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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 36 (291): [The Seventh Sea, Assassination]
(36th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The lowest level, the Asura Layer, remained largely unexplored, teeming with Fierce Insects, Departed Spirits, and countless unknown dangers.
The Withered Flourish (Kurong) Hall and the Divine Prison were both built within the Asura Layer.
The Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall, the foremost of the four halls, was located at the northernmost edge of the Mortal Realm Layer's twenty-eight prefectures. Built into the mountainside, its structures cascaded layer upon layer, covering the entire mountain.
From afar, the tiered buildings and intricate Formations obscured the entire view, creating a grand and imposing spectacle.
Most of the architecture here was left over from the Ancient Bhagavata Sect, with distinct Buddhist influences.
The well leading to the Sacred Heart Layer was located at the mountain's peak.
Fourth Divine Son Wang Shu arrived at the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall and knelt before a stone statue with a serpent's head, a dragon's claws, phoenix wings, a dog's tail, and a human body.
"Reporting to Master, my younger brother's remnant soul has sensed his aura. The sword he wields must be the Divine Snow Sword."
"According to my investigations, Li Weiyi entered the Underground Immortal Mansion with Tang Wanzhou."
"I personally interrogated the prisoners who accompanied Tang Wanzhou in the Divine Prison. Li Weiyi was indeed taken away by Venerable Nan. It is now almost certain that the person who escaped into the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace is Li Weiyi, the Divine Hidden One of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect."
"Your disciple is utterly baffled. Li Weiyi has consistently opposed the Divine Cult. At the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, he killed over twenty Heavenly Prides of the Five Seas Realm from our Cult. Wang Shouxin, Wang Zhi, and Zuo Shi, all at the Dao Seed Realm, also fell by his hand. The Cult's intelligence network in Qiu Prefecture City has suffered devastating losses."
"Yet this man, instead of being imprisoned in the Divine Prison, is allowed to freely enter and exit the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Hall. How disheartening this must be for the Cult disciples who have died."
"The world claims he's been crippled! But whether that's true can only be confirmed through investigation."
The stone statue's eyes opened, and the entire hall transformed into a sea of light rain.
"Do you wish to obtain the seven Strange Insects in his possession?"
"Yes!"
The Fourth Divine Son replied candidly, then added, "I also desire the Ghost Banner he carries, to present it to Master. But most of all, I wish to eliminate this threat to the Divine Cult and avenge the fallen disciples."
The stone statue chuckled: "Venerable Yao Qingxuan of the South, being of the Jiu Li Tribe, naturally favors the Divine Hidden Ones of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect. That's understandable. But to protect a murderer who has slain countless Ricefolk (Ren Dao) Heavenly Prides is truly unbecoming of a Venerable. Wang Shu, you fear no authority and are devoted to the Divine Cult's future. Proceed boldly and without hesitation."
Overjoyed by his Master's support, the Fourth Divine Son's eyes remained calm.
"But since entering the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace, he hasn't emerged, which complicates matters. I dare not trespass within the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace."
The stone statue said, "Your brother died at his hands. From a personal standpoint, the Elders of the Divine Cult would understand any extreme actions you take. They would undoubtedly stand by our own Divine Son."
"Moreover, Venerable Nan's mission went awry this time. Whether she can retain her position as Venerable remains uncertain. she likely won't have time to deal with Li Weiyi."
The Fourth Divine Son, cautious by nature, didn't want to offend Venerable Nan too deeply.
"I believe it would be better to force him out of the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace before striking. We happen to have many hostages in our custody, imprisoned in the Divine Prison and subjected to torture. It's too lenient to simply use their blood to water the fields."
The stone statue replied, "Since you have your own plans, proceed as you see fit. Also, you must intensify your cultivation. That woman from the Yang family is reportedly pushing hard to break through to the Third Realm of the Dao Seed Realm. She's covered ground in a year that would normally take you seven or eight years."
"Sikong Jingyuan and Sikong Yanlun are also about to return from their training in the Nether Realm of the Dead, reportedly with significant gains in cultivation."
"If you don't condense your Dao Lotus within the next six months to a year, you'll likely find yourself in an awkward position among the Divine Sons and Daughters."
The Fourth Divine Son's gaze darkened: "As long as I obtain the larvae of seven Lord-Marquis Grade Strange Insects, my status within the Cult will undoubtedly rise to second only to the First Divine Son. Li Weiyi, I will definitely capture him."
....
Li Weiyi paid no attention to the outside world's gossip, immersing himself in Cultivation. Accumulating power in the Five Seas Realm was a long process every Martial-Mystic Cultivator had to endure.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
With the aid of the Cocoon of Time, his true Cultivation time had at least doubled.
Standing in the Blood Mud Space, he didn't use any techniques. A casual palm strike sent a dragon's roar echoing through the air.
The palm force shattered the air with a violent explosion.
The five-fingered imprint of qi flew over a dozen meters before completely dissipating.
"Only two Dragon Bones left. One will be refined into the palm bone of my left hand, the other into the palm bone of my right hand."
Li Weiyi moved his hands, feeling an unusual heaviness, as if each palm was weighed down by a thousand catties of iron. It would take time to dispel this discomfort.
But the increase in strength was undeniable.
The rewards offered by the Calamity Crossing Temple were naturally extraordinary. It was said that refining even a single piece of them in the Five Seas Realm would allow a Martial-Mystic Cultivator to challenge those in the Dao Seed Realm.
A year had passed since the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival.
Li Weiyi had never stopped cultivating his physical body.
After achieving his Dao Body, he had spent the past year refining a pound of Immortal Soil and a significant amount of Divine Cauldron Wood. His physical strength and durability had doubled.
Without a Dao Seed of Breakthrough, Li Weiyi's life essence hadn't undergone a fundamental transformation. His body's ability to absorb Immortal Soil was slowing down, becoming increasingly difficult.
Master Coffin had said that cultivating a "Immortal Body" - one capable of directly confronting Immortal Realm Giants - required refining about ten pounds of Immortal Soil.
Without breaking through to the Dao Seed Realm, two pounds of Immortal Soil was Li Weiyi's current limit.
The Divine Cauldron Wood used to refine his tendons and reshape his skin faced the same predicament; his body could no longer absorb it effectively.
Trapped in this bottleneck of physical cultivation, Li Weiyi had refined the two Dragon Bones to boost his strength.
What troubled him even more was the stagnation of his Seventh Sea cultivation due to a lack of spring liquid.
The 50,000 drops of spring liquid he had purchased earlier had been used up - 36,000 drops for cultivating his Wind Mansion, and the rest for expanding his Seventh Sea Ancestral Field to 14,000 square feet. Now, his spring liquid reserves were completely depleted.
The remaining Dao Fruit held little Spiritual Qi.
Li Weiyi remembered the market town he had visited before.
"Perhaps I can buy spring liquid there," he mused, "but without a Life Token, leaving Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace would be incredibly dangerous."
"Besides, where will the money come from? This is a huge sum!"
After exiting the Blood Mud Space, Li Weiyi pondered how to raise the funds. He stepped out of the Formation's light curtain surrounding the Buddha Pagoda and headed toward the Formation surrounding the rice fields.
After several days of closed-door cultivation, his stomach growled with hunger.
In his Boundary Pouch, the food he had prepared for the Underground Immortal Abode was almost entirely consumed.
Only two months had passed in the real world, but to him, it felt like he had spent four or five months in the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace.
He desperately craved a hot bowl of soup.
Yao Qingxuan, being an Immortal, could endure prolonged periods without food or water, and the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace offered no meat.
He walked through the dimly lit garden.
White courtyard walls, black artificial mountains, and purple-red glowing ancient trees surrounded him.
Li Weiyi had walked this path countless times, always feeling safe in the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace and never maintaining constant, high-intensity vigilance.
Suddenly, he sensed something amiss.
He abruptly stopped, staring at the shadows cast by branches and leaves on the ground.
It felt as though he were walking on water, with ripples spreading out beneath his feet.
"Who's there?"
The Heaven and Earth Nerves, like a spiderweb, shot out in all directions.
The Heavenly Eye opened in the center of Li Weiyi's brow, illuminating the entire garden as bright as day.
Every hair on Li Weiyi's body stood on end, and a sharp pain shot through his back. He knew without a doubt that he had been struck.
His attacker had been lurking in the shadows, a master of concealment, waiting for the moment Li Weiyi was lost in thought to strike a fatal blow.
But Li Weiyi was wearing the Blood Handprint Demon Armor, which had deflected the surprise attack.
"Boom!"
His internal organs lurched violently, and his body was flung forward.
His physical body had been honed to extraordinary strength, allowing him to withstand the blow without serious injury, suffering only minor wounds.
Determined not to give his opponent a chance to press the attack, Li Weiyi unleashed a torrent of Spiritual Qi, activating the Blood Handprint Demon Armor. Blood Mist and crimson scriptures rapidly spread outward, filling the entire garden.
As he was sent flying backward, Li Weiyi forcibly twisted his body, using his Heavenly Eye to glimpse the attacker.
The figure moved with incredible speed, a swirling mass of black mist wielding a Blood-Patterned Wooden Sword. It struck like lightning.
Li Weiyi sensed an unprecedentedly eerie aura emanating from the wooden sword.
'I can't touch it.'
He formed a seal with his right hand and thrust it forward.
"Whoosh!"
The Cihang Enlightenment Finger, fierce and domineering, transformed into a beam of light that shot out and collided with the thrusting wooden sword.
The wooden sword was knocked aside, and the misty figure staggered backward, emitting a low, mournful howl.
Li Weiyi had now cultivated to the Seventh Sea, refining Sixth-Level Spiritual Qi. The battle intent behind him, a six-zhang-tall projection, towered over any battle intent of a Five Seas Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator.
No ordinary Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator could withstand this finger.
"How dare you trespass on Venerable Nan's territory!"
After landing, Li Weiyi ignored his injuries. A spirit light fire whip shot from his brow, stretching dozens of zhang long and carrying the Golden Crow Flame. Its golden light was blinding as it lashed out at the misty figure.
"Boom!"
The air exploded in flames.
The Golden Crow Flame incinerated all the plants in the garden, turning them to ash.
The misty figure shrieked, flying backward and crashing through a rockery before collapsing motionless on the ground.
Li Weiyi drew the Yellow Dragon Sword, his figure flashing forward as he pointed his sword at the fallen figure.
He saw the figure on the ground clearly.
He froze.
It was a straw man, dressed in black robes and life-sized.
Struck by the Golden Crow Flame whip just moments ago, the straw man crackled and burned, quickly turning to ashes. Amidst the ashes, at its chest, a crimson glow lingered.
It was a fist-sized Blood Crystal, etched with countless talismanic runes.
"Crack!"
The Blood Crystal's energy depleted, causing it to shatter into dust.
"No wonder it could conceal its presence so completely - it was just a straw man. How could a straw man be so powerful, rivaling a Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivator?"
Li Weiyi was still shaken.
If it had aimed for his head instead of his back, the consequences would have been far more dire.
The six Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, alerted by the commotion, flew to his side.
They had grown considerably, but still hadn't reached a foot in length, hovering just below that threshold, unable to break through.
"It's a Puppet Technique straw man, from the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall."
Yao Qingxuan strode from the stone path, her beauty like a figure from a painting, her aura as cold as frost, her gaze icy. From afar, she drew the Blood-Patterned Wooden Sword into her hand and examined it.
"The power of a curse!"
Only at this moment did Li Weiyi finally breathe a sigh of relief. His tense nerves relaxed slightly as he circulated his Spiritual Qi to heal his wounds.
"Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall? Senior Yao, you've finally returned! It seems they didn't take you, a Venerable, seriously."
"If they truly dared to disrespect me, the one who would have entered Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace to kill you wouldn't have been a straw man!"
Yao Qingxuan continued, "It's good you're still alive. My journey back here wasn't in vain. To survive the assassination attempt by the Puppet Technique straw man, your cultivation must have grown significantly."
Li Weiyi was surprised: "Senior, did you return specifically to save me?"
"Before Palace Master An left Headquarters, she said you could help the Golden Rice grow and instructed me to protect you at all costs."
An unyielding chill emanated from Yao Qingxuan. With a flick of her fragrant sleeve, she hurled the wooden sword in her hand.
"Whoosh!"
The wooden sword shot out of Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace, slicing through the sky for a hundred miles. It pierced through the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall's Guardian Formation's light veil and embedded itself completely in the door of one of its grand halls.
Several figures rushed out of the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall, their eyes fixed on the wooden sword.
They exchanged bewildered glances.
"Yao Qingxuan is already in dire straits herself, unable to even capture a Tang Wanzhou, and has lost all face. Yet she still acts so forcefully, determined to protect that young man. How interesting. Doesn't she care about appearances?" a surprised, aged voice echoed through the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall.
Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace.
Yao Qingxuan said, "This sword strike serves as a warning. Those old geezers in the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall should now understand my stance. No one outside the rules will attack you, and no one will dare trespass into the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace again."
Li Weiyi asked, "Why does the Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall want to kill me? What's the difference between being inside and outside the rules?"
"An eye for an eye, a life for a life - that's within the rules. You've killed many Divine Cult experts. If their relatives seek revenge, I can't stop them. But if any of those relatives are old geezers, I can shield you from their attacks," Yao Qingxuan replied.
Though Li Weiyi knew Yao Qingxuan was protecting him because of the Golden Rice and An Xianjing, a warmth still spread through his heart.
He bowed deeply in sincere gratitude.
"Have you seen Tang Wanzhou in the past two months?" Yao Qingxuan suddenly asked, her gaze fixed on him.
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END OF CHAPTER
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