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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 96 (240): [Heroes and True Men]
(96th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Yin Shi Yi returned to the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion to take charge of the situation there.
Since Qi Xiao's return to Zui Yin yesterday, he had rushed to the battlefield and hadn't been seen since. Whether for his own future or for the Qi Clan, he couldn't afford to evade his responsibilities during the Zuoqiu Clan's most difficult hour.
As dawn gradually broke, a simple carriage emerged from the Underworld Market, driven by a Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
Li Weiyi, Shi Shishi, and Bai Shu sat inside, each lost in their own thoughts.
Bai Shu, a Psychic Cultivator, had no obsession with Dragon Bones or Dragon Seeds. She simply wanted to escape the battlefield and avoid the carnage. Yet, as a member of the Earth Wolf King's Army, she couldn't shirk her duty.
Shi Shishi glanced at Li Weiyi, unsure of how his injuries had healed.
He sighed dejectedly, "Someone dug up my Dragon Bone Ticket stash. I chased them for two days, but couldn't get it back."
"If hiding tickets was reliable, everyone would be doing it!"
Li Weiyi caught a whiff of blood and pushed open the carriage window.
A cold gust of air swept in.
On the mist-shrouded streets, Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators from various factions were collecting corpses and cleaning the streets.
As the carriage passed a mansion, the Dao Seed Realm master of the house and his servants and concubines were joyfully setting off firecrackers to welcome the Shangyuan Festival. The air was thick with the acrid, stinging smell of gunpowder smoke.
No matter how brutal the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival became, it remained a battlefield for young Martial-Mystic Cultivators of the Five Seas Realm.
"Clang!"
The carriage wheels rolled forward.
Battle scars and the corpses of young heroes lay scattered along the streets.
Whether they possessed Pure Immortal Physiques or were breathtaking beauties, they were treated like mere weeds.
Days of relentless competition had plunged the city's festive atmosphere to freezing point, leaving the streets deserted.
Li Weiyi asked, "Did Zuoqiu Hong and the others fall? Are Cang Li and Li Ling still alive?"
Shi Shishi shook his head: "I don't know! Over the past few days, the major powers of Qiu Prefecture City have been locked in a chaotic free-for-all. True and false rumors fly everywhere. Some even claim you died at the hands of Ge Xiantong, only to escape and die from your injuries."
"In any case, Zuoqiu Hong and her allies suffered devastating losses. The Zuoqiu, Jiu Li, and Zhu Clan, along with their affiliated forces - a total of dozens of top-tier Martial-Mystic Cultivators with invitation tokens - have seen six or seven out of ten of their members perish. Only a dozen or twenty survivors may remain."
"Yesterday evening, Zuoqiu Hong scattered all the Immortality Pill Tokens, Dragon Seed Tickets, and Dragon Bone Tickets among their besiegers. Then, leading her remaining troops, she retreated and went into hiding."
"That's the rumor circulating. Whether she truly escaped is hard to say. If she did escape, she might be resting overnight to recover from her injuries and gather her strength, planning a strategic retreat to prepare for today's decisive battle."
Of the two hundred Martial-Mystic Cultivators holding invitation tokens, only the top few from each of the nine provinces or the number one expert from each sect or clan were qualified to join.
Even powerhouses like Dao Di and Mie Di from Guan Shan were merely Second-Tier.
The Southern Territory alone boasted over a dozen Inheritor-level cultivators, some already famous throughout the land, others from Hidden Sects or hidden experts from Major Powers.
Everyone had brought out their full strength!
The other three territories had fewer Inheritor-level cultivators than the Southern Territory, but still had at least six or seven each.
The Three-Clan Alliance's Martial-Mystic Cultivators with invitation tokens had suffered casualties of sixty to seventy percent, including dozens of Dao Di and Mie Di-level experts.
The losses among Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators and Great Spiritual Masters were even more staggering.
Shi Shishi said, "Of the two hundred Martial-Mystic Cultivators with invitation tokens, at most half remain. The Inheritor-level cultivators have suffered fewer casualties, but even they've lost an estimated ten people!"
Li Weiyi fell silent, deeply understanding the well-intentioned warnings Jiang Ning, the Hidden Lord, and Zuoqiu Hongting had given him about not participating in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. They had foreseen all of this long ago.
What kind of mindset did they have?
Did they knowingly face danger head-on?
Or were they compelled to participate, with no choice in the matter?
"This isn't a grand gathering!" Jiang Ning's warning echoed in Li Weiyi's ears once more, this time from the fishing boat.
This was a battlefield...
A battlefield where only the victor survived!
Shi Shishi said, "The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival is much better than the real battlefield outside. At least there are rules here. It's just a competition among the younger generation. You can retreat, you can hide."
"What about Tao Yanyan?" Li Weiyi suddenly asked.
Shi Shishi fell silent.
Bai Shu said, "Sister Tao was killed in the Wolf's Den on the tenth day. She couldn't escape."
"Who did it?" Li Weiyi asked.
"We don't know! Qiu Prefecture City is filled with countless major and minor powers, each with their own origins and masters. Anyone could have done it for Tao Yanyan's Dragon Bone Ticket."
Bai Shu and Shi Shishi exchanged bitter smiles and shook their heads.
Most of the powers at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival had fallen before the seventh day, either wiped out or reduced to vassals of the Ancient Myriad Sects. Yet in the grand scheme of the world, these powers remained independent entities, each with Immortal Realm Giants, even Transcendent figures, towering like colossal beasts over their territories.
The Earth Wolf King's Army, though represented by only a handful of members at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, was backed by the Stone Heavenly King (Heavenly King Shi Tian), the Great Lord, Second Master Niao, and the vast Earthwolf Iron Cavalry, who held sway over Shu Prefecture.
"My injuries are about seventy or eighty percent healed. You two go ahead to the Changqing (Evergreen) Temple in East City and wait for me. I'll be there before noon."
Li Weiyi jumped off the carriage and used the Disguise Technique to vanish into the crowd.
Before the decisive battle, he wanted to see the Hidden Lord.
He traveled in secret, finally arriving at the Clumsy Garden.
After knocking, Yin Ershi Wu opened the door.
Seeing Li Weiyi, Yin Ershi Wu was clearly startled. He quickly ushered him inside and then closed the door, sealing the formation.
"Thank the heavens! It was all just rumors. We truly thought you had..."
"What? Did you think you wouldn't have to repay your debt?"
Upon entering, Li Weiyi was stunned by the sight of the garden littered with corpses, covered in white cloth. He immediately released his Mental Power to scan the area, finding the Clumsy Garden eerily deserted, with only Yin Ershi Wu present.
"What's going on? Where is everyone?" Li Weiyi demanded in a low voice.
Yin Ershi Wu lowered his head and whispered, "We were just helping to collect the bodies."
"Just helping to collect the bodies? Even Surging Spring Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Jiu Li Tribe know better than to get involved. You're at the Five Seas Realm! If you meddle in this, you'll die without a burial!" Li Weiyi's voice thundered.
Fifteen minutes later.
A knock sounded at the door.
Yin Ershi Wu cautiously eyed Li Weiyi, who sat on a white stone by the lake.
"Go ahead. Open the door for our heroes," Li Weiyi said.
The door and formation opened, and Yin Ershi San, Yin Ershi Si, and Yaoyin emerged from their invisibility, all clad in Nightwalker's Garments.
They then pulled out bloodstained Boundary Pouches, retrieving the corpses within - all Pure Immortal Physiques or female bodies.
Yin Ershi Si gritted her silver teeth, clenching her fists so tightly her chest heaved: "It's all your fault for dragging me back! I hadn't even finished killing them. How shameless, how despicable! They didn't even spare the corpses. It's utterly inhumane!"
"They weren't human to begin with," Yin Ershi San said.
"Mm, cough cough..."
Yin Ershi Wu kept glancing at them urgently.
The three of them turned their gaze toward the distance, where Li Weiyi sat like a statue.
First, they were startled, then overjoyed, and finally, anxious.
Li Weiyi stared at Yin Ershi Si with a blank expression: "If you're so capable, why don't you go out and kill some more?"
"Fine, shall we go together?" Yin Ershi Si asked.
"..."
Li Weiyi was completely dumbfounded. He stood up.:"Who gave you permission to act on your own? Who led this?"
"I did!" Yaoyin said.
"I did!" Yin Ershi Si said.
"I did!" Yin Ershi San said.
Unable to stand aside, Yin Ershi Wu, who had been guarding the base, stepped forward and whispered, "I did!"
Li Weiyi said, "Fine, fine, fine. You're all heroes, every last one of you."
Yaoyin, the youngest, with slightly reddened eyes, was the first to soften: "Those demonic beasts, Ember Spirits, and all sorts of evil fiends are trying to force Cang Li, Yin Jiu, and Li Ling to reveal themselves. They're boiling the corpses of Pure Immortal Physique Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Jiu Li Tribe in cauldrons and stripping the clothes off female Martial Cultivators' corpses, hanging them on the city gates. How could we possibly stand by and let such a humiliation go unanswered?"
Yin Ershi Si raised her chin: "We didn't do anything risky. We simply took back the bodies from those low-level Martial-Mystic Cultivators who were collecting corpses."
"This is unbearable!" Yin Ershi San declared.
Li Weiyi frowned. Their methods were indeed despicable, but they might prove surprisingly effective against Cang Li.
This was actually good news!
At least it meant they were still alive.
Li Weiyi paced back and forth, glaring at Yin Ershi Si: "You're only acting tough because you have that Blood Refinement Artifact. Hand it over."
Yin Ershi Si covered the Three-Headed Serpent Bracelet on her wrist and sneered.
"Aren't you relying on the Blood Handprint Demon Armor and the Purple Heaven Thunder Seal?"
"How dare you talk back?" Li Weiyi demanded.
Yin Ershi Si replied, "We were just collecting corpses. How powerful do you think you are? You dared to kill Yu Zi and challenge Ge Xiantong. Rumors are spreading everywhere that you've already died. Wouldn't we have been terrified if we found your corpse while collecting corpses? Wouldn't we have been terrified of seeing you exposed in the streets, your head gnawed off by wild dogs? Li Weiyi, you're a Divine Hidden One. I'm telling you, no matter how far away you are - ten thousand miles, a hundred thousand miles, or even further - if we hear news of your death, we will definitely go and bring you back. Even if it takes ten million miles, I'll go!"
"Just keep cursing me!"
Yin Ershi Wu had already moved a chair and placed it behind the furious Li Weiyi.
After Li Weiyi sat down, Yaoyin stepped forward and began massaging his shoulders and back.
She spoke softly, "We were truly cautious. We'll never act on our own again."
"Swear in the name of the Jiu Li Gods that you will not leave the Clumsy Garden today. Additionally, prepare a late-night snack. I will bring Yin Jiu and Yin Shi Yi back safely. Whoever is most obedient will have a chance to obtain the Dragon Bone and Dragon Seed." Li Weiyi closed his eyes, enjoying Yaoyin's soft, jade-like hands kneading his muscles.
Hearing this, the Hidden Ones present grew visibly excited.
Yin Ershi Si's pretty face lit up with surprise.
"Dragon Bone and Dragon Seed? We have a chance to obtain them too?"
"You? You're too rebellious. You can't refine the Dragon Bone. Just keep making me angry in the future."
"You must keep watch over each other. Heroes watch over heroes, and true men watch over true men. Don't cause any more trouble."
Li Weiyi stood up and forced them all to swear before finally leaving the Clumsy Garden.
As he departed, he glanced at the corpses scattered throughout the garden. His eyes hardened, and his resolve grew even stronger.
Unable to find the Hidden Lord, he could only consult with his three Masters.
He asked, "If I attempt to break through to the Fifth-Stage Five Seas Realm, pushing myself into even greater danger, would that be too risky? You know this world better than I do."
"Why are you still so stubborn?"
Master Guan strongly opposed the idea.
Three months of Qi Refinement was his bottom line.
Li Weiyi said, "I know what I'm doing in the Martial-Mystic Path. I have a way to temporarily stabilize my Spiritual Qi. After the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I'll enter deep seclusion and never be reckless again."
"Then fight! It's only the Fifth-Stage Five Seas Realm. What's there to be so cautious about? If the Zuoqiu Clan and the Jiu Li Tribe can't even handle this small matter, they might as well throw away their reputations as one of the Ancient Myriad Sects and Ancient Myriad Clans now."
It was Zen Hai Guanwu's voice.
Spirit Tablet Master said, "Since you have a way to temporarily stabilize your Spiritual Qi, I support you in following your heart. Cultivation is like sharpening a sword - you conceal your edge in peacetime, but when the moment comes, you must unleash your most dazzling strike."
"For the Immortality Pill, the Dragon Seed, and the Dragon Bone, this risk is worth taking. As a Divine Hidden One, your first battle should be one of great spirit," Master Coffin said.
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END OF CHAPTER
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