Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 21 (48): [The Insect Tamer]
(21st of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
***********************************
Dense, eerie sounds echoed from the depths below, like countless scissors shearing stone.
The black smoke billowing upward grew thicker, forcing Li Weiyi to hold his breath.
"Watch out below! It's a Soldier-Grade Ferocious Insect! There's an Insect Tamer nearby!"
The warning came from the Spirit Tablet on the table.
Li Weiyi had heard Senior Spirit Tablet speak of "Soldier-Grade Ferocious Insects" and "Insect Tamers," but he never imagined the Changlin Gang would possess such figures.
He swiftly retreated, leaping into the air with his sword drawn.
Climbing the trunk of the Old Yang Tree, he stopped several meters above the ground.
.....
Insect Tamers - cultivators of the Spiritual Mind Path - are a specialized branch of Mind Masters.
Leaving aside the Netherrealm for now, in the Living Realm, the surface is ruled by Human Race powerhouses and Malevolent Demon Kings, but the underground belongs to the Insect Race.
Insect Tamers often traverse desolate mountains, vast swamps, and deep abysses, seeking out rare and exotic insects to tame and control.
Sometimes, a single Insect Tamer can be as formidable as a prefecture's entire army, capable of conquering cities and territories single-handedly, or even sweeping across the entire world.
In times of war, legendary Insect Tamers are said to have often emerged.
...
"Swish!"
A strand of white spider silk, as thin as a hair, shot out of the earth like an arrow and wrapped around Li Weiyi's left ankle.
The silk was incredibly tough, tightening and pulling him downward.
Li Weiyi channeled his Five Springs Spiritual Power, finally snapping it with a resounding boom.
The force of the explosion yanked a fist-sized spider from the ground.
It had eight legs, a hard shell like a turtle's back, and sharp, scissor-like fangs that snapped open and shut. A bite from this creature would surely tear away a large chunk of flesh.
Li Weiyi swung his sword, cleaving the spider in two.
"It's a Soldier-Grade Ferocious Insect, an Auspicious Spider. Be careful of the silk they spit from their abdomens. Any Martial-Mystic Cultivator below the Five Seas Realm could be bound and killed by it. A single Auspicious Spider isn't hard to deal with, but a swarm is terrifying," Senior Spirit Tablet warned.
"Swish, swish!"
One Auspicious Spider after another burst from the earth in the courtyard, swarming toward Li Weiyi in the Old Yang Tree, each shooting strands of silk at him.
If he were ensnared by several or dozens of these strands at once, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Li Weiyi channeled his spiritual power into the Yellow Dragon Sword, causing a bright glow to emanate from its surface. He swung the sword with blinding speed, deflecting every strand of silk before it could even reach him.
The Auspicious Spiders on the ground, like an army, suddenly split into a dozen or so and charged towards the room where Zhao Meng and the others were hiding.
At the same time, seven or eight shadows moved swiftly along the courtyard wall.
Two of these shadows held crossbow-like weapons aimed at Li Weiyi.
Li Weiyi immediately activated Yellow Dragon Ascending to Heaven, stepping into the void and flying towards the courtyard wall six or seven meters away.
The crossbow-like weapons fired Flying Needle-like windless heavy arrows, but with two sharp ding sounds, Li Weiyi, already prepared, slashed them away with his sword.
The two Changlin Gang members who had fired the windless heavy arrows were shocked. The heavy crossbows they held were divine weapons, capable of killing Four Springs and Five Springs cultivators with ease. With surprise attacks, even Six Springs and Seven Springs experts could fall victim to them.
'Who the hell is this kid?'
'Did the scouts get the intel right?'
Before they could fire a second shot, Li Weiyi, like a phantom, was already above them. Terrified, they were about to leap over the wall to escape when a yellow sword blade sliced through the night sky and appeared before their eyes.
"Pfft!"
The first strike decapitated one.
The second pierced the heart of the other.
The two Four Springs Gang members, along with their heavy crossbows, tumbled from the three-meter-high courtyard wall.
Li Weiyi moved swiftly along the courtyard wall, slaughtering the black-robed figures one by one.
The night air filled with their screams.
Within a few breaths, seven or eight shadows had all fallen to the ground.
The next moment, he leaped down to the stone steps in front of the house where Zhao Meng and the others were hiding, swinging his sword downward to intercept the Auspicious Spiders.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
More and more Auspicious Spiders emerged from the ground, their silk threads constantly landing on him.
If the silk wrapped around his wrist, even if he could break free, his sword-swinging speed would slow. If it entangled his legs, his movements and dodges would become sluggish.
He even saw seven or eight Auspicious Spiders working together to weave a web.
At that moment, Li Weiyi finally understood what Senior Spirit Tablet had meant when he said that any Martial-Mystic Cultivator below the Five Seas Realm could be bound and killed. Without the Yellow Dragon Sword, his situation would be even more dire.
Senior Spirit Tablet's voice echoed in his mind: "Auspicious Spiders fear the cold! Use the Ghost Banner to freeze them."
"Ghost Banner?" Li Weiyi was puzzled.
He had activated Yu Tuonan's Ghost Banner before, but it only released Nether Mist and offered minimal defensive capabilities.
"The power of a spiritual artifact changes drastically when activated by a Martial-Mystic Cultivator who has opened their Fourth Spring or Five Springs. The fundamental quality of their spiritual power has undergone a qualitative leap," Senior Spirit Tablet explained, clearly familiar with the Ghost Banner.
Li Weiyi took out the Ghost Banner, and the spiritual power surging from his five Spring coursed through his sixty Mark Veins, pouring into the banner.
Instantly, Nether Mist and frigid air erupted explosively, forming a black cloud that enveloped most of the courtyard.
Moments later, a hoarse voice, accompanied by hurried footsteps, burst into the courtyard.
"My Spiders! My Spiders..."
Master Qi, the Insect Tamer, had every reason to panic. He had spent decades cultivating nearly a hundred giant Spiders, allowing him to stand on equal footing with Five Seas Realm experts and enjoy a superior status. Even the Changlin Gang leader had to show him respect.
But now, within the Nether Mist, every Giant Spider lay frozen on the ground, unable to move, each covered in a thin layer of frost.
"Swish!"
The tip of the Yellow Dragon Sword pressed against his throat.
Master Qi was tall and gaunt, dressed in a white, loose-fitting robe. His eyes were deeply sunken, yet even with Li Weiyi holding his life in his hands, there was not a trace of fear in his gaze.
"Clang!"
He gritted his teeth, his hatred surging like a tidal wave. The Third Eye Spirit Realm between his eyebrows lit up like a lamp, unleashing a psychic attack.
Psychic (Telekinesis) Power is invisible and intangible, yet it's like a sword that can directly attack an enemy's soul.
But when his Psychic Power struck Li Weiyi, it not only failed to kill the target but also triggered a series of bell-like chimes within his own mind, causing his consciousness to become briefly chaotic and agitated.
It felt like he had been struck by the Combat Technique Intent of a Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
"Five Seas Realm... You're a Five Seas..."
Master Qi collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in agony, his face as pale as paper.
As Li Weiyi pondered why the old man had called him a Five Seas Realm cultivator, two powerful gusts of wind whistled past his ears. He swung out a palm, knocking Master Qi unconscious first.
"Swish! Swish!"
The two middle-aged men who had been standing by the window on the third floor of the brothel swiftly arrived.
They were Honorary Guests of the Changlin Gang, both Seven Springs Opening cultivators.
They hadn't intended to intervene in tonight's operation, merely seeking entertainment and providing backup to prevent anyone from escaping and causing unnecessary trouble.
With Master Qi's skills, this small job could have been done silently, completed in less than fifteen minutes. It wouldn't have alerted the City Defense Camp, or even disturbed the nearby residents.
The next day, everyone would have simply assumed the group of outsiders had been attacked by Soldier-Grade Ferocious Insects and met their untimely deaths.
No one would have investigated, and there would have been no uproar.
Master Qi would have fed the insects, they would have received their payment, and everyone would have been happy.
But now, the commotion was too great. Even within this brothel, many people were watching with curious eyes.
If they didn't resolve this soon, the City Defense Camp would surely arrive.
Just from the sound of the two figures' rapid movements, Li Weiyi could gauge their cultivation levels. His heart sank, and he braced himself, summoning all his focus.
Two peak Spring Surge Realm cultivators, each with Seven Springs Opening?
One against two?
The last time he had single-handedly killed Fang Tong, a Seven Springs Opening cultivator, he had relied on the powerful Evil Camel Bell and Black Iron Seal.
But now, with so many eyes watching, he couldn't afford to be too ostentatious.
As for the Ghost Banner and Yellow Dragon Sword...
Their power appeared to be that of low-grade spiritual artifacts. Even if they were exposed, the impact would be limited.
After all, anyone who had reached the Five Seas Realm possessed at least one or two low-grade spiritual artifacts.
The middle-aged man with the long black mole on his brow charged through the main gate like a phantom, his fist slamming forward with explosive force. The air in front of him buckled inward before erupting in a deafening roar.
His punch was as fierce as a cannonball.
Li Weiyi braced himself and took the full impact, his body flying backward from the force. He then swung his sword at the Seven Springs expert with the thick beard who had scaled the wall, intending to attack Zhao Meng and the others.
Both men possessed combat intelligence, unlike mere brutes who relied solely on brute force.
One was distracting him head-on, while the other planned to capture his companions, forcing him to split his attention and making him easier to defeat.
Since Li Weiyi had seen through their strategy, he decided to turn the tables. He would use this opportunity to severely injure one of them first, preventing a two-on-one situation where he would be vulnerable from both sides.
With this in mind, he poured all his strength into the sword strike aimed at the Seven Springs expert with the thick beard, leaving an arcing trail of light in the darkness.
The Seven Springs expert had never expected Li Weiyi to react so quickly, and his heart leaped in alarm.
But after nearly a century immersed in the Martial Arts, his composure was rock-solid.
Even in this life-or-death crisis, he remained calm and collected.
Li Weiyi swung his crescent-shaped short blade, clashing against the edge of the Yellow Dragon Sword.
"Hiss!"
Sparks flew, accompanied by a grating screech.
The two men separated in an instant.
Li Weiyi landed in front of the house where Zhao Meng and the others were, gazing at the blood dripping from the Yellow Dragon Sword's blade and then at the Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator with the thick beard, who had tumbled down the steps. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes.
So close.
The middle-aged man with the long black mole on his brow caught up, leaving Li Weiyi no chance to follow up with another strike.
At his current cultivation level, even with the aid of a spiritual artifact and the element of surprise, instantly killing a Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator with a single sword strike remained an almost impossible feat.
The Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator with the thick beard quickly rose to his feet, touching his neck. His hand came away covered in blood.
He then examined the crescent-shaped short blade in his hand, only to find a deep notch carved into its edge.
He knew this wasn't an ordinary weapon but a Supreme Secret Heavy Weapon. Even spiritual artifacts would struggle to damage such a formidable weapon.
This is going to be tricky!
The two men exchanged a glance and simultaneously attacked from opposite sides.
Their target wasn't Li Weiyi but the building behind him.
The more their opponent tried to protect something, the more determined they were to destroy it.
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************