Li Weiyi set the stone coffin and the Nine Emperors Streamer on the ground. To be safe, he took the Yellow Dragon Sword and walked step by step beneath the spring orifice.
The dharma qi ahead was so dense it resembled billowing cloud banks, continuously spilling over in misty cascades.
The stone platform inside was invisible to the naked eye.
*Chi! Chi!*
Strange sounds rang out.
From deep within the cloud of swirling dharma qi came the vibration of wings—like a cicada, yet also like a moth, loud and piercing to the ear.
Li Weiyi's eyes narrowed slightly. He kicked off the ground and drifted back more than two zhang.
*Whoosh!*
The cloud of dharma qi was scattered by beating wings, and from within crawled a huge, moth-like exotic insect. Fully three chi in length, its entire body radiated a multicolored, glazed luster. Its six sharp claws looked as though forged from metal, their curved hooks extraordinarily sharp.
A fierce, murderous menace glinted in its eyes as it crawled forward, its wings unfurling and trembling.
On the outside were dazzling, multicolored plumes; on the inside were thin, membranous wings like those of an insect.
Senior Coffin said, "Not good! They've hatched early, probably because the Tianfa Earth Spring has expanded. Quickly, use the insect runes to subdue it!"
"Which insect rune do I use?"
Sensing the danger, Li Weiyi asked as he retreated.
Senior Coffin replied, "Back then, I carved seven insect runes onto seven insect eggs. Even if they've hatched, the runes should still be branded upon their bodies. But why are the insect runes invisible now?"
Senior Tablet evidently possessed a deeper understanding of the world's exotic insects and spoke up: "Because their grade has surpassed our estimates. If I'm not mistaken, this is a Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor—not marquis-grade, but imperial-grade! The insect rune you carved back then has been concealed inside its body."
"What? Imperial-grade?" Master Jar's voice rang out in shock.
Senior Tablet said, "Judging from its current size, having grown to three chi, it's clearly no longer a larva. I reckon its combat prowess wouldn't fall short of a Changsheng Realm martial cultivator's."
Hearing this, Li Weiyi's vision went dark, and the calves of his legs began to cramp.
Had he come here to tame insects, or to feed them?
Senior Coffin remained exceedingly rational and quickly reasoned, "No, that's not right! There is no food in the Tomb of the Cang King; it couldn't possibly have grown from a larva to the Changsheng Realm. Furthermore, if it truly possessed the strength of the Changsheng Realm, its intellect would also be exceedingly high, and it would have broken out of the tomb and fled long ago. Weiyi, it's bluffing!"
Li Weiyi could distinctly feel the terrifying aura rolling off the steadily encroaching Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor. How could he dare gamble on it being a bluff?
Suddenly, an inspiration struck him, and he said, "Perhaps there's another good way!"
He immediately channeled the Divine Fusang Tree meditation method while mobilizing the flame of spiritual light within his Yintang spirit realm to activate the Daozu Taiji Fish.
The two bronze fish revolved a full turn, and spatial power erupted.
*Whoosh!*
A subtle spatial ripple rippled outward. In an instant, the encroaching Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor was dragged into the expanse of blood-mud ground atop the Buddha relic, powerless to break free.
A moment later.
Senior Tablet's voice drifted out from the Buddha relic: "It truly was bluffing. It has reverted to its true size—only one cun long. It is indeed a larva."
*Swish!*
From the cloud of dharma qi beneath the Tianfa Earth Spring, six more one-cun-long Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors flew out. Only the size of ordinary moths, they glowed with dazzling, multicolored brilliance.
Their flight was astonishingly swift, shooting like arrows as they attacked Li Weiyi in unison.
Without a second thought, Li Weiyi immediately entered the microscopic world of the Buddha relic, resolved to subdue the first one first.
After a severe sensation of weightlessness, Li Weiyi landed on the blood-mud ground spanning only a few zhang. Looking toward the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor perched atop the blue-and-white ash urn, its body had indeed shrunk to merely a cun or so in length.
Li Weiyi relaxed and chuckled. "Only a larva, yet you already possess such sharp cunning. You nearly scared me half to death."
*Buzz!*
The first insect rune condensed and flew out from between his brows.
Over this recent period, Li Weiyi had hardly neglected his cultivation of thought force. The flame of spiritual light in his Yintang spirit realm had doubled in size, already as large as a bean.
The Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor surged into the air like an arrow leaving a bowstring, tearing straight through the insect rune and darting directly toward the spot between Li Weiyi's brows.
The first insect rune was useless against it!
Li Weiyi raised his sword horizontally to block.
*Clang!*
A sound like iron striking iron violently erupted.
The power unleashed by this single impact was even more terrifying than the long arrows shot by Murong Xiao. It jolted Li Weiyi backward repeatedly, nearly knocking the Yellow Dragon Sword from his grasp.
The hum of wings rang out.
Bursting with extreme speed, it banked in a tight curve and slammed toward Li Weiyi's chest.
Not daring to clash with it head-on, Li Weiyi dodged to the side. At the same time, the second insect rune formed between his brows and flew across.
The moment the spiritual light insect rune emerged, it resonated with the insect rune inside the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor's body.
The characters within it flickered, and its flight slowed, suppressed by some unseen force.
*Smack!*
The next instant, struck by the insect rune, it plummeted to the ground.
Li Weiyi glanced at the cut beneath his arm where its wings had slashed across him. The gash was deep, nearly exposing the bone. Instead of growing angry, he endured the pain and chuckled. "Such a tiny body contains such terrifying strength—and this is only a larva."
A moment later, lingering fear gripped him.
Fortunately, the second insect rune had been the right match; otherwise, things would have been truly perilous today.
"Quick, use your blood to trace the second insect rune—the characters are identical. Only then will you truly subdue it, making it obey you and you alone from now on," Senior Tablet reminded him.
With Li Weiyi's current thought force, he could only remain on the Buddha relic briefly before being pulled back into the original world's space.
Time was precious. Taking out the insect rune needle—one of the six treasures he had purchased earlier—he set to work at once.
Just before the feeling of weightlessness took hold, he finally finished tattooing the blood insect rune onto the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor's abdomen. Then, scooping up the memorial tablet and the ash urn, he rode the rush of weightlessness back into the subterranean space of the Tomb of the Cang King.
Li Weiyi knew full well that with his current cultivation, he was no match for six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.
There was only one way: first draw them all into the microscopic blood-mud space, then subdue them one by one.
He had brought Senior Tablet and Master Jar with him out of fear that they might be attacked by the moths.
At that moment, the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were frantically battering the stone coffin, producing heavy thuds like a barrage of fists and kicks. Fortunately, the stone coffin was made of extraordinary material; otherwise, Senior Coffin's mangled remains might have been shredded to pieces.
*Whoosh!*
Sensing Li Weiyi's aura reappearing, the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors swarmed him.
Li Weiyi stood tall and fearless. Only when the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors drew within three zhang did he pinch a hand seal, using the flame of spiritual light to spur the Daozu Taiji Fish.
*Whoosh!*
As a spatial ripple stirred outward, the six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were swept up in one net, drawn entirely into the Buddha relic.
Having activated the Daozu Taiji Fish three times in succession, Li Weiyi's brow turned dark, and his flame of spiritual light nearly sputtered out from the sheer drain.
Once he steadied himself, he walked toward the Tianfa Earth Spring step by step, entering the one-zhang Dao Domain. After confirming there was no danger, he sat down cross-legged, absorbing the radiant specks pouring from the spring orifice overhead and drawing the dharma qi in with deep breaths.
He cultivated thought force and dharma-martial art simultaneously.
Half a day later.
The space between his brows shone brightly once more.
A soft *pop* sounded atop his head, and a faint, straight beam of light surged up from his Tianling.
The light beam was a finger thick and extended nine zhang high.
Everything fell into place naturally. Li Weiyi had opened his seventh spring, Tianling, officially stepping into the peak of the Yongquan Realm.
From the distance, the three remnant souls watched his transformations closely. Though startled by the nine-zhang beam from his Tianling, they no longer gasped like inexperienced rubes; they had grown somewhat numb to it.
Master Jar said, "Old Coffin, didn't you initially plan on two years for the Yongquan Realm? By my reckoning, it'll only take him one year to enter the Five Seas."
"Faster is naturally better, but from here on, every step must be taken on solid ground. Fengfu and Zutian aren't so easily opened—haven't even some Pure Immortal Physiques hit a wall at seven springs? Natural talent is an elusive thing. Those with dazzling gifts need all the more effort and self-discipline; a moment of slackness, and everything collapses. Clumsy talents who struggle at the start sometimes grow stronger and stronger as they go."
The remnant corpse in the stone coffin had pinned immense hopes on Li Weiyi, treating him like blood kin. He hoped the young man would advance in triumph, yet he fretted over every twist and turn. As the initial guide for the master of the Daozu Taiji Fish, the pressure weighed heavily on him.
...
Five days later.
The two stone doors of the Tomb of the Cang King, a dozen or so zhang tall, slowly ground open. Li Weiyi walked out, carefully examining and sensing his surroundings. Only after confirming that neither Li Ling nor any martial cultivators of the Cangling Tribe were present did he feel slightly relieved.
Arriving at the plaza before the tomb, he turned around and bowed deeply toward the Tomb of the Cang King three times.
No matter what, he had obtained an extraordinary opportunity here; the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors had been nurtured and hatched by the Tianfa Earth Spring, and one had to harbor gratitude.
He did not touch the otherworld coffins piled on the plaza before the tomb—nor could he, as each was bound with array runes.
He stepped out of the ancestral realm.
Outside, it was already the fifth month. The weather was hot, the masculine yang robust and blazing.
In the primeval forest, cicadas sang and birds warbled; the sun rose and the moon set, entirely unlike the deathly stillness of the ancestral realm.
Having finally returned to the light of day, broken through to the seventh spring, subdued seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, and healed all his injuries, Li Weiyi was brimming with vigor and in high spirits as he sprinted along the mountain paths.
Coming upon a pool beneath a waterfall, he leaped in with a splash, scrubbing away the thick grime accumulated over a month.
The pool water was piercingly cold, yet it brought an invigorating thrill to his heart.
Scrambling ashore, he changed into the last clean robe stored in his evil camel bell and strode out toward the open country. Along the way, everything he saw seemed teeming with vibrant life; he felt an urge to kiss every blade of grass and tree, silently marveling at the beauty of the world.
Two days later, however, as he walked out of the dense forest of the Mount Mang Range and caught sight of a dark human silhouette flying midair, his good mood vanished in an instant.
It was Murong Xiao!
On her back rested a dharma artifact giant bow and a quiver.
*So much time has passed, and she still haunts me like a ghost. Did she reckon I'd have to walk out of the Mount Mang Range sooner or later?*
Li Weiyi slipped back into the forest, concealing himself.
After a moment's thought, he formed a hand seal. The space between his brows lit up, and wisps of radiant specks flew out, pouring into the Daozu Taiji Fish hanging around his neck.
*Whoosh!*
The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were summoned forth, each radiating a fist-sized glow of multicolored light as they circled Li Weiyi like dancing sprites.
Communicating with thought force, Li Weiyi ordered them to deal with Murong Xiao in the sky.
The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were not entirely obedient. Their bloodline was potent enough to resist the insect runes to a certain degree—and more importantly, Li Weiyi's current thought force was still too weak.
Left with no choice, Li Weiyi took out the three-hundred-year-old precious medicine, the nine-leaf bulrush, plucked seven glistening, fragrant leaves, and fed them.
Having each eaten a bulrush leaf, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors grew exceptionally lively, chattering excitedly.
Li Weiyi hastily put away the rest of the bulrush and conveyed via thought force: "If you don't do any work, don't even dream of eating more. This nine-leaf bulrush is worth thirty thousand silver coins! You aren't eating food; you're eating gold, silver, and my very blood! Go, quickly!"
"Not good, she's leaving."
Leading the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, Li Weiyi sprinted out of the dense forest to give chase.
Flying two hundred meters in the air, Murong Xiao harbored deep resentment. *So much time has passed, yet they still make me search the surrounding area every day. Do they really take me for a member of the Changlin Gang? That brat blundered into the Jiuli Clan's ancestral realm; he's most likely died in there. I'll head back to Yao Pass first!*
"Murong Xiao!"
A familiar call drifted faintly from the ground.
Murong Xiao turned her head toward the ground behind her. Standing by the Sui River, waving at her—who else could it be but Li Weiyi? Astonishment crossed her eyes, followed by a surge of delight.
What arrogance!
Knowing she could not kill Li Weiyi alone, Murong Xiao immediately beat her wings, intending to fly toward Yao Pass to deliver the report.
Many experts eager to take Li Weiyi's life for the bounty were gathered in Yaoguan City, including her allies: Tang Yan, vice chief of the Changlin Gang, and Xue Zheng, ranked fourth in Seven Springs Hall.
*Flap! Flap!*
A dense flurry of wingbeats engulfed her. Her vision blurred, seeing only patches of iridescent, multicolored light everywhere.
*Thwip!*
*Slash!*
The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors darted back and forth through her flesh and around her. Before long, this Yongquan Realm expert ranked twenty-first in Seven Springs Hall was reduced to a corpse, plummeting from midair.
Li Weiyi rushed to the spot where the corpse landed. Seeing Murong Xiao riddled with holes, he could not help but sigh. "Truly ferocious!"
The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors flew toward him, chattering as they begged for more nine-leaf bulrush.
Li Weiyi tossed the remaining bulrush to them and immediately crouched to loot the corpse.
He pulled off the coin pouch; it was quite heavy.
Opening it, he found it packed with shining white Yongquan coins—at least fifty or sixty of them, equivalent to five or six hundred thousand copper coins.
For one of the Top Hundred Martial Artists, this was not an excessive amount.
What was truly valuable on Murong Xiao was that three-meter-long dharma artifact giant bow. After picking it up, Li Weiyi pulled hard on it; the bow's frame was far too long and felt awkward to handle.
For a large martial cultivator of the mutant race, it would be just right.
After sinking Murong Xiao's corpse into the river, Li Weiyi tossed the giant dharma bow into the evil camel bell, intending to sell it for money.
Standing under the blazing sun, he gazed south along the Sui River. The entire horizon was shrouded in immortal radiance, particularly a beam of light rising from the ground, dazzlingly bright, as if piercing beyond the cosmos.
Looking around, Li Weiyi realized he had passed this area before; it lay between Yaoguan City and Immortal Burial Town.
In other words, the region shrouded in immortal radiance was where Immortal Burial Town lay.
*Just what happened in Immortal Burial Town? A month has already passed—why hasn't it settled down yet?*
Li Weiyi was deeply curious, yet he dared not meddle in such a massive upheaval. He planned to head first to Yaoguan City, governed by the Shouli Tribe. After living on dry rations for a month, he had long craved a hot bowl of noodle soup, followed by a good night's sleep in a comfortable bed.
Tomorrow, he would set out for the Jiuli Hidden Gate.
Having devoured the bulrush, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors swarmed back, hovering incessantly before his face, nearly blinding him with their glare!
"No more, no more! I've fed you all the medicinal herbs I bought before!" Li Weiyi hastily channeled the Daozu Taiji Fish and drew them into the Buddha relic, finally regaining some peace and quiet.
Senior Tablet had told him that Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were vegetarian exotic insects that consumed only precious medicinal herbs.
To raise them to adulthood would require an astronomical amount of precious medicine.
*Sigh! What a sin. It feels like I'm raising seven little ancestors. I'd better buy some medicinal herbs in Yao Pass. After all, they're imperial-grade exotic insects; I can't let them starve to death in their infancy!*
Li Weiyi disguised himself, smearing dirt on his face and letting his hair hang loose, taking on the appearance of a wretched, down-and-out wanderer.
Though a month had passed and the storm had surely died down, caution was the parent of safety.
Along the way, he saw great ships sailing along the Sui River toward Immortal Burial Town, as well as dharma-martial experts riding exotic beasts galloping past him. Even more formidable figures rode hundred-meter-long giant birds bearing magnificent, gilded palaces as they soared across the sky.
Yaoguan City was bustling with extraordinary fervor. Sect disciples were visible everywhere, and dharma-martial experts moved in packs.
Cultivators and mind masters from all of Lizhou—and even the other six southern provinces—had caught wind of the events and flocked here.
Li Weiyi had barely entered the city when he caught a familiar fragrance.
Li Ling leaped out from the crowd, patted his shoulder lightly, and slipped in front of him. Smiling with bright eyes and white teeth, she said, "You've got some nerve, daring to come to Yao Pass. Don't you know how many people want to kill you for the bounty?"
Li Weiyi froze for a moment. "How did you..."
"A clumsy disguise like yours might fool others, but it won't fool me. Don't be afraid—once you're in Yao Pass, you're on Jiuli Clan turf. I'll cover for you. Come with me!" Li Ling said.
Li Weiyi could finally be certain that Li Ling indeed possessed a way to pinpoint his location precisely. He asked, "Where are we going?"
"To meet my father!"
Li Ling thought for a moment, then added, "And my mother, my elder brother, Fourth Uncle... Oh, and my sixteen-year-old cousin. This time it's for real."
Li Weiyi stopped in his tracks, staring at her with a strange look in his eyes.
Chapter 69