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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 5: [Seeking Immortality in the Eastern Sea]
Volume 5 (Pinyin): [Dong Hai xun xian]
Chapter 73 (510): [The Qingyun (Azure Cloud) Realm]
(73rd of Volume 5)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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The underground space was dark and frigid.
Li Weiyi strode ahead, his tall, upright figure leading the way, with Yu'er following behind.
The two figures, one large and one small, ascended a low hill about sixty or seventy meters high.
There was no vegetation here; the rocks were hard, and only a small amount of Spiritual Soil filled the crevices.
This Spiritual Soil emitted a faint glow, possessing only about thirty percent of the spiritual energy of true Spiritual Soil - making it what could be called "Barren Spiritual Soil."
Yet even this was twice the spiritual energy of the soil in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain.
The soil in the Cloud Heaven Immortal Plain had suffered severe spiritual energy depletion, not even qualifying as "Barren Spiritual Soil."
If medicinal fields were cultivated here on a large scale, and medicinal herbs were planted, within a thousand years, it could sustain an Ancient Sect. After several millennia, it might even give rise to a Ancient Myriad Clan or an Ancient Myriad Sect.
Li Weiyi stood at the summit of the low hill, gazing southward.
The hills rolled like waves, stretching endlessly into the distance.
Below the hill, Zuoqiu Hongting was studying the Earth Tome, while Liu Ye was attempting to activate the Sage's Ink Sea.
Li Weiyi released a Psychic Field ten meters in radius, mentally prepared to confront her.
"Tell me," he said.
Yu'er looked up at Li Weiyi's sharply defined, handsome profile, as if carved by a blade.
She could sense his seriousness and solemnity; his deep gaze seemed to be bracing for an impending storm.
She realized the situation might be more serious than she had imagined, and she hesitated to ask, fearing that the truth would shatter her current reality.
Children naturally fear sudden changes in their environment.
Ultimately, her pursuit of truth overcame her anxiety.
She whispered, "Master, I've noticed my strength is extraordinary, unlike that of a normal person. Am I even human?"
"Yes, of course you're human," Li Weiyi replied.
Yu'er had been waiting for him to elaborate.
When he fell silent, she quickly pressed, "Aren't you curious about how strong I really am?"
'What's there to be curious about?'
'I just witnessed it.'
"How strong?" Li Weiyi asked.
Yu'er snatched the Yellow Dragon Sword from his hand. Gripping the hilt with one hand, she pinched the tip between two fingers of her other hand and tried to bend it in half.
Instead of snapping as expected, the sword arched into a massive curve. The blade trembled, the air vibrated, and a terrifying force gathered, like a drawn bowstring.
Her actions startled Li Weiyi. Terrified she might break the Chan Sect's ancestral sword, he frantically tried to stop her.
"What are you doing? Put it down... slowly straighten it back out."
Once the Yellow Dragon Sword had fully recovered, Li Weiyi snatched it back and immediately stored it in his Wind Mansion.
"That doesn't count!" Yu'er protested, reaching for the Eighth-Grade Thousand-Inscriptions Artifact Bronze Brush.
This brush was priceless. Li Weiyi planned to sell it to purchase Essence Herbs for his seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors to break through to the Immortal Realm.
He couldn't allow her to mess with it.
"Yu'er, I've known about your immense physical strength for a long time. You don't need to prove it again," Li Weiyi quickly reassured her, seizing the opportunity to store the Bronze Brush in his Wind Mansion as well.
Yu'er furrowed her brow, utterly perplexed.
"Master, why didn't you tell me sooner? If you had, I could have helped during those dangerous times."
Li Weiyi realized the Grand Palace Mistress's memories hadn't returned at all.
In her current state, revealing the truth would only increase the risks.
Even if she believed him, it would serve no purpose.
"Do you think you can control this power?" Li Weiyi asked gently.
"What do you mean by 'control,' Master?" Yu'er replied.
"Do you understand how strong your palm strikes are? Do you know how to wield your power without harming yourself or innocent bystanders?" Li Weiyi pressed.
Yu'er suddenly understood, nodding: "I've been so careful lately, trying to avoid accidents and destruction. Master, how can I control my power?"
This question stumped Li Weiyi.
He replied, "Learning is a gradual process, requiring growth through practice. When you unleash your immense strength, do you sense any changes in your body?"
Yu'er tilted her head, thinking: "It feels like I get hotter, and my blood seems to flow faster. The more I want to crush something, the hotter my fingers become, like they're about to burn."
"Then for now, focus on preventing yourself from entering that state."
Li Weiyi gasped inwardly, relieved he hadn't let her tense up while carrying her on his back, lest she accidentally snap his neck.
After a moment's thought, he added, "Yu'er, your identity is extraordinary. You must conceal yourself, hide your power, and never reveal it unless absolutely necessary. Tell no one."
Yu'er nodded in agreement, then asked, "Master, who am I really? Why do I possess such strange strength?"
"I'll tell you when you're older," Li Weiyi promised.
Yu'er's heart was finally at peace, her relief and joy radiating from her face.
She sighed contentedly and exclaimed, "I was so worried that I wasn't human, terrified I might be a demon or one of those Immortal Corpses they talk about. But now I know - Yu'er is human! Master, you weren't lying to me, were you?"
The terms "Demon Beast" and "Immortal Corpse" had caught her ear during discussions among martial cultivators about Liu Fengshu's physical body.
"How could I ever lie to you?" Li Weiyi chuckled wryly, "Don't burden yourself with such worries at your age. If anything troubles you - anything at all - tell Master immediately. Whether it's an awakening, a forgotten memory resurfacing, or something strange within your body."
Yu'er held up the blue pearl: "Is this a protective treasure?"
Li Weiyi reached out a finger, then hesitated and withdrew it: "Keep it safe for now. Don't show it off."
"Alright! Now Yu'er has a spiritual artifact to protect herself in danger! Master, you don't need to split off thirty percent of your power to guard me anymore. When we face enemies, you must fight with all your strength!" Yu'er declared.
Li Weiyi stared in surprise before nodding.
"I almost forgot the most important thing!"
Yu'er hurriedly pulled out her notebook and pen from her cloth bag.
"So much happened today, I haven't had a chance to record it all yet."
The pair, one tall and one small, returned to the base of the low hill.
Yu'er squatted down to the side and began writing in her notebook.
Liu Ye retrieved a jade whistle, no longer than an inch, placed it to her lips, and blew a sound like the wind.
This was a communication artifact used by the Sentinel Spirit Army's sentinels: the Watchman's Whistle.
The wind-like sound concealed its true nature, seeming faint yet capable of carrying messages over five hundred miles.
By varying the length and rhythm of the whistles, sentinels could transmit information and contact nearby comrades and Sentinel Spirits.
Zuoqiu Hongting had already put away the Earth Tome and was meticulously organizing the contents of Fu Wenyan's Cosmic Pouch, as if searching for something specific.
Despite possessing a world-shattering beauty - her features exquisitely refined, her loveliness rivaling Jiang Ning, the proclaimed "First Beauty of Lingxiao" - she stubbornly opposed the Xiaotian Edict due to her father's death, choosing to present herself as a boy.
Mastering the Transformation Technique was part of this disguise.
"Brother Weiyi, come quickly!"
Zuoqiu Hongting had discovered something.
Clutching a rolled-up animal hide, her eyes fixed on it, she waved Li Weiyi over with obvious excitement.
"Another find, Brother Zuoqiu?" Li Weiyi asked as he approached, glancing at the Strange Beast hide.
The hide was covered in lines, with annotations in several places.
It resembled a map, but a crude one, showing only a single road and descriptions of the surrounding terrain. It was likely a map Fu Wenyan had drawn himself, to help him remember the route.
The map's starting point was the Calamity Crossing Temple.
The destination was marked as the Azure Cloud Realm.
Zuoqiu Hongting cautiously glanced at Liu Ye in the distance.
"This person is no ordinary cultivator. Her halberd techniques resemble those of the Liu Clan, the leader of the eight divisions in the Rainforest Living Realm. Her innate talent rivals that of the Top Chief Disciples. How did you meet her? Can we trust her?"
"Speak freely," Li Weiyi replied.
Zuoqiu Hongting transmitted telepathically, "Have you noticed a wisp of Azure Cloud Qi within the Earth Tome? That Qi doesn't belong to Fu Wenyan; it's almost Immortal in nature."
Li Weiyi had already noticed this and nodded, waiting for her to continue.
"Fu Wenyan must have stood out among the Calamity Crossing Temple's disciples because of these two pages of the Earth Tome," Zuoqiu Hongting said, "But such a precious artifact... why would a mere junior be qualified to carry it? The Fu Clan elders certainly aren't aware of this."
"It's his unexpected fortune!" Li Weiyi countered.
Zuoqiu Hongting nodded: "I agree. That's why I searched his Cosmic Pouch for clues - and I found one. The map's destination, the Azure Cloud Realm, is likely where he obtained the Earth Tome. He marked the route in detail, probably planning to return once his cultivation improves."
Li Weiyi admired Zuoqiu Hongting's meticulousness.
He glanced at the parchment scroll: "Judging by the map's markings, it doesn't seem far from the Calamity Crossing Temple?"
"Not close at all! The Azure Cloud Realm isn't a Life Realm; it's a Secret Realm."
Zuoqiu Hongting waved her hand: "The Calamity Crossing Temple is located in the chaotic zone southeast of the Hundred Realms of the Living! This 'chaotic zone' refers to an area where Life Realms and Nether Realms intersect and are mutually isolated, yet Life Realms within it can still communicate with each other. Unlike the Lingxiao Realm, which is separated from the nearest Rainforest Living Realm by 500,000 Miles of the East Sea - a dangerous stretch of Nether darkness where even Immortal Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators face a nine-in-ten chance of death when crossing it."
"The Life Realms within that chaotic zone, including some southern realms of the Hundred Realms of the Living, all fall under the influence of the Calamity Crossing Temple."
"According to the map, the Azure Cloud Realm is at least 50,000 miles away from the Calamity Crossing Temple. I only stayed at the temple for a little over two years, so I'll need to consult the map to pinpoint its exact location."
Liu Ye approached and transmitted a message to Li Weiyi: "There are no Sentinel Spirits within a 2,500-miles radius. We're in grave danger and must regroup with trustworthy Great Immortal experts immediately."
Having spent years in the Nether Realm of the Dead, Liu Ye felt deeply insecure, constantly sensing imminent danger.
The underground space was vast, extending in all directions.
Since descending, they had already traveled nearly 1,000 miles south without seeing any boundaries.
Though 1,000 kilometers was a considerable distance, they remained within the range of the Transcendent Battle.
If the Transcendents breached the seabed, their power would instantly annihilate them.
"Since the Founding Ancestor instructed us to head south, the Immortal Realm Great Powers from the Zuoqiu Sect and Jiu Li Clan must be moving in the same direction," Zuoqiu Hongting mused, puzzled, "Logically, someone should have been sent to meet us by now."
She reached for the Formation Flag, ready to set off south immediately.
Suddenly, Li Weiyi pressed a hand to her delicate shoulder, signaling her to be silent.
"Whoosh!"
More than a dozen Thundercloud Sect experts, led by Great Elder Chen Jin, materialized a hundred zhang away from the hidden Formation.
Their bodies flickered with lightning as they raced forward.
After they halted, a purple-robed Elder said, "They're fast. The direction must be right, but how can we not catch up?"
Lei Wu, First Commander of the Thundercloud Sect, declared, "We can't let them join forces with the Jiu Li Clan and Zuoqiu Sect's Great Immortal Realm experts. Keep pursuing them - we must intercept them!"
As the Thundercloud Sect members departed, another figure descended gracefully on the wind, his Daoist Robe billowing.
His eyes shone brightly in the dim light, and an ancient sword hung across his back. He scanned the area for traces, lingered briefly, then vanished into the darkness with astonishing speed.
None of them dared unleash their Dao Heart Manifestations, fearing exposure.
They searched while simultaneously concealing themselves.
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END OF CHAPTER
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