Chapter 54: Top 100 Martial Artists

The West Market of Nine Licheng was extremely prosperous. Not only did the major forces of Lizhou open their headquarters here, but on the signboards on both sides of the street, one could often see the names of some million-level forces and sects from the other six provinces of the Southern Region.

Like the Cangli tribe, it was at the level of a million-level force.

The number of people that a force could directly exert influence on could reach the number of one million. Of course, not every one of the Nine Li tribes could get the title of a million-level force.

The Nine Li tribes had long since declined, but because they rarely participated in world affairs for a hundred years, no one knew their true strength, so they could barely maintain the dignity of the only ten-million-level ancient clan in the Lingxiao Life Realm. They could be feared by cultivators of the world like the Zuoqiu and Longmen ten-million-level gates.

Lizhou in the Southern Region, bordering the Blood Sea and facing the Nether Realm, always had a mysterious color.

Fourteen years ago, when the first signs of chaos in the world appeared, forces from various outer provinces flooded into Lizhou to avoid disaster, followed by many martial arts conflicts.

In that half-year of intense conflict, not one of the young generation of the Nine Li tribes could fight, and the First Heads of all the Nine Li tribes were defeated. Even the clan leaders of all the Nine Li tribes were defeated six times in a row by Yang Shenjing, the number one expert of the Sui Sect, in the appointment battle of the Mang Mountain range. The other three were defeated by the three Supreme Elders of the Chen tribe, a million-level force.

The old, middle, and young generations, one generation was worse than the other, and losing face was secondary.

More importantly, the battle of Mang Mountain completely exposed the weak nature of the Nine Li tribe, and the ten-million-level ancient clan title fought for by the ancestors collapsed. The core interest of the Nine Li tribe, the "Nine Licheng Dao District," was cut into several pieces, establishing the Sui Sect, the Three Chen Palace, the Tianyi Sect, and the Coffin Sea Pavilion.

Among them, the most powerful Sui Sect was just a small follower helping the Nine Li tribe transport exotic world coffins a thousand years ago.

Zhao Zhizhuo's spring eye and five seas were abolished by Yao Qian, the current First Head of the Sui Sect, during the intense martial arts conflict fourteen years ago.

In the carriage, Zhao Zhizhuo told Li Youyi about the past, sighing and sighing, his heart like pressing a giant mountain, saying: "Actually, if the Nine Li tribes could be united enough, the overall strength would definitely be above the Sui Sect, and outsiders would not be able to defeat us so easily. The Sui Sect just relied on Yang Shenjing and Yao Qian to suppress the old and middle generations of the Nine Li tribe."

"A thousand years ago, the top-tier magic tool symbolizing the leader of the Nine Li disappeared. Later, no matter who was the leader, the tribes were not convinced, and there were constant secret struggles. Over time, the Nine Li tribe had no leader, and each governed itself. Being able to maintain the dignity of a thousand years is already considered a deep foundation, able to withstand defeat."

Li Youyi was very interested in that magnificent era and asked: "Is there really someone who can suppress a generation of Lizhou with their own strength?"

Zhao Zhizhuo nodded, many bad memories appearing in his mind, especially the figure that left a shadow in his heart, saying: "Now you understand why the Young Clan Leader has such great influence, right? Because the elders of all the Nine Li tribes saw hope in him. If the young generation of the Nine Li tribe back then had been competitive enough, even if the old and middle generations were defeated, the outside world would at least have praised that the ten-million-level ancient clan had a promising future, it was just that the first two generations were not strong enough."

Neither of them had the mood or sentiment to stroll in the West Market. After buying the spring liquid at a heavy price, they left the noisy market area and walked along the Dragon Street, which was more than ten zhang wide and ran through the north and south of Nine Licheng.

Li Youyi was preparing to find a place that met the requirements of a senior expert to live in, so he could start letting Master Guan, who was in the Evil Camel Bell, help Zhao Zhizhuo reshape the spring eye.

He was very cautious about this, including buying the spring liquid, he went masked.

"Seems to be watched!"

Li Youyi had been guarding against being followed, and after noticing it, he looked back.

The carriage following them was pulled by a silver-horned elk, an exotic beast five meters tall. The wheels and the carriage body were cast from gilded or pure gold, which was very rich and luxurious.

The carriage curtain was white light gauze, and one could vaguely see the heroic figure sitting inside.

Li Youyi had just let Zhao Zhizhuo pull over and stop, and the silver-horned elk behind pulled the carriage and walked up with a clatter. It was extremely tall and divine, making their sturdy horse look like a small donkey.

The aura released made the "small donkey" restless, and it was so frightened that it was about to lie on the ground.

The golden carriage, carrying a faint fragrance, stopped on Li Youyi's side.

The figure behind the white light gauze looked at him through the gauze, and said with a playful smile: "On the boat that day, I actually misjudged you. I thought you were just a low-class servant of the Cangli tribe. I didn't expect you to be a magic martial arts expert, and even two seven-spring martial cultivators of the Long Lin Bang died in your hands."

It was Yang Yun.

Yang Qingxi's younger brother, the eight-spring hero of the Sui Sect who was seventeen years old.

Li Youyi recognized him and said calmly: "I also misjudged! On the boat that day, I thought Young Master Yang was a pure boy. Looking at your posture today, it doesn't look like it!"

Yang Yun hated that the other side was clearly low in status and cultivation, but was not afraid of him at all, and said: "People, you can't be too greedy; you have to understand the truth of spending money to avoid disaster. You just made a fortune of one hundred thousand silver coins from the Long Lin Bang, but you are reluctant to part with a magic tool. It seems that today you are destined to have a bloody disaster... Haha... Let's go..."

"Clatter!"

The silver-horned elk pulled the carriage and went first.

Li Youyi looked at the golden carriage in the sun, and his heart became vigilant. Since Yang Yun appeared here, it was impossible that he was just saying those words; he must have expressed something.

Li Youyi asked: "Old Zhao, does the Yang tribe dare to kill in the streets of the city?"

Zhao Zhizhuo was a bit worried: "Hard to say! Since the Lingxiao Palace war situation has been unfavorable in the last two years, and the various righteous armies have won one victory after another, in Lizhou, the powerful forces and sects are increasingly not taking the Provincial Governor's Office and the City Defense Battalion seriously. Of course, the First Head went to meet you yesterday, and given the friendship between the Yang tribe and the Cangli tribe, Yang Yun shouldn't go too far. Otherwise, he would be slapping the First Head in the face!"

Lingxiao Palace was the master of the twenty-eight provinces of the Lingxiao Life Realm and was the supreme political power. At least until now, it was still like this.

"Watch out!"

Li Youyi's ears moved slightly, his face changed drastically, and he grabbed Zhao Zhizhuo's left shoulder.

The two rolled out into the center of Dragon Street.

Almost in the same instant, on the roof on the right, a deformed human expert nearly four meters tall, shaped like a giant ape with silver hair on his back, jumped down holding a two-meter-long iron rod nearly as thick as a bowl, smashing the position where Li Youyi and Zhao Zhizhuo had just sat into pieces.

"Boom!"

The carriage shaft broke, and the sturdy horse was frightened and ran away.

The carriage body behind was shattered.

The iron rod didn't know how heavy it was, but it was deeply embedded under the broken stone slabs.

One could imagine that if Li Youyi had reacted a breath slower just now, he and Zhao Zhizhuo would have already turned into a pile of rotten mud.

Li Youyi just wanted to bring everyone from Earth to settle down in this strange world, and then cultivate martial arts with peace of mind, never wanting to provoke right and wrong, and even less wanting to fight and kill.

But, it was too dangerous just now, almost brushing shoulders with death.

He drew the Huang Long sword from his back and stared at the silver-horned elk carriage that had traveled far away. Only then did he see that the carriage turned a corner a hundred paces away, facing Li Youyi, with the person in the carriage in a stance of watching a show.

"Roar!"

The giant ape deformed human missed a hit, immediately lifted the rod, took a step, and arrived in front of Li Youyi, swinging the second rod like Mount Tai pressing down.

Li Youyi had never encountered such a terrifying opponent.

That iron rod was clearly extremely clumsy, but in his hands, it was incomparably agile.

The giant ape-like freak, having missed its first strike, immediately raised its staff and, with a single step, arrived before Li Youyi, swinging a second blow with the force of Mount Tai.

For previous opponents, even if Li Youyi was inferior in strength, he would find a way to dodge. But the rod pressing down on his head gave him the feeling that he couldn't dodge no matter what.

Attack where there is no attack, dodge where there is no dodge.

"His combat technique is higher than mine. His attainment in rod technique is close to the Dao."

This thought flashed through Li Youyi's mind, and then there were no more distracting thoughts, and he swung a sword to collide head-on with the iron rod.

It was like a mountain pressing on his body.

The overwhelming power was transmitted to him from the Huang Long sword.

"Boom!"

Li Youyi retreated several zhang away, the tiger's mouth cracked, and his fingers found it difficult to grasp the sword hilt.

"Old Zhao, you go first!"

Li Youyi knew his strength was inferior to the opponent, so he immediately mobilized the five springs in his body, the surging magic power poured into the sixty trace meridians of his whole body, and then surged toward his right arm. The pain in the tiger's mouth and fingers dissipated, replaced by vigorous and endless power.

Battle intent boiled accordingly.

Finally, before the giant ape deformed human attacked again, a layer of brilliance appeared on the blade of the Huang Long sword.

"Taiyi Opens the Sea!"

Not daring to have the slightest reservation, he swung and slashed with one sword.

The sword energy broke the wind force, and the sword mark went and never returned, as if it could really split the sea with one sword. At least in Li Youyi's heart, he was thinking so at this moment.

Never climbed to such a mental state before!

The terrifying power was transmitted again, and Li Youyi was shaken back three steps.

But the power of this sword strike shocked all the spectators. It actually cut the iron rod nearly as thick as a bowl in the giant ape deformed human's hand into two, and the lingering charm of the sword wind left a foot-long bloodstain on his chest, successfully deterring him in place, not daring to step forward again.

In the distance, in the silver-horned elk carriage.

"Is this his magic tool? What a beautiful sword strike, what a sharp magic tool; if only it were mine."

Yang Yun, wearing a cloud-satin robe, sat on a seat covered with white fox fur, using a foot-long cyan whetstone to sharpen a three-inch-long small knife. The blade had already been sharpened by him like a mirror, able to reflect people.

But this small knife, which he had always cherished the most, looked more and more ordinary the more he looked at it.

Seems not to like it so much anymore!

The tiger-like deformed human driving the carriage said: "Young Master, the City Defense Battalion is coming soon."

"Then let's go! Just a seven-spring martial cultivator, but possessing a magic tool, this combat power bonus is not small. We have already helped test it out; the assassins of the Five Burial Temple should have a count in their hearts."

Yang Yun asked: "Do you think we have given enough face to the Cangli tribe?"

The tiger-like deformed human said: "The silver-backed ape Yao Zhengsheng who made the move was found in the Seven Springs Hall. The one who killed was the Five Burial Temple. What does it have to do with us? Young Master is overthinking!"

"Who is stronger, you or Yao Zhengsheng?" Yang Yun asked.

The tiger-like deformed human said: "In the Seven Springs Hall, I am ranked seventy-second, and he is eighty-second; both are top 100 martial artists in Lizhou, half a catty to eight taels!"

"Your second Five Seas Pill is already being applied for. This time, don't let my sister down again!" Yang Yun said.

The tiger-like deformed human showed great joy. Originally, he had accepted his fate after failing to break through the first time he took the Five Seas Pill. Who would have thought that there would be a second chance?

"Lu Can will definitely serve the Young Lady and Young Master to the death."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 55 =====

The tiger-like freak's eyes shone with great joy; having failed to break through his realm on his first dose of Five Seas Pill, he had already resigned himself to his fate. Who could have imagined there would be a second chance?

"Lu Can will surely serve the Young Lady and the Young Master with his life."

(End of Chapter)