Chapter 453: Princess

"Whoosh!" Li Weiyi's power exceeded his own expectations. The Spear of All Things pierced through Fú Wényàn's protective scriptures and azure cloud, grazing his scalp and leaving a bloody gash from his crown to the back of his head, deep enough to expose bone.

Then, with a flick of the spear, he knocked the page of the *Book of Earth*, which had been hovering behind Fú Wényàn, into the air, just before Fú Wényàn could escape into space. The *Book of Earth* had been protecting his back, not his head.

"Aargh!" Fú Wényàn roared, his features contorted in a ferocious grimace, utterly devoid of his usual scholarly elegance, consumed by extreme rage. His voice, emanating from the cluster of purple mist, seethed, "You seized my *Book of Earth* today; sooner or later, I will make you pay it back with interest!"

Li Weiyi landed on the hill, seizing the page of the *Book of Earth* that had been knocked into the air, and firmly suppressed it. His body was encased in fiery golden armor, and blood again seeped from the corner of his mouth. He did not pursue Fú Wényàn further because he sensed an extremely terrifying aura fleeing underground, pursuing Fú Wényàn's escape route with astonishing speed.

"That escape technique... even an elder of the Longevity Realm might not be able to catch up. A Level Four escape grand art? Who is she?" Li Weiyi's eyes shifted in thought. Then, enduring his injuries, he turned back to pursue the Grey Corpse Ape.

After Fú Wényàn was attacked, he could no longer control the Dragon Soul. The Grey Corpse Ape took this opportunity to break free and escape, heading east. It was fast, but having been injured first by the Purple Heaven Thunder Seal and then by the Dragon Soul, it was not in peak condition.

"Whoosh! Whoosh..." Li Weiyi activated the Prefectural Governor's Robe six times in a row, finally catching up and appearing directly above the ape. He reached into his embrace, channeling his spiritual energy, and secretly activated the Evil Camel Bell.

The Grey Corpse Ape abruptly stopped, finding the human above it unbelievably audacious. It let out a long howl, its blood-red eyes glaring menacingly at Li Weiyi. On its massive, golden-glowing palm, two gray clouds of spiritual energy appeared.

Above, the camel bell chimed, and sound waves spread downwards. Hundreds of strange voices echoed in the Grey Corpse Ape's ears. Its mind was flooded with distracting thoughts, making it restless and irritable, and its internal spiritual energy showed signs of becoming chaotic.

"Boom!" The Evil Camel Bell transformed to the size of a bronze bell, and nether-mist turned into dense clouds, descending from above. The bell's ringing attacked its soul consciousness, while rings of spatial ripples spread from its mouth, binding its body. "Boom!"

Li Weiyi stood on top of the colossal Evil Camel Bell. As the bell landed, the ground vibrated, and the Grey Corpse Ape was drawn inside. "Collect."

Li Weiyi leaped down from the Evil Camel Bell, firing beams of spiritual energy from his hands. The bell rapidly shrank and flew back into his hand.

"Jingle." Suddenly, the Evil Camel Bell vibrated, its ringing piercing. Li Weiyi's expression changed; he knew the Grey Corpse Ape was attacking from within, trying to escape.

Just as he was pondering how to suppress it, a low, pained roar from the Grey Corpse Ape echoed from inside the bell. It was so muffled that one would need to put the bell to their ear to hear it.

"This is the Evil Camel Bell!" Li Weiyi thought. "When it rings, even those outside have their souls severely affected, let alone those trapped inside!" He had no time to check on the Grey Corpse Ape's condition inside the bell. He used a Divine Movement Talisman and headed towards the White Desert. As for the situation with Yang Qingxi back in Old Yuzhou City, he could no longer attend to it.

"Master, are you alright? I think you've bled a lot, Yu'er is so scared." It was only now that Yu'er finally spoke, her voice trembling with a sob.

"Don't be scared," Li Weiyi reassured her. "Master is perfectly fine. The blood I just coughed up was all a trick to deceive them." He didn't want the little girl to live in fear and insecurity.

Yu'er was surprised. "Really?"

"This move is called 'showing weakness to the enemy'..." Despite the burning pain in his chest, Li Weiyi forced a smile, exuding an air of confidence and ease.

After rushing over a hundred miles, Li Weiyi suddenly stopped. In the distance, on a dark hillside, stood a slender figure in black, holding a sword in one hand and the Prefectural Governor's Seal in the other, as if she had been waiting there for a long time.

Li Weiyi sensed the killing intent emanating from the other party and knew that given her speed and his current condition, he would not be able to escape. He struggled to compose himself and transmitted his voice with spiritual energy: "Please, Princess, grant me a path to survival."

The woman in black on the hillside, a strange glint in her eyes, responded via spiritual transmission: "Where did I give myself away?"

"Below the Longevity Realm, women stronger than Fú Wényàn are exceedingly rare," Li Weiyi replied. "Someone stronger than him, yet needing to conceal her identity and suppress her spiritual energy fluctuations—that could only be Your Royal Highness." He added, "Even so, it was merely a guess. My previous question was entirely a test. Your Royal Highness need not silence me; I will not speak of this."

It was clear that Princess Dengfeng had deliberately feigned great admiration for Fú Wényàn and pretended not to know his true identity. This way, after killing Fú Wényàn, the Deliverance Temple and the Grand Sage Academy would not suspect the East Sea demon race. Instead, she could use this opportunity to frame others, achieving her secondary objective. Clearly, Fú Wényàn's escape abilities were extraordinary, and Princess Dengfeng failed to kill him without revealing her identity. Otherwise, she would surely be wearing the Prefectural Governor's Robe herself by now, as it would be safest for her to wear one if she intended to kill Li Weiyi, who was also wearing the robe.

Princess Dengfeng no longer concealed her voice, walking step by step towards Li Weiyi. "Hand over that page of the *Book of Earth* and the Grey Corpse Ape, and I will let you leave."

Li Weiyi retreated step by step. "If each of us holds a page of the *Book of Earth*, then neither of us will reveal the secret," he stated. "If I give you the *Book of Earth*, you will surely kill me; you cannot allow anyone to hold leverage over you. Your Royal Highness, if you come any closer, I will shout! Are you certain there are no other living beings or departed spirits lurking in the darkness?"

Princess Dengfeng did not stop. "Do you think I truly fear the Deliverance Temple and the Grand Sage Academy?"

"The Deliverance Temple and the Grand Sage Academy might not cross the Nether Realm to avenge Fú Wényàn," Li Weiyi said, "but they will certainly mobilize a great force for the *Book of Earth*."

"You dare threaten me today; you will dare even more in the future," Princess Dengfeng retorted. "Rather than be continuously threatened, it's better to deal with it decisively. If you want to shout, then shout!" With unparalleled speed, she surged forward, her black figure almost vanishing due to her immense velocity.

Even faster than her movement technique was the external manifestation of her Dao Heart that she unleashed. It enveloped Li Weiyi, isolating him from the outside world, thereby preventing him from shouting out her secret.

Li Weiyi stared intently at her, his fingers pressing against the cloak on his back.

"Swish!" A figure, whose speed was no less than Princess Dengfeng's, burst forth from the darkness behind Li Weiyi. Seven zhang in front of Li Weiyi, sword and palm clashed. "Boom!"

Liu Ye, with his tall and straight figure, wore a pair of azure scale gauntlets on his right hand as he clashed with Princess Dengfeng's thrusting battle sword. He retreated three steps, and from his ancestral field, a long spear flew out.

"Boom!" The long spear swung backhand, making the air explode and forcing back Princess Dengfeng, who had charged forward again.

Liu Ye stood three steps in front of Li Weiyi, striking the ground heavily with his long spear, causing the earth to tremble in waves. He then stated, "Your Royal Highness, while concealing your identity, you are no match for me."

Li Weiyi's eyes widened in surprise; he hadn't expected the young vendor named Liu from the Departed Spirits Market to be hiding nearby. Princess Dengfeng was even more astonished, as with her cultivation, she had failed to detect Liu Ye hiding nearby beforehand. Such a concealment technique was truly astonishing.

She did not rush to attack again. "Who are you?" she asked. "Besides Tang Wanzhou, there is no one below the Longevity Realm in the Lingxiao Living Realm as powerful as you."

From this single sentence, Li Weiyi understood that Princess Dengfeng had a profound understanding of the Lingxiao Living Realm's situation. This was somewhat terrifying, as it suggested that the East Sea demon race did indeed have intentions concerning the Lingxiao Living Realm.

Liu Ye said, "Your Royal Highness need not know who I am. If you wish to fight, I will oblige you. But this person, I must save today."

"Do you think you have such authority on the East Sea's territory?" Princess Dengfeng asked.

Liu Ye said, "Your Royal Highness, what makes you think I dare come to the East Sea's territory? The Grey Corpse Ape cannot dig up the roots of the Phoenix Blood Tree. If Your Royal Highness doesn't rush back to Old Yuzhou City, Prince Nether-Jiao will win the struggle for the Phoenix Blood Tree!"

Princess Dengfeng stared at Liu Ye for a long time. "I think I know your origin now!"

She took two steps back and vanished into the night in an instant. "Li Weiyi," she called out, "if I truly intended to kill you, he would not be able to protect you. Consider it me sparing your life."

"I spare your life too," Li Weiyi retorted.

Liu Ye's taut nerves relaxed slightly, and he let out a long breath. "Hurry and leave this place; she might change her mind at any moment and dispatch a Longevity Realm elder to kill you."

The two fled hundreds of miles away, stopping by a wide black river.

Li Weiyi, showing no signs of ill humor from his severe injuries, offered a sincere thanks: "Many thanks for your righteous intervention, Brother Liu."

Liu Ye stood facing the river. "Li Weiyi, a divine hidden one of the Jiuli tribe," he began. "Three years ago, you first appeared in Jiuli City with only the cultivation of the Spring Realm. The following year, during the Lantern Festival, you participated in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and helped Zuoqiu Hongting defeat Luansheng Linyou. After that, you entered the Underground Immortal Mansion with Tang Wanzhou and disappeared for a year, reappearing as a powerful figure in the Dao Seed Realm. Your cultivation speed is truly remarkable. During the Battle of Lingxiao City, you and the Jiuli Hidden Sect played a crucial role, proving yourselves exceptionally responsible talents among the younger generation. Despite your Ancestral Field being crippled, you then displayed extraordinary psychic talent. After our parting at the Departed Spirits Market, I specifically investigated you. You are even more outstanding than I imagined."

Li Weiyi grew wary. "Brother Liu, your opportune appearance there and timely assistance do not seem to be a simple coincidence."

"It's not that complicated," Liu Ye replied. He looked into the distance and saw a shimmering ice-blue and a fiery-red light speeding through the gloom towards them. "You are too severely injured. Find somewhere to heal quickly; the situation in Yuzhou is very complex right now. The Malicious Heart and Cold Heart of the Dao Palace are pursuing us. I'll draw them away for you. If you want to know why I saved you, find me at the Moon Dragon Island Sea Market in the East Sea three months from now, if you dare."

"Swish!" Liu Ye stepped onto the waves, crossing the wide black river. His aura instantly vanished, completely merging with the darkness, demonstrating an extraordinary concealment technique.

A smile appeared on Li Weiyi's face. He felt a strong curiosity towards this young man named Liu, and also a thrill from the dangers and unexpected events on his cultivation path, which filled him with endless anticipation for life's journey.

He turned, carrying Yu'er on his back, and headed in another direction.