Chapter 143

142. Chapter 142: The Upper Three Realms (Patron Bonus: The Most Glorious Life Dream)

The old servant inside the city lord's mansion never imagined this young warrior would truly act on his word—no regard for the imperial court, no fear of the Fan family, one of the Eight Princes; and though this man had yet to condense even a fist aura, his divine strength exploded with such force that it sent him reeling backward.

That heavy, powerful fist struck again and again—truly terrifying.

If this continued, he would surely die, with no chance of survival; the only way out was to use his heart's blood, as Li Yi had suggested, forcibly restoring his strength to its peak—only then could he continue fighting Li Yi, and if fortune favored him, even turn defeat into victory.

Faced with Li Yi's terrifying fist force descending upon him, the old servant had no time to hesitate—he immediately prepared to fight to the death.

Yet at that very moment.

A figure swiftly stepped between the two, acting just before Li Yi's punch landed, intercepting the lethal blow meant for the old servant.

Another condensed fist aura, blood surging violently.

Clearly, this was another master of the Meridian Cultivation realm—and he appeared quite young, his bloodline vigorous, his energy abundant.

"Crash!"

As the energy exploded, the newcomer clearly hadn't anticipated the sheer terror of Li Yi's fist force—his face instantly changed color, and he used the recoil to retreat swiftly, putting a safe distance between them.

"Spare his life, and we can discuss anything." The man spoke at last.

Li Yi looked up and saw a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six, dressed in brocade robes, with a pale face and an air of nobility—like a wealthy young master.

Though he looked like a silk-cushioned ornament, the power behind that punch was no weakling's—yet still nowhere near Li Yi's extraordinary martial prowess.

"Who are you? What right do you have to bargain with me?"

Li Yi narrowed his eyes, then took a step forward, planting his foot squarely on the old servant's body—making it clear the man's life hung entirely in his hands.

"This old servant is incompetent, and has brought shame upon the young master."

The old servant felt deep shame—he had intended to intimidate Li Yi, but instead, he'd failed miserably, beaten to the ground by blow after blow; had it not been for the last-minute rescue, he would have been forced to use his heart's blood—and once used, heart's blood meant death was near.

Though the young man had the advantage of youth and strength, being crushed so utterly in direct combat left him with no room for argument—he accepted his defeat.

The young man ignored the old servant, studying Li Yi before speaking: "I am Fan Zhizhou, city lord of Sanyang. You are Li Yi, the senior brother of the Zhao family's martial hall, who seized two halls in a single day? You are unlike any ordinary person—Xingzhou has never produced someone like you, nor has anyone dared utter, 'Are kings and generals born of noble blood?' Your origins are extraordinary, your martial cultivation is clearly not Meridian Cultivation, yet your sinews and bones are terrifying—any Meridian Cultivator who spars with you will die."

Gazing at Li Yi's glowing vertical pupils, Fan Zhizhou's expression grew grave.

This man was nearly on par with a demonic god—unlike any martial artist of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

"Sharp eyes," Li Yi said calmly. "I crossed over solely to avenge my master, Zhao Ge."

"So that's it—an outsider? No wonder you're so unusual."

Fan Zhizhou showed no surprise—he was a direct descendant of the Fan family, one of the Eight Princes, and knew far more than ordinary people, including fragments of knowledge about cross-world beings.

"Outsider? Hah! I'm no such thing—I'm just an ordinary cultivator. People like me are as countless as fish crossing a river." Li Yi laughed, revealing just enough to let these people of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces understand just how terrifying the evil land of Diqiu truly was.

Fan Zhizhou's expression shifted slightly: "There's more to it than that?"

This Li Yi could casually crush a Meridian Cultivator—if he was merely an ordinary cultivator, how terrifying must the powerful ones be? Could the Upper Three Realms' martial artists stand against him? Or would only a thousand-year-old spirit or god be able to match him?

"Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?" Li Yi's laughter turned cold. "Enough talk—want to spare this old servant's life? What will you offer?"

Fan Zhizhou replied calmly: "To me, the fate of Sanyang City is unimportant. If you want it, take it. You've avenged the Zhao family by destroying the Han and Jin martial halls—this benefits me as well. Sanyang is small; it cannot sustain three martial halls and so many factions. Even if you hadn't acted, I would have eliminated them all one by one."

"So you struck first against the Zhao family martial hall?" Li Yi stared at him.

Fan Zhizhou said: "I am an official. Whether it's the Zhao family, the Han family, or the Jin family—it's all the same. One less martial hall means one more measure of peace in Sanyang. Though I am a scion of a noble house, a descendant of the Eight Princes, untouched by the suffering of common folk, since I became city lord, I must contribute something, achieve something. I did not target the Zhao family specifically—I targeted them all."

"The Zhao family's downfall was indeed accelerated by my maneuvering, but my own men never lifted a hand. I've only been city lord for less than a year—my power is still weak, and I could not yet afford to plunge into the local power struggles. The Zhao family's ruin ultimately stems from the greed of others—all wanted to bite off a piece of the Zhao family's flesh. The strong devour the weak—it has always been so."

He spoke with unshakable conviction, revealing his intentions without the slightest concealment.

According to Fan Zhizhou's plan, after the Zhao family's fall, he would have moved against the other martial halls and factions—but he never anticipated Li Yi appearing out of nowhere and smashing his entire scheme to pieces with a single punch.

"So you're saying the Zhao family's blood debt doesn't rest on your shoulders?" Li Yi narrowed his eyes.

"That depends on your decision," Fan Zhizhou said. "Will you kill both me and my servant, seize Sanyang City, and fight the Fan family to the death? Or will you grant us a chance to atone?"

He had already felt it—after that single punch exchange, Li Yi could kill him effortlessly. Even if the old servant used his heart's blood to restore his peak strength, it would make no difference.

This man was not ordinary—he could not be judged by normal standards. Even if both master and servant joined forces, the one who would die would still be him.

Fan Zhizhou had enough insight to see this clearly.

Li Yi laughed, then kicked his foot, sending the old servant rolling away to land at Fan Zhizhou's feet: "Then name your terms—something that satisfies me. After all, these are the lives of two Meridian Cultivators. I'm sure they're worth a great deal."

He reined in his killing intent.

He had thought it through—he could not let his momentary rage bring a chain of enemies upon the Zhao family. To establish himself in Sanyang and carve out his own territory, he could not alienate everyone. His strength was considerable, but he was not yet invincible. If he were given a few more years to cultivate and grow, what he sought would not be Sanyang City—but all of Xingzhou.

Seeing Li Yi was willing to negotiate, Fan Zhizhou exhaled in relief.

He had feared Li Yi was a mindless brute—if so, his life would have ended here. Since he was open to talk, everything could be resolved.

Fan Zhizhou thought briefly, then said: "I will give you half of Sanyang City's tax revenue. From now on, only the Zhao family martial hall may operate within the city. Whatever you do here, I will turn a blind eye. Additionally, I will give you ten rare treasures and twenty Great Elixirs—enough to cultivate another Meridian Cultivator. Moreover, your Zhao family's method of blood refinement into meridians is flawed. I will give you the Fan family's secret technique for blood refinement into meridians—capable of opening nine meridians and greatly strengthening your divine strength."

"The secret technique for opening nine meridians?" Li Yi's expression shifted—slightly intrigued.

Blood-refining martial artists required true transmission to refine blood into meridians—but the methods of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces were all secret. Even if one became a disciple, it was nearly impossible to obtain them. Even if one somehow acquired a method, it was only a low-grade one. The true top-tier blood-refining techniques were held only by noble houses.

The top-tier methods were said to allow one to open nine meridians in the Meridian Cultivation realm, storing vast quantities of blood energy. If perfected, the aura would be overwhelmingly dense—ordinary Meridian Cultivators would stand no chance.

His master Zhao Ge had opened only three meridians. The same went for Jin Zhihuan, Han Tianbao—roughly equal, all mediocre.

Even so, this was the best method any ordinary martial artist could obtain. To acquire a method capable of opening six meridians, one had to join a noble house like the wounded old servant—become their slave.

That was why this old servant, despite his declining bloodline, had exerted greater power than Jin Zhihuan even after using his heart's blood.

"If you reveal your secret technique, it's no longer a secret. Are you trying to deceive me?" Li Yi asked, skeptical.

After all, he had experience with deception.

"I swear on my life—it is no lie. You know that oaths in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces are bound by spirits and gods. The stronger the martial artist, the harsher the punishment for breaking an oath—violation invites heavenly retribution."

Fan Zhizhou said: "I am not afraid of it spreading, because Xingzhou is under Fan family control. Others who obtain this blood-refining method dare not practice it—they are not you, who dares to say, 'Are kings and generals born of noble blood?' If you take it and pass it to outsiders from another world, that is none of my concern—Fan family authority cannot reach beyond this world."

"Now that you say it, I believe you a little," Li Yi said.

In this world, oaths carried weight—not like the evil people of Diqiu, who over a thousand years ago had the traitor Sima defecating into the Luo River.

Li Yi also understood the reason: the Fan family's power was immense, and their blood-refining technique was their hallmark. Anyone not of the Fan bloodline who practiced it would die.

He was willing to give it to Li Yi because Li Yi was not of this world—once he crossed over, the Fan family no longer cared.

Yet Li Yi did not immediately accept his terms—he asked further: "What are the three realms of the Upper Three Realms?"

If anyone else had asked, Fan Zhizhou would have laughed—but coming from Li Yi, he felt no such amusement. Instead, he grew even more certain: Li Yi was not from the Four Seas and Eight Provinces—he did not even know the Upper Three Realms.

"After refining blood into meridians, one forms aura—but this aura can only gather within half a zhang of the body, unable to kill at a distance. Thus, the first realm of the Upper Three Realms is Aura Refinement—those who enter this realm can ride aura to fly and kill enemies from a hundred meters away."

"Above Aura Refinement is Spirit Refinement—martial will coalesces into a yin spirit body. Even if the physical body dies, one can persist as a yin spirit, enduring eternally. This realm is also called the Martial God."

"The final realm is Manifestation—the yin spirit transforms from illusion to reality, shedding the mortal form to become a spirit-god, unkillable for a thousand years."

After speaking, Fan Zhizhou paused: "The final realm, Manifestation—no one in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces has achieved it in five hundred years. The strongest martial artists today are only at Spirit Refinement."

"Aura Refinement, Spirit Refinement, and finally Manifestation—nearly no one can break through? So these are the Nine Realms of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces?" Li Yi's expression shifted slightly. In that case, a Meridian Cultivator truly was a formidable expert.

From his description, Li Yi judged he could not defeat an Aura Refinement expert.

After all, he still could not fly.

He just wondered—would cultivators eventually gain flight as they advanced further?