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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 100 (355): [The Crisis of the Tai Shi Family]
(100th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Li Weiyi thought of Li Ling from the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival. If he could mass-produce talismans in advance and control a talisman rain, his combat strength would indeed reach a terrifying level.
The nine characters of the Six Jia Secrets Incantation on the Yellow Dragon Sword could clearly be integrated with talismans.
So far, he had only successfully combined the "Xing" (Move) secret incantation with the Divine Swiftness Talisman, greatly enhancing its power.
What about the other eight secret incantations?
Li Weiyi didn't have much time to study talismans and only mastered a few.
He mused, "Among the talismans I know, the Body-Fixing Talisman is the most useful in combat."
"With my current Psychic Power, if I could incorporate the incantation's characters into it, the power would be truly remarkable."
"For talisman materials, I'll need to purchase Transcendent Skin and Ancient Immortal Giant Beast Blood. Otherwise, high-level cultivators would shatter them instantly."
Li Weiyi and Tang Wanzhou returned to the Blood Mud Space, walking side by side.
One was a Mortal, the other a Pure Immortal Physique.
She was a woman, and a beautiful one at that, but also a forthright, bold, confident, and proud person.
Her bearing inspired trust - one would never worry about her resorting to underhanded tactics against friends or killing for treasure.
After Li Weiyi finished explaining the current situation, Tang Wanzhou pondered for a moment, het gaze returning to its usual wisdom and depth.
"Lingxiao City cannot fall, at least not yet. I will lead this battle. Your cultivation is still far too weak. Follow my orders. The Heretical Sect is certain to have Immortal Realm Giants stationed within Lingxiao City."
Li Weiyi said, "If you reveal yourself now, all my previous efforts will be wasted. Headquarters will undoubtedly suspect that I helped you escape. I believe we must frame the Sui Sect for rescuing you from Headquarters. Only by inciting internal conflict within the Twin Rice Sect can we hope to win."
"Moreover, your current condition is unstable, and your reactions to the outside world are slow. I will take charge of the investigation. You follow my orders... and, Young Lord, please lend me a hand at the critical moment."
Tang Wanzhou didn't press the matter further. She produced a token.
"With this token, it's as if I were present in person. You can command all the Snow Sword Tang Court's hidden operatives in Lingxiao City."
Li Weiyi accepted the token, his confidence soaring with the support of an Immortal Realm Giant. As he prepared to leave, his eyes suddenly flickered.
"Whoosh!"
He unleashed the Karma Burning Wheel, combining Psychic Power and Martial-Mystic Path to launch a surprise attack at Tang Wanzhou, who was preparing to meditate and cultivate.
Tang Wanzhou formed a sword-finger with her hand and swatted Li Weiyi away with a wave of her arm. "That strike had some potential!"
...
Li Weiyi withdrew from the Blood Mud Space and stepped out of his room. It was a bright, sunny day. He stretched languidly and instructed his maidservants to prepare a meal.
He had spent three days (in the outside world) cultivating within the Cocoon of Time.
Breaking through to the next realm at the Tanggu Sea had taken another three days (in the outside world).
Six days had passed in the outside world.
His true cultivation time was eighteen days.
[T/N: He spent approximately one month inside Blood Mud Space and Tanggu Sea. However, he only cultivated for 18 days.]
His stomach was utterly empty, and he was famished.
"With my current cultivation as a Five-Star Spiritual Master, the Cocoon of Time should be able to sustain me for much longer."
"My Martial-Mystic Path cultivation is still too weak. I need to achieve Dragon Seed Dao Birth as soon as possible. Luansheng Linyou took half a year to advance from the Second Heaven to the Third Heaven. With the Cocoon of Time's assistance, could I possibly do it in a month?"
Li Weiyi pondered as he ate.
He still believed that crafting talismans and purchasing Millennial Essence Herbs to nurture his Spiritual Insects was the fastest way to boost his combat strength in the near future.
During his seclusion, Seventh Phoenix had refrained from disturbing him.
Upon inquiry, he learned that Long Xiangcen had remained within the Commander-in-Chief's Office for the past six days.
However, from the two maidservants, he learned that Tai Shi Bai had visited twice but, knowing he was in seclusion, had refrained from disturbing him.
After his meal, Li Weiyi went to the Commander-in-Chief's Office to pay his respects.
When Tai Shi Bai saw him, he laughed from afar: "Zuo Ning, if you don't come out of seclusion soon, I'll smash your door tonight."
"What crime has the door committed to provoke such a grand display from Brother Taishi?" Li Weiyi asked.
"We will leave for Lingxiao City tomorrow... Let's go, Mother wants to see you." Tai Shi Bai's voice, transmitted through Spiritual Qi, echoed in Li Weiyi's ear.
Li Weiyi followed Tai Shi Bai through the Commander-in-Chief's Office courtyard, where each step revealed a new scene.
Servants and household staff alike retreated to the sides, kneeling in reverence as they passed.
Tai Shi Bai's expression was grave.
"Something has happened at the Grand Temple of Eternal Harmony (Taichang Temple)! We managed to keep it under wraps before, to prevent panic. But in the last few days, the news has somehow leaked out and spread throughout Lingxiao City's districts."
The Grand Temple of Eternal Harmony was a crucial government department responsible for overseeing sacrifices, divination, rituals, music, ancestral temples, and imperial mausoleums. It also supervised the Imperial Medical Academy and managed the Bureau of Music.
Most importantly, the Mother-Child Spring, which Yu Yaozi had recovered from an unknown location over a decade ago, was under the Grand Temple's custody and management.
Li Weiyi feigned ignorance: "What happened at the Grand Temple? What does it have to do with us?"
"Imperial Court Minister Tai Shi Qing Shi is the third most important figure in the Tai Shi Clan, after our Ancestor and my father. I have to call him Second Uncle. If something were to happen to him, the entire Tai Shi Clan would be in trouble. As for the strange events that have been occurring, I can't explain them to you in a few words. We're here now. Be careful how you handle this. My mother sent people to Shu Prefecture to investigate you."
Tai Shi Bai offered this warning before stepping through the gate and bowing respectfully: "Mother, Zuo Ning has arrived!"
Madam Long glanced at him. The figure behind the plum and bamboo screen, dressed in court robes, followed with a bow.
"Zuo Ning greets Madam Long."
"Zuo Ning, you have dared to defy the Imperial Court. Do you know what fate awaits you?"
Madam Long's voice was cold and sharp, and a powerful energy surged from her, filling the entire courtyard.
Li Weiyi felt as if thunder had exploded in his ears. He bowed even lower, staring at the ground, and trembled with fear: "Zuo Ning would never dare defy the Imperial Court."
Yet inwardly, he remained calm.
If Madam Long truly intended to punish him, she wouldn't have waited for him to come to the Commander-in-Chief's Office. She would have already dispatched troops to arrest him.
"You spent five years among the rebels, yet you claim you never defied the Imperial Court?" Madam Long pressed.
Li Weiyi's forehead was beaded with sweat, his face pale with terror. Trembling, he stammered, "I... I was forced... I'm now turning away from darkness and embracing the light!"
"Turning away from darkness and embracing the light? You just couldn't stand it anymore in the Earth Wolf King's Army, could you?"
With a flick of her wrist, Madam Long tossed the investigation results from Shu Prefecture over the screen.
Tai Shi Bai picked them up, read them, and his expression shifted to one of surprise.
Li Weiyi glanced at the contents, silently cursing Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Liuyu ten times over. Relying on these Dharma Kings was truly unreliable; they had completely ruined his reputation.
The report stated that Zuo Ning had once joined the Earth Wolf King's Army, where he gained the favor of the Six Desires Dharma King and served as his advisor for five years.
Three months ago, he had fled the Earth Wolf King's Army.
The reason?
Shi Wuyan had taken a liking to him and wanted to make him his male concubine.
Tai Shi Bai burst into laughter: "I've long heard that Shi Wuyan has a fondness for men. I never expected you, Zuo Ning, to have such charm."
Li Weiyi snatched the secret letter, tore it to shreds, and wailed, "Please, don't mention this again! It will ruin my reputation completely!"
Behind the screen, Madam Long said, "You come from the Earth Wolf King's Army. If the Phoenix Terrace discovers your origins, the Commander-in-Chief's Office will be implicated."
Tai Shi Bai immediately pleaded, "Zuo Ning is merely a staff member, and he was likely coerced by Shi Liuyu. On the Post Ship, he risked exposing his true strength to save others, which demonstrates his inherent goodness. I am willing to vouch for him. Please, Mother, show him leniency."
One played the good cop, the other the bad cop.
Madam Long's true intention was simply to help Tai Shi Bai recruit Zuo Ning into his ranks.
Li Weiyi saw through their charade and remained silent, awaiting her decision.
Tai Shi Bai said, "In times of chaos, ability is paramount. With the Tai Shi Clan facing imminent disaster, recruiting Spiritual Masters from our ranks, Zuo Ning might be able to offer some assistance."
Madam Long fell silent for a moment, then sighed, withdrawing her Spiritual Qi and Intent.
"Since you plead for him so earnestly, if I insisted on sending him to the Phoenix Terrace for investigation, you would surely resent me. Zuo Ning, remember your young master's kindness!"
"Zuo Ning is willing to die for the young master," Li Weiyi declared resolutely.
....
The next day, before dawn, a large contingent of troops gathered outside the Commander-in-Chief's Office. Seven gilded carriages and dozens of Exotic Beast mounts stood ready.
All the Spiritual Masters boarded the carriages, four or six to a carriage. They had to enter the city secretly, without drawing attention. Dao Seed Realm retainers rode the Exotic Beast mounts.
The fact that the Commander-in-Chief's Office could mobilize so many powerful individuals in such a short time spoke volumes about its strength.
Li Weiyi spotted Long Xiangcen among the crowd. She wore a veil and a green robe, sharing a carriage with several other female Spiritual Masters.
As she boarded, she cast a cold glance at Li Weiyi, silently mouthing words he couldn't decipher.
"Zuo Ning, come with me!"
Tai Shi Bai's voice rang out from the lead carriage.
Li Weiyi climbed aboard.
The interior was spacious, measuring twelve feet square. It featured a built-in table and a white Exotic Beast hide carpet.
On the table sat a bronze incense burner, from which wisps of Mist curled upwards.
After the convoy set off, Tai Shi Bai's expression turned grave: "Last night, a top-priority military dispatch arrived from South Yan Pass. The Three Island Barbarians and remnants of the Dragon Sect have launched a counteroffensive in the Eastern Territory."
Li Weiyi said, "The Eastern Territory has the Thundercloud Sect and the Imperial Court's Duke of the Eastern Sea leading the army. They won't succeed there."
Tai Shi Bai's furrowed brow remained etched with worry: "In the Western Territory, the Demon Clan's army has gathered in unprecedented numbers, the largest in two years. If the Zhu Clan falls, the Imperial Court's western gate will be wide open."
Li Weiyi countered, "The King of the Western Sea leads the Western Sea Slaves, the Imperial Court's most elite iron army. The Western Territory won't be so easily breached."
Tai Shi Bai said, "Liang Prefecture is one of the Imperial Court's core Eight Prefectures, located at the foot of the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain. But not long ago, a Demon Clan Transcendent infiltrated the provincial city, causing devastating destruction and heavy casualties. Zuo Ning, it's been two years. The Demon Clan Transcendent have gradually recovered from their injuries and are beginning to counterattack!"
"Just wait and see. The eye of the coming storm will undoubtedly be in the Western Territory."
Li Weiyi knew the truth: the Demon Clan was luring the Imperial Court's top experts to the East Sea and Western Territory to create chaos, sow confusion, and conceal their true objective.
But he dared not speak.
If the Demon Clan learned that news of their attack on Lingxiao City had leaked, they might very well strike the Western Territory first.
As a friend, Li Weiyi desperately wanted to warn him: The Tai Shi Clan was in the most danger right now.
The Tai Shi Clan controlled the Cloud Heaven (Yuntian) Immortal Plain, Lingxiao City, the Four Great Passes, and half of the defensive Formation. The Twin Rice Sect and the Demon Clan had undoubtedly already launched their attacks.
Outside, the rhythmic sounds of hooves and carriage wheels echoed.
Li Weiyi knew that going to Lingxiao City would be fraught with peril - a deliberate plunge into the eye of the storm. His mind raced with anxieties and distractions.
He wondered, "Only three days until the first day of the twelfth lunar month. I wonder if all the Hidden Ones from the Hidden Sect have already entered Lingxiao City. After all these days, has Tuoba managed to deliver the blood letter back to Headquarters? If he failed..."
Li Weiyi had little confidence and could only prepare for the worst.
.....
At this moment, a massive force from the Twin Rice Sect's Cultivation Headquarters' Withered Flourish (Kurong) Hall and Heavenly Principles (Tianli) Hall surrounded the Southern Purity (Nanqing) Palace.
Several Hall Masters personally arrived, their imposing presence clearly intended to demand answers.
They directly shattered the palace's Formation with their Spiritual Artifacts and forced their way inside.
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END OF CHAPTER
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