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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 2: [Jiuli Insect Valley]
Chapter 33 (60): [Dividing Li Prefecture (Lizhou)]
(33rd of Volume 2)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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It was someone from Coffin Mountain.
A flicker of surprise crossed Yang Qingxi's captivating eyes before her gaze locked onto the burly, red-robed monk standing outside the main gate.
The monk was nearly two meters tall, with a muscular, dark complexion and a round, plate-like face and eyes flashed like
lightning, devoid of any trace of compassion.
Yang Qingxi had clearly earned the approval of her elders, as she was entrusted with representing the Yang Clan in negotiations with various factions. How could she not recognize the monk before her?
The abbot of the Five Burials Temple, Great Zen Master Yuzhen - a figure of great renown in the Jiazi Register.
His status certainly qualified him to represent Coffin Mountain.
What baffled Yang Qingxi was that just a month ago, they had been plotting against Coffin Mountain, framing the Buddha's Salvation Bandits. Yet tonight, instead of coming to demand justice, the monk was proposing cooperation.
Shi Jiuzhai said, "The Heavenly King believes that with Coffin Mountain's support, the four of us could seize Li Province even through brute force."
The four factions were:
First, the Sui Sect, which Yang Qingxi represented.
Second, the Dragon Sect, a sect with tens of thousands of disciples.
Then the Earthwolf King's Army and the Buddha's Salvation Bandits - two of the Three Great Barbarian Bandits of the Southern Territory.
Yang Qingxi instantly understood everything.
Clearly, after the frame-up was exposed, the Coffin Mountain leadership had gone to the Earthwolf King's Army to demand an explanation.
Ultimately, the two Barbarian Bandits had buried the hatchet and decided to join forces to divide Li Province.
From the perspective of the Sui Sect and the Yang Clan, they naturally didn't want Coffin Mountain to get involved.
The Sui Sect's primary goal in seizing Li Province was to establish a territory of their own.
Currently, the Sui Sect's power was scattered along the Sui River, spread out on both banks.
Although the Sui River traversed the Lingxiao Realm from north to south, flowing through seven provinces and with tributaries reaching into over a dozen more, they knew their own situation best.
The river wasn't theirs; they were constantly exploited by the ancient myriad aristocratic families and myriad ancient sects of each province and had to kowtow to the behemoth-like Ancient Sect Dragon Sect, always walking on thin ice.
The Sui River was a vine.
What the Sui Sect needed was a piece of land for this vine to take root, or they would forever remain rootless duckweed.
Only by seizing Li Province and becoming its masters could the Sui Sect truly establish their own territory.
Only by first occupying a single province could the Sui Sect hope to eventually grow into a ancient myriad sect powerhouse and even march north to contend for control of the world.
The Earthwolf King's Army and Dragon Sect were both far from Li Province. All they wanted were resources and provisions for their campaigns to conquer the world.
But Coffin Mountain was right at their doorstep.
How could they possibly join this without demanding territory?
How could they ignore the Blood Sea Otherworld Coffin, a resource-rich mine bestowed upon them by heaven itself?
Yang Qingxi's gaze swept over Shi Jiuzhai, Great Zen Master Yuzhen, and the others.
"Young Master Long, what does Dragon Sect say?"
The young, noble-looking man standing at the bow of the ship replied, "We have no other choice but to launch a full-scale attack and crush Jiuli. With another faction joining us, our losses will naturally be smaller. After all, Dragon Sect and the Earthwolf King's Army are already engaged in multiple fronts against the Lingxiao Palace's forces, leaving us with limited resources to spare for Li Province."
"My suggestion is to strike quickly. We must seize the thousands of years' worth of cultivation resources, grain, weapons, Strange Beasts, pills, and other treasures stored by the various Jiuli factions and send them to the front lines. If we don't take them, will we leave them for the Lingxiao Palace?"
With even Dragon Sect supporting Coffin Mountain's involvement, Yang Qingxi knew there was no room for negotiation.
She was still pondering how to secure the most favorable terms when a cold, aged laugh echoed from the Coffin Mountain group outside.
"You all treat the Nine Li Tribes as mere warehouses to plunder? Money vaults to raid? You underestimate the Jiu Li Clan's thousands of years of accumulated wealth!"
All eyes turned toward the speaker, including Young Master Long and Shi Jiuzhai.
This man didn't seem to belong to Coffin Mountain!
Coffin Mountain had brought an outsider with them.
A frail voice emerged from an old man completely shrouded in a wide black robe.
He stood behind Great Zen Master Yuzhen, the abbot of the Five Burials Temple, side by side with the White-Robed Jushi. His head was covered by a hood, and his entire body was enveloped in black mist, obscuring his features from view.
The hooded old man continued, "Yang Shenjing did indeed display awe-inspiring power during the Mang Mountain battle fourteen years ago, defeating six Clan Chiefs of the Jiu Li Clan in succession. But would he have stood a chance if all six had joined forces?"
"Moreover, the true strength of the Jiu Li Clan has never been what you see on the surface. Have you ever heard of the Jiu Li Hidden Sect?"
Having followed the Jiu Li Clan for many years, the Sui Sect naturally possessed a deep understanding of them.
Yang Qingxi replied, "The Jiu Li Hidden Sect has always been a legend, never truly appearing in the world. Even during the fierce fighting fourteen years ago, they remained hidden. I don't believe this legend is true."
"Even if it were, it's likely just an empty title, greatly exaggerated. Otherwise, how could they have stood by and watched the Jiu Li Clan decline? How could they have allowed the core interests of the Jiu Li Clan to be carved away?"
The hooded old man in black mist chuckled dryly: "If the Sui Sect truly believes this, you will pay a terrible price for your arrogance. Look... What you thought was a game of cats chasing mice on the shore, is a microcosm of the world's situation. In an instant, it can reverse, giving rise to new, eerie twists."
.....
Yang Yun could hardly believe his eyes.
Three of the Hundred Strong Warriors, including Shi Chuan Yu, who had opened his Eighth Spring, had been instantly knocked flying by a severely injured man.
From the beginning, Yang Yun had been mocking, never taking this unknown Seven Springs Martial-Mystic Cultivator seriously.
But now, as he met the man's gaze again, the sense of control he had felt vanished, replaced by the chilling feeling of being hunted by a beast in the wilderness.
Li Weiyi's Sixth Spring had opened, but only two Silver Veins had emerged from the Spring. It would take time to fully activate them.
Shi Chuan Yu, who had crashed onto a fishing boat to Li Weiyi's right, was the first to stand up, his chest throbbing with pain.
During the clash, he had clearly felt the man's overwhelming palm force. Even without the Silver Silk Gloves spiritual artifact, he doubted he could have gained any advantage in strength.
Yao ZhengSheng, who had fallen into the water, climbed out. The water was only two meters deep, barely reaching his waist. In the Spring Surge Realm, he had never lost a contest of strength.
Lu Shen, after being sent flying and crashing through the mast, rose again with blood staining his lips. Coupled with the fact that one of his tiger claws had been pierced by the Yellow Dragon Sword, his combat strength was severely diminished.
Yang Yun steadied his mind, toying with the Yellow Dragon Sword in his hand. He laughed, "He broke through! But it can't be the Five Seas Realm. At most, he's opened the Eighth Spring and is relying entirely on his spiritual artifact to show off. For someone like us, who in the Five Seas Realm have we ever feared? Kill him, and whoever snatches his spiritual artifact gets to keep it. Of course, you can also exchange it for Five Seas Pills at the Yang Clan."
Li Weiyi's explosive power just now had indeed been terrifying, but everyone had also seen his injuries.
No matter how strong someone is, there will always be a moment when they fall.
There will always be a moment when they run out of strength.
Earlier, Li Weiyi had used the Spring-Breaking Needle to pierce the Middle Dantian Point with lightning speed, concealed by the night.
The Surging Spring Martial-Mystic Cultivators present hadn't even seen it clearly, so they had no idea he had broken through the Sixth Spring.
"Boom!"
Li Weiyi stomped down on the fishing boat, his body soaring into the air in the wake of the impact. The boat instantly shattered into pieces.
As if walking on solid ground, he stepped on the void and charged straight toward Yang Yun.
Yang Yun showed no fear. He channeled the Eighth Spring spiritual power within him into the Yellow Dragon Sword, but then his brow furrowed deeply.
The sword... remained unresponsive, unable to unleash a blade of light.
A palm wind swept across his face as Li Weiyi closed in.
Yang Yun momentarily stowed the Yellow Dragon Sword in his left hand and clenched his right fist.
Spiritual power surged around Yang Yun's fist, exploding like a brilliant star that pierced through the palm wind and collided with Li Weiyi's silver palm.
"Boom!"
In that instant, Yang Yun finally understood why the previous three Hundred Strong Warriors had been sent flying. Li Weiyi's palm force was simply too powerful, its power capable of splitting mountains and moving mountains.
And this was just a casual palm strike, delivered without any preparation as Li Weiyi leaped forward.
Cracks appeared on the deck beneath Yang Yun's feet as he stumbled backward, each step accompanied by a creaking sound.
Finally, he slammed into the thick cabin wall, stopping his retreat.
The fist that had directly absorbed Li Weiyi's palm strike felt as if his fingers were about to shatter.
The third Vein at his Tanzhong Spring, fueled by the exhilarating impact of the palm strike, instantly unfurled within his body.
In the distance, at the top of the five-zhang-tall mast, a sharp twang echoed.
Murong Xiao fired her final arrow.
The arrow, hurtling through the night, vanished from sight the moment it left her bow.
In the next instant, a scene unfolded that left Murong Xiao's face contorted in shock. Li Weiyi, without dodging or evading, spread his legs like a drawn bow, his arms rippling with waves of spiritual power that carried a bright silver glow. He unleashed a powerful punch directly at the oncoming arrow.
He had grown weary of dodging one hidden arrow after another. He no longer wanted to evade; he wanted to shatter them all with a single blow.
"Boom!"
The two forces collided.
The thumb-thick, two-meter-long arrow was shattered by the punch.
The wooden arrow shaft shattered instantly under the force.
The fourth Vein within Li Weiyi's body was born!
"Swish! Swish! Swish..."
Led by Shi Chuan Yu, Yao ZhengSheng, and Lu Shen, over a dozen figures charged in from all directions. Each was radiating spiritual power, with wisps of smoke and mist swirling around them - none were weak.
Li Weiyi knew that even at his peak, he was only at the Sixth Spring Opening. He couldn't possibly fight them all alone... unless it was a fair match at the same cultivation level.
Once this group of powerful enemies, each at least one cultivation level above him, surrounded him and unleashed just a single move each, they could tear him to shreds.
"Whoosh!"
While searching for a weak point in their encirclement, Li Weiyi channeled his spiritual power into the Ghost Banner.
Immediately, a torrent of icy cold air and Nether Mist erupted from the banner, enveloping a dozen or so fishing boats.
The cold air unleashed by the Ghost Banner was even more bone-chilling than when he had activated it at the Fifth Spring Opening, quickly frosting the surfaces of the boats.
While the Ghost Banner's power wouldn't inflict much physical harm on these powerful Spring Surge Realm Martial-Mystic Cultivators, it stirred a deep-seated fear of the unknown within them.
"This spiritual artifact is definitely not simple. We need to be careful," they all thought, glancing down at the ice crystals on the ground.
The Nether Mist grew so thick that all the lights around them vanished.
With their vision obscured, they could only rely on sound to locate their enemies, making them even more wary.
Li Weiyi, spotting the injured Lu Shen, shifted his steps and flashed before him. The Heaven-Turning Hand Seal, long prepared, shot out.
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END OF CHAPTER
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