Chapter 169: 168. My name is Li Yi; gods and ghosts alike give way before me

168. Chapter 168: My name is Li Yi; gods and ghosts alike give way before me.

Outside Sanyang City, at the foot of Daqing Mountain.

Standing atop a carriage parked by the roadside, Fan Zhizhou gazed into the distance, having witnessed every detail of Li Yi's battle with Meng Jia and other experts; his face bore an expression of disbelief, his eyes filled with deep terror.

"Meng Kuohai, Meng Jia's invincible Qi Refining powerhouse—just like that, he's dead? He never even reached Li Yi's side. What weapon is Li Yi holding? It's not a crossbow, yet its power surpasses crossbows a thousandfold—how could it kill a Qi Refining expert from five hundred steps away? This is simply unbelievable—it's five hundred steps apart!"

"And that attack came instantly—Meng Kuohai didn't even react before his body exploded. Had he not possessed the extraordinary physique of a Qi Refining expert, had he not forcibly expelled his heart's blood at the last moment, he would've been dead on the first strike."

"Besides Meng Kuohai, the other Meng Jia Qi Orifice experts had no defense at all against such an attack—not even time to dodge. The moment that thunderous sound rang out, their bodies shattered instantly. No, I calculated it just now: the Meng Jia experts' bodies exploded first, then the sound reached them."

At this moment, Fan Zhizhou's worldview was shattered; the more he recalled, the more terrified he became.

That attack—was it faster than sound?

This is just too absurd.

The attack arrives before your ears even hear it—how can you dodge? How can you defend?

If it can kill a Qi Refining expert from five hundred steps away, perhaps it can kill a Qi Orifice expert from a thousand steps.

A thousand steps—that's four full li away. At that distance, you can't even make out a person's shape. If the enemy strikes from such a range, you won't even know what happened before your body explodes into fragments.

The old servant beside him was now silent, his eyes filled only with shock and dread.

Now that he thought back, when he had fought Li Yi earlier, the man had used only his fists, not his weapon—he'd been merciful. Had he used such a weapon, Fan Zhizhou would have had zero chance of survival; his fate would've matched those Meng Jia Qi Orifice experts—his body shattered into meat paste, scattered across the ground, turned to fertilizer.

"Young master, Li Yi's weapon must have come from another world—there is nothing like it in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces," the old servant said, his voice trembling.

He understood well: before such a weapon, his own strength was no different from an ordinary man's. Any hit meant certain death—with no chance to evade.

"I understand—this weapon is undoubtedly an artifact from another world. But do you know what terrifies me most? Not this. It's that if such a weapon exists, it cannot be alone. Just like our bows and crossbows in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, it must be mass-producible—a weapon capable of effortlessly killing Qi Refining experts. How absurd! Hahaha! If so, what are we martial artists? What talent? What cultivation? What blood qi? All of it is garbage."

Fan Zhizhou laughed now, thick with self-mockery: "I thought I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well. Now I see—I'm just an earthworm in the soil, never having seen the sky. No wonder Li Yi looked down on us martial artists. No wonder the ancient, thousand-year clans were nothing but a fart. No wonder he dared to spill the Emperor's blood."

The old servant beside him fell silent.

His entire worldview had been overturned—he had spent his whole life unable to imagine a weapon that could kill a Qi Refining expert from five hundred steps away.

If such weapons could truly be mass-produced, then martial artists of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces were dung—and the entire world would be overturned in an instant.

"Is the gap between me and Li Yi's world really this vast? I, Fan Zhizhou, am a Qi Orifice expert—among my peers, I'm considered exceptional. Am I not even worthy of lifting my eyes to the sky?" Fan Zhizhou couldn't help but roar to the heavens, as if demanding an answer from gods and spirits.

"Now I feel the Four Seas and Eight Provinces are too small—so small I can't bear to stay here a moment longer. Even breathing feels suffocating. I want to look up at the sky. I want to see the world beyond—where experts are as countless as fish crossing a river."

"If I had never seen the sky, I could have lived in peace. But why must I now glimpse the boundless expanse beyond our world?"

He raved, screaming, venting his anguish.

At this moment, Fan Zhizhou felt his entire life was a joke. At twenty-five, he reached Qi Orifice—he had been so happy then, as foolishly joyful as a child.

No, not just him—everyone was a fool. Everyone was a joke.

"Young master, calm down," the old servant, unsure how to console him, could only say: "The battle isn't over yet. Two more Meng Jia experts still fight Li Yi in the pavilion."

"One is Meng Yanwei, the other Meng Cai—an old man and a woman, both Qi Orifice experts. What can they possibly use to kill Li Yi? You and I have seen Li Yi's fists—he wields divine strength. Even if he opened nine orifices, he'd still be pounded to death. They're fools, thinking they can win by closing the distance—but they don't realize Li Yi's power now is peerless within his realm. Even Meng Kuohai, with his innate divine strength, if he returned to Qi Orifice, would still be killed."

Fan Zhizhou laughed again now—he thought these two Meng Jia Qi Orifice experts were utterly foolish.

In truth, as he suspected, it was exactly so.

Inside the pavilion, a life-or-death battle raged.

Li Yi's vertical pupils glowed. His towering frame surged forward, pressing his advantage relentlessly. He threw punch after punch—each strike unleashing crushing force, waves of energy rolling, techniques flowing without pause. Not a single blow was held back. Each one aimed to kill. His killing intent was terrifying.

Meng Cai's blood qi was thick and powerful—she had opened nine blood orifices. Yet now, matching fists with Li Yi, she was utterly outmatched. Every punch she threw was forcibly pushed back. Her body staggered backward. In less than ten breaths, she was driven out of the pavilion. Her blood qi churned uncontrollably from the divine force, leaving her unable to steady herself.

"What realm are you in? I've met many Qi Orifice experts in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces—none could overpower my punches."

She was stunned, unable to hold back her cry of disbelief.

"I'm in Bone Refining, still refining my marrow. What realm do you think I'm in? I'm used to killing Qi Orifice experts across three realms—don't act so shocked."

Li Yi's vertical pupils fixed coldly on her. He stepped forward again, raised his fist—like a thunder god striking a hammer—energy exploded, as if tearing the air apart.

"A Bone Refining martial artist? I don't believe it." Meng Cai, both shocked and furious, forced her blood qi to surge and unleashed her ultimate technique, trying to drive Li Yi back.

But as their fists clashed again, faced with that terrifying force, she let out a choked groan, blood trickling from her lips. Her aura instantly withered. Both fists were now shredded flesh and broken bone. Her sleeves were torn to rags, revealing arms crisscrossed with bloody wounds—grotesque to behold.

"People believe only what they wish to believe. Even when they know something beyond their understanding exists, they still deny it. That is reality." Li Yi's expression remained calm. His fists now began to glow faintly: "You think you can match my fists? That's only what I let you feel. Try again."

As his words ended, he closed the distance again, his vertical pupils locking onto her. He threw a punch—the light flared violently.

"Do you think I'm afraid?"

Meng Cai roared, summoning all her blood qi. Her fist condensed into a golden aura, glowing crimson like a sunset—beautiful, yet deadly.

This technique was her own creation: "Dusk's End."

This punch meant death.

Not just for the enemy—but for herself too. If this punch failed to kill, she would be left powerless to fight again.

"Now!"

Hidden nearby, Meng Yanwei seized the moment. He burst forth with a roar, channeling all his blood qi, unleashing his peak technique, hoping their combined assault would end this great enemy.

Yet facing the ambush from behind, Li Yi didn't even glance back. His punch employed the Guiding Technique—its power was extraordinary, far beyond what any Qi Orifice expert could withstand.

"Boom!"

The punch exploded, light flaring.

Li Yi's punch obliterated Meng Cai's fist aura, crushed her thick blood qi, then continued unimpeded—its force tore through her arm, shredding bone and flesh.

A piercing scream echoed.

Meng Cai's arm vanished instantly. The residual force hurled her backward, slamming her hard into the mud far away. She lay there, unable to rise, coughing up blood, her internal injuries severe.

But at the same time, Meng Yanwei's punch never reached Li Yi—it was effortlessly blocked by a thick, glowing palm.

That palm, too, glowed brilliantly.

"How…?" Meng Yanwei's eyes widened in shock—he had been so sure of his timing, so certain Li Yi was unprepared.

Why had he blocked it so precisely?

"You're weaker than that woman," Li Yi said, gripping his fist and yanking hard, then throwing a punch forward.

The force erupted. Amid his terrified scream, the punch pierced his skull, spraying a mist of blood.

The old Qi Orifice expert from Meng Jia twitched twice—then fell still.

Li Yi casually tossed the corpse into a mud pit—somewhere to rest, at least. Then he turned and strode toward the disarmed woman nearby.

Li Yi casually tossed the corpse into a mud pit, giving it a place to rest, then ignored it and strode toward the woman with the severed arm nearby.

Meng Cai struggled to rise, drenched in blood. Blood kept pouring from her mouth—her blood qi was completely out of control. She looked at Li Yi now with no trace of contempt—only deep terror.

That punch—she couldn't withstand it. Couldn't block it.

She had been pounded until she spat blood.

No tricks. No shortcuts. Pure strength.

She had been utterly crushed. Defeated, with no resentment.

"Since you're a woman, and your strength is decent, I won't kill you with a single punch—it'd be too cruel. Sever your heart meridian yourself. I'll dig a grave for you. This place has good feng shui—I've checked. Backed by mountains, facing water, gathering wind and storing qi. Buried here, you'll have peace in the afterlife."

Li Yi stopped walking, looked down at her, his vertical pupils glowing, calm yet dangerous.

"Hah. You're surprisingly sentimental. But when we were punching, you didn't hold back."

Meng Cai sneered. "What's your name? Where are you from?"

"I'm not from the Four Seas and Eight Provinces. I crossed over only to seek justice. Remember my name: I am Li Yi—gods and ghosts alike give way before me."

"Li Yi? Bold words—gods and ghosts give way before you? But I won't yield. I'll unleash my heart's blood—we fight again."

With that, Meng Cai let out another cry, forcing her heart's blood to surge. Her pale face flushed crimson. Her withered body regained strength. The pain vanished under the heart's blood's surge—she felt like she'd been injected with adrenaline, artificially prolonging her life.

"I admire martial artists of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces. Everyone hides a heart's blood. Everyone's ferocious—always ready to die. Even dare to challenge a sniper rifle. Truly terrifying."

Li Yi's expression remained unchanged. He waited until her heart's blood was fully activated.

"Since you refuse to sever your own heart meridian, I'll have to send you on your way myself." Li Yi lowered his gaze slightly, activated the Guiding Technique, and directed his body's energy to converge in his fists before suddenly raising them.

The female martial artist, blood surging, unleashed all her energy and charged forward once more.

"Since you refuse to sever your heart meridian, I'll have to send you to your death myself." Li Yi lowered his gaze slightly, activated the Guiding Technique, channeling his body's energy into his fists, then raised them sharply.

Only thirty breaths later.

Meng Cai's broken body was hurled again, crashing into the ground. She couldn't even cough up blood—her blood qi had been utterly drained. Her breath grew fainter. Her eyes, fixed on the sky, slowly lost focus.

"Lost…" she whispered. Even after expending her last drop of blood, she still couldn't overpower his punch.

This Li Yi was truly peerless within his realm.

Powerful enough to inspire despair.

Li Yi glanced at her, said nothing more, turned, and began gathering his things—reloading his sniper rifle, picking up the spent casings—then walked out of the pavilion.

When he looked back at the female martial artist, he saw her head tilted, eyes vacant—her breath had ceased.

"I'm a kind man. You came to kill me, yet I still bury you."

Li Yi walked over, dug a simple grave, and buried her.

Afterward, he approached the remains of the Qi Refining expert, rummaged through the debris, and found only a few bottles of potent medicine and some silver notes—nothing of greater value. It seemed even experts weren't wealthy.

But out of kindness, Li Yi buried him too.

After all, this man had fought a sniper rifle tooth and nail. That courage alone made Li Yi feel humbled. Choosing him a good burial spot was the least he could do.

Then he took one of the dead man's steeds, mounted it, and rode toward Sanyang City.

"Now that I've killed a Qi Refining expert, next time I'll be more prepared. Too bad—I used eleven special rounds to win this fight." Li Yi inwardly winced—such rounds were hard to replenish in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

But luckily, he'd prepared thirty rounds total. He still had eighteen left.

Standard rounds were plentiful—over eighty remaining.

After returning, he'd definitely request more ammunition. Li Yi suffered from the same ailment as most people: fear of insufficient firepower.

As he drifted in thought, a carriage hurried toward him.

"Brother Li, wait!" Fan Zhizhou's voice called from the carriage.

Li Yi knew that after today, the existence of this sniper rifle could no longer be hidden. He said calmly, "This weapon isn't much. I have far more powerful weapons back home—weapons that can destroy an entire city in an instant. But my abilities are limited; I can't bring them over. Still, they're more than enough to deal with Qi Condensation experts."

"But I have no grudge against the Meng family. Today they came to kill me—I was forced to defend myself. Otherwise, I wouldn't have used such a weapon. After all, it's somewhat dishonorable to win this way."

"Understood, understood." Fan Zhizhou wiped the sweat from his brow.

He couldn't help but be terrified by Li Yi's few words—weapons capable of obliterating a city in an instant?

What kind of world could possibly be so terrifying?

Fan Zhizhou steadied himself and said, "Today, Brother Li, you displayed divine might, slaying the Meng family's Qi Condensation experts. After this battle, the Meng family will never dare trouble you again. My Fan family will seize this opportunity to act as mediator, clearing up the misunderstanding and preventing future conflict."

"I hope so. I don't enjoy fighting or killing. After all, martial cultivators across the Four Seas and Eight Zones all struggle to advance—dying senselessly in my hands would be a waste." Li Yi said as he rode his horse. "I only wish to train peacefully in Sanyang City. I'm still at Bone Cultivation—there's still a long road ahead in martial cultivation."

At this moment, Fan Zhizhou understood: Li Yi had come to the Four Seas and Eight Zones to cultivate, seemingly aiming to combine the strengths of both worlds to enhance his power.

"May I boldly ask, how long has Brother Li been cultivating?"

Li Yi said, "I started late. I began cultivation at twenty, and so far, only three months have passed."

"Three months? Impossible." Before Fan Zhizhou could speak, the old driver beside him widened his eyes and blurted out in shock.

Three months of cultivation—and he crushed a Qi Aperture expert? Killed a Qi Condensation expert?

This was utterly absurd.

Li Yi glanced at him. "To be precise, it's been a little over two months. Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

Fan Zhizhou was stunned too, his eyes filled with disbelief. "Then… how long did it take you to reach Bone Cultivation?"

"About five days. After Bone Cultivation, progress slows considerably. Achieving Marrow Cultivation quickly isn't easy—you still need to refine your blood, then Qi Aperture. It'll take at least half a year, maybe a full year, to complete these stages." Li Yi said.

Five days to reach Bone Cultivation?

Fake. This must be fake.

How could such an absurd thing be possible? Even if a martial master deliberately destroyed his own cultivation and restarted, he couldn't advance this fast. Five days isn't even enough to fully absorb a single Great Elixir.

"Enough talking. I need to go back for dinner. Farewell." Li Yi finished, uninterested in further chatter, and spurred his horse into a gallop—he still had to return home for mutton.

His master had stewed a big pot of fine yellow sheep meat. He'd just fought a battle and was hungry—he'd eat more.

Thinking of the yellow sheep meat in this world, Li Yi couldn't help but salivate.

"Ha! Hahaha! Three months of cultivation, five days to Bone Cultivation, half a year to complete Qi Aperture!" After Li Yi left, Fan Zhizhou burst into wild laughter. "Did you hear that? This Li Yi—who's shaken the Four Seas and Eight Zones and crushed martial cultivators under his shadow—is just a brand-new beginner!"

"That weapon isn't even the most powerful. There are weapons that can destroy entire cities—ha! An entire city, gone in an instant. Can you even imagine that?"

"I can't—I'm dying laughing. Of course. A frog at the bottom of a well can never imagine what the world truly looks like."

Laughing, Fan Zhizhou sprinted toward the distant muddy fields.

After running far, he suddenly fell to the ground and began frantically digging into the soil. Soon he was covered head to toe in mud, yet he paid no mind—even using his Qi Condensation energy to dig faster.

"Young master."

The old servant's face was filled with worry. He feared Fan Zhizhou, unable to accept all this, had suddenly gone mad.

Though he himself wanted to go mad, he was already an old man—he'd seen enough. He only wished to spend his remaining days quietly in Sanyang City, uninterested in other worlds.

But when the old servant rushed over, he found Fan Zhizhou suddenly shouting again: "Found it! Found it!"

In his muddy hands, he held a bullet tip made of a peculiar metal.

The bullet tip was indestructible, gleaming with metallic luster under the sun, dazzling and brilliant.

"Young master, this—"

The old servant tried to ask, but Fan Zhizhou covered his mouth with his muddy hand, then stared intently and said, "Don't ask. Don't wonder. Help me find more of these things—bring them all back. I'm returning to the Fan family. Also, bring Meng Kuohai's remains. I'll use these to convince the Fan family—to show them just how small the Four Seas and Eight Zones are, and how vast the world beyond truly is."

"Your servant understands."

The old servant nodded solemnly.