Chapter 58: The City Filled with Murderers

Li Wei's residence was only a few li from the Sui River, with a bustling market spanning three streets and a fishermen's district of low, blue-tiled houses in between. Once he reached the riverbank, he could jump into the river and escape. With the ceaseless magical power within him, he could stay submerged at the bottom of the river for a day and a night without suffocating. Other martial cultivators did not possess such sustained magical power.

The Ghost Banner was tied to his body like a black cloak. Li Wei moved like a rapidly shifting black line, crossing the three bustling streets in just a few breaths. In the distance, he could already see the masts and sails of countless boats docked by the Sui River, and faintly heard the laughter and playful curses of the fishermen after finishing their work.

Suddenly.

A sensation of unknown danger struck, and all the hairs on Li Wei's body stood on end. Without any thought, he pushed off with his legs, and the Qingxu Cicada Chase Steps instantly activated, changing his running trajectory.

"Bang!"

A long, four-fletched arrow, as thick as a thumb, descended diagonally from above. The arrowhead deeply embedded itself in the flagstone. The shaft, still trembling and exposed above the flagstone, was still as tall as a person. Its flight speed far exceeded the speed of sound. The piercing whistle of the arrow arrived belatedly the next instant, entering Li Wei's ears as he continued to flee.

It was clear that such a powerful arrow, if he hadn't dodged it, would have severely wounded him, even with his Corpse Garment soft armor and the Ghost Banner.

A three-meter-tall female mutant, with black wings on her back, flew three hundred meters above the ground. She held a giant bow, also three meters long, and had nine arrows remaining in the quiver on her back.

In her deep blue eyes, a flicker of surprise appeared. That boy on the ground clearly couldn't have seen that arrow. How could he have sensed it in advance? Not only was he a martial cultivator, but also a Spirit Master?

She nocked a second arrow. As the giant bow was drawn, the hair-thin silver bowstring glowed. This bow was a magic artifact. She was determined to get the Five Seas Pill from the Five Burials Temple.

"Whoosh!"

The long whistling sound of the arrow rang out again. Li Wei narrowly dodged the second arrow, but his right ear was grazed, and blood flowed from it. It was Murong Xiao, ranked twenty-first among Lizhou's Top 100 Martial Artists. Relying on her aerial advantage and a low-grade magic artifact giant bow, she had killed over ten Seventh-Rank martial cultivators. She had even ambushed a Five Seas Realm cultivator, and though she failed to kill him, she managed to escape calmly.

In recent days, while accompanying Zhao Zhizhu to reshape the Spring Eye, Li Wei had visited the Seven Springs Hall and gained a detailed understanding of Lizhou's Top 100 Martial Artists. To dodge these two arrows, Li Wei's speed was impeded, and he was caught up by a masked master who had been rapidly pursuing him on the rooftops to his right. This masked master was also a mutant, with long, slender legs and arms. His movement technique and speed were quite formidable.

"Whoosh!"

He pushed off a rooftop eave with his foot, and the eave instantly collapsed, sending broken tiles scattering to the ground. The next instant, he had arrived directly above Li Wei, and the phoenix-shaped axe in his hand cut a trajectory that tore through the air. Li Wei's head was about to be cut off.

Li Wei's shoulders swayed, and his figure blurred, appearing a step away. As he evaded the phoenix-shaped axe, he swung his sword in a backhand strike.

"Thud!"

This masked Seven Springs martial cultivator, even though he used the phoenix-shaped axe in his other hand to block, was still sent flying sideways. His body crashed through a fisherman's house on the right side of the street, and blood streamed from his abdomen. His movement technique and speed allowed him to look down on all Spring Stage martial artists, but he was defeated by Li Wei, whose movement technique was even more uncanny.

"Is it Xie Jin, or Li Wei? You'd best clarify today before leaving," Changlin Gang banner leader Shi Chuan-yu caught up, his voice sharp and effeminate. Silver glints appeared in his hand as he launched a dense volley of flying needles.

As someone who could accompany the gang leader and vice-leader to meet Yang Qingxi, Shi Chuan-yu was naturally not simple. He was a martial cultivation prodigy who had opened eight springs, and although he had obtained a Five Seas Pill from the Yang clan, he had failed to break through to the next realm. Of course, eight-spring prodigies and Top 100 Martial Artists – these Spring Stage martial cultivators with immense combat power or potential – generally had the opportunity to obtain a second Five Seas Pill. As for pure Immortal Bodies, it was not uncommon for them to obtain a third or even fourth Five Seas Pill. However, each martial artist could only take one Five Seas Pill per year. If a breakthrough failed, they had to recuperate their lungs for a year before attempting again.

Due to his misjudgment, Shi Chuan-yu had caused heavy losses for the Changlin Gang, so he naturally had to come in person to rectify his mistake. Furthermore, killing Li Wei came with a Five Seas Pill bounty. He was absolutely confident that after taking the Five Seas Pill this time, he would definitely enter the Five Seas Realm. With his talent and strength to break through from Eight Springs to Five Seas, the Changlin Gang would have to be renamed "Shi Gang" in the future.

"Clang! Clang! Clang..."

As Li Wei rapidly retreated, he swung his long sword, its shadow like a waterfall of rain, knocking down all the flying needles. In this brief interval, three more figures caught up. Among the three, Top 100 Martial Artist Yao Zhengsheng was the most imposing. His four-meter-tall giant ape body, with a newly forged thousand-jin iron staff on his shoulder, made the ground tremble with every step he took on the street. The other two Seven Springs martial cultivators were both masked. One held a sword, the other a spear. They circled from the rooftops to get in front of Li Wei, blocking his escape to the Sui River. They were not as audacious as the Top 100 Martial Artists; they greatly feared future retaliation from the Cangli tribe and dared not reveal their true faces.

In an instant, Li Wei was caught in a life-or-death trap, like a net cast from heaven and earth. From the sky and every direction on the ground, every opponent was a top-tier master. What was more critical was that a continuous stream of Spring Stage martial cultivators interested in the Five Seas Pill and magic artifacts were rushing over. There were also some hiding in the shadows, waiting only for Li Wei to be injured and weakened before emerging to kill him and claim spoils.

"I can't wait any longer, or I really won't be able to get away today!"

"Kill!"

Li Wei let out a long cry, crushed the second blood bag tied to his scripture belt, and then charged towards the two masked Seven Springs martial cultivators blocking his path, his fighting intent instantly reaching its peak. The sword-wielding Seven Springs martial cultivator's magical power overflowed from his body, like mist swirling around him. He leaned down and swung his sword horizontally, aiming to cut Li Wei's legs. The spear-wielding Seven Springs martial cultivator tensed his body like a fully drawn bow, then mobilized all the strength in his bones and muscles. He thrust his spear, and dozens of spear shadows appeared simultaneously, like an impenetrable wall of spears.

"Whoosh!"

Murong Xiao, flying in mid-air, anticipated Li Wei's movement trajectory and shot an arrow. An assault from three sides! Clearly, the three had not known each other before this, yet they coordinated seamlessly in an instant. This was a perfect manifestation of their rich combat experience.

Li Wei had always been most wary of Murong Xiao in the sky. The moment his body shot out, he forcibly changed direction in a way that defied physical laws and swung his sword at the crouching sword-wielding Seven Springs martial cultivator. With the scripture belt's blessing and the profoundness of the Qingxu Cicada Chase Steps, Li Wei could unleash his movement technique to a ghostly level, moving freely forward, backward, and shifting left and right, unpredictable to anyone.

"Bang!"

The person-tall arrow that descended from the sky struck three feet to the right of Li Wei's figure. The sword-wielding Seven Springs martial cultivator, looking at the young figure leaping above his head and the yellow gleam of his descending slash, showed a look of shock on his face. He had no time to stand up and block.

"Pfft!"

The yellow gleam left a line of blood on his face, extending from his glabella to his jaw. One sword, one split body! Before his two halves could separate, Li Wei had already fled several zhang behind him, rushing towards the Sui River at top speed.

The sky darkened, and the lingering twilight grew colder. Li Wei inwardly exclaimed, "Heaven helps me!" As long as night fell, even if these pursuers had exceptionally high cultivation, their vision would inevitably be affected. His chances of escape would greatly increase.

Shi Chuan-yu's effeminate voice came from behind: "Li Wei, do you really think the people in that courtyard can enter the city alive? Offending the Changlin Gang will certainly come at a terrible price. Those two women will be sent to the Embrace Moon Brothel, and I hear there's also a pure Immortal Body."

Li Wei's heart sank to the extreme. But he quickly calmed down, believing Shi Chuan-yu was deliberately saying this, using a tactic to make him focus on one thing and neglect another, to disrupt his thoughts. After all, according to Zhao Zhizhu, Cangli had not yet left Jiuli City. With his twenty cavalry guards escorting them, how could the Changlin Gang, without absolute certainty of profit, deal with Zhao Meng and Cai Yutong? Even if those nameless assassins and petty thugs made a move, Zhao Zhizhu could definitely stop them. Zhao Zhizhu's combat power would not lose to the top ten figures among the Top 100 Martial Artists, and might even be stronger.

Shi Chuan-yu continued: "Do you think I'm just blustering? Such a huge commotion, yet you haven't noticed that the City Defense Camp hasn't arrived yet. Is this the kind of power the Changlin Gang possesses?"

Li Wei turned his head and glanced at him, revealing a mouthful of clenched, snow-white teeth.

Yang Qingxi sat in the main hall of a warship anchored in the center of the Sui River. On the table in front of her lay a light blue embroidered tablecloth, adorned with patterns of a hundred birds and clouds. Exquisite silver wine sets, rare exotic fruits, and a magic artifact bone lamp were arranged on it. Strands of magical energy emanated from the slender, snow-white fingertips of her right hand, activating the bone lamp artifact. The misty lamplight made the surroundings hazy. No one could clearly see her figure, nor could anyone hear sounds within the light's illuminated area. Everything became ethereal. The lamplight shone on her pure Immortal Body's skin, making it appear even more delicate and snow-white. Any man would likely be unable to resist wanting to touch it, or to grasp and knead it, to feel the softness and elasticity of her flesh.

Yang Qingxi looked towards the riverbank a hundred paces away. As night fell, bright yellow lights appeared everywhere, whether in the residential area on the bank or among the rows of fishermen's houseboats on the river. In a narrow alleyway, magical energy radiated and clashed intensely, and yellow sword light flashed. The walls of civilian houses collapsed from time to time, and blood occasionally splattered in the night. The battle was undeniably fierce.

"To be able to fight his way all the way to the Sui River is indeed quite impressive." Yang Qingxi wore a veil, and her eyes, like two clear springs, showed no ripples.

Xue Zheng guarded the entrance of the main hall, his body appearing cast from silver, with skin that was entirely metallic to the touch. He said in a voice like metal grinding: "Young Miss, I will put an end to this!"

"End it? Why? Isn't watching the show good enough? A game of cats chasing a mouse; I find it quite interesting," she said. Previously, when Yang Yun planned the assassination on Shenlong Street, he was severely reprimanded by Yang Qingxi. She felt that her younger brother took an ordinary Seven Springs martial cultivator too seriously and should not have appeared in person at the assassination site, which gave rise to gossip. But with the strong reactions from Li Songlin and Cangli afterward, Yang Qingxi sensed something was amiss. After careful investigation, she discovered many strange things. So this morning, she let Yang Yun act freely. She just wanted to see why Li Songlin, Cangli, and Li Ling valued Li Wei and the people in that courtyard, and wanted to uncover their secrets. Especially the secret of the pure Immortal Body's metamorphosis.

"Rustle!"

A clear breeze swept over the great river. A handsome figure in silver robes and a white jacket silently emerged from the night and landed on the bow deck of the two-hundred-meter warship. No one knew where he had come from. In fact, no one even noticed when he had landed. Not until he spoke: "Young Miss Yang, to anchor the ship here, you truly have extraordinary courage. Aren't you afraid that our secret plans will be discovered by some old fellows in the city?"

This handsome and noble figure held a two-foot-long bone flute. His voice was filled with a captivating male magnetism. If Li Wei were here, he would surely recognize him. This was the noble guest who, back in Immortal Burial Town, had ambushed the Cangli tribe's coffin-carrying procession alongside Shi Jiuzhai, wearing a Buddha-head mask. His attire, accessories, bone flute, voice... The only difference was that this mysterious guest was not wearing the Buddha-head mask at the moment.