Chapter 439: Virtual Marking

"It's unclear; the entire realm is in turmoil, and precise information is difficult to obtain."

Yang Qingxi took out a map of the Netherworld and spread it on the table.

On the map, the twenty-eight states of the Lingxiao Realm were marked, as was the East Sea.

Additionally, there were two hundred and seventy-two states shrouded in shadow, many places marked with circles and annotations.

Yang Qingxi said, "The Netherworld region ruled by Lord Lan comprises nine cities, ten prefectures, and twelve caves. It occupies thirty-one states from the Lingxiao Realm's original three hundred states a thousand years ago, making it even vaster than the entire Lingxiao Realm."

"Old Yuzhou City is twelve thousand li from us. I've marked all the relatively dangerous areas."

"Other human martial cultivators, once they reach the Dao Seed realm, dare to venture into the Netherworld. With our combined cultivation, why can't we go to a mere Yuzhou?"

"If we don't go, other human martial cultivators certainly will. The various major sects, the Leixiao Sect of the Eastern Realm, the Three Island Barbarian Pirates of the East Sea, and even the Dao Cult — who isn't eyeing the Phoenix Blood Tree?"

"The departed spirit within Qingchan is very familiar with this Netherworld and can serve as our guide. What do you say, Your Highness? Are you in?"

"I smell a familiar scent on the wind."

Li Weiyi suddenly leaped onto the ten-foot-high blue brick courtyard wall, looking past the formation barrier towards the ancient county town street where the Departed Spirit Market was located. He saw a large troop of cavalry, clad in Dao Cult patrol guard armor, rapidly approaching the residence.

They were likely coming to collect supplies.

Outside the main gate of the residence, two figures, one in grey and one in white, were already standing there.

They both exuded an extraordinary aura and were incredibly fast, appearing as if out of thin air, as if descending from the sky.

The figure in grey was the Second Divine Son, Huang Xu, whose face was gaunt, cheekbones high, and eyebrows thick as swords. Li Weiyi had met him once in Lingxiao City.

The figure in white resembled Huang Xu closely, evidently his Dao Cult brother, Kong Xu.

They did not attempt to force their way in rashly, clearly sensing something amiss.

"Later, you and Yang Qingchan should leave first. I'll say hello to some acquaintances," Li Weiyi said to Yang Qingxi.

Yang Qingxi stood beside Li Weiyi, and upon seeing Huang Xu and Kong Xu outside, immediately felt a surge of tension. The cultivation of the Dao Cult's Second Divine Son was undoubtedly unfathomable.

Below the level of an Eternal Realm overlord, who would not be afraid?

Even one of them would be incredibly difficult to deal with, let alone both of them arriving together?

The brothers from the Dao Cult shared a deep unspoken understanding, and their combined combat techniques were formidable, often allowing them to prevail against stronger opponents when working together. Moreover, Huang Xu and Kong Xu themselves were inheritors.

"Be careful, they are not simple opponents. They already condensed their Dao Fruit years ago. Even across realms, their combat power was stronger than Huo Dingnan's. It's hard to say, but they might have already reached the eighth heaven of the Dao Seed realm."

Yang Qingxi clearly understood that what Li Weiyi called 'saying hello' was actually to buy her time to escape. Otherwise, if exposed here, there would be no place for her to hide in this vast world ever again.

Li Weiyi smiled, saying, "As long as no Eternal Realm overlords arrive, if I want to leave, no one can stop me. If an Eternal Realm overlord were accompanying them, why would they be so hesitant?"

Ultimately, the Dao Cult cultivators were like startled birds and likely suspected that there might be a trap set by human experts inside the residence.

"Eighteen hundred li to the east from here, there's a white desert. Whether you go to Yuzhou or not, I'll wait for you at the edge of the desert for two days. Child, do you want me to take her?"

Yang Qingxi and Yang Qingchan put on stealth night-traveling cloaks, each holding a magical artifact, and appeared at the back door, ready to break through and escape at any moment.

"No need!"

Li Weiyi had already put Yu'er on his back and wrapped her in a cloak.

What a joke; she was his protective charm.

Outside the residence, Kong Xu, in his white robes, observed the formation barrier and noticed numerous cracks in the ground beneath the wall.

Clearly, a battle had erupted inside not long ago.

He glanced at Huang Xu beside him, and both became vigilant, secretly circulating their spiritual energy. Who knew if there might be a powerful expert from the Jiuli tribe who had exposed Li Songjian's identity and was now ambushing them inside?

A rumbling sound.

Yi Zhouxue and Can Yexue, leading ninety elite patrol guards on horseback, appeared behind the two.

Those who could escape from the battle in the underground immortal mansion were all powerful.

"Your Highnesses, what's wrong?"

Yi Zhouxue held his long spear and looked towards the residence ahead.

"Something's not right; it seems Li Songjian and the others have met with trouble!"

The four of them communicated secretly via spiritual transmission.

Yi Zhouxue gave a signal with his eyes, and immediately, six Dao Seed realm elders from the patrol guard behind him activated all the scriptures within the Hundred-Character Artifact battle spears they held, which flared up like torches.

Their six exotic beasts charged forward.

The six flaming spears thrust out in unison, forming a cloud of fire, which crashed into the shimmering light of the formation covering the front of the residence.

Sizzle!

Li Weiyi stood proudly behind the shimmering formation barrier, watching the barrier, ten feet away, being ripped apart by scarlet flames, violently shaking. Then, all his spiritual energy surged into the palm of his left hand.

Boom!

He unleashed the Heaven-Overturning Palm Seal.

A divine seal light projection, several yards in size, sent the six charging Dao Seed realm elders and their exotic beasts flying back, all of them hurled away.

Men and beasts were thrown in disarray.

Screams and the roars of exotic beasts filled the air.

"Li Weiyi!"

Yi Zhouxue instantly recognized the man standing before the gate, and his furious roar, filled with shock, even echoed throughout the Departed Spirit Market.

"It's me! Yi Zhouxue, it's time we settled our old scores!"

Li Weiyi thrust his spear through the air, and a golden crow flame beam, as thick as a wine cup, flew directly towards Yi Zhouxue.

The distance was extremely short, only a few yards, and it arrived in an instant.

Huang Xu and Can Yexue roared in anger, wanting to intervene and rescue him, but it was too late.

Bang!

Pffft...

With Yi Zhouxue's cultivation at the fifth heaven of the Dao Seed realm, how could he withstand Li Weiyi's prepared strike?

Even if a 'Young Son of Heaven' were here, it would be difficult for him to take a single move from Li Weiyi at the same realm.

Yi Zhouxue's protective spiritual energy and armor were like paper, penetrated by the beam from the Myriad Things Staff-Spear, leaving a bloody hole through his chest, and his body was flung away.

After landing, he only exhaled, with no more breath left to inhale.

Huang Xu and Can Yexue were enraged, never imagining Li Weiyi would be so brazen?

Not only did he, alone, take on a cult stronghold, but he even dared to stay behind and set an ambush.

"Seize him! He's only a six-star spiritual mind master."

Kong Xu, who had originally intended to block the back door, immediately turned back, and along with Huang Xu, charged into the residence like lightning, attacking Li Weiyi.

While chaos erupted at the main gate, Yang Qingxi and Yang Qingchan silently slipped out the back door in their stealth cloaks and headed towards the top of the Gobi hill. Reaching the summit, they paused briefly and looked back at the distant residence, now filled with booming sounds below.

Yang Qingchan chuckled sinisterly, "He actually does care about you somewhat; he's a compassionate man. But his fiancee is Zuoqiu Hongting, and his confidante is that person from the Jiang family. You know her background. What can you compare with them in terms of background, talent, or beauty?"

"Let's go."

The two women quickly vanished into the depths of the dark Netherworld.

In the Departed Spirit Market, many human martial cultivators who heard the name "Li Weiyi" came to observe from nearby.

Among the younger generation of the Lingxiao Realm, Li Weiyi's name was absolutely renowned. Though he still couldn't compare to the top experts on the 'Jiazi Records,' among those under thirty, none surpassed him.

No one had expected him to appear in the Netherworld of the Dead.

"Traitor! The Divine Cult's defeat was due to you and your master, Yao Qingxuan!" Huang Xu unleashed his Dao Heart Manifestation, enveloping the entire residence to prevent Li Weiyi's escape.

"You exaggerate; my master and I aren't that significant."

Li Weiyi felt the formidable cultivation of Huang Xu and Kong Xu, whose unleashed Dao Heart Manifestations pressed down on him like two grinding stones, one above and one below.

Both were at the eighth heaven of the Dao Seed realm, and either of them could easily defeat Huo Dingnan.

Li Weiyi dared not be careless in the slightest, executing movement techniques to avoid a direct confrontation. Reaching the center of the residence, he abruptly struck the ground with the Myriad Things Staff-Spear in his hand.

With a crash, a large section of the ground collapsed, sending dust flying.

The supplies in the cellar made crackling sounds and were all buried.

"That's enough for today; I don't wish to fight to the death with a group of desperate people."

Whoosh!

Li Weiyi unleashed the 'Forward' character art, his body shimmering with light, and his figure shifted five times in quick succession, appearing outside the residence. He then fled towards a certain direction in the Netherworld.

"Still trying to escape?"

Huang Xu pressed a palm to the ground, spiritual energy surging from his palm like a river, unleashing a Daoist spell from the 'Void Engraving Scripture'.

His Dao Heart Manifestation and the Daoist spell combined.

Instantly, the earth on the ground bulged upwards, forming dense ancient scriptures, which spread hundreds of meters away, reaching beneath Li Weiyi's feet.

Li Weiyi clearly felt his body grow heavy and his speed suppressed.

The ground began to rotate, and his body was uncontrollably pulled back by Huang Xu.

"What a powerful Daoist spell." Li Weiyi desperately pondered a countermeasure.

Liu Ye, the young vendor who had previously sold Li Weiyi five Phoenix Blood Tree leaves, stood a li away on the top of a dilapidated building. He had been standing there for a long time.

He had followed Li Weiyi when the latter entered the residence.

Now, Liu Ye was very confused.

Firstly, Li Weiyi's strength greatly surprised him.

Secondly, when Li Weiyi was on the street, he was clearly at odds with that woman, so how did he actively cover her escape shortly after entering the residence?

It simply made no sense.

Roar!

Li Weiyi stepped on a phantom yellow dragon, soaring into the air and escaping the Daoist spell on the ground.

"Get back here!"

Kong Xu, clad in white, with a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow, flashed to appear directly above Li Weiyi. With one hand behind his back, he waved the other, conjuring a circular seal dozens of yards in diameter.

The ancient scriptures within the circular seal resembled the characters on the ground.

If forced back to the ground, he would surely fall into a dangerous predicament, vulnerable from both above and below.

Whoosh!

Li Weiyi's mind remained calm, and he swung the long spear in his hand, unleashing the third layer of the Six Incinerating Karmas. With his spirit and martial arts unified, a flaming golden crow, tens of meters long, flew out, its radiance illuminating the entire Departed Spirit Market.

Boom!

The gigantic flaming golden crow collided with the circular seal descending from the sky.

Both were annihilated.

Fireballs flew in all directions, rattling the ground with their impact.

"That move had the flavor of a perfected third-tier grand art," Liu Ye was astonished. "Is there truly someone with such high comprehension in the Lingxiao Realm?" He clearly sensed that Li Weiyi's spiritual energy level was very low, and he had not even condensed his Dao Fruit.

How could a martial cultivator who hadn't condensed a Dao Fruit be so powerful?

The powerful impact struck Li Weiyi's protective spiritual energy, sending him plummeting towards the ground. Just as he was about to fall into the Earth Seal laid out by Huang Xu, a cloud of purple mist suddenly appeared around him.

Strong spatial fluctuations erupted.

"This is as far as we go today; we'll meet again."

Li Weiyi, using his Prefectural Governor's Robe, vanished into the purple mist, and was several li away in an instant.

"He's still within my Dao Heart Manifestation, chase him!"

Huang Xu's Dao Heart Manifestation could extend up to twenty li away. The spiritual energy on his body flared, a layer of scarlet flame armor appearing on him, and he transformed into a streak of flame, pursuing.

In mid-air, Kong Xu unleashed the 'Flowing Light Tracing Shadow' Daoist spell, shooting out like a meteor.

The two of them were not merely pursuing a traitor; they were well aware that Li Weiyi possessed many valuable treasures. Furthermore, taking him hostage could ensure their survival even if they encountered Eternal Realm overlords from the Zuoqiu Faction or the Jiuli tribe.