Chapter 236: Ge Xiantong

Yao Xingyue, the head of the Li clan, was already waiting outside the city gate to receive the people. He cupped his fists at Li Youyi, and the words of gratitude were all left unsaid.

Li Youyi knew from Yao Xingyue's eyes that experts were definitely rushing toward the city gate. He returned the salute, left quickly, and headed toward the Beicheng.

He sighed in his heart: "The little nun still has a conscience!"

Li Youyi was very observant and could see that Ku Di didn't care that much about Ji Di's life or death. The reason she compromised was simply to use Li Youyi's hand to release the people.

Beicheng.

The imperial court's largest stronghold in Qiuzhouzhou city, the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, had been broken through by the Brother Zuoqiu Sect last night through internal and external cooperation.

And now, the Prefecture Governor's Mansion had instead become a sanctuary for the Brother Zuoqiu Sect and Li clan Wu Xiu. Cang Li, Li Ling, Li Jiu Fu, and other Li clan Wu Xiu had all retreated here.

It wasn't that they didn't want to retreat back to the Nancheng, but they couldn't go back.

The enemy's numbers were several times theirs, and they were only able to hold out until dawn because the formations in the Prefecture Governor's Mansion were sufficient and well-preserved.

Li Youyi did not dare to get close to the Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

On the street several miles away from the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, he had already seen many Wu Xiu from the imperial court, the Far West Ash Region, and the Snow Sword Tang Ting, guarding every street corner.

Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng Lin You must be somewhere nearby; this place could be said to be extremely dangerous.

On the Nancheng side, it was mainly the Longmen and the Lei Xiao Sect attacking, responsible for destroying the various strongholds established by the Brother Zuoqiu Sect. The main forces of the imperial court, the Far West Ash Region, and the Snow Sword Tang Ting were all gathered in this district, surrounding the Prefecture Governor's Mansion like an iron barrel.

Li Youyi wandered in the peripheral areas, listening to various information, thinking about rescue methods.

If the Prefecture Governor's Mansion were broken through, how many people would end up on the roasting rack, how many would be beaten to their knees, stripped of their clothes, and lose all dignity? The methods of those evil demons from the Far West Ash Region were absolutely capable of making people wish they were dead.

And the war in reality would only be more cruel than this.

In reality, the Far West Ash Region was coming west to Lingxiao, conquering human territory, and even a junior like Li Youyi could see it clearly; it was already an inevitable trend.

For the defeated, what is lost is more than just life?

Li Youyi walked a circle around the peripheral areas laid out by the three major powers, his mood heavy to the extreme. Experts were like clouds, Five Seas Realm phalanxes were everywhere, and Great Thought Masters were setting up formations on every street...

The number of top-tier experts was so high that I fear nearly half of the two hundred strong holders were gathered here.

In this situation, let alone one Li Youyi, even ten Li Youyis breaking in would be left without even a corpse.

Prefecture Governor's Mansion.

After resisting the attacks of the three major powers all night, everyone was exhausted, but they didn't dare to rest, using all their strength to recover magic power and intent.

Cang Li sat on the mansion wall, which was as tall as a city wall, his right arm hanging down; he had been left behind alone during last night's pursuit, had his bones broken by Luan Sheng Lin You, and had almost followed in the footsteps of Yin Jiu.

Li Ling's intent was severely depleted, three hundred Golden Arrow Talismans were almost destroyed, and she had multiple wounds on her body.

The Brother Zuoqiu Sect had suffered heavy casualties, with nine Seventh Sea experts killed in battle, each of them a famous heaven-favored child of a state. Now their corpses were placed coldly on the ground, covered with white cloth.

Everyone's emotions were very low, and they all knew that being able to hold out until dawn was already a stroke of luck. Facing the siege of the three major powers, total defeat was only a matter of time.

If there were a choice to surrender, some of them would certainly be very tempted.

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting wore a wooden carved mask, dressed in green Taoist robes, her whole body stained with blood. Last night, fighting two alone, intercepting Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng Lin You, she had also suffered not-insignificant injuries.

But under the mask, her eyes were still sharp, without a trace of depression.

Walking to the side of Cang Li and Zhu Yibai, she stood on the mansion wall, heroic and straight like a battle flag, staring at Luan Sheng Lin You, who was sitting in the center of the street in the distance, and asked in a low voice: "Cooperating with me, do you two have any regrets?"

Zhu Yibai lay on the ground like a spread-eagled character, not wanting to move his eyelids at all: "Regret what? The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is just a drill for the world situation. If we lose, at least we helped the Zhu Sect tread out a wrong path, showing that cooperating with the Brother Zuoqiu Sect is likely a dead end. It's quite good, it has value."

Cang Li said: "Regret or not, the Li clan and the Brother Zuoqiu Sect have long been in the same boat. The Far West Ash Region is coming aggressively, and the imperial court is too busy to care for itself. If we can't get the support of the Due Temple, how can the Southern Region and the Western Region block them? This is not an individual battle; this is a world affair!"

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting smiled: "You two being able to jump out of the pattern of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and see the world situation—this is the vision that true inheritors should have. Actually, everyone doesn't need to be so dejected. According to the strength of the five major powers, if they joined hands, we should have died last night. Why are we still alive now?"

Many gazes were cast toward her.

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting was full of spirit: "Because it is impossible for the five major powers to cooperate sincerely. Last night, they didn't stop fighting in the dark at all; it would be good if they could exert sixty or seventy percent of their strength!"

"Lu Cangsheng and the Dragon Palace haven't rushed to the Beicheng yet, which means they haven't pulled out all our strongholds in the Nancheng."

Cang Li shook his head: "That shouldn't be; with the strength of the Lei Xiao Sect and the Longmen, they should have cleaned up the Nancheng long ago."

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting said: "Therefore, there must be a variable in the Nancheng... Eh... Li Youyi..."

Li Ling and Cang Li immediately stood up, following Brother Zuoqiu Hongting's gaze, looking into the distance.

Ten miles away, on the city wall of the inner city.

Li Youyi stood at the peak of the tall city tower, let out three long whistles, and then flashed and disappeared.

In the camps of the imperial court and the Far West Ash Region, several experts rushed out to chase after him.

Cang Li felt confused: "What does he mean by this? Even if he lured away a few experts, it can't change the overall situation, and he has placed himself in danger."

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting's eyes under the mask flashed with brilliance: "This guy Li Youyi is no reckless person; doing this must have a deep meaning."

"Even if there is deep meaning, facing Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng Lin You, it is still a dead end," Zhu Yibai said.

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting did not think so, and suddenly her heart moved: "I understand! The direction he was standing in just now is directly opposite the area where the imperial court Wu Xiu are located; perhaps he is telling us to break out from this direction."

Zhu Yibai sat up: "Facing Ge Xiantong and Chen Ziliang? I would rather fight Tang Wanqiu."

Li Ling said: "I think Sister Hong's analysis makes sense. Li Youyi would never run there and whistle three times for no reason; he must be passing information to us, wanting to cooperate from inside and outside."

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting suddenly laughed lightly: "I know how to break the situation! Besides the Prefecture Governor's Mansion, where is the imperial court's largest stronghold?"

"Naturally, it is the Attendant Palace located in the Nancheng," Cang Li said.

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting said: "To break the situation, we must first break the current balance of power in the city. The imperial court and the Far West Ash Region are too powerful; only by crippling one of their powers and letting the other side see the opportunity to get rid of their biggest competitor can the Brother Zuoqiu Sect escape the dead end of being besieged."

Zhu Yibai was overjoyed: "You mean, at all costs, heavily damage the imperial court and then take down the Attendant Palace. Let Luan Sheng Lin You see the opportunity to clean up the imperial court, their biggest opponent?"

Brother Zuoqiu Lancheng said: "This is too difficult, right? Whether we can break out of the encirclement is still an unknown. Then, we still have to attack the Attendant Palace as an exhausted army; any step is as difficult as ascending to heaven. And even if we succeed, it's just making wedding clothes for Luan Sheng Lin You."

"It is very difficult, but this is our only chance to rewrite the battle situation. Only by letting the existing balance of power collapse and letting Luan Sheng Lin You and the imperial court fight each other can we have a glimmer of survival."

Brother Zuoqiu Hongting said: "It's decided! Right now, we can only choose to believe in Li Youyi. Since he whistled three times... notify everyone, hurry up and rest and recuperate. In three quarters of an hour, break out from the direction of the imperial court. Life, death, victory, and defeat—all in this one battle."

Li Youyi changed his appearance, changed his clothes again, and at a noodle shop at the bridgehead by a large river, ordered a bowl of noodle soup with beef.

He sat facing the shop's main entrance, and could see boats sailing past on the river, which was over ten zhang wide.

By the bridge, a storyteller in Confucian robes was recounting the several fierce battles that had occurred last night.

"The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall stand. The year is Jiazi, the world shall be auspicious."

After the old gentleman shouted this slogan, it drew applause and cheers from the crowd.

Li Youyi always felt the voice of this old man in Confucian robes was familiar, and he channeled magic power to his eyes, wanting to see what he looked like.

Before his eyes, a figure flashed, and an uninvited guest sat opposite him, blocking his view, and shouted in a delicate voice: "Shopkeeper, please cook me a bowl of noodle soup."

The owner of this delicate voice was a boy of fifteen or sixteen, his skin as white as porcelain, his eyebrows green and eyes clear, wearing a white robe unstained by dust, wearing a jade crown, his temperament elegant and noble beyond words, completely out of place with the environment here.

But he was very easygoing, always smiling on his face, polite and courteous.

Li Youyi's noodle soup was served first, and after holding it in his hands, he hesitated for a moment and asked: "How about you go first?"

The delicate boy waved his hands hurriedly: "Everything has an order of arrival. How could I snatch your noodles? Just like, it is clearly the territory of the Lingxiao Palace; if everyone comes to snatch it, the world will be in chaos, and the people will not be able to make a living. If the rules are broken, everyone has to pay for the person who broke the rules."

Li Youyi said: "Isn't the territory of the Lingxiao Palace also snatched from the Lei Xiao Sect?"

"When the Fog Son was here, it was indeed like this. But the catastrophe a thousand years ago meant the Lingxiao Life Realm had effectively been destroyed once; it was the Great Palace Master who fought out a new Lingxiao Life Realm for the world's common people. Without the Great Palace Master, there would be none of the life that exists in the Lingxiao Life Realm now."

The delicate boy said: "You seem to know who I am?"

Li Youyi drank a mouthful of noodle soup and sighed: "Do all you people from the imperial court have noses like dogs and eyes that see through everything?"

The delicate-looking youth said, "Since you managed to escape, you shouldn't have shown yourself again. Do you know? I'm actually not called Ge Xiantong, but Ge Xiantong. It's just that when I was young, I was always by the Great Palace Master's side, looking like a young attendant, so the name was mistakenly passed down."

Li Youyi said: "Misreporting harms people! I originally thought the Disguise Technique was an amazing art in the world, but I didn't expect to meet a nemesis. Do you really have a pair of immortal pupils?"

Ge Xiantong carefully examined Li Youyi, observing his eyes: "Strange, truly strange. Could it be that Jiang Ning didn't bring the words to you? Why aren't you afraid of me at all? Don't you know I am here to... kill you?"

The word "kill" was spoken, and immediately a cold murderous intent shrouded the entire shop.

The wind could not blow in, and sound could not be transmitted in.

The noodle soup in the bowl no longer steamed, and all movement was suppressed.

"Anyway, I've been blocked here by you, so what's the use of being afraid? You, Ge Xiantong, are such a person; you aren't in a hurry for the time it takes to eat a bowl of noodles, are you?"

Li Youyi began to eat his noodles.

"Not in a hurry. I fought all night, and I'm hungry too!"

Ge Xiantong took out a pair of chopsticks, stood up hurriedly, and reached out to receive the noodle soup served by the shopkeeper.

The murderous intent had temporarily receded.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 237 =====