Chapter 757

After leaving the Zhao Family Martial Hall, Li Yi did not hurry to leave Sanyang City, but returned to the Li Estate.

The Li Estate was his residence in Sanyang City, previously used as a temporary lodging during cross-realm travels; as a man from Earth, he always secured a place to live, no matter which world he was in, to avoid homelessness or dependence on others.

Although he had not returned to this estate for a long time,

it was still maintained, showing no signs of decay.

Li Yi descended from the sky and landed in the front courtyard, his gaze falling on a woman in a purple long robe standing beside the yard; she radiated an icy, chilling aura, and though her appearance seemed youthful, she gave off an ancient, decaying impression.

At that moment, the woman in purple was slowly sweeping fallen leaves from the courtyard with a broom.

Yet Li Yi's arrival immediately drew her attention; she halted her sweeping and stared at him with startled uncertainty, as if his appearance had utterly surprised her.

"Ghost God Zifeng," Li Yi said slowly.

Though this Ghost God had not revealed his true form but instead assumed the guise of an ordinary woman, Li Yi's eyes would never mistake her.

"Your humble servant greets Young Master Li," Ghost God Zifeng hastily knelt and bowed low, showing utmost reverence.

The stronger one was, the more terrifying they felt Li Yi's aura to be.

Even Zifeng, a thousand-year-old Ghost God, trembled involuntarily, as if the Li Yi before her was no longer human, but a true deity whose every gesture carried the power to shake the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

Recall that the last time they met, the thousand-year Ghost God could still exchange blows with him.

But how much time had passed since then?

The Li Yi before her now seemed to have transcended mortal limits, terrifying even a Ghost God.

"Come with me," Li Yi said calmly, then strode toward the main hall.

Zifeng dared not defy him; she rose quickly and followed respectfully behind.

After sitting down, Li Yi spoke directly: "I remember when I left the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, I left four Ghost Gods to monitor the realm—Cuiyue, Jianshan, Hanshan, and you—and I promised that one day I would restore your bodies and grant you another life."

"I, Li Yi, keep my word—but before I fulfill that promise, I wish to know what changes have occurred in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces. If you know anything, speak truthfully."

He did not put on airs or glare; he merely affirmed his commitment, and likewise, Ghost God Zifeng should fulfill her duty—patrolling the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, not sweeping leaves here to pass the time.

Zifeng replied at once: "Young Master Li, recent days have seen great upheaval in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces: a group of demonic beasts crossed over into this realm. These demons are extraordinarily cruel, feeding on humans, and martial cultivators cannot stand against them."

At these words, Li Yi's expression shifted.

As expected.

The demonic beasts from the Demon God Realm had arrived in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

"If I crossed over, why didn't I see those demons?" Li Yi asked again.

Zifeng continued: "Another group crossed over as well, luring those demons to Liangzhou. Liangzhou is barren, with few civilians; the great battle erupted there and affected little else, so other provinces have seen no trace of the demons and remain intact."

"Liangzhou? So that's how it is," Li Yi said, suddenly understanding everything.

It must have been Master Zhao Ge's suggestion.

A classic ploy: lure the tiger away from the mountain.

If those demons had scattered across the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, eradicating them would have been extremely difficult.

"Are they still fighting in Liangzhou?" Li Yi asked.

Zifeng said: "The Yin Soldiers send word every three days. The latest message says the demons grow fiercer with each battle; Liangzhou is on the verge of collapse, and the cross-realm passage has been blocked by the demons. All martial cultivators and civilians of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces are now trapped like fish in a barrel."

Though she had lived a thousand years and was emotionally detached and cold, even she could not hide a flicker of sorrow as she spoke.

A powerful enemy had crossed over, and they had no way to resist.

A single demon beast could crush a thousand-year Ghost God—this was not battle, but slaughter.

Had it not been for the arrival of other cross-realm experts, the Four Seas and Eight Provinces would already be a hellish wasteland.

"Come with me to Liangzhou," Li Yi stood up.

If he rushed to reinforce them now, it was not yet too late.

"Young Master Li seeks to save all living beings; your humble servant will follow, even at the cost of my life," Ghost God Zifeng said respectfully.

Though she did not know how Li Yi's strength compared to the demons, in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces, she had no choice but to fight them; she had remained here all this time because Zhao Ge had ordered her to.

His purpose: to wait for Li Yi's arrival.

Li Yi said nothing, only took a few steps forward; a blessed cloud formed beneath his feet, then expanded, lifting him and Ghost God Zifeng slowly into the sky.

"Master."

At that moment, someone from the estate knelt and cried out in reverence; nearby stood several beautiful women, their faces vaguely familiar.

"Jin Dafu, manage the estate well until I return," Li Yi recognized him, acknowledged his loyalty, and then rode the cloud into the heavens.

In the space of a single breath,

Li Yi and Ghost God Zifeng vanished beyond the horizon.

Such speed surpassed the understanding of any martial cultivator in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

Jin Dafu, still kneeling, stared wide-eyed in disbelief—this master he served, what was he now? Man or god? How in just a few years had he gained such impossible power?

Warriors flying was not rare; Qi Condensation cultivators could glide just above the ground.

But vanishing in an instant—such speed was undeniably divine.

"What realm has Li Yi reached now? Years ago he quelled the Ghost God rebellion; now he must have transcended mortality. Even Zhao Ge is no longer the same…" murmured a voluptuous, alluring woman beside him, eyes wide.

If Li Yi were present, he might recognize her—she was Hua Sanjie. Before the upheaval in Sanyang City, she had been the madam of the Hua Brothel, a woman of status and prestige.

But since Li Yi arrived in Sanyang City, this small city had become a den of dragons and tigers: not only had the Four Great Families stationed their experts here, but thousand-year Ghost Gods had taken root, and the Zhao Family Martial Hall changed daily, producing new masters without end.

Even though the Zhao Family Martial Hall had not deliberately absorbed other factions, how could a mere brothel madam like her find space in a place where dragons and tigers coiled?

So Hua Sanjie bit her lip and sold herself into the Li Estate, clinging to Li Yi's towering tree.

Of course,

with her status, she had no right to even enter the estate—she would have been driven out. After all, Li Yi was now the sovereign of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces. But fate intervened: when Li Yi first met Hua Sanjie, he had playfully teased her, saying she still possessed charm and could serve as a warm-bed maid in his household.

At that time, Li Yi was not yet powerful, and she had politely refused.

But now, everything had changed.

Li Yi's idle jest had become an imperial decree—spoken without thought, heard with intent.

Thanks to those words, the Zhao Family Martial Hall tacitly permitted her entry into the Li Estate as Li Yi's warm-bed maid, which was why she stood here today, kneeling beside the steward Jin Dafu to pay homage to Li Yi.

But now Li Yi was in a hurry to reach Liangzhou; he had no time to greet these familiar faces.

Though the Four Seas and Eight Provinces were vast, they were merely a small world, no larger than Earth before spiritual energy had revived.

With Li Yi's mighty magic power fueling the cloud-riding technique, it took only moments before they entered the territory of Liangzhou, one of the Eight Provinces.

Upon entering Liangzhou, demonic energy filled the air, thick with miasma; the land was shattered, and as far as the eye could see, all was wasteland.

Liangzhou, once already desolate, had been utterly devastated by the demons.

Villages and cities had been completely destroyed; not a single living soul remained.

"This province is surely finished," Li Yi's gaze hardened. Even if he repelled the demons of the Demon God Realm, Liangzhou would cease to exist—the Four Seas and Eight Provinces would become the Four Seas and Seven Provinces.

"The demonic energy gathers over there."

He gazed into the distance and sensed a powerful, concentrated demonic aura—its level was at least that of a Great Demon, and there was more than one such aura.

Meaning several Great Demons had invaded the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

But if Great Demons were here, who was opposing them?

As Li Yi drew closer, he saw an island floating in midair. The island had suffered countless attacks and was broken and ruined, yet it still emitted a steady glow of treasure-light, its array still active, barely sustaining its existence.

"Floating Immortal Island."

Li Yi recognized the island—it had once been the magic treasure of a Soul Transformation expert from the Xuan Immortal Continent, whom he had slain; afterward, the Floating Immortal Island came into his possession.

He had left it in Tianchang City.

Later, it was damaged and stolen by Du Baizhi, who seized the Golden Academy.

After killing Du Baizhi, Li Yi had abandoned the Floating Immortal Island—he could not repair its damage, so he left it unused. Yet now, this island had appeared in the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

Clearly, someone had retrieved the ruined island and restored it; otherwise, it could not function.

And as Li Yi suspected, this was true.

The Floating Immortal Island had been taken over by Lin Yue of the Golden Academy. Knowing it was Li Yi's discarded treasure and seeing it wasted, she brought it back to Tianchang City and had the Bald Daoist reforge and repair it.

The Floating Immortal Island was no longer a broken treasure—it was now a lower-grade Dao Artifact, self-contained within its own micro-realm, capable of housing many people.

Lin Yue intended to turn it into a new home for cultivation and residence.

Unexpectedly, when disaster struck, the Floating Immortal Island proved invaluable, protecting them as they fled to the Four Seas and Eight Provinces.

But the crisis was not over—the Great Demons of the Demon God Realm had followed them here.