How could Li Weiyi possibly throw it away? "A precious herb gives off medicinal fragrance," he said, "so how do you plan to deal with the scent coming from your own body? You should have thought of that before the trial."
Yao Yin did not know how to respond, but then she saw Li Weiyi produce a massive sheet of black cloth and wrap the scarlet cistanche inside. Instantly, all light and scent were masked.
It was the ghost banner.
Li Weiyi crawled inside as well, intending to rely on the ghost banner to simply hide his way through the trial.
After a moment's thought, he poked his head out, looked at the dumbfounded young girl sitting at the bow, and asked, "Do you want to hide in here?"
Yao Yin gave a sullen huff and turned her face away.
"Suit yourself. Restrain your aura as much as possible, and don't draw the flying-winged white spiders over!" Li Weiyi retreated back under the ghost banner, calculating silently.
Earlier, he had intentionally plummeted from midair, exposing an opening to test whether Yao Yin would seize the chance to strike him down. Had she made a move, Li Weiyi would not have hesitated to eliminate her first.
The same held true now.
Though Li Weiyi appeared completely off-guard wrapped in the ghost banner, he was actually waiting for Yao Yin to strike with a palm.
*She's only fifteen, and clearly she's been well-protected since childhood. No matter how cold she pretends to be, she's still softhearted. With a temperament like that, even with a Pure Immortal Physique, she might not survive to the end.*
*Forget it. I won't strike. I'll leave her to those who've opened eight or nine springs. They'll surely view a Pure Immortal Physique as their primary threat.*
Li Weiyi bit off a mouthful of the cistanche and chewed.
A five-hundred-year precious herb was indeed extraordinary: it melted the instant it touched his tongue, like swallowing divine nectar, filling his mouth with glowing mist. A warm medicinal current spread from his lips and tongue down into his belly and diffused outward.
Li Weiyi felt warm all over, as if soaking in a hot spring.
After a month of bitter cultivation, the barrier to the eighth spring had been worn paper-thin, ready to burst at any moment.
For martial cultivators opening eight springs, aside from tempering trace veins, the hardest part was actually opening Fengfu.
Fengfu was an internal world similar to the Yintang spirit realm—or rather, a miniature sea of qi.
Li Weiyi possessed the spatial treasure known as the Buddha relic, which could assist in opening an internal world within the body. Thus, the final hurdle posed practically no difficulty at all.
Once he opened eight springs, he could set about dealing with Li Qing first, then test himself against the telekinesis wall painting.
In any case, having Coffin Master's letter was like holding an imperial sword of authority; Li Weiyi felt he could afford to be bolder. He was, after all, the successor to the Jiuli Clan's leader from a millennium ago. Standing out with staggering brilliance was only natural.
Yao Yin sat alone at the bow, her gem-like azure eyes watching both banks of the river channel in rapt vigilance, remaining wary of Li Weiyi as well.
Gradually, dense spider silk appeared across the river, some woven into webs that blocked the boat from advancing.
Yao Yin glanced at the figure beneath the black cloth. In the end, deciding not to rely on him, she drew a dharma artifact dagger concealed in her sleeve and began cautiously cutting away the webs.
These spider threads were exceedingly tough, surpassing the silk of ao spiders. They could be used to weave martial robes or craft low-grade dharma artifact ropes.
Here, however, they were deadly dangerous.
Once entangled, escape was utterly impossible.
The skiff slowed to an agonizing crawl.
She noticed numerous humanoid skeletons caught in the silk, dangling upside down above the water. One did not need to guess to know they were former seven-spring trialists.
On the riverbanks barely a few meters away, there were fist-sized white spheres, each bearing membranous wings—clearly sleeping flying-winged white spiders.
The scene stretched Yao Yin's nerves to the breaking point. She dared not imagine the horror if they were all awakened.
On the other end, Li Weiyi lay in the boat practicing the Yuxu Breathing Method, completely absorbed in his cultivation.
Roughly half a day later, the boat came to a complete halt.
The change outside stirred Li Weiyi from his cultivation. He wondered why Yao Yin had stopped the boat.
Suddenly, a faint, muffled whimper of strained endurance drifted in from outside the ghost banner. It grew steadily more pained, accompanied by rapid breathing and rising in volume.
"What are you doing?"
Li Weiyi poked his head out of the ghost banner and stared at Yao Yin, who was curled up at the bow, trembling uncontrollably.
The light was too dim to make out what was wrong.
Looking around, Li Weiyi noticed the dense spiderwebs overhead, the slumbering white spider beasts, and several dangling skeletons. He drew a sharp breath. "Don't make so much noise. If you wake them, both of us will be strung up today and picked clean to the bone."
For a long moment, there was no response.
Sensing that something was terribly wrong with Yao Yin, Li Weiyi cautiously climbed out of the ghost banner.
She was curled up like a stray kitten on a winter roadside, enduring some unbearable agony, her whimpers impossible to suppress.
"Why is she so cold?"
The moment Li Weiyi drew near, a bone-chilling frost struck him. He lightly touched her forehead and cheek, then checked her arm; her skin was as cold as ice everywhere.
Even more frightening, dense ice-crack patterns covered her skin.
Li Weiyi had no idea what was happening to her, but her whimpering was growing louder, and the surrounding flying-winged white spiders had already begun stirring faintly.
By all rights, finishing her off with a sword stroke right now would resolve any future trouble once and for all.
Yet she hadn't taken advantage of him when he showed a weakness earlier, so Li Weiyi certainly could not bring himself to do such a thing either.
*Forget it. I'll just treat her like that baseball bat. Snapping it with my own hands is just too hard to bear.*
Li Weiyi lifted Yao Yin and stuffed her entirely into the ghost banner, having her hold tightly to the scalding-hot cistanche, and he fed a bite into her mouth as well. Whether she could pull through would depend on her own luck.
Wrapping the ghost banner tight, the muffled whimpers coming from inside immediately subsided to a barely audible murmur.
Drawing the Yellow Dragon Sword, Li Weiyi sat at the bow, preparing to cut away the silk blocking the channel.
A strange cry sounded behind him.
Without a second thought, he spun around and slashed backward, severing a flying strand of white spider silk.
*Goo-goo!*
A fist-sized flying-winged white spider darted along a silk thread dozens of feet away and vanished.
Yet its screech awakened every white sphere sleeping along both banks. One after another, they raised their heads, revealing dark red eyes that clustered densely like a crimson sea of stars.
"Damn it."
Li Weiyi abandoned all caution, wanting only to escape immediately. Channeling dharma qi into the Yellow Dragon Sword, he slashed forward furiously to carve a path.
The moment they touched the yellow sword light, the spider threads melted away instantly.
*Swish! Swish! Swish...*
Countless strands of spider silk shot toward him from all directions.
"Ruyi Qiankun Sword."
Li Weiyi unleashed the second sword technique of the Chan Sect's Twelve Loose Hands, displaying the realm of Heavenly Dao Dharma Convergence.
With that move, one sword became a hundred.
Sword shadows descended like a torrential downpour, forming an impenetrable defense.
Every incoming silk thread was severed.
Yet even more threads lashed out, and several white spiders flew directly at the boat on vibrating wings.
In an instant, the cavern echoed with screeching as white spiders filled the air, their membranous wings razor-sharp like blades.
Li Weiyi barely held them off for a single breath before releasing the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors from the insect cylinder on his back to clash with the incoming swarm.
Catching his breath, he quickly sliced away the silk clinging to his body, rushed to the bow, and wielded the sword to clear the path with one hand while rapidly rowing with an oar in the other.
He had only opened seven springs and could not release dharma qi to propel the wooden boat like Yin Twenty-Four.
That was a method reserved for the Wuhai Realm.
Fortunately, the boat was heading downriver, moving at great speed.
"Aren't you emperor grade? Facing soldier-grade ferocious insects, shouldn't you be able to intimidate them by releasing a wisp of aura?" Li Weiyi was not particularly satisfied with the performance of the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.
Three of the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors promptly went on strike.
Li Weiyi hastily called out, "I have a hundred jin of five-hundred-year cistanche! Whoever kills the most ferocious insects gets the largest share! I'm keeping count for you..."
The three striking moths immediately took flight again, radiating five-colored haze as their combat readiness peaked. They tore back and forth through the swarm of white spiders.
Insect corpses rained down like a storm.
*Goo-goo!*
A deep, resounding screech echoed from deep within the cave to the right.
Li Weiyi instantly snapped to alert and spotted a cistanche radiating purple light growing deep inside the cavern, dozens of zhang from the river channel.
This meant it was eight or nine hundred years old, not far from becoming a thousand-year refined herb.
*Growing eight or nine hundred years in this trial ground without being harvested?*
While Li Weiyi was still wondering, a white spider the size of a human face crawled out from the purple glow of the precious herb, four blood-red wings sprouted on its back.
That deep, resounding screech had come from its mouth.
*Clatter!*
The washbasin-sized white spider moved all eight legs, shooting toward the skiff like a streak of light.
"This spider king is definitely not soldier grade!"
Without hesitation, Li Weiyi summoned the black iron seal and struck it heavily with the hilt of his sword.
*Boom!*
Thunder shook the entire cavern as an electric bolt burst out like a serpent of light.
Vibrating its four wings as it flew in, the spider king did not dodge. It spat a beam of blood-colored light from its mouth, clashing with the serpent of lightning and actually stopping it cold.
Its four wings stirred up ferocious gusts of wind, closing the distance rapidly.
Li Weiyi's expression changed abruptly. When had he ever faced such a terrifying beast?
He brought out the evil camel bell and channeled dharma qi into it.
Uncaring whether he would be influenced by evil thoughts, he shook it madly.
*Whoosh!*
A semi-corporeal giant camel materialized above the boat and slammed into the Four-Winged Spider King flying straight at him. This blow finally sent the spider king tumbling backward.
Yet in the blink of an eye, the Four-Winged Spider King came surging back, its screech even more ferocious.
"Stop killing! Hurry and push the boat—get us out of here!"
Li Weiyi ordered the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors with telekinesis. Small though their bodies were, their strength was immense and their speed lightning-fast.
Perhaps influenced by the evil camel bell, five of them had gone berserk in the slaughter, and only two obeyed the command to push the boat.
*Clang! Clang!*
Ringing the evil camel bell once more, he repelled the Four-Winged Spider King a second time with the giant camel.
Dharma qi was draining rapidly from his body, and Li Weiyi knew very well he could not hold out for long. Of course, he still had a trump card—the Buddha relic on the Daozu Taiji Fish.
However, the Four-Winged Spider King was moving too fast, and he could only pull it into the blood mud space within three zhang.
The window of opportunity was far too brief. A beat too slow, and his body would be torn to shreds; a beat too fast, and he would fail to pull it in.
Furthermore, his three masters were currently inside the blood mud space. Dragging a spider king in there would put them in danger as well.
*Don't force me into Merging Springs to Break the Barrier.*
Li Weiyi was deeply reluctant to assault the eighth spring through such a dangerous method.
Although the skiff was speeding downstream, the Four-Winged Spider King pursued relentlessly. After repelling it a third time, a serious problem arose in Li Weiyi's body. Not only did the chiming of bells ring in his mind, but the Six Desires Rune on his chest began flashing as well, and his entire body turned burning hot.
Adding insult to injury, the Six Desires Rune chose this deadly moment to flare up.
*Goo-goo!*
Leading a massive swarm of white spiders, the Four-Winged Spider King flew in swift pursuit.
There was no time to search for his pills.
Blood vessels webbed Li Weiyi's eyes. Under the combined assault of the evil camel bell, the Six Desires Rune, and the life-and-death crisis before him, his emotions ignited. He roared, "Kill!"
Evil thoughts transformed into battle intent, and lustful fire ignited his hot blood, overpowering all reason.
Riding the semi-corporeal camel and brandishing the Yellow Dragon Sword, he actually vaulted from the skiff, treading atop the blood river to launch a countercharge against the spider swarm behind him.
The seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors were stunned, but then transformed into seven streaks of five-colored light and surged after him.
Across the blood river, a chaotic melee erupted into a pitch-black bloodbath.
*Bang! Bang...*
Swinging the sword with both hands, Li Weiyi clashed violently with the Four-Winged Spider King. Cuts multiplied across his body, sliced open by the spider's razor-sharp wings. Yet the more he fought, the more invigorated he grew, his reason and consciousness gradually sharpening.
*How did I end up locked in battle with this spider king? Luckily, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors are helping me, or I'd never have lasted this long. That so-called dao-protecting wife is truly unreliable—she won't show herself even in such deadly peril.*
*The back of my head aches so badly... It's Fengfu...*
Li Weiyi discovered a stabbing pain in the Fengfu acupoint at the back of his head, like a needle piercing through. Rather than alarmed, he was overjoyed.
This was the sign of an impending spring opening!
He promptly stabilized his consciousness and channeled his breathing method. Gradually, wisps of dharma power leaked from the Fengfu acupoint.
Without hesitation, he activated the Buddha relic with spiritual light, guiding its gentle spatial power into the Fengfu acupoint.
*Boom!*
Moments later, as Li Weiyi slashed downward at the Four-Winged Spider King, the internal space beneath the Fengfu acupoint burst open. Violent dharma power surged forth, infusing his sword strike with unprecedented might.
Chapter 80