Chapter 589

Chapter 589

The image of the young man appeared in the Sixth Elder's eyes, and then, in the corner, Zhao Yi was also seen.

At that moment, he was first overwhelmed by a violent sense of absurdity, followed by an overwhelming sense of despair.

Sixth Elder: "How long has it been?"

This question was directed at Zhao Yi.

Elder Ren racked his brains but still couldn't understand what kind of price the other side could offer to make Zhao Yi betray them.

Zhao Yi shook the beer bottle in his hand. Jiang Mo had fallen asleep, but Zhao Yi seemed to have inherited Jiang Mo's melancholic, sentimental air, and said softly:
"It's been so long I can't quite remember, but I think it was before the lights were turned on."

As he said this, Zhao Yi secretly glanced at Li Zhuiyuan. Seeing that the man had no reaction, he breathed a sigh of relief.

When Shi Zhuo Zhao first met him, he only had Lao Tian by his side, and Lao Tian was now farming in Nantong and having a twilight romance.

As long as the Li family doesn't speak up, Zhao Yi can whitewash what happened back then in a way that benefits him.

The Dragon King is someone we must continue to fight for; this is a politically correct issue that we cannot abandon.
But after Li became the Dragon King, Zhao Yi's story also needs a reasonable beginning and end.

A complete and utterly ruthless and selfish loser is nowhere near as appealing as someone who was initially painstakingly devoted and sympathetic.

Sixth Elder: "Always?"

Zhao Yi: "The spirit of the Dragon King, my ancestor, chose him and approved of him."

By showing filial piety to ancestors on the left and upholding righteousness towards the Dragon King on the right, one can completely absolve oneself of the large "exchange of interests" in between, instantly climbing from a moral low point to a commanding position.

Zhao Yi felt a sense of being moved by "Zhao Yi".

The Sixth Elder raised his head, closed his eyes, and after a short while, when he opened his eyes again, all his shock and astonishment had vanished, and he regained absolute clarity. He then performed the Ming Family Ceremony to Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan remained standing behind the door seam, showing no intention of returning the greeting.

After the Sixth Elder finished performing the gate-opening ceremony, he naturally knelt on one knee and said sincerely:

"Ming Zhixiu, I humbly beg Senior Li to spare a chance for my Ming family's bloodline to survive."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your mistress isn't as greedy as you."

On the day the young man descended upon the Ming family's ancestral home with the projection of the Fengdu Emperor, the spirit of the Ming family's Dragon King gave up resistance and ceased protecting the Ming family, instead channeling its fortune back into the martial world.

This is the wisest approach: by being selfless and open-minded, they persuaded Li Zhuiyuan not to exterminate the Ming family bloodline.

Otherwise, the young man could have followed the example of the Emperor of Fengdu and issued a decree like Meng Gui did, to trace the bloodline of that divination family.

What the Sixth Elder wanted was to pay a huge price to preserve the Ming family's Dragon King lineage.

"When will this cycle of revenge end?" Li Zhuiyuan believed in Benben's wisdom, but he was too lazy to leave Benben with any unpleasant memories.

The Sixth Elder rose with a sigh, muttering, "Patriarch Li, are you truly determined to unleash a bloodbath upon the martial world?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "You all want to wipe out the whole family. You can't think it's unfair just because my Qin Liu family is small while yours is large. That's too unfair."

Behind the Sixth Elder, the old ox let out a series of moos.

Li Zhuiyuan: "You, the Ming family's main cultivator, are skilled in divination and prediction. Don't worry, I'm the only one here. None of my subordinates are here."

This was Zhao Yi's first wave, and Li Zhuiyuan also successfully crashed into this wave under Zhao Yi's cover. If Runsheng and the others were there, the Ming family would most likely have noticed the anomaly.

Taking revenge by taking advantage of the river was a major strategy that Li Zhuiyuan had planned long ago. Coincidentally, his enemies had also been confidently playing the game of the river with him.

Of course, telling the Sixth Elder this matter clearly here is also in the hope that he will take the risk and make the most of it.

Although the old lady of the Ming family was physically decayed, she was still able to walk to the front of the courtyard to set up an array. Before facing such a person who was from the same period and social class as his grandmother Liu, Li Zhuiyuan needed to conduct an internal test.

After all, his teammates weren't around this time, so he could only use Zhao Yi's team setup.

The Sixth Elder gently stroked the old ox's head with his left hand, pointed to his chest with his right hand, and calmly shook his head, saying, "If Patriarch Li needs it, he may come and take it."

Zhao Yi: "It's meaningless, Sixth Elder. Those involved are often blinded by their own interests. Let me give you a piece of advice: what you're doing now won't elicit any sympathy or pity. You first took advantage of Lord Qin's death to put pressure on Qin Liu, and then you continued to target Qin Li and the two generations of the Li family who traveled the river. The grudges that have spanned three generations can't be made up for by your high-minded act."
I advise you to give it a try. The Li family head's attendants are really not around; he only has my team of impoverished people, Zhao Yi, by his side.

"You cultivate the sword body; you may not be good at anything else, but you're top-notch in close combat. Who knows, if you fight to the death, I, Zhao Yi, might be reluctant to part with these pots and pans and back down, and you might just kill this mortal enemy of the Ming family?"

The Sixth Elder looked at Zhao Yi and smiled.

Zhao Yi: "This is the temptation to become the Dragon King. Don't you think this is my most brilliant plan? It's just missing you to complete the link, and it's a last-minute hurdle?"

The Sixth Elder sighed.

He knew that Zhao Yi was talking nonsense.

People dare to come to your team alone, and you've allowed them to live peacefully from Lushan until now.

If this is still considered a conspiracy or trickery, then it's as if they're treating the two most outstanding young talents on the river as complete idiots.

But reality has pushed him into this corner, leaving him with no choice.

Zhao Yi stepped forward and reached out with his right hand towards the Sixth Elder's chest.

He wanted to give the Sixth Elder a proper and reasonable reason to retaliate.

Just as Zhao Yi's fingertips were about to touch the Sixth Elder's chest, a sword aura rose up, tearing the skin and flesh from Zhao Yi's five fingers, causing him to gasp and retreat.

The Sixth Elder's face revealed excitement and violence:
"I'm going to... kill you all!"

At this moment, he finally became like a normal member of the Ming family.

"Moo".

The old ox roared and spat out a sword hilt from its mouth. The Sixth Elder drew his sword and flew towards Li Zhuiyuan with astonishing speed.

Even knowing that the boy was protected by the formation, the first sword strike still had to be aimed at him!

Seeing this, Chen Jing became anxious and wanted to step forward to protect Brother Yuan. However, before Zhao Yi could give any instructions, Chen Jing quickly calmed down and teamed up with the Liang sisters and Xu Ming.

Zhao Yi: "Hey Li, give me one too!"

no response.

Zhao Yi had no choice but to accept the fact that his key combat force could be trusted to such an extent by the leader of another team.

The Sixth Elder's sword pierced through the boy's body, the powerful sword technique striking swiftly, yet the boy remained standing behind the crack in the door, unmoved.

When the Sixth Elder entered the room and stepped across the line, he found that there were countless rooms inside, one after another, and in each room, there was the figure of a boy. He couldn't tell which one was the real one.

"Buzz!"

A blade came from behind.

The Sixth Elder swept his sword back, and Zhao Yi was sent flying backward.

When he drew his sword, the human skin on his body scattered, helping to shape his sword strike. When he landed, the strips of human skin touched the ground like ribbons, dispersing and dissipating the force.

The Liang sisters, each wielding a weapon, launched an attack from both sides. The two sisters were connected by a silk thread, as if a third sister had appeared, launching a triple attack.

The Sixth Elder raised his sword again and slashed down with all his might.

Without hesitation, the two sisters quickly withdrew their attacks and dodged, like two white shadows with broken lines, each landing beside Zhao Yi.

"Awoo!"

Chen Jing, whose hair is completely white but still retains a human appearance, suddenly attacks under the cover of the two sisters' offensive, his wolfish claws intertwined as he fiercely grabs down.

The Sixth Elder also countered with a sword strike.

Chen Jing quickly withdrew his claws and instead crossed his arms to defend himself. His small stature was swept away by the surging sword energy, but two vines flew out just in time to wrap around him and bring him back.

Including the initial sword strike, the Sixth Elder had already delivered four consecutive sword strikes, all of which were attempts to avoid prolonged combat and forcefully exert force. Even Run Sheng had to catch his breath after delivering four powerful punches in succession.

However, just as the Sixth Elder was catching his breath, layers of giant eyes appeared beneath his feet, and feng shui auras descended from above his head, with a vicious dragon roaring towards him from the middle.

On the rooftop, a young man holding a dragon-patterned compass revealed his figure.

The Sixth Elder forcibly interrupted the breathing exercise, first pointing his finger downwards to destroy the giant eye, then raising his sword upwards to slash at the aura, and finally biting his tongue to spit out a stream of blood essence that transformed into a sword, which sent the evil dragon flying.

At this moment, he was at his absolute peak in the literal sense.

"Hush...huh..."

Zhao Yi, who had been shoveling away his strength in the courtyard, collapsed in a slump, leaving only a sparse human skin and the tomb owner's knife that had fallen to the ground with a clang.

A black mist emerged from behind the Sixth Elder, and Zhao Yi, whose entire body was covered in red blood and no skin, stepped out from it. He clenched his right fist, squeezing out blood, and swung it out with the rhythm of the Zhao family's original technique. After swinging it out, it was accompanied by the wailing of ghosts from the underworld, and it slammed into the Sixth Elder's back.

All the previous offensives were paving the way for Zhao Yi's sneak attack.

"boom!"

The Sixth Elder was knocked away and his body crashed into the courtyard wall of the guesthouse. Because an array had been set up in advance, the wall only developed some cracks and did not collapse.

Having succeeded in his attack, Zhao Yi leaped up and landed beside the boy on the roof.

Xu Ming slapped the ground with one hand, and a vine wrapped around Zhao Yi's human skin, which, along with the tomb owner's knife, was flung towards the roof.

As if being dressed, Zhao Yi spread his arms wide, human skin attached to him, while simultaneously gripping the tomb owner's knife.

After a perfect combo, Zhao Yi frowned and said:

"Hey Li, your strength isn't up to par!"

Even though the most powerful pressure just now came from the boy, Zhao Yi was still not satisfied. This was definitely not Li's current strength.

Under normal circumstances, he had the opportunity to deliver a second punch to the Sixth Elder, causing continuous and extensive damage.

Li Zhuiyuan: "He is injured."

Zhao Yi: "Will a good night's sleep help?"

Li Zhuiyuan: "It's not a cold."

The physical body is still in the coffin deep within the mind and consciousness; the current youth cannot multitask as perfectly as he could in the past.

This has a huge impact on Li Zhuiyuan's performance. For example, the result of forcibly distracting himself just now was that his intensity was reduced.

Zhao Yi: "I suddenly lost confidence in tomorrow."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Your intensity is higher than I expected."

Even without the blessing of the dragon skin, Zhao Yi was still able to exert the power of the Zhao family's original technique, which shows that he did not let external factors delay his orthodox cultivation.

This guy is practically another version of Run Sheng right now. As long as Run Sheng doesn't kill or severely injure him at the start of the game, Run Sheng will win due to the momentum.
The same applies to Zhao Yi. He has learned countless techniques on his own and those he has taken from me. If you can't suppress him from the start, he can use his extreme scheming and rich methods to wear you down.

He can turn a battle into a game of chess, so the way to deal with him is to strike and retreat, not giving him the opportunity to build up his strategy in the middle game or recover in the end game.

As if on cue, Zhao Yi spoke:

"Hey, hey, hey, you can watch all you want, but don't teach Chen Xiyuan or Yayoi how to deal with me. It's unfair for the referee to be biased."

The Sixth Elder drew his sword again, confirming that the Li Zhuiyuan on the rooftop was real.

The boy stepped out of the absolutely safe zone protected by the array and came outside.

For reasons unknown, this gave him the opportunity to kill the boy.

Zhao Yi gripped the tomb master's knife tightly with both hands, and the human skin around his body was exposed once again.

Li Zhuiyuan reached out and pointed at Zhao Yi, using the Liu family's feng shui secrets as a foundation, supplemented by Fengdu methods, to bless Zhao Yi.

The shadow of a ghost dragon appeared behind Zhao Yi, and the scattered human skins flowed exquisitely. He alone, with his sword, created a unique atmosphere!

"Hey Li, I've never felt this good before!"

The boy behind him remained silent, silently channeling his dragon spirit into Zhao Yi's body. The ghost dragon shadow behind Zhao Yi was quickly taken over, as if it had come to life, its eyes gleaming with majesty, elevating Zhao Yi's current state to an even higher level!
The gate between life and death on Zhao Yi's chest spun rapidly. The blessing from the man surnamed Li was so great that he had to do his best to cooperate in the posture:

"I'm...so close...it's so good!"

Facing the Sixth Elder who was approaching with a sword, Zhao Yi raised his knife and charged straight at him.

The sword and blade collided in mid-air, leaving afterimages. Every time the Sixth Elder raised his sword, the dragon head behind Zhao Yi would look down and forcefully level the battle. For a time, the two sides were evenly matched.

The Liang sisters below also knew that their husbands' valiant state couldn't be maintained for long.

However, this level of intense confrontation left them unsure how to intervene, even if they wanted to help.

One careless move could have inadvertently helped the other side.

At this moment, Chen Jing spoke up: "Keep up with my pace!"

Liang Yan, Liang Li, and Xu Ming all looked over, their meaning clear: A-Jing, are you serious?

Chen Jing sprinted forward, stomping his feet as he climbed. Seeing that Chen Jing was really going, the Liang sisters did not hesitate and followed closely behind. Xu Ming also followed immediately, and ivy covered their path as they charged forward.

Like a seasoned wolf king, Chen Jing approached the battlefield and plunged into the fray at the most opportune moment, triggering a coordinated attack from his companions. He then quickly withdrew, and his companions, understanding his intentions, immediately pulled away.

This way, we can provide assistance to Yi Ge without disrupting his rhythm.

After several attacks, the Sixth Elder developed numerous knife wounds. It was only because he also paid attention to honing his physique and was considered a semi-martial artist that he was able to withstand the onslaught.

Now he faced two choices: one was to see how long Zhao Yi could maintain this momentum, and the other was to make a tough decision and pursue the outcome.

The Sixth Elder decisively chose the latter.

When Zhao Yi swung his sword again, the Sixth Elder did not block, letting the tomb master's sword cut into his shoulder.

With a "crack," enduring a terrifying tearing sensation, the Sixth Elder wedged the Tomb Master's Blade into his body, then forcefully swung the sword at the boy on the rooftop.

Without hesitation, Zhao Yi raised his hand and gripped the sword.

In an instant, the sword energy churned Zhao Yi's body, causing flesh and blood to fly everywhere, while the blade energy raged wildly within the Sixth Elder's body.

Li Zhuiyuan left the safe zone not only to better participate in the battle, but also to practice Zhao Yi's ability to protect himself.

On the day of the deceased's birthday, after the soul's thoughts were ignited and detonated, the issue in that area was not whether there was enough time, but rather that it was simply impossible to set up an array in that environment within a short period of time.

Clearly, Zhao Yi understood this as well, and he wanted to show the person behind him with his actions that he would protect them at all costs.

In the stalemate, Chen Jing and his companions attacked again, their wolf claws piercing the Sixth Elder's back. The Liang sisters joined forces to bind the Sixth Elder's body with silk threads, and even Xu Ming planted seeds on the Sixth Elder's body, planting poisonous plants on him.

The Sixth Elder seemed to have given up resisting and was completely under control.

Li Zhuiyuan did not take the opportunity to use his magic on the Sixth Elder in pursuit of a decisive blow. Instead, he took on the role of the victor and enjoyed the wailing of the defeated.

The young man is practicing the top taboos listed in the "River Walking Code of Conduct".

When Zhao Yi's team suppressed the Sixth Elder, it was as if the Sixth Elder was also holding Zhao Yi's team back.

Next, it will be the Ming family's traditional rhythm.

The Sixth Elder came with the intention of dying. His betrayal of the mistress and his kneeling to beg for mercy had long since made him too ashamed to continue living.

A member of the Ming family with no way out can easily resort to extremes.

This scene was as familiar to the boy as muscle memory, like opening a soda can.

The next moment, the Sixth Elder's brow split open, and a sword of spiritual essence emerged from it.

This terrifying aura made the Liang sisters change color and Xu Ming horrified. From the red thread came A Jing's anxious cry: "Brother Yuan, be careful!"
The calmest one was probably Zhao Yi: Ha, this guy surnamed Li is getting to eat well again.

No, this guy surnamed Li is acting strangely; he wants to try a different way of eating!
The Sixth Elder raised his hand, grabbed Zhao Yi's wrist, tightened his back muscles, pulled Chen Jing's wolf claws, and with his sword energy withdrawn, he entangled the Liang sisters.

The old man was like a magnet, drawing everyone around him to his side.

As for Xu Ming, who was still busy planting grass in the courtyard below, the old man ignored him.

Even if Xu Ming were willing to stand in front of the boy and protect him, he wouldn't have time to get there in time.

The sword of essence flew out, radiating a terrifying aura along with a resounding roar:
"Patriarch Li, you owe me your life!"

A hint of sarcasm flashed in Li Zhuiyuan's eyes.

The soul force was released, but the speed did not decrease at all. This was not to save his own life, but even if such a suitable opportunity for a sneak attack was created, the Sixth Elder was still not confident that he could kill himself.

Perhaps it was because my appearance was too abrupt, or perhaps it was because my passive observation was too obvious, or perhaps it was because I appeared too calm, which made him more hesitant and tried to use threats to force me to back down.

The effect was so good that the soul sword deviated, and a wisp of killing intent fell on Zhao Yi.

Not daring to gamble on whether they could kill Li Zhuiyuan, they simply turned around and dragged Zhao Yi down with them to their deaths!

Zhao Yi: "..."

Li Zhuiyuan's eyes showed anxiety, black lines appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his entire demeanor changed accordingly. This was a classic example of going mad from cultivation.

In the past, Li Zhuiyuan rarely showed this side of himself because he and his main body had a clear division of labor, and his main body never launched an attack on him, this inner demon.

"The inner demon... as the master?"

This change was noticed by the Sixth Elder.

"The dignified head of the Qin Liu family has already fallen into demonic possession!"

Many doubts seemed to have been resolved at this moment, and even Li Zhuiyuan's ruthless and uncompromising actions were given the best explanation.

Most importantly, the Sixth Elder realized that the young man had mastered the Ming family's secret technique and was planning to lure him into a trap to nurture his inner demons!
The Soul Sword decisively abandoned Zhao Yi as its target and once again charged towards Li Zhuiyuan with unstoppable momentum.

The boy reacted hastily, as if his secret had been exposed, and began to set up layers of barriers.

The Soul Sword pierced through repeatedly, but in the end, it still pierced the boy's brow.

Deep within the mind and consciousness.

Li Zhuiyuan faced the Sixth Elder directly.

The Sixth Elder was different from the ordinary madmen of the Ming family. Moreover, he had a prior "sense" of what was to come. After entering, his soul surged, quickly dispelling the darkness deep within the boy's consciousness and revealing two distinct lines. One half was the inner demon, and the other half was the true body.

The inner demons are thriving and powerful, while the physical body is on its last legs.

"Patriarch Li, wake up quickly, suppress your inner demons, and restore peace to the martial world!"

The Sixth Elder chose a completely different path. Unlike his juniors who "nourished their inner demons" as soon as they entered, he used the method of physical disintegration to disperse his soul and plunge into the area of ​​his physical body to nourish it.

In his view, as long as Li Zhuiyuan's true form can awaken, he can create internal strife between the two. The best outcome would be to ruin Li Zhuiyuan's path, and the worst outcome would be to allow the true form's good intentions to restrain Li Zhuiyuan's behavior and awaken his benevolence.

Yes, he's doing a favor for the original body, hoping that the original body will remember his kindness and then repay the Ming family with kindness.

Li Zhuiyuan, the inner demon, stood there without doing anything to stop it, quietly watching the Sixth Elder feed his soul to the tiger.

As the nourishment continued, the Sixth Elder's spiritual essence gradually faded, but his emotions grew increasingly agitated and excited:
"How can you be allowed to run rampant in this world? If you have the bearing of a dragon king, you should have the demeanor and ambition of one!"

These words reminded Li Zhuiyuan of the night he arrived at Mount Lu. After dinner, Zhao Yi chatted with him and said that what he couldn't understand the most was that there were many people in this world, especially those in high positions in the martial arts world, who said that the law of the jungle was the rule of the martial arts world, but in reality, they thought that whatever they did was right, but others couldn't be treated the same way. They practiced two sets of standards from the bottom of their hearts.

"Crack..."

The sound of the coffin lid being pushed came from inside the coffin, and the main body sat up.

It knew it would recover, and it was clear that its inner demons would not abandon it, but it did not expect to recover so quickly this time.

"Master Li, Master Li, Master Li..."

This is a heartfelt appeal from the Sixth Elder.

The main body looked up, its gaze piercing through the building's barriers, towards the sun overhead, which was burning itself out for its own sake.

In that instant, the original body guessed what had happened.

The sun in the sky, upon making eye contact, trembled with terror.

In those eyes, the Sixth Elder saw a terrifying sight: what kind of terrifying thing was this real Li family head?
The Sixth Elder wanted to end this; he tried to leave.

The inner demon Li Zhuiyuan made his move, stopping the weakened old man and calmly saying:
"We've got this much left, don't waste it."

At this moment, the Sixth Elder's decades-long understanding of the martial world collapsed, and his inner demons suppressed him to continue nourishing his physical body.

The Sixth Elder snarled, “I destroyed the real array flag long ago. What I branded into my body was a fake flag. Even if you cut me open after I die, you won’t be able to imprint it!”

Li Zhuiyuan: "Yes, I know."

Sixth Elder: "Without the array flags, you have no key..."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Is it possible that, in Ming Qinyun's eyes, you, who were sent to confess and die, are the real key?"

Sixth Elder: "..."

Finally, the sun went out, and the main body revived. Although it was not fully restored, it was still usable.

The original body: "The Ming family is simply our natural tonic."

Li Zhuiyuan: "Mm."

The original entity: "Don't destroy it, raise it, and keep it coming back."

Li Zhuiyuan: "No."

Main body: "Then how about collecting the existing stock?"

Li Zhuiyuan opened his eyes in reality.

"Brother Yuan is awake! Brother Yi, Brother Yuan is awake! He's awake!"

Ah Jing exclaimed happily.

Beside him stood Xu Ming, his eyes red-rimmed.

Outside, Zhao Yi's voice came: "It's only worth telling me if that guy surnamed Li hasn't woken up yet, so I can go buy firecrackers."

Li Zhuiyuan found himself settled in bed, and digesting the Sixth Elder took longer than he had expected.

Zhao Yi brought in a bowl and chopsticks, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said:

"I saw that the old ox in the yard died, so I knew you were done here. Quick, eat it while it's hot to help you recover."

Zhao Yi was serving poached eggs with brown sugar; the brown sugar was thick and sticky.

"Why aren't you drinking? Ah You said you love this dish made by Miss Qin Li the most."

"My injury has healed a lot, I don't need it. You're seriously injured, you should take care of yourself."

"Hey, I'm fine. Anyway, there's an even bigger battle ahead, so I'm too lazy to mend it. Here, Brother Xu, drink this. I made it myself."

Xu Ming: "Okay..."

Zhao Yi: "A-Jing, go and suck the blood of that bull demon in the yard to replenish your brain."

Chen Jing: "Okay, Brother Yi."

Li Zhuiyuan got out of bed and walked to the door. The guesthouse was still pitch black, which did not match the time on the wall clock in the room.

In the courtyard, there were compasses and scattered battle flags.

Zhao Yi coughed lightly: "Cough... Seeing that you were not awake for a long time, I thought I would break the formation here myself. I got so engrossed in breaking the formation that I forgot that there was something cooking in the pot, and it got too thick."

Li Zhuiyuan took the werewolf mask from Zhao Yi and put it back on. He raised his hand, and the evil dragon appeared. After circling once above, it broke the formation, and the sky turned a pale white.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Have someone dig up the foundation of the formation."

Zhao Yi: "We don't lack those things. Besides, we won't need the formation when we go to the underworld to celebrate the birthday. I'm too lazy to dig it up. I might as well leave it for the boss."

The boy removed the effects of the formation, but if the foundation is preserved, the unique layout of this place can be maintained for at least several years.

In the center of the roof, where the Sixth Elder died, the most nutrient-rich area bloomed, and emerald green ivy hung down, covering the wall and the courtyard.

This was the residue left after Xu Ming took action. Zhao Yi didn't ask him to remove it, but deliberately left it. The toxicity had already evaporated, and what remained was not only harmless to humans, but also repelled mosquitoes.

Even if a guesthouse is in a bad location, it can still survive if it can maintain a spring-like climate all year round and be filled with exotic flowers and plants.

Zhao Yi waved his hand towards the room and urged, "Hurry up and pack your things. Let's skip out on the bill before the boss wakes up!"

Apart from A-Jing, who returned to his monitoring post, the rest of the group regrouped and left the guesthouse to report to the Ming family's villa, which they used to entertain guests.

A clear sound came from the stone coffin at the altar. Ming Qinyun, who had been lying motionless in the coffin for a long time, reached into her clothes and took out a broken life tablet with the Sixth Elder's name written on it.

"It seems the key has been delivered."

……

After their identities were verified, Zhao Yi and his group were led in through the back gate of the villa and settled into a quiet courtyard.

The Ming family's hospitality was very attentive, and they were generous with the delicacies, which were constantly being brought over by their servants.

"Xu Ming, remember to test the grass for poison. Li, I'll go to the front yard and secretly give him a heads-up."

Zhao Yi left the courtyard alone.

The guests in front were there to attend the "Zhao Division Conference" and were scheduled to be buried alive with the deceased. Even though they knew the outcome in advance, the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

This meaningless socializing continued until the Ming family began arranging for guests to travel to the venue for the funeral celebrations.

Each group of guests was arranged with a separate sedan chair, and they could also travel between each other's sedan chairs to meet privately.

Even at this point, Zhao Yi didn't sit in his own sedan chair, but was in another sedan chair, discussing with others his grand plan to deal with Qin Liu in the future.

The Qin family head sat in the sedan chair, taking the snacks from Xu Ming and eating them bite by bite.

This pastry is dark green, sweet but not cloying, and has a soft, smooth texture. I've never had it at Grandma Liu's place before, and it suits a young person's taste perfectly.

With the funeral banners leading the way and the guests in their sedan chairs, the procession stretched through the bustling town streets, yet no one noticed.

Of course, nothing is absolute; there are exceptions or people who are just unlucky, and there is a possibility that they might stumble upon something unexpected.

This is also the origin of the story in many supernatural tales where the spirits are clearly not wandering ghosts, but rather great deities traveling in grand processions.

When they were almost at their destination deep in the mountains, Zhao Yi got back into the sedan chair.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Thank you for your hard work."

Being a qualified mole is really not easy.

Zhao Yi: "They are the ones who suffer. In their eyes, I am a dying man, but they still have to keep their spirits up and deal with me, and talk about the future and work together to build a great career."

Li Zhuiyuan: "They are all people who are about to die..."

Zhao Yi: "So we should take advantage of the fact that they're still alive and make them disgusting!"

Li Zhuiyuan handed a small battle flag to Zhao Yi.

Zhao Yi took it and played with it, turning it between his fingertips.

"Hey, if you crush it outside, will it have any effect?"

"No, it has to be inside."

Zhao Yi used his fingernail to make a cut on his wrist and embedded the small battle flag under his skin.

He had to bring the real key in, otherwise Ming Qinyun would find that the engine wouldn't start when she tried to start it.

"Hey Li, even now, my life and death are still in the hands of that old lady. She could change her mind or go crazy at any time."

"Among the Ming family, that old lady is probably the most composed one."

"Then I'll have to pray she stays calm."

"You should thank her for saving you from dire straits."

Zhao Yi snatched the dark green pastry that Xu Ming was handing to Li Zhuiyuan, popped it into his own mouth, and laughed:

"Then who gave me this ordeal?"

Alight from the sedan chair.

Li Zhuiyuan stepped out of the sedan chair.

At the entrance ahead, only the main guest can enter; attendants must remain outside.

Like a rural vegetarian feast, they also cleared out an area. However, the old man and his family set up a tent, while the Ming family set up an array. The core was the same: a feast.

Even worse than the village, it didn't even have a music band, so there were no performances to watch. The only thing was a portrait of Ming Qinyun hanging on a huge rock in the center, showing the old lady's appearance and voice.

Fortunately, the mat was quite firm.

Xu Ming followed Zhao Yi's instructions and sprouted a plant in his palm. He would dip chopsticks into the broth of any dish and drip it onto his palm to test for poison.

After the wine was poured in, the color of the grass changed.

Liang Yan: "Poisonous?"

Xu Ming: "It doesn't look like poison."

Liang Li: "What is that?"

Xu Ming: "I...I don't know."

Li Zhuiyuan: "There is a kind of tonic wine that can nourish the spirit and replenish the soul, but after drinking it for a period of time, smelling a certain fragrance will numb one's soul."

The distinguished guests inside were destined to die, while the attendants outside were the perfect mouthpieces to spread the news of what was happening here throughout the martial arts world.

This is a fine wine, and there's a limited quantity for each table. Almost nothing is left. Even the Ming family members here received a fixed amount, and everyone drank it with great care.

Li Zhuiyuan looked at the boulder with the portrait hanging on it. It wasn't the core of the formation, but there was another layer of arrangement below it. It was probably a kind of illusion projection. When the incident happened, his image would be reflected inside, proving that what happened today was done by Li Zhuiyuan himself.

This is considered an off-site venue for the memorial service for the deceased. During the event, people kept coming to the giant rock to offer incense and pay their respects.

Li Zhuiyuan: "Let's go and pay our respects too."

The Liang sisters and Xu Ming got up and followed.

As he collected the incense, the boy lowered his eyes. The dragon spirit descended and disappeared into the ground. He first sensed a layer of purple pollen beneath the boulder, and beneath the pollen were lifelike paper cutouts depicting himself, A-Li, and Runsheng...

Li Zhuiyuan frowned slightly. The young man had not expected the Ming family to use such a crude method to forge the paper, which greatly increased the difficulty of his modification. Putting aside everything else, just controlling the evil dragon to recut the paper below was not something that could be done in a short time.

After offering incense, the boy could only take a few steps back, look up at the giant stone statue, as if he were immersed in the emotion of admiring the old lady Ming, unable to extricate himself.

Not wanting too many people to get in the way, the young man gestured for the Liang sisters and Xu Ming to return to the table and continue eating.

After a while, as the work was nearing completion, an old man with hiccups emerged from behind the boulder. He pointed at Li Zhuiyuan and said with dissatisfaction:
"Whose child are you? Don't you even know any rules? How dare you wear a mask at a time like this?"

"My brother Yi told me not to pick them recently, because he was afraid it would affect my understanding."

"Brother Yi? Who is your Brother Yi?"

"Zhao Yi from Jiujiang".

Upon hearing this, the old man rubbed his nose, smiled at Li Zhuiyuan, nodded, and dared not say anything more.

He had heard of Zhao Yi of Jiujiang and knew that he was someone that a mere outer disciple of the Ming family could not afford to offend. Those who were handling these matters here today were all from collateral branches or outer disciples of the Ming family. They had never had such a good opportunity before, and they were all flattered when they received the orders.

This move is similar to the Qinglong Temple's relocation before the last ceremony. They know what they are doing and are naturally unwilling to let their core strength be implicated. In Ming Qinyun's view, the Sixth Elder, whose mind has changed, is a price that must be paid to gain Zhao Yi's trust. They should save money and spend it wisely.

Once finished, Li Zhuiyuan returned to the table.

The Liang sisters exchanged a glance, thinking that even this person had taken so long, so the formation here must be extremely powerful.

Xu Ming picked up a plate and placed it in front of Li Zhuiyuan. The plate contained dark green pastries.

"Seeing that you... like to eat, I specially asked the Ming family over there for some. Please eat, child..."

No matter what, he was a subordinate trained by Zhao Yi, and his acting skills weren't that weak. However, the pressure from the person behind the mask was too great, and Xu Ming found it difficult to regard him as A Jing.

"Okay, thank you, Brother Xu!"

This address startled Xu Ming so much that he almost fell off his chair. Then he saw many other people fall off their chairs; there was some commotion inside!
……

"Zhao Yi, do you know your crime?!"

"Zhao Yi, do you know your crime?!"

After Zhao Yi finished offering incense to Ming Qinyun's memorial tablet, a group of important figures around the mourning hall stood up from their chairs and questioned Zhao Yi.

The middle-aged man from the Ming family, who was chosen to read the document in front of the mourning hall, slumped to the ground. This was not the document he had rehearsed countless times; his document had been replaced.

The above records Zhao Yi's crime of deliberately targeting a place in the Ming family under the guise of Li Zhuiyuan, attempting to shift the blame eastward, which is the irrigation canal where Xu Mingxiu failed.

These important figures tacitly seized on this point, after all, they themselves were well aware that their own forces had too deep an entanglement with Zhao Yi in the past, and could not be investigated further.

Using the Ming family's death anniversary as a pretext, presenting factual evidence, and bringing the Ming family to justice is both reasonable and causally sound.

Zhao Yi's face was grim, a cold smile playing on his lips:
"Hehe, you fools, do you think that killing the donkey after it has served its purpose will make that guy surnamed Li turn a blind eye to you?"
Do you know that the man surnamed Li is a heartless, ruthless, and vicious monster in human skin?
Killing me won't satisfy that Li guy; he'll only despise your kneeling now, making his future revenge less satisfying!

Faced with Zhao Yi's accusations, all the important figures chose to ignore them, and instead addressed the mourning hall one by one:
"We beg the Ming family to take action and execute him in a just and proper manner!"

"Please, Ming family, take action and kill this scoundrel!"

"Please, Mr. Ming..."

They themselves were not in a position to take action, and they believed that since it was a "Zhao Division Conference" organized by the Ming family, the Ming family's experts should be hiding nearby.

Zhao Yi seemed to be stunned by the sounds of killing, and staggered backward in a daze, collapsing onto the stone coffin behind the offering table.

"Grandma Ming, did you see that? They're all bullying me, they're all bullying me..."

Deep within this place, Ming Ningshuang, following her agreement with Ming Qinyun, attempted to step out of the gate, causing fluctuations in the spiritual consciousness above.

The commotion spread outside, silencing a group of important figures.

What's that noise?

Why is there still an evil aura here at the Ming family's residence?

"According to the records, shouldn't this place be the ancestral home of the Ming family? Why are there evil spirits here?"

"Clap!"

The soul mirror, which was originally placed at the head of the coffin lid as an ornament, rolled down to Zhao Yi's front.

Zhao Yi knew that this meant that after revisions by him and Ming Qinyun, his current project was finally on the right track.

"Put aside other grudges for now. We, the righteous people, should take it upon ourselves to suppress evil spirits!"

As Zhao Yi slammed his fist into the mirror, he also shattered the array flags hidden beneath his skin, and shouted again:

"Activate the formation and suppress the evil spirits!"

Red flames rose from the depths, as if igniting the sunset within the barrier, and everyone sensed a terrifying life-or-death crisis.

Zhao Yi pushed open the coffin lid, rolled over, and entered. Only inside this coffin could he ensure his survival.

Inside the stone coffin lay Ming Qinyun, her entire body wet, sticky, and foul-smelling, barely resembling a human.

Even though Zhao Yi was mentally prepared, seeing the Dragon King Clan's patriarch in this state was still an eye-opener for him.

But Zhao Yi didn't mind at all. He first hugged her tightly, then quickly leaned close to her ear and said the words she most wanted to hear:
"Grandma Ming, if only you were still alive, you could help me suppress evil spirits and uphold justice!"

(End of this chapter)