Chapter 342 ·Yuan Li, Difficult to Deal With
Chapter 342: Yuan Li, Difficult to Deal With
Although the young Xu Yuqiong had his eyes closed, his heart was tense, because his grandmaster was staring at him.
After entering the sect, he had also learned of his grandmaster’s formidable legends. It was said that his grandmaster’s eyes could see through everything. He feared that his origins would be seen through.
He was not from the Nine Provinces. He had come from the Heavenly Nether Sea. Though he appeared young, it had taken him several years to reach the Nine Provinces.
Thinking of the uncle who had died for his sake, Xu Yuqiong’s mood grew heavy.
“Why is your heart in turmoil?”
Li Qingqiu’s voice entered Xu Yuqiong’s ears, startling him. He quickly replied, “I want to go further—I was too impatient.”
Li Qingqiu did not believe this answer, but he would not press Xu Yuqiong too hard.
He simply continued watching Xu Yuqiong cultivate.
After a full two hours, Li Qingqiu finally let Xu Yuqiong leave.
After parting from his grandmaster, Xu Yuqiong walked alone along the mountain path, quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
Although he was happy to become his grandmaster’s eldest grand-disciple, actually being in his presence placed immense pressure on him.
He thought of his Martial Uncle Hu Yan. It was said that the last disciple personally cultivated by his grandmaster was Hu Yan, who had also been the champion of the previous Grand Dao Tournament. He had already begun to regard Hu Yan as the target he would pursue.
He was very confident in his own talent, but he did not know just how strong Hu Yan truly was.
“Just hearing about those geniuses’ cultivation speeds, they don’t seem inferior to the geniuses in my clan…” Xu Yuqiong thought silently.
The Clear Sky Sect was larger than he had expected. Originally, he had only wanted to find a small sect to step onto the path of cultivation and grow steadily. Yet although the Clear Sky Sect was small, its rapid development and vigorous vitality made him feel that it would surely become a dominant force in the future.
With such thoughts drifting through his mind, he walked down the mountain.
Ahead, someone was walking up the mountain. Xu Yuqiong paid no attention, but as the two passed each other, the other person suddenly stopped.
“What is your name? Who is your master?”
Li Shoumin turned to look at Xu Yuqiong and asked curiously.
The moment he saw Xu Yuqiong, he inexplicably felt an affinity.
Xu Yuqiong was not puzzled, as many people would take the initiative to talk to him in daily life.
Seeing that the other party was older, he raised his hand in salute and said, “My name is Xu Yuqiong. My master is Xu Ning.”
“Which Xu Ning?”
“The Sect Master’s disciple.”
“What? You’re Senior Sister Xu Ning’s disciple?”
Li Shoumin was stunned. He only knew that Yuan Li had taken in a disciple—he hadn’t expected Xu Ning to have one as well.
Xu Yuqiong nodded calmly. He was not afraid that this identity would bring him trouble. From the moment he became the Sect Master’s eldest grand-disciple, he had already accepted all consequences, so he would not hide his identity.
Li Shoumin sized him up, his eyes growing brighter. He directly stepped forward, put an arm around Xu Yuqiong, and said with a grin, “Come, let’s chat. I’m Li Sifeng’s son—my name is Li Shoumin. You can count me as your Martial Uncle. We’re on the same side.”
Xu Yuqiong was stunned. He had not expected the other party to be of a higher generation. He did not refuse—this was a good opportunity to better understand the Clear Sky Sect.
Li Shoumin invited Xu Yuqiong to his courtyard, and the two walked up the mountain together, arms around each other’s shoulders.
…
On a snow-covered mountain, thousands upon thousands of Myriad Yin Sect cultivators gathered. Even though it was spring, heavy snow still filled the sky.
Inside a temporary pavilion, Qi Changfeng sat with more than a dozen Myriad Yin Sect cultivators. Their expressions were grim, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
Qi Changfeng took a deep breath and asked, “Is there really no one who can deal with Yuan Li?”
After months of conflict between the two forces, Yuan Li had become the most feared existence among the Myriad Yin Sect cultivators. No matter how famous one was within the sect, once they faced Yuan Li, the lightest outcome was severe injury, and the worst was being beaten to death without even a corpse remaining.
Qi Changfeng himself had once been severely injured by a single punch from Yuan Li. He knew exactly how terrifying Yuan Li was. But he had no way out—he had to find a way to deal with Yuan Li, or the Myriad Yin Sect would never be able to eliminate the Clear Sky Sect.
A female cultivator spoke, “To deal with Yuan Li, we cannot confront him head-on. We can only avoid him, first eliminate the other Clear Sky Sect disciples, and finally surround and attack him.”
As soon as she said this, others voiced their agreement.
Hearing the chorus of agreement, Qi Changfeng grew furious and gritted his teeth. “How do we avoid him? Yuan Li’s reinforcement speed is too fast—someone always gets caught by him!”
Previously, he had thought these people were formidable. But after going to war with the Clear Sky Sect, they all seemed like useless cowards, each one afraid to fight Yuan Li.
Aside from Yuan Li, there were several others in the Clear Sky Sect who were also troublesome. This was another reason Qi Changfeng could not avoid him—once a battle reached a stalemate, Yuan Li would quickly arrive as reinforcement.
Despite having more cultivators on their side, they had been forced into such a situation. Qi Changfeng felt deeply aggrieved.
If he could not take down the Clear Sky Sect within two years, he would undoubtedly die. He had no retreat.
Seeing Qi Changfeng’s increasingly ugly expression, an old man suggested, “We must admit Yuan Li’s strength. Even that female cultivator Xu Ning is not someone we can handle. Why not hire rogue cultivators from the cultivation world? There will always be ruthless figures capable of taking them down.”
Hearing this, the others’ eyes lit up, and they immediately echoed the idea.
“Yes, let rogue cultivators deal with Yuan Li. At least we won’t risk dying.”
“How about inviting Night Colt Star Lord?”
“He’s not easy to find. What about Profound Blade Mo Qi?”
“Yuan Li is a body cultivator—we should find rogue cultivators skilled in illusion techniques, formations, or sealing arts to deal with him.”
“In my opinion, Thousand-Faced Spider would be best. His strength isn’t outrageously high, but he excels in assassination techniques.”
Listening to the excited discussion in the hall, Qi Changfeng felt no joy—only growing anger.
Hiring rogue cultivators wasn’t as simple as just saying it!
Who would pay?
He couldn’t possibly use the Myriad Yin Sect’s funds—that would lead to consequences later.
If he paid himself, it would be unbearably painful.
In the cultivation world, wealth wasn’t mundane silver—it was spirit stones, elixirs, and heavenly treasures. Hiring someone capable of killing Yuan Li would not come cheap.
The more Qi Changfeng thought about it, the more depressed he became. How had he ended up with such a task? If he had known, he would never have accepted it.
He had originally thought the Clear Sky Sect would be an easy target—but it turned out to be incredibly tough to chew through.
While Qi Changfeng was troubled, the Clear Sky Sect’s side was becoming increasingly relaxed.
In Xiyu Immortal City, inside the City Lord’s residence—
Gu Changping, Wei Tianxiong, Chu Jing, and the upper ranks of the immortal city gathered together. Jian Yungui was also present. Although they did not have as much pressure as Qi Changfeng, they still had their own concerns.
“It’s very difficult to defeat the Myriad Yin Sect,” an elder of the immortal city said, his tone worried.
With the sect’s geniuses, the Clear Sky Sect continued to gain advantages. Yet the Myriad Yin Sect seemed unfathomable, with an endless stream of reinforcements, giving the impression that they could never be fully eliminated.
Wei Tianxiong said, “This is only the beginning. The Myriad Yin Sect must have very powerful forces. When we achieve greater victories, the real test will come. To them, we are like insects. Being defeated by insects is an absolute humiliation—they will retaliate madly to prove their strength.”
Chu Jing added, “At present, we are only fighting one branch of the Myriad Yin Sect. The sect has nine branches, and the top three are the strongest. The branch fighting us isn’t the weakest, but it’s among the bottom three.”
Hearing this, the expressions of those present turned grave.
Gu Changping frowned. “What worries me most is if the Myriad Yin Sect sends out great cultivators of the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm. No matter how strong Yuan Li, Xu Ning, or Zhao Zhen are, they won’t be their match. And once such a cultivator appears, it will cause massive casualties in a short time.”
Wei Tianxiong let out a chuckle, drawing everyone’s attention.
“You’re misunderstanding something. Do you think other sects are like yours—where disciples are nurtured from childhood and dedicate their entire lives to the sect? Other sects are different. Many powerful cultivators joined midway, especially great cultivators. They’ve experienced many sects. Of course, some stay in one sect, but such cases are rare. And once they reach the Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm, their mindset changes—from competing for superiority to pursuing longevity.”
His words surprised everyone—it was a perspective they had never considered.
“As long as the Myriad Yin Sect is not facing the threat of total destruction, and as long as their Sect Master is not extreme, those great cultivators will not act easily. In a sect’s development, there are countless enemies—they cannot intervene every time.”
“And…”
Wei Tianxiong suddenly paused. He thought of Li Qingqiu. In his view, if the Myriad Yin Sect’s Heaven-Connecting Radiance Realm cultivators did act, it would actually be a good thing—Li Qingqiu could eliminate them sooner and then annex the Myriad Yin Sect.
Of course, he couldn’t say that. He couldn’t let these people become complacent.
A sect couldn’t always rely solely on its Sect Master—that would make it abnormal.
Jian Yungui listened carefully as the sect’s upper ranks discussed major matters. He had great confidence in his own tactics and strategies, but he lacked understanding of the cultivation world. Thus, he felt this was good—watching and learning first. Even if he were to take action directly, he feared making mistakes.
Mistakes in a sect war meant death.
Even though Jian Yungui knew war was ruthless, he still hoped to minimize casualties as much as possible.
At that moment, a disciple hurried into the hall. He stepped to the center, bowed, and reported, “Reporting to the City Lord and elders—Zhao Zhen’s team has discovered a great demon. Its true form is unclear. They are requesting reinforcements. Other teams have already been dispatched to assist.”
Hearing this, everyone’s expressions changed—they hadn’t expected the Myriad Yin Sect to deploy demonic beasts.
Wei Tianxiong, however, remained calm. He said evenly, “The real war has only just begun. The Myriad Yin Sect is part of the demonic path—using every possible method is their true style.”
The atmosphere turned heavy.
For Zhao Zhen and Hu Yan to request reinforcements, that great demon must be anything but ordinary.
Wei Tianxiong stood up and sneered, “Since they’re getting serious, then I won’t hold back either. I’ll show them some demonic methods of my own.”
Everyone looked at him in surprise, not understanding what he meant by his “demonic methods.”
Speaking of which, to this day, they still did not know Wei Tianxiong’s origins. They only knew that his cultivation was unfathomable, that he was deeply trusted by the Sect Master, and that he had made tremendous contributions to the sect’s development.