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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 42 (186): [Going All Out]
(42nd of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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"I don't know if spiritual Qi can sever the Ten Nights of Lingering Fragrance. Shouldn't we quickly find a master from your Jiu Li Clan, like Cang Li?"
Shi Shishi desperately wanted to part ways with Li Weiyi. He felt that walking together would only make Yang Qingxi more likely to casually kill him.
But remembering Li Weiyi's return to the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, he couldn't just abandon him like this - it would be utterly disloyal!
Li Weiyi said, "With Zhu Huan dead, everyone is on edge. The top young masters will surely be lying low. I doubt anyone knows where Cang Li is staying right now."
Qi Wangshu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "The masters we know are all in South City. The journey from West City to South City is the most dangerous part. Brother Baiyuan, are there any young masters from the Zuoqiu Sect staying in West City?"
Qi Wangshu didn't suggest asking the older generation of Zuoqiu Sect masters for protection. Zhu Huan's death was a clear message: the transcendent beings had already set the rules. If the older generation could intervene, they would have already saved Zhu Huan at the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. Otherwise, how could the Young Venerable and his followers dare to be so arrogant?
Zuoqiu Baiyuan forced a wry smile: "A month ago, all the top experts capable of participating in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival already moved into South City."
Li Weiyi suddenly stopped: "We have to split up. You two go ahead. If you want to lend a hand, hurry to South City and bring back reinforcements. Li Weiyi will be eternally grateful. I'll take Li Kun Street back to South City!"
"Alright, I'll return to Wolf's Den for help."
Shi Shishi had just dashed out when Li Weiyi grabbed his collar and yanked him back.
"Brother Weiyi, I'm seriously injured!" Shi Shishi nearly burst into tears.
Li Weiyi said, "It's all your fault for running your mouth. If you hadn't publicly declared your intention to capture Yang Qingxi, she might not have been so determined to kill me in this precarious situation. So you'll have to face this danger with me. Don't worry, if we survive tonight, I'll reward you handsomely."
"I'll go get my brother."
"I'll find the Inheritor."
Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan weren't the type to dawdle. Knowing they wouldn't be much help against Yang Qingxi, they quickly slipped away.
Shi Shishi said, "Brother Weiyi, I actually think swimming back to South City from the beach might be a good option."
"It's too late to go to the coast," Li Weiyi said, "If Spiritual Qi can sever the Ten Nights of Lingering Fragrance, we'll be fine. But if it can't, I estimate she'll catch up to us within half an hour, no matter which direction we flee."
"You don't have the fragrance on you. Head down Li Kun Street and stand by to assist me."
With that, Li Weiyi darted into a nearby alley, quickly altering his appearance and physique.
If they were being tracked by scent, they needed to make their route as convoluted as possible, creating obstacles to buy them more time.
Li Weiyi dodged through streets, burst through houses, and leaped across rooftops, always keeping Li Kun Street as his central axis.
At the same time, his eyes darted around, searching for the Hidden Sect's markings.
Yin Shi San had told him about a crucial Hidden Sect stronghold near Li Kun Street in West City - another reason he had sent Shi Shishi away.
"Thank goodness we didn't return to Diligent Garden," Li Weiyi thought, "If Yang Qingxi had found us there, it would have been a disaster."
Shi Shishi, to his credit, proved to be a true friend. He didn't fled alone but maintained a two-street distance from Li Weiyi throughout.
During this time, he even bought a basin-sized baked pancake, munching on it as he walked.
Time ticked away, second by second.
Just as Li Weiyi thought the fragrance had long dissipated, perhaps overestimating Yang Qingxi, he leaped from the deep alley, preparing to rejoin Shi Shishi on Li Kun Street.
Having just landed on the three-story-high tiled roof, he saw a veiled beauty standing at the far end, waiting for his arrival.
The woman wore a green robe, her skin as white and flawless as jade. Her slender, graceful figure was indescribably captivating, standing alone in the wind and snow. Simply standing there, she exuded endless beauty.
Li Weiyi admired her for a moment, then retreated with the speed of a ghost, landing back in the ten-foot-wide alley in a state of utter shock.
He fled five steps before abruptly stopping, his body rigid.
He drew the Yellow Dragon Sword he had prepared long ago, his eyes fixed on the alley ahead.
Yang Zhiyong, the third-ranked expert of the Sui Sect, stood ten yards away in the center of the alley, holding a battle helberd wrapped in black cloth. The rapid circulation of Spiritual Qi within his body made his Pure Immortal Physique glow like a lamp.
'I've seen him before at the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. We're practically old acquaintances!'
Li Weiyi glanced back and saw Yang Qingxi, still veiled, silently appear at the edge of the roof above him, like a green-robed Immortal maiden standing in the heavens. A colorful winged bee-like insect hovered above her head.
The spot she stood on was the highest point in the surrounding area.
No matter which direction Li Weiyi fled, she could intercept him instantly, sealing off his escape route with even greater speed.
Except for the direction Yang Zhiyong stood.
Every second counted now.
Li Weiyi dared not hesitate for even a moment, charging directly at Yang Zhiyong.
Only by breaking through with the utmost speed could he hope to survive.
"Roar!"
Li Weiyi roared, his voice meant to alert Shi Shishi.
But to his surprise, Shi Shishi's voice echoed simultaneously, clearly also facing a formidable enemy.
Yang Zhiyong watched Li Weiyi's swift advance with a cold snort. A four-zhang-tall Battle Technique Intent rose behind him, and he swung his war helberd with a ferocious slash.
"Sizzle!"
The black cloth wrapping the war helberd instantly turned to dust, revealing its gleaming, razor-sharp blade.
This strike embodied Yang Zhiyong's experience distilled from countless battles. It combined the real and the illusory, capable of either cleaving Li Weiyi in two or sealing off all his escape routes.
Clearly, Yang Zhiyong held no contempt for the unknown junior who had been in the Spring Surge Realm just months ago.
Li Weiyi felt the Spiritual Qi surging from Yang Zhiyong's body, condensed into a liquid-like form that transformed the alley into a riverbed.
The descending battle helberd seemed to possess some kind of Spiritual Energy, remaining suspended directly above Li Weiyi's head no matter how he shifted his position. He could only watch helplessly as it crashed down.
"Swish!"
A Battle Technique Intent manifested behind Li Weiyi, breaking free from Yang Zhiyong's lock. His form multiplied into thousands, and with an uncanny footwork, he dodged the attack by stepping into the right-hand alley.
He intended to use this opportunity to charge behind Yang Zhiyong and make a clean escape.
Yang Zhiyong was deeply startled. He hadn't expected his opponent to break through the suppression of his four-zhang-tall Battle Technique Intent with a mere two-zhang-tall one.
But his shock lasted only a moment. With a flick of his wrist, his battle helberd spun in a circle, cracking like a whip as it lashed out at Li Weiyi, who was attempting to flee along the wall.
Li Weiyi sighed inwardly.
Yang Zhiyong was too skilled, seamlessly transitioning between offense and defense.
He had no choice but to meet the attack head-on with his sword.
"Boom!"
Violent waves of Spiritual Qi erupted, the deafening clang of metal on metal echoing through the alley.
Yet the alley remained standing, and the surrounding buildings suffered no damage.
Instead, formation glyphs began to rise from the ground.
The Zuoqiu Sect and the Crossing Calamity Temple had transformed Qiu Prefecture City into a world of formations.
Li Weiyi was sent flying backward, retreating rapidly to dissipate the force. He landed back in his original position, his sword-wielding arm throbbing as if it no longer belonged to him.
Yang Zhiyong was so shocked he could barely speak, turning to Yang Qingxi: "Young Mistress, are you certain he was still in the Spring Surge Realm just a few months ago? That's simply impossible."
Yang Zhiyong possessed a Pure Immortal Physique, cultivated in the Sixth Sea, and was ranked among the top ten young talents in Li Province. Yet Li Weiyi had nearly escaped his defenses, and after taking a direct blow from his halberd, he was still standing.
If someone had told Yang Zhiyong that Li Weiyi was a Martial-Mystic Cultivator who had cultivated in the Sixth Sea, he would have believed it.
Yang Qingxi said, "With a Battle Technique Intent height of two zhang, he should be at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm."
"Even a mortal at the Fourth Stage of the Five Seas Realm couldn't have withstood my halberd just now," Yang Zhiyong countered.
Li Weiyi's arm had already recovered. He couldn't possibly reveal that he was only at the Third Stage of the Five Seas Realm. He forced himself to remain absolutely calm, searching for a countermeasure.
Suddenly, he let out an arrogant, cold laugh, "Yang Zhiyong, you're not a Nine Springs Supreme, are you? A Pure Immortal Physique waste who only opened eight springs? Taking your halberd is hardly a challenge. If we were to fight one-on-one, it's not certain who would live or die."
Yang Zhiyong's greatest weakness was failing to open the Ninth Spring in the Spring Surge Realm. Being mocked like this by a Martial-Mystic Cultivator at a lower realm ignited his fury, even with his usually steady composure.
Li Weiyi continued, "To be honest, this halberd of yours is completely unsuited for street fighting. In a one-on-one duel here, you're bound to lose to me."
"How can such a narrow alley could actually affect my ability to kill you?"
Yang Zhiyong advanced step by step, his Spiritual Intent and momentum growing stronger with each step, his eyes blazing with killing intent.
"Young Mistress, give me a chance. Within three moves, I'll take his life!"
"After three moves, I'll intervene."
Yang Qingxi knew Li Weiyi was stalling for time and wouldn't give him any opportunities.
Yang Zhiyong was now right in front of Li Weiyi. With a thrust of his halberd, a beast-head shadow the size of a house erupted from the halberd's tip - a High-Grade Spiritual Artifact. Its fangs and sharp teeth filled the entire alleyway.
Li Weiyi abandoned all pretense of holding back, unleashing his three Battle Technique Intents one after another.
With each additional intent, the power surging through his sword increased by ten percent.
"Boom!"
He unleashed the Taiyi Opens the Sea, shattering the beast-head shadow.
Still outmatched in pure strength, Li Weiyi retreated three steps.
The wind roared in his ears as he immediately executed the Heaven-Turning Palm Seal, clashing palm-to-palm with Yang Zhiyong, who had closed in on him.
Their palms clashed, resulting in a stalemate. Both men were forced to retreat simultaneously.
"Two moves, and that's all?"
Li Weiyi's palm skin had split open, blood dripping down, but with the support of his minor Golden Bone, the injury was not severe.
Yang Zhiyong, after being forced back by Li Weiyi, quickly regained his composure. He knew he had no chance of killing the young man quickly.
"Young Mistress, you were right. If we don't eliminate this boy, the Sui Sect will surely fall at his hands. Let's attack together and finish this quickly."
A light, mocking voice echoed through the alley: "Oh dear, is the Sui Sect's martial virtue so lacking? Two top-tier experts teaming up to kill a Martial-Mystic Cultivator who has just reached the Five Seas Realm? How pathetic."
Hearing Yin Shiyi's voice, Li Weiyi breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He immediately circulated his spiritual power to staunch the bleeding and heal his skin wound, no longer relying on his Guardian Wife to protect him.
Yang Qingxi turned toward the voice, where a figure with a human upper body and a snake's lower body emerged from the shadows at the other end of the alley, gradually revealing his true form.
She recognized him from the battle in Burial Immortal Town - one of the mysterious figures suspected to be a master from the Jiu Li Hidden Sect.
Her voice was cold: "What? You are alone?"
Yin Shiyi chuckled: "That's right! I was sleeping nearby. You know, snakes hibernate in winter. But his shout woke me up. I quickly threw on some clothes and rushed over. Couldn't find my pants, though. It's easy for me to find clothes that fit, but pants are a nightmare."
Li Weiyi asked, "Are you really the only one here?"
"I'm the only one who can fight Yang Qingxi," Yin Shiyi replied, unwilling to reveal too much.
Li Weiyi glanced at the azure figure on the third-story eaves: "Miss Yang, do you think you can kill me today?"
"It shouldn't be difficult," Yang Qingxi said.
"You need to leave now. I'll hold them off," Yin Shiyi said, his smile vanishing, his expression deadly serious.
Li Weiyi narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the bee-like insect on Yang Qingxi's shoulder. If he didn't kill that insect, even if he managed to escape temporarily, it would be an endless source of trouble.
He knew Yin Shiyi was no match for Yang Qingxi, but he was also at the level of Mie Di, so the gap wouldn't be too vast.
"Let's try a different tactic! You hold Yang Qingxi off while I kill Yang Zhiyong. Then we can team up and take her down."
Li Weiyi's fingers brushed against the insect pouch containing the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperor, preparing to unleash some of his hidden trump cards.
Yin Shiyi stared, dumbfounded, as if he'd misheard: "What cultivation level are you that you think you can kill Yang Zhiyong?"
Even he would need at least thirty moves to kill Yang Zhiyong.
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END OF CHAPTER
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