Chapter 359: Meeting Yin Er

Half an hour later, Li Weiyi met with Yin Er at the top of a red high pavilion, located in the inner hall of Coffin Sea Tower in Dianyue Quarter. Coffin Sea Tower, part of the Coffin Sea Merchant Association, was an enterprise under the Nine Li Hidden Sect.

Seeing that the visitor was indeed Li Weiyi, Yin Er breathed a sigh of relief, then circled and bowed with clasped hands, saying, "Thank heavens, blessings of the immortals. Divine Hidden One, everyone has been very worried about your safety. I'm relieved to see you well and unharmed!"

Li Weiyi sat down at the table and poured himself a cup of tea. "Has everyone arrived in Lingxiao City?" he asked.

Yin Er was in charge of the Nine Li Hidden Sect's secular affairs. "Most of them have already arrived; some are still on their way. They'll definitely be here before the first day of the twelfth lunar month," Yin Er replied.

Li Weiyi frowned. "There are fewer than ten Hidden Ones in the Dao Seed realm from our current cycle. Why are they so slow to act?"

Yin Er was startled. "Divine Hidden One, your command was for all Hidden Ones above the Dao Seed realm in the Hidden Sect, not just those from our current cycle. After I sent the message back to Nine Li Insect Valley, the Forty-fifth Grand Elder replied, saying that ancient Hidden Ones are difficult to summon, but the Hidden Elder from the previous cycle should all arrive."

The Forty-fifth Grand Elder was the one in the underground treasury of Coffin Sea Pavilion, responsible for guarding the entrance from Nine Li City to the Nine Li Hidden Sect. He was also a Hidden One from the forty-fifth year of the cycle before last.

Li Weiyi paused for a moment. "Don't the Hidden Elders all obey the Hidden Lord?"

"If the Hidden Lord meets with misfortune, the Divine Hidden One takes command. This is a long-standing rule of the Hidden Sect!" Yin Er stated.

Li Weiyi took a sip of tea, feeling a significant increase in pressure. If he had summoned them, he would be responsible for their safety. He asked, "Still no definite news about the Hidden Lord?"

Yin Er shook his head and sighed. "The Hidden Sect is also doing its best to investigate and inquire, but the imperial court has kept a tight lid on what happened outside Nanyan Pass. Not only has the Hidden Lord disappeared, but Yang Shenjing has also not reappeared. At this point, we can only say that no definite news is the best news."

"Is the Divine Hidden One's summoning of so many experts to Lingxiao City related to the demon race and evil cults?"

Li Weiyi looked at him in surprise. Yin Er then recounted how Zuoqiu Hongting, Cang Li, and Yin Jiu had rescued Qi Xiao.

After listening, a smile finally appeared on Li Weiyi's face. "Zuoqiu Hongting's judgment is very precise. The Zuoqiu Faction must not act rashly for now; if the enemy is alerted, the consequences will be unpredictable."

"She's in Lingxiao City!" Yin Er said.

Li Weiyi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Why is she here? Doesn't she know how dangerous Lingxiao City is right now? With her talent and potential, how many people want to kill her?"

Yin Er chuckled. "She is the Divine Hidden One of the Zuoqiu Faction in this generation. She clearly came with the Zuoqiu Hidden Sect's plans."

Li Weiyi asked, "Where is she?"

Yin Er spread his hands. "This young Celestial Emperor is secretive about her whereabouts and rarely shows her true face. Who knows where she is?"

Li Weiyi clearly understood that his engagement to Zuoqiu Hongting was merely a show-like political marriage, forced by the circumstances at the time. He knew the engagement could be dissolved at any moment and was not to be taken seriously.

Li Weiyi took out a spatial pouch and placed it on the table. "From the Torrent Coins in this pouch, first return five hundred thousand to the Hidden Sect. Use the rest to buy me millennium-grade essential medicines."

Yin Er opened the spatial pouch to inspect it, secretly shocked to find nearly two million Torrent Coins inside.

It should be noted that when the Divine Hidden One purchases cultivation resources, the Hidden Sect is responsible for half the cost. In other words, even after receiving five hundred thousand Torrent Coins back, Yin Er would still need to provide an additional one and a half million Torrent Coins, totaling three million Torrent Coins, to help Li Weiyi purchase millennium-grade essential medicines.

Anyone else would be racking their brains over such a sum.

Li Weiyi suddenly asked, "Has Yin Wu come to Lingxiao City?"

Yin Er put away the spatial pouch. "Fifth Brother and several Dharma Kings from the Earth Wolf Royal Army arrived two days ago! With the great reconciliation within the human race and the Eternal Life Martial Ban in effect, they swaggered into the city and are now enjoying all the excitement. They've likely gone to challenge the 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll' right now!"

Li Weiyi asked, "What is the 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll'?"

Yin Er replied, "Divine Hidden One, you just arrived in the city today, didn't you? Challenging the 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll' is the hottest event in Lingxiao City recently. Even the Third Palace Lord issued a decree, summoning experts from the 'Jiazhi Register' across the land to Lingxiao City, guaranteeing their safety regardless of their faction. There are generous rewards for anyone who can break even one layer of the Dao images."

Li Weiyi's curiosity was piqued. "What's the story behind this 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll'?"

Yin Er began, "This matter starts with the top Dao Seed realm expert from Du'e Monastery. He came to Lingxiao Realm to challenge Tang Wanzhou."

"But upon his arrival, he learned that Tang Wanzhou had been trapped in an underground immortal mansion a year ago, and his name had disappeared from the 'Jiazhi Register,' meaning he had most likely perished."

"In Lingxiao City, that top expert defeated five of the Ten Prodigies in succession, with none able to withstand three of his moves without falling."

"He then made outrageous remarks, saying that Lingxiao Realm had declined, no longer possessing its former glory, and was full of 'chickens and dogs'—arrogant statements that immediately provoked public outrage. Even some martial cultivators from the Sixth and Seventh Heavens angrily went to challenge him."

"You can imagine the outcome: with a mere wave of his hand, he crushed them all, as if flicking away dust."

"Naturally, some were unconvinced, claiming they could defeat him within the same realm, that Du'e Monastery was nothing special, and that Lingxiao was full of heroes."

"That top expert from Du'e Monastery was well-prepared. Seizing the opportunity, he took out the 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll' he had brought with him. This was an infinitely mysterious artifact, containing the Dao images of the top individuals from each realm within Du'e Monastery, corresponding to the nine realms of the Dao Seed stage."

"That top expert claimed he did not wish to bully Lingxiao Realm. The nine figures on the 'Nine-Layer Dao Image Scroll' were the strongest in each current realm of Du'e Monastery, not the strongest in history. If any martial cultivator from Lingxiao Realm could break through three of these layers, he would retract his previous statements and apologize."

Li Weiyi asked, "How many layers have been broken now?"

Yin Er gave a wry smile. "Not a single layer has been broken! The best performance was by Star Moon Slave, a disciple of the Third Palace Lord, who challenged the one from the Sixth Heaven of the Dao Seed realm. She challenged not the Dao image, but the person himself—Xie Chucai, the renowned prodigy of Du'e Monastery, who has now gained fame throughout the land. She managed to withstand seven of his attacks."

"Xie Chucai said he only used fifty percent of his power out of respect for Fairy Yu. Otherwise, he could have killed her within three moves."

That was not an exaggeration at all! Taishi Bai once commented that no one in the entire Lingxiao Realm, within the same cultivation realm, could withstand a single blow from Xie Chucai and remain standing.

For Star Moon Slave to endure several moves was already quite impressive.

Li Weiyi asked, "Has Ge Xiantong not made a move?"

Yin Er replied, "Ge Xiantong and his group have just returned from training at Du'e Monastery, so they are considered disciples of the monastery. Whether they could win by challenging in this manner is one thing. Even if they did win, that top expert would simply say it was all thanks to Du'e Monastery. 'If Du'e Monastery hadn't helped you improve your foundations, you would be nothing.'"

"Now, the honor of all martial cultivators in Lingxiao Realm is on the line, and even Yin Wu and the several Dharma Kings, including Shi Liuyu, are eager to try their hand."

Li Weiyi handed Granny Xu's ledger to Yin Er, instructing him to send Hidden Ones to investigate the two Rice Cult strongholds listed in the ledger. It would be best if they could follow the clues and uncover the Rice Cult's high-ranking members in Lingxiao City.

"Disperse all Hidden Sect members, focusing on investigating the Rice Cult and the demon race. At the Hidden Ones' gathering three days from now, compile and present all information to me. Remember, do not alert the enemy."

After discussing the location for the Hidden Ones' gathering on the evening of the first day of the twelfth lunar month with Yin Er, Li Weiyi prepared to leave.

"If something urgent happens, where should I find you?" Yin Er asked.

Li Weiyi replied, "Go to the Taishi family and look for someone named Zuo Ning. Also, have Yin Wu bring Dharma King Six Desires to help me keep an eye on Yunxiu Quarter, where the Taishi family resides, specifically watching Long Xiangcen. Dharma King Six Desires has a great talent in this area."

In Lingxiao City and near the Taishi family, Li Weiyi dared not keep the Seven Phoenixes outside for long, as there was a risk of them being discovered by Eternal Life realm giants or Saint Spirit Thought Masters.

Leaving Coffin Sea Tower, Li Weiyi randomly chose a large merchant association and purchased various top-grade materials for talisman crafting. For the next three days, he planned to thoroughly research the Divine Movement Talisman and the Immobilization Talisman within the Cocoon of Time.

Stepping out of the merchant association's gate, it was late afternoon, with the sun casting slanting rays.

On the bustling and prosperous street, a chilling, bone-piercing gust of wind blew. A layer of white frost formed on the ground, shop banners flapped wildly, and goods from stalls and various displays were sent scattering into the air.

Eerie, bloodcurdling infant laughter, extremely loud, constantly shifted its direction, echoing throughout the entire block.

Li Weiyi sensed danger and looked towards the stone archway ahead on the street. He saw purplish-black ghostly mist surge through the archway, covering everything like an overwhelming dark cloud.

In an instant, the fairy-tale-like Lingxiao City transformed into a desolate, eerie ghost domain.

"Ghost infants again... quickly, hide in the shops and activate the formations..."

"Look at the archway, that's... a Ghost Mother!"

"This Ghost Mother has such a powerful aura. Which family does she belong to?"

"I've seen her before. She's Song Qingli, the proud daughter of the West Sea Royal Palace, an official of the Qilin Terrace, and one of the Third Palace Lord's disciples."

Li Weiyi's eyes narrowed. He saw a figure of a disheveled woman standing on the archway a hundred zhang away. Her white clothes were stained with blood, and purplish-black ghostly mist continuously surged from within her body.

It was as if a drop of ink had fallen into water, corrupting the entire world.

"Is this the Ghost Mother mutated from drinking from the Mother-Child Spring?"

Suddenly, the eerie infant laughter sounded to Li Weiyi's right. It was incredibly clear, as if whispering an ominous chuckle right next to his ear.

Even though Li Weiyi possessed great skill and courage, he was startled and quickly dodged.

A scream erupted. A boy, thirteen or fourteen years old, standing only three zhang from Li Weiyi, began convulsing violently.

"Whoosh!"

A baby, only a foot tall, with a green face and fangs, leaped from the boy's embrace onto his shoulder. Its small hands clutched a bloody mess, which it gnawed on, and then it used the leverage to fly onto a nearby rooftop.

Blood streamed onto the ground from the boy, who fell backward with a thud.

Only then did Li Weiyi realize that the boy's chest cavity had been hollowed out. On the rooftop, the ghost infant clutched a human heart in its hands.

"Whoosh!"

The sound of rushing wind filled the air as the ghost infant darted directly towards Li Weiyi.