Chapter 880
He Reaps What He Sows
The river water gleamed oilily in the night, like a giant black python slowly writhing.
Broken Soul Cliff.
The cliff gets its name from a brutal sect war a century ago. The cliff face still bears the marks of swords and spears, and when the wind blows, pebbles fall down as if constantly spitting out bone fragments. Below the cliff is a rocky beach, scattered with broken spears, rusted armor fragments, and several dried skeletons, wrapped in vines like rice dumplings.
Zheng Yi chose a natural cave halfway up the cliff as his ambush point.
The entrance to the cave was extremely narrow, allowing only a sideways passage, but inside lay a completely different world, large enough to accommodate more than forty people. Several cracks in the cave ceiling allowed moonlight to filter through, like silvery-white knives hanging overhead. The cave floor was covered with a thick layer of withered grass, which rustled underfoot, masking the sound of breathing.
Zhao Sanhuai and his men tied Li Xuanhong to a crooked old pine tree on the edge of a cliff. The pine branches were gnarled and twisted, like countless withered hands. The chains were deliberately left unhidden, gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Li Xuanhong had been silenced by pressure points, and could only make muffled groans, his eyes wide as if they were about to pop out.
Guo Tianyou squatted at the cave entrance, inspecting the last rocket, and asked in a low voice, "Sir, do you think Li Tianque will come?"
Zheng Yi leaned against the cave wall, closing his eyes to rest: "If he doesn't come, the Li family will be in complete chaos. If he comes... we'll kill him."
Guo Tianyou swallowed hard: "But what if he brings too many people..."
“No matter how many they bring, they'll still die at the bottom of the cliff.” Zheng Yi opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the cave entrance and landing on the rocky beach below the cliff. “The terrain here is narrow, so they can't take advantage of their numbers. We are prepared, they are not.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled drumbeat suddenly came from the distant river.
thump -- thump -- thump --
Each beat is like a heartbeat.
Zhao Sanhuai suddenly looked up: "They're here!"
Everyone held their breath instantly.
The sound of drums grew closer.
The fog was torn apart, and a fleet of ships appeared from around the bend in the river.
There were twelve warships in total, each with four armored soldiers standing at the bow, holding long halberds with strips of oil-soaked cloth wrapped around their tips, which were now burning fiercely. The hulls were painted dark red, and the sides were covered with copper bells, which jingled as the ships sailed by, like death knells.
The first ship was the largest, and a person was standing at its bow.
Li Tianque.
He wore a scarlet cloak over which lay heavy armor of black iron, and a fist-sized blood jade was embedded in his chest, with faint runes flowing across its surface. In his hand he carried a nine-ringed broadsword, the nine copper rings on its back clanging with each step.
His gaze was fixed on Li Xuanhong, who was bound below the cliff. His face was ashen, and his voice carried from afar, as if it were being ground out from his throat:
"Dark Night! Release my cousin! Or I'll raze your Hongyun City to the ground!"
Inside the cave, Guo Tianyou gripped his longbow tightly, the arrow already nocked.
Zheng Yi raised his hand, signaling not to move.
He walked to the cave entrance, his voice not loud, yet it pierced through the mist and reached the bow of the opposite ship:
"Li Tianque".
"You're too late."
Li Tianque's pupils contracted.
The next instant, he swung his knife violently.
"kill!"
The twelve warships accelerated simultaneously, their bow torches ignited, and they surged down the cliff like twelve fire dragons.
Zhao Sanhuai grinned maliciously: "Go!"
The Zhao family members, who were lying in ambush on both sides of the cliff, made their move at the same time.
Dozens of rockets, trailing long fiery tails, shot out from the cracks in the cliff face, like a meteor shower falling against the current, landing precisely on the three leading warships.
"boom!"
The bow of the first ship exploded, igniting oil barrels and instantly engulfing the deck in flames. The monks on board screamed and jumped into the river, only to be pierced by caltrops beneath the surface, bleeding profusely.
The second and third ships caught fire one after another.
Li Tianque roared, "Form a water shield formation!"
Dozens of cultivators in the fleet simultaneously formed hand seals, causing walls of water to rise from the river surface, like transparent shields blocking the way in front of the ships.
The rockets hit the water shield, making a hissing sound, but most of them were blocked.
Li Tianque sneered: "You think a few fires can stop me?!"
He leaped onto the bow of the ship, raising his nine-ringed broadsword high, the runes on the blade glowing with a blood-red light.
"break!"
He slashed down with a single stroke.
The sword energy transformed into a thirty-foot-long crimson blade of light, carrying a foul stench, and cleaved straight down the cliff face.
Zheng Yi's figure flashed and he appeared at the edge of the cliff.
He drew his longsword from its sheath in his right hand, golden flames swirling around it, and slashed down to meet the blade's edge.
"clang--!"
The golden sword light clashed with the crimson blade light.
A muffled thunderclap seemed to explode between heaven and earth.
The shockwave spread outwards, instantly shattering the withered vines on the cliff face, and sending rubble crashing onto the river like a torrential downpour.
Both figures retreated simultaneously.
Zheng Yi retreated back to the cave entrance, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Li Tianque stood at the bow of the ship, his cloak torn in a hole, but his face was even more ferocious: "The Heavenly Gang Golden Core... truly lives up to its name. It's a pity your injuries haven't fully healed yet!"
He suddenly raised his hand.
On the warship behind them, dozens of cultivators simultaneously threw out their magical treasures.
There is a giant bronze bell, soul-locking chains, a sky-burning mirror, and a nine-ninth ghost banner...
In an instant, the magic weapon shone brightly, illuminating the entire Broken Soul Cliff as if it were daytime.
Zhao Sanhuai cursed, "Damn it, the Li family has really pulled out all the stops this time!"
Zheng Yi glanced at the magical artifacts and said calmly, "Don't fight them head-on. Retreat back into the cave."
Zhao Sanhuai was taken aback: "Retreat?"
“Yes.” Zheng Yi turned around. “Drag Li Xuanhong in.”
Zhao Sanhuai immediately understood and, along with the two men, dragged Li Xuanhong into the stone cave.
Upon seeing this, Li Tianque's expression changed: "You want to take my cousin hostage?!"
He suddenly struck out with his palm.
The palm wind transformed into a giant blood-red hand, reaching for the cave entrance.
Zheng Yi raised his hand and swung his sword, golden flames surging forth, the sword light like a bolt of lightning, meeting the attack head-on.
boom!
The giant hand was severed by the sword light, turning into a bloody mist that scattered in all directions.
At the same time, countless ghostly figures rushed out from the Nine Nether Ghost Banner, shrieking as they lunged towards the cave entrance.
Guo Tianyou roared, the bowstring twanged, and the arrows, wreathed in talismanic fire, blasted a ghostly figure to pieces.
But there were too many ghostly figures, covering the sky and the earth.
The cave entrance was instantly shrouded in ghostly mist.
Zhao Sanhuai swung his sword, slashing down two ghostly figures, and said urgently, "Sir, we can't hold out like this!"
Zheng Yi's gaze darkened.
He suddenly raised his hand and pushed Li Xuanhong to the cave entrance.
Li Xuanhong was suspended by chains, his feet off the ground, his face deathly pale.
Zheng Yi's voice pierced through the ghostly mist and reached the other side:
"Li Tianque".
“If you take one more step forward, I will drain the last bit of spiritual energy from his dantian.”
Li Tianque's face turned ashen, and he abruptly raised his hand: "Stop!"
The ghostly attack slowed down slightly.
Zheng Yi continued, "You brought so many magical treasures, probably because you're afraid I'll run away. But have you ever considered... I never intended to run away at all."
Li Tianque's pupils contracted.
Just then, a loud noise suddenly came from above the cliff.
Rumbling--
The entire cliff face began to tremble. The dozens of barrels of kerosene that Zhao Sanhuai and his men had buried earlier were now ignited by the fuse.
Flames poured down from the top of the cliff, like fiery dragons rushing down the cracks in the cliff face.
The Li family's fleet was thrown into chaos.
A boat was directly hit by the fire dragon, its hull exploded, and the cultivator screamed as he jumped into the river.
Li Tianque roared, "Withdraw! Withdraw back to the other side!"
But it was too late.
The rolling stones, barbed wire, and talisman arrays pre-buried on the cliff face were activated simultaneously.
The boulder crashed down with a thunderous roar, splashing water all over the river.
The barbed wire was dense and thick, like black raindrops, turning the river surface blood red.
The rune array lit up, transforming into a net of lightning that trapped half of the ships in place.
Li Tianque's eyes widened in fury: "Dark Night! You tricked me?!"
Zheng Yi stood at the cave entrance, the tip of his sword touching the ground, golden flames flickering on the blade.
His voice was soft, yet it carried throughout the entire Broken Soul Cliff:
"I said that."
"The Li family has only just begun to pay off their debts."
Li Tianque gritted his teeth and slammed his palm into his chest.
The blood jade exploded with a streak of bloody light.
He transformed into a blood-red shadow, his speed increasing dramatically as he rushed towards the cave entrance.
"die!"
Zheng Yi's eyes turned cold.
The longsword was raised.
The golden flames surged three zhang (approximately 10 meters).
The sword light flashed like a bolt of lightning, colliding head-on with the blood-red shadow.
boom--!
The air currents spread outwards.
The rocks near the cave entrance shattered instantly.
The blood shadow was shattered into pieces by the sword light, but it reformed in mid-air.
Li Tianque revealed himself, his cloak shattered, the blood jade on his chest completely broken, and his face as pale as paper.
He was panting heavily, his voice hoarse: "Dark Night... the Li family will remember this grudge!"
Zheng Yi didn't chase after him.
He simply looked at Li Tianque, his voice calm:
"Just write it down."
"Next time we meet... it won't be about holding a grudge."
Li Tianque stomped his foot and retreated rapidly, rushing back to the three remaining warships.
"withdraw!"
The remaining ships fled in panic and disappeared into the depths of the fog.
Below the Cliff of Broken Souls, only ruins remain, along with the still-burning flames.
Zhao Sanhuai walked over, his face covered in blood and ash, his voice trembling: "Sir...they escaped."
Zheng Yi watched the ripples on the river gradually calm down.
"It's better that they ran away."
"Keep them alive...go back and deliver the message."
He turned to look at Li Xuanhong, who was tied up inside the cave.
Li Xuanhong trembled all over, his eyes filled with terror.
Zheng Yi walked over and squatted down.
The tip of the sword pressed against his dantian.
“Now,” he said softly, “it’s your turn.”
Li Xuanhong shook his head desperately, making muffled noises, his tears and snot mixed together.
Zheng Yi didn't say anything more.
The celestial energy seeped into the tip of the sword.
Li Xuanhong's body suddenly stiffened.
The last bit of residual spiritual energy in his dantian dissipated little by little, as if being peeled away from its cocoon.
His eyes rolled back and he foamed at the mouth.
After a while.
Zheng Yi sheathed his sword.
Li Xuanhong collapsed to the ground, like a lump of mud.
His cultivation was completely destroyed.
Zhao Sanhuai, watching this scene, gasped, "My lord... what's next?"
Zheng Yi stood up and walked towards the cave entrance.
Below the cliff, the firelight illuminated his profile.
He spoke in a low voice:
"go back."
"Tell everyone... the Li family is scared."
"But we...aren't done yet."
In a secluded ravine behind the northern mountain of Hongyun City, Zheng Yi chose a sheltered grotto as his temporary shelter. The grotto was originally used by cultivators of the previous dynasty for refuge. The entrance was mostly obscured by withered vines. The inside was dry, and the floor was covered with a thick layer of pine needles, soft and yielding underfoot like an old carpet. Several natural cracks in the ceiling allowed dappled sunlight to filter in during the day and the cold moonlight to shine through at night, turning the moss on the cave walls a bluish hue.
Zheng Yi sat cross-legged on a flat bluestone in the center of the cave, his right palm facing upwards, a faint golden flame slowly rotating within it. That was his Heavenly Golden Core repairing itself; with each rotation, a subtle "click" sound emanated from deep within his meridians, like someone gently tapping porcelain. His eyes were closed, his breathing long and even, his chest rising and falling with minimal movement, as if his entire being had melted into the shadows of the cave.
Outside the cave, Guo Tianyou stood guard at the entrance, his back against a huge rock, a short crossbow in his hand, the bolts wrapped with talismans, ready to be fired at any moment. He would occasionally glance up into the cave, his voice low: "Sir, you look better today than yesterday."
Zheng Yi didn't open his eyes, and his voice came out faintly from his throat: "Hmm. I swallowed two Concentration Pills last night, and the cracks in my Golden Core have healed by 30%."
Guo Tianyou breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help asking, "Has the Li family... recovered by now? We killed two of their late-stage Mahayana cultivators and crippled Li Xuanhong. That old bastard Li Tianque must be itching to tear us apart."
Zheng Yi finally opened his eyes, his gaze passing through the cave entrance and landing on the misty mountain ridge in the distance.
"Hate is certain. But hate doesn't equate to being able to fight."
He paused, his voice even lower: "What the Li family lacks most right now is confidence. They lost their spiritual vein, lost their prodigy, and crippled their leaders; their reputation has plummeted. Other families now see them like a tiger with its teeth pulled out—they look fierce, but they don't have many claws left."
Guo Tianyou smiled wryly: "But even a tiger without teeth can bite. What if they drag others down with them?"
Zheng Yi did not answer immediately.
He raised his hand and took out a communication jade token he had taken from Li Xuanhong from his sleeve. The surface of the jade token was covered with fine cracks, but a trace of spiritual light still remained. He lightly touched it with his fingertip, and the jade token lit up with a faint blue light, from which several fragmented conversations could be heard.
"...Brother Tianque, this matter is of utmost importance, and it is inappropriate for my Han family to interfere..."
"...Brother Li, although your ancestor was strong, his influence has waned. My Lu family has just suffered a loss at the hands of Dark Night and dares not act rashly again..."
"...I apologize, Patriarch Li, the Blackwater River is currently in a state of panic, and my Qingyan Sect is in ruins and unable to take care of itself..."
Guo Tianyou's eyes lit up: "This is... the message record of Li Tianque's request for help being rejected?"
Zheng Yi nodded and tossed the jade token to him: "Zhao Sanhuai's men snatched it from the scouts outside the Li family last night. It seems Li Tianque hasn't been idle these past few days, seeking help everywhere."
Guo Tianyou examined the jade pendant over and over, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "The Han family, the Lu family, the Qingyan Sect... these were all sworn brothers with the Li family before, but now they've all distanced themselves from the Li family more cleanly than anyone else."
Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the cave.
Zhao Sanhuai burst in, his face covered in dew and bits of grass, panting heavily: "My lord! Breaking news! Li Tianque went to Black Wind Ridge last night, trying to win over Iron Butcher, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold. But Iron Butcher kicked him out, saying, 'The Li family is a hot potato now; whoever touches it will be in trouble.' He also declared that anyone who helps the Li family is going against Dark Night!"
Zheng Yi's lips curled slightly, a faint but cold smile: "Iron Butcher does have good judgment."
Zhao Sanhuai squatted down and lowered his voice: "It's not just him. I heard that Li Tianque also approached the Iron Sand Gang upstream, but the gang leader flatly refused, saying, 'More than three hundred people in my gang are still alive, and I don't want to be buried with your Li family.' Now, everyone along the Blackwater River shakes their heads when they mention the Li family, and no one wants to be associated with them."
Guo Tianyou couldn't help but ask, "What about Li Wuji? Didn't the old man come out of seclusion? Doesn't he care?"
Zhao Sanhuai sneered: "Mind your own business? He's currently staying indoors, supposedly because he suffered a backlash from forcibly breaking through to a higher realm and can't unleash his full power for a while. When Li Tianque asked for help, he only sent four words—'He brought it on himself.'" (End of Chapter)