Beginning with the Ubume Bird
Chapter 664 - Chapter 664 Chapter 50 The Eight Sufferings (Part 1)

Chapter 664: Chapter 50: The Eight Sufferings (Part 1) Chapter 664: Chapter 50: The Eight Sufferings (Part 1) “`

Boom~

After the roar, lightning submerged into the dark clouds, and torrential rain poured down.

The pitter-patter of raindrops drenched the concrete pavement, while awnings of various eateries swayed precariously in the gusting wind. Pedestrians, clutching their briefcases high, ran through the rain, as light bulbs went out one after another. The entire city gradually lost its luster amid the heavy downpour.

“I can assure you, he did it on purpose!”

Facing the dim night view outside the floor-to-ceiling window, Yu Shiqie shouted into the phone.

“Yang Zheng discussed it with me: Li Yan had already met Qian Wu at the Pearl Tower. Qian Wu spoke two lines of an official’s phrase: ‘Chance befalls in the Nine Songs, destiny departs to the Songs of Chu,’ indicating that the person in the official’s phrase killed his own godson. Besides Li Yan, no one else possesses the inheritance of Chu Territory this time. Li Yan should have sensed something was wrong. Plus, I had warned him not to startle the snake by hitting the grass, so he must have guessed early on that there were Sifan people lurking around. But now he’s still making a move against Xue Wenhai. The Four Pillars Divine Fiend haven’t been completely gathered yet. If Xue Wenhai dies and Sifan’s people haven’t been exposed, our deployment will be completely disrupted.”

“If what you’re saying is true, why would he do that?”

Zhao Jianzhong’s voice came from the other end of the phone.

“I can’t be sure, but I have a guess. The first time Li Yan participated in a Yan Fu event was here, where he met someone…”

“Let’s not talk about guesses. I’m not there, and in the Yan Zhao Club, you hold the highest seat. You’re now the backbone. What you say goes. But first, ensure everyone else’s safety. Four Pillars Divine Fiend, Heavenly Yi Noble, True Dragon’s Earth Vein–none of these matter.”

Yu Shiqie pursed her lips, reluctantly nodding: “Understood.”

She had just hung up the phone when a sweet female voice came to her ears.

“Anomaly detected in Earth Jiazi No. 259 Fruit, with a count of three vacancies, suspected Renegade activity, updating, the number of vacancies has increased to seven…”

——————————–

The rolling thunder drowned out the sound of the explosive blast of air.

The corner of the three-story funeral parlor had collapsed, with the aged rooftop slanting to one side. Dust rose over two meters high.

Li Yan, carrying Qian Wu on his back, was the first to rush out of the dust, like a soaring hawk. A murky yellow hand, formed from converging water splashes, followed closely behind, sweeping viciously close to Li Yan’s clothes before brutally slamming into the ground, causing many wavelets to splash like scattering coins and pearls. Each wavelet twisted in mid-air into the face of Wenle, each displaying different expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure; they looked eerie and enchanting.

In the night sky floated the massive corpses of various aquatic creatures such as jellyfish, anglerfish, Water Tiger Fish, and Pig Dragons, their organs oozing blood of different hues. These Water Lord Species, akin to space debris, floated silently, showing no signs of reviving in the Water Lord Palace.

Being aquatic rulers themselves, the species killed by Feng Yi could not revive in the Water Lord Palace.

Bang~

The murky spray fell to the ground and dissipated, finally revealing a blurred figure–it was Feng Yi, whom Li Yan had exposed.

His lower half was submerged in Yellow River water, his upper body bare, with his face still bearing the features of Wenle. Colorful scales littered his wrists, chest, and neck, though many had fallen off, and his whole body was covered in bite marks the size of Copper Coins. The most horrific wounds were on his right hand, which was almost gnawed to a pulp, with the broken bone ends clearly visible.

Feng Yi stared at his bleeding wounds as if deep in thought.

He could hardly believe that a mere moment of carelessness had led to such a wretched state–that a man who had only barely escaped from his clutches a little over a year ago had managed to injure him so gravely!

In the myths of China, Wu Zhiqi proclaimed itself the Huai River Water God, a major demon of the two Huai regions, while Feng Yi was a Yellow River Water God appointed by the Heavenly Emperor. Both originated from the tale of Da Yu taming the waters. Wu Zhiqi eventually got suppressed under Huaiyin Turtle Mountain by Da Yu, and Feng Yi presented the River Map to aid Da Yu’s water management–a clear indicator of higher status. And in the mythology of Chu Territory, River God Feng Yi possesses an independent chapter in the “Nine Songs,” while Wu Zhiqi is merely mentioned in passing.

Even in the ranking of the Yan Fu Heritage, “Feng Yi” ranks just a notch above “Wu Zhiqi.”

Moreover, Feng Yi himself had long been a Renegade of the Six Ministries level, with might comparable to the real Yellow River Water God. His “Nine-Bend Scale Armor” was no less formidable than Wu Zhiqi’s “Calamity Demon Body.” No matter how severe the injury, as long as he transformed into Nine-Bend Yellow River water and then back into his original form, his wounds would heal. Even if he suffered a fatal blow, he could use the colorful scales on his body as sacrifices to cheat death, similar to Li Yan’s Ghost Chariot Lotus Platform. To Feng Yi, these scales were mere natural byproducts of metabolism, and would grow back before long.

But Feng Yi had greatly underestimated the ferocity of the R’lyeh Water Tiger and the seven major forms of guns and swords, especially the latter; when faced with the spearhead directly, Feng Yi was horrified to discover that a casual flick or poke from the Tiger Head Great Spear could cause his Nine-Bend Scale Armor to shed in large swaths. This meant that each seemingly casual spear thrust by Li Yan had the terrifying power to kill him!

The wounds inflicted by the R’lyeh Water Tiger couldn’t heal.

As this realization dawned on him, Feng Yi raised his head. Maybe it was the terrifying sight of the surrounding dead aquatic creatures that made even his overlooking gaze towards Li Yan feel immensely oppressive.

“`

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“I thought you really would be swayed by Jiang Sihai and start doubting Qian Wu.”

Li Yan, with Qian Wu on his back, chose not to act rashly even when facing the injured Feng Yi: “If a few crazy words from a dying scoundrel could shake me, I wouldn’t have made it this far.”

“How did you realize something was wrong with me?”

Feng Yi asked curiously.

“Why don’t you guess?”

Li Yan smiled coldly.

Feng Yi thought for a moment: “I guess, you stumbled upon it by accident. It must have been when I leaked to you that Yang Baojin was Xue Wenhai’s target. That was a bit too deliberate and raised your suspicions. But actually, even when you attacked me just now, you weren’t completely sure of my identity, were you? You just acted on the thought that it did not matter even if you were wrong.”

Li Yan did not respond.

“Your thinking is very dangerous. In the Yan Zhao Club, factions that subconsciously disregard others’ lives are always suppressed by Zhao Jianzhong, right? That obstinate old man insists on autocracy. Maybe one day you’ll think joining us isn’t such a bad idea.”

Feng Yi licked the corner of his mouth.

Li Yan remained unconvinced: “Just like with Jiang Sihai, I am even less likely to waver in my sense of right and wrong due to a few words from someone whose moral bottom line is obviously lower than mine.”

“Suit yourself. But you’re not running away now. Don’t tell me you really think you can wrestle with me just because I’m injured?”

Li Yan shook his head: “Indeed, I am no match for you.”

From their brief clash, Li Yan had already realized that Feng Yi’s “Nine-Bend Yellow River Water” was a more potent and higher quality destructive supernatural ability than the “Tentacle-Shaped Calamity Water” and the “Dragon Mist,” and it was in no way inferior to the “Soul-forgiving Water.” In a head-on fight, he stood no chance whatsoever.

However…

Under the stormy night sky, a massive black whirlpool emerged behind Li Yan, with numerous shadows flickering within. Especially one gold and one purple, attracting and circling each other within the vortex, resembling a Tai Chi pattern.

Feng Yi found the ground beneath him disappear, and when he looked up again, he was submerged in deep black sea waters. As he burst above the surface, he saw nothing but scattered isles and an endless expanse of sea, with stars intertwined in the sky and two suns, one gold and one purple.

Feng Yi, an expert on aquatic traits, had seen more than Li Yan and immediately recognized what was happening.

“Nine Variations of Calamity? Double Demon Disturbance Sea?”

In Li Yan’s hand, there was only one killing array of the Nine Variations of Calamity, with the Pig Dragon King as the array’s focus and the R’lyeh Water Tiger forming the formation, named the R’lyeh Storm. If it hadn’t been for the absence of the Pig Dragon King Yang Zichu from Li Yan’s side, Li Yan might have possibly taken the opportunity to attack Feng Yi just now. Now that Feng Yi was on guard, the castrated version of the R’lyeh Storm could no longer be effective.

But upon returning from the Mother Palace and studying the predecessors’ “Catalogue of Nine Variations of Calamity Killing Array,” Li Yan had learned another array, with the Sun Pisces Talisman Formation as the focus and the myriad creatures of the Water Lord Palace forming the array, named “Double Demon Disturbance Sea.”

The effect was to transport the opponent into an Illusion Realm, a formidable illusion that not even Lady Dan’s mountain fire could break and one that had no offensive power. Moreover, Li Yan himself couldn’t move while activating the array. It could last at most two hours.

Forget two hours, the moment Li Yan discovered Feng Yi, Earth Endurance would have informed all the travelers of Yan Fu, and people like Yang Zheng and Yu Shiqie would arrive here in just a few minutes. Then, Feng Yi would have no chance of escape.

“No wonder you wanted to stall for time.”

Feng Yi leisurely countered from within the Illusion Realm: “But we’re both stalling.”

Li Yan looked up, and suddenly three black rifts appeared around him. A strong black arm reached out from the rift with effort, followed by four more rifts. A solemn and profound aura swept across the area, the seven rifts like the magnificent pupils of ancient beings…

Without a second thought, Li Yan closed the black whirlpool behind him with a bang, and Feng Yi found himself back on solid ground only to discover that Li Yan had vanished in an instant, leaving only the unconscious Qian Wu on the ground.

“Yun Zhongjun, Driving the Nine States?”

Feng Yi leaped high, looking around, but found no trace of Li Yan, who had clearly made his escape.

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