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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 66 (210): [The Empty House Tactic]
(66th of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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After a night of brutal fighting, Cang Li and Yin Jiu were utterly exhausted, their Spiritual Qi nearly depleted.
The severity of their injuries would have killed any Martial-Mystic Cultivator with weaker cultivation. They had endured this long only through their formidable cultivation and physical resilience, but they were now at the end of their rope.
For Yin Jiu, the blow had been both physical and psychological.
Gradually, the weeping ceased.
Fatigue, weakness, pain, and grief washed over him like a tidal wave. Yin Jiu lost consciousness and collapsed beside Yin Shi's corpse, their hands still tightly clasped together.
Li Weiyi stepped forward, intending to do something.
"Let him rest for a while," Cang Li said, "Even the strongest person has their breaking point."
Cang Li pulled out a pill bottle and poured a crimson healing pill into Yin Jiu's mouth.
The pill dissolved instantly.
Moments later, Yin Jiu was enveloped in a blood-red mist.
Cang Li swallowed a pill himself, then slumped against the wall, his peerless demeanor completely gone. He coughed violently several times, blood flowing from his mouth and nose.
Cang Li struggled to maintain his fighting spirit, fighting off sleep. His tiger-like eyes remained fixed on Li Weiyi, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he spoke: "Li Jiufu and I were no match for Luan Sheng Lin You, even just to hold him back. We were injured the entire time. It was Qin Li who used her sword formation to trap Luan Sheng Lin You for a single breath, and Li Jiufu paid the price of an arm to give me a chance to severely wound him. He won't recover within ten days."
Li Weiyi asked, "Luan Sheng Lin You is seriously injured?"
Cang Li nodded slightly, his eyes blazing with hatred: "Among the younger generation, Luan Sheng Lin You and Ge Xiantong's combat prowess far surpasses everyone else, creating a clear gap. But if he wants to kill me, he'll have to pay a price. I only regret that my spear pierced his body but missed his heart or Qi Sea."
Li Weiyi finally noticed that Cang Li no longer held his spear.
He could imagine the perilous and intense night of pursuit and combat, culminating in the heart-stopping moment when several people joined forces to fight a single opponent.
Bai Shu returned, entering the room with a panicked expression: "I've cleaned up all the bloodstains nearby! But... it seems someone's already caught up to us!"
"The Immortality Pill tickets, Dragon Seed Tickets, and Dragon Bone Tickets in the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival invitation are interconnected. You can't hide them or simply lie down and do nothing."
Cang Li remained calm, focused on healing and restoring his Spiritual Qi. He retrieved the invitation from his chest, its surface engraved with his name: "I'll hold them off for a while. Li Weiyi, take this invitation and Li Jiufu and find Zuoqiu Ting."
"If he's defeated too, flee the city immediately. Even if the invitation and all the exchange tickets become worthless, don't let them fall into their hands. With your cultivation speed and your undefeated five-move prowess against opponents of equal strength, you'll surely be able to avenge us within two or three years."
"Cultivators don't fight for momentary gains; they strive for a hundred lifetimes! You have a choice, but I don't."
"Swish! Swish..."
Outside Diligent Garden, sharp whistling sounds of wind-breaking filled the air.
The garden's defensive Formation had fully activated, layers of shimmering light veiling the grounds, formation glyphs swirling across their surfaces.
Some Formations enveloped the entire garden, while others covered only small areas, arranged in a maze-like pattern, creating an illusionary labyrinth.
Before the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, Yin Jiu and his allies had invested considerable time and resources in setting up these defenses. This was the reason they had fled to Diligent Garden.
Li Weiyi leaped into the air and landed on a tree near the Formation's light curtain surrounding the Diligent Garden, peering outside.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ground trembled under the thunderous advance of countless footsteps and the clatter of iron hooves.
The wide street outside the main gate was swarming with young Martial-Mystic Cultivators. Some wore the battle robes of the San Chen Palace, others were cavalry from Night City, while others were Buddha's Salvation Bandits from Coffin Mountain or Demon Race Martial-Mystic Cultivators...
Over a dozen factions, both large and small, had surrounded the Diligent Garden. Their armor gleamed, their weapons glinted, and their banners snapped in the wind, forming a complete encirclement.
From a nearby vantage point, Li Weiyi spotted Ji-Di and Mie Di, two of the Coffin Mountain Four Truths; Chen Wenwu of the San Chen Palace; and Ming Niansheng, a disciple of the Young Venerable...
And these were just the top-tier experts he could easily see from his vantage point, whom he recognized.
They had pursued with incredible speed.
Cang Li and Yin Jiu had only just arrived at the Diligent Garden, yet they had already established a complete encirclement. Even if Li Weiyi had tried to escape immediately, he would have been trapped.
They hesitated to attack because Cang Li and Yin Jiu were too formidable. They had already severely wounded even Luan Sheng Lin You. Who would dare to charge in recklessly?
Desperate, cornered experts were often the most dangerous.
Taoli (Peach and Plum) Mountain: One hundred zhang per heaven.
On the edge of a cliff in the Third Heaven, beneath an ancient peach tree, the Hidden Lord, Zuoqiu Ling, and several elders of the Zuoqiu Sect sat on the edge of their seats, their nerves frayed, their eyes fixed on the scene below.
They had long predicted that the first wave of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival would be the most grueling.
And Ge Xiantong and Luan Sheng Lin You's alliance, which had already eliminated the Zuoqiu Sect and the Jiu Li Clan, was the worst-case scenario they had foreseen.
If they couldn't endure this most difficult first night, it would mean complete defeat.
They didn't need to win - just to survive. The Calamity Crossing Temple would naturally give them a high evaluation for their resilience.
The Hidden Lord knew that the Diligent Garden's defeat was sealed, and Cang Li and his companions' lives were no longer in their hands. He clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do.
Zuoqiu Ling pointed toward East City, his hands on his hips as he cursed, "Luan Sheng Lin You is severely wounded! Why haven't those two from the Eastern Territory attacked? What are they waiting for? If the Zuoqiu Sect and the Jiu Li Clan are completely eliminated, they'll be next! Don't they understand the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold'?"
The Hidden Lord, ever restrained, remarked, "Lu Cangsheng is a master of defense. He would never strike without certainty. Relying solely on the Dragon Sect... even Long Dian of the Dragon Palace could only be a coiled dragon in hibernation. It's clear that Luan Sheng Lin You's Martial-Mystic talent and strategic acumen are extraordinary. He seems to have foreseen this situation long ago. The move to kill Zhu Huan has finally revealed its power, making genuine cooperation between the Thundercloud Sect and the Dragon Sect impossible."
Zuoqiu Ling scoffed, "The Thunder Method is meant for offense - unstoppable in its advance, impossible to halt in its retreat, capable of crushing everything in its path. Lu Cangsheng's temperament is ill-suited for it. No wonder he's been overshadowed by the Long Dian. Zhu Yibai, by contrast, has far more courage."
All eyes turned to the battlefield in West City.
There, Zhu Yibai of the Zhu Sect was holding off the Que Rong and Quanrong armies of young Martial-Mystic Cultivators from the Far Western Ashlands, along with Yu Zi, Luan Sheng Lin You's top disciple, and Qi Jin, his second-in-command.
Without Zhu Yibai's intervention, Luan Sheng Lin You's ferocity would have been even greater. Cang Li and Yin Jiu would have had no chance of escape, and the Zuoqiu Sect might have already collapsed.
It could be said that it was Zuoqiu Ting's foresight in securing the Vermilion Gate that allowed the Zuoqiu Sect and the Nine Li Clan to hold out until now.
A Clan Elder of the Zuoqiu Sect remarked, "You're only looking at this from your perspective. Lu Cangsheng and the Long Dian are content to sit back and watch the two sides tear each other apart. Why wouldn't they? For them, now is definitely not the best time to strike."
It wasn't just them. Immortal Realm giants and transcendents from the Fourth Heaven, Fifth Heaven, and other Major Powers were all closely monitoring the situation at the three key battlefields within the city.
Many elders were already discussing and speculating on the developments that would follow the Jiu Li Clan's defeat.
Hidden Lord's eyes were fixed on the mountain below. He had never imagined that Cang Li and Li Weiyi would actually collide and become trapped within the Diligent Garden.
As if making a decision, he suddenly stood up.
But Zuoqiu Ling pressed his shoulder, forcing him back down.
Suddenly, a Clan Elder of the Zuoqiu Sect exclaimed, "The gates of the Diligent Garden... they've actually opened on their own!"
Though everyone knew the garden's defenses were like paper in the face of so many experts, they were still secretly shocked. They all leaned forward to look down.
"Creak!"
Bai Shu followed Li Weiyi's instructions and opened the two main gates of Diligent Garden.
Holding a broom, she swept the steps.
Gazing at the dense crowd of enemies outside, she was utterly speechless and terrified, yet she had to maintain a calm, cheerful demeanor, showing not a hint of fear.
In her heart, she thought Li Weiyi had lost his mind.
The various factions gathered in the street were utterly bewildered, unsure what to make of the situation.
Chen Wenwu stood with his sword on his back, perched on the eaves of a building across from Diligent Garden's main gate.
"That's Bai Shu, the Calamity Fire Realm Great Spiritual Master of the Earthwolf King's Army. What's she up to?"
"Opening the gates and sweeping the steps to greet us... Is this... a surrender?"
"Cang Li dares to call himself the Southern Tiger, yet he hides inside while sending a woman out to surrender."
"That woman is quite delicate, like she could be squeezed into water. I'll go capture her first."
Mie Di was about to move when Ji-Di stopped him: "Something's off. Don't act rashly. Do you really think Cang Li, a man so proud, would willingly surrender?"
Mie Di's expression hardened. Looking at Bai Shu, who was cheerfully sweeping the steps, he found the scene eerily unnatural.
'This doesn't look like someone about to surrender!'
Young Master Yuwen Tuozhen of Night City, seated atop the Nightscale Colossus, suddenly paled. A chilling thought struck him: "Why did Cang Li and Li Jiufu flee here? Could they have set up something in advance?"
"What could they have set up? You're all too cautious. I'll go," Ming Niansheng said.
Yuwen Tuozhen countered, "What if it's a massive amount of Thunder Law Profound Ice? The current situation feels like they're trying to lure us all in to die together."
At these words, everyone's hearts jolted.
Ming Niansheng, who had already started walking toward the gate, immediately retreated: "Let's wait for the Young Venerable to arrive. Thunder Law Profound Ice isn't invincible. Now that we've seen through their trick, we can devise a counterstrategy."
On the Third Heaven of Peach and Plum Mountain.
Zuoqiu Ling stared in surprise:"They're actually intimidated? They don't dare to charge in?"
Hidden Lord frowned in thought: "Diligent Garden is shrouded in formations of varying sizes. They can't see what's inside. Those whose cultivation isn't high enough can't break through. And those with strong cultivation value their lives too much."
"If a single person or two tries to force their way in, they'll be killed for sure. If too many people charge in, and there's a killing trap inside - say, a massive deployment of Thunder Law Profound Ice - won't they all be buried together?"
"This layer of strategic thinking... I hadn't considered that."
"Did your Jiu Li Clan prepare long ago to perish with the enemy if you were defeated?" a Clan Elder from the Zuoqiu Sect exclaimed, finding the Jiu Li Clan's younger generation's top Martial-Mystic Cultivators too reckless.
"Impossible! Wouldn't it be better to escape the city after defeat and abandon the Hidden Dragon Competition?"
Hidden Lord shook his head gently, then sighed: "Even if there were a massive deployment of Thunder Law Profound Ice, it would only delay them for a while at most."
"The Empty House Tactic?"
Zuoqiu Ling praised, "It's quite impressive that Cang Li came up with this. Even just delaying them for a while creates many possibilities."
"He couldn't have thought of it himself."
Hidden Lord knew his son too well.
Cang Li had intelligence and courage, but not this much cunning.
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END OF CHAPTER
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