Chapter 394: Peerless Provincial Governor, Emperor’s Dragon Soul

“Immensely powerful!”

Tai Shi Yu stated, “Xie Chucai’s true strength lies in his physical body. Song Lin, you are a top expert at the Sixth Heaven level of Lingxiao City. How much combat power can you unleash using only your physical strength?”

Song Lin replied, “My Song family has abundant resources, so my physical cultivation hasn’t fallen behind. I can easily contend with a Fifth Heaven martial cultivator of the Dao Seed Realm using only my fists.”

“Without using spiritual energy, Daoist techniques, or magical artifacts, Xie Chucai can physically contend with some weaker Seventh Heaven martial cultivators. He appears to be a Sixth Heaven martial cultivator, but it’s not wrong to call him a Seventh Heaven one, as physical strength can also be considered an independent cultivation path,” Tai Shi Yu explained.

Song Lin was astonished, “Only Ninth Heaven martial cultivators possess such a physique!”

Ge Xiantong walked over. “This is the bloodline of the Sacred Dark Family! Even the Young Emperor, at the same cultivation level, cannot surpass his physical strength and durability. Otherwise, how could he continuously defeat Seventh Heaven martial cultivators of the Dao Seed Realm? To contend with him, I would need to reach the Sixth Heaven. Only at the peak of Sixth Heaven would I have a significant chance of winning.”

The Immortality Realm giants of the imperial court, along with the armies from the City Defense Camp, Luan Terrace, and Lin Terrace, headed towards Six Thoughts Zen Temple from various directions.

Some imperial court experts, hidden among the spectators, carried powerful artifacts and surged towards the six demon mountains.

The objective for tonight was to uncover the hidden secrets of Six Thoughts Zen Temple and find the source of the Ghost Infant incident.

Soon after, Li Weiyi and Xie Chucai had ascended five to six thousand meters from the ground, reaching some branches of the Earth Demon Pine. From there, they looked down at the figures below, which appeared like specks of dust.

The myriad lights of the city were visible below, and beyond the city walls, the Immortal Plains faded into the obscurity of the night.

Martial cultivators on the ground needed to channel spiritual power into their eyes to clearly see their battle.

Li Weiyi had already summoned the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear, applied a Divine Movement Talisman to himself, and continuously launched Golden Crow Flame beams from a distance, preventing Xie Chucai from getting close.

Xie Chucai knew the potency of Li Weiyi’s Divine Movement Talisman. He was well-prepared; his blood-red robe, imbued with special scriptures, could grant him speed comparable to the talisman when fully activated.

No complacency or carelessness could be afforded in this life-and-death battle.

Li Weiyi landed on a branch tens of meters thick. He reversed the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear in his hand, with the Earth Spirit Core at the butt pointing upwards and the spearhead pointing downwards.

He looked at Xie Chucai, who was pursuing him. “Do you really think I challenged you to a battle at Six Thoughts Zen Temple just to help the imperial court uncover your secrets?”

Xie Chucai traversed the void and appeared on the branch, twenty zhang away from Li Weiyi.

He said, “I know you’re very cunning, but today, I won’t leave any openings for you. Where is your Immobilization Talisman? Aren’t you going to use it?”

Li Weiyi raised the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear above his head. Instantly, the Earth Spirit Core and the staff-spear furiously absorbed the Earth Yin Qi contained within the Earth Demon Pine, condensing a grayish-black energy storm that gathered around him.

“So that’s it! Your combat weapon can actually absorb the power of the Earth Demon Pine for your own use.”

After dozens of probing exchanges, how could Xie Chucai still underestimate Li Weiyi?

“Swish!”

His Ancestral Field opened, and an ancient silver blade flew out.

The blade was covered with dense blood-red scriptures, unleashing terrifying power, as blade energy danced in the sky.

He swung the blade and struck.

The blade’s radiance, like a bright silver moon, illuminated the night sky and cut through the Earth Yin Qi storm unleashed by Li Weiyi.

The artifact in his hand was no ordinary weapon; it was called “Blood Pool Silver Sea,” a blade once wielded by the Martial Emperor in his youth, which had developed its own consciousness and an Emperor’s spirit.

When this blade was wielded, it contained an invisible power that could shock an opponent’s soul and will.

Li Weiyi sensed the silver blade’s might. He distinctly felt a blade’s glow slice into his mind. Any other martial cultivator would likely have suffered a mental collapse or fled in terror.

However, Li Weiyi had mind power protecting his body and the Fusang Divine Tree spirit defending him, neutralizing the blade’s glow within his mind.

“Boom!”

“Rumble!”

The offensive and defensive roles reversed. After wielding Blood Pool Silver Sea, Xie Chucai’s aura soared. His spirit and momentum reached their peak, as he continuously changed his stance and unleashed blade strikes.

Li Weiyi mobilized the Earth Yin Qi, wielding the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear, parrying strikes from a distance again and again.

“He’s closing the distance, trying to use his superior physical strength to attack a Psychic Master’s weakness. I can’t just wait to be defeated.”

“Fight!”

A crimson-gold flame armor manifested on Li Weiyi, and the spiritual energy within his body surged wildly.

Spiritual energy flowed within, while mind power radiated outward.

A combination of internal and external forces.

“Boom!”

Li Weiyi swung the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear, its astral patterns glowing intensely as Earth Yin Qi surged forth, directly clashing with Xie Chucai’s incoming Blood Pool Silver Sea. Countless blood-red scriptures exploded.

A tremendously powerful impact force impacted both individuals.

Li Weiyi’s blue robe, merely an ordinary artifact combat garment, instantly tore into pieces.

His body was sent flying backward into the void, landing on fine branches with silver leaves a hundred meters away.

He was extremely far from the main trunk of the Earth Demon Pine. Li Weiyi’s body swayed up and down with the cold wind in mid-air, as if he could fall to the ground thousands of meters below at any moment.

This was Li Weiyi’s first time engaging Xie Chucai in close-quarters combat, and he genuinely felt the immense power of the opponent’s physical body.

Xie Chucai’s eyes were filled with disbelief. A Psychic Master like Li Weiyi had taken a direct blade strike from him and appeared completely unharmed on the surface.

The martial cultivators watching below were also stunned.

“Didn’t you say Xie Chucai could physically contend with Seventh Heaven martial cultivators of the Dao Seed Realm using only his body? Now, with his physical body, spiritual energy, and an artifact combat weapon, he not only failed to cleave Li Weiyi to death but doesn’t even seem to have seriously injured him.” Song Lin felt that Tai Shi Yu was exaggerating and overestimating Xie Chucai.

Tai Shi Yu frowned. “The combat weapon in Li Weiyi’s hand is very strange; it can mobilize the power of the Earth Demon Pine. Moreover, he is proficient in combining martial arts and psychic power, using internal martial arts with external psychic abilities, which has bridged some of the gap in cultivation levels.”

Ge Xiantong said, “In my opinion, Li Weiyi’s physical strength itself is not weak, which is why he could withstand it.”

“Exactly! A normal Psychic Master wouldn’t have his combat reaction speed or physical strength. Array formations and talisman arts, the primary offensive methods of Psychic Masters, have become almost negligible for him,” Tai Shi Yu stated.

Song Qingli stood by Princess Yunchang’s carriage, gazing up at the sky. “Is he wearing an imperial court official’s robe?”

Inside the carriage, an aged voice replied, “Those are the three hundred provincial governor’s robes refined by the Mist Emperor after slaying the Flying Dragon. A dragon soul was divided into three hundred parts, sealed within the robes, to guard the three hundred provinces.”

After Li Weiyi’s outer robe burst open, the provincial governor’s robe became visible.

The official robe shimmered with iridescent light, and on its chest patch was a cloud dragon motif. The dragon was agile, soaring through clouds and mist.

It was adorned with a belt featuring gemstones and jade pendants.

He took out his winged official’s hat, put it on, and adjusted it.

The dashing and handsome young provincial governor stood on the cloud-kissed branch, resembling the exceptionally talented martial arts champions of the Mist Emperor’s era a millennium ago. Such a figure had not been seen for a thousand years.

“Snap!”

Xie Chucai swung his blade, severing the branch.

Li Weiyi did not fall with the branch. His body, enveloped in a purple mist, vanished into space. The next instant, he reappeared dozens of zhang above Xie Chucai’s head, swinging the Myriad Objects Staff-Spear from a distance, drawing a fiery trail of light.

“So your spatial treasure is an official’s robe.”

After Xie Chucai shattered the trail of light, he immediately unleashed his complete Dao Heart Projection.

He knew very well that against a spatial escape artifact, only a Dao Heart Projection and combat will could restrict it. Otherwise, Li Weiyi would seize the initiative in the attack.

“His Dao Heart Projection extends nine li. Xie Chucai is just a small step away from the Young Emperor’s standard,” remarked Yao Qingxuan, who was hidden among the spectators on the ground.

Normally, a martial cultivator with an inferior Dao Seed Realm cultivation would only have a Dao Heart Projection extending a single li at the Sixth Heaven.

For a normal Sixth Heaven Dao Seed Realm cultivator like Shi Jiuzhai, their Dao Heart Projection could reach three li.

Inheritors at the Sixth Heaven could achieve five li or more, their strength far surpassing martial cultivators of the same realm, allowing them to overcome higher-ranked opponents.

As for the Young Emperor, it typically reaches ten li.

The extent of the Dao Heart Projection can, to some extent, reflect the difference in a martial cultivator’s combat power. However, it’s not absolute and doesn’t imply a several-fold, let alone tenfold, difference.

An Xianjing said, “Given Xie Chucai’s physical advantage, at this level, his combat power won’t be inferior to the Young Emperor’s. Do you think he has a chance to win?”

“It depends on whether his martial arts can break through. Only by breaking through in his martial arts and forming a Dao Lotus can his martial arts techniques unleash their true combat power. Relying solely on psychic abilities to break through Xie Chucai’s defense is too difficult!” Yao Qingxuan stated.

Many discerning individuals could see that Li Weiyi was refining some kind of treasure, and the martial arts fluctuations within him were uncontrolled. That’s why the Wind Mansion behind his head was continuously glowing golden, and his spiritual energy was constantly oscillating.

“Boom!”

The blood-red robe and the official’s robe clashed, as Profound Ice Energy collided with Golden Crow Flames.

The provincial governor’s robe was a rare treasure. Besides its spatial capabilities, it greatly boosted speed and defense. Even when restricted by the opponent’s powerful Dao Heart Projection, Li Weiyi could still create distance and attack from afar.

Xie Chucai said, “With your fighting style, you’ll never break my defense, let alone defeat me. My cultivation is deeper than yours. If I adopt a prolonged battle strategy, you’ll definitely be the first to deplete your spiritual energy and mind power.”

“Alright, then try to withstand one of my attacks.”

Li Weiyi directly activated the dragon soul within the provincial governor’s robe. Instantly, a gigantic, misty dragon flew out. Its head, claws, scales, and tail were all remarkably solid, unleashing an aura of an ancient emperor.

A dragon’s roar echoed, like thunder exploding in Xie Chucai’s mind.

Xie Chucai’s expression changed drastically. He immediately channeled all his power into the silver blade in his hand, standing as if on a blood pool with a silver sea overhead to resist the ancient emperor’s aura emanating from the dragon soul. Then, he strode forward, powerfully swinging his blade.

Li Weiyi stood on the dragon’s head, the long spear descending from above like a dragonfly touching the water, aiming directly at Xie Chucai’s head.

Xie Chucai felt a sense of crisis for the first time. He abandoned a direct confrontation with the dragon soul, using the force from the dragon claw’s swipe to propel himself away into the void, moving further from the Earth Demon Pine. This also allowed him to evade the Golden Crow Flame spear aimed at his head.

It could be said that this was the first time since the battle began that Xie Chucai was genuinely repelled and put on the defensive.

It was the power of the dragon soul within the provincial governor’s robe.

“To be able to summon such a powerful dragon soul! To what extent has he cultivated the Dragon Awakening Art?”

Among the martial cultivators watching below, Tai Shi Yu thought that Jiang Ning had passed the Dragon Awakening Art to Li Weiyi.

Jiang Ning, however, thought that the Tai Shi family had passed it to Li Weiyi.

Regardless, this life-and-death battle, representing the top talents of Lingxiao Vitality Realm and Perilous View, had far exceeded countless people’s expectations.

Who could have imagined that Li Weiyi, who was consistently underestimated, could achieve such a standoff at merely the initial stage of a Six-Star Spirit Psychic Master?

Even the Seventh Heaven Dao Seed Realm martial cultivators of Lingxiao City could not exchange blows with Xie Chucai so evenly.

From atop Lin Terrace, the Third Palace Master gazed into the distance at the Earth Demon Pine, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.

When the dragon soul burst from the provincial governor’s robe, she clearly sensed that the Dragon Awakening Art Li Weiyi was performing was merely superficial; it was impossible to summon so many dragon souls.

This feeling was subtle, but as a Saint Spirit King Psychic Master, she perceived it nonetheless!

“What secret is this young man truly hiding?”