Chapter 344: Borrowing Strength

Jiang Xin’s reaction indicated that Yao Qian had not obtained any useful information from Zhou Bida.

Furthermore, Yin Jun was likely not yet in Yang Shenjing's hands, nor had he been brought back to Nanyan Pass.

As long as Yang Shenjing couldn't keep Yin Jun alive, Li Weiyi was confident he could proceed with his plans. After all, dead men tell no tales.

If Yin Jun could escape, that would be the ideal outcome.

But…

Li Weiyi dared not hope for too much and needed to act quickly.

However, the more urgent the situation, the calmer one must be.

Jiang Xin saw "Yao Qingxuan" remain silent, sensing a calm before the storm. He knew the person was contemplating whether or not to kill him, weighing the pros and cons.

At the brink of life and death, dignity, integrity, and the demeanor of a powerful person all had to be temporarily set aside. Only by surviving would various possibilities emerge in the future.

On the stairs, he acted with a mix of sincerity and pretense: "That Yang Shenjing is a Great Elder. He personally sought me out, and I had no other choice. If I didn't submit, he would surely use Luan Terrace to eliminate me and then install a master from the Sui Sect to take my place. Your Holiness, please spare me this one time. From now on, I will go through fire and water, obeying only you."

Li Weiyi said, "If it weren't for the imminent attack on Lingxiao City, and your position being crucial, I would never spare your life."

Jiang Xin quickly looked up, a look of joy on his face.

Li Weiyi continued, "But how can I trust that you won't immediately go to Deputy Commander Yao and tell him everything? If they learn that the Divine Cult is about to attack Lingxiao City, and that the Divine Cult is already taking precautions against them, what will they do next?"

Jiang Xin's expression changed: "I'm afraid... I'm afraid that within a few days, the Divine Cult's strongholds and forces in Lingxiao City, the Four Passes, the eight core prefectures, and the Southern Regions will be completely eradicated by the imperial court."

Li Weiyi said, "So, how can I trust you?"

Jiang Xin urgently replied, "I have the Death Spirit Fire planted by Ancestor Dao in my body; I would never dare to betray..."

"If Ancestor Dao dies at the hands of the Second Palace Master, this Death Spirit Fire can easily be neutralized. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Li Weiyi stated.

"Thump! Thump..."

Jiang Xin kowtowed seven or eight times in quick succession: "Whatever Your Holiness commands, I will do."

Li Weiyi deliberately pondered for a long time, making Jiang Xin even more anxious, before throwing paper and a pen from his interdimensional pouch: "Write a letter reporting them! If you dare to betray the Divine Cult, this letter will naturally fall into Yang Shenjing's hands, and then you'll have no place to hide on either side. You're a smart man; I don't need to tell you how to write it, do I?"

"Your Holiness, rest assured," Jiang Xin replied, "I've had many dealings with the Sui Sect and know many of their secrets. If it weren't for my apprehension about Yang Shenjing's status as Deputy Hall Master, I would have reported them long ago."

Jiang Xin understood that "Yao Qingxuan" wanted to control his life and death.

If he tried to be evasive and remain two-faced, he would truly be seeking death.

Between the imperial court and the Twin Rice Cult, he had to choose, and he chose the latter.

Therefore, Jiang Xin, full of sincerity, did not use a pen. Instead, he bit his finger and wrote in blood:

"To Ancestor Dao, the Heavenly Venerate above, I, Jiang Xin, Elder of Fuzhou, respectfully offer this blood-written petition."

"Yang Shenjing of the Sui Sect is dictatorial and domineering. Within a month of entering the Cloud Heaven Immortal Realm, he used Luan Terrace as his sharp blade to leak Divine Cult secrets, leading to the tragic deaths of dozens of cult masters. Using this external pressure and internal coercion, he secretly brought all the Divine Cult's forces in Lingxiao City and the Four Great Passes under his command. The situation in other prefectures is clear from this."

"I, Xin, with my meager cultivation, could only submit and prostrate myself, lacking the courage to resist or defy."

"I heard that the Second Palace Master, Xianmin, a lowly servant, bestowed the Myriad Lifespan Limitless Pill upon Yang Shenjing, intending to cultivate him to transcend. That old fellow, Shenjing, though from a family retainer background, ravenously devoured the resources of the Jiuli clan's main family to grow powerful. Now, having pledged allegiance to Xianmin, the Sui Sect has a bright future, with countless sects to look forward to, and will surely devour the Divine Cult to serve their new master."

"Zhou Bida, the Deputy General of Nanyan Pass, was originally someone I, Xin, spent countless efforts to turn, preparing him for the Divine Cult's uprising, for an inside-outside coordination. Unexpectedly, the old scoundrel Yang Shenjing and the young villain Yao Qian, to curry favor with their new master and eliminate dissidents, used him to set a trap, aiming to kill several birds with one stone."

"Witnessing this, I, Xin, feel deep anguish, as if my insides are burning. If I do not report this now, the foundation of the Divine Cult's strongholds in Lingxiao City, the Four Passes, the eight core prefectures, and the Southern Regions will surely be utterly destroyed."

"Today, I pour forth the timid blood within me to accuse that old rogue Shenjing of ten great crimes."

"Crime One: Selling disabled Rice People to the barbarian thieves of the Three Islands as mounts and food for beasts."

"Crime Two..."

For some reason, after writing, Jiang Xin didn't feel the displeasure of being forced; instead, he felt a surge of exhilaration, as if he had long wished to report all of this.

Li Weiyi took back the blood letter and examined it closely, unable to help but gasp. He glanced at Jiang Xin, who was still kneeling.

This old man was ruthless enough to survive!

Every word in the blood letter seemed to bleed.

The ten crimes were far from simple; several of them made Li Weiyi's heart pound with fear, and he strongly suspected Jiang Xin had fabricated them.

For instance, Crime Three, where Yao Qian, to gain the Second Palace Master's appreciation and trust, was implicated in the deaths of two Twin Rice Cult elders.

How could he know such a secret matter?

Li Weiyi seriously suspected that either Jiang Xin had suffered at Yao Qian's hands before, or he was simply jealous of Yao Qian.

Of course, it could also be a scheme orchestrated by the higher echelons of the Rice Cult.

Even if it were true, Li Weiyi could understand. After all, who within the Twin Rice Cult didn't have their own murky past?

Infiltrating and gaining trust, how could it be so easy?

If Yang Shenjing had always acted honorably, he would never have achieved what he had today.

If Li Weiyi's secrets were exposed, even just the single act of harboring Tang Wanzhou would be enough for An Xianjing to demand his life.

If the Rice Cult hadn't already gone to extreme lengths in its evil and selfish direction, it wouldn't have allowed An Xianjing to serve as the Hall Master of the Spirit Valley Hall, a position for someone of pure lineage.

Not everything in the blood letter could be true. For example, Jiang Xin claiming he had painstakingly turned Zhou Bida was clearly an attempt to claim credit.

Li Weiyi put away the blood letter: "This is the responsibility of an Elder! Where are Zhou Bida's family being held? I must bring them back to the Divine Cult as irrefutable evidence."

"The Divine Martial Hall, one of the four major gangs in Leiling City, is secretly controlled by the Divine Cult."

The terror in Jiang Xin's eyes dissipated; he knew his life was safe. "Nanyan Pass is very unsafe right now. Does this old man need to use a secret channel to escort Your Holiness out of the city?"

How could Li Weiyi dare to stay with him any longer? And who knew if this old man had other schemes? He couldn't be underestimated: "If I can't even move freely in and out of a mere Nanyan Pass, am I still worthy of being a Venerable? Get out!"

After parting ways with Jiang Xin, Li Weiyi changed his clothes and appearance several times, transforming into a young man resembling a servant, and headed towards the boundary between the third and second tier city districts.

The entire city was under strict martial law, with each district separated by formations, making them impossible to cross.

Li Weiyi, of course, had no ability to safely leave the city.

But he knew that once Jiang Xin recovered from his fear and regained his ability to think clearly, he might realize something was amiss, and that would be the real danger.

To rescue Zhou Bida's family and ensure the plan's smooth execution...

Jiang Xin had to die.

At the boundary between the upper and lower city districts, beneath the shimmering formation, dozens of soldiers in black magic armor stood guard. They held long spears, their expressions grim.

Li Weiyi walked into a nearby alley.

The alley was deep, becoming quieter the further one went.

Two children, appearing to be only three or four years old, were playing "grass-fighting" in front of him, sitting on the ground, having a great time. Beside them was an open courtyard gate.

Li Weiyi used his psychic power to scan, and there were no adults in the courtyard.

Li Weiyi smiled kindly, "Whose children are you? Aren't you going home? Don't you know it's dangerous outside right now?"

The two children timidly glanced at him; he didn't seem like a bad person, so they continued their grass-fighting game.

"Grass-fighting," as it was called, involved each child picking some grass blades to see whose was tougher.

Li Weiyi watched with interest for a moment, then crouched down and took out a crimson leaf from his interdimensional pouch: "This leaf of mine is the toughest in the world!"

It was a leaf from a precious medicinal plant, clearly extraordinary at first glance, immediately capturing the attention of the two children.

One of the children, unconvinced, challenged Li Weiyi to a grass-fighting match. But his own grass broke more than a dozen times in a row, while Li Weiyi's leaf remained completely intact.

Seeing him purse his lips, he was about to cry.

Li Weiyi waved the leaf in front of him: "Whoever helps me with a small task later will get this invincible Destiny Grass leaf. From now on, he'll be the strongest one here."

The two children naturally vied for the chance.

"I'll choose the bolder one, the one with true manly spirit. Besides getting the Destiny Grass leaf, this person will also receive another benefit," Li Weiyi said.

The gates of Nanyan Pass were indeed closed, but not everyone was unable to enter or exit.

In the afternoon, the General's Residence's convoy moved toward the city gate. Besides Taishi Bai, who rode an exotic beast at the front, and several retainers, there were also three carriages.

No one dared to inspect them.

The convoy reached the boundary between the second and third city districts, where the formation's light curtain had just opened.

"Taishi Bai... Brother Bai..."

A child, three or four years old, holding a letter, ran towards the convoy, continuously calling Taishi Bai's name.

The soldiers guarding the formation's light curtain intercepted him with their spears.

No one was allowed to approach the esteemed person.

Taishi Bai sternly rebuked, "What kind of skill is it to bully a child? If you're capable, go kill demons and conquer evil cults."

He leaped off the exotic beast's back, pushed the soldier aside, walked to the startled child, gently patted his head, and crouched down, smiling softly, "Were you scared? How do you know my name? Who sent you?"

The child recovered from his fright and said very seriously, "I wasn't scared at all; I'm the manliest person in Nanyan Pass. Are you the Brother Bai the big brother told me about?"

"If you're looking for Taishi Bai, that's me!" Taishi Bai said.

"Here, take this."

The child handed him the letter.

Taishi Bai had long sensed something was amiss. His gaze swept around, searching for suspicious individuals, before he opened the envelope, quickly read it, his expression growing increasingly serious, finally changing dramatically.

He urgently asked, "Where is the person who gave you the letter?"

The child pointed behind him.

By the time the child led Taishi Bai into the alley, Li Weiyi had already left.

"The big brother said that after I delivered the letter, Brother Bai would give me a grass leaf as tough as the Destiny Grass," the child said, his eyes full of expectation.

"Destiny Grass?"

Taishi Bai glanced at the grass leaf the child held in his arms and then at the pile of broken grass on the ground. How could he not understand what trick the other person had used?

After asking about the person's appearance and age.

"This leaf of mine is even more powerful than the Destiny Grass. Keep it safe, don't let other children snatch it away."

Taishi Bai plucked the "Silver Thorn Grass," embroidered on his robe as a symbol of the Taishi family's honor, and handed it to the child. He then walked out of the alley to the formation's light curtain and instructed two soldiers, "For the next period, look after that child well. If anything happens to him, you will be held accountable."

Taishi Bai quickly walked to the front of the Long family's carriage and handed the letter inside.

He released his Dao Heart Outer Image, shrouding the surroundings.