Chapter 343: Unyielding at All Costs

Li Weiyi frowned and asked, "Who are you taking orders from?"

"Southern Venerable... Ah!"Before Xu Xiangu could finish the three words, Li Weiyi's spear pierced through her palm, making half her body numb and convulse with pain.She quickly changed her statement: "A year ago, the Yang family secretly took over everything in Yuntian Immortal Plain and the four major city passes. The Prefect Elder has already submitted to them, and we were forced into this situation."

Li Weiyi crouched down: "Have you met anyone from the Yang family?"Xu Xiangu shook her head: "They are very cautious. I only heard the Prefect Elder mention it once, which is how I learned that the Suizong Yang family is also a force under the Divine Sect."

Li Weiyi felt disappointed. Given Xu Xiangu's high status, she knew so little about the upper echelons, making it no wonder that various parties struggled to uncover the core secrets of the Twin Rice Cult.It seemed he would have to meet the Prefect Elder himself.

"Who is the Prefect Elder?" Li Weiyi asked."Jiang Xin, one of the top masters of the Jiang family's third generation, is the Chief Administrator of the Attendant Hall in Nanyan Pass."This time, Xu Xiangu did not hesitate, providing the Prefect Elder's information while sneering inwardly. She knew she was certainly no match for him and had to surrender to survive, but the Prefect Elder was a figure of immense cultivation.If this young man dared to confront him, he would be walking into a trap.Xu Xiangu was just imagining how she would get her revenge once Li Weiyi fell into the Prefect Elder's hands...

"Pfft!"Li Weiyi's spear violently pierced through her head.He used fire to burn the body to ashes, leaving no trace.He did not dig out the Dao Lotus, fearing it might expose his presence.However, he took the spatial bag from her body.

Unexpectedly, the spatial bag contained a vast amount of valuables, including Spring Coins, silver, and millennium-old spirit herbs, totaling at least a million Spring Coins in value.Clearly, the Rice Cult's financial assets in Nanyan Pass were under her control.

Li Weiyi stepped out of the backyard array.Outside, several Rice Cult masters who had heard the commotion had gathered, each wielding a magical artifact and looking hostile.

Li Weiyi had long made up his mind not to hold back, so he proceeded calmly, showing no hesitation. He took out the Evil Camel Bell and began shaking it, causing the surrounding Rice Cult masters to instantly fall into mental chaos and shriek in agony.The sound of the bell was confined to a certain range.

Li Weiyi exited the main gate and quickly blended into the crowd.Behind him, the backyard of Guanlan Pavilion descended into roars, slaughter, madness, and insane laughter. The Twin Rice Cult martial artists' minds were filled with negative emotions, and the power of evil and malice spread, causing magical artifacts to clash as they fought and killed each other.The stronger a person's malevolence, the greater the impact they suffered.

"Thump! Thump..."Bodies were hurled against doors, windows, and walls, breaking through them and falling onto the street from inside.Upon seeing this, the Twin Rice Cult's hidden agents stationed outside Guanlan Pavilion immediately went to report the news.

Li Weiyi did not go far. He climbed a watchtower three streets away from Guanlan Pavilion, took out a set of women's clothes from Xu Xiangu's spatial bag, hesitated for a moment, then his eyes darkened, and he put them on.The Disguise Art could naturally change one's appearance into that of a woman.This was the best way to hide, though Li Weiyi had always resisted it before.Now, he was forced to do so.He took out the golden smiling Buddha mask, put it on his face, and from a distance, gazed at Guanlan Pavilion, quietly waiting for the Prefect Elder "Jiang Xin" to arrive.

The Attendant Hall was subordinate to Luan Terrace.In each prefecture of the Lingxiao Living Realm, a Hall was established, led by a Hall Master.Underneath it were the "Prime Bureau," "Feather Bureau," and "Claw Bureau."The Prime Bureau served as the think tank, responsible for advising and making decisions.The Feather Bureau handled various intelligence matters, infiltration, and undercover operations.The Claw Bureau was composed of martial arts experts and was responsible for executing actions.The heads of these three bureaus held the official title of Chief Administrator.Nanyan Pass was not a state capital, so it had no Hall Master. As Chief Administrator, Jiang Xin was already the highest commander of the Attendant Hall there.

Li Weiyi naturally wouldn't go to the Attendant Hall; that would be akin to walking into a trap.However, with an incident at the Rice Cult's largest stronghold, it was impossible for Jiang Xin not to come.

Just a quarter of an hour later, a large contingent of troops arrived and surrounded Guanlan Pavilion. The defensive arrays of the surrounding city area were all activated, with array runes and glowing energy veils enveloping the sky and ground.Soon after, a luxurious carriage pulled by an exotic beast sped towards Guanlan Pavilion, followed by two columns of cavalry from the Attendant Hall.The exotic beast carriage stopped outside Guanlan Pavilion.An old man in a purple robe quickly disembarked. Jiang Xin was not decrepit; only a few strands of white hair lined his temples. His posture was upright, and his eyes were sharp, exuding an aura of authority without needing to express anger.

"Chief Administrator!""Lord Chief Administrator, what has happened to alarm even your Attendant Hall?"The city defense guards bowed in salute.

"The Attendant Hall has long discovered Guanlan Pavilion's close ties with the evil cult and has been secretly monitoring it, holding back from taking action because we wished to lure out the big fish behind the scenes. Withdraw your men; leave this place to us."Jiang Xin spoke calmly and composedly, knowing he had to provide an excuse like this to avoid the city defense forces uncovering anything problematic. He then quickly entered the pavilion.

Li Weiyi did not make any rash moves and continued to wait.Another half hour passed. Only after Jiang Xin had thoroughly dealt with the hidden issues within Guanlan Pavilion did he emerge, his eyes showing a somber intensity, clearly suppressing immense rage within."Who could it be?""The methods are too sinister."

Li Weiyi imitated Yao Qingxuan's tone and transmitted his voice with spiritual energy, sending it directly into Jiang Xin's ear: "Prefect Elder, rushing to Guanlan Pavilion like this will surely draw the attention of those with ulterior motives and arouse suspicion.""This voice..."Standing outside Guanlan Pavilion, Jiang Xin suddenly raised his head, his pupils contracting as he looked around anxiously.He had lived for nearly a century, possessing supreme cultivation and unrivaled mastery, one of the few top masters of the Jiang family's third generation, and also one of the twenty-eight elders of the Rice Cult in the Lingxiao Living Realm.But the person on the other end was Yao Qingxuan.Someone who could easily kill him even at the same cultivation level.If Yao Qingxuan could transmit spiritual energy into his ear, he could also send him to his death with a single strike.

Seeing that Jiang Xin dared not make any rash moves, Li Weiyi knew that Yao Qingxuan held immense deterrent power over him. So he continued: "Stop looking, and don't try any tricks in front of me. I guarantee, you'll be dead before Yao Qian arrives. Even if he does arrive, I can send him away too."

Jiang Xin quickly calmed down, having already formulated a plan. Then, following "Yao Qingxuan's" instructions, he avoided everyone and ascended the watchtower step by step.

Li Weiyi knew very well that clashing with an elder-level figure of the World Hall was like dancing on a knife's edge. If his identity were exposed, or if the opponent took a desperate gamble, he would be in extreme danger.But he had no retreat."He should be more nervous than I am! He has to worry about being purged by Yao Qingxuan, and also about his identity being exposed."Li Weiyi completely calmed down, listening to Jiang Xin's footsteps ascending the ladder.

Since Jiang Xin had previously taken orders from Yao Qingxuan and only submitted to the Suizong Yang family a year ago, it was certain that he had not yet entered the Yang family's core circle.

"You can stop now!" Li Weiyi said blandly.Jiang Xin stopped on the ladder below, raising his head to see a partial silhouette of Yao Qingxuan. He hastily put on a look of extreme deference and bowed, saying: "Venerable One, Venerable One... this old man knows nothing! It's all the Suizong people acting recklessly, surely trying to eliminate dissidents. This old man was also kept in the dark and only just learned the news..."

Li Weiyi couldn't be bothered to watch his act: "Eliminating dissidents? Jiang Xin, are you foolish, or have you already defected to them? Zhou Bida is dead, isn't he?"Jiang Xin nodded: "Yao Qian dared not let him live. The risk would be too great if he spoke up."Li Weiyi felt a pang of pain, controlling his emotions: "That's why this Venerable One says you are foolish, while Yao Qian is exceedingly shrewd."

Jiang Xin showed a bewildered expression: "Venerable One, please enlighten me?"

Li Weiyi said: "I don't care if you have already submitted to them, but the most important thing for a person is to live clearly. Zhou Bida was a Deputy Commander-in-Chief. How important was that position? How much effort did the Divine Sect expend to turn him? With his death, when the Divine Sect and demon race attack Lingxiao City three months from now, who will help us breach the defenses? You?""What? Attacking Lingxiao City?" Jiang Xin was genuinely shocked.This matter had only been finalized a few days prior. As someone with a special public identity, Jiang Xin had to be cautious when relaying messages, so he naturally wouldn't know so quickly.

Li Weiyi maintained Yao Qingxuan's tone: "Now you know why they killed Zhou Bida, don't you?"Jiang Xin's expression shifted repeatedly: "But they said, Venerable One, that you had other intentions...""They said I had ulterior motives, didn't they?"The fact that Jiang Xin could utter those words told Li Weiyi that the old man was certainly in a state of disarray. So, striking while the iron was hot, he continued: "That's why I said you were foolish. Why would this Venerable One have ulterior motives towards the Divine Sect? What good would it do me?""The one who truly has ulterior motives is Yang Shenjing.""The Suizong was able to grow rapidly only with the support of the Divine Sect. But now, they have defected to the Second Palace Master, gaining whatever they desire, freely navigating the entire Lingxiao Living Realm, and rapidly expanding within just two years.""Once Yang Shenjing breaks through and becomes transcendent, the Suizong might one day become a sect of ten thousand, controlling the entire transportation network of Lingxiao. That would be boundless glory.""For the future of their sect, if they could turn against the Jiuli tribe, they could also turn against the Divine Sect.""Now do you understand why you weren't informed about a major event like the attack on Lingxiao City? Because the main altar didn't even tell Yang Shenjing, guarding against them! You submitted to them, so naturally, you are also guarded against.""Prefect Elder, are you choosing the Suizong, to rise to prominence with them?"

As he spoke, Li Weiyi gently patted the Great Phoenix hidden beneath his clothes.Instantly.A terrifying aura of the Longevity Realm erupted from Li Weiyi, shocking Jiang Xin, who fell to his knees with a thud, trembling as he pleaded: "Venerable One, save me... this old man didn't know, this old man was kept in the dark! Who would have known that Yang Shenjing truly is an ungrateful wolf? Even if this old man had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare betray the Divine Sect... This old man still has the Rice Ancestor's Death Spirit Fire within me, I wouldn't dare, absolutely not..."

Li Weiyi could only exploit the information asymmetry to swiftly establish that Yang Shenjing and the Suizong had betrayed the Twin Rice Cult, pushing all blame onto them to save Yao Qingxuan at the main altar.The Suizong, originating from the Jiuli tribe's vassals, indeed had a clear background, making it difficult to trace their connection with the Rice Cult.At the main altar, there weren't many forces directly under the Suizong. Yang Qingxi had to win over Wang Shu's followers to build his own faction.This was both the Suizong's advantage and disadvantage.It indicated that the Suizong and the Twin Rice Cult did not have such a close relationship and were not direct descendants of the Rice Cult. Thus, pinning the betrayal on them became a feasible possibility.Furthermore, Yang Qingxi dealing with Wang Shu was precisely to prevent the Rice Cult from re-establishing influence within the Suizong and checking the Yang family. This suggested that there were certainly individuals within the Rice Cult who were wary of Yang Shenjing.

If he couldn't use the court's hand to eliminate Yang Shenjing and Yao Qian,Then he would let the Twin Rice Cult cleanse its own house.This was merely the first step.Next, Li Weiyi vowed to find every possible way to solidify these claims. He would make them, for the game they started today, lift a rock only to drop it on their own feet.