Chapter 272: The Secret of the Rice Cult

The Azure Cloud Carriage Firm was located in the outer city district of the West City.

Under the veil of night, inside the garden-like, massive carriage yard, hundreds of carriages of all sizes were parked in rows, forming a centipede-like formation. Under the lights, one could hear the restless movements and cries from the stables and the exotic beast lake, as well as the sounds of busy coachmen, craftsmen, and stable hands.

Unlike the inner city, which was covered by defensive formations at all times, the outer city was vast, a place where all sorts of people mingled and the flow of personnel was frequent.

This was one of the reasons why Wang Zhi dared to return!

At this moment, Wang Zhi and the owner of the Azure Cloud Carriage Firm, Wang Shouxin, were sitting in a room on the second floor of the west shed, not like a foster son and foster father, but rather as equals.

Wang Zhi appeared to be a youth of fifteen or sixteen; he was the boy who had driven the carriage for Yang Qingxi that day.

Wang Zhi was wearing a magical night-traveling garment, his eyes dark and gloomy: "Li Youyi is too cunning! He clearly heard the report that he had left Peach Plum Mountain, but he disappeared shortly after, and there is simply no trace of him."

Wang Shouxin said: "Although he has been crippled, he is, after all, a God-Hidden person of the Nine Li Hidden Sect; who knows how much power he might still command behind the scenes. Before the Fourth Divine Son arrives, we must not act rashly."

Wang Zhi smiled slightly: "He is the person the Southern Venerable specifically named. If we can capture him, it will be a great merit."

"What is the situation... underground in the Prefecture now?" Wang Shouxin asked.

"Only those above the rank of Elder understand this matter. I only heard the Southern Venerable and Elder Qiu discussing it once, saying: 'The great event is about to be accomplished!'"

Immediately following this, Wang Zhi's eyes turned cold again: "The biggest problem now is that the imperial court and the various rebel armies have actually united temporarily because of the demon race, and are no longer fighting among themselves."

Wang Shouxin's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something was wrong.

Outside the door, all sounds vanished in an instant; it was eerily quiet.

"May I ask what sacred being has graced us with their presence?"

Wang Shouxin's eyelids twitched violently, his pupils radiating cold light, the magic power within his body surging like a river as he struck a palm toward the tightly closed door in front of him.

With his cultivation base, let alone a wooden door, he could shatter even a city gate cast from steel with a single palm.

A bizarre thing happened.

This incomparably tyrannical palm strike was neutralized by an invisible force. The air around the wooden door in front began to ripple like water.

"Whoosh!"

Shi Jiuzhai's burly figure appeared out of thin air, standing in the room before the door, laughing: "Keep talking, this Dharma King still wants to hear more. Tonight's unexpected harvest is truly not small."

"Shi Jiuzhai!"

Wang Shouxin was terrified beyond measure, recognizing this fierce barbarian bandit who had great fame throughout the entire Southern Border.

While shouting those three words, he spat out a mouthful of magic power. Wrapped within the magic power was a flying sword of the Hundred-Character Scripture artifact level, about two feet long.

Under the stimulation of the magic power, the flying sword bloomed with piercing brilliance.

Dense, packed scriptures emerged on the body of the sword.

"Boom!"

The flying sword froze one foot in front of Shi Jiuzhai, ripples spreading from the tip of the sword, unable to advance even a fraction further.

"Bang!"

Wang Zhi smashed through the wall and leaped onto the street to the west of the Azure Cloud Carriage Firm.

Shi Jiuzhai glanced at the hole in the wall, spread the five fingers of his right hand, and pressed lightly into the air toward the ground. Instantly, the entire Azure Cloud Carriage Firm, including the surrounding blocks, was shrouded in a vast, white fog.

This was the "External Manifestation of the Dao Heart," which could reach a radius of three miles, turning it into his independent world.

Of course, the further out it went, the weaker the control became.

"Bang!"

Wang Zhi had just landed on the ground and looked up; the surrounding scenery had vanished, leaving only boundless white fog.

"What a formidable Shi Jiuzhai."

His Ancestral Field trembled, and ripples of space appeared beneath his navel.

From the center of the spatial ripples flew a golden whip of the First-Grade Hundred-Character Artifact level. The golden whip, like a golden flood dragon, wrapped and enveloped his body, stretching several yards long.

Over a hundred profound scriptures shrouded his entire body.

"Clatter, clatter!"

Footsteps sounded, and Li Youyi walked out of the fog: "One truly cannot judge a book by its cover! Who would have thought that a youth mixing in a carriage firm would actually be a existence at the Dao Seed Realm?"

Wang Zhi only had the appearance of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old, and the appearance of a Wu Xiu was often highly deceptive.

Wang Zhi grabbed the golden whip, an expression of disbelief welling up in his eyes: "It's you. Weren't you already crippled?"

Li Youyi said indifferently: "My Ancestral Field is merely crippled! With only the cultivation of the Sixth Sea, I believe there should be no problem in defeating you. Over the past half year, I have made great progress."

Wang Zhi sneered: "I'm afraid you still underestimate the combat power of a Dao Seed Realm Wu Xiu."

"Being able to cultivate an Ancestral Field, you are naturally not weak; you cannot be compared to those inferior-rooted Dao Seed Realm practitioners of the same level. Where is Qingxi? I miss her very much; where is she?" Li Youyi asked.

Wang Zhi frowned deeply; even he could not grasp the true relationship between Li Youyi and Yang Qingxi.

Li Youyi said: "Then let me change the question: where is Qi Xiao?"

"Swish!"

Wang Zhi's expression changed, magic power like a swimming dragon on his arm, and instantly the golden whip turned into a bolt of golden lightning and flew out, its speed extremely fast.

A harsh tearing sound appeared in the air.

Li Youyi calmly dealt with the intent power on the opponent's body, raising one hand forward, and instantly, countless hand seals appeared. Behind him, a five-yard-tall battle-method intent god-shadow rose.

One of the Twelve Scattered Hands: Spiritual Treasure Robbery Grab.

The golden whip's power was tyrannical, tearing open a white fog area hundreds of meters long, and a half-meter-deep groove was beaten into the ground.

A single whip could carve a river channel on flat ground!

But this Hundred-Character Artifact of immense power was steadily caught in Li Youyi's hand. Ignoring the look of shock written all over Wang Zhi's face, the magic power in Li Youyi's one hundred and twenty golden meridians circulated in unison, his wrist exerted force, and a tyrannical pulling power erupted.

"How is this possible..."

Wang Zhi had not expected that a Five-Sea Realm Wu Xiu could have power exceeding his own.

Quickly suppressing the shock in his heart, he no longer resisted Li Youyi, but instead took the initiative to charge toward Li Youyi.

Magic power energy overflowed from his entire body, his fingers rotated and formed a palm in the void, and instantly, the white fog within ten yards twisted along with it, and a small sun appeared in his palm, its light and heat both astonishing.

He struck with a palm!

The opponent's palm power came crashing over like a great mountain.

Li Youyi took a deep breath, and the ten battle-method intents behind him appeared simultaneously. With a flying kick, the jade tripod light and shadow manifested, colliding with the palm print Wang Zhi had struck.

"Pfft!"

Wang Zhi spat out blood, his body spinning as he flew backward.

This was too abnormal; how could there be ten battle-method intents?

The moment he landed, Wang Zhi jumped up violently, not caring about the golden whip taken by Li Youyi, and turned to flee.

A moment later.

Wang Zhi stiffened his body and stepped backward, step by step; in front of him were six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.

The seventh Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor stood on his left shoulder, its membrane wings, sharper than a magical battle sword, pressed against his neck. The membrane wings sliced through his skin, and blood flowed continuously.

"A First-Grade Hundred-Character Artifact, worth tens of thousands of Spring-Gushing Coins."

Li Youyi put the golden whip in his hand into his boundary bag; this speed of making money made him feel very happy.

However, what was most valuable about a Dao Seed Realm Wu Xiu was their magical battle weapon.

Li Youyi looked at Wang Zhi, who was restrained by the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors: "Who is the Southern Venerable? What great event are you plotting?"

Wang Zhi bit down on his snow-white teeth, his eyes becoming incomparably fanatical, laughing at Li Youyi, but saying not a word.

"They should be people from the Twin Rice Cult. It is said that there are five great Venerables in the cult, each responsible for the affairs of the four borders of the southeast, northwest, and Lingxiao City. There are also twenty-eight Elders, in charge of the twenty-eight prefectures of the world."

"In the evil path, the Twin Rice Cult is the absolute leader."

Shi Jiuzhai grabbed the unconscious Wang Shouxin and walked out of the fog.

As a Dharma King of the Earth Wolf King Army, he could also be considered half a person of the evil path, so he naturally had a deep understanding of the evil path.

Seeing his identity exposed, Wang Zhi said angrily: "Shi Jiuzhai, since you know we are people of the Divine Cult, you should hold a heart of awe; your Earth Wolf King Army cannot afford to provoke us."

Shi Jiuzhai could not be bothered to pay attention to him, transmitting his voice to Li Youyi: "Before I acted, I wanted to tell you that such pieces buried in the dark are mostly planted with Death Spirit Fire in their bodies. Now the trouble is big; the followers of the Twin Rice Cult are far crazier than the dark agents of the Sui Sect, and they are not afraid of death or torture at all. Trying to ask things out of their mouths is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"As soon as they see no hope of living, they will actively release the Death Spirit Fire in their bodies."

"You mean I've alerted the enemy?" Li Youyi said.

Shi Jiuzhai said: "Since it's already done, then take this opportunity to set a trap and fish out the big fish."

"I'll be the bait!"

Li Youyi was worried that Shi Jiuzhai would have another accident, but he was different; he had more than one guardian behind him... Thinking of this, a figure appeared in his mind, and he smiled: "Even if they have planted Death Spirit Fire in their bodies, it doesn't mean we can't ask things out."

"Swish!"

Li Youyi flashed, and with one palm, he knocked Wang Zhi unconscious.

The unconscious Wang Zhi and Wang Shouxin lay by the lake in the Qin Garden.

Chan Hai Guan Wu was dressed in red, wearing a veil; it was her true body.

Her figure was as beautiful as a painting, her temperament noble and mysterious, her ten snow-white fingers suspended above their heads, releasing countless threads of spiritual light that drilled into their skulls.

Li Youyi had long since witnessed Chan Hai Guan Wu's soul-searching methods; even if the opponent had Death Spirit Fire planted in their bodies, she could still find some memory fragments.

Now, Chan Hai Guan Wu's cultivation base was far superior to before, so soul-searching was naturally more certain.

Shi Jiuzhai was a bit distracted, looking at Chan Hai Guan Wu in the distance, believing that even when facing the Heavenly King Shi Na'er, he could be calm and composed. But after this woman appeared, he felt his heart pounding, his soul leaving his body, and his mind could not settle down at all.

It was not because of how strong her cultivation aura was...

It was like a natural fear!

He asked via voice transmission: "Which great master of supernatural powers is this?"

"Her? Regarding her affairs, you had best let them rot in your stomach; don't mention it to anyone, otherwise you will incur great karma." Li Youyi said.

Shi Jiuzhai did not feel that Li Youyi was joking, and nodded solemnly.

"Sizzle, sizzle!"

"Snap!"

Once soul-searching began, the Death Spirit Fire in the two bodies would be passively activated.

At this moment, it was already burning.

After a few breaths, they turned into two charred corpses.

The threads of spiritual light dissipated, and Chan Hai Guan Wu stood by the lakeside for a long time, saying nothing. Those beautiful eyes, full of wisdom and unfathomably deep, were in a state of contemplation.

Li Youyi walked over and asked: "Miss Chan Wu, what's wrong?"

Shi Jiuzhai hesitated for a moment and did not walk over, feeling very wary of Chan Hai Guan Wu.

Chan Hai Guan Wu looked at Li Youyi, her red lips parting slightly beneath the veil: "I did not obtain all the memories! From what is known so far, it is already astonishing... In just a thousand years, the Rice People of the Lingxiao Living Realm have actually grown to this extent; I must make a trip underground in the Prefecture."

(Regarding the origin and legends of the Rice People, it was discussed in Chapter 56, 'Benevolent Rice'.)