Chapter 43: Passenger Ship Heads to Jiuli City

Yan Qingqing rushed out of the area covered by the seven light trails, intending to quickly subdue Li Weiyi. Her three-foot soft sword sliced through the air, leaving a winding, intricate, and deceptive trail that suggested an unpredictable and eerie killing intent.

Knowing Yan Qingqing had opened her Seven Springs, Li Weiyi dared not recklessly engage her sword.

He retreated at his fastest speed, immediately reaching for the bottle of Golden Crow blood in his pocket.

Having gained the upper hand with her first strike, Yan Qingqing naturally pressed the attack, giving Li Weiyi no chance to counter.

“Whoosh!”

Li Weiyi didn't have time to pour the Golden Crow blood onto his Scripture Belt. He felt a sky full of sword shadows assailing him, his ears ringing with sharp sounds. Every sword tip seemed real, threatening to turn him into a bloody, perforated sieve.

Without a second thought, he turned and fled.

A sharp sword qi, powerful enough to pierce a body, landed on his back with a muffled thud. However, it was blocked by the Ghost Banner he wore on the outside and the Corpse Robe soft armor he wore underneath, leaving him unharmed.

“Trying to escape?”

Knowing he possessed defensive magical artifacts, Yan Qingqing was consumed by jealousy and hatred. She raised her sword and pursued him.

Li Weiyi sometimes employed the “Qingxu Chasing Cicada Steps” from the Twelve Scattered Techniques of Chanmen, appearing like an illusion with overlapping footsteps. At other times, he used “Yellow Dragon Ascending to Heaven,” flying through the air and leaping over the coffin piles, which were stacked like small mountains, as if walking on flat ground.

Even without the aid of his Scripture Belt, his speed was surprisingly on par with Yan Qingqing, who had opened her Seven Springs.

“I've already killed one and pinned down another. I should have overfulfilled my mission, right? If Li Ling can quickly subdue the donkey-faced man, we'll have a chance to completely eliminate all hidden dangers today.”

Li Weiyi now had a certain understanding of his own strength. At least in terms of speed, he was completely unafraid of so-called Peak Spring Realm martial cultivators like Yan Qingqing.

“Howl!”

A deep, resonant wolf howl echoed through the silent sea of coffins, shaking the surrounding night mist and causing it to disperse.

“Boom! Boom! Boom…”

Heavy and rapid running sounds approached from a distance.

Li Weiyi glanced back to see a five to six-meter long white-furred Wolf King chasing Li Ling and rushing rapidly in their direction.

The white-furred Wolf King's body was semi-corporeal. As it released its cold energy, it instantly froze a layer of white frost on the floating coffins it ran over. Fang Tong stood firmly on the wolf's back, wearing thick black metal gauntlets.

The gauntlets weighed a hundred jin, a heavy martial weapon forged from a rare and incredibly dense metal.

Li Weiyi immediately took out the Golden Crow blood and poured it onto his Scripture Belt.

Yan Qingqing had long since given up chasing him, instead attacking the fleeing Li Ling. She wanted to see whether the mysterious man would continue to flee or turn back to save her.

In an instant, Li Ling found herself in a perilous situation, facing a foe in front and a beast behind. Yet, her expression remained unchanged as she struck out with her palm at Yan Qingqing's attacking soft sword.

The palm's force, imbued with magic power, was like a wall of energy that made the soft sword tremble violently.

Yan Qingqing retreated repeatedly, her eyes filled with disbelief. She never expected to lose in the martial arts domain to an Underworld Lantern Guide from the spirit-god domain.

“Roar!”

The Snow Wolf King arrived, swinging its sharp, giant claws, intending to smash Li Ling's entire body into a pulp.

“Bang!”

Li Ling swung her palm to meet it, but she was no match. Her body was thrown sideways, and her entire arm was bleeding profusely. Before she could land and regain her footing, Fang Tong leaped off the wolf's back and unleashed a punch directly at her head.

Li Ling had just awkwardly rolled to evade, only for Yan Qingqing to close in with her sword for a pincer attack.

“Clang!”

A yellow light flashed as the two swords clashed.

The soft sword went limp and swung away from Li Ling's front.

Li Weiyi, holding his sword, joined her. They stood back-to-back, scanning the three powerful enemies surrounding them.

“Your character is far better than I estimated; you actually didn't abandon me. You're dependable!” Li Ling's face and eyes remained cold, but the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

“I just understand one thing: if we don't kill that dog-like mutant woman today, fleeing will be meaningless.”

That recent sword clash made Li Weiyi realize that martial cultivators who had opened their Seven Springs weren't as formidable as he had thought.

The combat power of mutants was just so-so.

Li Ling said, “Be careful. Legend says the Snow Wolf King is Shi Jiuzhai's mount; its power and speed are beyond what we can contend with. However, it has a fatal weakness: it's not a real wolf but the soul of a magical artifact. I can deal with it using my mental power, but I need time to cast the Beast Rune.”

Li Weiyi looked at Fang Tong and Yan Qingqing. One against two, he had not an ounce of confidence.

To everyone's surprise, including Li Ling herself, Li Weiyi picked her up on his back, his hands tightly gripping her legs. Employing the “Qingxu Chasing Cicada Steps,” he moved like an illusion, evading Yan Qingqing's attacking sword and dashing into the distance.

With the boost from his Scripture Belt, his speed significantly surpassed that of Seven Springs martial cultivators.

“This time, you willingly carried me on your back. For an unmarried girl like me to be this intimate with you, if word gets out…”

Before Li Ling could continue, Li Weiyi interjected, “The Snow Wolf King is catching up. How long will it take to cast the Beast Rune?”

The bright spot on Li Ling's forehead flickered like a star. As soon as Li Weiyi picked her up, she had already begun drawing the Beast Rune with her mental power within her glabella's spiritual realm.

Fang Tong and Yan Qingqing both stood on the Snow Wolf King's back, and the distance between them and the two figures ahead steadily decreased.

“Don't let her complete the Beast Rune.”

The next instant, Fang Tong grabbed Yan Qingqing's left wrist. Magic power surged into his arm, and he threw her with full force.

As Yan Qingqing flew through the air, her long hair fluttered, and magic power materialized into qi, surging from her body.

Her soft sword, like a wind-breaking arrow, shot directly towards Li Ling below.

“Lend me your sword.”

Li Ling took the Yellow Dragon Sword from Li Weiyi's hand. Like a graceful, startled swan, she soared upwards to meet Yan Qingqing, who was attacking from above. In mid-air, the two women exchanged blows one after another, their sword qi crisscrossing everywhere.

“Thud! Thud! Thud…”

When Li Ling landed, the Yellow Dragon Sword was dripping with blood.

When Yan Qingqing landed, she already had four or five bleeding wounds on her body. And what awaited her was Li Weiyi's already prepared Sky-Overturning Palm Strike.

This palm strike, imbued with the power of the Silver Thread Gauntlet, unleashed a silver light that struck her head.

With a “Bang,” accompanied by the sound of dense bone cracking.

Yan Qingqing's captivating face instantly deformed and twisted. Her entire head looked like a shattered pot; not only were her seven orifices bleeding, but they also became indistinguishable.

She fell straight down, utterly lifeless.

On the other side, the Snow Wolf King, radiating dazzling white light and carrying icy cold energy, instantly charged forward. Meanwhile, the Beast Rune in Li Ling's glabella spiritual realm was finally complete and flew out from her forehead.

“You're asking for death!”

Amidst the dazzling white light, Fang Tong suddenly burst forth like a god of death. By the time Li Ling prepared to swing her sword to meet him, it was already too late.

A heavy punch, like a cannonball, struck Li Ling, sending her flying like a piece of straw. She vomited blood and could no longer stand.

Simultaneously, the Beast Rune struck the Snow Wolf King's forehead.

The Snow Wolf King let out a high-pitched, painful howl. Its body shrank, its light and cold energy converging, transforming into a single wolf fang that fell to the ground with a clatter.

The sea of coffins fell silent!

Only Li Weiyi and Fang Tong remained, standing four zhang apart.

Both men's eyes were chillingly intimidating, their auras locked onto each other.

Not far away, Yan Qingqing was thoroughly dead. Li Ling's clothes were already dyed red with blood; her condition, whether alive or dead, was unknown.

Even though Li Ling had many flaws, she was now an ally with whom he shared life and death. Seeing her injured to such an extent, Li Weiyi's fighting spirit and killing intent naturally surged.

No words were exchanged.

Fang Tong slowly stepped forward, then quickened his pace.

Li Weiyi had no intention of fighting him fairly. He immediately took out the Wicked Camel Bell, infused it with magic power, and rang it.

“Clang-clang!”

The sound gradually became deafening.

“Whoosh!”

The Wicked Camel Bell flew out, transforming into a semi-corporeal giant camel that collided heavily with the charging Fang Tong.

Fang Tong had never imagined his opponent possessed such a powerful magical artifact. With his mind already affected by the bell, he had no time to react and was thrown high into the air by the camel, feeling as if every bone in his body had shattered.

The next moment, a thunderous roar echoed.

Li Weiyi used his Black Iron Seal to unleash a dazzling bolt of electricity, as thick as a wrist, which snaked and spread, piercing straight through Fang Tong's body.

“Bang!”

By the time Fang Tong hit the ground, he was charred black all over, with a bowl-sized bloody hole in his chest. Even in death, he couldn't comprehend where he had truly been defeated.

Li Weiyi walked up to him, confirmed he was thoroughly dead, and then went to check on Li Ling's condition.

She was severely wounded but still breathing.

He carefully searched the corpses of Fang Tong, Yan Qingqing, and Xing Wanxing, taking all their valuables before kicking them all into the sea of blood.

Then, Li Weiyi picked up the blood-soaked Li Ling and walked back.

Five days later, when Li Ling awoke, she was on a boat heading to Jiuli City.

The boat was a massive passenger sailboat over twenty zhang long, having departed from Yaoguan and traveling upstream along the Sui River. It featured a three-story cabin structure on its deck and boasted more than a hundred cabins.

Li Ling lay on a bed in a spacious cabin on the first deck, clad in a white silk inner garment. Her chest and abdomen were wrapped in gauze, having already been treated by a shaman-doctor in Yaoguan.

The old nanny guarding her bed had been hired by Zhao Zhizhuo in Yaoguan.

Upon learning that the Fourth Miss had awakened, he hurriedly came to pay his respects, entering the cabin only after receiving permission. He then recounted how Brother Xie Jin had brought her to Yaoguan, how they had sought treatment from the Beast Li shaman-doctor, and how everyone was currently en route to Jiuli City, soon to arrive at the Cangli Tribe first.

Li Ling sat halfway up on the bed, covered by a thin, cool quilt. Her long hair fell naturally as she gazed at the vast river outside the door and the faint distant mountains. She exuded a serene, delicate, and cool beauty as she slowly said, “Zhao Zhizhuo, at the Great Mangshan Sacrifice forty years ago, you ranked first among the Ninety-Nine Prodigies. You entered the Five Seas Realm at twenty-three, and at forty-one, you opened all Five Seas. That same year, your Nine Springs were shattered and your Five Seas broken by Yao Qian of Suizong. Yao Qian, the modest gentleman, must now be a prominent figure in the ‘Jiazi Chronicle,’ wouldn't you agree?”

Zhao Zhizhuo first felt a pang of bitter shame, then a hint of disbelief. At the Fourth Miss's young age, she could remember the detailed history of a "useless" man so clearly. A wave of profound emotion surged within him.

For someone who had been neglected for years despite a glorious past, this level of attention touched his heart more deeply than any praise or commendation.

He said with a touch of shame, “I was merely first among the Ninety-Nine Prodigies; I never even entered the ranks of the Nine Heroes. Fourth Miss is too kind!”

“We remember everyone who has contributed to the Cangli Tribe.”

Li Ling paused, then asked, “Are they also on the boat?”

“Is Fourth Miss referring to Brother Xie and his companions?” Zhao Zhizhuo asked. “They are going to Jiuli City, so it was convenient for them to travel together.”

Li Ling said, “He didn't tell you his true name? Never mind, it's not important.”

Zhao Zhizhuo paused slightly in surprise, then said, “Shall I go tell Brother Xie that you've woken up? He's quite concerned about your injuries, Fourth Miss.”

Li Ling said, “Go.”

He walked out of the cabin.

Zhao Zhizhuo seemed to remember something, so he turned, bowed, and asked, “We will arrive at the Cangli Tribe this evening. Should we disembark and return to the tribe, or continue to Jiuli City?”

“My brother must have already gone to the Jiuli Daoist Academy, and Father and Mother are managing our businesses in Jiuli City,” Li Ling replied. “So, we won't return to the tribe for now.”