Chapter 48: Imperial Insect Master

Dense and strange sounds echoed from underground, like scissors cutting stone. The black smoke billowing out grew thicker and thicker. Li Weiyi dared not be careless and quickly held his breath.

"Be careful of what's underground! They are Variant Fierce Insects, and there's an Insect Master nearby."

The warning came from the spirit tablet on the table.

Li Weiyi had heard Senior from the spirit tablet speak of "Variant Fierce Insects" and "Insect Masters" before, but he never imagined the Evergreen Gang would have such a figure.

He quickly retreated, unsheathed his sword, and leaped into the air.

He ascended the trunk of the old poplar tree, stopping several yards above the ground.

An Insect Master — a practitioner of the Spirit God path — is a minor sub-category of Thought Masters.

Leaving the Nether Realm aside for now, in the Mortal Realm, human strongmen and Demonic Kings of Baleful Beasts held sway on the surface, but the underground belonged to the Insect Clan.

Insect Masters often traveled through desolate mountains, vast marshes, underground rivers, and deep abysses, seeking out rare and exotic insects to domesticate and control. Sometimes, a single Insect Master could rival a provincial army, capable of conquering cities and territories alone, or even sweeping across the land by themselves.

During times of war, legendary Insect Masters often emerged.

"Whoosh!"

A white spider silk, as thin as hair, shot out from the soil like an arrow, coiling around Li Weiyi's left ankle.

The spider silk was incredibly tough, tightening more and more, pulling him downwards.

It took Li Weiyi activating his Five-Springs Dharma Power to break free with a loud *thump*.

This burst of power dragged a fist-sized spider out from underground.

It had eight legs, but its back resembled a turtle's hard shell, and its teeth were sharp and fierce, opening and closing like scissors. A single bite from it would undoubtedly tear off a large chunk of flesh.

He swung his sword, instantly cleaving it in half.

"It's a Soldier-grade fierce insect, an Armored Spider. Be careful of the silk it spits from its abdomen; any level of Dharma-Martial Cultivator below the Five-Seas Realm could be ensnared and killed. A single Armored Spider isn't hard to deal with; a swarm is what's terrifying," said Senior from the spirit tablet.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

One Armored Spider after another burst out of the ground in the courtyard, densely packed, all shooting silk towards Li Weiyi on the poplar tree.

If he were entangled by several, or even dozens, of strands at once, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Li Weiyi channeled his dharma power into the Yellow Dragon Sword, causing a bright glow to appear on its blade. He danced the sword swiftly, not allowing any spider silk to get close.

The Armored Spiders on the ground, like an army, suddenly split into a dozen or so, rushing towards the room where Zhao Meng and others were hiding. At the same time, seven or eight swiftly moving dark figures appeared on the courtyard wall.

Two of these dark figures held crossbow-like weapons, aiming at him.

Li Weiyi immediately unleashed the Yellow Dragon Ascends to Heaven technique, treading on thin air, flying towards the courtyard wall six or seven yards away.

The crossbow-like weapons fired windless heavy bolts like needles, but with two *clangs*, they were deflected by Li Weiyi's prepared sword swing.

The two Evergreen Gang members who fired the windless heavy bolts were greatly alarmed. The heavy crossbows they held were divine weapons, capable of easily killing cultivators at the Four-Springs or Five-Springs level. If used by surprise, even Six-Springs or Seven-Springs experts could die an untimely death.

Just who was this kid?

Did the reconnaissance team get it right?

There was no opportunity for a second shot. Li Weiyi, like a phantom, was already above their heads. They trembled in fear, about to leap over the wall to escape, but the yellow sword blade had already cut through the night sky to their eyes.

"Pffft!"

The first sword strike beheaded one.

The second sword strike pierced the other's heart.

The two Four-Springs gang members, along with their heavy crossbows, fell from the yard-high wall.

Li Weiyi moved quickly along the courtyard wall, killing from south to north, one sword per person, with only screams filling the night. After a few breaths, all seven or eight dark figures had fallen.

The next moment, he flew down to the stone steps in front of the house where Zhao Meng and the others were hiding, swinging his sword towards the ground to intercept the Armored Spiders.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

More and more Armored Spiders crawled out from underground, and continuously, spider silk landed on him.

If it wrapped around his wrists, even if he could break free, his sword-swinging speed would slow down. If it wrapped around his legs, his movement and evasion would become sluggish.

Seven or eight Armored Spiders even banded together, weaving a net.

At this moment, Li Weiyi finally understood what Senior from the spirit tablet had meant: any level of Dharma-Martial Cultivator below the Five-Seas Realm could be ensnared and killed. If he didn't have the Yellow Dragon Sword, his situation would be even more difficult than it already was.

Senior from the spirit tablet's voice came: "Armored Spiders fear cold! Use the Ghost Banner; freeze them."

"Ghost Banner?"

Li Weiyi was puzzled.

Li Weiyi had activated Yu Tuonan's Ghost Banner before, but it could only release Nether Mist, with at most some defensive properties.

"The power of a magical artifact activated by a Dharma-Martial Cultivator who has opened four springs is different from one who has opened five springs. The dharma power within the body has undergone a qualitative improvement," Senior from the spirit tablet clearly knew something about that Ghost Banner.

Li Weiyi took out the Ghost Banner. The dharma power gushing from his five springs circulated through his sixty meridians, all pouring into the banner. Instantly, Nether Mist and cold air erupted explosively, spreading out like a black cloud, enveloping most of the residence.

Soon after.

"My Armored Spiders! My Armored Spiders..."

A hoarse voice, accompanied by rapid footsteps, rushed into the courtyard.

How could Grandmaster Qi, the Insect Master, not be anxious?

He had spent decades painstakingly cultivating nearly a hundred Armored Spiders, which allowed him to be on equal footing with Five-Seas Realm experts and enjoy privileged treatment; even the Evergreen Gang Leader respected him.

But at this moment, within the Nether Mist,

All the Armored Spiders on the ground were frozen stiff and immobile, each covered in a thin layer of frost.

"Whoosh!"

The tip of the Yellow Dragon Sword pointed at his throat.

Grandmaster Qi was tall and thin, dressed in a wide white robe, with deeply sunken eyes. Even though Li Weiyi could take his life at any moment, there was no fear in his gaze.

He gritted his teeth, his hatred boundless.

The Glabella Spirit World between his eyebrows lit up like a lamp, launching a psychic attack.

Psychic power was formless and invisible, yet it was like a sword, capable of directly attacking an enemy's soul.

But his psychic attack landed on Li Weiyi without harming him. Instead, a series of bell-like sounds appeared in Grandmaster Qi's own mind, shaking his consciousness into a brief state of confusion and agitation.

It was as if he had suffered a mental counterattack from a Five-Seas Realm Dharma-Martial Cultivator's battle technique.

"Five-Seas Realm... You are Five-Seas..."

Grandmaster Qi collapsed to the ground, clutching his head, his expression pained, his face as white as paper.

Li Weiyi was wondering why this old man was calling him Five-Seas Realm when two strong gusts of wind swept past his ears. So he swung a palm, first knocking Grandmaster Qi unconscious.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The two middle-aged men who had previously stood at the third-story window of the brothel arrived swiftly. They were guest retainers of the Evergreen Gang, both having opened seven springs.

For tonight's operation, they had no intention of fighting; they merely wanted to amuse themselves and incidentally help keep watch, preventing anyone from escaping and causing unnecessary trouble.

With Grandmaster Qi's methods, such a minor task could be completed silently and in less than fifteen minutes. It wouldn't alarm the City Defense Guard, nor would it even disturb the surrounding residents. The next day, everyone would simply assume that these outsiders had been attacked by fierce insects and died.

No one would investigate, nor would any commotion arise.

Grandmaster Qi would have fed his insects, and they would have received their money; everyone would be happy.

But now, the commotion was too great. Many people in this very brothel were already looking over, as if watching a show.

If they didn't deal with this soon, the City Defense Guard would likely arrive.

Just by the sound of their rapid movement through the air, Li Weiyi judged their cultivation levels. His heart tensed, and he focused all his attention.

Two cultivators at the peak of the Gushing Spring Realm, both having opened seven springs?

One against two?

The last time he single-handedly killed Fang Tong, who had opened seven springs, he had borrowed the immense power of the Evil Camel Bell and the Black Iron Seal. But at this moment, with so many eyes watching, he dared not be too ostentatious.

As for the Ghost Banner and the Yellow Dragon Sword...

The power of these two seemed like that of low-grade magical artifacts. Even if exposed, the impact would be limited.

After all, who among those who had entered the Five-Seas Realm didn't possess one or two low-grade magical artifacts?

The middle-aged man with a black mole on his eyebrow rushed in through the main entrance, moving like an afterimage. He threw a punch, and the air ahead compressed, then exploded with a loud *boom*.

The force of the punch was overbearing, like a cannonball.

Li Weiyi withstood the punch, allowing his body to be propelled backward. He then swung his sword at the other Seven-Springs expert with a thick beard, who had climbed over the wall and was preparing to attack Zhao Meng and his companions.

Both of these men possessed battle intelligence; they were not mere brutes who only knew brute force.

One engaged him from the front, while the other intended to capture his companions, thereby making it impossible for him to defend both ends. This would make dealing with him much easier.

Since Li Weiyi saw through their plan, he naturally decided to turn it against them. He intended to use this opportunity to heavily injure one of them first, so he wouldn't be fighting one against two with enemies on both sides.

Therefore, the sword strike aimed at the thick-bearded Seven-Springs expert used all his strength, drawing an arc of light in the darkness.

The thick-bearded Seven-Springs expert never imagined Li Weiyi would be so fast, and he was greatly alarmed.

But he had, after all, been steeped in martial arts for nearly sixty years, and his composure was unshakable. Even in this life-or-death crisis, he could respond calmly.

He swung the crescent-shaped short blade in his hand, meeting the Yellow Dragon Sword's edge.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Sparks flew, and a grating sound filled the air.

The two separated in an instant.

Li Weiyi landed at the doorway of the house where Zhao Meng and the others were, looking at the blood dripping from the Yellow Dragon Sword's blade, then at the thick-bearded Seven-Springs expert who had tumbled down to the bottom of the steps. A hint of disappointment appeared in his eyes.

Just a little bit more.

The middle-aged man with the black mole on his eyebrow had caught up, and Li Weiyi had lost the chance to deliver another strike.

With his current cultivation, even with the aid of magical artifacts and even by surprise, swiftly killing a Seven-Springs martial cultivator with a single sword strike remained incredibly difficult.

The thick-bearded Seven-Springs expert quickly stood up, touched his neck, and found his hand covered in blood.

He then looked at the crescent-shaped short blade in his hand, its edge now having a deep nick.

It must be noted that this was no ordinary weapon, but a secretly crafted heavy weapon. Even a magical artifact would find it incredibly difficult to damage a secretly crafted heavy weapon.

This guy was tough!

The two exchanged glances, then attacked simultaneously from left and right.

Their target was not Li Weiyi, but the building behind him.

What their opponent most wanted to protect was precisely what they most wanted to attack.