Chapter 448: Inagami's True Teachings

The three Grand Zen Masters of Guanshan are all disciples of Xu Fodu. They represent the three most talented individuals from Guanshan within a sixty-year cycle.

Grand Zen Master Yuzhen, who oversees Jiuli City, had long known Yang Qingxi. He was aware of the feud between her and Li Weiyi, and also of the irreconcilable hatred between the Jiuli tribe and the Suizong sect. Therefore, he genuinely believed that the goddess before him was being controlled by Li Weiyi.

Moreover, Yang Qingxi was not only backed by Yang Shenjing but was also a disciple of the Heavenly Hall Master. So, when the other two sides clashed, he did not intervene. Instead, with a blade on his shoulder and a hand forming a seal, he communicated telepathically with Yang Qingxi, inquiring about the situation.

“Hiss!”

A surge of icy blue cold air erupted from beneath Grand Zen Master Xinku’s feet, like a misty ribbon, pulling him dozens of feet away. Unfortunately, the rescue was a step too late. Grand Zen Master Xinku had already been incinerated into a charred corpse by the flames spewed by the Water Civet Immortal’s cousin.

It should be noted that Grand Zen Master Xinku was a Seventh Heaven expert who had condensed a Dao Fruit, possessing first-rate life-saving and escape techniques. In the Southern Territory, many Ninth Heaven Dao Seed realm experts had tried to kill him, but he always managed to escape. To restrain such a person and then burn them to death in an extremely short time, melting away all their defensive measures, was something even Li Weiyi’s current cultivation couldn't achieve.

The one who attempted to rescue Grand Zen Master Xinku was a figure radiating icy blue light from head to toe. He was even taller than Grand Zen Master Xinku, nearly three meters tall, with a bare torso. His entire network of veins and his hair were icy blue, interwoven like a web. His eyes were as sharp as swords, and the battle intent he exuded intimidated every martial cultivator present. Gazing at the charred corpse falling to the ground, his rage and murderous intent were so intense they materialized into thick, cloudy mist. Opposite him, Prince Baba, the Water Civet Immortal’s cousin, stood engulfed in flames, meeting his gaze with an aura no less powerful.

On the other side, Huang Xu, who had been struck into the ground, instantly escaped by earth-tunneling. He then walked out of the night, accompanied by a three-meter-tall Rice Man radiating crimson light. The crimson Rice Man and the icy blue Rice Man looked very similar, but their power auras were distinctly different.

Huang Xu, with a mouth full of blood and his abdomen aching as if it would split open, glared angrily at Li Weiyi, who stood on the stone monument. He recounted to the crimson Rice Man, “This person was originally a Divine Son of the Lingxiao Rice Sect, but he betrayed the sect. He was partly responsible for the disastrous defeat in the Battle of Lingxiao Living Realm.”

Huo Xin, the crimson Rice Man, stared at Li Weiyi, stating, “In any force, traitors are the most detestable. They must be eliminated!”

“I recall that in the Market of Departed Spirits, you and Kong Xu said you had no intention of returning to the sect. What, have you changed your mind?” Li Weiyi looked at Huang Xu, secretly pondering the identities of the two incoming Rice Men. From Huo Xin, he sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations unique to a Ninth Heaven Dao Seed realm martial cultivator; his physical body was extremely powerful, certainly no ordinary person.

Kong Xu, standing thirty feet to Li Weiyi’s right, retrieved his three Ninth-Grade Hundred-Character Flying Swords. He no longer dared to show the slightest contempt for the junior before him and stood ready for battle. Before this, he and Huang Xu had looked down on Li Weiyi, treating him like a child with no power to resist. It could be said that just three moves awakened them, filling them with intense regret. Not regret for being Li Weiyi’s enemy. Rather, it was regret that they should have gone all out when they encountered him in the Market of Departed Spirits. Even at a significant cost, they should have killed him as early as possible. Such a growth rate would instill fear even in Eternity Realm grandmasters.

Li Weiyi felt a strong sense of danger. He summoned the seven youngsters to his side to form a combined attack formation. The entire desolate plain was filled with the formidable spiritual energy of numerous masters. The strong winds continued, and the atmosphere was grim. A continuous drizzle fell, making a rustling sound. Mist rose. Illuminated by the glow of spiritual energy, it resembled thousands of threads connecting heaven and earth.

“It’s the external manifestation of Qiongji Daozi’s Dao Heart, ‘Grain Rain Cleansing Dust’.” Yang Qingxi’s expression became extremely grim, feeling a sense of suffocation, unsure where the powerful enemy was. Qiongji Daozi was the chief Divine Son of the Rice Sect, his combat power far surpassing that of Huang Xu and Kong Xu. Yao Qingxuan once said that, looking across the world, Qiongji Daozi’s combat power ranked among the top ten among those below the Eternity Realm. Even the Patriarch of the Zuoqiu Family had been defeated by him. As for the top experts of a sixty-year cycle in any single province, they were even less impressive.

Li Weiyi felt something and looked up. He saw Qiongji Daozi suspended high in the air, amidst the rushing black mist. The exceptional blue figure was only as large as a grain of rice, but its energy field swept across dozens of miles. Li Weiyi’s gaze was steady. He had already been an adversary of Qiongji Daozi when he first entered the Dao Seed realm, and now, with his greatly advanced cultivation, he no longer felt like a mortal peering at the vast heavens as he once did.

Qiongji Daozi’s calm voice echoed grandly: “Your master valued you so highly, yet you betrayed the sect. Are you worthy of her?”

Li Weiyi stood tall and replied, “I have always respected Hall Master An because in her, I saw another side of the Rice People.”

The Water Civet Immortal stood beside Prince Baba and shouted to the group of Rice Man masters, “My cousin is Prince Baba, the sixth strongest master under Princess Dengfeng. If you know what’s good for you, scram quickly! If you provoke him, the consequences will be extremely severe. Although my cousin is a vegetarian, his combat power is anything but!”

The Water Civet Immortal had been branded with a beast inscription and death-spirit fire, so she had to protect Li Weiyi. Prince Baba stood upright, waves of spiritual energy spreading out from his feet: “Lord Lan is defeated, and Monarch Chifeng is dead. Yuzhou is now the territory of our East Sea demon race. How dare you Rice People gather here in such large numbers? You’ve crossed the line!”

Qiongji Daozi descended from the sky to a height of thirty feet above the ground. His green robes billowed like clouds, and a rice-grain shaped crystal adorned his brow. He possessed the demeanor of a true powerhouse. “Yuzhou is currently without a master; anyone can claim it. You East Sea demon race have claimed too much territory!”

Li Weiyi observed and searched in the darkness, feeling that Qiongji Daozi’s confidence was too strong, almost abnormal. It should be known that the Rice Sect suffered a disastrous defeat in the Lingxiao Living Realm and fled to the Nether Realm of the Deceased. The East Sea demon race’s power was vast, even surpassing the human race of the Lingxiao Living Realm. What gave the Rice Sect the audacity to confront them? They seemed ready to seize territory. Where did such confidence come from?

Prince Baba held his head high, his gaze indifferent: “You Rice People have become stray dogs, yet you are still so arrogant. It seems we need to teach you a lesson.” The sound of blazing flames erupted from within him. Flames surged from within, and his body rapidly expanded, growing to seven or eight meters tall, his physique like a small mountain. The Water Civet Immortal had not been boasting; Prince Baba was indeed one of the few strongest among the younger generation of the East Sea demon race, his cultivation equivalent to a human’s Ninth Heaven Dao Seed realm.

Li Weiyi retreated to Yu’er’s side, sensing the complexity of the situation before them. In the darkness, powerful figures flashed by from time to time—demons, humans, and departed spirits alike. Regardless, Yu’er’s identity could not be exposed. It would invite great danger.

“One… body… twin… births…” A resonant voice came from the west. With each word, Li Weiyi, the Water Civet Immortal, and Prince Baba felt a painful throbbing in their eardrums, and the ground shook violently. Yang Qingxi and Yang Qingchan, whose cultivation was weaker, were directly knocked to the ground by the opponent’s sonic Dao technique. The entire western land transformed into an expanse of light, as if the sun had fallen to the ground. A young figure walked within the light, performing hand seals, traversing rivers, mountains, and ridges in a single stride.

“Ten… thousand… rice… same… root…” Another domineering voice came from the east, stirring up sand and stones. Endless darkness spread over. Within the darkness was rolling dust. Light and darkness divided heaven and earth.

The usually fearless Water Civet Immortal’s expression suddenly changed. She whispered, “What’s happening? Have they deployed two Eternity Realm grandmasters? Cousin, where are our demons?”

“They are not Eternity Realm grandmasters.” Prince Baba’s mood became extremely heavy; he realized something significant was amiss.

Huang Xu, Kong Xu, Grand Zen Master Yuzhen, the icy blue Rice Man, and the crimson Rice Man all simultaneously bowed to the two figures standing amidst the light and darkness. Qiongji Daozi was no exception, even though he was very reluctant.

“Welcome to the two True Successors of the Heavenly Son from the Rice Palace, gracing the East Sea with your presence.” A melodious female voice came from a hundred miles away. “However, even a strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake. If your Rice Palace intends to help the Lingxiao Rice Sect establish a Rice Realm in the Nether Realm of the Deceased, and our East Sea demon race does not agree, then even if the Rice Realm is established, it will likely never know peace.” Within the time it took to utter a single sentence, the woman’s voice had already reached fifty miles away. “If the East Sea demon race allies with the Lingxiao human race, your so-called Rice Realm will certainly be annihilated.”

The radiance emanating from Princess Dengfeng had already reached the desolate plain. In the sky, a massive white jellyfish-like cloud appeared. Its inner light shone like a lamp, tearing through light and darkness, descending to within ten miles. Her aura was powerful, and the external manifestation of her Dao Heart, when clashing with the two True Successors of the Heavenly Son from the Rice Palace, did not yield in the slightest.

“Rumble!” A thunderous sound echoed between heaven and earth, caused by the collision of spiritual energies. One after another, the East Sea demon race powerhouses followed closely, appearing beneath the jellyfish-like cloud. Among the demon race powerhouses, Li Weiyi spotted a human figure. It was the young master being pursued by Yao Qian on the East Sea, suspected to be Fu Wenyan, the Young Heavenly Son of Du’e Temple.

“So they are True Successors from the Rice Palace! This is truly terrifying for demons; the True Successors of ancient sects all possess terrifying combat power and hold a higher status than many Eternity Realm grandmasters. Why would they come to the East Sea?” the Water Civet Immortal exclaimed.

Prince Baba said indifferently, “The Rice Sect suffered a disastrous defeat in the Lingxiao Living Realm. How could the Rice Palace not seize such an opportunity to subdue them?” The Rice Palace was the master of the Canghai Rice Realm and the supreme holy land for all Rice People forces across Yingzhou. The two True Successors, named Sheng Wulian and Si Wuyan respectively, inherited the mantle of the Martial Dao Heavenly Son and represented the Rice Palace as they traversed the world. They could stand on equal footing with Great Eternity Realm experts, or even Transcendent beings.

Sheng Wulian stood in the light, his tone vast and profound: “Since Princess Dengfeng has personally intervened, let us call it a day. If we were to truly clash, it would only benefit the departed spirits in the city, Prince Ming Jiao, and the Lingxiao human race.”

Si Wuyan said, “Let’s settle this in the old Yuzhou Prefecture City. The Rice Palace is determined to claim this benefit! Whoever contends with us shall die.”

The Rice Man masters retreated like a tide. As Huang Xu and Kong Xu departed, they cast a deep gaze at Li Weiyi. Including Qiongji Daozi and Grand Zen Master Yuzhen, they did not reveal Li Weiyi’s secret to the powerful figures from the Rice Palace.

Princess Dengfeng projected an ethereal white-robed figure onto the ground. The figure had black hair and was as graceful as a painting. She cultivated human techniques, only able to transform into human form upon reaching the Eternity Realm. Currently, she could only manifest a human-shaped clone.