"We have eyes and ears in the Western Frontier."
"Several Void Refining cultivators, led by Sword Venerable Li Yaozu, are all operating in the Western Frontier.
The Li Clan possesses means of communication. Once we make a move, reinforcements from the Western Frontier will definitely come.
Even if those Void Refining experts exhaust their Spiritual power to return—combined with their Old Ancestor's spatial rules at the Void Refining realm—it will still take three days.
If that's the case, their Spiritual power will be depleted, making them of no concern."
"However, this is exactly the effect we want. To exterminate the Li Clan, we must lure them back."
"..."
A torrential downpour fell within the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
In the cloudy sky from the Duravia Trade Prefecture to the Azure Cloud Prefecture, a palanquin moved forward beneath flowers that bloomed out of thin air.
Sixteen beauties carried the palanquin, while two others fanned and fed the occupant.
Banshu Ao maintained his languid posture, his mind turning over the strategies devised by the crowd in the Clearpeak Prefecture Grotto-Heaven over the past three months to deal with the Li Clan.
"We need someone to draw out the Li Clan. This person must be powerful enough, yet not annihilate the Li Clan in an instant, so as to lure out the true experts of the Li Clan."
"The Li Clan's Old Ancestor has always been fierce and brave. Granny Guo of the Northern Frontier also died by his hands. Such a person must be arrogant.
When our people reveal themselves, I imagine he will appear immediately; that will be the precise moment to kill him.
Otherwise, if he lives, no one will be able to stop him if he uses his spatial methods to take the Li Clan members and flee."
"Only Young Master Banshu can shoulder this heavy responsibility. The Li Clan's treasures shall be picked by Young Master Banshu first."
Banshu Ao's expression was calm, feeling the fresh air of the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
This rain was rain sent down by Uncle Rain.
Three months had passed, and having met Uncle Rain, he felt increasingly that the figures from the stories he had heard growing up were nothing special.
Uncle Rain's Dao rhythm was, to him, merely awe-rooted deep within the legends; then, seeing was believing, and it was well within reach.
He was actually only one step away from Uncle Rain.
It wouldn't be long before he walked upon the Dao, creating his own stories, while Uncle Rain and the entire Azure Cloud Prefecture would vanish with time.
"Bring the umbrella."
Banshu Ao reached out his hand.
A maid beside him, smiling numbly, handed him an oiled paper umbrella, a supreme-grade spirit artifact.
Soon after, Banshu Ao stretched his body, took the umbrella, and leaped down from the palanquin, landing on a muddy main road surrounded by large trees.
Behind the large trees were high mountains, serving as the natural moat between the Duravia Trade Prefecture and the Azure Cloud Prefecture.
Opening the oiled paper umbrella, the sound of the rain splashing against it could be heard.
As the wind blew, rain dripped onto his body; everything felt so real.
The torrential downpour made the entire world appear hazy.
Banshu Ao reached out his hand, feeling the rainwater.
From ahead of him came a 'tap, tap' sound; someone was stepping on the rainwater.
A Void Refining realm cultivator.
Because the rain was so heavy and the person's Spiritual power was so dense, he could only tell that this person was wearing a Daoist robe, standing in the rain.
But whoever it was didn't matter.
"Everyone who comes to the Azure Cloud Prefecture has their own objective."
Banshu Ao's voice was calm.
He knew clearly that the person opposite him should be able to hear him.
Even if he was going to kill the other party, he wanted them to die understanding why.
"When Qiuyue sought me out, he said there was a monstrous genius in the Azure Cloud Prefecture who wanted to snatch my title as the number one person below the Body Integration realm.
He was truly laughable."
"Living up to this point, Grandhaven Prefecture City is full of such people.
Someone wants to snatch your title as the number one Foundation Establishment cultivator, the number one Golden Core cultivator, the number one Nascent Soul cultivator...
The world thinks I care about these hypocritical reputations."
"But I know clearly that no one can take them away, because to me, I have no rivals within the same realm."
Perhaps it was because he was too long-winded.
The person ahead grew somewhat impatient.
A shouted question mixed with the heavy rain echoed in his ears, "Did you motherfucking come here just to spout nonsense?"
Banshu Ao didn't mind.
He continued talking to himself,
"The year I was in the Golden Core realm, I met the Human Emperor.
From that day on, I knew that apart from him, no one else was worth my pursuit.
Since reaching the Nascent Soul realm, I have never fought again.
Partly because I am unwilling to be forced into hiding by the Human Emperor, who could abandon a prosperous place like Grandhaven Prefecture City, wouldn't you agree?"
"No one in the world has ever fought me. I am unwilling; they are unworthy."
"Now the Human Emperor is old, which poses no hindrance to my breakthrough to the Body Integration realm.
Before I break through, I want to see if the legendary Old Ancestor of the Azure Cloud Prefecture, who possesses spatial rules, can move my Dao."
...
Through the heavy rain.
Li Yunlin held a whisk in his hand. He was expressionless, with the old cat on his shoulder.
Faint spiritual energy radiated from the man and the cat, isolating them from the torrential downpour.
That earlier shout had come from the old cat. As for him... he wasn't that idle.
The Old Ancestor had said that this rain was a Body Integration expert casting a technique, keeping an eye on the entire Li Clan.
And this unknown thing wanted to lure the Old Ancestor away.
Li Yunlin had arrived.
As for who this person was? It didn't matter.
Ever since the day the Old Tree helped him see that all twenty-three Dao Gates were completely sealed off, as long as he didn't run into the Old Ancestor, Grandpa, Father, Second Aunt, Fourth Aunt... Never mind, most people didn't matter.
The old cat bristled, the idiot in front still rambling. "Little Lin, this person is not simple!"
"Mhm."
Li Yunlin nodded.
The rain was still falling, but in Li Yunlin's eyes, everything was still.
He could clearly feel that, despite still being at the border between the Azure Cloud Prefecture and the Duravia Trade Prefecture, he had already entered another identical world.
He had entered the opponent's Void Refining space.
Li Yunlin finally understood why the other party was so indifferent, why he dared to openly claim he wanted to deal with the Old Ancestor.
It was because this person was genuinely powerful.
Illusion and reality merged to form a new world.
In this hazy world.
Li Yunlin raised his hand, spiritual energy erupting from his body.
Earth-grade technique, Divine Dark Soul-Locking Art!
This was a technique used by Zhuo Linlin.
Eight dark orbs appeared behind Li Yunlin, locking onto Banshu Ao's divine soul ahead.
The world turned into a night of rain, and the eight dark orbs shot straight into the cloudy sky, spinning wildly and twisting into a massive rope.
"Boom!"
The heavy rain of the entire world turned black, splashing in all directions.
The black clouds in the cloudy sky dissipated, revealing bright light once more, before turning back into a torrential downpour.
Li Yunlin frowned slightly.
"Tap, tap, tap."
A pedestrian in the rain; the heavy rain battered the oiled paper umbrella.
Banshu Ao passed by parallel to Li Yunlin, ten meters to his left.
A faint laugh filled with arrogance and disdain came through.
"Ants can never reach the gods.
You are using the rules of darkness; you are not the Li Clan's Old Ancestor.
However, for a mayfly attempting to shake a tree, it is worthy of praise. I don't mind playing with you for a bit."
Li Yunlin cast a slight sidelong glance at this person and finally spoke his first words.
"Daoist friend, are you sick?"