"Let me out!"
Bi Shihu's voice was shrill and mournful.
After his soul was collected, he finally realized that these people from the Li Clan had an abundance of methods.
What they said about casting him into ten thousand lifetimes of reincarnation to suffer endless torment might actually be... true.
Once inside the lantern, Bi Shihu finally panicked. Along with the panic came indignation, humiliation, and anger.
He had seen the military and civilians of Highsun City cheering for the members of the Li Clan.
The Li Clan had taken down the three hundred thousand-strong Wu tribe grand army, acting as saviors. Yet, all this supreme honor should have originally belonged to him!
"In the battle at the Shadowfell Prefecture border pass, did anyone direct you?"
Li Yunbing cut the nonsense. Not sending Bi Shihu away yet was precisely to conduct a thorough investigation.
His suspicious nature had always felt that there was something wrong with these people from the Shadowfell Prefecture border pass, daring to flee.
Bi Shihu hesitated for a moment. "It was Ba Siyu who directed me..."
Even at death's door, this person was still spouting nonsense, going so far as to fabricate a nearly flawless lie that pointed the spearhead directly at Ba Siyu.
"Ba Siyu wanted to defend the territory so that his Earth Virtue could grow.
Only if Shadowfell Prefecture fell and Deston Prefecture fell into crisis could he acquire Earth Virtue to reach the Mahayana realm.
He was the one who told me to retreat; how could I dare disobey Ba Siyu?"
"..."
The Li Clan members wore peculiar expressions.
Li Changyao remained silent for a long time before saying, "You truly are a beast. Even at death's door, you are still thinking of framing others."
They had investigated Ba Siyu long ago.
When the incident occurred in the Shadowfell Prefecture, Ba Siyu was still cultivating underground in the Heavenly Palace.
If the Human Emperor hadn't ordered the Imperial Protector's Guard to emerge, Ba Siyu would still be eating dust underground.
"Let's see how long you can stay stubborn."
Li Yunbing's gaze turned cold. The candlelight within the lantern blazed fiercely, instantly causing Bi Shihu to scream in pain.
This person appeared to have a heart as firm as a boulder, but the clan members had long since seen through him.
He was nothing more than a coward who touted himself as a hero while being entirely cowardly on the inside.
In no time at all, Bi Shihu yelled,
"I'll talk! I'll talk! I remember now, Yun Manlou came to see me. There is one thing I haven't understood to this day, and I have long been suspicious of it."
The fierce fire did not stop.
Under the fear of death, Bi Shihu said anxiously,
"He gave me a letter.
Three months before the Wu tribe attacked the Shadowfell Prefecture border pass, he was already preparing to lead the Yun Clan to flee, while simultaneously plotting to steal the logistical supplies of the Shadowfell Prefecture border pass.
He thought that letter was intelligence I had provided him, but I didn't!"
"Over the years, I've also been searching.
I suspect someone knew the character of the people of our Shadowfell Prefecture inside out, wanting to make the Shadowfell Prefecture fall in order to profit from it!"
"It wasn't me, it really wasn't me!
If the Yun Clan and Abbess Dairou of the Lotus Ferry Nunnery hadn't fled, how could I have become a deserter? I was just forced by the circumstances, I..."
The fierce fire continued to burn. The Li Clan members frowned. Thinking carefully, these words were not false.
"It isn't Min Tiange." The clan had been studying their enemies for many years.
Li Yunbing said, "Min Tiange didn't need to do something so unnecessary. His original intention was to let the Wu tribe invade the dynasty and draw blood.
Back then, he let the Wu tribe drive straight into the Central Plains, but he didn't let Shadowfell Prefecture fall.
If he really wanted to do that, let alone the Shadowfell Prefecture, even Deston Prefecture couldn't be saved."
Back then, Min Tiange's sudden use of the "Dao Seed" had also sounded an alarm for the dynasty. His abrupt methods didn't push things to the absolute extreme.
"This bastard Bi Shihu also feels that the fall of Shadowfell Prefecture was deliberately caused by someone."
Li Changsheng continuously stroked the armrests of his wheelchair. "Yun Hongcai and Abbess Dairou might know something."
"Now that Spear Saint Gu Fenghua has charged into the Shadowfell Prefecture border pass in one fell swoop to reclaim the lost territory, the rear is in chaos. They will show their heads sooner or later."
Li Yunbing's expression was gloomy.
"Abbess Dairou seeks to deliver all living beings from suffering.
She is currently breaking through to the second stage of the Body Integration realm—the Dao Questioning realm.
She relies on the Lotus Ferry Nunnery's mission of saving all living beings to gather faith."
"And Yun Hongcai..."
Just as Li Tianqi mentioned this person, a voice transmission came from outside the Grotto-Heaven.
It was Mr. Zhou.
"Lord Ba has sent a message, commending the members of the Li Clan for their merit in defending the city.
Aside from this, there is one more thing. Dawnspire City... has also been robbed."
.......
Shadowfell Prefecture.
Ba Siyu's face was as black as charcoal. He didn't even know how many years it had been since he was angered to such an extent.
"Truly rearing a tiger to court ruin."
News arrived from Dawnspire City.
Following the theft in Highsun City, the other three cities received the news and took heavy precautions.
Yet, despite thousands of precautions, Dawnspire City's logistical supplies were also stolen.
Even thinking with one's ass, one would know who did it.
The Yun Clan's Old Ancestor, Yun Hongcai, didn't do anything after the great battle; his sole objective was to steal.
Not satisfied with stealing from Highsun City, he targeted Dawnspire City.
They say an old man who refuses to die is a thief; well, Yun Hongcai was a literal thief.
When Yun Hongcai gathered two Void Refinement friends previously, Ba Siyu genuinely thought these people were meant to deal with the Li Clan.
They weren't.
They engaged in petty theft, completely devoid of humanity.
"Only Sunfall City, where the Spear Saint is located, remains. Yun Hongcai will definitely target Sunfall City," Ba Siyu frowned continuously.
"Could it be that Yun Hongcai's Dao path isn't one of eating people, but rather stealing?"
As he spoke, Ba Siyu's heart eased somewhat.
Fortunately, in the rear, Bi Shihu betrayed the human race and colluded with the Wu tribe to cause chaos, but the Azure Cloud Li Clan rose suddenly, scheming to completely annihilate a three-hundred-thousand-strong grand army in Highsun City, and Bi Shihu had also been executed.
Now that the Azure Cloud Li Clan had annihilated Bi Shihu and the Wu tribe, with the Azure Cloud Li Clan securing the rear, Ba Siyu felt extremely at ease.
"I have already sent a message to the Li Clan, telling them to go to Sunfall City to help. If we catch Yun Hongcai, I will definitely make that petty thief die without a burial place!"
Just as his words fell.
A subordinate approached, bringing back a Shadow Crow—the Azure Cloud Li Clan's method of transmission.
As the Shadow Crow let out a "caw," Ba Siyu's expression turned ugly.
From it came Li Xinnian's voice.
"Suffered heavy losses. Powerless to help."
"..."
Ba Siyu remained silent for a long time.
He then grabbed the bewildered subordinate, whose head was lowered, and beat him violently. "Bastard! You bastard!!!"