Chapter 335: Lu Cangsheng Returns

After breaking through the realm, his full strength significantly increased.

Li Weiyi looked at the foot-long square iron box enshrined in the Buddhist shrine on the blood-soaked muddy ground, and channeled his full magic power into his arms.

Too heavy...

Still couldn't lift it!

Over the past few days, Li Weiyi had tried every method imaginable, but he couldn't open the iron box. He would have to wait until his cultivation was higher to study it further.

His gaze then fell on Tang Wanzhou, who was meditating not far away.

It had to be said that this young lord of the Northern Territory possessed truly extraordinary beauty and temperament. Her long ponytail, dark black robe, slender waist, and graceful bust were exquisitely beautiful.

Her jade-white skin, characteristic of a pure immortal body, softened her inherent heroism, allowing one to perceive her inner, gentle beauty.

Even in a state of deathly stillness, her entire person remained straight and upright, sharp as a divine sword.

What man would have dared to stare so intently before, examining her closely with the gaze one reserves for a fine work of art?

Li Weiyi himself had never previously regarded her as a woman, much less dared to admire her for such a long time in such an presumptuous manner. There was an indescribable thrill to it.

The headache was that it was easy to invite a god, but hard to send one away. Li Weiyi had attempted to pull her out of the blood-mud space, but she fiercely resisted, resulting in failure.

He didn't dare to push her too hard; if she were to wake up, she might well try to kill him again.

At this stage, Li Weiyi couldn't hand her over to Xuejian Tang Ting either.

He had just left the main altar, and Tang Wanzhou immediately appeared. It would be strange if this didn't arouse suspicion from the powerful experts of the Rice Cult.

Li Weiyi had cultivated for ten days, but only two days had passed outside.

Pushing open the cabin door, a gentle river breeze wafted in.

He looked out at the river and the distant shore, and immediately felt refreshed and uplifted.

The weather had cleared, and there wasn't a speck of dust in the air.

It was afternoon, and the plains on the eastern bank of the Qujiang River had vanished. A majestic mountain range, covered in pristine white snow, appeared before him, its peaks glistening golden under the sun.

On the river surface, the golden mountain reflections merged with the bank, creating a grand and majestic landscape.

Knowing he had emerged from seclusion, Taishi Bai came downstairs, dressed in an ornate silver-embroidered robe, wrapped in a white sable fur coat, exuding an air of nobility.

Walking along the corridor, he smiled, "Brother Zuo, you've finally come out of seclusion! In another hour, we'll reach Leiling City. After that, we'll no longer have a boat and will need to travel another four hundred li by land to reach Nanyan Pass and enter the gate."

"I've already sent my retainers ahead to Leiling City to make all arrangements. Most likely, the City Lord of Leiling will host a welcoming banquet for us tonight, so please make sure to join us, Brother Zuo, and don't sneak away."

That was precisely what Li Weiyi had been planning to do.

His intentions being exposed, he couldn't help but offer an awkward smile and asked, "Have there been any more cult members appearing in the past two days?"

Taishi Bai's expression turned serious. "Since that battle, I've constantly felt a faint sense of being watched. Those demonic cult members are most likely following us along the shore. You needn't worry, Brother Zuo; once we reach Leiling City, that's the core territory of my Taishi family, and they won't be allowed to act so presumptuously."

Taishi Bai left to direct his servants and maids in packing luggage, goods, carriages, and exotic beasts, preparing to disembark.

"Rumble!"

On the distant snow-capped mountains, a bolt of lightning struck, its electric glow scattering in all directions.

Tuoba Butuo, completely wrapped in a gray robe and wearing a mask to conceal his Silver Pure Immortal Body, walked up to Li Weiyi. Gazing at the continuous lightning bolts striking the snowy mountains, he asked, "Brother Weiyi, do you know why Leiling City is called Leiling City?"

Li Weiyi asked, "Why?"

Qi Xiao appeared on Li Weiyi's other side, dressed similarly to Tuoba Butuo. "Leiling refers to the Thirty-Six Thunder Tombs! The former masters of the Cloud Sky Immortal Plain were the Thundercloud Sect. The Thirty-Six Thunder Tombs are the burial sites of thirty-six transcendent figures in the history of the Thundercloud Sect."

"Leiling City was once the residence of the Thundercloud Sect's tomb guardians, and it is now the second-largest city in Liangzhou, extremely prosperous."

Tuoba Butuo said, "After more than a decade of war, officials from the former twenty-eight prefectures have all retreated and gathered in just eight prefectures. Leiling City can be considered a major city at the foot of the Immortal Plain, with a population of millions. The Heavenly Pavilion must have established a branch here. Let's go to the Heavenly Pavilion tonight and drink until we drop."

"I'm afraid we can't! Taishi Bai has already invited us to the welcoming banquet at the City Lord's Residence tonight. Old Qi, what are you looking at?" Li Weiyi asked.

Qi Xiao's gaze fell towards the bow of the ship, where he saw an incredibly enchanting and graceful figure. Her vibrant attire, dazzlingly pale skin, and lustrous black hair were striking. A small section of a white tail hung outside her skirt.

She stood close to Taishi Bai, leaning against him, laughing and chatting about something, appearing like a pair of divine immortal companions.

However, that captivating, graceful figure seemed to sense their gazes, looked back for a moment, and then vanished instantly with eerie speed.

Li Weiyi reminded him, "Old Qi, have you never seen a peerless beauty before? It looks like your soul has been snatched away."

Qi Xiao took a deep breath, composed himself, and exclaimed with astonishment, "I wasn't having my soul snatched, I was terrified! Why do I feel like she's that enchantress from the Long family?"

"I feel it's her too," Tuoba Butuo said.

Li Weiyi said, "What are you talking about?"

Qi Xiao explained, "The woman flirting with Taishi Bai just now is most likely another gifted prodigy of the Long family, on the level of a successor. She became famous twenty years ago and is rumored to have half demon blood."

"Long Xiangcen!" Tuoba Butuo exclaimed.

Li Weiyi asked, "Why does the Long family have so many successors?"

Qi Xiao gave a bitter smile. "The Long family is a powerhouse clan boasting millions of members at its peak. It's quite normal for several successors to emerge within a sixty-year cycle."

"Successors also vary in rank; someone like me is considered low-tier," Tuoba Butuo said. "The Dragon Gate's foremost successor, only Long Dian was qualified, but sadly he died at the hands of Tang Wanqiu and Lu Cangsheng."

The post boat arrived at the ferry.

A large contingent of people had already arrived to greet them, most dressed in official robes, with carriages and exotic beasts lining the shore.

Long Shi and Long Xiangcen never disembarked from their carriage; only Taishi Bai showed himself.

Unable to refuse, Li Weiyi attended the welcoming banquet at the City Lord's Residence. Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao, posing as attendants, did not take seats at the main table.

At the banquet, Long Shi and Long Xiangcen also did not make an appearance.

Li Weiyi had no interest in official drinking banquets. Taking advantage of Taishi Bai being surrounded and toasted by the officials of Leiling City, he quickly withdrew, "escaping" from the City Lord's Residence with Tuoba Butuo and Qi Xiao.

The food at the Rice Cult's main altar was truly unappetizing, leaving them with a year-long craving for decent meals.

The three immediately headed for the Heavenly Pavilion, ready to treat themselves well.

The Heavenly Pavilion, affiliated with Thousand-Mile Mountain, did not involve itself in worldly conflicts. Thus, it strictly protected its guests' secrets and privacy, eliminating any worry about identity exposure. Many secret transactions and gatherings took place there.

Tuoba Butuo, a scion of a great clan who knew how to enjoy himself, not only ordered a table full of delicacies but also had hand-picked beautiful young women play music, perform dances, and pour wine, creating an atmosphere of true extravagance.

Li Weiyi was not one to abstain from worldly pleasures; he, too, had a beauty by his side, occasionally offering him a cup of fine wine to his lips.

He had lived a bland existence for most of the past year, spending his time in seclusion and eating dry rations.

The wine, it seemed, wasn't so bad after all.

Tuoba Butuo did not fully let down his guard, communicating via voice transmission: "Actually, Old Qi and I completely overestimated ourselves. Even if our identities are exposed, the Taishi family won't take it too seriously. They might not even know that I entered the underground immortal mansion with the Young Lord a year ago and became trapped there."

"Brother Weiyi, you're different! Your identity as a Divine Hidden One of the Nine Li Hidden Sect is far more important than mine, not to mention some of the treasures you possess."

Qi Xiao, looking pale, hurried in from outside, as if he had been frightened. "Do you know who I just ran into on my way back?"

Qi Xiao frequently visited the Heavenly Pavilion and Xianlin, and had very high standards. Finding the arrangements made by others unsuitable, he had personally gone to the inner courtyard to select beautiful companions.

Tuoba Butuo waved a hand, signaling the women to temporarily withdraw.

Qi Xiao drank three cups in a row before he could suppress the shock in his heart. "I just brushed past Long Ting. Fortunately, I used a disguise technique and concealed my aura. Otherwise, things would definitely have gone badly."

Tuoba Butuo said, "Long Ting might not recognize Qi Xiao of the Southern Territory."

Qi Xiao didn't even have the energy to scold him. He slammed the table and said, "A few days ago, Long Ting and Luansheng Linyou appeared together at the main altar. Their presence here in Leiling City now means what? It's highly likely that Luansheng Linyou is right here in the Heavenly Pavilion!"

Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo's eyes instantly turned cold. Both of them had a blood feud with Luansheng Linyou.

To be precise, Qi Xiao's younger brother had also indirectly died by his hand.

Li Weiyi said, "I'll go investigate. Don't make any rash moves, it's possible Old Qi has already been exposed. Furthermore, if Luansheng Linyou isn't here and Long Ting is alone, how can we miss such a prime opportunity to deal with him?"

Donning an invisibility cloak of the Fourth-Grade Hundred-Character artifact level, Li Weiyi suppressed his aura to the extreme and slowly crept in the direction Qi Xiao had indicated.

He dared not stir even a wisp of wind.

Before long, outside a courtyard filled with white plum blossoms, he detected Long Ting's residual aura.

The entire courtyard was enveloped by a formation. Without breaking through it, there was no way to know what was inside. But once the formation was breached, it would surely alert the martial arts experts within.

Li Weiyi did not act rashly. Light as a leaf, he landed on an ancient plum tree, as thick as a bucket, by the wall, and peered inside the courtyard.

"Heaven-Penetrating Eye!"

His vertical eye on his forehead opened, and instantly, the true scene within the formation's barrier was revealed.

With just a glance, Li Weiyi's heart leaped.

Inside the courtyard, within an octagonal glazed pavilion by a mist-shrouded spirit pool, sat a figure in a star-patterned robe. His face was demonically handsome, his long hair alternately silver and white, as he elegantly sipped from a cup.

This single figure exuded an indescribable sense of profound power and danger.

Long Ting stood outside the pavilion, reporting something to him.

Another seven or eight figures were gathered in the empty space in the southwestern corner of the courtyard, where thirty coffins were neatly arranged.

What truly astonished Li Weiyi was that Long Xiangcen was also in the pavilion. She lifted her slender jade legs, straddling Luansheng Linyou's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck in an extremely seductive and bold manner, her furry tail swaying back and forth.

This relationship... Li Weiyi simply couldn't understand it!

Long Xiangcen had clearly been very intimate with Taishi Bai, almost like lovers, so why was she even more intimate with Luansheng Linyou?

Suddenly.

Inside the pavilion, Luansheng Linyou, who was sipping with one hand and gently holding Long Xiangcen's waist with the other, felt a sudden intuition. His emotionless eyes turned towards the blooming plum blossoms outside the courtyard, a hint of suspicion emerging in their depths.

Just as he was about to send someone to investigate...

The formation opened.

Chen Wenwu quickly entered the courtyard and reported urgently, "Young Master, the latest news! Lu Cangsheng has returned! Someone saw him and the martial cultivators of the Thundercloud Sect enter the Thirty-Six Thunder Tombs after nightfall."

Luansheng Linyou showed an interested smile, lightly patted Long Xiangcen's jade shoulder, and motioned for her to stand up. "I've waited two years for these ten. Long Ting, would you like to go meet this once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Thundercloud Sect and see how much he has improved from his cultivation at the Du'e Temple?"