Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 75 (330): [Already Winter of the Following Year]
(75th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
*********************************
The path leading away from the Main Hall began at the Heaven Valley (Tianxia) Hall.
The Heaven Valley (Tianxia) Hall was responsible for all matters under heaven. Its Hall Master, three Vice Hall Masters, Five Great Venerables, and twenty-eight Elders were scattered across the Twenty-Eight Provinces of Lingxiao, not at the Main Hall.
The Heaven Valley (Tianxia) Hall's complex was located south of the Mortal Realm Layer.
Cultivators entering the hall almost all wore masks, concealing their true identities.
Li Weiyi, Tuoba Butuo, and Qi Xiao traveled together to Southern Yan Pass. They also donned masks to conceal their faces and altered their forms before entering the hall.
After presenting their Life Tokens, they each planted a Death Spirit Fire.
The elderly registrar then asked where they were headed.
Li Weiyi, being a Divine Son and already marked with Yao Qingxuan's Death Spirit Fire, didn't need to plant another. He adopted an arrogant posture and said disdainfully, "A Divine Son's journey always involves a crucial mission. How could I casually reveal my destination? If the information leaks, can you bear the responsibility?"
The elderly registrar quickly apologized, saying, "It's like this: to conceal the Divine Sect's headquarters and its entrance, all those below the rank of Venerable One must use the Space Teleportation Formation to be transported to several Ancestor Rice Temples outside. From there, they disperse and gather discreetly."
"It's normal for the Fourth Divine Son not to know this, since he's never left the Main Hall."
"For example, if Divine Son were sent to the Western Territory on official business but was teleported to the Eastern Territory instead, wouldn't that be a huge detour?"
Qi Xiao recalled Green Robe Town outside Qiu Prefecture City, where the Ancestor Rice Temple, presided over by a Holy Spiritual Master, likely housed a Space Teleportation Formation. It was probably one of the Rice Sect's distribution hubs.
Under his mask, Li Weiyi's eyes softened slightly: "To the Eastern Territory."
Southern Yan Pass, located in the northernmost part of Fu Prefecture, belonged to the Southern Territory.
He deliberately mentioned the Eastern Territory because the Heaven Valley (Tianxia) Hall's registration information was too easily leaked.
There was a good chance that news of his departure would fall into the wrong hands the moment he left.
Entering and exiting the Main Hall required inspection by the Myriad-Character Artifact Buddha statue.
Cosmic Pouches, Wind Mansions, Ancestral Fields, and even internal organs and bones were all incapable of concealing people or objects.
Li Weiyi knew this. He had already taken a risk by dragging Tang Wanzhou into the Blood Mud Space.
The Dao Ancestor's Tai Chi Fish was far beyond the comprehension of a mere Buddha statue.
Guided by a young Inner Sect Disciple, the three of them entered a deep cave behind the main hall. An ancient Space Teleportation Formation came into view.
The formation, three zhang in diameter, had grooves filled with the blood of an Ancient Immortal Giant Beast and inlaid with High-Grade Blood Crystals, making it strikingly similar to the one in the Southern Purity Palace.
The cavern was vast, with stone steps carved along the walls that spiraled upwards, faintly illuminated by light from above.
It was natural light.
A cool, crisp breeze drifted down.
Li Weiyi and his companions gazed upwards for a long moment, their hearts pounding with the certainty that the exit lay above, leading directly to the surface. The Space Teleportation Formation couldn't penetrate the walls of the Underground Immortal Mansion; they had been teleported out through the exit.
Trapped underground for over a year, a surge of excitement coursed through each of them, like prisoners about to break free and return to the bustling world of mortals.
The stone steps were sealed off, impassable.
The three of them, along with sixteen masked Cultivators from the Twin Rice Sect, stepped into the Space Teleportation For Formation.
"Whoosh!"
Crimson light enveloped the entire formation, obscuring the outside world. All they could feel was a violent sensation of weightlessness, making them nauseous.
Their bodies felt as if they were being kneaded and rapidly pulled up and down.
Fortunately, their deep cultivation allowed them to remain calm and composed.
When the crimson light dissipated, they found themselves in a dark, damp cavern.
Following their companions, Li Weiyi and his companions ascended to the surface, emerging into the inner hall of a Taoist Temple.
After leaving the Ancestor Rice Temple, the remaining sixteen people quickly dispersed in all directions.
Li Weiyi, Qi Xiao, and Tuoba Butuo stood outside the temple, arms outstretched, eyes closed, desperately inhaling the crisp winter air. The gloom that had weighed them down vanished, replaced by the exhilaration of a flood dragon emerging from the depths, soaring into the boundless sky.
Qi Xiao roared, "Finally, we're out! It's so much more comfortable out here. I'm going to the Heavenly Pavilion to order the most expensive dishes, drink the finest wine, and hire the most beautiful girls to play the zither and dance for me. I need to make up for my Dao Seed feast!"
"Haha, I have the same idea! But going to the Immortal Forest is more fitting for our current status. We're no ordinary Dao Seed Realm cultivators now; we're worthy of an Immortal Attendant's company," Tuoba Butuo said.
Li Weiyi chuckled softly: "If you're going to the Immortal Forest, I won't be joining you. I can't get in."
When they entered the Underground Immortal Mansion, the air was crisp and clear.
When they emerged again, it was winter of the following year.
The three were quickly pulled back to reality.
The Death Spirit Fire planted within them still tethered them, even though they had left the Underground Immortal Mansion.
Outside the Ancestor Rice Temple lay an ordinary market town, home to over a thousand residents, serving as a disguise.
"Lao Qi, go find a carriage," Li Weiyi said.
Qi Xiao looked puzzled: "Won't that leave tracks and make us easier to track? I saw those masked Cultivators earlier - they were all wary of each other, taking different routes and avoiding leaving footprints."
Tuoba Butuo said, "The fewer people who know, the less risk of exposure."
Li Weiyi narrowed his eyes slightly, "If someone wants to track and find us, they'll find a way. My point is, since we can't avoid it, let's see who comes looking for me. If no one does, we won't have to live in constant fear."
"Understood!"
Qi Xiao's eyes lit up as he grasped the plan.
He immediately went into town to inquire and make purchases.
The residents of the town were no ordinary folk, all deeply connected to the Twin Rice Secr.
After a while, Qi Xiao returned with a dilapidated, simple carriage. He picked up Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo and drove straight out of town.
The carriage wheels crunched through the snow, and they faced the biting wind as they officially embarked on a journey of uncertain fate.
Qi Xiao cracked his whip and urged the horses forward as he said, "This town is called Chengu Town. It's located in Jin County, part of Taicang Prefecture, one of the eight prefectures of Liang Province. It's only six hundred miles from Qu County, the prefectural seat. But Southern Yan Pass, our destination, is at least two thousand miles away."
Tuoba Butuo said, "The Twin Rice Sect is truly formidable. Controlling a Space Teleportation Formation... even ordinary disciples who reach their Main Hall wouldn't know its true location. The Tuoba Clan is a Northern Giant Clan with a Transcendent Ancestor, yet this is the first time I've ever seen such a legendary formation."
Qi Xiao was moved. He nodded lightly.
"The Twin Rice Sect can be called a Ancient Myriad Power. What the world knows about them is just the tip of the iceberg."
The standard for a Ancient Myriad Power is:
1. A lineage spanning at least a thousand years.
2. At least ten thousand Martial-Mystic Cultivators with superior talent.
3. A direct influence over ten million people.
All three conditions must be met.
Of course, there are also hidden requirements.
For example, a Ancient Myriad Power must have Transcendents to hold the line, a top-tier Scripture, an impenetrable Mountain Gate, and at least ten Immortal Realm and Holy Spiritual Master-level experts completely loyal to the sect.
Failing to meet these hidden requirements makes it difficult to gain recognition from the world.
The Jiu Li Clan, lacking Transcendents, became a laughingstock among Ancient Myriad Powers.
In the decade-long wars across the land, powers with Transcendents rapidly expanded, accumulating vast wealth, territory, and populations that met the standards of a Ancient Myriad Power.
However, consider the Tuoba clan. Despite having millions of people under their banner, they lacked a sufficient number of completely loyal Immortal Realm Great Powers and top-tier Martial-Mystic Cultivators. Their foundation and depth paled in comparison to true Ancient Myriad Sects, relying entirely on the strength of their Founding Ancestor.
If their Founding Ancestor were to unexpectedly perish, the clan would face annihilation.
Moreover, the Tuoba clan in the Northern Territory was subservient to the Snow Sword Tang Court, lacking the aura of a true Ancient Myriad Sect.
The number of top-tier Martial-Mystic Cultivators directly correlated with the number of Five Seas Realm-level experts, determining the strength of the armies they could assemble.
Ancient myriad Powers were generally considered to require at least ten times the resources of a Sect, a feat only the Imperial Court could achieve.
"The Space Teleportation Formation was left behind by the Ancient Bhagavata Sect," Li Weiyi analyzed, "The Twin Rice Sect must have a powerful Spiritual Master who learned how to set up the formation. But they're not proficient enough to teleport us far beyond the Fu Prefecture."
Tuoba Butuo agreed, "Exactly! If their formation-setting skills were truly strong, they would have teleported us as far away from the Fu Prefecture as possible to avoid the risk of the Main Hall being discovered."
Li Weiyi had also studied Space Teleportation Formations, hoping to combine them with the Buddha's Relic. But his attempt failed. His Psychic Power wasn't strong enough to draw a complete array diagram.
Ten miles outside the town, the three men silently dismounted, concealed their Qi, and hid in the snowdrifts along the right side of the road.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The carriage continued its frantic gallop, the sound of its wheels thundering across the snow.
It vanished over the snowy plains.
Half an hour later, a team of powerful Martial-Mystic Cultivators, employing their Body Techniques to tread silently on the snow, followed the carriage tracks..
After the piercing wind-breaking sound faded, Li Weiyi transmitted to the other two hidden in the snow: "There are five of them. Four are in the Dao Seed Realm, and one is a Spiritual Master. They're from the Patrol Guard. This is a major operation : they're clearly determined to capture us. One of them is Yi Zhouxue!"
"Could it be they're on a mission?" Qi Xiao asked.
Tuoba Butuo replied, "No! Yi Zhouxue is someone who could be recorded in the Jiazi Register. By using his Body Technique to travel so quickly, he's already exposed his Qi, which the Jiazi Register would detect. While the Imperial Court's surveillance over the realm isn't as strict as it once was, it still poses a risk. Yi Zhouxue must be pursuing us, which is why he's willing to risk exposure to the Jiazi Register."
Li Weiyi chuckled,: "Both Tuoba and I have the potential to be recorded in the Jiazi Register. To keep as low a profile as possible, Lao Qi, we'll have to rely on you for many things from now on!"
"Haha, who would have thought I'd be put to such good use because I'm not strong enough," Qi Xiao laughed.
"Let's go!"
The three broke through the snow and stopped waiting.
Once the five top experts of the Patrol Guard caught up to the empty carriage and realized they'd been tricked, they were sure to turn back.
Qi Xiao enveloped Li Weiyi and Tuoba Butuo in Spiritual Qi, stepping onto a cloud of Spiritual Qi to glide eastward without touching the ground.
"Why aren't we heading west or south? Southern Yan Pass is southwest of us," Tuoba Butuo asked curiously, unsure what Li Weiyi was worried about.
Li Weiyi said, "Fu Prefecture is now a hotbed of conflict. Countless experts have gathered here, and one misstep could make us targets. It's best to avoid trouble. I don't want to fight anyone before completing our mission. The Jiazi Register and Phoenix Terrace are already troublesome enough.
The Human Overlords' Manual and the Zuoqiu Sect, along with the Calamity Crossing Temple, are even more troublesome - they can lock onto all Dao Seed Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators."
The Dao Seed Realm is the realm of human overlords.
Tuoba Butuo suddenly understood: "Then we'll have to detour to Southern Yan Pass."
Qi Xiao said, "I have a route. We can travel by boat up the Qu River, disembark at Thunder Mausoleum City, and follow the Xushan Heavenly Vein to Southern Yan Pass. This should keep anyone tailing us from knowing our true destination. Wait - it's an Azure Feather Crow! That Patrol Guard squad has a tracking expert."
A blue crow circled high in the sky, sometimes hidden in the clouds, sometimes visible, as if guiding those below.
Qi Xiao's keen senses had detected it.
"Can you shoot it down?" Li Weiyi asked.
"It's too high... I'll try."
Qi Xiao took the bow and arrow from Tuoba Butuo, drew the string, and hundreds of scriptures swirled around his body.
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
**********************************