Chapter 404: Dragon Head Taurocamel

Two strange beasts exuded formidable auras, their mountain-like bodies moving with extreme oppressiveness.

The Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion had four paws burning with flames, and its body glowed with alternating blue and red light. Its fur rippled with fiery mist, every strand containing unfathomable and domineering energy.

The camel beside it was unimaginably huge, shrouded in a mysterious shadow. Its entire body was covered in scales, and it had two horns on its head, engraved with countless arcane symbols.

Li Weiyi frowned, thinking that powerful demon beasts had arrived. But seeing Tang Wanzhou completely unfazed by these fierce and terrifying beasts, he immediately knew they were allies, not enemies.

"Is that a Dragon-Headed Camel?"

Li Weiyi had heard from Master Coffin that the Evil Camel Bell could initially only summon one camel, but as his cultivation improved, it could summon a camel caravan. Later on, the camel would even transform into a Dragon-Headed Camel.

Such a legendary fierce creature seemed to have appeared before his eyes.

"It's the old man's mount, a cub brought back from outside the borders. He's been raising it for almost a millennium."

Tang Wanzhou looked over, her gaze meeting the figure on the back of the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion, and the two began to communicate telepathically.

Tuobabu Tuo, whose entire body seemed cast from silver, flashed out from behind the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion, appearing tiny like a bean in comparison. He waved and shouted joyfully, "Young Master, Brother Weiyi!"

The two giant beasts stopped a dozen li away, standing majestically still.

Tuobabu Tuo ran over, ecstatic, his laughter clear and hearty.

Seeing him lively and energetic, Li Weiyi felt greatly relieved and immediately asked him why he was there.

"Southern Venerable brought Old Qi and me out of the main altar. Old Qi has already returned to Qiuzhou, and I'm afraid I also need to return to the Northern Reaches. Brother Weiyi, don't go back to the Underground Immortal Mansion. The Rice Cult will never trust us humans; they don't consider us their kind at all," Tuobabu Tuo said seriously.

Li Weiyi nodded gently and asked, "What about the Death Spirit Fire in your body?"

"Lord Lion Camel King personally acted and extracted the Death Spirit Fire from my body, thread by thread. My soul and consciousness suffered some damage, but I believe I can cultivate them back," Tuobabu Tuo said, his eyes filled with respect and adoration.

The Death Spirit Fire in Tuobabu Tuo's body was planted by a Saint Spirit Diviner, so it was possible for a transcendent being to extract it.

With Tuobabu Tuo's talent as a young prodigy and inheritor, he was already qualified for a transcendent being to personally intervene and help. After all, a great clan like the Tuoba, possessing a transcendent, had only produced one inheritor in the last hundred years.

When the Li clan produced an inheritor, their transcendent would keep them by their side at all times for guidance.

The collective appearance at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival represented the arrival of the Golden Generation of the Lingxiao Living Realm—a generation destined to be mentioned a thousand or even ten thousand years later. In other eras, it was normal for only one or two top inheritors to emerge every sixty years, leading the young heroes of the world.

Hearing the three words "Lion Camel King," Li Weiyi's expression turned serious, and he looked with astonishment at the two ancient beasts in the distance, focusing on the figure on the lion's back, but he couldn't make out their features clearly.

"Is that the Northern Reaches' top expert, Tang Shituo?"

The top expert of the Southern Reaches was Zuoqiu Xuanming of the Zuoqiu Sect's Strategies and Tactics school, whose legendary combat power was said to be no less than that of the Second Palace Master.

Li Weiyi sighed, "I can't go back to the Rice Cult now; I've effectively separated myself from them."

In Lingxiao City, he had ruined the Demon Kingdom's Crown Prince's grand plan. The Rice Cult wanted to gain the Demon Kingdom's support, become the masters of the Lingxiao Living Realm, and establish their own Rice Realm. Thus, he, the so-called "Divine Son," could be pushed to the guillotine at any moment.

"That's great!"

Tuobabu Tuo clapped his hands heartily, glanced at Tang Wanzhou beside him, and added, "Come with us to the Northern Reaches! See the snow-capped mountains and grasslands there, witness the passion and boldness of our Northern Reaches women, experience different customs and traditions, drink and chat merrily together, and conquer the world together! Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Li Weiyi sighed with a laugh, "It's not like I can just leave whenever I want. I'll go to the Northern Reaches eventually, and when I do, you can treat me to a grand feast of meat, but not now."

"You still want to go back to the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plains?" Tang Wanzhou seemed to see right through him.

Li Weiyi was silent for a moment before saying, "What would I do going back to that death trap? I have many companions in Lizhou, and I'm also a Divine Hidden person of the Jiuli Hidden Gate. Young Master, you know my relationship with the Zuoqiu Sect. With so many ties, how could I possibly go to the Northern Reaches now?

"Besides," he continued, "a world-spanning war is imminent. If humanity can win, there will be infinite possibilities for the future. If we lose... then whether in the Southern or Northern Reaches, what difference would it make?"

Tang Wanzhou strode towards the two giant beasts, saying, "You try to persuade him again; he's determined to go back to the eye of the storm and get himself killed."

Tuobabu Tuo looked at Tang Wanzhou and saw her leap, landing directly on the head of the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion's central main head.

He whispered, "Young Master has never cared about someone this much. She's always been unconstrained and free-spirited, never forcing things. Come with us. The Northern Reaches are much safer than the chaotic Southern Reaches. In the Southern Reaches, you have the Jiang Family, the Rice Cult, Coffin Mountain, Suizong, Night City, the Three Chen Palaces, and the demon race lurking everywhere. Enemies are everywhere for you. No matter how good Zuoqiu Hongting is, can she compare to Young Master? Young Master just lacks a bit of femininity..."

"You hit the nail on the head!"

Li Weiyi put his hand on Tuobabu Tuo's shoulder and also lowered his voice: "If her title was something like Princess Tangting, or Princess Wanwan, I would shamelessly follow her to the Northern Reaches, and with some effort, perhaps even become a consort—that would be a great joy in life. But her title is 'Young Master'... If that got out, it wouldn't sound good."

Tuobabu Tuo was stunned. "That's what you care about?"

On the back of the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion.

Tang Wanzhou brought out the Nine-Layer Demonic Pagoda. "Old man, take this thing and research it! Lend me a transcendent power."

Tang Shituo, standing opposite, took the blood-red demonic pagoda and slightly raised an eyebrow. "Give it to him?"

"He saved my life. Without him, I would have died in the Underground Immortal Mansion. I must repay this debt," Tang Wanzhou said.

Tang Shituo said, "Just for this reason?"

"His talent is very high, and his future achievements will surpass yours. I don't want to see him throw his life away," Tang Wanzhou said.

"To store a single move of power requires releasing a massive amount of scriptures, which consumes too much cultivation. The world is at its darkest, and a great war is imminent; I cannot lend it!"

Tang Shituo unfastened his grey-black cloak and threw it to Tang Wanzhou. "This cloak is a Thousand-Character Artifact; it can withstand a full strike from the Dragon-Headed Camel. Let it store one innate Daoist spell within it. That should be enough for him!"

A moment later, Tang Wanzhou returned with Tang Shituo's cloak, already folded neatly, and handed it to Li Weiyi. "When you're in the most dangerous situation, activate it with spiritual energy."

Li Weiyi didn't feign politeness and accepted this gesture of goodwill. He then took the Divine Snow Sword from Yao Qingxuan's spatial bag and returned it to her.

Tang Wanzhou took the Divine Snow Sword and turned to leave. "In the cruelest battlefield under the shroud of night, dangers lurk everywhere, and evil spirits and demons run rampant. Whether in the north or south, everyone is pushed to the edge of a cliff. Warriors with unyielding spirit fight fearlessly with their swords until dawn arrives. No matter where the battle is, we are fighting to win, fighting for survival."

Li Weiyi clasped his hands in farewell. "Though fierce winds may rise, we shall ride the wind for ten thousand li. Young Master, take care of yourself!"

Tuobabu Tuo bowed to Li Weiyi in farewell and ran to catch up.

One lion, one camel—the two giant beasts—headed north.

Tang Wanzhou stood on the front humps of the camel, her arms crossed over her chest, her ponytail swaying in the wind. "Spread the word," she commanded, "let all women in the world who have drunk from the Mother-Child Spring bring their children and gather in Fengzhou Prefecture City. My Snow Sword Tangting will resolve their hidden dangers."

The robust figure on the back of the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion said, "Use their strength to help Snow Sword Tangting take Fengzhou? Fengzhou is the Imperial Court's territory. Given the current situation, wouldn't such aggressive action benefit the demon race?"

Fengzhou is one of the Imperial Court's eight core prefectures.

It is also one of the two prefectures in the Northern Reaches that Snow Sword Tangting has yet to conquer.

Tang Wanzhou gazed north. "The demon race and the Demon Kingdom have suffered successive defeats in Lingxiao City, and their plans have fallen through. I predict the great battle on the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plains is imminent and cannot wait two months.

"If the war in the Western Reaches erupts around the Lantern Festival," she continued, "the battle of Lingxiao City will certainly be in the first month."

"Old man, there's no time left! If we can't take Fengzhou quickly, Fengzhou will only fall into the hands of the demon race first. The Imperial Court won't be able to defend it at all.

"We must use the myriad formations and the Heaven-Law Earth Spring of Fengzhou Prefecture City, as well as the formations of the surrounding county and prefecture cities, to establish a firm foothold. Then, after Lingxiao City collapses, we can swiftly advance to the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plains to fight the decisive battle against the demon race.

"Without this forward base, by the time we cross the Misty Grassland and head south, the battle will already be over. We'll only face the enemy's crushing counterattack. We won't be able to advance or retreat.

"Now that we have the Nine-Layer Demonic Pagoda in hand, we can borrow countless powers. We can certainly take Fengzhou without shedding a drop of blood. Why shouldn't we take it?

"Once the war in the Western Reaches erupts, the Imperial Court will be too preoccupied to care for itself. They'll have to rob Peter to pay Paul and will certainly retreat and hand over Fengzhou, allowing our Snow Sword Tangting to defend the North Heaven Gate for them."

The figure on the back of the Azure-Flame Three-Headed Lion said, "Alright, your strategies have never been wrong. We'll do as you say. In this battle, it's either life or death; there's no other choice."

"Though fierce winds may rise, we shall ride the wind for ten thousand li!"

Tang Wanzhou rode the Dragon-Headed Camel, galloping away, their speed increasing until the two beasts were engulfed by the endless wind and snow, disappearing on the northern horizon.

The sky turned pale like a fish's belly, and morning had arrived.

Li Weiyi did not find Zuoqiu Ling or Yao Xingyue.

They did not know that the man accompanying Tang Wanzhou was Li Weiyi, who had already left, not daring to expose their location for too long on the perilous Fuzhou plains.

In a chaotic dark era, concealment was the best way to preserve one's life.

From the weakest Spring Realm cultivators to transcendent beings, each had their own methods of concealment. The difference was that the former concealed themselves for survival, while the latter did so for deterrence.

Li Weiyi then went to look for the civilians who had evacuated from the town, intending to escort them to Yuxian County before leaving. He searched for traces, and before long, about ten li from where they had parted, he found the group.

Under the morning sun, over a hundred townspeople, mostly women and children, lay brutally slaughtered on the muddy, icy, snowy plains.

Li Weiyi stood there, completely rigid, as if turned to stone.

Although the sunlight shone on him, he felt no warmth whatsoever.

When they parted last night, they were all still vibrant lives. The man had earnestly assured him that there would be no danger on the way to Yuxian County. Those children had been personally rescued by him, brought out of a hellish town.

Even though they were frightened and crying last night, at least they had infinite possibilities and hope for the future.

Now, the corpses on the ground were horrifying: half were torn apart by spiritual energy, and the other half had already turned into rotting flesh.

Was hell so inescapable?

"Earth Spirit Grey Mist!"

Li Weiyi felt his skin go numb and immediately knew that the townspeople had been poisoned by Coffin Mountain's grey mist, which caused their flesh to rapidly decay.

He was no longer the same as before; his cultivation was profound. Gritting his teeth, he let out a low growl, mobilized his spiritual energy, and expelled the grey mist poison he had inhaled from his pores.

Suddenly,

an extremely dangerous sensation arose.

"Whoosh!"

An incredibly powerful spiral force emerged from beneath the ground, turning the surrounding several zhang into a swirling vortex of mud, pulling him underground.

Li Weiyi spread his arms, releasing his Dao Heart manifestation.

Spiritual energy diffused from his Wind Mansion, accompanied by dragon roars, but he didn't condense the Seven-Clawed Flame Heavenly Dragon. He broke free from the pulling force from underground and shot diagonally upward.

"Whoosh!"

A tall and stout figure burst through the mud, emerging from underground in pursuit.