In Merit City.
The heavy rain pouring over the Azure Cloud Prefecture emanated an aura of Dao rhythm.
Perfected Qiuyue personally led over a hundred people to the location of the Li Clan's Merit Grotto-Heaven.
His face was extremely ugly.
To the outside world, the Merit Grotto-Heaven appeared as a single red leaf drifting in the cloudy sky, concealing the entire Grotto-Heaven within it, suspended high above Solaria City.
But now.
Under this torrential rain, as the commoners of Solaria City rushed to seek shelter, Perfected Qiuyue pinched the red leaf from the sky, feeling as if he had picked up a rare treasure.
After the great war in the Western Frontier, everyone in the Imperial Dynasty knew of the 'Primal Leaf', which could isolate heavenly secrets.
"Perfected One, the Merit Grotto-Heaven has... run away," a cultivator said, looking back at the hundred-plus people behind him with an ugly expression.
"Someone among us must have leaked the information; otherwise, with our plan so well-prepared and completely concealed, how could the Li Clan know we were coming?"
"There's also Banshu Ao. He was intercepted in Azure Cloud Prefecture, and it was Li Yunlin who stopped him."
"How is that possible? Banshu Ao is the number one person below the Body Integration realm; how could Li Yunlin possibly stop him?"
"Heh, 'number one person below the Body Integration realm'—have you ever fought him? Or have you ever seen him fight anyone?
Has Xu Xian of the Eternal Immortal Sect ever proclaimed himself the number one person below the Body Integration realm?"
"This..."
As soon as the Azure Cloud Li Clan's Grotto-Heaven Paradise disappeared, the group—gathered from all over the world—began to argue among themselves to cover up the trace of unease rising in their hearts.
Their intelligence had been compromised.
Only at this moment did they finally remember: this was the territory of the Azure Cloud Li Clan!
The vanished Li Clan would be staring at them from the shadows like a poisonous snake.
"Enough!"
Perfected Qiuyue let the heavy rain drench him.
He tightly crushed the 'Primal Red Leaf' in his hand, turning the broken leaf to mush with his Spiritual power, and let out a cold sneer.
"The Li Clan wants to flee? Where could they possibly escape to?"
As everyone's gaze focused on him.
Perfected Qiuyue's mocking tone grew louder.
"Even if those surnamed Li caught wind of the news, the fact that they fled proves they know they are no match for us.
They have twenty-four Grotto-Heavens; we will march to all twenty-four and see how many of them can escape.
If we still can't find them, then we will kill their friends and relatives."
"Uncle Rain has already deployed his Body Integration technique.
He governs the rain of the world; bathing in his drizzle, nothing in the world can hide.
Lord Uncle Rain will always be able to see through the eyes of others to locate the Li Clan."
"Let's go. We will slaughter them all right now."
Having spoken, Perfected Qiuyue flew indifferently toward the direction of the Immortal Martial Grotto-Heaven.
Once he was ahead of the crowd, his mocking expression completely vanished, replaced by an endless glint of terror in his eyes.
There was one thing he hadn't told these fellow Daoists.
"It's just that..."
"A loosed arrow cannot return." Perfected Qiuyue's heart pounded wildly.
"We have Uncle Rain and over ten Void Refining cultivators.
Li Yunlin is absolutely no match for Young Master Banshu.
Even three or four Void Refining cultivators wouldn't be able to escape Young Master Banshu's 'World' rules."
"The Li Clan is trying to disturb our morale, wanting to scare us off. It must be so!"
Meanwhile.
Below the departing horde of experts, within Solaria City.
The crushed ball of leaves fell toward the center of the city.
A person leaped onto a rooftop, catching the leaves drifting down from the cloudy sky.
This person had a petite figure and wore a black robe.
She slowly pulled down her hood, letting the rain drench her twin tails.
Li Kuanghua looked down and unraveled the crumpled leaves.
A conspicuous line of golden text surfaced on the leaf—
[You have one chance to leave.]
"Do they really think today's Azure Cloud is still the Azure Cloud of the past?"
Li Kuanghua murmured, looking down at the streets below.
Following her gaze.
The commoners running in the rain, seemingly rushing to seek shelter under the eaves, all raised their heads. In their hands, each gripped a red leaf.
No, these weren't commoners; these were all members of the Azure Cloud Li Clan!
They had never left!
Li Kuanghua watched the Spirit Tablet hanging around her neck flash with light.
"We just didn't want to harm the commoners and ordinary cultivators, that's all."
Soon after.
She tightly gripped the Spirit Tablet and asked, "Old Ancestor, can I make my move now?"
Sure enough, the Old Ancestor's hoarse yet majestic voice transmitted from the Spirit Tablet.
However, it carried a hint of teasing and mischief.
"You are a Bodhisattva; you should focus on delivering souls."
Li Kuanghua instantly tilted her head, revealing a neat row of bright white teeth.
"Very well then, your child will go deliver them."
In the heavy rain.
A metallic clanking sound echoed out.
Li Kuanghua walked along the muddy road facing the pouring rain, pulling a dark iron chain.
It was none other than the Heaven-Imprisoning Lock, the very artifact Li Dalong used to suppress souls and Spiritual power.
Trailing behind the Heaven-Imprisoning Lock was Nun Dairou, her limbs bound, stumbling along like a walking corpse.
"Amitabha. Dharma Master Dairou, today there are wicked scoundrels uttering false words to insult our Buddhist sect. What should be done?"
"Deliver them to their next life. If they still refuse to submit, cast them into the eighteenth layer of Hell!"
"Wrong. Hell has no gates."
"Yes, Dharma Master Kuanghua."
"Wrong again. Call me Bodhisattva."
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