At this moment, within another Void Refining space—
Li Wei stared ahead, his expression turning grim.
There were thirty-four enemies in total: two Void Refining cultivators, eight at the Divinity Transformation realm, and twenty-four strange iceberg caverns—each of which had released a monster, all at the Divinity Transformation realm.
One of the Void Refining experts was naturally Qiu Chuhui of the Qiu Lineage.
This genius, nurtured at immense cost by the Qiu Clan, wielded their purest law—the rule of Ice and Snow.
While Qiu Anran had relied on his clan's bloodline to step into the Void Refining realm, Qiu Chuhui possessed mastery of it through her own talent.
Clad in ice armor and wielding an ice spear, she stood with three Dharma Treasures floating behind her—an ice spring, an ice fish, and a towering leafless tree.
The extreme cold of her power froze everything, turning the entire Void Refining space into a frozen domain.
This, too, was the manifestation of her Void Refining space.
As for those iceberg caverns, they were one of the Qiu Clan's hidden trump cards—brought out in full force to deal with Li Wei.
Rumor held that for tens of thousands of years, when Divinity Transformation cultivators of the Qiu Lineage reached the end of their lifespan, they would be sealed within these ice caves to eternally guard the clan.
Now, it was clear—
Within those caves lay the ancestors of the Qiu Clan, their corpses transformed into monstrous guardians.
The creatures slowly emerged.
These ancestors—who had once fought demonic beasts and defended the Northern Border—had ultimately been turned into tools of war.
Massive ice bears, towering ice spiders, skeletal figures formed of frost…
The Divinity Transformation aura they emitted was overwhelming.
Under Qiu Chuhui's command, their eyes turned blood-red, their killing intent locking firmly onto Li Wei.
As for the other eight Divinity Transformation cultivators, they were all Qiu clansmen—and more importantly, Array Masters.
Positioning themselves in all directions, they inscribed mysterious runes across eight towering ice walls, combining their strength to simulate Void Refining-level power.
And then—there was the final figure.
An old woman.
As her technique activated, an ice tree rose beside her.
Though it carried Void Refining Spiritual Power, it strangely did not interfere with the surrounding Void Refining space.
Yet at the same time, Li Wei's own spatial domain—based on spatial laws—was rendered completely ineffective!
He watched as the old woman calmly plucked a crystal-clear fruit from the tree.
In that instant, the spatial domain he had constructed collapsed.
"…In the past, it was always us surrounding others. Having this happen to me doesn't feel very good."
Li Wei muttered.
Compared to Qiu Chuhui, it was this old woman who truly concerned him.
Watching the fruit in her hand and feeling the void around him dissolve, he realized—
The moment she plucked that fruit, his connection to the Void Refining space had been severed.
At the same time, her own Void Refining space vanished as well.
"What kind of rule is this…? Where did this expert come from?"
Li Wei inhaled slowly.
This woman did not appear in the family's intelligence.
But he could guess—
Since he had appeared at the Qiu Clan Immortal Mountain, the Qiu Clan must have known he would be extremely difficult to deal with.
So they had brought in someone like her.
"Your Excellency, cultivation is not easy. It would be best to stay out of matters that do not concern you."
Li Wei drew his twin spears, speaking calmly. If words could resolve things, it was always preferable to fighting.
"This old woman thanks Your Excellency for the reminder."
Her hoarse voice carried a faint smile.
"However, even if the Northern Border dares not interfere, this old woman insists on doing so.
Otherwise, people will say the Northern Border fears your mere Li Clan."
Li Wei fell silent.
It wasn't fear—it was because the Grand Tutor's influence was so vast that even the powerful figures of the Imperial Capital were wary of him.
Li Chang'an's scheme had been precise: with Crown Prince Fei Heng's corpse in the Qiu Clan, who would dare intervene?
Those greedy elites would sooner force the Grand Tutor to pay a price than help him.
In their eyes, notions of loyalty and duty had long since vanished.
"Moreover, this old woman has little time left.
If I can kill you, it will be a great merit.
If not… I do not have many years left anyway."
"..."
Li Wei remained silent.
"Young man, don't bother thinking about threatening me with relatives. I have none."
The corner of Li Wei's mouth twitched. He hadn't even considered that.
"And as for you… spatial laws, hm."
The old woman examined him, then slowly reached for another fruit.
Her smile deepened.
"To take someone like you with me in death… that would be quite satisfying."
As she plucked the fruit, Li Wei clearly felt it—
Not only had his Void Refining space vanished, but even his laws were stripped away!
"I forgot to introduce myself. How impolite of me."
Seeing his power fade, the old woman's smile widened.
"In the Northern Border, people respectfully call this old woman 'Granny Guo.'"
Granny Guo.
Li Wei's eyes narrowed.
Having followed Li Xinghuo, he had heard many names.
Granny Guo was a notorious eccentric—one who often assisted the Grand Tutor.
She was known as both the weakest and the strongest Void Refining cultivator in the Northern Border.
Such contradictory titles could only mean one thing—
"The Li Clan is quite capable.
Crown Prince Fei Heng's corpse falling into the Northern Border has temporarily shielded you, becoming a lethal move against the Qiu Clan under the Grand Tutor's domain."
Granny Guo gently stroked the tree.
"But I belong to no faction. I fear no consequences.
I am the perfect one to break this stalemate."
"This old woman's method is 'Deprivation.' Tell me—how many fruits do you see?"
Over a hundred.
Li Wei's gaze turned cold.
He did not believe for a second that she acted out of righteousness.
"Each fruit represents a rule, a space, or a technique of mine.
The moment you stepped into this Void Refining space, escape became impossible.
Every fruit I pluck cancels one of your techniques or laws."
She tossed aside two fruits.
"This was your Void Refining space—and your rule."
Then she plucked another.
Li Wei felt something vanish—
His technique, A Single Thought, was gone.
"This old woman has lived nearly fifty thousand years. I have cultivated more techniques than you can imagine.
Step by step, I will strip you down until you are nothing more than a shell filled with Spiritual Power."
Her hand rested on yet another fruit.
"A Half-Step Body Integration cultivator without techniques or laws is nothing but trash.
The Qiu Clan's little girl and these Divinity Transformation cultivators will be more than enough to kill you.
For a Heaven's Chosen like you to die in such a way… what a pity."
"..."
Li Wei said nothing.
Bizarre.
He had never encountered such an ability.
The Divinity Transformation cultivators roared, while Qiu Chuhui waited for the moment he would be completely stripped bare.
And then—
Ten fruits were plucked.
Yet Li Wei's expression did not change.
Granny Guo's hand froze mid-motion.
The calm on her face shattered.
Qiu Chuhui, already impatient, shouted, "Granny Guo! Are you done yet? Strip him of everything!"
"No…"
Cold sweat formed on Granny Guo's forehead as she stared at Li Wei.
She began plucking fruits rapidly—far more frantically than before.
Yet the man cloaked in black mist continued walking toward them—calm, unhurried.
Qiu Chuhui finally noticed something was wrong.
They had gone to great lengths to invite Granny Guo.
She had claimed she was no match in direct combat—but was everyone's natural enemy.
But now—
"This isn't right!" Granny Guo exclaimed, horror filling her eyes.
She had already plucked twenty fruits.
"Impossible! Your bone age is so young—how can you possess so many techniques? Are they endless?!!"
The Yin-Yang Fish diagram vanished.
The Mirror Surface disappeared.
Heaven, Earth, Mortal Realm—erased.
Even his Spiritual Power began to counter hers.
He casually discarded his twin spears.
A longsword appeared in his hand.
Like Li Yaozu, he placed his left hand behind his back and advanced with the sword in his right.
"I'm sorry… but whatever my descendants know, I know as well."
[You have expended Family Will, acquiring Li Yaozu's Earth-Grade technique 'Shadowless Void-Crossing Sword'!]
[Acquired Li Dalong's Primordial Spirit technique 'Yin God'!]
[Acquired Li Zhiheng's Primordial Spirit technique 'Heart Execution'!]
Within the Void Refining space, a Yin God rose from the underworld—chains rattling, black Qi surging.
Above, sword shadows hovered within three feet of his head.
Granny Guo, Qiu Chuhui, and the Qiu clansmen were filled with terror.
All they could hear—
Were Li Wei's footsteps.
In a flash, he seized the neck of a Divinity Transformation cultivator.
Looking down at Granny Guo and Qiu Chuhui, he spoke calmly:
"What other methods do you have? Use them all at once."
Granny Guo scrambled up the tree in panic.
Above, within the frozen sky, the Li Clan Ancestor began slaughtering the Divinity Transformation cultivators as though taking a leisurely walk.
Despair spread silently.
---
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