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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 12 (156): [Heavenly Pavilion and Cloud Pavilion]
(12th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Juze (Giant Marsh) City, an ancient city with a population exceeding a million, boasts a history spanning ten thousand years.
Countless historical sites and scenic spots dot the city, and many legendary figures who journeyed through the Bing Juze once rested here.
Within the city lie the Heavenly Law Earth Spring and a Dao Domain.
On the streets, Martial-Mystic Cultivators, Spiritual Masters, Exotic Beasts, Dead Spirits, and members of the Demon Clan mingle freely. People from all directions, dressed in diverse attire, reflect the city's remarkable inclusivity.
Qi Wangshu had already arranged accommodations and meals in advance.
Upon entering the city, the group immediately settled into the Heavenly Pavilion (Tiange).
In the Lingxiao Realm, the Wind, Snow, and Moon establishment, with its "Immortal Grove" theme, holds the highest prestige for dining and lodging.
However, the Immortal Grove caters exclusively to Pure Immortal Physique Martial-Mystic Cultivators, maintaining an extremely secluded and exclusive atmosphere. It prioritizes appearance, talent, and status, as if attempting to create a miniature Immortal Realm within the mortal world.
The Heavenly Pavilion ranks second in prestige.
With branches in major cities, the Heavenly Pavilion is renowned for its opulence and luxury. It employs the most beautiful women in the world as attendants and gathers the finest ingredients and most skilled Chefs to prepare exquisite cuisine and brew fine wines.
Each pavilion within the Heavenly Pavilion is meticulously crafted, with pavilions and towers artfully arranged amidst pavilions and towers, intricately carved beams and painted rafters, and a unique aesthetic evident in every detail.
Beautiful women, exquisite cuisine, fine wine, and breathtaking scenery.
Here, spending a thousand silver coins in a single night is common.
Li Weiyi and his companions had taken up residence in Cloud Pavilion, one of the twenty-eight pavilions of the Heavenly Pavilion.
Within the pavilion, there were twenty or thirty young female attendants, their gauzy white robes fluttering like celestial maidens.
Each had undergone rigorous training, mastering the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, while also possessing considerable skill in the Martial-Mystic Path.
Ten eunuch attendants, dressed in green silk robes, stood nearby, their youthful and handsome faces betraying no hint of their true nature.
"The Heavenly Pavilion and the Immortal Grove are both owned by the same entity: Qian Li (Thousand Li) Mountain," Qi Wangshu explained.
"Qian Li Mountain claims to recruit only the best of the best, selecting one in a thousand for every position, from management to attendants and servants. Even the female attendants in this pavilion are chosen from among the most beautiful women in the land."
Qi Wangshu sat at the head of the long, white jade dining table, dressed in luxurious robes. His average features and flamboyant demeanor perfectly embodied the image of a pampered young scion of a noble family. He had a woman on each arm and two alluring concubines from his clan perched on his legs.
Among the assembled young talents, only Li Weiyi saw through his facade. Qi Wangshu was feigning incompetence, concealing his true cultivation: the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm.
A true spoiled young master could never have reached such heights at his age.
Qi Wangshu continued, "Qian Li Mountain has always pursued the highest standards of taste, but in reality, they are the First Commerce Guild of Lingxiao - vulgar and unrefined. Their industries span every sector, from legitimate businesses to shady dealings, from glamorous ventures to hidden operations."
"Therefore, esteemed guests, if you wish to purchase any resources or treasures, simply inform the attendant beside you. They will relay your request, and the Heavenly Pavilion will procure them with utmost speed."
"In short, if you have sufficient wealth, you can buy anything here."
Li Weiyi's heart stirred: "Can I buy Millennial Essence Herbs?"
The crowd froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.
The Heavenly Pavilion attendants attending the guests, along with the skilled musicians playing zithers and flutes in the distance, all wore charming smiles.
Millennial Essence Medicine-grade herbs had already developed consciousness and could be considered demons. They could burrow underground and ride the wind, making them incredibly difficult to capture.
A single Essence Medicine Herb was worth ten times more than a Precious Medicine Herb of nine hundred years' age. Its medicinal potency had undergone a significant transformation, making it a treasure of the world.
Even the most common Millennial Essence Medicine Herb would fetch at least ten million silver coins.
Not only could young Martial-Mystic Cultivators like them not afford it, but even those in the Dao Seed Realm would struggle to buy it.
In fact, most Dao Seed Realm elders risked their lives venturing into Secluded Realm Ruins, Fallen Immortal Lands, and the Great Tombs of the Ancient Sons of Heaven in search of Millennial Essence Medicine Herbs to prolong their lives.
The maid standing to Li Weiyi's left, Yu Die, looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old. She smiled and said, "If a guest is willing to pay the price, even Millennial Essence Medicine Herb can be obtained. Just ten days ago, a truly remarkable figure exchanged a hundred-character scripture Spiritual Artifact at the Heavenly Pavilion for a dose of Millennial Essence Medicine Herb to heal his wounds. It caused quite a stir in Yuze (Giant Marsh) City."
Qi Wangshu was moved: "It couldn't have been a Martial-Mystic Cultivator from the younger generation, could it?"
"It was the gentle scholar from the Jiazi Register!" Yu Die replied, "Rumor has it he was pursued by an Immortal Realm giant from Li Prefecture all the way to Yuze (Giant Marsh) City. His body was nearly shattered in the chase! Thirty miles of snow turned into thirty miles of blood mist."
Yu Die sighed regretfully: "They say the gentle scholar Yao Qian is peerlessly handsome, a rarity in this world, and any woman who sees him would fall in love. It's a pity he passed through Juze (Giant Marsh) City's Heavenly Pavilion without us ever catching a glimpse of his unparalleled beauty."
Li Ling, sitting beside Li Weiyi and wearing a mask, scoffed, "If he was being chased so relentlessly that he had to trade a Spiritual Artifact for healing Essence Medicine Herb, what's so unparalleled about his beauty?"
"Who else in the Jiazi Register could escape an Immortal Realm giant's pursuit?" Yu Die countered.
With her Seven Springs cultivation, her perspective was far beyond that of an ordinary maid.
In Lingxiao, only those in the Immortal Realm could be called true giants, standing at the pinnacle of the world.
With a single thought, they could summon wind and rain; one person could defeat a thousand armies.
With a mere gesture, they could split mountains and uproot cities.
One person could support a Sect of a million members or a clan of a million members.
In any prefecture, an Immortal Realm giant could stand alone, laughing at the heavens and earth, revered by millions.
They were the ultimate goal of countless talented Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Li Ling said, "Yao Qian hasn't even reached top of the Southern Territory. He's been firmly suppressed by that person from the Zuoqiu Clan. Within sixty years, many will surpass him."
Yu Die, of course, wouldn't argue with a guest, so she smiled and remained silent.
Qi Wangshu turned his gaze to Li Weiyi and chuckled: "Brother Chi, rumors outside say your Jiu Li Tribe has several Immortal Realm elders. I didn't quite believe it before, but hearing this news today is truly shocking. The Ancient Myriad Clans truly live up to their name - their foundation is incredibly deep."
Li Weiyi was currently posing as Chi Yongsheng, the second-in-command of the Chi Li Tribe's younger generation.
None of the Zhi Prefecture talents present suspected a thing.
For one thing, young elites from various Li Prefecture powers had indeed fled, most seeking refuge in Qiu Prefecture to escape the war.
Martial-Mystic Cultivators from Out-of-State knew little about the young masters of Li Prefecture, except for special agents like Yin Shi San, who were specifically tasked with gathering intelligence for the Hidden Sect to monitor the world.
At most, they were familiar with figures like Chen Wenwu and Yang Qingxi, who were at the Cang Li level. Beyond that, they might know the top ten young masters of Li Prefecture, which was considered quite knowledgeable.
The second reason was that Li Weiyi's female companion, Li Ling, possessed a Pure Immortal Physique and was a Great Spiritual Master.
This was no small matter!
How could such a celestial beauty be traveling with a commoner?
To many talented young men present, even the second-ranked young master of the Chi Li Tribe seemed unworthy of being paired with a sixteen-year-old Pure Immortal Physique Great Spiritual Master.
The nine Zhi Prefecture talents present all came from powerful Sects and clans. Their cultivation was at least at the First Realm of the Five Seas Realm, but none of them possessed a Pure Immortal Physique.
Li Weiyi drank a cup of Clear Breeze Spring and waved his hand: "What Ancient Myriad Clans? They've long since declined. Brother Qi, don't flatter me so. But the Clan Chiefs of our various tribes and the nine priests of the Divine Temple are all first-rate experts. To think you could count all the Immortal Realm cultivators in the Jiu Li Tribe so easily... you're vastly underestimating us!"
The talented young men of Zhi Prefecture present were stunned.
Li Ling glared at Li Weiyi, thinking he was talking nonsense.
Even she wasn't sure how many Immortal Realm cultivators the Jiu Li Tribe had.
Beings of that level were the white jade pillars of their clans, their combat prowess earth-shattering and awe-inspiring.
She only knew that the First Commander of the Cangli Tribe, her Fourth Uncle Li Songlin, had spent thirty years cultivating in the Dao Seed Realm. Whenever he mentioned the Immortal Realm, he would sigh deeply, saying that only after reaching the Dao Seed Realm did he realize he was actually mediocre, admitting he had no hope of ever reaching it.
Li Weiyi continued, "Even if the Ancient Myriad Clans decline, they still have countless experts. In the Southern Territory, they're only second to the Zuoqiu Clan. The Sui Sect, San Chen Palace, Tianyi Sect, and even the Guan Shan and Li Clan are just clowns stirring up trouble!"
At that moment, their group was gathered for a lakeside, open-air feast with a wide view.
Looking out over the lake, they saw a ring of towering pavilions and cloud platforms, brightly lit and reflected in the water, creating a breathtaking spectacle.
On a circular jade platform in the center of the lake, Immortal Officials from the Immortal Grove were performing a graceful dance. Their movements were exquisite and captivating, their ethereal robes fluttering in the breeze. Though veiled, their Pure Immortal Physique still revealed glimpses of their stunning and soul-stirring beauty.
As Li Weiyi's words faded, a cold voice drifted from a six-story vermilion tower beside the Cloud Pavilion: "You speak boldly, daring to call the Southern Territory's top Sects mere clowns. I've never seen your face in the Jiu Li Tribe of Li Prefecture before. Who are you?"
The voice wasn't loud enough to disturb the music and instruments playing in the other pavilions of the Heavenly Pavilion, yet it was perfectly clear to everyone within the Cloud Pavilion.
Li Ling transmitted mentally: "It's Chen Lian. What a coincidence to run into him even in Yuze (Giant Marsh) City."
Chen Lian was the third-ranked young master of the San Chen Palace. In the Mangshan Mountain Range, he had once led two Ironclad Army Elders in pursuit of Li Weiyi and Li Ling.
Li Weiyi was taken aback, wondering if Chen Lian was alone or if the San Chen Palace had brought a large force.
Suddenly, a voice entered his mind: "Help me probe. Find out how many experts from the San Chen Palace and the Sui Sect have come to Yuze (Giant Marsh) City."
Li Weiyi recognized the voice. It was the same one that had appeared above the canyon in the Mangshan Mountain Range when Zen Hai Guanwu had confronted him.
The voice's owner had kicked down rocks from the cliff above.
At the time, he was wearing a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact Nightwalker's Garment, which allowed him to break through the Ironclad Army's encirclement. Clearly, he was a top-tier Hidden One.
Li Weiyi scanned the pavilions around the lake, but couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice. He thought to himself, "What incredible cultivation! It must be one of the top ten Hidden Ones."
All the Zhi Prefecture talents at the table exchanged strange glances, their smiles now strained as they stared at him.
Li Weiyi laughed heartily, turning his gaze toward the sixth floor of the nearby high pavilion: "So it's Brother Chen Lian! Long time no see. You may not remember me, but I have a life-or-death bond with Chen Jingtang and Chen Song, the two Supreme Being Heavenly Prides of your San Chen Palace."
Chen Jingtang and Chen Song had both died in Burial Immortal Town. The fact that the other man brought them up at this moment was clearly meant as a provocation.
Chen Lian's face turned ashen. He pushed open the window and glared toward the Cloud Pavilion on the right side of the lake.
"Are you truly a member of the Jiu Li Tribe? You can't just claim that lightly. The war in Li Prefecture is raging, and both sides are locked in a fight to the death. If you insist on identifying yourself as a Jiu Li Martial-Mystic Cultivator, be careful you don't end up leaving Yuze (Giant Marsh) City alive."
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END OF CHAPTER
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