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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 27 (282): [The True Purpose]
(27th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The statue of the Bhagavata Buddha held a scepter and rode a giant elephant, with trails of stars arcing above his head.
The colossal statue, awe-inspiring in its height, had stood for tens of thousands of years.
At this moment, Li Weiyi finally confirmed that he had entered another spatial realm.
After all, the statue towered hundreds of meters high, while the entrance to the underground fissure lay only a hundred meters below the surface.
Inside the main hall stood the "Sculpture Group of Ten Thousand Spirits Paying Homage."
Over a hundred passages lay behind the sculptures.
Some ascended stone steps, others stretched straight ahead, and still others descended into the earth.
The Underground Immortal Mansion was not flat.
The eighth path Tang Wanzhou had been exploring led upward. Two yards wide, its walls were constructed of smooth, golden stone. Occasionally, they passed murals, hanging lamps, and skeletal remains - evidence of a great battle that had once raged here.
After traveling a hundred miles along this path, a large section of the passage collapsed, forming a sheer cliff.
Below the cliff, dark red magma flowed slowly, its heat radiating outward. It was hard to imagine whether the lower world would be affected.
Everyone present possessed high cultivation levels. Enveloping their mounts in Spiritual Qi, they leaped across the chasm with ease.
The deeper they went, the more complex the passage became. Numerous side tunnels branched off like a labyrinth. Li Weiyi diligently memorized and marked their paths.
Far behind the Thirty-Eight Riders, many Martial-Mystic Cultivators followed at a distance, their strength and courage driving them to fish in troubled waters.
After venturing two hundred miles into the depths, the terrain of the Underground Immortal Mansion diversified. No longer confined to narrow, cramped tunnels, they encountered caves, plains, stone mountains, and rivers.
After a day and night of travel, Li Weiyi's internal injuries had recovered by sixty to seventy percent. He had also completely absorbed the Star Spiritual Pill he had taken at the entrance to the underground passage.
His Spiritual Star had grown by nearly half, leaving him brimming with energy. Instead of feeling tense and oppressed by the perilous environment, he was exhilarated.
By this point, they had penetrated over three hundred miles into the Underground Immortal Mansion.
Ahead lay a vast plain spanning dozens of miles.
The soil was hard, and the ground was covered in luminous, thorny plants that faintly illuminated the darkness, creating a misty atmosphere throughout the space.
Li Weiyi looked up.
He couldn't see the top, only endless blackness.
Everyone on their mounts tensed, abandoning their relaxed postures.
Some Martial-Mystic Cultivators had already summoned their spiritual artifact battle weapons, activating the Scripture inscribed on their armor.
Tuoba Butuo whispered, "This is the farthest I've ever been. Legend says this was a training ground during the peak of the Ancient Bhagavata Sect's prosperity. Explorers now call it the Nether Spirit Plains, marked on maps sold at exorbitant prices."
"Swish!"
A dense rustling sound erupted from the shadowy thicket of thorns.
Then, a miasma-like fog billowed forth, surging toward the thirty-eight riders of the Snow Sword Tang Court.
Their mounts, sensing danger, whinnied nervously and pawed the ground restlessly.
Li Weiyi, using the Psychic Heavenly Scripture, sensed countless flying insects within the miasma. Their numbers were too vast to count.
Resembling giant mosquitoes the size of fists, they emitted a constant, droning hum.
"Brace yourselves! It's a swarm of Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquitoes!" a Dao Seed Realm elder shouted from the group.
"Boom!"
A palm strike of Spiritual Qi shot out, its shockwave momentarily scattering the swarm. But the insects quickly regrouped, pressing forward in a relentless, overwhelming wave.
Li Weiyi had read parts of the 'Fierce Insect Manual' and knew something about the Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquito. It was a terrifying General-level ferocious insect capable of draining the blood from an entire city's living creatures in a matter of moments.
Even Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators would be driven to a desperate situation if they encountered them, leaving no trace of their bodies behind.
The Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquitoes before them were far larger than described in the book and showed several mutations.
Madam Wanyan of the Wanyan clan was the first to strike, releasing two Commander-Grade Strange Insects: the Seven-Colored Flying Fireflies.
Enveloped in seven-colored flames, the two firefly-like rare insects charged into the miasma-filled smoke.
Instantly, the Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquitoes within the smoke were incinerated into fireballs, plummeting to the ground.
After a moment, the remaining swarm of Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquitoes fled, disappearing into the darkness.
The two firefly-like rare insects returned and were collected by Madam Wanyan into her Insect Pouch.
"How powerful are those Seven-Colored Flying Fireflies! Commander-Grade Strange Insects have a complete bloodline advantage over these ferocious insect swarms."
"Madam Wanyan's two Seven-Colored Flying Fireflies are already comparable in combat power to two Dao Seed Martial-Mystic Cultivators."
"Thank goodness we have an Insect Tamer with us. Otherwise, just this swarm of Bone-Corroding Miasma Mosquitoes would have given us a headache for a while."
....
Li Weiyi had been observing the two Seven-Colored Flying Fireflies. Indeed, they were formidable, having reached the peak of Commander-Grade Strange Insect evolution. They could easily repel a swarm of General-level ferocious insects.
The Nether Spirit Plains were incredibly dangerous. They encountered two more Soldier-Grade ferocious insect swarms and another General-level swarm, all driven back by Madam Wanyan and Old Man Shanze's Insect Control techniques.
Li Weiyi never got a chance to release his seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors.
After crossing the plains, only thirty-eight riders remained, with even fewer Martial-Mystic Cultivators following behind.
Ahead, a steep stone cliff rose dozens of meters high. Ancient glyphs and inscriptions adorned its surface, their lines and characters glowing with a white luminescence.
Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo closely followed Tang Wanzhou as they scaled the cliff.
Above, another stone wall loomed, layer upon layer, as if artificially constructed.
Tang Wanzhou finally stopped, sitting atop his Three-Tailed Snow Fox. His expression was grave as he addressed the remaining riders: "Only a handful of Martial-Mystic Cultivators have survived crossing the Nether Spirit Plains to reach this place."
"This is the location of the Ancient Bhagavata Sect's Starlight Fire Altar, four hundred miles from the main hall of the Underground Immortal Mansion's entrance."
"I told you that once we reached the depths of the Underground Immortal Mansion, I would reveal the true purpose of this journey. Now, the time has come!"
At the rear of the group, an Aberrant Race Martial-Mystic Cultivator with an ape's head and a powerful aura asked, "Young Lord, why are you being so cautious? Are you worried about information leaking if we're told in advance?"
Tang Wanzhou scanned everyone present, his gaze deep and sharp, his tone cold and steady: "The thirty-eight riders here are all top-tier experts, and your strength is beyond doubt. However, the task we're undertaking is of utmost importance, far more significant than a Millennium Essence Herbs or a Dao Manual. I must be cautious, and I ask for your understanding."
Old Man Shanze inquired, "Young Lord, is this 'important matter' related to this Starlight Fire Altar?"
"Indeed. Follow me!"
The ancient Starlight Fire Altar towered dozens of meters high at each level, its smooth cliff face only easily climbable by Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Most of the mounts were left at the base of the altar.
Tang Wanzhou ascended to the fourth level, dismounted her Three-Tailed Snow Fox, and walked forward. After a moment of searching, she struck the stone wall with a palm, targeting a section where the carvings were broken.
"Boom!"
A stone door, over ten feet tall, swung open.
Holding a stone lamp emitting a blue glow, she led the way, her footsteps echoing through the passage.
"Li Weiyi, I stumbled upon that fragment of the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone within this altar by chance."
"Thank you for the reminder, Young Lord."
Li Weiyi secretly observed the various carvings on the stone wall, releasing his Psychic Power and activating his Heaven and Earth Divine Meridian to scan every area he passed through.
If he could find another fragment of the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone, combined with the Star Spiritual Pill, he was confident he could breakthrough to become a two-star Spiritual Master in a short time.
They reached the core area of the altar's interior.
The Martial-Mystic Cultivators gasped in awe, gathering around Tang Wanzhou to gaze at a stone wall towering over thirty meters high.
The wall was covered in intricate carvings depicting an ancient tale.
"That... that's the Bhagavata Buddha?"
Tuoba Butuo pointed at a figure in the mural that bore a striking resemblance to the statue of the Bhagavata Buddha in the main hall at the entrance.
In the mural, the Bhagavata Buddha held a staff in one hand and raised both arms high.
Countless stars rained down from above, leaving trails of light like shooting stars that crashed into the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Tang Wanzhou stopped before the mural, his expression solemn: "A month ago, I accidentally stumbled upon this place and was captivated by these exquisite murals, but I couldn't understand their meaning. So, I went to the Zuoqiu Sect and consulted all the ancient texts related to the Bhagavata Sect. Finally, I fully deciphered the murals."
"The first mural depicts the ancient era when the Bhagavata Buddha witnessed a catastrophic event - a meteor shower."
"The Meteor Shower Cataclysm claimed countless lives across the land. Mountains collapsed, rivers changed course, and dust blotted out the sky, leaving the world shrouded in darkness for years."
"The second mural depicts the Bhagavata Buddha saving lives of the injured amidst the disaster. He founded the Bhagavata Sect, gathering fallen stars from the heavens to decipher their mysterious energies."
Li Weiyi's gaze fell upon the second mural.
The Bhagavata Buddha sat high upon a lotus throne, surrounded by countless followers.
Dozens of stars, radiating brilliant light, stood like towering mountains behind him.
Li Weiyi wondered if the Spirit Platform Blazing Star Stone was among them.
Tang Wanzhou moved to the third mural: "This mural tells the story of how the Bhagavata Buddha forged these dozens of stars into the Luminous Star Tome, also known as the Bhagavata Sutra. Each star became a page of the Radiant Scripture, totaling forty-two pages."
"The Bhagavata Buddha poured his life's work into writing characters of immense spiritual power upon the tome. Afterward, the venerable master attained enlightenment and left this world."
"With the Luminous Star Tome in place, the Power of Light will eternally illuminate the Bhagavata Sect, ensuring that the sect's ancestral temple remains impervious to all evil."
Tang Wanzhou approached the fourth mural: "This mural depicts the years that followed the Bhagavata Buddha's departure. A radical leader emerged within the sect, wielding the Luminous Star Tome to wage war against the Nether Realm of the Dead, steadily expanding the Lingxiao Realm's territory."
"What? There's a treasure in this world that can dispel the dark, eerie power of the Nether Realm of the Dead?" Wanyan Shenxing, one of the top three in combat power in the group, asked incredulously.
The Nether Realm of the Dead was like a forbidden zone, enveloping the entire Lingxiao Realm, stretching endlessly in all directions.
Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators stood at the pinnacle of the mortal realm, having begun to grasp the truth of this world and the essence of existence.
Yet, the more they understood, the more oppressive the feeling became.
A thousand years ago, during the great catastrophe, over ninety percent of the Three Hundred Prefectures of Lingxiao had been swallowed by the Nether Realm. Those who survived lived in constant fear, day and night.
"The deathly power of the Nether Realm can shroud all sunlight, turning all living beings into Dead Spirits, spawning evil creatures, reviving the dead, unleashing Cursed Abominations, and causing all life to wither," an elderly Spiritual Master intoned.
Tuoba Butuo was ecstatic, his chest swelling with ambition: "If the 'Luminous Star Tome' truly exists, we have a chance to reclaim the two hundred-plus prefectures devoured by the Nether Realm. Each prefecture we reclaim means thousands of miles of territory, endless resources, and boundless fertile land. We can then resettle the population, transforming desolate villages into bustling towns and turning the deathly Nether Realm into lush forests."
"At that time, minerals, land, pastures... we'll have as much as we need. Why bother invading the south and fighting with the Human Race's major powers for the Twenty-Eight Prefectures?"
"We shall strike north, penetrate the Nether Realm of the Dead, reclaim the Lingxiao Realm, and be enshrined in history for eternity!"
Every Martial-Mystic Cultivator present was electrified, their eyes burning with fervor.
Li Weiyi remained calm, turning to Tang Wanzhou.
She was utterly composed, her eyes devoid of emotion as she approached the fifth mural: "Alas, this Luminous Star Tome was shattered during a power struggle within the Bhagavata Sect, fragmenting into individual pages of Radiant Scripture."
The mural depicted the Luminous Star Tome scattering apart, each page of scripture radiating like a miniature sun as it flew outward.
The crowd sighed in disappointment.
Li Weiyi gazed at the corner of the mural, lost in thought for a moment before speaking.
"Look here! There's a tiny figure holding a page of Radiant Scripture, entering the depths of the Nether Realm of the Dead. In an instant, it illuminates a vast area. Doesn't this suggest that if we find even a single page of scripture, we can reclaim a portion of the Lingxiao Realm?"
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END OF CHAPTER
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