Chapter 154: The Nine Tripods Unite, Ascend the Tower Again!

Rain fell as Li Guanyi gasped for breath.

His tensed muscles relaxed, blood and qi surged at high speed, internal organs exploded at an ultra-high level, rapidly raising his body temperature; now relaxed, he exhaled thick white steam—any ordinary person would suffer internal organ poisoning and die immediately after such an explosion.

In his past life, the woman who burst her limits to lift a car and save a child, the man who held back a boulder—both experienced this: the body has limits; exceeding them causes internal heat, fever, rising blood pressure, and other side effects, yet Li Guanyi's physique outright ignored these side effects.

He felt the Golden Core formed by the Ten Thousand Ancient Moon Imperishable Body had consumed a full third of its energy.

This thirteen-breath explosion consumed more than his battle with Xu Huiyang.

Using the dark-gold mask's ability to conceal his aura, he seized the initiative, shattered Chen Yuyun's defense with a sudden burst, then pierced his throat with Murong Qiushui—the sword given by his aunt—at the exact moment Chen unleashed his internal qi, reversed his grip, and drove the blade through, killing him instantly; in this brief span, Li Guanyi condensed all he had learned.

If any single step had failed, it would have turned into a stalemate, making instant kill impossible.

The dark-gold mask calmed Li Guanyi's mental exhaustion.

He crouched slightly, swiftly tapped Chen Yuyun's body, paused briefly, gripped something with five fingers, yanked hard, and tore off the jade disc; under the dim night, he recognized its Bai Yu style—it felt familiar.

He tucked the Bai Yu into his chest, then took everything else from Chen Yuyun's body.

This was Po Jun's advice.

Yes, the top ten masters killing Chen Yuyun would strike once and kill.

But would Situ Deqing do this?

"He won't."

As Po Jun spoke, he smiled, his eyes tinged with faint purple, tapping his brow with a folding fan: "Put yourself in Situ Deqing's place—what would he do? He'd do everything possible to make it look like someone else killed him, conceal his own identity."

"Like murder. Like robbery."

"To make the Emperor believe Situ Deqing committed the killing, he'd immediately suspect and disbelieve that outcome. But if, within a perfect robbery scenario, you weave in just a trace of Situ Deqing's internal qi—qi the Emperor himself discovers—he'll instantly be certain."

"Situ Deqing killed him, and faked it."

"Situ Deqing faked the appearance of a battle."

"Then why would Situ Deqing fake killing him? The Emperor would wonder—because his master knows the consequences of killing this mere imperial clansman, knows the true identity of this imperial clansman. Why?"

"Hahahahahaha—"

Po Jun's eyes glowed with joyful purple light as he smiled approvingly:

"The Emperor is deeply cunning."

"But with such an opponent, give him every clue to suspect—he'll find his own answer. Our job is only to ride the current, not hand him a definitive answer."

"Because he trusts no one but himself."

Li Guanyi looted the corpse using the technique Brother Yue taught him.

He extended two fingers like a sword.

The Six Emptiness Four Union Divine Art shifted and transformed into Situ Deqing's cold, domineering internal qi, then instantly struck Chen Yuyun's acupoints—in this world, merely striking the throat or heart is wrong.

The focus lies in meridians and acupoints.

Governor Vessel, Baihui Point, Shenting Point, Taiyang Point, Er Sect Point, Qingming Point, Blade Weight Point, Yamen Point—in an instant, Li Guanyi pierced and severed seventy-two major acupoints and thirty-six death points within Chen Yuyun's body.

The throat and heart were merely among those death points.

Rain continued to fall as Li Guanyi stared at Chen Yuyun, lying there, lifeless.

Ten years ago, his fate and fortune were stripped away because of this man; now, he lay dead here, rain falling, yet Li Guanyi suddenly felt an indescribable daze—he opened his eyes and activated the Qi-Viewing Technique.

He saw Chen Yuyun's body, his flourishing purple-blue fortune churning.

The heavens and earth were dark as ink, rain fell, two figures—one vertical, one horizontal—one standing, one lying dead—on the corpse, the purple-blue fortune blazed at its peak!

Before the Grand Sacrifice Tournament, he had entered the top four, advancing step by step along the path the Emperor laid for him; Li Guanyi did not know that today Chen Yuyun had secretly met the Emperor, that his fortune was at its zenith—yet he died at its very peak.

Now, this churning fortune surged like a tide and poured entirely onto Li Guanyi.

The boy, holding the jade disc, suddenly remembered.

His parents were murdered when their fortune was at its peak.

Chen Yuyun died in his hands at the height of his glory.

Fortune—this thing was truly beyond words; Li Guanyi chuckled twice, tucked away the Bai Yu, bent down, picked up the bamboo umbrella lying on the ground, lifted Chen Yuyun's corpse, and tossed it into the courtyard where Chen Yuyun had lived—right into the bushes.

Then he opened the umbrella and murmured: "I leave him to you."

He turned, umbrella raised, and walked away slowly.

The Five Phases rushed forward, devouring the great masses of purple-blue fortune; only a single strand of purple qi remained—they could not consume it. Li Guanyi raised his hand, and that strand of purple qi flew into his sleeve. The boy stepped forward, following the map Po Jun had given him.

Po Jun's calculations were precise; the places Li Guanyi walked had no one nearby.

He walked as if through an empty city.

Calmly returning to the Xue residence, he bathed anew, stored the dark-gold mask, then flicked his wrist—internal qi gathered, the Red Dragon Phase coiled beside him, opened its mouth, and spat a burst of flame—visibly, Li Guanyi's internal qi twisted into blazing fire.

Then he consumed the night-killers' robes, turning them to ash.

The Black Tortoise Phase appeared.

It slowly wandered around.

This Phase came from Master Siming's gift—a manifestation of the legendary Black Tortoise bearing the He Tu and Luoshu; as it circled once, the mysterious patterns on its back glowed, scattering the last traces of aura.

It was equivalent to shattering the aura completely and scattering it to the wind.

It required no high-level Yin-Yang foundation, yet guaranteed no reverse tracing; having completed this, Li Guanyi wore simple clothes, sat beneath the eaves of the main hall, leaning against a red pillar, quietly watching the drizzling rain.

Raindrops struck stones, splashing into tiny flowers that vanished instantly.

Li Guanyi felt he had let go—or resolved a psychological knot; his spirit, after long tension, now eased, as if something that had weighed on his heart for years had finally begun to lift.

He raised his teacup, steam rising warmly.

Rainy night, killing, walking, returning to drink tea.

Rain fell on petals; suddenly, Li Guanyi felt the raindrops slow—each drop changed from a line into segmented drops, falling slowly. The boy watched this change in silence, extended his finger, curled it, then gently flicked.

His finger touched a falling raindrop.

The raindrop was set in motion, flying forward, striking other raindrops with exquisite precision; in an instant, the rain resumed its normal fall—but in that flick, Li Guanyi saw a stream of water parting, rain scattering.

He curled his finger.

A single raindrop hovered above the boy's palm.

Then flowed freely, back and forth.

Finally, it shattered and fell into his teacup.

Li Guanyi closed his eyes, sensing the expansion of his yuanshen, feeling a natural ease—he understood the change within him. Where his heart led, he picked up his brush, wrote a letter to his aunt, using rainwater to grind ink, writing that all had been well lately, that he had recently gone to admire the scenery.

He ascended the third level of Changfeng Tower.

It was merely ordinary conversation, but Li Guanyi knew his aunt would understand.

He ascended the tower.

Not Changfeng Tower.

But the most famed Wu Gong of the Murong Clan!

The Murong Clan, the Twelve Layers of Jiangnan Mist and Rain—ascend once more.

Kill the Imperial Prince, shatter the heart barrier.

His heart was free and unburdened—he had already reached the third level.

Yet his aunt was not beside him; Li Guanyi did not know what purpose this level served, nor how to proceed in his cultivation. But after a pause, he knew whom he must seek.

Princess Chen Qingyan, ten years ago, when his aunt had taken him and fled the imperial capital.

Had once transmitted the Murong Clan's "Twelve Layers of Jiangnan Mist and Rain" to Princess Chen Qingyan.

Li Guanyi thought for a moment, his fingers twitched slightly; a leaf was drawn by his yuanshen, naturally landing in his palm, then spun by his yuanshen, dancing like a whirlwind. Merely this, and Li Guanyi already sensed the mystery—he believed the Murong Clan must have corresponding methods and martial arts.

For example—

Sword Mad Murong Longtu simultaneously controlled ninety-seven peerless divine weapons, roaming the world unchecked.

Li Guanyi had once thought his great-grandfather achieved this through internal energy.

Now he wondered—perhaps it was tied to this divine art.

Could it be that the "Twelve Layers of Jiangnan Mist and Rain" technique was a method of controlling objects with the yuanshen?

Yet his aunt clearly followed the path of constructing Illusory Realms.

Could it be that such a profound divine art had multiple stylistic martial arts to accompany it?

That is, Sword Mad Murong Longtu could simultaneously wield ninety-seven near-divine weapons, each unleashing top-tier martial arts. Li Guanyi imagined ninety-seven Xue Shens laughing merrily while wielding Juan Tao.

The boy shuddered.

No, no, no.

Better not think of that.

His fingers moved instinctively, channeling the style of Juan Tao; two opposing forces erupted, shredding the leaf dancing in the wind. Li Guanyi snapped back to focus, tucked away the letter to his aunt, and placed it aside.

As per General Po's plan, he had completed his task: killing Chen Yuyun.

Then, using the residual qi traces of Situ Deqing, he watched as General Po tossed Situ Deqing's corpse out. The grand sacrifice and martial contest now moved steadily forward—but would soon explode violently.

Li Guanyi's expression was calm; the satiated Bai Hu lay beside him.

It rubbed its furry head against Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi stroked the Bai Hu's head absently, then pulled out the spoils from his corpse-search. All had been crawled over by the Xuan Gui—signifying that the yin-yang qi had been directly disrupted. Li Guanyi's own yin-yang arts expertise was entirely focused on the Art of Observing Qi.

But the Xuan Gui's image carried weight among the Yin-Yang School.

Merely crawling over a corpse was enough to disrupt most yin-yang tracking techniques.

A pile of gold and silver—yes, quite a bit.

Not as much as the Young Lady had given him.

Melt it down.

A crossbow he'd picked up.

It was a reward Chen Yuyun had selected from the Imperial Guard's armory. The crossbow itself was exquisitely crafted, its power greater than those used by the night-riding cavalry commanders Li Guanyi had first encountered. The three accompanying bolts were most precious—each released with Lei Ting following in its wake.

Worth at least five hundred taels of gold.

This thing was a treasure—and all three bolts had never been fired!

Li Guanyi stared at the barbed wolf-tooth bolts, inscribed with talismanic script by alchemists.

This high-grade weapon—this crossbow was quite valuable. When one reached the third level of Heaven and could condense qi into weapons, the crossbow's structure could be altered, becoming a weapon whose power scaled with the strength of one's internal qi. Moreover, such crossbows could directly condense qi into bolts.

Though they could not match the power of the paired high-grade bolts.

But with the crossbow in hand, as long as one's internal qi was sufficient, one could fire continuously.

Theoretically, if one replenished qi quickly enough—

It meant infinite ammunition.

Li Guanyi considered his current arsenal: the divine weapon Menghu Xiaotian Zhanji, the high-grade weapons Hanshuang Ji and Junzi Jian, and now this crossbow. He paused, then drew Chen Yuyun's sword—its edge gleamed with sharp cold light, a fine blade. When he channeled his internal qi into it, there was not the slightest resistance.

The blade's edge shimmered with piercing cold, razor-sharp, now even sharper.

Stronger than Master Yan Daiqing's sword.

Nothing else remained.

Li Guanyi noticed the Xuan Gui lying motionless in one spot. He reached out and pushed it aside, then froze—because he recognized what lay there: a jade talisman. He had seen such a thing in Hou Zhongyu's scrolls. He said:

"Dragon-Tiger Golden Armor Divine Art Talisman?!"

That was exactly what the old alchemist had used.

Li Guanyi had fought him tooth and nail.

The heavy swords carried by the Jinwu Guards had been shattered!

They couldn't even cut through his sleeves.

Hou Zhongyu had boasted that though it had taken him twenty years to cultivate, with this talisman in hand, his body became as hard as gold and steel for the duration of one incense stick—Li Guanyi had no chance of defeating him. Only the Fire Qilin's furious flames had broken the defense.

This jade talisman represents the labor of twenty years by a sorcerer of at least the Third Heaven, who must also sever this Wu Gong and engrave it onto the jade.

Is this the Emperor's ultimate weapon given to Chen Yuyun?

To guarantee his victory.

Sorcerers' cultivation is far more difficult than that of warriors, and it is passed down as a single lineage.

This jade talisman can be called a blood price.

Unfortunately, Chen Yuyun had no time to retrieve and activate the talisman before he was beaten to death.

Li Guanyi put the item away. His physique was strong, possessing the Buddha's pure crystal body, but the warrior's adamantine physique and the sorcerer's talismans were two entirely different things—the latter truly made the body as hard as adamantine, impervious to blades and swords.

Li Guanyi exhaled and said:

"Your item is excellent."

"Now, it's mine."

After killing someone, looting the corpse was indeed the path to sudden wealth; without this, a pauper like Li Guanyi could never have obtained such a treasure. He put everything away—the sword and crossbow he planned to store elsewhere—then calmed his mind and took out his final treasure.

Bai Yu.

Li Guanyi washed the Bai Yu clean with clear water.

Looking at the inscriptions upon it, he spoke softly—not in the language of this world, but in ancient, rhythmic characters—slowly intoning: "【Yu gathered the metal of the Nine Provinces and cast the Nine Cauldrons, all used to cook offerings to the Gods and Spirits, inscribed with their deeds】."

"Great King Yu, above us, descendants of Huaxia's Yan and Huang, we reclaim the Nine Cauldrons."

Clutching this long-lost treasure against his chest, his heart glowed with a bronze cauldron's radiance; in an instant, the Bai Yu merged into Li Guanyi's body. The bronze cauldron's markings, once visible on his chest, blazed brightly, then slowly faded from sight.

Boom!!!

Li Guanyi's vision blurred; his third eye, the Xuanguan ancestral aperture, tingled and itched.

He saw the Illusory Realm again.

The solemn statues of the Four Spirits, the sun in the sky, the drifting white clouds—yet this time, Li Guanyi felt this place was more stable, more solid than before. He looked ahead: the white jade steps stretched endlessly upward, as if reaching the highest peak.

White clouds swirled and shifted, indistinct.

It seemed to be the pinnacle of countless mountains and rivers; thick white clouds and fleeting shadows lined the path, and at the very top of the steps stood a jade throne. Li Guanyi walked slowly forward, staring at the steps—on the two previous occasions, he had stepped upon them and immediately fallen, his consciousness snapping back to his body.

What about this time?

Li Guanyi clenched his lips.

He took a step, placing his foot upon the step.

This time, no overwhelming sensation of weightlessness struck him. Instead, a clear, resonant ding of the cauldron rang out from his footstep as its center, spreading an invisible force that swept away the white clouds, revealing the white jade steps beneath.

The path ahead was fully revealed!

Li Guanyi slowly took his second step.

Step.