner layer and touched something we shouldn't have?" Tuoba Butuo asked.

Li Wei decisively denied this. "The sound came from a very distant place and was accompanied by a powerful surge of energy. A terrifying battle has erupted in the underground immortal mansion, with at least Longevity Realm titans fighting."

Yang Qingxi's expression was solemn. "Ordinary Longevity Realm cultivators couldn't cause such a commotion in the underground immortal mansion. It's possible a Transcendent has broken in!"

She knew some inside information, aware that over the past year, the tombstones and grave mounds on the surface had continuously spread, attracting significant attention from various forces in the Lingxiao Living Realm. Countless masters from across the world had gathered in Fuzhou. Especially with the disappearance of Tang Wanzhou, which had stirred up a huge storm in the Northern Region, Transcendent beings had arrived at the entrance of the underground immortal mansion and had been trying to force their way in.

Joy appeared in Qi Xiao's and Tuoba Butuo's eyes. The two of them, due to Li Wei, would certainly not betray the Rice Sect. But they clearly knew that the Rice People could never truly accept humans, always viewing them as outsiders. If the Transcendent beings from the Snow Sword Tang Court and Zuoqiu Sect broke in and destroyed the Rice Sect's main altar, they could rescue those imprisoned in the Divine Prison, and they and Li Wei would have a chance to regain their freedom. After all, Li Wei's joining the Rice Sect was also due to circumstances.

They opened the stone door and escaped the cave. Outside was an endless stone forest, and the group fled in the direction of the main altar.

"Boom!""Rumble!"Loud crashes echoed incessantly, and the entire world shook. It was impossible to tell which direction the fighting was coming from. Stone pillars in the forest continuously shattered, the ground collapsed, massive rocks tumbled, and pathways broke apart.

Li Wei turned his head, looking in the direction of the massive cavern connecting to the Netherflower Black Marsh below. He sensed Chan Hai Guanwu's aura. He had a subtle soul connection with Chan Hai Guanwu, but in the entire year he had been in the underground immortal mansion, this was the first time he had sensed her.

"You go ahead!"Li Wei offered no explanation. He activated his Pure Void Cicada-Chasing Steps, transforming into a wisp of green smoke, weaving between falling rocks, and rushing towards the massive cavern several dozen li in diameter.

"Could it be her and my three masters causing this massive commotion? They were indeed powerful in life, but their strength shouldn't have recovered much yet."Li Wei put on his Prefect's official robe, over which he wore an artifact gown, in case of need.

Following a river of blood, he reached the vicinity of the massive cavern. He saw extremely bright energy beams, covering the cavern several dozen li in diameter, descending from above. The power fluctuations emanating from them contained world-destroying might. Even from over ten li away, Li Wei dared not approach closer.

Buddhist chants resonated in his ears, and the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish on his chest emitted a burst of heat. This strange phenomenon had occurred before, a year ago, when he first entered the main entrance hall. Some kind of Buddhist or Daoist power had connected with the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish, activating it.

Just as Li Wei was about to take out the Dao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish to examine it, several terrifying auras approached him from behind with incredible speed.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..."Three figures streaked past him overhead, moving as fast as three meteors, their appearances indiscernible. But he was certain they were three Longevity Realm titans from the Rice Sect.

"Why aren't you leaving quickly? Go back to the main altar!"Yao Qingxuan seemed to materialize beside Li Wei, her skin glowing with surging spiritual energy like immortal jade, her face showing a grave, battle-ready expression.

"Pop!"A Zen chant came from above the giant cavern. The next instant, a skeletal figure in Buddhist robes and kasaya descended from the sky amidst bright radiance. With a sweep of its large sleeve, it sent the three intercepting Longevity Realm titans flying back, their bodies crashing deep into the rock with loud thuds.

Even the mere aftermath stirred up sand and stones. A single ray of Buddhist light could pierce through several li of rock. Thousands of rays of Buddhist light shone, startling even Yao Qingxuan into retreating. The skeletal figure's combat power far exceeded her estimation.

Yao Qingxuan grabbed Li Wei's left wrist, enveloped his entire body with Longevity spiritual energy, pulled him close to herself, and fled at top speed.

Golden Buddhist light flew around them as the rock layers continuously collapsed. Even the bronze framework supporting the rock layers instantly melted when struck by the Buddhist light. Li Wei's body felt weightless as Yao Qingxuan pulled him forward. At that moment, he no longer cared about searching for Chan Hai Guanwu; even Longevity Realm titans were fleeing for their lives.

He asked, "What's happening? What was that thing, and why are even you, Master, so afraid of it?"

Yao Qingxuan's eyes were grave as she stared ahead, various scenes rapidly receding. "For some unknown reason, a Transcendent-level monastic skeleton has awakened. Moreover, it has broken through the main altar's Triple Heavens and reached the Sacred Heart Layer. It's currently unclear what its purpose is, perhaps it's after the Nine Pages of the Luminous Starry Scroll."

"A month ago, a hole was discovered that it had pierced, leading from the Mortal Layer to the Sacred Heart Layer. For the past month, the entire main altar has been searching for it, until today, when it finally made its move.""No one expected a newly awakened monastic skeleton to be so incredibly powerful. In its lifetime, it must have been a Martial Dao Heavenly Emperor."

The awakening of an ancient Heavenly Emperor reminded Li Wei of Chan Hai Guanwu. He wondered what level she had recovered to by now. However, Chan Hai Guanwu wasn't merely recovering combat strength; her ambition was much greater. She aimed to reverse life and death, re-cultivate a flesh-and-blood body, a difficult path indeed. And she still hadn't completed the Yang Marriage.

Li Wei asked, "Is the revival of monastic skeletons common in the underground immortal mansion?"

Yao Qingxuan said, "The underground immortal mansion is very special, connected to ancient immortals. The cultivation methods of the ancient Pāramitā Buddhist cultivators are also very peculiar, and the Sacred Heart Layer holds a great secret. These various mysteries have led to seven instances of monastic skeleton awakenings over the past thousand years, with each's state and strength varying.""What they have in common is that in the initial stages of awakening, their strength isn't particularly high, making them easy to suppress and subdue. Their combat power only gradually strengthens with time.""That taboo being on Coffin Mountain, the master of Xu Fodu and Hall Master An, is one of them. It was the most powerful among the seven monastic skeleton awakenings, suspected to be the revival of an ancient Heavenly Emperor's skeleton, but it also took hundreds of years to achieve Transcendent-level strength.""It is precisely because of this taboo being on Coffin Mountain that the ancient Jiuli Tribe, once numbering in the tens of millions, was extremely wary, paying annual tribute to ensure peace and tranquility in Lizhou. Without Transcendent beings, the Jiuli Tribe had no say, being suppressed by a dead person."

When mentioning the Jiuli Tribe, Yao Qingxuan's tone carried mockery and a sneer, clearly expressing extreme disappointment with the Jiuli Tribe over the past millennium. Yet, a sharp glint flickered in her eyes, indicating her desire to break free from this situation.

Li Wei gazed at her breathtakingly beautiful immortal face and finally asked the question he had always wanted to ask but never dared: "Master, why did you feign death back then and secretly join the Twin Rice Sect?"