Chapter 91: Thirty Miles of Snow, Two Hundred Miles of Sword

The luxurious carriage that pulled in measured roughly a zhang in both length and width inside, spacious enough to comfortably hold a bed. Jade spirit lamps hung from the four corners of its canopy. The outermost layer of its curtains was intricately embroidered with patterns of six or seven ancient mythical beasts, a display of extravagant decoration.

The silver-horned deer pulling the carriage radiated a silvery glow from its antlers. It was not only magnificent, but its eyes also conveyed a sharp intensity, characteristic only of a true martial arts master.

The Five Seas Realm experts of the Suizong Sect, appearing like a multitude of gods and Buddhas, occupied various strategic positions throughout the courtyard. They activated their magical artifacts, and blinding beams of destructive light made it almost impossible for Li Weiyi to keep his eyes open.

Their auras were extremely powerful, and every movement they made influenced the surrounding environment.

The martial cultivators who had accompanied Yang Qingxi to this residence were all deeply involved in the current events. They were eager and expectant for the coming turmoil in Lizhou, determined to allow no unforeseen mishaps.

Shi Liuyu sneered, surveying the exceptional figures all around him. His gaze lingered particularly long on two beautiful female true disciples from the younger generation of the Suizong Sect, a look that conveyed an overt killing intent.

Yang Qingxi remained inside the carriage. A cold yet melodious voice emanated from within: "Grandmaster, should you not provide an explanation for this bloody scene before us?"

Li Weiyi had previously used his thunder and profound ice techniques to probe. Seeing that Shi Liuyu showed no surprise whatsoever, he realized that the Suizong Sect likely had some subtle connection with the Earth Wolf King Army.

These two factions had probably been in contact for some time.

If he wanted to survive today, he had to exploit the character weaknesses of Shi Liuyu and these barbaric bandits, ignite conflict between the two sides, and seek survival in the resulting chaos.

Shi Liuyu was not a cunning or composed individual. Instead, he suffered from the common flaws of a bandit leader: audacious, extremely concerned with his reputation, and unable to shake off the bandit's habit of disliking schemes, preferring only robbery and violence.

Li Weiyi intentionally whispered into Shi Liuyu's ear, "How arrogant."

Shi Liuyu reacted instantly, his eyes narrowing.

Indeed, Yang Qingxi, a mere junior, not even dismounting to greet him, a grandmaster, was already disrespectful enough. And now she was aggressively demanding explanations? If he were to be outmaneuvered by a young girl today, wouldn't he lose all face?

The thought of being mocked by Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Qiqing in the future, and reprimanded by the Heavenly King, made Shi Liuyu's head ache.

Shi Liuyu displayed his grandmaster's authority and said in a deep voice, "For such a significant matter, you dispatch a group of useless guards? In my opinion, they deserved to die; it serves as a good lesson for you all."

"You killed so many of my subordinates, causing blood to flow like a river, yet Grandmaster speaks so lightly of it. If your Earth Wolf King Army doesn't provide an explanation that satisfies the Suizong Sect, this matter will not be settled." Yang Qingxi's voice was faint, yet it carried a firm resolve.

Ultimately, as she was to become the leader of the Suizong Sect's younger generation, she also needed authority and reputation.

Otherwise, she wouldn't command respect.

Although Shi Liuyu valued his reputation, he didn't want a minor misunderstanding to cause a serious rift between the two major powers. So, he looked at Li Weiyi, signaling him to step forward and explain the full story.

Li Weiyi understood, and nodded. Enduring the pressure of the combat techniques and intentions released by the Five Seas Realm experts, he stepped forward several paces, saying with a proud demeanor: "Yang Qingxi, who do you think you are? Our Grandmaster, whose might shakes the Southern Realm, what kind of person is he to need to explain himself to a mere young girl like you? With such arrogance, I fear you won't come to a good end."

Shi Liuyu's eyes widened instantly.

"How dare you!"

His words naturally infuriated the Suizong Sect's experts.

"You seek death!"

Wang Daozhen, who most respected and admired Yang Qingxi, reacted fiercely. His single figure transformed into five phantoms. He launched a palm strike with overwhelming force, intending to kill Li Weiyi.

The Wang family was one of the seven great clans of the Suizong Sect, and he ranked among the top three of the younger generation. His cultivation was far beyond the likes of Xu Changlin or Tang Yan.

Li Weiyi had no way to dodge this palm strike. He only felt an insurmountable divine wall pressing down on him, threatening to crush him to pieces.

Even more critical was that Shi Liuyu surprisingly stood by and watched. Li Weiyi knew he had overplayed his hand. At this critical moment of life and death, he couldn't care about anything else. He took a step back, his legs spread like a bow, channeling all his spiritual energy into his arms, and fiercely struck out with both palms.

The palm force he unleashed with all his might was like a leaf fluttering in a strong wind, offering no resistance.

"Boom!"

Li Weiyi was sent flying back like a cannonball for about four or five zhang. His body heavily crashed into the stone platform beneath the eaves, embedding itself and cracking the surrounding stones.

His arms ached as if broken, and he could no longer lift them.

His internal organs were all damaged, and blood streamed from his mouth.

Shi Liuyu did not intervene. Although Li Weiyi's earlier insults had secretly pleased him, he also saw Li Weiyi's dishonesty and knew the young man had ulterior motives.

Of course, even so, he wouldn't just watch Li Weiyi get beaten to death.

The more important reason for his non-intervention was that the palm force Li Weiyi unleashed moments ago had greatly surprised him, far exceeding his expectations, and was certainly enough to withstand Wang Daozhen's strike.

Is this young man really only at the Rushing Spring Realm?

Wang Daozhen, seeing that a mere Rushing Spring Realm martial cultivator had survived his palm strike, became inexplicably enraged and embarrassed. He suddenly rushed forward, intending to deliver another blow.

"Good, good, good. You dare to kill someone by this Grandmaster's side? Do you have any respect for me?"

Shi Liuyu, in a fit of rage, sent Wang Daozhen spinning away with a palm strike. His body crashed through the courtyard wall and the Hundred Inscription Array with a loud thud, falling onto the street outside.

"Roar!"

Then, Shi Liuyu let out a roar. His voice resounded like a dragon and tiger exploding in the void. The spiritual energy he exhaled locked onto all the Five Seas Realm experts present.

He had to display his strength to earn respect. Otherwise, future collaborations would only result in disadvantages.

"Hiss!"

He formed a claw with his five fingers, and scorching power erupted. The air temperature inside the residence rapidly escalated, as if it were boiling water. Streaks of dragon-like green flames spread from his fingertips, clashing with the magical artifacts in the hands of the nine Five Seas Realm experts present.

In the next instant, the green flames coiled around the nine Five Seas Realm experts, terrifying them all. They tried to flee, but found themselves unable to move. In just a few breaths, they feared they would be reduced to ashes by the green flames.

Only at this moment did the Suizong Sect members realize how terrifying Shi Liuyu was. This demon could effortlessly kill them.

Li Weiyi diligently circulated his spiritual energy to heal his injuries. He had guessed that Shi Liuyu would never allow him to die at the hands of the Suizong Sect, as he still held value. He also realized that Shi Liuyu was not easily fooled; today's cleverness had been too obvious, leading to a counterproductive outcome.

"Is it snowing?"

A crystal-clear snowflake drifted down onto Li Weiyi's hand, bringing a chilling coolness.

A second, a third...

Heavy snow fell, blanketing the entire hundred-mu residence, instantly transforming the midsummer July into the depths of winter. The entire climate of the area shifted, becoming utterly bizarre.

The green flames released by Shi Liuyu gradually extinguished in the falling snow.

His green eyes stared warily at the carriage not far away. He murmured: "Thirty li of snow, two hundred li of sword, the humble gentleman Yao Qian. No wonder Yang Qingxi showed such little regard for this Grandmaster; so you were also in the carriage."

The name Yao Qian truly shook the Southern Realm; he was known as the "Foremost in Lizhou."

With his strength alone, he had subdued an entire generation of the Nine Li Tribe.

Legend had it that when he fully channeled his spiritual energy, he could cause heavy snow to fall within a thirty-li radius, cloaking mountains in white and freezing rivers. His Gentleman's Sword, meanwhile, could kill someone from two hundred li away.

In other words, within thirty li, he could change the very climate; within two hundred li, his sword could target all living beings.

How could Shi Liuyu not be wary of such a legendary figure?

Yao Qian's gentle, jade-like voice came from inside the carriage: "I asked Qingxi to stay in the carriage to warm wine for me. Grandmaster, why concern yourself with such a trivial matter? It's just a Changlin Gang. No explanation is needed; just hand the person over to me."

Shi Liuyu glanced at Li Weiyi, who had climbed out of the stone cracks and stood up again, and said in surprise: "He's just a young man at the Rushing Spring Realm. With your cultivation, why bother with him?"

Of course, Shi Liuyu had to protect Li Weiyi, as he was connected to the Nine Li Hidden Sect.

Although their four factions were in a cooperative relationship, it was clear that whoever possessed more information would have a greater advantage in profit distribution. Li Weiyi had evidently become an extremely important trump card for the Earth Wolf King Army.

"Grandmaster Liuyu, you underestimate the Rushing Spring Realm young man beside you!"

Yang Qingxi's melodious voice, like the gentle flow of a stream, resonated from inside the carriage. Just hearing her voice sparked myriad fantasies, making one envy Yao Qian even more for having such a peerless beauty warm wine for him.

She continued: "To withstand a palm strike from Wang Daozhen and quickly stand up again, his strength is likely no less than that of a 'Hundred Veins, Pure Silver Immortal Body'."

Shi Liuyu naturally knew what a "Hundred Veins, Pure Silver Immortal Body" implied. It represented the strongest combat power within the same realm, a talent level comparable to inheritors from ten million-strong sects.

It was equivalent to the signature talent of a major power.

The Nine Li Tribe had been suppressed fourteen years ago, and no one considered them a million-year-old ancient tribe anymore. However, precisely because of the emergence of a "Hundred Veins, Pure Silver Immortal Body," all forces now believed that the Nine Li Tribe had regained vitality and might restore their glory as a million-year-old ancient tribe in the future.

Such was the influence of a "Hundred Veins, Pure Silver Immortal Body"!

The entire Earth Wolf King Army, from top to bottom, had not a single genius of this caliber.

Shi Liuyu looked at Li Weiyi in astonishment. Had this young man's talent truly reached such a level? No wonder the Nine Li Hidden Sect valued him so highly and sent him to Nine Li City for trials; he was certainly not being trained as an ordinary disciple.

"To possess battle power comparable to a 'Hundred Veins, Pure Silver Immortal Body' with a mortal physique is merely a small part of his secrets."

Yao Qian had clearly not left the carriage, yet it was as if his eyes were everywhere, capable of reconstructing the entire battlefield. He continued: "The Thirty-Three Character Spirit-Slaying Battle Array was broken by high-grade magical artifacts, and its aura has not fully dispersed. Many of the corpses on the ground were killed by fierce insects. Although the bodies of Shi Chuan Yu, Xu Changlin, and Tang Yan were cleared, their blood energy still lingered on the ground. If this place was truly handled by him alone, the secrets he holds would likely be beyond imagination."

Li Weiyi was utterly terrified, his entire body turning cold. He looked towards the luxurious carriage and felt that what sat inside was not a person at all, but a deity, or a demon.

Only a deity or a demon could see through all illusions in the world and find accurate answers from the minutest details.

This terror did not stem from the opponent's unparalleled cultivation, but from their insight and wisdom, capable of destroying all his disguises.

Yang Qingxi's voice followed immediately: "Three of his companions who cultivated at the Nine Li Daoist Academy and the Cang Li Clan School have already completed the 'Pure Immortal Body' transformation. This group of people must be hiding some unknown secret. And I believe the culmination of all these secrets lies with Li Weiyi. Hand him over to us, and everything that happened here will have an explanation."

Li Weiyi's expression turned even grimmer. He realized that his Senior Brother, Senior Sister Cai, Gao Huan, and others had always been within the reach of the enemy's forces.

Shi Liuyu looked at Li Weiyi with a deep, dark gaze, a growing chill emanating from him.

This young man had hidden too much from him; how much truth was there in his words?

From outside the gate, a deep, smiling voice was heard: "Since he possesses so many extraordinary secrets, why should we hand him over to your Suizong Sect? The Earth Wolf King Army is also very interested in uncovering his secrets."

Shi Jiuzhai walked in first.

Shi Shishi followed closely behind.

Shi Liuyu felt that Shi Jiuzhai's words made sense: "For several people to undergo the 'Pure Immortal Body' transformation, I believe the Heavenly King will be extremely interested. Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, take the person away first. I will cover the rear."